What would you cut?

[Каие]

Here is a PDF file which details total British government spending.

What would you cut in order to streamline government and relieve the overburdened treasury and population taxes?

Here is the history of UK public spending.
NATIONAL DEBT GRAPH.
Debt compared with other countries.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

World Inflation rates
benefit claimants per constituency.

[Democritus]

Most likely the military.

[Каие]

Most likely the military.

Seriously?

The only department that I would consider non-essential is the MoD.

Seriously?

I'd make up the deficit by raising inheritance tax to nearly 100% for everyone with children over-21 and the childless and cutting MoD funding.

I'm afraid I don;t understand what you mean? 100% tax is also known by the street name, day light robbery. Literally.

[IrishHitman]

Yes lads, cut the military budget when you're involved in a war where your troops are already disgracefully underequipped...

[That Damn Robot!]

I'm afraid I don;t understand what you mean? 100% tax is also known by the street name, day light robbery. Literally.

Why should adults inherit their parents assets? They didn't earn them.

Conservatives should technically be in favour of that!

[The Alcotroll]

Most likely the military.

Not that bollocks again! For a country involved in two long-term conflicts and with peace-keeping commitments all over the world, Britain's defence budget is rather pitiful. It's also grossly wasted on big-ticket items chosen not for their utility but for their ability to appease the BAE lobby in Whitehall. I'd sack off Eurofighter, FRES and those new Destroyers (no inter-service rivalry here), but apart from that I'd leave the military alone.

Where I'd make savings is in the NHS, which soaks up the largest slice of Treasury funding- and I'd do it by purging the place of everyone who doesn't either sweep floors, cook meals or see patients. In other words, the army of pen-pushers, chair polishers and desk pilots who do nothing but produce a never-ending and self-perpetuating chain of 'outreach programmes' and 'accountability initiatives'.

I'd do the same to the Education system and the Police, and then cut benefits for good measure- jobseekers allowance can surely be replaced with an actual paying job sweeping streets, emptying bins, sifting through recycling or even just digging holes and filling them in.

Job done- Where's my medal?

[That Damn Robot!]

jobseekers allowance can surely be replaced with an actual paying job sweeping streets, emptying bins, sifting through recycling or even just digging holes and filling them in.

Hey, why not give them free accommodation as well? A house, for them to work in... we could call it a workhouse! As if people who have been made redundant are not demoralised enough already...

Everyone wants the government to serve them. Do you also insist that government tax you you personally at the highest possible rate before your productivity deminishes?

Yes I do, as long as I can afford to pay such a rate, then I'm happy to pay.

The point of such a system is that we all pay what we can into the pot in case we ever need to use it.

[The Alcotroll]

Hey, why not give them free accommodation as well? A house, for them to work in... we could call it a workhouse! As if people who have been made redundant are not demoralised enough already...

Because only redundant people are on the dole- and they'd be so utterly crushed if the Government gave them a job instead of just handing over free money...

Don't be naive.

Maybe a small, internationally fairly irrelevant, country shouldn't be involved in "two long-term conflicts and with peace keeping commitments all owver the world". Just a thought.

And why are we irrelevant? We have one of the largest GDPs in Europe and indeed the world. British irrelevance is a myth created by people too lazy or too spineless to take responsibility for the state of the world their grandparents helped create.

[That Damn Robot!]

Because only redundant people are on the dole- and they'd be so utterly crushed if the Government gave them a job instead of just handing over free money...

Don't be naive.

Essentially you advocate turning being on benefits into a kind of community service. Why not just employ them all if you're going to do that?

Plus it won't reduce the benefits bill by much at all. Besides paying for the unemployed (who you would now effectively be employing at exactly the same rate), there are plenty of other areas of the benefits bill that would remain unchanged by such a policy.

[Bovril]

And why are we irrelevant? We have one of the largest GDPs in Europe and indeed the world. British irrelevance is a myth created by people too lazy or too spineless to take responsibility for the state of the world their grandparents helped create.

Our political significance is next to nought compared with the US, China, the three big oil producers and India. Germany and Japan, who have stronger economies than ours, don't feel the need to waste their money throwing their weight around abroad. Why should we? Our military spending is vastly inflated compared to our GDP and GNP compared with most other industrial nations. And what do we gain from it? I would contend that we are only making things worse for ourselves. Military personel are taken away from the productive economy and our military misdemenours heighten the threat of terrorism against us and damage severely our international credibility.

The world would be in a far better state if we kept out of it. If the history of Britain tells us anything, it is surely that intevention (imperial or otherwise) is far more often damaging to locals than beneficial.

[The Devil's Sergeant]

Yes I do, as long as I can afford to pay such a rate, then I'm happy to pay.

The determination of what you can "afford to pay" does not rest with you.

The point of such a system is that we all pay what we can into the pot in case we ever need to use it.

Your taxation system is not "we all pay what we can." That makes it sound voluntary. No it is "I will attempt to pay as little as I can while attempting to make others pay as much as I can."

[Bovril]

Not that bollocks again! For a country involved in two long-term conflicts and with peace-keeping commitments all over the world, Britain's defence budget is rather pitiful.

Maybe a small, internationally fairly irrelevant, country shouldn't be involved in "two long-term conflicts and with peace keeping commitments all owver the world". Just a thought.

[That Damn Robot!]

The only department that I would consider non-essential is the MoD.

I'd make up the deficit by raising inheritance tax to nearly 100% for everyone with children over-21 and the childless and cutting MoD funding.

[bushbush]

diagram is inaccurate...china's huge amount of debt is hidden in the mechanism of state-owned enterprises, who are pretty much all in very heavy debts.

[Каие]

My point exactly Irish, lol.

[Democritus]

I meant in a peace-time situation. Sorry.

[Thorn777]

All those tax benefits for rich people and big companys. Let them actually pay taxes for once. Many even want to.

[motiv-8]

I meant in a peace-time situation. Sorry.

Cutting funding during peacetime only ensures that you're dicked the next time you get caught in a war. In a perfect world you could be perfectly isolationalist and nobody would bother you, but this isn't a perfect world.

Surely there must be some programs that are part of the British welfare state that could be cut down. Can't imagine that they all run smooth as butter.

PS SWEET JEBUS @ Japan's debt.

[Каие]

Surely there must be some programs that are part of the British welfare state that could be cut down. Can't imagine that they all run smooth as butter.

Absolutely, there is billions to save from:

• cutting welfare for those who don't actually need it.
• cancelling the ''change for the sake of change'' policies. I.e. renovations.
• Cancelling the rabid unwanted and failed computerisation of everything.
• Reform military spending to stop wastage and buying unneeded crapola as a result of foreign appeasement contracts.
• Cutting bureaucracy and paperwork.
• Capping wages big time for civil servants and ministers at the top.
• Cutting down the BBC's budget considerably.
• Scrapping useless departments that do little to nothing like the Business and ''Innovation'' department.

That would save us 100 billion pounds. Not taking into account all the interest payments saved from cutting down the debt and borrowing.

I'd cut that silly Scotland spending policy

You mean the Barnett Formula, which is more accurately describes as subsidies for poorer areas of the UK?

I would cut Benefit Spending, NHS way down for a period of time and pay off the national debt, which would free up almost 30b pounds of interest that could be used for other things.

This is the best bet, The debt and interest I mean, the NHS should never be cut, but streamlined.

[Treize]

Absolutely, there is billions to save from:

• cutting welfare for those who don't actually need it.
• cancelling the ''change for the sake of change'' policies. I.e. renovations.
• Cancelling the rabid unwanted and failed computerisation of everything.
• Reform military spending to stop wastage and buying unneeded crapola as a result of foreign appeasement contracts.
• Cutting bureaucracy and paperwork.
• Capping wages big time for civil servants and ministers at the top.
• Cutting down the BBC's budget considerably.
• Scrapping useless departments that do little to nothing like the Business and ''Innovation'' department.

I like all points, except that the british military actually has very few 'foreign appeasement' acquisitions...
The EF?
Yea that's a very BIG one (that is a big fail plane), but they usually buy native stuff or (wanted) EU stuff.

Cutting BBC's budget?!
You think Jeremy Clarksons salary of 2 million pound is not enough?!
I'm my country we have this law that caps the maximum salary for a person working for the public television/radio.
No more than the Premier (200.000 euro I think).