'Do you support public spending cuts?' poll discussion

Robboseven

Here's a list of the various groups I've seen blamed for the current state of the economy:

Rich people
Poor people on benefits
Greedy Bankers
The Labour Government
The Coalition Government
Greedy Politicians
The Private Sector
The Public Sector

Well that covers almost everybody so can we all stop blaming each other and just agree that something has to be done?

I'm sure that even the current government would prefer not to be making huge cuts but do they have any choice? An earlier poster referred to this being a "Private Sector" recession so why should the public sector suffer? Really - can you be that stupid? How would a "Public Sector" recession manifest itself? Possibly by taxes revenues reducing because of a private sector one?

It would be refreshing if people didn't keep seeing this as a class war too.

lardaholics_anonymous

The vote tally at my time of clicking was that 40% opposed cuts. This astounded me. I would have thought that all of us here on the MSE community are trying reduce their debts or save as much as we can. Some of us don't buy as many coffees in the morning, switch to cheaper brands, use coupons and find many creative ways to cut our spending. If we do this well enough, we off our loans and credit cards or maybe save the 25% we need for a house deposit.

So why do 40% of us think it is OK for the company to continue to spend on the nation's credit card? Crazy. Martin - there is a business opportunity MoneyWastingExpert.com. 40% of the voter in the poll are your target market.

Neither the recession nor the financial crash were the core problem for the deficit and borrowing we face (yes - they made a bad situation worse), but the core problem was a systematic borrowing during the boom that gets us here.

alimckay

I love reading these type of comments particularly the ones who know nothing more than the media hype which ultimately depends on what paper you read.
As a local government worker - I can assure you that frontline services will be very much cut - some more than others but all in for a hammering. I totally agree that in all areas of local and national government there is waste as there is everywhere but making workers on low wages "redundant" is a wrong move it will cut services, increase unemployment and therefore increase benefit payouts.
We are all sitting waiting till November to find out how many of us will still have jobs next year yet I sit in an area which still employs daily rate expensive contractors who have already been told they are needed till May next year - they do the same job I do and have done for the last 5 years - its time people started sending in FOI requests on contract paid staff - we ask and get told its a different budget so not in line to cut - its you the council tax payers budget and its going on expensive contractors that cost 4/5 times what the staff cost - so we keep 1 of them and pay off 4 staff then tell me people wont notice the difference

chrissie55

Let's phrase it differently: is it OK that you &/or your children die in a fire due to service cuts, to pay for the bank bailouts? Cut the WARS, nail rich tax-dodgers, & tax bank transactions.

BigMummaF

lardaholics_anonymous wrote: »

The vote tally at my time of clicking was that 40% opposed cuts. This astounded me. I would have thought that all of us here on the MSE community are trying reduce their debts or save as much as we can....

I voted No, as the option I would have preferred wasn't offered. I agree that something has to be done, but it is the timing that worries me.

How drastic would it be to make considered savings over a period of several years as opposed to doing everything now? There seems to be such an urgency to being The Hare instead of taking The Tortoise approach, that I wonder if it is of more importance to certain political persons to swan around looking as though they're the bees knees than actually considering the impact on the voters.

It's time ANY MP actually stopped & thought about what is being said & how utterly absurd & contradictory many of their 'policies' are. There's not enough jobs for school-leavers, but we'll raise the retirement age. We need to lose X% of public sector employees but we're determined to get people off benefits. Young people need to be educated for a technological age but we're cutting grants & school budgets....etc etc etc

The thing that is getting us most :mad: is there is nothing coming from Westminister saying how THEY are going to make savings. Have they turned down the thermostat, made sure energy efficient light-bulbs, insulation, draught-proofing, stand-by timers--what-have-you--is in place, both in the Houses & their own homes? Will they wrap a value fleece round their knees & wear an extra vest during the night sittings? Will they use modern technology to "interface" with foreign counter-parts in favour of stepping on to a plane, car share, print on both sides of the page & share one set of papers between two or three like kids have done with text books? Will they take sandwiches into work from home & start using the next brand down?

When The Powers That Be can prove they are actually following the same budget moves that Ordinary Jo/e has to implement, I'll be of more mind to listen to what they have to say.

C_Mababejive

Arenasarenas wrote: »

Well we are clearly back to selfish politics. I would be proud to pay more tax to help out the country and avoid cutting public services, I can afford it and so can lots of very rich folk that the Torys are helping to stay rich. Its sad that we have become a nation of tax dodgers, everybody looking out for themselves and not supporting each other - what nice people we are!

Your sentiments are admirable but the truth is,there are very few Mother Theresas out there any more,nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain.

In a capitalist society,the only thing that matters is money money money and me me me. Self interest is paramount and there is no room for socialist ideals.

People who practice the values you espouse get sh&t on. Been there,done that. Might is right,greed is good,only the poor pay taxes.

Gareth_Lazelle

C_Mababejive wrote: »

People who practice the values you espouse get sh&t on. Been there,done that. Might is right,greed is good,only the poor pay taxes.

It's wrong, and the wealthy would love us to believe otherwise (because then they can lighten our wallets more easily), but it is the reality,

Mike_Dee

Hi Guy's, I do believe that cuts are unavoidable but I am concerned about cuts to our emergency services, Police in particular.
As an Ex Police Officer I can assure you that this will be devastating for any force, and it is common sense that an increase in crime will result in some employment starved area's, and with less police staff to handle this, I dread to think what will happen.
To be honest, I feel that the public in general do not realize that in many area's police are only just coping with the workload now, and with fewer staff, be it front line or backroom staff, we are in for mega problems.

minerva_windsong

My heart says no cuts, my head says that cuts on some level are the only way to reduce the deficit.

Although I would like to see the people who are committing fraud and not paying their taxes due to various loopholes and all the rest of it take the flak rather than people who genuinely need benefits to survive suffer because of the few who are cheating the system. That and making it so that coming into work from being on benefits doesn't mean you lose out - in fact I think that whole area is one where it's being cut for the sake of a good headline in the tabloids whereas investing more money now will reduce costs in the long term.

XRAT

It's been said before on this thread 'Charity begins at home'

If so much tax wasn't evaded by being 'donated to charity' we wouldn't have a financial crisis.

Charitable donations should be given after tax has been paid, everyone should pay tax. What's left is yours to do with what you like, I don't see why anyone should be able to choose to dodge paying tax by giving it to a 'charity.'