Lion in Winter

Honestly, some of you lot are going to blow a gasket at this rate. One could drown in the level of spittle reached with all the spluttering. This could be the healthiest thing that has happened to British politics for a long time, whether Corbyn makes it to the election or not.In the meantime, I see Labour party members have backed the re-nationalization of many of the rail lines. When I was a child, that wasn't considered some sort of bizarre socialist tactic, it was just a national service that provided transport at reasonable prices (unlike now, where a one-hour trip to London on Southwest at Super Off Peak prices costs over 30 pounds), and kept cars off the roads (Nige's traffic jam anyone?). Why does this idea cause apoplexy among some?

OzTennis

The gist of that (no paragraphs today) is that Brown was right to sell off the shiny yellow stuff.

OzTennis

See Times and Financial Times - to your taste?

Amazulu

Then why do you read The Daily Mirror?

I expected better

GarryP

Shhh,

I wanted to see him splutter and try and justify his original story and how paying off someone about to retire was a great cost saving.

I was then going to ask how bailing out the banks, for free, to the tune of a trillion pounds measured up against closing a village school - at least as far as far right financial proberty went....

Beoz

Well if she's lying about her offer then so be it. I'm sure she knows what she's been offered whether its before tax, after tax or whatever she's figured it out, its generous to me, not to her for some weird left wing me me me reason. Contest the pupil figures all you like. The school once had a lot more pupils but has gradually diminished in numbers to a point of more staff than pupils. The staff remain because of the difficulties in getting rid of staff. Is that really fair for the tax payer? The millions of taxpayers? Who cares right? Its all about me me me.

As for the private sector who cares. Its not your problem. If you want to make GFC's your problem good luck. The private sector doesn't answer to you or me. The public sector does. The public sector employees like you answer to the people. If you don't like the conditions find an alternative. There are choices you know.

Beoz

This is example of wastage. Plenty of it in government. Two different topics really. Bailing out banks or cutting wastage in government ....... hhhmmm .... yep a distinct difference but the lefties will certainly do their best to justify their existence by drawing a comparision.

GarryP

The funny thing is that in your story the 'wastage' is via the dumb cost cutting - an all too common affair with those who don't have bigger picture and just concentrate on spreadsheets.

The other factor is that they aren't two separate things - if the government took an equity stake in the companies it had bailed out to the tune of the bailout, rather than gifting free cash and no jail, then the earnings from that would dwarf the cost cutting measures.

As per normal, bad management via corrupt practices and a too cozy relationship between the city and the politicians they control.

Beoz

Lets go back to austerity, the word you used earlier that brought the cost cutting to light. The question is, how much austerity measures have the British government put in place to date? Is killing off wasteful public servants really austerity measures or is it just cleaning out the wasteful, dead wood before the real austerity measures really kick in. Your point of view seems to suggest the school teacher seems to know a better way to spend our money. OK lets run with that.

How about this ..... The Labor government should had put the financial regulations in place to prevent this from happening in the first place. Those very regulations the current government have put in place.

Businesses work within the guidelines. If those guidelines are breached it may be a criminal offence. Even partly suggesting someone should see jail time when an offence hasn't been committed is ludicrous to say the least.

GarryP

How about you admit your story was an example of dumbness and idiotic austerity measures rather than trying to divert? Go on, admit you got it wrong in mentioning it at all !

Hey, whatdoyhaknow - we agree on something !

Of course the reason they didn't put in place those regulations is because they weren't left wing at all, but where instead lite right blairite - hence the benefit of Corbyn dragging back the policies towards some saner ones.

And if you think Cameron has put in place useful regulation, I've got a bridge I can sell you.....

Fraud - it's really easy. They committed fraud, reckless behaviours, etc. - you could have thrown the entire city into jail without breaking sweat.

All of which is secondary to the simple business transaction of getting some value for the input of huge chunks of taxpayer money.

moneypenny20

There was a bit of an upgrade thingy happen last week. Go into My Profile, down to Edit Options, down to Miscellaneous Options and change the message interface. I'm guessing it's showing WYSIWYG. Change it to Standard Editing. For some reason the upgrade threw a spanner at some user's settings and not others.

Beoz

Not at all, its perfectly relevant in the cost cutting the UK needed. Nice lead ... not biting. It's a great story and demonstrates the selfish depths left wingers and union driven occupations will go to to save the own ass. 8 staff looking after 7 - give me a break. Thankfully they have all been put to the sword and the pupils are in other schools.

Fraud ..... are you serious. The cops would be jumping all over this if it was. Give me a break Garry ...... you are being ludicrous.

GarryP

Above points out why you remain part of the problem. You steadfastly refuse to recognise reality, or indeed the larger shape of the problem, and in doing so contribute to the status quo that leads us onward towards the eventual, inevitable, collapse.

Which is why Corbyn, no matter how far left he might be, is a good thing. He brings other options, saner options, to the table. I might not agree with everything he pushes, but at least he's got a firmer grip of reality than the far right

Beoz

I knew the scare monger stuff was in you ..... it's in all left wingers ..... but there's no clear and valid argument presented here. Corbyn is a bit of fun and certainly what Labor needs right now, even if its to clear out the moderates ... you know the ones who have moved on with the times.

How you doing on collating your criminal evidence against the bankers? I'd like to be a fly on the wall when you present that to the CPS.

Amazulu

I'm no great fan of the current UK government as they are too centre/left and not conservative enough, but hats off to them for their continued, yet even harsher austerity drive and the fact that they are firing another 100000 passengers (aka civil servants)

Now that's nation building policies