New Government, new cuts, no job**
** Legal and policy basis for my job disappeared overnight with the new Con-Dem government, which announces 6 billion pounds cuts on Monday as a step towards a 160-180 billion cut in government expenditure. The deficit is largely down to the bail out of the banks and the need to keep the economy afloat as credit disappeared from the system. The overall UK budget is around 520 billion of which 100 billion is for health and will not be cut.. Politics suggest that all the cuts and/or tax rises are done in the first 3 to 4 years to allow for the government to regain popularity for what is going to be a very bumpy few years. Put into context, the cuts suggested are the most drastic needed since the UK moved from a war to a peace economy after the 2nd world war. Worse is that if the economy noses dives then the tax yield goes down and the deficit continues to climb. Especially as the single biggest area of expenditure is around welfare support(pensions, social security etc). Think riots, mass demonstrations and political disruptions at some time in the next 12 months. This will be sharpen by the fact that the majority of the population voted for parties who would have softened the cuts with tax rises to protect services. And the growing feeling of betrayal of the Liberals working with the Conservatives, their bitter political enemies of the past 200 years! The governor of the Bank of England has said that the party who balances the books will be out of office for a generation. The gamble that this Government is taking is that the contraction in public services is off-set by a growth in the private economy and in community services. The reality of all these big sounding political economic issues is that my service's funding may well be cut on Monday so I ‘m out of work by September. And most of the agencies I worked with to create more integrated local services will be gone by March. The one positive note is that I have worked in the community sector for most of my working life so may yet be able to step from the sinking State liner to a passing community rowing boat as long as it’s not women, children, and bosses first – it’s the enterprise culture now.
Technorati Tags: Six Word Saturday,UK Elections,Political Unrest. Banks,Community Services ZE6BUEHY7EW6
Great post & great blog!
ReplyDeleteHappy 6WS - and look forward to *seeing* you again next time!
Mine’s HERE!
LOLA:)
Great post !!
ReplyDeleteHappy 6WS
Caroline
It is painful to hear stories of economic downfall around the world, and I wonder how much of the damage to the global economy has been inflicted by the US. People say we're "the greatest" but I fear we're goin' down and dragging the rest of the planet with us, one country at a time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why we've not seen more than a handful of "riots, mass demonstrations and political disruptions" here? This failed economy is more far-reaching than the Vietnam war yet it has not inspired Americans to do much more than complain a little, rally a little, eat more horrific junk food and up their medication. I pray that we will embrace innovative solutions and common sense to turn around the inertia of the sad status quo of our health, wealth and political will.
If we are the greatest, then perhaps we are also like Rome and, like that superpower of yesterday, will crash and burn in spectacular fashion.
Man, that sucks. I hope that you're able to find something by September.
ReplyDeleteWow, sorry to hear that. I hope that it all works out for you. Thanks for playing 6WS.
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