Labours cuts will be tougher than thatcher

[atlantis]

For all of those on here who say ' I'm scared of a conservative government because of the last time', think again;

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/25/alistair-darling-cut-deeper-margaret-thatcher

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8587877.stm

Alister Darling has admitted that labour (although probably ed balls and not darling if they win) will cut deeper than Margaret Thatchers government did after the last Labour near bankruptsy spending spree.

Shame he didn't have the backbone to come out with this in the budget and detail exactly where they will be slashing services and cutting jobs.

Surely this will be the future under whichever party gets into power? I mean they will all have to tackle the same defecit.

Winning this election will be a poison challice. Much like Obama's election win was. So many unpopular choices will have to be made over the next few years that I reckon the next Gov will inevitably be kicked out after a single term.

If they even get a full term... If we have a "hung" parliament then I think it'll be two years maximum before another election. Would be nice to think they'd all work together for the good of the country but I doubt that would happen. Sadly.

Agreed Riven.

www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/7523175/Budget-2010-Labour-is-stealing-from-our-childrens-future-to-buy- votes.html

I know this is from the Torygraph, but even so, those sums are eyewatering - of course Darling wasn't honest in the budget a few weeks from an election if the £1.4tr figure is true....

I'm glad he's had the honesty to admit that they are going to have to make some sweeping cuts. I wish they also had the guts to tell us where the cuts will be made, instead saying that they'll talk about the details until after the election. They really must think the electorate are very stupid if they believe they can win an election by scaremongering about Tory cuts (to Surestart etc) and not admitting they're going to have to make just as many cuts.

It would be great if they also had the courage to tell us about tax rises too, they've been very ambiguous about this, and I just don't trust them at all.

The Conservatives are the ones who ought to be telling us what they'll cut because they want to do it in 2010, Labour preferring to wait until the recovery has more time. So far so much waffle (last nights budget broadcast by Osborne being a good example of where he had a chance to say what they will do and completely fluffed it).

Don't agree with cuts to defence necessarily, it's a really easy target because we'd all rather spend money on education than weapons and wars, but thinking a little more widely we do need a stable world to live in. Think all parties committed to a defence spending review in new parliament?

If Labour are saying so many cuts can be made by increased "efficiency"... aren't they also implicitly acknowledging that they are quite happy to go on wasting taxpayer money for at least another year?

Yes, why are there so many efficiency cuts to be made?

"Labour preferring to wait until the recovery has more time."

No labour are preferring to wait until after the election before starting on their cuts.

There not totally devoid of brains (although mostly) they know there key voters are employed by the state do you really think they are going to lay them all off before an election?

These efficiency cuts are like telling people not to drink a daily latte from Starbucks
Boswolox darling

This is what I like about Darling though

he can't help but be honest when pressed

The Conservatives have said that they cuts do not go far enough, so we know that their plans are much more severe and sudden

Gosh I just wish they'd call the election and have done with it

Did anyone see the footage of him as an idealistic bearded young man?
I hadn't seen that before

"he can't help but be honest when pressed"

I think it's more to do with knifing Balls (the alledged next chancellor should labour win) and Brown (the man who hates Darling and wanted to get rid of him for Balls-up) in the back. (always a happy day in labours camp).

"The Conservatives have said that they cuts do not go far enough"

How could they say that when Darling has only just admitted labour will cut faster and deeper than thatcher but hasn't released any details yet.

For all we know they could take more of a hatchet to sure start themselves (having closed many already) where the conservative have said they will support sure start.

What else and who else labour will cut is any ones guess at the moment.

They only thing we know about the conservatives is that they would try to sort things out sooner rather thn later. Labours approach leads to a bigger problem, and Conservatives want to start tackling it now. Labour is like a runaway train with our money on it.

Now remember to wave bye bye and smile as it goes by. And be sure to stand there for a couple more months before you run after it.

"Efficiency savings" are a load of crap.

If they are wasting £11bn a year, how exactly does it help to economy to keep wasting it? how will it hurt the economy to cut it?

One of the proposals was to cut £550m by trying to decrease sickness amongst NHS staff.

How will it hurt the economy to do that this year instead of next year? If it is possible, which of course it isn't, I would rather have £550m less debt, please.

All lies, lies, lies.

i would still rather stick pins in my eyes that vote Tory - whoever gets on will make cuts, it needs to happen and i cannot understand why everyone resusts that fact.

I suspect "efficiency savings" means that people will lose their jobs. And that whomever remains will be picking up the work previously performed by those made redundant. Does it cost the state less to pay benefits than to pay full salaries? I suspect it does...

Not meaning to scaremonger but I would be very nervous if I worked in the public sector.

Of course, what will actually happen is that service will deteriorate; waiting time for everything will lengthen; and we will all be expected to rejoice that they're taking these steps to resolve the mess that they've helped to create. Yeeehaaaa!

And, yet, I would still also rather stick pins in my eyes than vote Conservative.

I am completely torn. I cannot bear to vote Labour; will absolutely not vote Conservative; which leaves Lib Dems and I don't think they have a clue either. Independents and Green Party? Unlikely. And the Fascists BNP - never, never, never.

"I suspect "efficiency savings" means that people will lose their jobs. "

My local council has been making effiency savings and restructing for the past few months 123 jobs have gone and the staff are unsure where the axe will fall next, but they know it will fall.

Services are being cut across the board from meals on wheels previously cooked on site and the staff canteen to the repairs service which was given over to the private sector to run.

No one is safe, from the top to the bottom and that's on the reduction from government that happened to last years budget, this year's and next years will be even worse.

1 in 4 adults unemployed now if Labour cut faster and harder than thatcher after the election I hate to think what that figure will be this time next year.

With Mr Darling having shelved the comprehensive spending review of all departments until the autumn ? conveniently after the election we have more bad news to follow, what with the bad trade figures and the institute of fiscal studies saying at least a 25% reduction across all departments is needed and add to that the fact that only labour know how bad the books really are, I wouldn't trust labour as far as I could throw them.

Cuts are already happening and are vicious - where we live the local PCT has just re-tendered the contract for the out of ours doctor and nursing services - my friend is one of the nurses affected, but she is going to resign rather than take the new contract because she doesn't want to risk her registration. Effectively, the cost savings mean that the only 'medics' on duty in a VAST area will be one doctor and "specially trained" nurses (they are sending them on an 8 week course) - and she is convinced people will die because there will not be enough cover; queues will get even worse at A&E and those with chronic conditions or needing specialist medical attention (severely ill cancer patients) will not get a doctor when they need them.

I cannot forgive this government for getting us into this mess - every time Labour have been in power, they have screwed the economy by spending FAR more than the country can afford, and someone else has to sort it out....