Comments on: The government borrowing crisis intensifies http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/ Incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today's issues and tomorrow's problems Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:05:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: shipping http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24120 shipping Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:32:27 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24120 Hello! Your post (John Redwood MP » The government borrowing crisis intensifies) does so well that I would like to translate it into French, publish on my french blog and link to you. You have something against it? Regards Reply: By all means translate it and publish it. Please state clearly on it that John Redwood wrote the English version, and that you are responsible for the translation. Hello! Your post (John Redwood MP » The government borrowing crisis intensifies) does so well that I would like to translate it into French, publish on my french blog and link to you. You have something against it? Regards

Reply: By all means translate it and publish it. Please state clearly on it that John Redwood wrote the English version, and that you are responsible for the translation.

]]> By: E B Fairfax http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24119 E B Fairfax Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:47:55 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24119 Ring fencing the NHS budget is wrong if we are to cut public spending. Great lumps could be cut out, for example physiotherapy, and this privatised, in which case it would sink or swim. Sit in the grounds of an NHS hospital and count the middle-aged overweight ladies walking around with clipboards----that's where the cuts should be made-they're not healing anybody. Also if you replace the Health & Safety Executive with a "Use Your Loaf" Act you could save a fortune - not just the cost of the silly quango itself but the millions of professional hours wasted writing meaningless risk assessments so that boxes can be ticked on meaningless forms in order to prove that meaningless targets have been met. Ring fencing the NHS budget is wrong if we are to cut public spending. Great lumps could be cut out, for example physiotherapy, and this privatised, in which case it would sink or swim.
Sit in the grounds of an NHS hospital and count the middle-aged overweight ladies walking around with clipboards—-that's where the cuts should be made-they're not healing anybody.
Also if you replace the Health & Safety Executive with a "Use Your Loaf" Act you could save a fortune – not just the cost of the silly quango itself but the millions of professional hours wasted writing meaningless risk assessments so that boxes can be ticked on meaningless forms in order to prove that meaningless targets have been met.

]]> By: PLC Training http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24118 PLC Training Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:17:06 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24118 It is such a nice and useful blog that i come daily to read this blog it has got all the informative stuff that i wanted to know about the postings on this blog are really great thanks for sharing such an important and useful stuff. It is such a nice and useful blog that i come daily to read this blog it has got all the informative stuff that i wanted to know about the postings on this blog are really great thanks for sharing such an important and useful stuff.

]]> By: Lindsay McDougall http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24117 Lindsay McDougall Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:43:58 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24117 Readers of this blog are not going to believe this. The following appeared in a short article on the front page of Daily Telegraph of Monday 8th February: "Gordon Brown will attend crisis talks in Brussels this week as the eurozone faces a crisis over the debt Greece and other countries have built up. The Prime Minister will preach a "tough love" message for Greece and, along with the other European leaders, will urge the country to cut its spending over the next three years. Greece will be presented with an agreed plan which will demand that its deficit be cut from 13 per cent to 2 per cent by 2013. That will mean heavy cuts in spending and a drive to take on the public sector unions that many blame for the country's problems." Two points: (1) I can think of another country that should cut its annual deficit from 13% to 2% [of GDP] by 2013. If Gordon wants to discover which one, all he needs to buy is mirror. (2) The euro is none of our business. If we allow it be, a group of Eurozone nations will try to dip their hands in our pockets. Let the euro crash and burn and the eurozone break up. Readers of this blog are not going to believe this. The following appeared in a short article on the front page of Daily Telegraph of Monday 8th February:

"Gordon Brown will attend crisis talks in Brussels this week as the eurozone faces a crisis over the debt Greece and other countries have built up.

The Prime Minister will preach a "tough love" message for Greece and, along with the other European leaders, will urge the country to cut its spending over the next three years. Greece will be presented with an agreed plan which will demand that its deficit be cut from 13 per cent to 2 per cent by 2013. That will mean heavy cuts in spending and a drive to take on the public sector unions that many blame for the country's problems."

Two points:
(1) I can think of another country that should cut its annual deficit from 13% to 2% [of GDP] by 2013. If Gordon wants to discover which one, all he needs to buy is mirror.
(2) The euro is none of our business. If we allow it be, a group of Eurozone nations will try to dip their hands in our pockets. Let the euro crash and burn and the eurozone break up.

]]> By: Adrian Peirson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24116 Adrian Peirson Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:01:19 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24116 All currencies are falling off a cliff, comparing them to eachother is misleading, we should bre comparing them to real wealth like Gold. All currencies are falling off a cliff, comparing them to eachother is misleading, we should bre comparing them to real wealth like Gold.

]]> By: Adrian Peirson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24115 Adrian Peirson Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:58:24 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24115 If they Printed EXACTLY What they had Borrowed over the past 50 yrs, there would not be ANY Govt Debt. If they Printed EXACTLY What they had Borrowed over the past 50 yrs, there would not be ANY Govt Debt.

]]> By: Adrian Peirson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24114 Adrian Peirson Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:53:32 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24114 Right, and they will just up our contribution anyway but claim oh it's not to bail out greece. They must think I'm an idiot. Right, and they will just up our contribution anyway but claim oh it's not to bail out greece.

They must think I'm an idiot.

]]> By: Fox in sox http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24113 Fox in sox Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:21:36 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24113 Medical inflation is higher than general inflation, for example new drugs being authorised by NICE. There is also an ageing population and an epidemic of diabetes. Finding funding for these items within a static ring fenced budget means cuts need to be found elsewhere. So ringfencing and cuts are not incompatible. I could walk through my department and sack 10% without altering productivity if I was given a free hand. I know the workers and the shirkers at all levels. This will not happen as the unfair dismissal cases would explode. This is a real refuge for the incompetent, competent people who get sacked rapidly move to another job. Limit awards for unfair dismissal to 1 month pay per year of service and employers both public and private would jump for joy. The shake out would concentrate minds wonderfully. Pour encourage les autres... Medical inflation is higher than general inflation, for example new drugs being authorised by NICE. There is also an ageing population and an epidemic of diabetes. Finding funding for these items within a static ring fenced budget means cuts need to be found elsewhere. So ringfencing and cuts are not incompatible.

I could walk through my department and sack 10% without altering productivity if I was given a free hand. I know the workers and the shirkers at all levels. This will not happen as the unfair dismissal cases would explode. This is a real refuge for the incompetent, competent people who get sacked rapidly move to another job.

Limit awards for unfair dismissal to 1 month pay per year of service and employers both public and private would jump for joy. The shake out would concentrate minds wonderfully. Pour encourage les autres…

]]> By: alan jutson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24112 alan jutson Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:24:14 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24112 Fox in sox We also have information from friends and contacts that the NHS Bugets to certain areas are being very significantly cut for the next financial year. Where does this leave DC who is talking about ringfencing the NHS expenditure, when it would seem that Labour have already instigated the idea/proposal of cuts (but not publically). Fox in sox

We also have information from friends and contacts that the NHS Bugets to certain areas are being very significantly cut for the next financial year.

Where does this leave DC who is talking about ringfencing the NHS expenditure, when it would seem that Labour have already instigated the idea/proposal of cuts (but not publically).

]]> By: APL http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2010/02/05/the-government-borrowing-crisis-intensifies/#comment-24111 APL Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:28:25 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=5544#comment-24111 JR: "You may have read that, but no sensible UK governemnt would do so. This is a problem for the Eurozone, not the EU.” It has always been envisaged that the Euro zone would need 'massive transfer payments' from the well run northern countries (aka Germany) to the PIIGS to keep the whole shooting matcht viable. The topic was quite common place in the media at one time. JR: "You may have read that, but no sensible UK governemnt would do so. This is a problem for the Eurozone, not the EU.”

It has always been envisaged that the Euro zone would need 'massive transfer payments' from the well run northern countries (aka Germany) to the PIIGS to keep the whole shooting matcht viable. The topic was quite common place in the media at one time.

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