UK- Political row over spending cuts to public services.

News 23 09 2009: <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />UK- Political row over spending cuts to public services.

The Tories have accused Gordon Brown of committing a U-turn over plans to slash public spending, saying he sought to mislead the public over planned cuts while Mr Mandelson however conceded there had been a change in "optics" to counter what he dismissed as Conservative propaganda, but said the Prime Minister had always been clear that "tough choices" would be required as a result of the recession. I another breath Mr Mandelson, singing from the same Hyme Book as Mr Brown, voiced that investment in public services was always due to fall regardless of the recession, he insisting that Labour had been "wise spenders".

 

What are the real problems that face Britain given a Government that has shackled a Nation into inner conflict through Gov failings such that jobs then be created to treat symptoms while competition through privatisation create parallelism whereby the General Public have to chase better deals as they also be forced onto contract employment thus allowing them to flow with the tide of “change” in having no job security anymore!. To the latter one could become rather disconnected from ones Nation as to purposefulness, motivation and “optics” as to where ones job will be tomorrow. Under New Labour the Financial Markets relaxed regulations on borrowing in the Public Sector which allowed the onset of a spend, spend, spend culture to which debt accumulate and purchase tax rise topping up income tax for recycling into Public Sector (Gov) Jobs thereby lowering unemployment figures. One of course must add to this that privatisation be about investments, profits and dividends and so while Tax payer investors demanded more and more they were in reality demanding more of themselves from the cycle into which they were lead by a Gov whom were then to become simply observes yet reaping a proportion of such rewards as the result of inner profiteering. In sustaining rising profits either prices had to rise or salary budgets had to be cut however and more importantly by the Gov outsourcing its responsibility/accountability to others for the supply of Public Services in some areas this has allowed those others to reward themselves higher salaries/bonuses on their part in being successful but oddly it has also enabled the Gov to stand amongst the people should failure occur in pointing fingers in blaming, naming and shaming while demanding Public Enquiries at the Tax Payers expense – its “Optics” being somewhat misaligned in missing a mirror as to its own failings in its direct role to that of its taxpayers. This is akin to paying players on a football pitch only for them to sit in the stands having paid someone else to kick the ball.

Mr Brown not so long ago announced that everyone must spend, spend, spend to restart the economy - this being the same New Labour who wished to close Post Offices forcing pensioners to open Bank accounts thereby highering the lending capability of Banking Systems. Would it be right to suggest that money needs to enter the Country through increased exports as oppose to stripping out the Wealth of a Nation in support of itself through inner battling?. By punishing a Nation through New Laws and increasing targets to collect more revenue is self defeating yet without proper “optics” such issues are difficult to focus upon.

 

17 01 2008 Brown in first visit to China as PM. He said in an interview with News At Ten this week: "I can see in the next two years a 50% increase in our trade with China. "I can see thousands of British jobs, perhaps tens of thousands of British jobs, over a period of time developing from this new relationship." .Mr Brown last visited China as Chancellor in 2005, but this will be his first visit as Prime Minister.

28 07 2009 Learning and Skills Council (LSC) over spends by £2.7 billion

A report by the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) found that the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) had approved building projects for 79 colleges which required funding totalling almost £2.7 billion more than the Council could afford. "The Council was reckless in allowing colleges' expectations of financial support to build to levels far in excess of what the Council could afford.". Around 144 colleges saw their building projects frozen by the LSC in December after the money ran out.