cuts - Wednesday's Spending Review

[mrsbaldwin]

Brace yourself ladies - these cuts are big, there will be tens of thousands of public sector redundancies and it's said (by the Fawcett Society amongst others) that they will disproportionately affect women.

Some workers will get some sort of payoff, and some will be pleased to go. Some will find new jobs.

But I reckon the overall effect (licks finger and holds it in the wind) will be to drive down women's wages, meaning that once you are made redundant from your public sector post you may find more work but it will be at a lower rate and the extra competition for jobs across the board will drive wages down across the board. This may be true for men as well but I think it will affect women - mums - more.

If you are watching the press coverage on Weds, what do you think the effects of the cuts and the job losses for women (and mums) will be?

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

Hallow, we all pay tax on luxuries, IMO private health insurance is a luxury most ordinary people can't afford. We obviously move in very different circles, I've never met anyone who can afford £5k on a holiday.

And there is no IPT on life insurance/critical illness cover.

[ImGideonsMumAndIHateHimToo]

Our local is so poor that the day after ds4 arrived the amernity unit was closed as a risk to mother's lives

But overall I still feel a lot more secure with the NHS, warts and all.

[LadyBlaBlah]

AIBU in thinking that the slap on the back by Hameron to Georgie along with all the Tories cheering him, very very distasteful?

[stickylittlefingers]

I have a friend who is a health economist, who told me the cost of the German insurance system as a percentage of GDP was about double what we paid for the NHS - this was back in the 90s tho, pre Labour. At that time, he told me that by spending a couple more percentage points on our NHS we could have a fantastic system, and still much less expensive than Germany.

However, he may have failed to factor in that "spending" on the NHS in the last ten years seems to have been spend huge amounts on the LIFT projects, much of which has disappeared in fees to professionals (like me... to an extent) and to appoint many more managers.

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

Not at all, LBB.

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

The NHS saved my life. The wonderful thing about private medical insurance is that they won't cover any pre-existing conditions [hhmm]

So in Hallows world, where we scrap the NHS, I guess I'll just have to die if my cancer comes back.

[uyter]

LadyBlaBlah its just part of the way MPs behave when in the House of Commons

[mamatomany]

hubblybubblytoilntrouble - I believe they have to in the USA and Australia that is certainly the case, it's not like travel health insurance where they can say no.
However the premium may increase and there is often a shortfall of tens of thousands of pounds.

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

No it isn't uyter. There are many serious occasions where they manage to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.

I wouldn't have though the announcment of half a million job losses was something to celebrate.

[Simbacat]

Private medical insurance cost less than smoking or a boozy night out etc

It is everyones choice. We pay about £100 a month for a family of 4. £36 for a single person I think.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

[ImGideonsMumAndIHateHimToo]

I never somke and havebn;t ahd aboozy night out in 2 years- ie pre redundancy.

I don;t ahve £100 PCM: my personal income, carer's allowance, is double that full stop.

[mamatomany]

ImGideonsMumAndIHateHimToo which why people who can afford private health care should have insurance it free's up resources in theory for those who can't afford it.
Most of the Dr's I know have anything elective done privately.

[CatherineHMumsnet]

Alicatte - was going to say I hadn't the slightest clue, but thinking about it, I'm presuming the chart stats have split the population into 10 parts based on their income, from highest to lowest. So if you were amongst the highest earners you'd be in the top decile. A bit like baby weight...

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

Don't be silly Simba, it's not a realistic choice for many. There are plenty of people who don't smoke or have boozy nights out who still can't afford £100 each month.

We've got £200 each month to cover commuting, food, clothes, haircuts, birthdays, christmas, well everything other than the bills really.

No £5k holidays here.

[hubblybubblytoilntrouble]

The problem with that mama is that, if those who can afford to opt out of the health service are encouraged to do so, then what incentive is there for Governments to continue a high quality NHS for the rest of the population?

Wouldn't it then be subject to the same snarling outrage as other benefits for the poor?

In which case, you're basically talking about dismantling the NHS. Fair enough, if that's your arugment, I'm happy to have it.

[MaMoTTaT]

why are they making the shared room rate to 35 in line with "FTB's"?? Lots of people younger than that work and rent, I don't know anyone my age who is single and shares a house, they all rent their own flats/apartments/bedsits

£350 a week cap for single parents is quite (although glad to see that they're excluding those who are getting WTC - ie working parents).

It's £15 a week less than I get now.......but my LHA allowance is stupidly low.

WTF is going to happen to single parents in more expensive parts of the country!!!

[mamatomany]

It's the same with private schooling I like to think I've freed up 4 places and the money that would have been spent on mine goes on somebody else's but it probably doesn't.
With NHS the attitude does seem to be why use one swab when two are sat there available, you often think if they were paying for those materials, equipment, medicine would they think before wasting it.
And that mentality needs to change along with the sickness policies, 3 months before chasing up absences (due to break up with boyfriend in one case I know of).
You would never get away with that in the private sector and yet my own mother if she doesn't get boxing day off as holiday plans to take it as sick. She didn't pull those stunts when she worked at Next.

[MaMoTTaT]

well sickness policies are often the other extreme in the private sector

[HalloweeseG]

HubblyBubbly just because you personally don't know them doesn't follow that they don't exist!!!!

Where do you think the demand for luxury holidays and 100k cars comes from???

They are out there, wouldn't it be better if they alleviated the pressure on the health system.

[threetimespink]

UK benefits scroungers and chavtowns can rejoyce and continue sucking blood out of this country

What future has a country that spends 1 out of 3 pounds on handouts

We now spent more on these handouts than on all 3 top items - health, education and defence - taken together!

Shameless!