UK Budget

[afleitch]

...is tomorrow, but it's worth looking over what may come;

A £15bn cut in public spending is expected to be announced through 'efficiency savings' due to be implimented after the next general election. The thing about efficiency savings is that the impetus is on the public service, not the government to make these savings and if they cannot be found...out come the P45's. In the long awaited 'budget for jobs', the government may just jeopardise quite a number of them.

[Smid]

Efficiency savings are always a popular catch-cry leading up to an election...

Q: "How will you fund your campaign promises?"

A: "Efficiency savings!"

[The Man From G.O.P.]

No word yet on how many "efficiency savings" will made in preparations for hate week the coming campaign.


No but seriously, how long has this term "efficiency savings" been around.


BTW, Brown has to be the creepiest public figure ever, just watched his little minute and a half shot about reform, makes you feel ill when he suddenly smiles and speaks with a grin for no reason other than the prep person told him to smile beforehand and he can only manage to look like he's about to crack up while discussing the people's trust. I feel sorry for him I really do.

[Smid]

No but seriously, how long has this term "efficiency savings" been around?

I'm not sure, actually, but it's been around a while. It featured heavily in the Queensland election campaign a month or so back, but I'd heard it before that.

Sorry, my mistake... there it featured predominantly as an "efficiency dividend"...
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/lnp-aims-to-create-10000-jobs-in-qld-20090315-8yt5.html

and a media release:
http://wotnews.com.au/email_news/20081228/traveltrain-services-feared-under-threat-from/

[Silent Hunter]

...is tomorrow, but it's worth looking over what may come;

A £15bn cut in public spending is expected to be announced through 'efficiency savings' due to be implimented after the next general election. The thing about efficiency savings is that the impetus is on the public service, not the government to make these savings and if they cannot be found...out come the P45's. In the long awaited 'budget for jobs', the government may just jeopardise quite a number of them.

Well, so would the Tories, who will probably argue for further cuts.

[k-onmmunist]

Well... good.... I suppose.

[afleitch]

Well.

Let's say it would have had more impact on the state of our economy if the Chancellor had stood up, cleared his throat, dropped his trousers and taken a shit.

£15bn cut in public spending through 'efficiency savings' (read job cuts at the bottom rung of public and civil services) but £660bn borrowed over the next four years. A new top tax rate of 50%...which gets the government less money than the 2p increas on fuel duty.

The economic growth forecasts can pass without comment.

On the plus side, this may be the last budget presented by the Labour government. And by the sounds of things it looks as if they know they are about to be kicked out the door.

[Silent Hunter]

Not exactly a brilliant budget, by any means.

This will probably be our last budget for this government, unless the economy does recover early next year.

We messed up. We got too close to big business, we made errors on spending- if we'd have done things better, we'd not have to borrow so much. It's not totally our fault, but we have a role to play in this recession.

That said, Britain is stronger for 13 years of Labour rule. We have made long-term decisions that will help this country and changed the political consensus away from the "me, me, me" approach of the Thatcher/Major years.

We'll be back.