Spending Review Nov 2020

[JagLover]

Chancellor has just delivered spending review

Highlights
Foreign aid cut to 0.5% of GDP temporarily
Pay freeze for public sector workers excluding NHS + low paid
More infrastructure spending

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-550624...

[PeteinSQ]

I think he's played quite a good hand on the pay freeze front, framed it as protecting jobs, not shafting the low paid or NHS workers. I think the unions will struggle to make that look too bad.

[JagLover]

PeteinSQ said:

I think he's played quite a good hand on the pay freeze front, framed it as protecting jobs, not shafting the low paid or NHS workers. I think the unions will struggle to make that look too bad.

I am sure they will give it a go though

As he pointed out private sector wages are falling, and hundreds of thousands of them are losing their jobs. Instead of counting their blessings they have secure employment for their members the public sector unions will no doubt kick off, as will their political spokesmen.

[Burwood]

JagLover said:

PeteinSQ said:

I think he's played quite a good hand on the pay freeze front, framed it as protecting jobs, not shafting the low paid or NHS workers. I think the unions will struggle to make that look too bad.

I am sure they will give it a go though

As he pointed out private sector wages are falling, and hundreds of thousands of them are losing their jobs. Instead of counting their blessings they have secure employment for their members the public sector unions will no doubt kick off, as will their political spokesmen.

That's exactly what they will say (labour+unions) hitting the poor guy in the pocket. They are already saying we're abandoning the world's poor (re aid cut). We need every penny we can get not give it away. I realise it's a blow to some countries but needs must

[PeteinSQ]

Well the Aid budget is a separate thing. I imagine now we're heading into a massive global financial crisis it is probably the worst possible moment (from the recipients' point of view) for us to reduce the size of that particular budget. We forget sometimes quite how poor some countries are.

[johnboy1975]

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

[RichTT]

johnboy1975 said:

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

Whilst I'm all for some good charity we have people living in poverty in the UK that I would like to see sorted out first.

[johnboy1975]

RichTT said:

johnboy1975 said:

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

Whilst I'm all for some good charity we have people living in poverty in the UK that I would like to see sorted out first.

[Burwood]

PeteinSQ said:

Well the Aid budget is a separate thing. I imagine now we're heading into a massive global financial crisis it is probably the worst possible moment (from the recipients' point of view) for us to reduce the size of that particular budget. We forget sometimes quite how poor some countries are.

we've cut it by about 28%. Just remember countries including China are recipients. I would have thought their output has increased during Covid. I'd have thought they'd want to help out a bit more.

[320d is all you need]

PeteinSQ said:

I think he's played quite a good hand on the pay freeze front, framed it as protecting jobs, not shafting the low paid or NHS workers. I think the unions will struggle to make that look too bad.

I think they are bloody cheeky to ask for a pay rise to begin with!

Public sector have some of the best rights, pensions and protection schemes.

You try getting fired from a public sector job - it's impossible - it's much easier to lose your private sector job!

I know of public sector workers who get like 2 or 3 "sick days" they can take every 6 months, if they take more than 3 sick days, it's an investigation, but up to 3, they don't question it. So that's 6 days free holiday a year.


I don't even think, being harsh, the NHS deserve a pay rise.
They barely have been working the last 8-9 months, I have first hand experience of this as well as friends and family in health care sectors.

Also, you have the huge inefficiencies within the NHS. The layers of pointless middle management . Why not remove these and spread the pay equally among everyone.

[JagLover]

johnboy1975 said:

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

Whether it is 0.5% or 0.7% it is still money we don't have borrowed to send abroad.

Those who want to keep it at 0.7% will make a parade of their righteous indignation when all they want to do is show how virtuous they are by loading yet more debt on the generations to come.

Debt often allows our leaders to conceal the true trade offs from us. If we were going to eliminate the deficit in the years after we are forecast to have recovered from Covid-19 (let alone now) we would need a basic rate of income tax of 33p in the pound (if every 1% raises £7bn)

[MDMetal]

The foreign aid is a bit of a storm in a teacup we've already slashed it by 11% since we've tanked GDP.

Also on that line interesting to see the OBR graph showing a no deal Brexit worst case scenario will be a 2% knock to GDP sounds like peanuts now doesn't it?

[Boringvolvodriver]

JagLover said:

PeteinSQ said:

I think he's played quite a good hand on the pay freeze front, framed it as protecting jobs, not shafting the low paid or NHS workers. I think the unions will struggle to make that look too bad.

I am sure they will give it a go though

As he pointed out private sector wages are falling, and hundreds of thousands of them are losing their jobs. Instead of counting their blessings they have secure employment for their members the public sector unions will no doubt kick off, as will their political spokesmen.

Of course they will. The attitude of many, not all, public service workers away from the lower paid roles is pretty appalling compared to the private sector.

[XJSJohn]

Burwood said:

I'd have thought they'd want to help out a bit more.

thats funny ...

[PeteinSQ]

RichTT said:

Whilst I'm all for some good charity we have people living in poverty in the UK that I would like to see sorted out first.

I'm not saying this applies to you, but a significant number of people who say this in this context will in other conversations say they want to see the welfare state slashing back. What they're really saying is, "I want to pay less tax".

[chemistry]

johnboy1975 said:

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

I think dropping it from 0.7% to 0.5% is very sensible; personally I'd drop it even lower to bring us more into line with the USA, France, Japan, etc. but at least it's a step in the right direction.

I'm always amazed by people who say we're a rich country that should give more and more. To my mind, the UK is like someone who has no savings but has a big house (and huge mortgage) with a Range Rover (leased) on the drive and likes to write big cheques to local charities to show what a pillar of the community they are i.e. we look rich but in reality we are hugely indebted and can ill afford to be second highest in the G7 in terms of our foreign aid donations..

The indignation from Justin Welby and other religious figures makes me sick too. He's already complaining about the cut and yet I can't help thinking that if he and the Church really cared they could easily spend some of their billion pound investment fund, or flog off a few cathedrals, to plug the gap. Sanctimonious hypocrites.

Overall, well done to Rishi Sunak for grasping the nettle, even if he's only grasped it rather gently...

[loafer123]

PeteinSQ said:

RichTT said:

Whilst I'm all for some good charity we have people living in poverty in the UK that I would like to see sorted out first.

I'm not saying this applies to you, but a significant number of people who say this in this context will in other conversations say they want to see the welfare state slashing back. What they're really saying is, "I want to pay less tax".

You say that like its a bad thing?

[MDMetal]

chemistry said:

johnboy1975 said:

Apparently the 0.5% foreign aid budget represents more than most developed countries, and more than labour when they were last in. Still, dont expect anything other than righteous indignation from Kier

I think dropping it from 0.7% to 0.5% is very sensible; personally I'd drop it even lower to bring us more into line with the USA, France, Japan, etc. but at least it's a step in the right direction.

I'm always amazed by people who say we're a rich country that should give more and more. To my mind, the UK is like someone who has no savings but has a big house (and huge mortgage) with a Range Rover (leased) on the drive and likes to write big cheques to local charities to show what a pillar of the community they are i.e. we look rich but in reality we are hugely indebted and can ill afford to be second highest in the G7 in terms of our foreign aid donations..

The indignation from Justin Welby and other religious figures makes me sick too. He's already complaining about the cut and yet I can't help thinking that if he and the Church really cared they could easily spend some of their billion pound investment fund, or flog off a few cathedrals, to plug the gap. Sanctimonious hypocrites.

Overall, well done to Rishi Sunak for grasping the nettle, even if he's only grasped it rather gently...

The church has so much money precisely because it's good at collecting and good at not giving it away. The church is the ultimate fiscal conservative organisation, for them to argue others shouldn't be shows you exactly what they think their money should be on.

[Terminator X]

JagLover said:

Chancellor has just delivered spending review

Highlights
Foreign aid cut to 0.5% of GDP temporarily
Pay freeze for public sector workers excluding NHS + low paid
More infrastructure spending

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-550624...

Teachers + Admin will be pleased having stayed open the whole time too.

TX.

[Leicester Loyal]

Pretty much as expected.

As someone in the public sector, I think it's great that nurses and doctors are exempt from the freeze. It is annoying that me and my colleagues who have worked the whole way through it as normal are now getting a pay freeze, but we're lucky to still be in jobs and hopefully they'll be secure too, so we're doing our bit.