Brexit

Not hard to figure out why the UK is unique in its rising mortality rate. Ten years of grinding Tory austerity economics has decimated social care, seriously downgraded the NHS, plunged millions into poverty and made us the most income unequal society in Europe. Everyone else gave up on this economic nonsense years ago - we're the only western nation that still treats our economy like a household budget. And Brexit will make it even worse, because the hard right of the Tory Party will dismantle social and employment protections once the EU Social Chapter is no longer there to stop them. But still we have millions of turkeys voting for Christmas.

 

As you well know, a period of austerity was necessary after a dose of socialism,as usual, when the outgoing administration left a note saying "sorry, there is no money left"
Do you cut your cloth accordingly or borrow more and more for the next generation (your kids) to pay off..?

 

Retrain? Where are the jobs to retrain into?

 

Well on pensions I remember the Labour Party giving pensioners 25p a week increase, Compare this with those dreadful Tories who have increased the pension from around £102 for a single person to over £150 for most, But most are convinced Labour are the party that looks after people

 

Where is this 'austerity' that everyone keeps banging on about and what is it exactly? I would have thought the first things to suffer in periods of 'austerity' would be luxuries such as eating out or consumer goods such as cars or electrical items. All i've seen in this supposed period of austerity is the building of new retail parks and a never ending supply of coffee shops, MacDonalds and Greggs etc. And these places are always full. Aren't you supposed to cut your cloth according in times of hardship?

 

Exactly, most folks experience of food banks is when they pass them on their way to the airport or shopping mall....

 

Up until recently i did a fair bit of working in social housing, not one of them would know the meaning of the word austerity. I know as a self employed working man i get screwed a bit more every year and things are always tight but we get through. I just cut back on what i see as luxuries such as expensive consumer items or nights /meals out. Doesn't seem to apply to the places i work in social housing, most are decked out from head to toe in 'designer' Adidas and Nike gear and sat in the local bookies or Subway sarnie shop. I guess you don't know the value of money if you haven't had to work for it.

 

Economic nonsense. The Blair administration actually repaid billions of our national debt.

The 'overspend' was caused by the global banking crash, not by the government of the day. Cameron and subsequent Tories have very successfully peddled the myth of a Labour overspend, which people like you happily swallow, hook, line & sinker. Helped, of course, by that stupid joke note, which offered them an open goal to spread the myth.

Basic Keynesian economics dictates that the worse thing to do in a recession is to cut spending, thereby tanking demand even further. This was accepted by all governments of every political complexion, until Thatcher and Keith Joseph fell in love with the, now discredited, economic fantasy of Milton Friedman. No other country believes that crap any more, which is why our recovery from the 2008 crash has been uniquely slow amongst the major economies. Others borrowed to reflate - we didn't, so our economy remained in the toilet.

Like I said, national economies don't operate like a household budget. Every private sector business borrows money to finance growth. Governments sometimes have do likewise or the economy suffers. Years ago the IMF and the World Bank advised the Tory government to stop cutting and start borrowing to fund infrastructure, in order to reflate the economy. But the Tories kept cutting because, despite all the negative economic consequences, they are ideologically obsessed with shrinking the public sector as much as they can. So our hospitals, social care and other public services are in disarray, poverty is escalating and still our economy is flatlined after nine years of Tory economic incompetence.
And the irony is that our national debt is massive. The Tories have borrowed more since 2010 than every Labour Government put together.

 

Isn't this just a representation of our consumerist society, rather than a reflection of a prosperous society?

The shopping centres and retail parks are full of people. However, personal debt is growing significantly yet again. How many of the big retailers...Debenhams, House of Fraser, Mother are, Arcadia Group are struggling to stay afloat at the moment?

It is a generalisation, but I think there is a significant core of people plodding round the shops either not buying anything or buying stuff they can't really afford.

There is plenty of evidence for inequality continuing to grow in our society and I don't see anything from either of the two main parties to address this.

Many of the costs of austerity are much less visible, but the cuts in social care expenditure is placing huge strain on the NHS and the emergency services for example . Young people, at risk of offending or needing additional help, are not getting what they should. Working in inner City Manchester schools I see so much that really makes me despair for the near future. That is the legacy of austerity: an underclass that is growing and will be lost from the expected norms of society.

Money can be found when necessary, just ask the DUP and or witness the funding to locate the Brexit unicorns.

 

You make some good valid points there but 1billion quid to the DUP was a good price to pay to keep this country free of marxists for now anyway.....

 

I'll be honest in my own head i struggle with the idea that in inequality is something new. Its always been there and always will be, its part of a capitalist economic society. The spread of wealth in a capitalist society doesn't exist, the rich just get richer. I think its why the NHS is struggling like it is. A wonderful notion of free health care that is anything but free. Someone has to pay for it, Doctors and nurses don't work for the good of their health. And where theres profit there will always be a capitalist ready to stick his nose in the trough, just ask Tony Blair. I agree with the sentiment of your post, i too look at the two main parties and realise its a lost cause. Still, it won't effect the rich will it? Austerity or not they'll still get richer.
You can't beat the system,resistance is futile.

 

The NHS, like pensions, worked when they were started but their costs have spiralled since with people living longer, advances in technology and medicines. People want the long pensions, the life saving new medication but don't want the increases in tax etc to pay for it. Yes there could be cuts to other things or increases in other peoples taxes but again they would be unpopular. The trimming of the cheaper drugs from free scripts will only save a certain amount and the list keeps getting bigger, I had a script the other day for a 4year old for some moisturiser to help with eczema that had a note on it saying they should buy it in future, it retails at about £10 a tub, previously it was cheaper end stuff eg paracetamol

 

This is the point I find strange 20 to 30 of the Tory hardliner remain MPs seem quite happy to bring down their own government before having a "no deal" brexit.

Unless the Tories deliver brexit I'm not sure they can recover as a party, Labour are just as bad, although they are trying to put a brave face on what they really do stand for, they are looking more and more a remain party but dare not confirm it, may be another coalition Labour/LibDems with the Lib/Dems being the bigger party.

It's going to be a very interesting 115 days and counting.

 

Not just interesting but scary too, Boris has got to deliver or we've had it, unless Sir Nigel can ride to our rescue...!!

 

This guy David Gauke was on ITV breakfast show this morning saying he and others were prepared to bring the government down over no deal brexit, he had earlier said he would not be prepared to be a member in Boris's cabinet (if Boris wins) I would have thought Boris is well informed on who he would like in his cabinet, fill it with brexiteers he'll need all the support he can get without the likes of Gove, Hammond, Javid, Justine Greening, Hunt, Letwin, Morgan and many more.

 

I am despondent as it doesn’t have to be like this.

We are a particularly unequal society, not as bad as the USA but getting there. Unfortunately it will only get worse because there is not the will to make the changes that could make a difference in society. It is a lot easier to blame the poor for being poor, than admit to yourself that actually you have enough really and pay a bit more/earn a bit less.

The best book I have read on the subject is The Spirit Level and the authors have just released a new book, which I’m looking forward to reading.

 

I'll have a look for that on kindle, or maybe i should look for it somewhere where they pay their fair share of tax .

 

Although they had 13 years the last time the Labour party were in power (with a massive majority) they could have done so much more for the people we are speaking about, they built hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure with private money and never thought how it would be paid back in the coming years with some of the clauses the schools have had to finance..
And for a party that holds our NHS in such esteem they were the government that started the privatisation of certain area's.

 

I think you've missed the point here Al. The main purpose of Austerity is to enable the rich to get richer. That's also what No Deal Brexit is about. Deregulate everything and those with the most get more and the rest get stuffed. Contrary to what you say, it isn't inevitable. We are the most unequal society in Europe and it's getting worse - our extreme levels of inequality are the result of deliberate government policy, dressed up in the myth that, if we just take all the shackles off those with capital, they will create so much wealth that it will 'trickle down' to the rest of society. We've spend the last 40 years proving that that particular theory is nonsense. If you make the rich richer they don't invest it in the economy to promote economic growth, they squirrel it away in tax havens. And Brexit is designed to make it even easier for them to keep doing it. But still the turkeys vote for Christmas.

 

I may well be wrong Steve but doesn't this happen everywhere. Is there a country where wealth is distributed amongst the less well off? I genuinely don't know.