ECONOMIC PROBLEMS ARE WORSE THEN WE THOUGHT

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.express.co...worse-then-we-thought

/// David Cameron will say "The public will be given an unprecedented chance to help decide spending priorities."///

How will he implement this, will we be able to cut overseas aid?

Will we have a say in reducing the number of MPs?

Will we be given a referendum on withdrawing from the EU?

Given the chance what other spending priorities would you decide on?

[R1Geezer]

I'd be cutting the huge work shy layabout bill for a start. Also the NHS could do it's current functions for much less if they got shot of all the tiers of management. Ditto the public sector generally. Start enforcing the EU's current rules on assylum. Tell the EU we are halving our contributions. Abolish Welsh and Scottish Parliaments and any other unnecessary layers of goverment. etc etc....

[anotheoldgit]

Well thanks for that Geezer, that will certainly save a few millions.

[VHG]

The problem is that years and years of Labour spending (and creation of government and council jobs) has left a situation where huge parts of the UK are full of people who "work" for the governemt in one way or the other.

For example I heard before the election that over 50% of the people in Wales have "government" jobs. I believe other parts of the UK are just as bad.

Obviously no country can continue with having so many people employed by the government (while many of these jobs are important they dont actually generate any wealth. Only private industry creates wealth).

So as a long term strategy as a country we need more private companies, more private jobs, more wealth creators.

We can sack or lay off as many goverment workers as we like, but if there are no private jobs to go to they just go on the dole and become a drain on society.

It is a very difficult balancing act.

[youngmafbog]

Looking at simply on a purely short term economical way, fireing lots of useless 5 a day co ordinators and manager from the public sector and giving them 'Dole' will be much cheaper to the country.

the country simply cannot maintain this huge public sector Bill. Just out of interest are teh higher % government workers in Labour heartlands ?

[jackthehat]

^ Until the dole bill doubles and then voices will be raised complaining that as soon as the Tories get back into power unemployment increases............

[anotheoldgit]

At the end of WW2 we as a country was very much in debt.

One of the measures introduced was for a partial import ban, especially on goods from the United States.

If it could be manufactured in Britain , if it could be produced in Britain, then to a certain extent that is what happened.

To do this now, we need to turn around from being a primary service industry country to being a manufacturing country once again, we were once the best in the world at turning out high quality goods.

If we had a mini industrial revolution, it would create jobs, and school leavers would be able to take up apprenticeships once again.

Far fetched, one may say, but given the need and the incentive it may just work.

[jake-the-peg]

Imagine my surprise

Do you remember *any* incoming government not saying "look at the mess the other lot have left"?

I think you'll find overseas aid is being ringfenced

I think the ministry of defence could easilly do without those aircraft carriers - an aircraft carrier is after all not a defensive weapon in any shape or form.

Similarly the renewal of Trident is a waste of money - who exactly does David Cameron think he's going to Nuke? He'd need Obama's say so first anyhow

But I'm very impressed at VHG's answer

Yep cutting jobs costs us money if there is no private sector jobs

Private sector companies also employ people on Government contracts

If they're not careful we'll be right back in recession like we were when Geoffrey Howe got into 11 and started wielding the axe.

There is this wonderful image of public sector employees being perpetuated by people like YMB as pencil pushing middle managers with no useful output.

Much better thinking about them than the real public sector workers: Policemen, Firemen, Nurses, Teachers, your Bin Men, Ambulance drivers, the social services that look after your mum or dad.

[rov1200]

Whatever the final solution to removing £170bn it cannot be with tinkering around the edges. We need to think big!

As well as getting rid of Quangos we could at a stroke remove certain government departments that produce no wealth for the country. What about making a start on DEFRA many of the jobs could be integrated into other departments. There could be others.

As so many fiddle the dole why not incorporate the Inland Revenue with the Job Centres. Why not have a set limit and all housing benefit has to come out of the limited pot. Also all the other benefits severely restricted so once the pot has been used up no more claimants for that year.

Move the Westminster Commons to the Midlands. Move all the departments of state to outside London.

[anotheoldgit]

It gets better. I wonder if he will listen?

[Zeuhl]

I like the sentiments of the new industrial revolution but if we put up trade barriers to stop imports, who is going to buy these wonderful high quality goods?

There is nothing to stop us investing in manufacture and retain free markets.
If the products are good and realistically priced (subsidised even?) they will sell. If they aren't it's pointless anyway.
.

[Awkward]

The banks owe the country 90 billion. When sold of in a couple of years, they'll be worth 600 billion. Debt cleared with loads to spare, the Tories can then claim all the credit, literarily.