What Goverment spending would you cut? poll discussion

daverby1

I'd vote for cutting the Trident replacement first. What a huge amount coul dbe saved.
Then, stop trying to be the world's policeman by not invading other countries.
Next, we need to weed out those claiming benefits who are taking the country for a ride. Why should large families with no-one working claim amounts way above the national average wage? We house them, yet they milk the system and put two (or one) fingers up to the rest of us.
Further on the benefits front; I believe New York a few years ago either stopped or severely curtailed benefits to young girls who had children in order to gain housing. Within a relatively short time the pregnancies reduced, once they understood that they'd have to provide for themselves. Make the fathers pay, or their own families - the demand would soon go down.
Do more to close tax evasion loopholes. Why should the very rich avoid paying taxes when the poorer in society get pummelled?
Rant over:(

evenasus

Geoffsave wrote: »

How sad that you don't realize how well off you are.
Ever visited the third world?

I have - lived in Africa for several years. So I really know what goes on there!
And yes, I agree the funding should be cut.

spokeslady

I would like to have seen the amount spent by central Government of external consultancies included. Danny Alexander (Chief Secretary, HM Treasury; ) revealed yesterday that in 2008-09 £1.57 billion was spent on consultancies. Plus he threw in a few other interesting facts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spent £12,000 on branded golf balls over three years. The Ministry of Defence spent £232,000 on eight paintings in a single year. The Department for Communities and Local Government has spent £6,000 on deluxe espresso coffee machines for nine new, but empty, regional fire control rooms.

puckstopper

I do wonder what sort of world some people live in reading some of the posts on here. Cutting Trident is the last thing we should do in the current world situation, N Korea, Iran and Pakistan to mention in the first instance. And what is wrong with wanting Great Britain to be Great no wonder we are in such a state, do we really want to be that little insignificant island of the coast of Europe.

I say no to Little Britain and a BIG yes to being GREAT BRITAIN.

MothballsWallet

• Get rid of IVF (and other procreation technology) from the NHS available list.
• Replace NICE with a bucket of dog poo - it'd have infinitely more intelligence.
• Get rid of the quangos.
• Get rid of the Child Trust Fund.
• Get rid of Tax Credits (a lot of admin overhead).
• Simplify the tax system.
• Make it illegal for anyone earning over 50k to employ a tax accountant.
• Stop celebrities from getting child benefit when they have kids.
• Tax endorsement income for footballers at 99%.
• Tax Premiership footballers at 95%.

aggrieved

puckstopper wrote: »

I do wonder what sort of world some people live in reading some of the posts on here. Cutting Trident is the last thing we should do in the current world situation, N Korea, Iran and Pakistan to mention in the first instance. And what is wrong with wanting Great Britain to be Great no wonder we are in such a state, do we really want to be that little insignificant island of the coast of Europe.
I say no to Little Britain and a BIG yes to being GREAT BRITAIN.

You have got it in one - we are that little insignificant island of the coast of Europe. Get used to it and accept that living standards are much lower here because our politicians still believe we are here to police the world. They and you are living two hundred years in the past.

aggrieved

voiceofreason wrote: »

They clearly have a late half-term break in your part of the country, it seems - can't you go outside and kick a ball about or something?
And does your Mum know you're online while she's at work?

oooo! you are a one aren't you.

olic

NorthWalesGraham wrote: »

I am a benefit fraud investigator for the past 12 years and from my experience I can state that fraud within the benefit system is rampant. If this Government is serious about reducing the massive public sector bill which the last Government ( and previous Governments) have accumulated they must address the fraud in the welfare system. Despite what the last Government has claimed in that they had reduced the fraud in the system I and my colleagues in local authorities and the DWP would challenge this. I agree with the comments of some of the other contributors to this post and it's insulting to those hard working, taxpaying members of the public who witness day in day out benefit claimants blatantly stealing money from taxpayers. Remember it's the taxpayer who funds the public sector not the Government ! So here's what I would do:

Abolish Child Benefit (There's Child Tax Credits which is means tested)

Abolish Job Centres and replace them with Employment agencies run by the private sector and reward the agencies by the number of claimants they place in employment.

Stop single parents on benefit from being given more money every time they have another child.

Make all benefits taxable.

This!


Also, take a look at some of the Scandinavian countries who have half the problems we have- do they need a big f off nuclear missile?!...no I don't think so! Sadly, the distorted media in the UK brainwashes people like puckstopper above into thinking that we are justified in going to iraq and sending troops all over the place. Infact it is just in the interest of big corporations who have government ties and essentially use our tax money to secure resources for them all over the world!

Marisco

One thing this thread does show, is the futility of the government wanting to "consult" the public!! Its obvious that people will cut what doesn't affect them! I voted for overseas aid, not because I don't think they need a hand, but because I don't agree with giving actual money. Instead of sending money which ends up with corrupt officials or used to buy arms, why not build things for them, i.e housing, schools, irrigation systems, desalination plants etc? Train the people out there to help themselves. This would also help the unemployed situation in this country, by using unemployed tradesmen to do the work.

I'm also in favour of means testing benefits that is paid for by the government. Universal child benefit is ridiculous, as is tax credits. Working people should not have to claim benefits, they should be paid a living wage to begin with!! Bus passes and winter fuel should also be means tested, that way only those who really need them would get them.

earthmother

I know I've posted already, but something else came up in my local news that is a perfect example of where money has been wasted.

The two NHS trusts in this area between them have wasted over £12million in the past few years on consultations on projects they have now decided not to go ahead with, and compensatory payouts to other firms because they decided not to go ahead with said projects. The projects in question had all been slated as impractical if not worse by the people working in and using the areas under consideration, and yet these trusts still felt the need to 'consult', in one case for 7 years, to end up with the same answer they'd been given for free at the start.

In the meantime, the same old problems of staffing, waiting lists etc that plague all NHS trusts has continued - just how many treatments could £12million have allowed?