ml1dch Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 28 minutes ago, desensitized43 said: Where's all the money go? In terms of "what is using up more tax money than it used to", interest payable on Government debt has doubled in the last fifteen years. The amount that it's increased by is more than the entire defence budget. Health is the other big one, hoovering up around £210bn per year now, compared to £140bn or so per year fifteen years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted December 5, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 5, 2023 34 minutes ago, desensitized43 said: I still don't understand how the country can be so broke when the people are literally taxed on everything. Income, NI, Council, VAT, Fuel, Alcohol, Tobacco, Road, Sugar, Gambling, Inheritance, Insurance, Stamp Duty, Excise Duty, Capital Gains, Dividends, Corporations, Rates. The list seems endless. Where's all the money go? I'll post here something I wrote a while ago on another site where I also pondered this question, though I think the answer has already been given above: Then there is fiscal responsibility. The way I see it, take the mid 80's as my point of reference: The UK was still paying war debt. We had a huge Army. We had battalions and enormous resources in Germany. We had a huge Navy and Airforce, easily double, probably treble what they are now in terms of both manpower and equipment. We had nationally owned railways which we were told were sucking away huge amounts of money from the public purse. Power generation was owned by the nation and we were told it was sucking away huge amounts of money from the public purse. You could easily get a doctors appointment. I would often phone my doctors, have the phone answered pretty much immediately and get an appointment that day. I could get an NHS Dentist appointment. I could go on. School meals, free milk, council housing. War debt is gone. Our armed forces are now a fraction of what they were. Railways and Utilities are sold off and no longer a drain on the public purse. The NHS has had effective funding cuts year on year on year. I can't get an NHS Dentist, I can't get a doctors appointment, I can't even get through to my doctors on the phone. My Doctors surgery has merged with 6 or 7 other surgeries into one super centre which should cost half the price to run compared to the previous 7. So where has all the money gone? All these cuts on cuts on cuts. Endless savings. Why isn't my tax half what it was? I seem to be getting a very raw deal and whilst these cuts have unquestionably been made I don't see any way there are benefiting me. I repeat where has all the money gone? Somebody somewhere is creaming it off. Some of this has happened under Labour but nearly all of it has been under The Tories so no, don't see them as the party of fiscal responsibility even before the shit show of the last 2 years, and these issues were also there before Covid. Where is the money? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 24 minutes ago, Chindie said: Surprising lack of discussion of them pursuing legislation that allows for spying on your bank account in the name of 'combatting benefit fraud'. Passed by the Commons with barely a whimper of dissension, Labour abstained of course, now relying on the Lord's to say this proposed legislation is bullshit. Just slightly too late for the hundred of millions they gave to Tory VIP’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 7 minutes ago, ml1dch said: In terms of "what is using up more tax money than it used to", interest payable on Government debt has doubled in the last fifteen years. The amount that it's increased by is more than the entire defence budget. Health is the other big one, hoovering up around £210bn per year now, compared to £140bn or so per year fifteen years ago. Is that adjusted for inflation? I just wonder how £140b then compares to £210b now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 5, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 5, 2023 4 minutes ago, Genie said: Just slightly too late for the hundred of millions they gave to Tory VIP’s. No they made it so it's only for the poor benefit claimants, just the third of the population, including pensioners. Utter despicable, but here we are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Genie said: Is that adjusted for inflation? I just wonder how £140b then compares to £210b now. No, that's in real terms. Percentage of GDP is the best indicator of whether spending on something is going up or down. Health is 18.3% compared to 16% back then. Debt interest is now 8.4% versus 4.5%. Link if you're interested Quote What does the government spend money on? Edited December 5, 2023 by ml1dch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 When do we get to find out that UK Government have wasted even more time and money in this latest treaty with Rwanda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted December 5, 2023 Moderator Share Posted December 5, 2023 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 He described it as a shithole. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightoffyour Posted December 6, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 6, 2023 16 hours ago, Seat68 said: He described it as a shithole. No he only said they were shit people. Oh wait. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Boris Johnson is to appear at the Covid enquiry today to answer questions but everything he is going to say was leaked last week, It makes the whole thing a bit (lot) of a farce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Happy anniversary 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy7211 Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Watching the COVID inquiry footage, Johnson has forgot an awful lot in the last few years. He's lying and he hates being questioned. I'd love it if the mask slipped live on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted December 6, 2023 Moderator Share Posted December 6, 2023 3 hours ago, Jonesy7211 said: Watching the COVID inquiry footage, Johnson has forgot an awful lot in the last few years. He's lying and he hates being questioned. I'd love it if the mask slipped live on TV. long non-existent COVID can have that effect on people 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Jonesy7211 said: Watching the COVID inquiry footage, Johnson has forgot an awful lot in the last few years. He's lying and he hates being questioned. I'd love it if the mask slipped live on TV. Has he stated he got the big calls right yet? Disclaimer: Doesn’t include protecting care homes Doesn’t include delaying lockdowns so they ended up being longer and killing more people Doesn’t include ignoring expert advice to keep schools closed after the Christmas break, then closing them after 1 day. Doesn’t include lying to the public and the HoC Doesn’t include breaking all the rules he set Doesn’t include the parties in Downing Street Doesn’t include spending billions of pounds on products that didn’t materialise, or were too poor to be used. Doesn’t include not going to crucial COBRA meetings at the start of the pandemic Doesn’t include bad advice about the benefits of face masks (because he knew they didn’t have enough to give to NHS staff). Edited December 6, 2023 by Genie 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 6, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) Meanwhile Braverman in her 'I've been sacked' speech was calling for concentration camps so all is well on good old Blighty. The very recently former home secretary. Big on conversation camps. The word removed. Edited December 6, 2023 by Chindie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted December 6, 2023 Author Moderator Share Posted December 6, 2023 10 minutes ago, Chindie said: Big on conversation camps It's all just talk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 6, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 6, 2023 Keir will be along soon to support the idea of camps, but that the barbed wire should be longer and rustier, and the guards should cry a little as they lock up the gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Chindie said: The very recently former home secretary. Big on conversation camps. The word removed. At least the new one knows when he's doing something he shouldn't. Even if he then does it anyway. Edited December 6, 2023 by ml1dch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 58 minutes ago, Chindie said: Meanwhile Braverman in her 'I've been sacked' speech was calling for concentration camps so all is well on good old Blighty. The very recently former home secretary. Big on conversation camps. The word removed. In her defence, we did invent concentration camps. You can’t get more British than something we did to the boars. If it was good enough for the empire, it’ll do for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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