Ideas to get the country going again

[Gwylan]

the problem is classical Keynesian thinking forgets that someone has to pay for all that public sector spending. as a stimulus it works but the economy soon becomes addicted to the injection of extra money. we are in this predicament precisely because too many governments followed this policy over the long term and didnt worry about the consequences if the injection wasn't available.

But we are spending the money: the government is using quantative easing to pump money into the economy but it's been given to the banks (who are sitting on it). We don't need to generate more money, just use it better. A commentator said the other day that rather than making the banks more liquid, we could give £500 to every household in the UK and get them to spend it.

I'm not sure that's the answer, you'll get what happened in Japan and people sit on the money but perhaps some sort of voucher scheme: we just need to get people spending again.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm not sure that's the answer, you'll get what happened in Japan and people sit on the money but perhaps some sort of voucher scheme: we just need to get people spending again.

exactly, just dishing out cash isnt predictable, some would hoard it, others pay off debts. those that do spend would likely do so unproductivly (holiday to Spain? new Japanese TV?) and risk fueling inflation anyway. the point of QE is to shore up the banks balance sheets and to muck about with gilt prices to lower the cost of government borrowing.

 

[Hastings woody]

Im not sure about getting the country going. but im a firm believer in getting people to do a days work for their job seekers allowance. If i don't work i don't get paid,why should any able boddied person.

 

[pastafarian]

keep Labour out of power for the foreseeable future will be a good start
and make sure joke parties like the Greens are kept to local government

 

[Tubby Mondays]

keep Labour out of power for the foreseeable future will be a good start
and make sure joke parties like the Greens are kept to local government

Yeah the Greens presence in parliament has been an unmitigated disaster hasnt it?!

At least they are fit for local government.

The two joke parties are running the country!

They shouldnt be trusted with running a raffle!

 

[GreersElbow]

The government's workfare scheme was quite flawed, but I have to say. I'm not entirely against JS's doing community work to earn their welfare, it's only fair. The problem is when you've got graduates, some with brilliant degrees are reduced to painting a wall. Motivation already could be low, and could imagine that making it lower.

I think our local council should work with AITC's "want to work" scheme, the council puts money into that, the AITC carry out schemes to benefit the unemployed who do not have skills, get them some skills, send them around Brighton to do some basic community jobs and that'll benefit their CV portfolio and would boost the publicity of the amazing work AITC does. BHAFC will be seen as a real community football club.

I agree with the idea it will save thousands, if not millions. Money can either pumped into paying off the debt, or make up for the amount that has been cut back. But we all know this will not happen, because we're stuck with f***ing greens...

 

[GreersElbow]

The government's workfare scheme was quite flawed, but I have to say. I'm not entirely against JS's doing community work to earn their welfare, it's only fair. The problem is when you've got graduates, some with brilliant degrees are reduced to painting a wall. Motivation already could be low, and could imagine that making it lower.

I think our local council should work with AITC's "want to work" scheme, the council puts money into that, the AITC carry out schemes to benefit the unemployed who do not have skills, get them some skills, send them around Brighton to do some basic community jobs and that'll benefit their CV portfolio and would boost the publicity of the amazing work AITC does. BHAFC will be seen as a real community football club.

I agree with the idea it will save thousands, if not millions. Money can either pumped into paying off the debt, or make up for the amount that has been cut back. But we all know this will not happen, because we're stuck with f***ing greens...

keep Labour out of power for the foreseeable future will be a good start
and make sure joke parties like the Greens are kept to local government

Don't worry, if Scotland vote independence, we'll have a one party state for you Tory lovers anyway.


I don't quite understand this whole "labour screwed our economy up" yet fail to explain how, simply because many don't understand how we got into this mess, just listen to whatever's on the tv and take it for face value.

In regards to Keynesian economics, we can't we pump money into the private sector? There's a big difference between now and 1945, in 1945, there virtually wasn't a private sector, so it was absolutely necessary. Now, we could pump money into manufacturing industry, retail etc. Get those people into wealth creating economy. That would increase employment, get people spending which will help businesses and then our government will get its revenue through tax. That should be our primary objective right now, getting people into employment. Cutting recklessly without a plan B is dangerous, we're borrowing money and increasing our debt to pay for people's benefits!

In regards to inflation, right now, with the Eurozone is increasingly looking like it's going to collapse, and we will likely to see is deflation, which is a much worse than inflation and isn't at all that simple to restore.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

We need a war so we can build up our manufacturing base.

Don't need a war, just need to ban Chinese, Indian and Sweat Shop made imports. Or impose an import duty that is so punitive that the prices of said product are too high, forcing people to purchase home grown products.

Plenty of products still made in this Country by UK employees, it's just that the Companies themselves are NOT UK owned, so all the profit disappears off-shore never to be re-invested in R & D.

You do realise that the Chinese are about to import cars to the UK using all the original Rover tooling and machinery that they shipped out from Longbridge a few years ago. How that can possibly be in this Countries interests baffles me.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

Well for starters, your idea will only 'save the council thousands' if they are laying off the people who would otherwise have been paid to carry out this work. So you are actually ADDING to the unemployment figures

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

But we are spending the money: the government is using quantative easing to pump money into the economy but it's been given to the banks (who are sitting on it). We don't need to generate more money, just use it better. A commentator said the other day that rather than making the banks more liquid, we could give £500 to every household in the UK and get them to spend it.

I'm not sure that's the answer, you'll get what happened in Japan and people sit on the money but perhaps some sort of voucher scheme: we just need to get people spending again.

It's more complex than that - you need to get people spending money on UK manufactured goods sourced from UK owned companies. It's no good giving people £ 500 if they just go and spend it on the internet buying stuff from abroad.....

 

[GreersElbow]

It's more complex than that - you need to get people spending money on UK manufactured goods sourced from UK owned companies. It's no good giving people £ 500 if they just go and spend it on the internet buying stuff from abroad.....

The issue is, we don't have a huge UK manufacturing industry anymore. It would be fantastic to start emphasising UK product over imported stuff, but we've shifted so much to a service-provision based economy it would take a while to rebuild that industry...

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

The issue is, we don't have a huge UK manufacturing industry anymore. It would be fantastic to start emphasising UK product over imported stuff, but we've shifted so much to a service-provision based economy it would take a while to rebuild that industry...

Then it's time our political leaders came up with policies to rebuild it. The Germans don't have BMW's, Mercedes, Porches, VW's or Audis manufactured in China, nor do the French with Renault, Peugeot or Citroen. and neither are they owned by non-domiciles. The Spanish let VW take over SEAT, the Swedes let GM take over SAAB, now they're just as f***** as we are. Even Bentley are now owned by VW. Poor old ' W.O. ' must be spinning in his grave to see what's become of his company. About the only good news story is the re-emergeance of Norton (after years of being owned by an American !) because the UK Government has underwritten loans to the Company to boost production. Our most successful motorbike manufacturer, Triumph now outsorces production to Thailand........... ( and Lord Digby Jones is a Triumph director ) but at least it's still UK owned.

We've had years of Governments going for short term gain over long-term strategy ( they've been ducking the issue of building new Power Generation facilities for so long now that it's arguably too late to stop an impending overreliance on imported fossil fuels ), and look where it's left us. Up sh!t creek. No more excuses from Govt. If David Cameron really believed in the 'National Interest' he'd wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[GreersElbow]

Then it's time our political leaders came up with policies to rebuild it. The Germans don't have BMW's, Mercedes, Porches, VW's or Audis manufactured in China, nor do the French with Renault, Peugeot or Citroen. and neither are they owned by non-domiciles. The Spanish let VW take over SEAT, the Swedes let GM take over SAAB, now they're just as f***** as we are. Even Bentley are now owned by VW. Poor old ' W.O. ' must be spinning in his grave to see what's become of his company.

We've had years of Governments going for short term gain over long-term strategy, and look where it's left us. Up sh!t creek. No more excuses from Govt. If David Cameron really believed in the 'National Interest' he'd wake up and smell the coffee.

Hear, hear.

 

[brunswick]

heheh, the mainstream media viewers think the people on benfits are to blame for the economy.....well, the trident nuclear submarines project and the eurofighter project has cost this country TENS OF BILLIONS, and the government paying interest on loans back to the international banking cartels using peoples tax costs the country TENS OF BILLIONS.

but keep looking down, never look up.

boy, they are clever.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

Had we developed the BAC TSR2 in the 1960's, rather than cancelling the project and purchasing the F4 Phantom and F 111 from the Americans, then the Tornado and Eurofighter would have never been needed...........

" All modern aircraft have four dimensions: span, length, height and politics. TSR-2 simply got the first three right. ”
— Sir Sydney Camm

The Harrier has proved so successful, we've actually sold all of them it to the Americans ( for a knock down £ 116 miliion ), and they want to keep them flying in service with their Marine Corps as well, not just use them for spares for their own aircraft - nuff said.

 

[withdeanwombat]

This is a great idea !

Everybody currently in work in the suggested work areas can be sacked,then taken on again on benefits.

It's blindingly brilliant.

 

[daveinprague]

Legalise Cannabis, and attract the tourist trade that The Netherlands will probably end up losing at the end of the year. Tax from this, and the money saved from prosecuting people for smoking a plant that God put on this earth would soon start filling the coffers (maybe that should read coughers)

 

[public school boy]

There are plenty of jobs available but some people are under qualified to do them or don't want to work. This does not apply to ever unemployed person. There is an argument put forward by people that they can't find a job that pays enough and they get more from as some put it " on The Social". One idea would be for the government to make up the difference between what they would be paid and what they would get from benefits. It seems that people expect to walk into jobs that pay a minimum of £20-30,000. Being unemployed can be very disheartening to those who truly want to work.

 

[Tubby Mondays]

How about the Chancellor admits that he knows piss all about politics (e.g he 'masterminded' the failure to beat a party lead by Gordan Brown) and even less about about economics (e.g sack everyone in the public sector thus withdrawing their spending power, and others that kept their job but are fearful of the future, from the economy, fails to create any new jobs in other sector thus causing a double dip recession, but still thinks it acceptable to give tax cuts to very high earners), fucks off out of it takes his equally odious wnaker of a boss with him.

We have an election which if it doesnt deliver a party with an overall majority, forces a coalition that actually does work together to better the country, rather than one in which one party is a front to enable the other to push its policies through?

 

[severnside gull]

Don't need a war, just need to ban Chinese, Indian and Sweat Shop made imports. Or impose an import duty that is so punitive that the prices of said product are too high, forcing people to purchase home grown products.

Plenty of products still made in this Country by UK employees, it's just that the Companies themselves are NOT UK owned, so all the profit disappears off-shore never to be re-invested in R & D.

You do realise that the Chinese are about to import cars to the UK using all the original Rover tooling and machinery that they shipped out from Longbridge a few years ago. How that can possibly be in this Countries interests baffles me.

with wage inflation in excess of 20% pa the Chinese economy will not be able to sustain cheap exports for long and the likes of Nike and Primark are already moving on to Cambodia and Viatnam to source cheap products for western markets. With a true global market now established however that "advantage" too will inevitably be shortlived.

Successive governments of all flavours have abandoned support for industry in favour of services over the last five decades and that is now irreversable. The battle now is to retain our standing as a financial service centre and that is a battle which the current government appear to have little taste for as their ideology insists that money should be allowed to follow money regardless of human cost.

All indicators are that stringent control of expenditure is both unsustainable and, in all probability as the civil service is quietly and successfully resisting real reductions in expenditure at all levels, entirely unachievable. A futile and pointless exercise doomed to failure but whose perseverence allows a few to profit while many more suffer. Equally the days when we could buy our way out by increasing public expenditure has long gone. There is little value in creating employment opportunity for a transient european job market which will move on in due course with little ostensible benefit. Like it or not the answer at least lies EEC wide and to a great degree world wide. Even so there is a lot to be said for some form of workfare which requires people to engage with society to its wider benefit in order to qualify for its succour and the cost of support materials and personnel for such a scheme would be a more readily transferable than quantitative easing channelled through financial institutions who refuse to move it to the next level, particularly if it were coupled with a medium to long term vouchers scheme able to be exchanged in the High Street rather than on-line and thereby encouraging job creation in town and city centres.