Labour Investment versus Tory Cuts

[Mich the Tester]

Spain unions see 75 percent public sector strike take-up

Yes, erm…

Spain's unions said 75 percent of public sector workers went on strike to protest against an austerity package on Tuesday, although many hospitals, schools and government offices in Madrid reported few disruptions.

I rest my case.

[Sysman]

So i wonder how long it'll be before we have our first round of public sector strikes?

Spain unions see 75 percent public sector strike take-up

[lukemg]

I keep hearing/seeing the last lot trying to have a pop at the current policies, it's hilarious as they don't have a shred of credibility left. Yes the fiscal stimulus was needed to keep the lights on but they were pissing money into numerous black holes for years with negligable return and the effect of growing the public sector into an unsustainable enormous vampire squid with liabilities stretching forward for decades.
Yes - it's the economy, stupid but how about considering the possibility of a downturn and stashing a bit for when it starts pissing down. twunts - I wouldn't let them organise my shoes...

[Mich the Tester]

So i wonder how long it'll be before we have our first round of public sector strikes?

How much public sympathy will they get?

[crimdon]

So i wonder how long it'll be before we have our first round of public sector strikes?

[Doggy Styles]

Meanwhile, Shadow Chancellor Alastair Darling said it was thanks to Labour's actions that the government had inherited a growing economy, and the proposal for immediate cuts risked the prospect of recovery.

[Mich the Tester]

Aye. That'll do for a start. Then they will have to get the accumulated debt down.

They’re not going far enough on public sector pay. LibCons are talking about 5% cuts, which is a start, but the Irish government have implemented 15% cuts; that shows they mean business. I’m not saying cut pay for the real front line lot, like soldiers at the front, nurses who get covered in blood and puke all day or even teachers in sink schools, but the bureaucrats will need to pay. Many, many people in the private sector have seen their pay fall by a lot more than 5% or 15% as bonuses and profit shares have evaporated, and business owners have taken real hits; time for the public sector to bear some of the burden too.

Think for a moment about small business owners; not the government, but SME owners have kept the economy afloat by extending credit to their large customers on very favourable terms (e.g. 90 day, 120 day payment terms without interest and with discounts), even when they can’t get credit themselves and have cut their own pay.

We can't go on acting as if the public sector is somehow immune to economic developments.

[HairyArsedBloke]

To actually get the finances in order they need to cut well over 100 billion. The current deficit is about 156 billion, and in a healthy economy shouldn't be more than 3% of GDP i.e. about 25 billion.

Aye. That'll do for a start. Then they will have to get the accumulated debt down.

[BlasterBates]

The cuts still aren't big enough:

Cameron Must Deepen Cuts in

Scary really. The Germans have a smaller deficit and their cuts are bigger, and their cuts are also too small. To me it looks like they'd need to cut more like 18 billion rather than 5 billion, just to save the credit rating. To actually get the finances in order they need to cut well over 100 billion. The current deficit is about 156 billion, and in a healthy economy shouldn't be more than 3% of GDP i.e. about 25 billion.

[Mich the Tester]

which is the most effective?

Owning an art dealership?

[vetran]

Socialism
Investment = put Fine art in reception paid for by credit card (Someone else's) in the vain hope those forced to attend the school appreciate it and work harder so they can make donations to pay for the fine art and the interest repayments. If they don't then get the taxpayer to pay for it.

Conservatism
Investment = Teaching people so they get decent jobs which means they can pay more tax so we can afford to repaint reception.

Capitalism
Investment = Putting fine art in reception so that rich parents believe the school is high achieving so they pay the fees to afford the fine art.

which is the most effective?

[Mich the Tester]

Look at the sort of buildings people learned in 50+ years back, outside toilets, crumbling drafty halls, prefabs.

Sounds like an early 80s prep school I know very well.

[xoggoth]

For the most part invest = waste where socialists are concerned. Some of it sounds good, a huge program of rebuilding schools say but does it really improve education? Look at the sort of buildings people learned in 50+ years back, outside toilets, crumbling drafty halls, prefabs. Can't see that all the expenditure has improved standards.

PS Not me obviously as I am only 32.

[d000hg]

Note really. They would have continued to invest... just with money they didn't have.

[Doggy Styles]

Listening to Cameron's apocalyptic vision of our economic future, it seems that the previous government were right.

All the Tories want to do is cut services, whereas they, the Labour party, would have continued investing in them.

Obviously the words 'services' and 'investing' need re-defining.