The not-wife, my sister, her husband, a fair few of my friends and your truly are currently waiting with baited for a letter from that nice young Clegg and that equally nice young Cameron, inviting us all effectively play the game of Turkeys voting for Christmas...
Not content with proceeding headlong with a 25% cut in public spending (Health and International Development aside, although they will surely require substantial cuts if their budgets are frozen) which will mean many job losses in the public sector and a two year pay freeze (although the not-wife being a low earner will qualify for the enormous £250 a year pay rise – caviar and champers all round, or there would be if she were not a teetotal vegetarian!), the Condems are going to add insult to injury by asking us to help them screw the public sector by identifying savings for them.
According to the Telegraph Clegg and Cameron say
"We want you to help us find those savings, so we can cut public spending in a way that is fair and responsible.
"You work on the front line of public services. You know where things are working well, where the waste is, and where we can rethink things so that we get better services for less money."
Speaking on BBC Mr Clegg denied that this is simply a gimmick.
''We are going to do something with the views we get – everyone has a stake in this,'' he said ''We have an incredibly difficult task ahead of us as a country in the months and years ahead. That is to make sure that our great first-class public services are kept as world-beating public services. 'But that we make sure that money on a large scale is properly saved, that waste is cut out and money is only really used for the front line public services that we need.''
Government spending is to fall by 25%. That means there will be less money for schools, housing, transport, the military will inevitably be slashed, despite its commitments (if you crapped on about the last government failing to honour an non-existent compact watch what happens!), welfare will be skewered.. oh and hundreds of thousands of public servants will be thrown on the dole... Double dip recession anyone?
By writing to public servants they either have no clue how to achieve this objective or they hold a large section of the British public in utter contempt.
Unsurprisingly, Mark Serwotka, the General Secretary of PCS, the main civil service union describes the act as “breathtakingly arrogant and deceitful”
I don’t talk about my line of work on this blog and I won’t start now. I am fortunate to be in the top 10% of earners in the civil service although that is far more an indication of the low pay received by the vast majority of civil servants than to mark me down as one of those fat cats with a gold-plated pension that ignorant politicians and lazy newspaper hacks like to talk about at great length.
These cuts are going to hit those who can ill afford to be hit either a employees or consumers (many public servants are paid little more than the minimum wage).
As far as I am concerned Clegg and Cameron can fuck off and stick each and every copy of this disgraceful letter right up their arses
NB – for the benefit of any morons thinking that I am speaking in an official capacity, I can assure you that I am speaking as a private citizen.
15 comments:
Well said, sir! A comparison: somebody beats the shit out of you and steals all your money, then asks you to identify other targets and ways to make his mugging more efficient ("Did you feel the knife to the neck should have come before or after the savage boot into the scrotum?)
I knew that a new Tory Government would be a case of bend over and take another inch... I didn't realise it would be bend over and take a fucking yard!
How would you reduce the deficit Dear Jams? Don't shout, I am not a Tory, I'm just interested in hearing alternative ideas for balancing the books. Personally I'd scrap Trident and abolish the Monarchy and The House of Lords for starters, but I know that is not going to happen. But I do hear an awful lot of complaints about what is to be cut but not a lot of ideas for how to fund everything everybody wants.
THere is a lot of dogma here. The economy is growing again which means that to an extent the deficit will fall away.
Okay this is not enough to meet everything but there are options to consider/ Like you I am all for scrapping Trident and its successor. It is a waste of money . I would also look to hit tax evasion too,
When you consider these then the position will not be quite as bad. Some cuts will be necessary but not to the extent that Osborne is advocating. That runs a major risk of heading us straight back to recession
I couldn't have said it better myself, Jams....
It was the letter that really angered me. Talk about adding insult to injury!
Maybe they could start by cutting out the expense of sending pointless letters?
My point exactly, Ruth.
Ruth, SH... I agree totally
Jams
I would gladly trade the grown adults you have in government to Obama any day of the week.
The truth is that the days of big government expenditures and endless entitlements are over. Most people would rather have a good job than endless entitlements.
Three years down the road when jobs are booming in the UK you will be thanking Cameron.
Do more with less.
Greece is selling islands. Perhaps Cameron and Clegg could sell Orkney and Shetland and the Isle of Wight.
Totally agree on scrapping Trident, but doubt that this will impact bottom line for many years.
How about giving Northern Ireland back to Ireland?
Joking aside, miserable times.
There are plenty of things that can be done without gutting the public services, wrecking services and kick starting the next recession by throwing more people on the dole Beak.
That said the idea od receiving such a letter really does get my goat!
Not the best of times at all Colin. There will be some savings due from scrapping trident as the repleacement will need a shed load of money in the coming years.. but you're right it really doesn't really affect the bottom line for a while
Jams
I want to talk about modern economics
the problem with the current crisis is entitlements. Amazingly countries like Greece and Spain got into this mess with negligible defense spending.
The era of endlessly expanding government to solve everything is over. This works in growing economies but real growth is way long off.
Ideally, hiring freezes and buyouts should start this process.
I would gladly trade your leadership for Obama who really has zero leadership.
In reality recent pensioners should be expected to mentor younger peers. Half a day for five years pensioners residing near their former jobs should be expected to point younger workers
in the right direction. The exception should be for those who
are working other jobs. Mentoring
for five years would help retirees better transition into their golden years.
Government can't grow forever.
You got a letter.
Why not reply?
Tell the Cleggerons that when they cancel pensions and 'severance' pay for MPs then you will help them but not before they lead by example.
THe level of cuts the Tories and the Dems are talking about are more doctrinaire than necessary - they go far beyond what is needed.
As for economics if it precipitates a double dip then it is hardluy a good idea Beakerkin!
Now there's a thought JD!
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