I think this is indeed a great opportunity to trim the fat off all budgets which will streamline and improve services; a million jobs ought to go - the employees are useless and, worst than that, damaging; just as fat clogs arteries.

Defence - yes; scrap Trident and tanks and planes - increase protection against cyber attacks and pandemics and modern warfare.

Cut those getting wealthy on scares pushed by media ("it's a great story") where millions are being spent trying to stop imaginary crimes - the real ones won't stop anyway.

So far, the coalition looks well on target.

I actually agree that jobs not only should go-they will. More and more.

My father said 50 years ago that one day it will be a privilege to have a job and people will be paid not to go to work.

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JK2006 wrote:
I think this is indeed a great opportunity to trim the fat off all budgets which will streamline and improve services; a million jobs ought to go - the employees are useless and, worst than that, damaging; just as fat clogs arteries.

Defence - yes; scrap Trident and tanks and planes - increase protection against cyber attacks and pandemics and modern warfare.

So far, the coalition looks well on target.

.. and isn't it great that the Great British public seem to realise this, JK ?

Alan Johnson (and his ilk) are part of the problem - not the solution.
He doesn't even have an "O" level in Maths - yet is Deputy Chancellor !!!!
He's been in the job precisely 11 days - and is suddenly an "expert" !
This is what got us into this mess !!!

(PS Great to see Ian Hislop call Johnson "Postman Pat" several times on last week's Have I Got News For You ...)

I believe in cuts. But I dont believe in hitting the poor and vulnerable.

Chasing Benefit cheats is more expensive than the money it saves.

The best thing to do is to tax the big companies profits more. Cut waste and non jobs and invest in people.

BR wrote:
and invest in people.

BR, we've already invested billions into some people's education - yet they leave school - if they ever attended - being hardly able to read and write ... and certainly totally unemployable.

What should we do with those ? (apart from waste even more money ?)

In The Know wrote:
BR wrote:
and invest in people.

BR, we've already invested billions into some people's education - yet they leave school - if they ever attended - being hardly able to read and write ... and certainly totally unemployable.

What should we do with those ? (apart from waste even more money ?)

I agree that education is pretty hopeless these days..it doesn't prepare people for real life. Schools are child minding centres.

But what do you suggest we do with these masses ?...they are afterall that most important thing for capitalism-consumers !. Every penny in welfare is pumped back into the economy every week into tens of thousands of small and big businesses.

Those at the lower end of the scale (in the millions) have no control over how they got there. They are the result of decades of government policy that has decimated large communities and created a culture of fewer and fewer long term jobs and careers.

You cannot keep blaming those on benefits for their situation that was decades in the making.

Big business, banks (despite a handful) have made obscene profits like never before but given back less and less.

Relentless media attacks since Reaganomics (which Thatcher embraced) has worked : those at the upper end believe that taxation is an attack upon their freedom-they simply want to pay less and less to be able to profit in a society that is being built by all taxpayers for them to benefit from.

Again I predict and will be proven right-within 12 months you will see every hard-line policy being announced today, quietly shelved.

Why is that Germany-a similar sized country has better welfare and less debt than the UK ?-because they didn't destroy their manufacturing base.

veritas wrote:
I agree that education is pretty hopeless these days..it doesn't prepare people for real life. Schools are child minding centres.

I think it is the lack of proper schooling - esp discipline - which has got us to where we are.
Kids know they can get away with anything - so do not bother.
If they "waste" the enormous amounts of eductaion money we spend - why bother "investing" further sums?

What about tests every 2 years ... to decide whether its worth spending any more on that individual ?

The savings could be used to fund students at University - that at least have proved that our money has not been wasted (thus far).

Those at the lower end of the scale (in the millions) have no control over how they got there. They are the result of decades of government policy that has decimated large communities and created a culture of fewer and fewer long term jobs and careers.

Oh yes they have, veritas - they got there from wasting the opportunities afforded them (and paid for by us !)

It is NOT the job of government to "create" jobs.
Enterprising and educated individuals will ALWAYS be in demand.

If they end up thick .... whose fault is that ?

we are obviously diametrically opposed to what the job of governments are.

The situation in Britain today is the result of old fashioned laissez-faire economics which time and time again have shown to never work.

GB and the USA have been quite unique in the world over the past 20 years in embracing less government control and look where it has got them,..both countries are practically broke.

Still not sure what you think can be done with BR's millions of Chavs!

As some will know, my son has severe special needs. One of the things he can do is turn the pages of a book, he knows that when he turns a page, there are different pictures and that mummy or daddy will read him the next bit of a story. I don't think he understands the story per se, but he understands the different tones that we speak to him in. Reading and writing isn't just the schools responsibility, it's also the parents.

steveimp wrote:
As some will know, my son has severe special needs. One of the things he can do is turn the pages of a book, he knows that when he turns a page, there are different pictures and that mummy or daddy will read him the next bit of a story. I don't think he understands the story per se, but he understands the different tones that we speak to him in. Reading and writing isn't just the schools responsibility, it's also the parents.

Fully agreed, Steve ... but I think you know where I'm coming from !

In The Know wrote:
steveimp wrote:
As some will know, my son has severe special needs. One of the things he can do is turn the pages of a book, he knows that when he turns a page, there are different pictures and that mummy or daddy will read him the next bit of a story. I don't think he understands the story per se, but he understands the different tones that we speak to him in. Reading and writing isn't just the schools responsibility, it's also the parents.

Fully agreed, Steve ... but I think you know where I'm coming from !

Oh damn right!