WHY TO CUT
Mr Micawber had it right when he said: ‘Income 20 shillings, expenditure 19 shillings and sixpence is happiness. Income 20 shillings, expenditure 20 shillings and sixpence is misery.’ It is, of course, reasonable to spend money that we do not immediately have by borrowing to invest in a carefully planned project such as a house to live in or a factory to produce wealth. That is what banks or governments used to do. However, funding a lifestyle on credit is ruinous and only puts off and deepens the inevitable reversal.
Living within one's means is important for a country no less than an individual. As a nation, we are currently borrowing £500 million every day to fund our flat screen TVs and foreign holidays, expecting our children and grandchildren to pay it back. Our children have not been consulted on the matter. The facts seem so obvious as not to require any further explanation.
WHAT TO CUT
The situation is currently so out of control that no project should be above examination.
I would start with the machinery of government itself. We are overgoverned, with local councils in addition to the Parliaments in Scotland, Westminster, and Europe. Westminster could easily reduce to 500 MPs with each covering a larger area. The present figure of 660 MPs is purely arbitrary. Give the politicians 25% less and let them get on with it. I doubt if many people could name their MEP. One from Scotland would do for me.
Recent welfare policy has created an expensive culture of dependency. The budget devoted to benefit in all its various forms is gargantuan and spread across several departments. Welfare has become a way of life for many communities blighted by industrial decline. Most of us have minor ailments that, in the hands of a Welfare Rights Organisation can be easily worked up into a case of incapacity benefit or better still, the holy grail of DLA. What incentive is there to improve when the first thing you lose is your benefit? Such dependency is not only expensive to the taxpayer but also damaging to the health of the individual. Stop the financial reward for sickness and provide some proper psychological and social services to aid recovery. Health should not be exempt from change. A co-payment system is essential, not only to raise revenue but also to rebalance the patient relationship with the NHS. Everyone should be aware of the cost of their treatment and made to pay something towards it. A token amount from the unwaged would suffice. People respect what they pay for. Sad but true.
Lastly, defence must take a hit. Major defence projects must be re-examined. This country cannot afford the Trident replacement as well as the new aircraft carriers. One must go and I would scrap the submarine programme. It would look good on the international stage as well. Foreign policy needs a reappraisal. Why do we try and do so much with so little?
- © British Journal of General Practice, 2010.