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[Politics] Poll - are our (your) taxes better spent on...

Who is more deserving of public funds?

  • NHS Nurse?

    Votes: 26 63.4%
  • Barista (or equal job)?

    Votes: 15 36.6%

  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .


Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
11,832
Crawley
Well THERE’S an idea for a post lockdown business. Any idea where I can get a discounted job lot of gimp suits?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know someone who has a lot of masks they are trying to shift.
 




DavidinSouthampton

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 3, 2012
17,159
I think it - and life - is a bit more complicated than that.
 


One Teddy Maybank

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 4, 2006
22,630
Worthing
As an NHS employee, of course nurses and in fact all staff deserve as a minimum 5%.

The trouble is, where does it stop? Are the police and fireman any less deserving - although to a lesser extent, they’ve tackled COVID head on, as have the army, not to mention staff elsewhere.

So, whilst I don’t agree, I do understand the 1% to some extent.

However, if parliament award themselves a pay rise then that will be a different issue
 


Skuller

Well-known member
Jun 3, 2017
314
I think people are being a bit harsh on the OP for raising a perfectly respectable moral dilemma. I'd rather criticise some of the replies which don't attempt to answer it but just slag-off the government (but I'll forgive [MENTION=12880]Hotchilidog[/MENTION] due to cricket-blues). I'll just chicken-out and consider that both are equally deserving, but the nurses needs to consider the effect on the baristas of increased taxes to pay for the pay-rise, and the baristas needs to consider whether them getting furlough money could impact future funding of the NHS and their future health.
 


studio150

Well-known member
Jul 30, 2011
30,066
On the Border
Isn't the £350m a week we're saving from not being in the EU, and which was earmarked to fund the NHS, paying for the nurses pay rise, or is this being bunged to ministers mates.
 




Papak

Not an NSC licker...
Jul 11, 2003
2,209
Horsham
I think people are being a bit harsh on the OP for raising a perfectly respectable moral dilemma. I'd rather criticise some of the replies which don't attempt to answer it but just slag-off the government (but I'll forgive [MENTION=12880]Hotchilidog[/MENTION] due to cricket-blues). I'll just chicken-out and consider that both are equally deserving, but the nurses needs to consider the effect on the baristas of increased taxes to pay for the pay-rise, and the baristas needs to consider whether them getting furlough money could impact future funding of the NHS and their future health.

Indeed, it was an attempt to spark some discussion into overall govt funding etc. touching 2 topical subjects would achieve that I had hoped and for some it did.

The furlough scheme having now been extended will have run for ~18 months. This seems an incredibly long time for us all to survive without large sections of the business community. I don't see that it is saving jobs, there has been a seismic shift towards home working which will not reverse because this virus will never truly be fully eradicated.

That leaves a lot of hospitality and travel jobs unnecessary for perhaps decades.

For nurses, I would imagine if the govt had said no payrise in 2021 due to the cost of getting covid under control most would probably have accepted that.
 


dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,499
Henfield
One thing I am sure of is that baristas don’t get paid anywhere near as much as nurses and I doubt that 80% of their wages is enough to support a family.
 


Seaview Seagull

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 1, 2021
546
I think people are being a bit harsh on the OP for raising a perfectly respectable moral dilemma. I'd rather criticise some of the replies which don't attempt to answer it but just slag-off the government (but I'll forgive [MENTION=12880]Hotchilidog[/MENTION] due to cricket-blues). I'll just chicken-out and consider that both are equally deserving, but the nurses needs to consider the effect on the baristas of increased taxes to pay for the pay-rise, and the baristas needs to consider whether them getting furlough money could impact future funding of the NHS and their future health.

But that's NOT the actual dilemma is it. There is no connection between the two suggested opposites. The pay of those in the private sector is determined by market forces and individual employers Nurse's pay by government. I know there is a review body but note it makes recommendations while ministers decide. It is entirely false to pose the OPs question as if yes for one meant no for the other.
 




DavidinSouthampton

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 3, 2012
17,159
I think people are being a bit harsh on the OP for raising a perfectly respectable moral dilemma. I'd rather criticise some of the replies which don't attempt to answer it but just slag-off the government (but I'll forgive [MENTION=12880]Hotchilidog[/MENTION] due to cricket-blues). I'll just chicken-out and consider that both are equally deserving, but the nurses needs to consider the effect on the baristas of increased taxes to pay for the pay-rise, and the baristas needs to consider whether them getting furlough money could impact future funding of the NHS and their future health.

It’s a moral dilemma which probably merits a well argued 10,000 word essay rather than a one line question.

Mr Sunak having said he will do whatever it takes, maybe the right answer is to do both, and then deal with it all when things get back to normal...... if ever. Part of what we ought to have learnt from all this is the inadequacy of our health service in terms of number of beds, number of staff and so on compared to other large European Countries. The NHS was understaffed before all this started, and they should be working out how to attract, recruit and retain MORE staff, not risk losing what they already have.

Another part of the argument is would nurses and other NHS staff strike, as is being talked about. If they did, they wouldn’t do anything to put patients lives at risk, and the government probably realises this and might cynically take advantage of it.
 


dsr-burnley

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2014
2,417
One thing I am sure of is that baristas don’t get paid anywhere near as much as nurses and I doubt that 80% of their wages is enough to support a family.
Agreed. But I think a large part of the OP's point was that people who can "only" get a job as a barista don't deserve any government support at all above basic social security, and money should be taken off them to give to nurses. At least, that's what we're being asked to vote on.
 


neilbard

Hedging up
Oct 8, 2013
6,280
I thought the OP had misspelt barrister. :facepalm:

I certainly wouldn't pay a Barista £24,907 per annum
 




Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
61,807
The Fatherland
As an NHS employee, of course nurses and in fact all staff deserve as a minimum 5%.

The trouble is, where does it stop? Are the police and fireman any less deserving - although to a lesser extent, they’ve tackled COVID head on, as have the army, not to mention staff elsewhere.

So, whilst I don’t agree, I do understand the 1% to some extent.

However, if parliament award themselves a pay rise then that will be a different issue

The answer is to pay all public workers a decent and respectable salary....that’s where it stops.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
54,719
Faversham
I was always told that there is no such thing as a zero-sum economy (i.e., fixed amount of wealth). That was when I was red in tooth and claw and constantly berating my millionaire boss for his cynicism and sneery attitude to my left wing ranting.

I find it amusing that certain types of tories want to free wealth creators with low taxes and few regulations because 'it will make us all rich' yet regard the public purse as a fixed bag of sad coins, dust and the dried sweat of the heroic entrepreneurs.

Well, when I say amusing, I mean sick-making. The po-faced hypocritical *****. :shrug:
 






Papak

Not an NSC licker...
Jul 11, 2003
2,209
Horsham
But that's NOT the actual dilemma is it. There is no connection between the two suggested opposites. The pay of those in the private sector is determined by market forces and individual employers Nurse's pay by government. I know there is a review body but note it makes recommendations while ministers decide. It is entirely false to pose the OPs question as if yes for one meant no for the other.

Are you kidding?

Who pays for the nurses?

Who pays the furlough element of anyone's pay?


Answer to both - THE TAXPAYER
 






Kinky Gerbil

Im The Scatman
NSC Patron
Jul 16, 2003
58,589
hassocks
Are you kidding?

Who pays for the nurses?

Who pays the furlough element of anyone's pay?


Answer to both - THE TAXPAYER

So who ends up paying the now jobless coffee makers mortgage/rent they have no job?

How about we open up get the majority off furlough then give them a pay rise ?
 




pork pie

New member
Dec 27, 2008
6,053
Pork pie land.
We would be better off not paying even 1%. They are doing their job at last and expect to be reward. 12% over recent years when the nation could afford it was enough. What about the guys who will lose their jobs in the private sector?
 


amexer

Well-known member
Aug 8, 2011
6,609
Whilst appreciate what so many have done during Covid I am also so aware how many jobs and businesses have been lost. I think priority should be to get everything going again and not before economy is back up and running dont think priority should be for public employees who have unlike so many not lost any income to have increases. Repaying debt wont be as simple as increasing tax by 1%
Many times when I have spoken to my niece who is a nurse over last year she has commented that she is far better of then so many and repeated this yesterday
 


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