The TUC and Labour

Socialism is bad.

But it's OK when it's corporate socialism, subsiding these companies with taxpayers' money. Same with the £400 fuel payment, it's just a subsidy for the comapnies' profits.
I assume it's because the Tories don't want to be seen as taxing companies and interfering in the running of them. Also it can be construed as "we're sticking up for the peasants" come election time

On the face of it there is no sense to it at all
 
I assume it's because the Tories don't want to be seen as taxing companies and interfering in the running of them. Also it can be construed as "we're sticking up for the peasants" come election time

On the face of it there is no sense to it at all
I think because we’ve accepted this way for years without giving it much thought as to how insane it really is they assume they can just carry on (both parties)
 
I have always thought that privatisation of the utilities was a dangerous thing to do. The problem was way back then that many of the nationalised companies were basket cases and were sucking the life out of the economy. The wave of privatisation was a result of peoples frustration with over exuberant unions, appalling and lazy leadership and the “make a quick buck” mentality. To take a charitable view of the policy I think the Tories expected lots of the small share holders to keep their shares and in turn put pressure on the crap and idle management of these companies to do the jobs properly. History tells us they were wrong.
The utilities needed a shake up, it’s odd that the equally vital fuel suppliers have never been put forward as good prospects for nationalisation maybe because they’ve always been run as proficient and profitable entities.
To compare today’s water companies with those of way back is a tad unfair because they now have to contend with increased energy charges, environment responsibilities and employee costs but clearly (as with energy companies) they do have a remarkable knack of shooting themselves up the arse in terms of public relations. We need a strong PM to now make these arseholes face up to their social responsibility or pay the price. No doubt there is far more to all of this than we peasants are allowed to know but it really is time for action
I'm not sure that those problems were really in the utilities sector - the inefficiencies/subsidies etc were more in railways, steel etc, and the strikes in public services. There may have been similar issues with the utilities but I don't recall them as being front and centre. I think with them it was more that service levels weren't great (e.g. how long it took to get something installed) and perhaps the sense that there was unmet opportunity for innovation (technical and business).
 
One extra thing that you are all missing is the furlough.

When the sh1t really hit, your taxes bailed out a lot of large companies and their employees.

It should have come with conditionality.

1. Furlough would have to be repaid via profits.
2. The Companies couldn’t lower or keep wages below the minimum to compensate.

As with everything, you have to get the corporates when you have them by the balls.
 
As with most things there is always someone happy to take the piss. The furlough scheme had to be rolled out quickly so every eventuality couldn't be thought of and now we find ourselves being screwed by thieves and shit bags
 
One extra thing that you are all missing is the furlough.

When the sh1t really hit, your taxes bailed out a lot of large companies and their employees.

It should have come with conditionality.

1. Furlough would have to be repaid via profits.
2. The Companies couldn’t lower or keep wages below the minimum to compensate.

As with everything, you have to get the corporates when you have them by the balls.
Delusion and economic nonsense in one post
 
As with most things there is always someone happy to take the piss. The furlough scheme had to be rolled out quickly so every eventuality couldn't be thought of and now we find ourselves being screwed by thieves and shit bags
The furlough scheme was applied across europe in a different way to over here.
 
Mrs H is the expert but she howls with derision everytime some tory mentions what a success RS made of it on the telly.
Most of the Country stayed home on full pay

The NHS and most of the Public Sector are still at home on full pay

What did he do wrong? Pure Socialism in action surely?
 
Most of the Country stayed home on full pay

The NHS and most of the Public Sector are still at home on full pay
Most of the country worked from home or carried on as usual didn’t they?

Where do you get your ‘facts’ from?
 
Most of the country worked from home or carried on as usual didn’t they?

Where do you get your ‘facts’ from?
He makes it up, then demands a link for anything anyone else says.

I work in the public sector as do many of my friends. Those that still work from home are indeed on full pay. The word "work" is a hint for you why they are on full pay, the same as we all were during the lockdowns. No furlough for us to be at home not working.

Got any links yet?
 
He makes it up, then demands a link for anything anyone else says.

I work in the public sector as do many of my friends. Those that still work from home are indeed on full pay. The word "work" is a hint for you why they are on full pay, the same as we all were during the lockdowns. No furlough for us to be at home not working.

Got any links yet?
You and your mates all 'work' in the Public Sector

What a surprise.

What 'work' do you and your mates do exactly?
 
Most of the country worked from home or carried on as usual didn’t they?

Where do you get your ‘facts’ from?
The backlog in the NHS suggests that they weren’t all working but got 100% pay instead of furlough as did the railways
It was a no win situation for the staff and the government but we’re all going to be paying for it for a long time
 
None of your business. You know your point was wrong so now you start petty, childish criticism of people who "work" in the public sector.
My point is not wrong.

Anyone who has had any dealings with the NHS or Local Government for instance knows that the Public Sector is inefficient at best.

The Goverment should be swinging the axe and cutting back. There are plenty of jobs around although there are very few jobs for Trans Lesbian Cycling to Work Officers in the wealth creating part of the economy
 
My point is not wrong.

Anyone who has had any dealings with the NHS or Local Government for instance knows that the Public Sector is inefficient at best.

The Goverment should be swinging the axe and cutting back. There are plenty of jobs around although there are very few jobs for Trans Lesbian Cycling to Work Officers in the wealth creating part of the economy
"
Most of the Country stayed home on full pay

The NHS and most of the Public Sector are still at home on full pay"

Diversion tactics. This statement you made couldn't be more wrong. Daily Mail style hyperbole.
 
My point is not wrong.

Anyone who has had any dealings with the NHS or Local Government for instance knows that the Public Sector is inefficient at best.

The Goverment should be swinging the axe and cutting back. There are plenty of jobs around although there are very few jobs for Trans Lesbian Cycling to Work Officers in the wealth creating part of the economy
Mirrors my own experience. The NHS waiting times are out of control, quoted a 10 week wait for a heart scan, when I asked why I was told that it was 'staff shortages'. The scan was done a couple of weeks ago, only one of the two available scanners was in use due to, you guessed it, staff shortages.

Some weeks ago I needed an urgent GP appointment on a Monday, telephone waiting times were approaching 1 hour. Mrs AFC drove me to the surgery as it would be much quicker, and to be fair, I was squeezed in to see a nurse who told me I needed to see a doctor but that was not possible as none were actually in the surgery that day (a 6 doctor practice). Best she could do was to arrange a telephone consultation the following morning, in this case with a locum who was clearly 'working from home'. The locum had no idea of my recent history so virtually the whole of our allotted time was spent explaining the issues, his only bit of practical advice was to call back if it happened again.

Similarly, dealing with local authorities regarding our home purchase, pretty much everything is taking way longer than usual. I know that searches cab take some time, currently 2-3 times as long as normal, also taking two and a half weeks to forward an electronic copy of a file that they already have on their computer, ridiculous.

These are recent events in the las month or so, but this is now the 'new normal'.
 
Mirrors my own experience. The NHS waiting times are out of control, quoted a 10 week wait for a heart scan, when I asked why I was told that it was 'staff shortages'. The scan was done a couple of weeks ago, only one of the two available scanners was in use due to, you guessed it, staff shortages.

Some weeks ago I needed an urgent GP appointment on a Monday, telephone waiting times were approaching 1 hour. Mrs AFC drove me to the surgery as it would be much quicker, and to be fair, I was squeezed in to see a nurse who told me I needed to see a doctor but that was not possible as none were actually in the surgery that day (a 6 doctor practice). Best she could do was to arrange a telephone consultation the following morning, in this case with a locum who was clearly 'working from home'. The locum had no idea of my recent history so virtually the whole of our allotted time was spent explaining the issues, his only bit of practical advice was to call back if it happened again.

Similarly, dealing with local authorities regarding our home purchase, pretty much everything is taking way longer than usual. I know that searches cab take some time, currently 2-3 times as long as normal, also taking two and a half weeks to forward an electronic copy of a file that they already have on their computer, ridiculous.

These are recent events in the las month or so, but this is now the 'new normal'.
The Tories are deliberately under funding and mismanaging the NHS so they can say how awful it is and how it needs selling off for privatisation.

The "new normal" is catching up with the backlog caused by a pandemic, see also passport applications, driving tests, CPS etc
 
The Tories are deliberately under funding and mismanaging the NHS so they can say how awful it is and how it needs selling off for privatisation.

The "new normal" is catching up with the backlog caused by a pandemic, see also passport applications, driving tests, CPS etc
So they were at home then? Not 'working'

The Government don't manage the NHS. It provides ever increasing funds for ever poorer performance.
 
Personally I think that the lack of funding is a management issue. It revolves around 'mission creep' and seemingly a focus on anything other than proper, basic healthcare.

I have, as you are probably aware, I have spent much of the last 2 (and a bit) years interacting with the NHS, the biggest issue is that though the individual nurses, doctors and technicians are usually very good, the organisation, preparation and planing from the strategic to the most basic level is poor and disjointed.

Also, the 'new normal', in this context is not so much about the backlogs per se, but that there appears to be little or no effort in doing anything to improve things. And of course the excuses are all the same, covid, working from home etc, etc.

My impression is that with such obvious 'cast iron' excuses being available there is little incentive to actually get stuck in and sort out these issues.

The shutdown in particular seems to have convinced an awful lot of people that working, as in actually having a proper job is a mugs game.
 
The Tories are deliberately under funding and mismanaging the NHS so they can say how awful it is and how it needs selling off for privatisation.

The "new normal" is catching up with the backlog caused by a pandemic, see also passport applications, driving tests, CPS etc
This years budget £21 million an hour. How much is enough?
 
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