France’s economic outlook downgraded as UK looks to overtake - Business News - Business - The Independent OK, brink of collapse might be a bit OTT but Gerard Depardieu, that well known economist, says France is fucked.
I dont want to get bogged down in what % the state could be cut but I am very much in favour of a smaller & more cost effective state. What is the point of paying tax that is wasted ? To give an example I have knowledge of from my partner who works in the NHS. A receptionist was made redundant and rightly received a payoff. A temp was then taken on at a higher hourly rate on a two year contract. Still one person doing one persons job but at higher cost to we taxpayers. I`m fed up with politicians boasting about how much of our money they spend. I`m really delighted and proud to live and work in a country with a welfare state and I`m very happy to pay taxes for essential services, schools etc and to help those who need and deserve help but tax less , spend less but spend it better ! We are in a ludicrous position where some relatively low paid workers pay tax and then receive benefits so the state uses our money to pay people at the tax office for the income tax in and the benefits office for the benefit out. Surely it would be sensible to raise the starting tax threshold very much higher than it currently is and let the low paid keep all their salary and receive less benefits, that would really encourage people to work.
i mentioned on another thread about a mate of mine who is currently working with a team that have been charged with finding ways to save money in the English legal justice system. he was telling me a couple of weeks back that on average if every one employed by the afore mentioned spent 5mins less a day on there phones checking out facebook and the like, it would save 11million over a year, i think he said.
It's easy to say that whilst avoiding specifics. A large slice of public expenditure is transfer payments, i.e. tax received from taxpayers is immediately paid out again to elderly, disabled, sick, and unemployed people, etc. That money "taken out of the economy" is paid straight back into the economy again. Transfers could always be cut drastically, of course - that is, take action to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, by reneging on promises made to the poor and the old. So if you were running for election, that could be one of your slogans. Good luck with that. Much of the rest of public expenditure goes on healthcare, education, defence, and justice, with much of it being the salaries of doctors, teachers, soldiers, etc. (thus again paid straight back into the economy). So which of those exactly do you want to make drastic cuts to? Or distribute your cuts equally between all of them? Don't you care to say? Thought not.
Schools should be paid for by people with children. Education - no public expenditure. Healthcare should be paid for by people who need medical attention. Healthcare - no public expenditure. Unemployment benefit should be paid for by unemployed people via their savings or insurance. Unemployment - no public expenditure. Pensions should be paid for by retired people through their own savings and pension plans. Pensions - no public expenditure. Policing should be paid for by people who ... Wow, this is easy!
A vital £11 million Fin. We couldn't possible stop wasting - sorry, cut, that sort of money. Widows and orphans would die, schools 'n' hospitals fall into ruin, civilisation crumble and there would be darkness across the face of the Earth.
Spend 11m less and 100m more recruiting the staff who are pissed off because their employer is a knob.
You think? Really? Did you not see what happened in Scotland through the referendum? Labour, Tories, LibDems? All screwed here. The SNP is now twice the size of the LibDems and not far away from being a bigger party than the Tories. The referendum was exactly people taking power from politicians. It is happening now in England with UKIP. An anti establishment party scaring the crap out the old guard. I don't agree with any UKIP policies but listening to their new MP for Clacton the other day, he was exactly spot on when he talked of Westminster being run in the interests of business and the few rather than the long term we'll being of the general population. It's what we in Scotland have been complaining about and why 45% of us wanted to leave. We failed, so what we need now is for English people to get hold of Westminster and turn it upside down. I really hope you do, otherwise we are screwed: at least until UKIP takes England out of the EU. The Celtic nations will stay in and decide whether or not you can share the £
The UK SPENDS £5billion per annum on Jobseeker's Allowance £75billion per annum on pensions Just saying. I don't get tax credits for the same reasons listed above. They basically subsidise employers. Maybe if they paid a man/woman a wage they could live on they wouldn't need state hand outs? Personally, I think everyone should pay tax. It's what gives us a stake in society, an interest in how politicians spend our money and a respect for the infrastructure and services it gets spent on.
Trust me 749er, we will. On the subject of the EU, if Scotland wishes to join as an independent nation (I think you'd be mad, but each to their own, we can agree to differ) it would be greatly in your interests if the UK as a whole withdrew before the act of Scottish secession. Other EU member states who are currently implacably opposed to the entry of a secessionist Scotland from fear of fanning the flames separatism in their own countries would no longer have any reason to refuse you. Their guns will be spiked. Think long term and vote OUT. Then secede and do the mother of all U-turns. Its an honourable European tradition. The Pound, I fear though, is inseparable from England. The foundation stone of a national currency is the national bank, the lender of last resort, which is the Bank of England. The clue is in the name.
bollox. :smile: they will be begging for our acceptance. they really cant afford not to. another conflict to gain access to our assets.. what ya fink?
