The Austerity Con

[P. G. Tipps]

What an extraordinary statement.

'Cuts' aren't a euphemism for anything.

Public sector cuts inevitably mean job losses. Anyone who is in any sort of business knows the quickest and most effective way to reduce costs is to cut staff numbers.

I was the victim of private sector cost-cutting twice in my working-life. In both cases I lost my job.

Maybe I was just unlucky ...

[ahinton]

a) Yes
b) Maybe what you really mean is that you agree with the writer and cannot even contemplate the possibility that he might conceivably be wrong?

The article is an economist's opinion, that's all ... you can find plenty of other economists who beg to differ!

Basically I'm sympathetic to a pragmatic, Keynesian approach by governments but even Keynes might have argued that continuous public borrowing must have its limits?

A day of reckoning for too much borrowing will assuredly come even if it eventually falls on future generations to have to pay for previous profligacy ... that's a widely-held view and not just confined to myself!

One person's profligacy - and, for that matter (and rather more importantly, as I sought to suggest previously), one day's profligacy - is another person's and another day's reasonable risk-taking (and there is a risk associated wth all borrowing and lending, just as is the case with most things in life); by "one day's profligacy" I refer again to the fact that what might seem responsible and reasonable on one days might well turn out to look foolhardily irresponsible on the next when circumstances have changed.

Yes, of course not all economists share the same views but, if anything, what that fact helps to tell me is that there are no right answers, otherwise more of them would more likely agree!

You write of "too much borrowing"; how, in a climate in which economists, politicians and others do not and cannot agree on such issues, can it be determined what is - and more importantly, what will remain - "enough borrowing"? No one can tell, especially given that no one has a crystal ball with which to predict the economic future of all nations, corporations and individuals, without which the prudence and effectiveness of any borrowing or lending arrangements can be little more than a stab in the financial dark. Furthermore, too little borrowing can in any case have equally disastrous consequences. Lastly, trying to blame individual nations for having over-stretched themsleves economically seems rather pointless when they all borrow from and lend to so many others!

[ahinton]

[deleted - duplicate]

[Beef Oven!]

[deleted - duplicate]

Doesn't usually stop you.

[ahinton]

Doesn't usually stop you.

I had trouble posting my last and, having had two attempts at this, it appeared twice, hence the [deleted - duplicate]! That said, it could also be argued that posting it twice might be indicative of profligacy - and that would never do, now would it?!...

[MrGongGong]

Anyone who is in any sort of business knows the quickest and most effective way to reduce costs is to cut staff numbers.

I don't think you have ever played in a string quartet

[P. G. Tipps]

I don't think you have ever played in a string quartet

No, good guess, I'm not that talented, but have you never heard of a String Trio ... ?

[Flosshilde]

Anyone who is in any sort of business knows the quickest and most effective way to reduce costs is to cut staff numbers.

Quickest? Possibly. Most effective? probably not. It depends on your objectives, what sort of 'business' you are in, and which staff you cut. Cutting staff numbers can be a very good way of closing your business if you lose sight of what you are doing. But, as usual, Scotty-Tipps has a simple - and simplistic - answer to everything.

[MrGongGong]

Quickest? Possibly. Most effective? probably not. It depends on your objectives, what sort of 'business' you are in, and which staff you cut. Cutting staff numbers can be a very good way of closing your business if you lose sight of what you are doing. But, as usual, Scotty-Tipps has a simple - and simplistic - answer to everything.

Come off it, it's simple really
Who really needs 11 players in a football team?

One size fits all

A (horn player, so it must be true :big grin:) friend posted this just now, I haven't had time to read it but the graph is interesting

https://flipchartfairytales.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/public-debt-how-does-the-uk-compare/

[P. G. Tipps]

Quickest? Possibly. Most effective? probably not. It depends on your objectives, what sort of 'business' you are in, and which staff you cut. Cutting staff numbers can be a very good way of closing your business if you lose sight of what you are doing. But, as usual, Scotty-Tipps has a simple - and simplistic - answer to everything.

On the contrary, Flossie dear, I've simply been challenging the simple ... and simplistic ... answers by others on here.

Not that this is likely to produce any great enlightenment in that area, I readily concede ...

[P. G. Tipps]

Come off it, it's simple really
Who really needs 11 players in a football team?

One size fits all

A (horn player, so it must be true :big grin:) friend posted this just now, I haven't had time to read it but the graph is interesting

https://flipchartfairytales.wordpres...he-uk-compare/

Mr GG, the article is nearly four years old and hopelessly out of date as UK debt has grown considerably since then.

Did you think we wouldn't notice ... ?

[MrGongGong]

Mr GG, the article is nearly four years old and hopelessly out of date as UK debt has grown considerably since then.

But isn't it all Labour's fault?
and hasn't this glorious coalition been in power to deal with this "emergency"
(Which is why this was posted I think)

There are more important things that the UK debt.
Sacking the timpanist because he spends a lot of time sitting on his arse (doing sudoku on his phone) is no way to run an orchestra

[teamsaint]

Mr GG, the article is nearly four years old and hopelessly out of date as UK debt has grown considerably since then.

Did you think we wouldn't notice ... ?

Tipps, when you have 5 minutes, I was hoping somebody might clarify p 56 of that economics link I posted yesterday. But in your own time........

[P. G. Tipps]

Tipps, when you have 5 minutes, I was hoping somebody might clarify p 56 of that economics link I posted yesterday. But in your own time........

Saint, it's all a ruse by the ruling economics establishment to confuse and then control the masses.

Don't fall for it, and, if you don't believe me, ask S_A!

[P. G. Tipps]

But isn't it all Labour's fault?

I very much doubt it but you are entitled to your opinion, I suppose ...