Re: Public Spending...
 

Didn't wish to give you a platform for what you see as past 'misdemeanors' by Labour Andrew. Your question was in the present, and maybe some sort of monitoring into how best money will be spent may be helpful. This could be counter productive though, as would mean more staff.

So really, gather you would wish for it to stay the same ?

Problem is all the areas in Public spending have costs that are rising, due to lots of factors like NHS ... population living longer and better drugs and treatment improvements which all cost money.

Universities asking for larger tuition fees to offer better facilities/courses.

Defence ... need better protection for our soldiers in the form of equipment to support this stupid war in Iraq.

Pensions .. more pensioners like myself living longer, and attempting to survive against rising costs such as energy, etc.

Welfare ... we are a little soft on this, however, wouldn't knock any benefits genuinely needed ... we have always tried to help our citizens in hard circumstances.

Could go on and on with the others, but as said before, they are all important.

Though Gayle has mentioned arts, etc., this could be one area that isn't necessary, and some lottery grants are helping here. Just as important though, we need some pleasure.

Oh hek, what a conundrum, eh ?

Re: Public Spending...
 

His research only goes back 12 years so he can hardly talk about previous governments wasting money can he ;)

Re: Public Spending...
 

Waiting times: 20 years of progress


1980s: As director of the NHS Northern region, Sir Liam Donaldson, now the Government's chief medical officer, received a letter from an 83-year-old pensioner who had been waiting 10 years for an NHS cataract operation. In it, he asked if he could bequeath his place in the queue in his will to his 60-year-old nephew who had developed eye problems.
Waiting times at record low as NHS hits target five months early - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - The Independent

'The NHS is celebrating the shortest waits since its records began.
New data shows that across England the NHS has met its target to treat patients within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral by their GP - an achievement that was unimaginable 12 years ago. The average wait for treatment for admitted patients is now just 8.6 weeks.'
NHS delivers shortest waiting lists 'since records began' » Central Government » 24dash.com

Re: Public Spending...
 

Yep, get them in, meet some targets. The targets are not to cure people, they're to get them in and out as soon as possible. I'd have rather waited a year to get a correct diagnosis for my stomach, instead it was an 8 week waiting list and then nothing came of it - I was just a statistic, not a patient. Unproductive targets have been created and money has been thrown at them.

Re: Public Spending...
 

12 years of this lot that are in power now must be a lesson for all.
The future is important, the past is a learning curve.
I can go back to Harold Wilson and George Brown and no labour followers would be proud of that.
Andrew is a young man reading politics and I would suggest he probably can go back in his studies to all Governments since the War....I'm not sure but I am not going to be the one who tests him?:)

Re: Public Spending...
 

Which is why this lot got in, because people were saying the same about the previous government ;)

The longer a government is in power the more unpopular it seems to get, I think people just get bored with them.

Re: Public Spending...
 

I think that when a government has been in power for a long period of time, they become complacent.

Re: Public Spending...
 

I'm not basing my observations on whether or not my stomach complaint has been diagnosed.

I'm just happy to hear the facts that people aren't dying or going blind, whilst waiting for a cateract operation, which they were twenty years ago.

Re: Public Spending...
 

That surely is down to medical science.
I have never heard of anyone dying whilst waiting for a cateract operation unless the death is due to old age which no one can prevent.
A cateract operation is now a very simple procedure carried out by very talented eye surgeons.
The health service has improved, I agree. I also agree that money should go to the health service as well as to defence and some social services.
I think the current downturn will expose many cock-ups along the way, the sooner the better.

Re: Public Spending...
 

No now they are dying from MRSA and C-dif. The fact is that medical science has moved on and new techniques are being used, new drugs are available, if you have the right post code, you still pay for prescriptions in England whilst our friends over the boarder don't, and the same thing with hospital parking. When I as in dock last year the ward I was on was a total shambles, I'd been in 3 days before I had a table to eat my meals on, and a simple thing like a jug of water was not available for 48 hours. As for cataracts I was referred in early July 2002 an had them done by March 2003

Re: Public Spending...
 

I was on the waiting list for a cataract op for quite a short time.There is however a waiting list to get on a waiting list and that took more than 2 years.:confused::confused:

Re: Public Spending...
 

Exactly ... regulation ... now you are thinking like a Canadian ... :D Over here, the banks and financial institutions are rock solid ... :theband:

And I think that you are right about the fact that govts. are facing an economic dilemma .... thing is, this recession will end sooner or later, probably in spite of what govt. does. What people should be thinking is "what then"? What can be done to make sure it doesn't happen again? The govts. didn't get us into this mess ... tho' they didn't do much to prevent it ... big business did it out of greed, acting in a vacuum created by conservative govts. (Ronnie Raygun is much to blame for this ... and Thatcher of course) who let them go to it. Well paid industrial jobs were exported to countries with a labour force that was prepared to work for low wages in atrocious conditions ... this in the name of Globalization. This left workers at home without well-paid jobs. The problem that arises is that now they are not able to consume at the same level. This put pressure on the national economies ... and what came along to replace well paid jobs? Easy credit. A house of cards ... smoke and mirrors. This recession was inevitable.

Re: Public Spending...
 

cuts... more cuts in the places that the well off Tories live in.. and the fairytail world that Jaysay lives in..these people have no idea how much tax payers money was spent in the riegn of Thatcher employing management consultants .. bilions..billions spent on the basic ideal that no indvidual can cope without management... because we are all inept!... the likes of these Tories should be shot at close range..they have but have but one aim.. to destroy any person that has the guts to improve.. but they do have pig stupid cap tippin farmhands that can type.

Re: Public Spending...
 

Sometimes I really worry about your one sided slant on everything, this present government has spent more on management consultants taken on more civil servants and formed more Quangos for their mate than any government in history, these friends of yours are biggest chislers in history and but the ironic point is that when Brown and Co are kicked out of office they'll leave the usual S*** Tip which follows every failed Labour administration, only this time the debt which they'll leave is the biggest in history and will see our grandchildren's children still paying it of when they retire

Re: Public Spending...
 

I have not quoted Macies post because I think it's the biiggest load of crapology I have ever come across.
I think when our chosen one's take to the hustings and questions are asked about public spending and expenses, they will find that there is nowhere to hide.