£2 billion Labour projects axed by coalition government...

[Dupont666]

We had no money and what did the Labour goubberment do as a last sticking 2 fingers up at whoever won (must have know it wouldnt be themselves)...

12 commitments to spend £2 billion have now been stopped and another 12 at £8.5 billion are under review...

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/831484-2bn-labour-proj...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/politics/10341847.stm

And what does the Labour party do... attack them with such crap as:

[quote = Liam Byrne]In an angry response, shadow chief secretary Liam Byrne accused the Lib Dem minister of a U-turn over public spending and asked how many jobs would be lost as a result.

He told Mr Alexander: "Both the country and the Liberal Democrat party beyond will be aghast this afternoon at your attack on jobs, your attack on construction workers, your attack on the industries of the future and the cancellation of a hospital.

"Let me ask you: what could be more front line than this? In five minutes this afternoon you have reversed three years of Liberal Democratic policy of which you were the principal author. What a moment of abject humiliation."
[/quote]

The full list of projects cancelled:

Stonehenge Visitor Centre: £25m

Local Authority Leader Boards: £16m

Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited: £80m

Rollout of the Future Jobs Fund: £290m

Six month offer recruitment subsidies: £30m

Extension of Young Person's Guarantee to 2011/12: £450m

Two year Jobseeker's Guarantee: £515m

Active Challenge Routes - Walk England: £2m

County Sports Partnerships : £6m

North Tees and Hartlepool hospital: £450m

Local Authority Business Growth Initiative: £50m

Outukumpu: £13m
List of projects suspended:

Libraries Modernisation Programme: £12m

Sheffield Retail Quarter: £12m

Kent Thameside Strategic Transport Programme: £23m

University Enterprise Capital Fund: £25m

Newton Scholarships: £25m

Health Research Support Initiative: £73m

Leeds Holt Park Well-being Centre: £50m

Birmingham Magistrates Court: £94m

Successor Deterrent Extension to Concept Phase Long Lead Items: £66m

Search and Rescue Helicopters: £4.6bn (Successor Deterrent Extension to Concept Phase Long Lead Items will be reviewed as part of the broader Trident value for money review, which will report in the coming weeks. Search and Rescue Helicopters will be reviewed as a matter of urgency)

A14 Road: £1.1bn

Nice, the Labour gubberment was trying to buy votes with money it didnt have... Oh for the love of god...

[hornetrider]

At what point do these Labia fantasists realise things have to be paid for? FFS.

[The real Apache]

The only surprise here is that it is only £2 bil

[RichardD]

hornetrider said:

At what point do these Labia fantasists realise things have to be paid for? FFS.

In 2009 they paid for everything with no problems...


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(by printing money )

[Andy Zarse]

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

[hornetrider]

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

I feel for them ....but. Why should that company in particular amongst the many thousands of companies nationwide, benefit from a Govt handout? It's anti-competitive at best.

[Dupont666]

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

Yes but if they have not got the money then they aint got the money... they should put pressure on a bank to help out.

[fadeaway]

Dupont666 said:

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

Yes but if they have not got the money then they aint got the money... they should put pressure on a bank to help out.

I'm torn on this one.
We really do need new nuclear power stations despirately. If this loan would help, or keep extra work in the UK, then it would be justified. Remember, no new nukes and we'll just run out of electricity!

[dilbert]

hornetrider said:

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

I feel for them ....but. Why should that company in particular amongst the many thousands of companies nationwide, benefit from a Govt handout? It's anti-competitive at best.

I had no qualms about the others, but the Forgemasters thing made me wince a bit.

As for anti competitive, the competitors are China and Japan surely? We could do with the jobs nationally, and certainly making a name for ourselves in that industry would bring other high-tech work too. I think we should do all we can to compete against other countries where we can. I think we could have done so here.

I don't think the coalition does necessarily want new nuclear. It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out. I think that the coalition might be as devoid on energy policy as the Labour were. The trouble is that it's a showdown between the pro conservatives, and the anti lib dems.

I notice that in Dungeness, the locals all want a new nuclear power station. The conservatives are pro, and the lib dems are anti.

TBH if, as a nation, we're unable to build a nuclear power station that the locals want, then we're done for!

Edited by dilbert on Thursday 17th June 15:14

[andy_s]

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

Funny enough that was the only one I queried, as I don't live in North Tees and Hartlepool.

The axe has to swing I suppose, seems a shame long term, but then the British Nuclear industry has been neglected for a while now.

[tankplanker]

Can't say I'm pleased that they are cutting the training budget for long term unemployed (Extension of Young Person's Guarantee to 2011/12: £450m & Two-year Jobseeker's Guarantee) as I saw these as key to retraining the vast wave of people who will shortly be leaving the public sector, hopefully there will be an alternative in the works.

[Corsair7]

So, they are cutting future spending that they found out didnt actually have any money allocated to them from the governments coffers....?

So they haven't actually saved any money then.....

Do these qualify as cuts? Its like me saying I'm going to spend £150,000 on a new Ferrari next year.

And then deciding not too. I couldnt show you the £150,000 that I had saved with this decision, as I never had it in the first place......

[MKnight702]

Dupont666 said:

A14 Road: £1.1bn

Blast, that road really does need some money throwing at it, as anyone who has spent time stuck in a traffic jam at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon will tell you.

[dilbert]

tankplanker said:

Can't say I'm pleased that they are cutting the training budget for long term unemployed (Extension of Young Person's Guarantee to 2011/12: £450m & Two-year Jobseeker's Guarantee) as I saw these as key to retraining the vast wave of people who will shortly be leaving the public sector, hopefully there will be an alternative in the works.

I'm pretty sure there is.

As I understood it, the conservatives felt it unfair to focus all the money on just unemployed young people. They felt it right to provide help for everyone to find work. The closure of those schemes precedes a new initiative aimed at helping everyone back to work.

[MonkeyHanger]

[quote = Liam Byrne] the cancellation of a hospital.

[/quote]

Yes Mr Byrne. A Hospital the vast majority of people in the town didn't want because the plan was to move it out of town forcing many patients to use Taxis or a "free" bus service to get there.

I expected the Hospital to be cancelled and you can be sure it would have cost a hell of a lot more than 4£50 million

[Mojocvh]

MonkeyHanger said:

[quote = Liam Byrne] the cancellation of a hospital.

Yes Mr Byrne. A Hospital the vast majority of people in the town didn't want because the plan was to move it out of town forcing many patients to use Taxis or a "free" bus service to get there.

I expected the Hospital to be cancelled and you can be sure it would have cost a hell of a lot more than 4£50 million

was it under PFI?

[Oakey]

£25million for a 'Visitors Centre' at Stonehenge? Really? Can you even get within 500metres of Stonehenge these days?

For £25million they could probably build a complete replica of Stoenhenge that people can trample all over, a visitors centre, toilets, starbucks and a mcdonalds!

[eldar]

dilbert said:

hornetrider said:

Andy Zarse said:

All good stuff, though I'm not sure about the cancellation of the Shefield Forgemasters loan. This was to build a massive new 15,000 tonne press so it can make componnts for the nuclear power industry. Does the Govt want new nuclear power stations or not? Presumably they can get such a loan on a commercial basis?

I feel for them ....but. Why should that company in particular amongst the many thousands of companies nationwide, benefit from a Govt handout? It's anti-competitive at best.

I had no qualms about the others, but the Forgemasters thing made me wince a bit.

As for anti competitive, the competitors are China and Japan surely? We could do with the jobs nationally, and certainly making a name for ourselves in that industry would bring other high-tech work too. I think we should do all we can to compete against other countries where we can. I think we could have done so here.

I don't think the coalition does necessarily want new nuclear. It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out. I think that the coalition might be as devoid on energy policy as the Labour were. The trouble is that it's a showdown between the pro conservatives, and the anti lib dems.

I notice that in Dungeness, the locals all want a new nuclear power station. The conservatives are pro, and the lib dems are anti.

TBH if, as a nation, we're unable to build a nuclear power station that the locals want, then we're done for!

Edited by dilbert on Thursday 17th June 15:14

Problem is we are running out of time. We have to get some alternative means of generation that is going to provide non gas/oil baseload to replace the obsolete generators. Wind/wave is OK, but is crap at baseload.

Other countries are starting new reactors, so unless we want to wait 10 years for the parts, we'll need the megapresses and the like to make them.

Time for the government to get off the pot and make a decision.

There are 2 proposed sites with 7 reactors within 2 miles of my house. Doesn't worry me

[Plotloss]

Oakey said:

For £25million they could probably build a complete replica of Stoenhenge that people can trample all over, a visitors centre, toilets, starbucks and a mcdonalds!

As I remember, that's what it was. A covered visitors centre with indoor replica due to complaints from American tourists.

Why is Brum Magistrates Court centrally funded? If Birmingham need a new court, they people of Birmingham should pay for it, non?

[odyssey2200]

Shame they didn't cut some of the Green nonsense and windymill funding too,