Bring back "War Bonds" to create a Pandemic Fund ?

[2014meh]

Journo's feel free to pinch this idea if it hasn't already been floated.

A friend copied me in on this found on social media.

"Only 5 years ago the country paid back its outstanding £1.9 billion war dating back to WW1.

blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/buy-war-bonds-rest/

The current battle with covid-19 has been described as being at war. Who can the nation borrow from this time to fund the "war effort" ?
How about the super rich ? (including celebrities and sportspersons with astronomical pay deals). Make it a copper-bottomed tax free investment if you have to.
Virtue signalling social media posting of sad but stoic, cliched soundbites is of no practical help to those in need.
Instead of investing in barely legal tax avoidance schemes, shouldn't we bring back War loans/War bonds.
Then you can post on social media how much you've personally lent the government to help the country fight the pandemic and that we will applaud. "

[SerendipityJane]

Alternatively, just an idea, Google, Starbucks, Amazon and Apple might pay a tiny fraction of their profits in tax.

Also, didn't we bail the banks out with a "bond" and got austerity by return post ?

[2014meh]

Clearly point scoring about other issues is more important to some folks...…. .

[SerendipityJane]

Clearly point scoring about other issues is more important to some folks.

(looks around the UK) well, if you want people to take you seriously why not start at the top ?

And I don't think it's "points scoring" to note that had the NHS been properly funded - possibly by an extra fractions of a % of some companies profits - the UK might be in a better position to weather the storm ? It's only "points scoring" if you don't like the points.

Which still stand, by the way.

[2014meh]

I don't dispute the chronic underfunding of the NHS. I live in an area which is at the bottom of the league as far as postcode lottery NHS care levels is concerned. Facilities shut down, centralised to save money etc which never seems to then be used to improve some other area of services. I can't recall when the local NHS Trust was last not in special measures of some sort. We need all MPs of whatever party to realise that the NHS needs more capacity permanently so it is never coming from so far behind as it is now.

So, with respect, you're still missing the point of my original post, that this is right here, right now and unprecedented, the wealthy need to put their money where their F*g mouth is instead of facile social media posts to keep their profile up or to make out we're all in this together when actually the London elite have long since bolted for the seaside/country, potentially taking the virus with them.