To think Rishi is right - the government cannot be everything to everyone?

[Cuppasoupmonster]

Don’t get me wrong, the Tory government hasn’t tried to be anything let alone everything.

But I think he was right when he said there’s too much reliance on the state to provide for each and every issue the public face.

We could free up a lot of funds by taxing big corporations properly, cracking down on non doms etc. But even then, I’m not convinced the socialist utopia of generous benefits, a five star NHS, cheap and available high quality public housing, instant mental health support etc that is often discussed on here could ever be financially viable.

AIBU?

we elect the government to do the things we cannot do as individuals. The govt can’t do everything but they should use the power they have for the food of every member of society; not just those who support them. this is where they have been going wrong and continue to go wrong in so many areas.

that should be good not food 🙂

You’ve done the sums have you @Cuppasoupmonster ?

as in, higher taxation rate and non doms, feeding that money into greater public spending?

Or are you just generalising , let’s be real, because your laundry list of “socialist utopia” (?!) things, are needs which you and others you know have already have privately met for yourself , and so you don’t like the idea of higher taxation so others get it for “free”?

😂 on 27k, I should be so lucky!

I agree. People ought to take responsibility for themselves whenever possible. Too many are capable of shifting for themselves but want someone else to provide.

YABU. What else is the government for if not to govern the people? No one should be suffering, cold, starving, or homeless. That is the whole point of them!

This Tory government has been nothing to no one unless you’re in the top few % of earners.

12 years of awfulness.

That’s not what I said though is it?

Yep, I said that

I agree OP anything wrong nowadays its the government's fault.

The top 0.1% don’t pay any tax because loopholes exist to avoid paying them. And if the wealthiest countries all decided to end those loopholes they’d have to pay them. Economist Ha Joon Change who lectures at Cambridge has written about this so it’s not me conjuring up this from thin air. But the top 0.001% are who control the politicians.

If everyone was getting poorer I’d agree with you but the rich are getting wealthier and wealthier. When my parents were young my Dad could support a family of four on an average wage, now you’d need two incomes and would still likely struggle. Things shouldn’t be getting worse for everyone else whilst the rich get insanely richer.

But my point is even if the very wealthy did pay a much higher rate of tax, I’m not convinced it would be enough for everything posters on here seem to expect.

He has been delivering that clever line for a while. The problem is that it sounds lazy. If he does not aspire to deliver much then he is arguably letting himself off the hook for subsequently failing to perform.
Aspirational leadership has always been important, never more so in bleak times like this. I would have thought that the Tories are aware.
Perhaps he is starting to steer us towards the American model. Help only for the extremely vulnerable (which is also part of his spin).

It should not be too much to expect of our government to be trustworthy and compassionate. It's not been for 12 years!

We have created a 'survival of the fittest' model.

Surely we want an employed, housed and healthy population, and if we do we can target our public spending towards that. Ditch the vanity projects. Ditch the extravagances that produce nothing tangible. Get our public services functioning properly, our social care and mental health properly funded, create jobs that offer stability and fair wages to workers and recognise that throwing money at high earners does not create wealth across society - 'trickle down economics' doesn't work.

If that's a 'socialist dream' fine - sounds like a compassionate society to me. For sure what is going on now is no dream - just a nightmare of epic proportions for so many people across this country.

If there’s no money for basic human needs how come the rich (Tory donors and voters) keep getting richer??

It’s other things like having 300,000 a year net migration and building NO HOUSING, no new hospitals so we end up with crippling housing shortages, rising rent costs and huge waiting lists to see doctors.

I am pro immigration but you need to build the amenities to provide for extra people which they don’t do. I’m absolutely not blaming immigration but our politicians are idiots. If you’re going to have an extra 300,000 people per year atleast build the services needed for those people.

I absolutely agree that tax loopholes for the mega rich should be plugged.
windfall taxes on huge corporations, sort out the NHS, which is not underfunded but very badly managed.
More affordable social housing needs to be built and an end to the "right to buy". Get tough on economic immigration with a 48 hour turnaround for those who are not fleeing conflict.
Better care for the disabled and those who are unable to work , not those that don't want to work.
That's my manifesto

Well although things aren't perfect in any country, the Nordic countries seem able to do what our government says isn't possible.

Higher taxes which I know is unpalatable to some, but if you want a decent society then we all have to contribute more.
Although the UK is not as bad as the USA we do need to develop the more community/social minded mindset of the Nordic countries rather than the 'I'm alright but you can sod off Jack' mindset' of the USA which seems to be where we are heading.

It takes a society to make a decent society.

Bit rich to cause a load of problems then tell us we have to deal with them.

Bit like Andrew Bailey smugly telling us that the 15 years of low interest rates were a "Fools Paradise" - yes, that you lot created!

Maybe if Sunak's party had not spaffed billions up the wall over the last 12 years things would be better. Their corruption in giving contracts for millions to their chronies, wasting money on substandard and inappropriate PPE is a National disgrace. They cannot turn it back on the population now. Shocking.

The government can decide to help those freezing/starving, or it can choose to help the billionaires their donors. I think we can see who this government has chosen to help...

It is not about expecting the Government to provide everything - nobody expects that.

But holding high aspirations for our health & public services and education is not a bad thing. They are the platform we can build everything else on.

I have to laugh at the 12 years of Tory awfulness. Did we have a glorious time under the Labour government?

YANBU. No government is going to be everything to everyone.

YANBU but it should try to create a more level playing field.

Close the tax loopholes for companies like Amazon, end non-Dom etc, stop subsidising large companies choosing to pay poverty wages through UC, proper taxation on the energy companies would be a start.