Where would you LIKE to see cuts made?

[Rosieeo]

I recognise that people are going to vote for certain parties because if another party gets in they might lose some benefit/possibly jobs etc. Or because they have a deep-seated hatred of one side, for whatever reason.

But (and you can correct me, I know very little about politics) the country is in debt and some cuts have to be made, regardless of who makes them.

So where would you be prepared to see cuts being made?

Oh, we're also in major debt due to a) a tax credit cock up that was ruled their fault and we got £150 compensation b) when we moved in here we had to buy a cooker, a washing machine, beds, fungicide/damp seal, and there was not a single shelf in here.

Well, tough.

Why should hte government have to pay for all that?

Homeopathy on the NHS
Trident
Space exploration (for now)
Degrees in OutDoor Sports Management / Golf course design

Oh I agree...hence my stress on means testing...

Because why does the woman in the huge house around the corner get the same free childcare as the woman in the tiny flat over the road

Wow! this has exploded!
can't read them all quickly enough but:

devil that just makes me want to cry and makes absolutely no sense to me. And when people who drink/drive seemingly get away with things more easily sometimes (and they've chosen to take a risk!)

Am intrigued that people still want to save money by getting 'benefit cheats' and overhauling that system when we'd apparently gain a lot more money by going after the really high earners who take advantage of loopholes etc.

This is a really interesting read and very thought-provoking. Both I and DH work in the public sector, and I expect us both to be hit hard in a number of ways.
Pay/ conditions/ pensions etc...

Means test child benefit. Scrap CTFs. No ID.

I hear the latest cross-party plan is to have a sponsored walk and a cake sale. I got chills, they're multiplyin'...

I won't be leaving my kids a feckin thing!
They cannot hope to rely on me for financial security, harsh perhaps but that's the way it is.

It pisses me off that people rely on the state so much, or abdicate personal responsibility to the state.

I'd like to see Nursery scrapped and further funding to services which support/encourage playing/learning with pre-school children.

It's interesting that no-one has yet mentioned anything to do with the Royal Family. Way back in 1992 that would have been one of the first things on the list IMO. Things have changed now of course in that the minor royals are no longer on the Civil List, the Queen pays tax etc etc. I certainly don't feel much appetite to move to a republic any more. But I think I would still look at the Civil List itself again.

I cannot see your point at all swallowedafly

Yes preschool is about education...and I know few people who rely on it as childcare....

It is also an optional 'education' that is good for children whose mothers would otherwise be so exhausted they would dpo nothing with them...or have to drag them to the bank/ siupermarket

I presume you are not a single mother?

Good point, tacticalfloosy, re the Civil List - surely money could be saved there? It's not like the Queen doesn't have a few bob of her own!!

I'd scrap Trident and CTF definitely.

I work in the public sector and most of our office haven't had a pay rise for 2 years so a pay freeze will hardly be a surprise!!

sorky i suppose i don't see such a huge split between relying on, say, my family and friends for things, and relying on the taxes of my fellow-countrymen. i can't do everything on my own. I certainly can't pay this deficit off on my own . I'll do what I can though. For example, i have promised dh that he will never have to go to a psychiatric hospital again, which has already saved the nation a bit. And as soon as I do get a job again, I should be able to afford to save 1/3 of my net income. It's a pledge.

DevilWearsPrimark

Can I just turn it round and point out that everything your friend is getting - the shit house, the money to buy her food and pay her bills - comes out of someone else's wages in the form of tax. Why should the taxpayers also fund her "me time"?

I really think we need to think again about what the state (AKA the taxpayer) ought to be asked to pay for, for those who are not able to earn enough to pay for themselves.

Shelter, heat, food, clothing, yes of course. Protection from crime and abuse, yes of course. Healthcare, yes (though not necessarily a "gold plated" service). Education, yes, since in the long run this benefits everyone. Childcare for those who couldn't afford to work otherwise - possibly, if this means there is more productivity and tax revenue overall.

Childcare for non working parents, so they can have some "me time"? No way.

Sorry swallowedAfly forgot that one!

I do have to disagree though. A fantastic job might be a reward in itself, but most rewarding jobs come with added stress levels too. Why put yourself out if you could do a mindless, stress-free job for the same money?

I'm afraid I'm not that altruistic; I want a better standard of living, therefore I'm prepared to work my arse off to get what I want.

I would get rid of:

• Health in Pregnancy Grant
• Child Trust Fund
• EMA (I hate things where children's parents are mean tested, there is no guarentee that the parents will support the child, I like the free buses 16-18 idea)
• Sure Start Centres in areas where there are already plenty of services for children under 5 (areas graded 3 by Sure Start).
• Any additional benefits where you get more for any children over the national average number of children. People in work don't get extra per child, they just have to make it go further.

I would abolish Council Tax Credit and put benefits up to cover this so people realise the real amount of money they are getting (will make working less of a shock).

I would abolish all the different benefits and just have one cost of living payment taking all circumstances into account by one agency, this would include child maintenance. There are always threads by people who don't know what they can get and when people list benefits there are always a string of acronyms.

I would make sure a working person was always better off than someone not working for any reason other than disability but not sure how (probably cutting benefits) and I would put disability carer and disability money up to minimum wage levels, after all if that's the minimum someone should have to live on then it's the minimum!

Would not reduce spending on NHS or education so would probably have to put income tax up.

Would re-evaluate all people in council houses every 5 years for financial circumstances and number of people in rooms. Move on those that don't need it any more.

Do something to incentivise 50+s rattlig round in big houses to downsize.

swallowedafly - I did include those who cannot work.

Those who choose not to work - yes, you are right of course, their children should not be penalised. Should have made that clearer.

I'd like to see dramatic cuts in public sector pensions, and phasing upwards of the pension age for all.

I'd like the funding to be cut immediately for any non-evidence based treatments on the NHS, such as "alternative therapies".

I'd like there to be a per family maximum limit for amount of benefits that can be given (with a possible exception for disability benefits.)

I'd like jobs like my friends to be cut (and she agrees!) - going into state schools to teach relaxation techniques and yoga, paid for by the local council. (One of the schools is the same one where they claim no funding to diagnose my nephew's dyslexia.)

I'd like ID cards, and the medical records computer system, to be stopped.

I'd like a cash incentive for people to report benefit cheats.

Loads more, those are off the top of my head!

swallowedafly - the problem is though that not all jobs are interesting and rewarding. There are some crap things that need doing and until we invent androids then someone has got to do them.
If you know that no matter how hard you work you aren't going to better your quality of life then that is pretty depressing. Essentially what you are talking about is Commuunism.

I would cut CB for over £100k. I would cut HIP, CTF, CTC for over £40k.

There needs to be a more realistic approach to annual budgets in NHS and local council. Rather than the current spend it or lose it situation which is what results in all the waste on re-decoration, pot plants, new carpets etc, there should be the option to roll money over from one financial year to another.

I had forgotten about ID cards. Get rid of those, and the medical records computer system, and Choose and Book and all the other disastrous NHS IT schemes.

The airline fuel thing is a good idea as well. It should be taxed at the same rate as fuel for cars.
Yes people will be able to afford fewer holidays abroad, but it will be good for the environment, and good for the UK tourist industry.

alibaba TOTALLY agree about public sector organisations being able to build up reserves in some form.

wouldn't agree about the medical records computer system tbh, i think it's daft not to have computerised medical records, but NHS IT has suffered really badly from huge mission creep from the start.