[Alan Fry]

Originally Posted by ntluser

I think the sad truth is that the government will have to raise more money through tax rises, but protect the poor and vulnerable at the same time.

To make pensions sustainable in the future and to prevent further redundancies they will need to reduce the public sector wage bill, not by making people redundant but by having phased reductions in salary with those at the top end taking the bigger hit.

Since 1997 we have had cost of living increases and rises which have led us to the position we are in. We now need to reverse this process not only with wages but also with prices.People need to be given time to learn to live on less so that the transition is relatively painless.

We also need to get the unemployed into work of some form as the country cannot sustain the benefits burden it is carrying.Some are already are doing some kind on training but others are sitting at home waiting for a job to turn up. The private sector is struggling. Providing them with free workers from the benefit-paid unemployed will give the unemployed work experience and training as well as aiding companies to generate the growth we need.

The government itself, through its job centres, needs to organise unemployed builders, plumber, electrians etc into small businesses and pay them to renovate the million or so unused homes so that they can be used. If each of those homes was fitted with solar panels the country would have a million mini-power stations suplying electricity to the national grid.

We have no growth because the government is expecting a battered private sector to employ the unemployed and generate growth in the harshest of economic conditions.

What we need is for the government through strategic planning to mobilise its agencies to organise and assign the unemployed to specific tasks. At the moment everyone is dithering and we have economic inertia. Instead of putting aside funds for various tasks e.g. enterprise zones etc government needs to lead the way organising the unemployed because otherwise all that happens is that the money stays there in the public purse doing nothing.

Someone once said that money is like manure, it doesn't do any good unless you spread it around.That's very true and we need to get government money circulating to get the unemployed back to work.

It is possible to address the nation's problems. They can be organised away with a bit of creativity and planning and a lot of good will all around. With government, employers, unions and workers all pulling in the same direction to revive the economy we cannot fail.

For once a post that makes sense!