Reading some of the most recent posts, I feel I should make some sort of response - particularly as almost no-one seems to agree with me and I always seem to have my back to the wall!
Firstly, I stated clearly in an earlier post that I felt genuinely sorry for those who were currently struggling in the present climate of austerity. So it is, to say the least, unkind to accuse me of having no empathy with those who cannot make ends meet. For the record, in my time as a soldier I had to deal with many guys who came from deprived backgrounds in the UK - which was no fault of their own - and we paid them, fed them, educated them, trained them and gave them a sense of purpose and belonging in life. In Oman, more of the same, and we recruited 15/16 year-olds who had no chance until we picked them up and nurtured them in a way which was not available to them anywhere else. I'm not in a position to do anything similar in Aberdeen or anywhere else in UK unfortunately, but I rather resent the implication that I don't understand or care. And what, usefully, (since I'm not in government) should I do?
As to government expenditure, I freely admit that I have no background in economics and that my views might seem simplistic. I can also see that the right government investment can generate jobs, increase GDP, and earn a worthwhile return for the country. So too of course can education. But at what stage does such extra expenditure stop? Are we to make no serious attempt to balance the books? Do we go on racking up more debt regardless? If on the other hand we accept that the government has to rein itself in at least a bit, then how on earth do we avoid people at the bottom end falling through the cracks? I'm not competent to discuss the details of the benefits system, but it's clearly not doing everything for everybody. And it's very expensive.
And I remain convinced that a substantial degree of austerity is necessary. Otherwise, do we go on increasing the £1.4 trillion indefinitely? And who's going to pay it back? And when and how?
Tony.
|