kittycat1

Whilst at home I was amazed by all the budget cuts being made and the warnings being made about the speed and lengths they are happening in. I am really surprised there hasn't been any posts on here. I read the papers online here whilst in Dubai but had no idea at the gravity of what is going on in the UK, essential cuts are required I am sure but I wonder how the UK can ever recover form this. Obviously councils are left to manage their budgets and with the spending cuts it is impossible to avoid some cuts.

To give you an idea of some of the cuts happening across the country;

Local libraries being closed
Local pools being closed
Schools debating a 4 day week
Local museums either being closed or reduced opening hours (which is a noose around their neck)
Obviously the changes to pensions with the age of retirement being extended and other benefit cuts
Child benefit being cut for families earning above 44K
New tenants of council houses will have increased rents (ironic that people needing council housing could well be coming from homes that have been repossessed)
Police cuts are substantial- up to 20%
Fire service cuts of 13%
Increased university fees
Lollipop lady cuts

I could go on, whilst with tax increases, council tax increases, VAT rises, costs of goods increasing (due to Chinas economy), fuel prices leading to transport increases, and obvious job losses in all sectors, record levels of bankruptcy, I wonder how the Uk can recover from this?

Privatization would be the obvious answer but many of these cuts are in areas that would not be financially profitable. Coops taking over could be a way forward but I think this is all happening too quickly for this.

Now I know a lot of you have little intention of ever going back to the UK and this sort of news doesn't exactly encourage you to, but what, if any, do you think are the answers to this- can the UK recover or is it slipping down the same road as Ireland? Personally I have always felt that whilst out of work where able, community service should be compulsory to receive benefits, with payment coming in food vouchers and housing benefits etc. I am a big believer in community and you get out what you put in, so you think all these cuts could be the dawn of a new community spirit? Perhaps profitable companies could contribute more to society rather than just making profits- companies sponsoring individuals and previously run council businesses?

Any ideas anyone on how things could be improved or do you think the UK is a sinking ship?

Kittycat
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DXBsocial

I don't think the UK is a sinking ship in the same sense of the word as Ireland, Greece or maybe Spain/Portugal, but I do think the cuts will hit hard over the next 6-12 months, much harder than they have done so far.

What I don't understand is all the doom & gloom from people (friends in the UK) who are all claiming to be skint even though none of their circumstances have changed. They all have the same jobs, no one has been made redundant, mortgage repayment drops have more than offset the rise in petrol/food/VAT and so on. How much of this mentality is caused by the media?

If I still worked in my last job in the UK, I wouldn't have had a pay rise in 2009, I would have had 5% in 2010, my mortgage repayments have dropped £250 a month, tax would be more or less the same, so I still believe I would be better off overall, or at the very least the same.

It will be interesting to gauge views from the 'outside in' though on here! Maybe we with a more detached view will have an alternative viewpoint...

Paracletus

The cuts have already hit quite hard, and they will hit even harder. Some industries still seem to be thrieving, and the UK economy is alot more vibrant and resilient than Ireland, Spain or Greece for sure. The problem as far as I see it, the cuts are too deep too fast.

The media do play a big role..I quite like the naivety in the papers out here. It's all so pleasant. But I'll tell you this, before I left the UK..the company I was with was cutting our pay, making redundancies like there was no tomorrow, and we were far from the worste hit in our industry. But it's not universal.

lionheart

Why on earth should families earning over 44k get any child benefits at all? More cuts are needed in my view.

Bahtatboy

Best new word I've heard for ages.

Thrieve
verb / v [I] (thrieved)
Definition
to grow, develop or be successful by illegal or contra-regulatory pactices, or by doing business at high risk to the macro economy or to the consumer, and then continuing to pay large bonuses to those responsible for the mess.
The bank thrieved its way into, through and out of the global financial crisis.
thrieving adjective /adj
a thrieving bank