Election 2019 (with Prediction Poll)

The MP there is talking about billionaires though which is an entirely different kettle fish to the people we're talking about. A billion pounds is an insanely high amount of money that very very few people actually have and society would be far better off if that money was distributed more equally, I don't think there's anything remotely controversial about somebody saying that.

 

Name me a political leader that does actually represent our interests or even a single MP that isn't in the game just to get their snout in the trough?

I'll wait.

 

It has nothing to do with envy or jealousy Tony, calling people on the left envious if they're poor and hypocritical if they're not poor is a trope that needs to be put to bed. It's about wanting to live in a society that prioritizes taking care of the basic needs of the people who are struggling over lining the bank vaults of the ultra rich. What's your issue with that?

 

And this where the welfare state needs reform. Rather than spunk billions more into a corrupt system how about getting the money to the ones who really do need it.

 

And how do you propose people who 'really do need' help are identified. The current system is inhumane enough already, people are literally dying because they're being forced to go back to work by the DWP when they're in no position to. All systems will be gamed by people, there's no way around that, but he actual percentage of fraudulent welfare claimants is so tiny as to be insignificant and I'd much rather have a system that gives unnecessarily to a few people than the one we have now which is killing people and making lives miserable.

 

If it's people like Richard Branson, James Dyson, Tim Martin, Mike Ashley then they deserve credit for making themselves millionaires/billionaires and employing many UK workers in the process, not the negative nonsense Lloyd Russell-Moyle is spouting, you don't discourage enterprise.
I'm not sure how you would go about doing the highlighted comment.

 

Benefit fraud is less than 2% of the amount paid, ( 1.4% after recoveries ) It is also balanced out by the fact that 1% was underpaid to claimants, So in reality benefit fraud is negligible but used by politicians as a tool that they know the public are gullible on. Tax fraud is another matter it is hugely more than benefit fraud

 

Good post.

Layer on top the issue of how public money is spent (or squandered inefficiently) and you have the basis for what the election should be about.

Prime example: my daughter's school became part of an academy two years ago. Across the four schools it became necessary to have an Executive Head, an Academy Business Manager and an additional administrator. So about £200k of public money funnelled into that, rather than being invested in children's education. No real accountability or scrutiny.

There does need to be radical thinking about our public services and potentially some difficult decisions. We have to be realistic about an ageing population. However, we are adding to the costs being borne elsewhere in society through chronic underfunding of social care, health, education and the police.

The debate about more or less public expenditure misses the point. It needs to be what, why and then how. I fear Labour get obsessed with the how and that the Tory approach will lead to more examples of what I cited above.

 

wasn’t the underpaid benefits paid to the claimants that were underpaid?

 

No, The claimants were unaware they had been underpaid, The DWP have no obligation to inform claimants so it just goes in to the underpaid pot, Despite politicians always talking about benefit fraud the truth is that there is a massive amount unclaimed,
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/blog/2018/december/over-20-billion-still-unclaimed-in-means-tested-benefits/

 

Don't hold yer breath whilst waiting though.....

 

It is a misnomer to think the billionaires line the vaults with money, It invested in other companies especially start up companies where the banks will not lend, It is used to provide prosperity and employment to the nation in general. They are much more likely to provide investment that works rather than governments wasting it on schemes that fail

 

Except when they squirrel it away in offshore tax havens as is so often the case now. Double whammy - they don't invest it in our economy and they avoid paying taxes here that could be used to pump prime our economy.

 

Well i want a system that gives fairly to the people that need it. Not too much to ask, sick of seeing taxpayers money wasted on spongers and cheats, i have to work bloody hard for what little i get, i'll be damned if i'm giving my tax payments to some waster who sits on their arse all day.

 

This a great post and sums up whats wrong with the majority of public services.
Cut backs are a major problem but just throwing money at it won't solve the underlying problem thats always been there. Always make me laugh the 'i'd pay extra income tax to fund NHS, education etc.' It's naivety at its best. If you only knew where your 'extra' would end up? And it ain't to where its most desperately needed, at the frontline of these services in infrastructure and personnel.
If someone comes along and is willing to give the public sector its biggest radical shakeup since it inception and convince me it ain't just a pledge that would be ignored then i'll break my rule and vote in the next general election. Buts its gonna have to be someone with a big set of balls because you are gonna upset a lot of people who are milking the public sector dry of money that should be going toward where its needed most.

 

Its fraudulent no matter whether its at the top or bottom. Don't matter what the percentages are.

 

It will still never sit there it will be lent out to be invested somewhere, It may well be lent out and invested here in the UK, Money never sleeps, The money you have in the bank will have been lent out to make the bank money.