£13 million pounds to support problem Families

[saunaman]

Cassie , please can I apologise for all the trolls who have jumped upon your very first post and ripped it to bits ? Not all of the Forum is like that , there are some very decent people that post on here , and as a newcomer with a voice , I suspect the grimmer elements are trying to put you off - they don't want sunlight and fresh air to enter their dark, smoky men's club !

 

At the end of the day , you and your Mum have had a very unnerving experience of the healthcare we all take for granted and assume will be there for us .

 

I understand frustrations about the government's targeting of funding , but suspect it's done deliberately to wind decent people up and create divisions within society - don't fall for it !

 

Excess immigration used to wind me up big-style , until I realised it wasn't the immigrants themselves , many of whom are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their familis ( including elderly parents ).

 

If the powers that be wanted to , they could pass laws demanding that all immigrants had health insurance - but they don't ( although they can pass the Health and Social Reform Bill behind closed doors in a single afternoon !)

 

Welcome to the Forum , LEARN HOW TO SPOT THE TROLLS , and speak your mind , hope your Mum's OK tonight x

[Anna B]

But the point is that the cost of the public sector, pensions, benefits only falls on the shoulders of tax payers. It only ever has. Government's only have money they collect in tax or borrow. At the moment we borrow £2.5bn a week to keep those payments going. The banks in the UK were a one off cost in 2008. Since then we have been borrowing massively to pay pensions, benefits, public sector salaries etc. That can't go on forever.

 

Bob Diamond's bank didn't have to be bailed out by tax payers and he is probably one of the best in the banking business. It is up to his shareholders to reward him and given the state RBS and the likes are in they probably think Diamond is .......................... a diamond.

 

The country is unlikely to stick together as long as lefties keep peddling this idea that it was all the banks fault and borrowed money is being used to prop up the ailing banks. It wasn't and it isn't.

 

Yes the cost of the public sector does fall on taxpayers, so you'd think the government would stop wasting our money, but in spite of the headlines, Governments continue to spend our cash on their own pet projects, and waste is still rife. They actually spend more than Labour even though they've cut services to the bone and made thousands of public sector workers redundant. (Not a party point, I don't like either party.)

 

They might also like to consider collecting the correct tax that is owed them by both rich individuals and the big corporations who have turned tax avoidance/evasion into an art form. That alone would pay for the private sector, but no, tax is only for the little people.

 

The Public sector remember are Nurses, doctors, teachers, police, fire brigade and other essential workers. When they 'cut,' they outsource the work to the private sector and pay them to do it. Wages are cut and working conditions worse, but no money is actually returned to the government because any money saved goes into the pockets of the CEOs. Privatisation by the back door, and croneyism.

Emma Harrison of A4e is the classic example.

 

The pension issue is a direct result of gross incompetance, and the turmoil in the banking sector. 10 years ago (we've already been in this mess for 5) £100,000 in a pension pot would buy you an annual income of about £12,000.

Now, thanks to quantatative easing, that same £100,000 would only bring in an annual income of £5,000. Instead of raising this issue and doing something about it, they once again try and wage a war on public sector workers, and say it's because 'we're all living longer' (which isn't true either, life expectancy differs by an average of 10 years depending on where you live and your social class.) Meanwhile, they've made sure that their pensions are both generous and safe.

 

Bob Diamond and the shareholders is going to be interesting. (What on earth makes you think he's the best in the business?) Sir Martin Sorrel has just had his latest pay package (£5million+) turned down by the required 60% of his shareholders. This isn't binding in law, so it will be interesting to see whether he just ignores them and goes ahead or leaves.

 

This whole issue is highly charged for all the right reasons. It should be. It is a disgraceful state of affairs brought about by rich and greedy people who you would hope would know better, an amalgamation of so many problems and issues which have conveniently been forgotten by many, but which haven't changed and are still highly significant.

[saunaman]

Are parts of Thornbridge still open to the public to visit ? Is it a National Heritage site ?

 

Enjoyed visiting Manor Castle when it had open days , and still enjoy Chatsworth .