rickiethecat Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 For months now the left wing media has been going on about "savage cuts", about how public services are going to be slashed to the bone and no one will be able to do anything or go anywhere. Yet in the real world, like most people I haven't noticed any fall in the level of public services. I can still get a bus, train or tram to work, my bin gets emptied as frequently as before, the streetlights still work, I can still go to the library or visit the park when I choose. And in the wider world, if I fall ill I can still see a doctor or be taken to hospital if I have a serious accident. And if I had children they would receive free education at the state's expense. Is it time to acknowledge that the media's been making a bug fuss about nothing? Has anyone seen any evidence of the "savage cuts"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubydazzler Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Here we go .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 The media hyping something? Never! Incidentally did anyone see BBC Breakfast this morning? There was a feature about this new agency taking over from British Waterways, I think they were called the Rivers and Canals Trust. They're able to do the same as BW but for a lot less, thanks to a combination of keen volunteers and working with the commercial sector. They'll still be getting money from the government, but only 30% of what BW were wanting. http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us A nice example of the "Big Society" working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bypassblade Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 For months now the left wing media has been going on about "savage cuts", about how public services are going to be slashed to the bone and no one will be able to do anything or go anywhere. Yet in the real world, like most people I haven't noticed any fall in the level of public services. I can still get a bus, train or tram to work, my bin gets emptied as frequently as before, the streetlights still work, I can still go to the library or visit the park when I choose. And in the wider world, if I fall ill I can still see a doctor or be taken to hospital if I have a serious accident. And if I had children they would receive free education at the state's expense. Is it time to acknowledge that the media's been making a bug fuss about nothing? Has anyone seen any evidence of the "savage cuts"? Tell that to the people that will have either lost their jobs or, are about to they don't have parties you know to announce people being thrown on scrapheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 After a cursory 20 minute search over the internet I found before, during, and after the GE most commentators left, centre and right used the term 'savage cuts'. It's become a catchphrase like 'hardworking families'. Having said that, some particularly on the right say the government haven't really started a programme of cuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 This idea of media hype might be true, although the cuts are starting slowly. As to the adjectivising, YES- a 'cut' is savage only if the speaker objects to it; and do we ever hear of families who're not 'hardworking'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 This idea of media hype might be true, although the cuts are starting slowly. As to the adjectivising, YES- a 'cut' is savage only if the speaker objects to it; and do we ever hear of families who're not 'hardworking'? Yes occasionally the Mail or the Express like print stories about families in which no one works, with 10 kids living in a salubrious area of UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_france Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 If the country wants to get back onto its feet it needs to get serious Slash welfare - 6k per year maximum Cut funding for drug addicts and people who spend their dole money in weatherspoons First 2 kids only to be paid for, any more the man goes out to work Slash foregn aid and then Up the minimum wage take all our troops out of foregn lands Divert all the funding from foregn aid to care for the elderly for starters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaFan Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 For months now the left wing media has been going on about "savage cuts", about how public services are going to be slashed to the bone and no one will be able to do anything or go anywhere. Yet in the real world, like most people I haven't noticed any fall in the level of public services. I can still get a bus, train or tram to work, my bin gets emptied as frequently as before, the streetlights still work, I can still go to the library or visit the park when I choose. And in the wider world, if I fall ill I can still see a doctor or be taken to hospital if I have a serious accident. And if I had children they would receive free education at the state's expense. Is it time to acknowledge that the media's been making a bug fuss about nothing? Has anyone seen any evidence of the "savage cuts"? I'm guessing you were not a huge user of public services in the first place. For a start, buses, trains and trams have not been public services for years. You'll find your bins emptied half as often from later this month, so that wasn't a great example to choose in support of your argument. The green bin collection has stopped completely. It's good that in Sheffield libraries have been largely unaffected. Nationally, 266 libraries have either closed or are at threat of closure (that's just since April 2012, an estimated 123 were closed in the year before). Many more have restricted their opening hours. If you want to visit the Graves Gallery, you'd better check its opening hours as these are significantly reduced. More worryingly, if you did need to go to hospital, you'd wait around 6% longer for an operation than a year ago, especially if you needed a hip, knee, hernia or cataract operation. This is likely to get worse as the contracting out in the NHS continues, as private providers will prioritise the most profitable work and leave those needing less profitable operations waiting longer. Mental health services in Sheffield, as everywhere, are able to offer services to fewer people than before and have been discharging people from their services. Many people with mental health problems need support to live independently and the local budget for supporting independent living has been cut by about 25% so far. This is likely to lead to more homelessness, which is already up about 20% on a couple of years ago. In London it's worse because of the cap on housing benefit, in Hounslow in west London homelessness is up by 245%. So it depends what services you or your family and friends were already using as to whether you notice the impact of the cuts or not. Also, we have at least another 3 years of cuts to come, probably more because the economic situation isn't looking like improving any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Most of the so called 'savage cuts' haven't even begun to hit where it hurts yet, as most of them are phased. So no, you probably havn't felt any yet, but at some point you will. Like someone else said, try saying that (if you work), when you lose your job, and your benefits aren't enough to afford your computer to come on here with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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