Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
It’s everything to do with tax cuts. The decisions of what we do (and don’t) fund are a direct result of tax revenues.
You appear to be clouding the matter by bringing in a separate matter on a point people would universally agree: there’s no point funding treatment doesn’t work. That’s of course different from the wider issue.
---------- Post added at 14:15 ---------- Previous post was at 14:09 ----------
“It’s not what people want” is a curious interpretation. You’re assuming people are well informed, and that politicians strive to inform them appropriately.
As I’ve pointed out before - after 40 years of the neo-liberal consensus we are £2 trillion in debt. Politicians were happy to peddle the low tax myth without spelling out to people that it wasn’t sustainable. People were happy to vote for it. Future generations will foot the bill.
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It's pretty arrogant of you to suggest that people don't understand the issues. You are assuming that most of the electorate are a bunch of retards who can't make sensible decisions on what they want.
What is very clear is that most people do want tax cuts. They also want good quality services, and they expect the government to provide these efficiently. It is the latter that is causing the problems - too much bureaucracy and outdated, inefficient systems.
The fact that this seems to come as a surprise to you is telling.
---------- Post added at 18:13 ---------- Previous post was at 18:08 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh
The electorate want the benefits without the cost, which is not possible in the real world.
They need to be educated in TANSTAAFL*
There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
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I think it is perfectly reasonable for our electorate to demand efficiency before pushing ever increased shedloads of money into an expanding black hole.
---------- Post added at 18:15 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angua
Council cuts are down to central government reducing how much they give councils. So they cut repairs to roads, library funding schools & support services, as they are stuck with looking after children in care and the elderly, because they have also been prevented from raising council tax. So people are spending more on car repairs needed due to poor roads, ends up being a false economy. The same applies to NHS funding, if people do not get the treatment they need in a timely manner, they lose their jobs through being unable to work, so more tax income is lost, whilst benefits go up.
People have been sold getting something for nothing. It cannot be sustained.
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We are paying an absolute fortune into the NHS but service levels keep going down. Strange, that.
---------- Post added at 18:16 ---------- Previous post was at 18:15 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman
If you read the quote in the article it sums it up well.
'These figures show that councils are topping up their reserves where they can, reflecting the absence of a long-term funding settlement for the sector, continued uncertainty around the spending review and Fair Funding Review and an expectation that the long hard winter of austerity is set to continue,’
In other words - councils need to keep money aside because of the uncertainty of how much they will be given in future years.
The amount set aside would barely cover local government spending for three months. As the article also states - some of it is ring fenced so local authorities couldn't even spend it if they wanted to.
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Pity the last Labour government didn't note that, jfman.