Cuts and Politics
The Lib Dems have kicked off the debate among the political parties as the conference season gets under way. The Unions had a go last week. Unfortunately the argument is becoming narrow and polarised. First comes the question when?
When is now. A record level of government borrowing for August of £16 billion underscores the scale of the crisis. Of this a staggering £4 billion was paid interest on debt. That is £4 billion in one month, doubled in just one year and rising. Every month the accumulated debt grows bigger and the interest payments mount. There is no argument for delay, because of the rising cost. Cut and cut now.
The next is the argument that the poorest and most vulnerable will be hard hit. There is no need for that at all. There a huge swathes of public activity which do little if anything for the poor and the vulnerable. There are nearly 10,000 public servants earning more than the Prime Minister. They are neither poor, nor vulnerable and either they or their pay should be cut.
There are quangos and regulators running ludicrous bureaucracies which can be slimmed down and which will work better. There is such a degree of over management in the NHS that they are now engaged on managing themselves and each other. There is a defence posture geared to offence which gets stuck in foreign wars which can be lost but not won. We can cut a good deal there. There is a Chief of Defence Staff being paid nearly a third of a million pounds per year. This is utterly obscene. There are well off people receiving benfits they cannot possibly need.
The argument should not be about when or how much. The argument should be about what. The poor and the vulnerable and the needy, to coin a buz phrase, should be ring fenced.