We’ll all take the hit

[Tiredofthis2022]

Hi. If we’re all going to take the hit, more cuts higher taxes. I have a few thoughts on where we might start.

First like to see the numbers in the Lords reduced significantly, we can’t afford to support this number.

I do not want to see any cuts to education, disability or carers, if they have to come I want to see change at the top first.

Any other ideas?

Yes I don't think we need more road building. We need more segregated cycle lanes. It would be good to play the long game - get more people cycling (and walking) safely and costs to the NHS will drop as people are less obese, and breathe in less air pollution.

MPs should get expenses, but on the same lines as any other civil servant - none of this nonsense claiming for maintenance for a second home (although I think that was stopped after the expenses scandal).

I am sure that a lot of public services could be run more efficiently with less waste. Lets have fewer management consultants and more front line staff. It will cost less and be more efficient. Make the NHS use email and text and stop sending letters for appointments.

This sounds like utter bollocks to me. Are you sure they weren't talking about the on-call rota? (Which logically would only be every several weeks)

I've worked in the NHS and the consultant anaesthetists (who work in ICU) I came across certainly did not only work 2 weeks in 9.

In some ways public sector workers have better terms and conditions than many. In my profession which requires a degree, the best sick pay I have ever had in a contract is 1 month in any 12 month rolling period before going to statutory sick pay. The worst was 2 weeks. My employer pays the legal minimum into a pension - there’s no 10 or 20 % employers contributions and salaries are similar to that of teachers. I had a 4% pay rise this year and that was only because I challenged the original 2%.
I work for a private company whose own overheads are going up. If you want to have public sector pay rises you will be facing large tax increases to fund it. The money has to come from somewhere.

This is a good idea. It takes away the admin drag .

Or if we do use management consultants can they be used to teach our children maths/science, we’d have enough of them, teachers would be better appreciated and management consultants could feel like they are actually doing something useful.

I think the reason that people love MC quite so much is the individual with the idea is then remote from the knife wielding for their plans, argued for and carried out by a third party who then moves on to the next project..

Our politicians don't make long-term choices though. Hence the mess of social care, health, education, pensions, infrastructure, etc.

these long term decisions should be taken out of the hands of politicians and the running of these should be done independently (like Bank of England) along with climate change preparation.

The whole point of politicians is to make such decisions. To govern properly for the benefit of citizens.

Who would you have do it instead? People have "had enough of" and do not listen to experts, otherwise we'd be rejoining the single market pronto which would mean a majority of the tax rises/ budget cuts could be scrapped.

We need to restructure the political system so that politicians are held to account and long term choices have to be justified - reports to show the projected outcomes in comparison to other choices produced for policy choices and a way for constituents to easily remove anybody who is not acting in the long-term interests of constituents. Strengthening of the ministerial code so that those MPs that take self-serving actions that can be demonstrated to likely be against their constituents' long-term interests (already a ministerial code requirement but constantly ignored) based on available evidence can be imprisoned. Etc.

Like i said, pay them much more so get people with actual skills. But like with many professional jobs (law, accountancy, medicine etc) if you are negligent there are legal penalties including fines/ imprisonment. And a regulator to ensure this (that isn't composed of MPs).

It's not hard to see how to improve it. But people would have to force the issue as clearly no MP will campaign for this. But it's totally normal for all other professionals to be held to account.

And by a way to remove an MP I don't mean the current absurd system which means it almost never happens no matter how incompetent they are. I mean a single person can go to court (with automatic legal aid) and if they can prove they've not met these basic requirements of their job beyond reasonable doubt then they are out and barred from returning, and subject to any penalities the court deems appropriate.

We need to let the legal system become the independent check on power it is meant to be again, after years of Government deliverately undermining this.

If politicians were aware of such consequences, their behaviour would change remarkably, and so would their choices on voting.

@SorenLorensonIsInvisible The whole point of politicians is to make such decisions. To govern properly for the benefit of citizens.

But for the last at least 10 years they haven’t and that’s been enough to derail us utterly (I say that as someone who has voted for all major parties at some point).

I would love to see them held to account but it still seems like they would be making their own homework, somethings are now too important to leave with an elected term and need cross party decision making and long term support (yes - informed by experts).

That's exactly why I made the suggestions above: to reinstate some the checks and balances that they have removed nefariously, to strengthen them further from where they were before that deliberate destruction.

Of course we will have raised taxes. We have 1000 more people to feed/clothe and house arriving in the UK via Dover each week. At a minimum cost of £25k for each of those for the first year, that’s another million a month the government has to find.

And these people are normally able to work and at some point net contributors (just as my parents have been for more than 40 years)

Again, a miniscule amount in the context of national finances. Irrelevant.

We can afford to be generous to people in desperate situations.

This is garbage. They work full time hours if on full time salary.

You either misunderstood or were lied to.

I see you've been suckered @Libre55 into believing these people are your biggest issue. Politicians can pull the strings of the gullible.

I don’t believe it is our biggest issue. Just one of them.I am actually quite capable of thinking for myself thank you. No strings being pulled here. Are you always so rude to try to make your point? Carry on with the insults dear….

Paying our MP full salary while he's in an Australian jungle pratting about on reality TV is really not going down well with me!!

Members of Parliament are not Civil Servants hence the difference in what they can claim.

You either misunderstood or were lied to

It's possible but I've no idea why a consultant and a friend would lie?

Absolutely agree with this.

Every time there is a reshuffle the priorities within Government departments change - the amount of tax paid money that is wasted on this must be astounding. And yet it is the CS, NHS, police, teachers etc etc that are accused of being wasteful.

Its this stupid stupid Government who can’t see past staying in power no matter the cost - Liz Truss being the perfect example.

You can remind him of this at the ballot box!

Have never voted for him anyway, always for the non-tory most likely to have a chance of ousting them but around here that's ridiculously unlikely to ever happen! Given that the local CA are very unsupportive of him doing this I suspect he won't be on the next ballot!

Have to assume it’s on his holibobs.

he’s on his way out..