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My purchasing power was reduced. Inflation and wages are two independent issues. It’s a sleight of hand of term to frame things as cuts that aren’t. Back on track, the private sector doesn’t increase its spending in line with inflation because it’s not always necessary to do. Successful private...

Nope, you and your daughter are wrong. @skybluetony176 says the impact will be a % of a percentage. That’s an £88,000 cost the taxpayer versus a VAT tax take of £57,000 for the remainder of the class. That’s a net gain of -£31,000…

Why? Because the post I quoted stated the finding for the NHS had been reduced, the opposite is true. The funding hasn’t kept up with inflation - it’s not the same. I got a 3% pay raise the year inflation was at 10%. My pay wasn’t reduced by 7%.

It’s mean spirited and punishes aspirational people. If you’re raising a levy to increase funding for state education and then you fuel increase demand for the state sector, you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face. If the private sector responds by getting wealthy foreign students, all...

Reduced? YoY the spending has increased roughly 2.8%. The only ‘cuts’ are ‘real terms’. Even Labour accepts (in theory) it can’t just give the NHS major cash without reform. Again, PFI was an attempt by the Blair government to privatise the day-to-day spending of the NHS - a clever balance...

Agreed and the demand for health and social care services is only increasing. The NHS is a really interesting ‘issue’ and if Labour cannot ‘fix’ or at least improve things, it will be the start of a v difficult national conversation around how we fund healthcare. A process that even Tony Blair...

Yes 😂

You can’t lose if you don’t have a horse in the race. The winner of this election probably isn’t going to do anything particularly transformative. Here’s to 5 more years of stagnation…

The NHS already takes up around 40% of government spending.That is one public service. To use the NHS as an example, the funding has increased from pre-COVID levels but not the productivity hasn’t recovered despite that increase. Productivity is a particular problem in this country and in the...

Firstly, people have a right to question experts and not take everything they do and say as gospel. What would be the point of democracy if we can outsource government to a technocratic elite if the experts were always right. This policy will not set out what is intended to do. Even he Guardian...

2+2=5 here my friend. I just made an observation that your approach seems to be to just throw more money at whatever issue it is. Which is, at least, as damaging as austerity.

Have you watched the TV show ‘In The Thick of It?’ If not, you should because it’s a great show. Secondly, there’s a plot where the main character tells the minister to ‘find an expert’ who agrees with government policy. The takeaway here is that anyone can find an expert who justifies their...

That’s such a low resolution response. How do you that? The IMF is already saying we need more spending cuts and tax raises. With interest rates being relatively higher there’s a looming debt crisis. Liz Truss sparked a near economic crisis by suggesting relatively inexpensive tax cuts and the...

Those people who can no longer afford private education, where will they go? State schools. Which is a sector already under strain. The point of the tax is to raise revenue and if people change behaviour (i.e. withdraw from the activity/service) all you have done is put more strain on our...

… because he’s a weak politician who has a desire to be liked by everyone rather than make strong decisions that may make him unpopular in some quarters. He’s a ‘socialist’ yet let’s get into his PLP? At least Corbyn was a man of principle - even if they are often wrong.

In fairness, opposition parties shouldn’t have a detailed manifesto too early in the election cycle because the Government can steal their good policies. I agree though at this moment, I don’t know any flagship policies of theirs aside from the VAT on private school fees. Which is a bad policy...

I do think one area that Liz Truss was fundamentally right on is the need to ‘go for growth’, her execution however, tragic. People feel poorer because the tax burden is the highest it’s been since World War Two. Governments are spending too much and it’s us that foot the bill. The Tories talk...

How do you know their model hasn’t been right so far? As I say, the election has only just been announced. There’s been no manifestos, no debates so a lot will change. So I wouldn’t take any poll(s) as gospel. The 20% poll lead for Labour in recent weeks is more of an indication of how...

Pensions aren’t sustainable in the rest of Europe either because our tax base is shrinking whilst our population is aging. It’s a demographic time bomb for all of us. UK pensioners also don’t need to pay into mandatory health insurance funds like their European counterparts. There’s also...

It doesn’t surprise me, it’s more voting intention for Reform and Lib Dem dropping off. My best guess would be that small percentage is ex-Tory voters coming to terms with the prospect of a Labour government. That and the tories have announced policies which tends to bump the polls a bit. It’s...