Dave's cuts are going be deep and they will hurt

I don't know anyone selfish enough to think that they should only pay for the services they need.

I'm more than happy that my taxes pay for services to provide for everyone in need. It's one of the things I love most about the UK, that we care for those who cannot care for themselves.

Who are all these people who don't want public services? You mix in very odd circles Mamatomany.

I think I must have misread your earlier post, because I cannot imagine that you are suggesting people with a disabled child should only have more children if they are guaranteed to be healthy? I sincerely hope I've misunderstood you there, because frankly I feel like I want to puke.

I'm very jealous i wish I could send mine out to work often and still get paid by our council tax, unfortunately her DH isn't getting the electrical anymore as that is obviously a private business but he has of course his £30k to fall back on, unlike every other spark in the area.

It isn't £30k actually mamatomany unless you're doing over and above contracted hours, and in dh's service they don't have beds so no sleeping either.

And actually I'm not sure how your friend's dh can be branded lazy if he's doing a 42 hour fire shift and works 'full-time' as an electrician. Sounds pretty hardworking if you ask me. Or are you just a bit because his shift pattern (11 hour dyas and 13 hour nights here) allow him to have a second job to boost his income?

Caoimhe Actually it's cruel to let people think that they will be looked after and then to take it off them, if you work on the theory that it will never be there in the first place then you can't be disappointed can you ?

I would need to see a photograph to make any decision saggar but I'm afraid my friend is married to one who works full time as an electrician and then spend 4 days a week or nights sleeping at a firestation for £30,000, not a bad life is it ?

My dh is a firefighter and he's neither fat nor lazy thank you. And I'm not sure what you mean by the 'style of which they are accustomed'. Still, you'll probably be happy when the service is managing on 20% less funding next year. Lets just hope the response time to your property isn't too badly affected when they close your nearest station.

What a horrible way of thinking, mamatomany - so self-centred and uncaring.

Only if you can guarantee of course that they a) will be well enough to do so and b) are willing to do so.
But it's the same for all of us, if you rely on other people then you are screwed, people need to be more self sufficient and then you don't need to worry about who's in government. Less grey hairs IME.

By mamatomany's logic, you should have more kids, so that they can then be responsible for looking after your dd

That's certainly not what I hear, people would rather pay £10,000 if their house burns down or for insurance that pays for the firetruck to come out when they need it rather than keep fat, lazy firemen and police officers in the style of which they are accustomed.
Your DD will never have the quality of life she should have because it's out of your control and that's what happens when you rely on the state. If you want her to have the things she needs and deserves then it's up to you (or her siblings) to make it happen just as I have to with my 4.

Most people do not want public services and the pretense of choice because they see it for what it is.
By "the rich" you mean people who will pay less in tax ie most people who work, well I'm sorry but if you don't contribute then you don't get to have the same services/benefits as those who do.

whilst the govt is doing a good job of managing expectations re:cuts; they need to be clever and focus on the big tickets

Pent - that sounds absolutely wonderful and may yet come to force, God willing. We can only pray.

yes, Penthesileia, both you and I have been arguing for sometime that Brown and darling played an absolute blinder buying Lloys and RBS at the such a low point. They are already in profit (9BN) but the TOries would be foolish to sell these cash cows so quickly..wait for an even better market, no hurry.

Penthesileia - you have written a good script ...Cameron is a good superb operator and I think could be in office for a long time.

ruckyrunt - are you from England/UK ? Would chaps be better than guys? Or even laydeez

scary teacher (are you a scary teacher?) - ah yes I see what you mean about the schools thing.

TDiddy: I have been wondering about that for a long time. See me on this thread over a year ago!

Now I've just had a ghastly realisation...

ConDem will slash services, etc., and raise taxes quite brutally. Nearly everyone suffers (except our Cabinet of millionaires, of course...).

Meanwhile, the banks recover their value. The government sells, make a healthy profit. Repay debt, or significant part thereof. Country back on financial feet - nothing to do with Dave's Cuts (except, perhaps, that those initial cuts might have calmed the jittery market for a month or so...).

The government are now in a position to offer tax cuts, as huge amount of slack now built into financial system owing to cutting of public expenditure. People forget the bad times. Are happy with tax cuts. Except those for whom tax cuts were never going to be enough.

Election called.

Lib Dems decimated and out of coalition. Tories romp home.

Services still slashed. Tory agenda - reduce public services; low taxation - achieved under guise of financial necessity and with appearance of governmental heroism.

Gah.

Rucky that's made me PMSL.

tdiddy - where is Guys? I can see other poster but every now and then you refer to this one poster and I can't see him or her?
What is Guys POV?

Guys, I don't know if you realise how much money the Govt will make when RBS and Lloyds share price doubles which it could easily do: well over 150BN. Will do the numbers. That would be a far greater than anything that we could hope for in cuts in the short term!!!

Just wondering how many lottery tickets are sold each week. Could we not tax the lottery at 25%, with that 25p going directly to the treasury.

Not sure how much it would raise, but I can't imagine it would many people off buying a ticket.

I think that in a long run, a country with a high rate of university educated people stand better chances of economic and cultural development than another with a lower rate.

Dh would like to point out two things:

A) his degree isn;t media studies- it's rechnology. I was 'told off' (as far as dh ever would LOL) for that!

and

B) Media studies does cover courses such as the games design one run ehre; games design is a successful export area and needs to be positively encouraged.

Better to look at all degrees and their employment rates surely- rather than chucking the baby out with the bath water? Those figures exist, we were amde wella ware of them at University. Philosophy, my own area, being a particularly bad offender.... thank goodness for the ability to tack on study in otehr areas!