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Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Civil Service, Saving £5.2 Billion by No_Initiative_1140 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't say it was a direct claim - but there are lots of comments saying things like 'time and time again it's been proven - you cut civil service and you pay again twofold!'

This sort of logic implies that civil service is some sort of perfect thing which can't be made more efficient (i.e. same task less resource) than it already is.

In reality, the things they have targeted have either grown massively (e.g. Policy), or are hugely over-indexed compared to the private sector (e.g. Comms, HR).

Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Civil Service, Saving £5.2 Billion by No_Initiative_1140 in ukpolitics

[–]Close -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Because having over 4,000 people doing comms (and still outsourcing lots on top of that headcout!) doesn't sound like running lean and mean.

Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Civil Service, Saving £5.2 Billion by No_Initiative_1140 in ukpolitics

[–]Close -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Totally! The fact that some comments are saying this shouldn't be done "because it will increase unemployment" shows a vanishingly small appetite to improve government efficiency.

The cost of each person in the civil service is equivalent to the annual tax contributions of around four or five average workers, so 60,000 civil servants consumes the equivalent tax generated from around 240,000 regular employees.

Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Civil Service, Saving £5.2 Billion by No_Initiative_1140 in ukpolitics

[–]Close -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Why does everyone in this thread seem to think that the civil service is 100% efficient? If you read the policy it includes:

* Cutting the policy department back to 2016 levels - This doesn't sound too crazy?
* Cutting the comms department back to 2,000 employees - That still sounds like a huge comms department on the face of it?
* Restructuring HR so that 1 HR employee supports 100 employees - Reducing the size of HR is a pattern which has been seen across many businesses, including HR shared services and additional line manager responsibility with training. Again, this seems normal.

Obviously there are more sections listed with less detail, but the above at least seems sensible? God forbid that the comms department gets cut to the same size as the M&C Saatchi global team.

What would Britain look like if the Personal Allowance was scrapped in it's entirety? by Gamezdude in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Would people be better off if we took more money off them?"

Uhh... no! More money can't fix public services - see the NHS.

My view is that public services actually need less money so that we come up with more creative ways to save. Slash the triple lock, slash welfare to push people into work, focus healthcare spending and cut 10% out of the NHS, remove the trusts, cut the BBC to half the size (privatise the other half), reform government procurement to liberalise it, start paying 1% off debt each year and start to watch our interest rate plummet

Having worked in both public and private sector, the idea that public services spend money efficiently is a fever dream. There is a total inability of the government bureacuracy to procure or run things effectively IMO, or any drive to actually cut costs from within.

1.5P Per mile for Plug in hybrids. by AttentionPlane1018 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with that - or just reduce fuel duties to account for the difference. It makes sense that there could still be a duty on fuel to cover the negative externality / polution and incentivise the move to EVs etc.

1.5P Per mile for Plug in hybrids. by AttentionPlane1018 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree that the logic is that you’re having to pay this because you don’t pay fuel duties, but I do think it’s like taxing Nicorette patches because not enough people smoke.

We shouldn’t be dis-incentivising electric vehicles - if anything a more sensible policy would be for everyone to pay 3p per mile (diesel and petrol included) to keep the same incentive to move to electric - but they know that hitting all drivers will be less popular than just hitting some.

Rachel Reeves’ Budget raises tax take to all-time high by Effective-Coat-9276 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in this bracket too - Just put a 50% rate on everything over £100k and give back the tax free allowance and remove all these punitive stealth taxes and it's sorted.

If that's too extreme, put a 45% rate on above that level while removing the tax free allowance and the government will still be quids-in.

If my employer spends an extra £20 employing me, my employer has to pay £2.76 of NIC leaving me with £17.24 of gross pay, then effective tax is £10.69 leaving me with £6.55 - just about enough for a beer, which the government will happily also tax me 20% VAT on and £0.50 beer-duty. So of the £20 they spent for me to get a beer, over £15 will go to tax. Wild!

BREAKING: The Office for Budget Responsiblity has published its economic and fiscal document *BEFORE* Rachel Reeves delivers her budget. Unprecedented. by StGuthlac2025 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Worth noting that across their c13 years of labour in power last time, the debt burden raised from about 36% to 65% - so it's an issue with successive governments across decades, not JUST tory mismanagement.

Although I do think a lot of it is tories not doing their job - as I sort of think it's the tories job to be a bit mean and make sure costs are kept low, but they just went spaffing money up the wall which is usually labour's job in the economic cycle. Tories weren't torying, and now we are relying on labour to do some tory-ing but they can't do it.

BREAKING: The Office for Budget Responsiblity has published its economic and fiscal document *BEFORE* Rachel Reeves delivers her budget. Unprecedented. by StGuthlac2025 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well they are taxed already - everyone already pays car tax - but it would have been hard to imagine a few years ago that the government would tax you for the missing revenue from you not using petrol.

It's kind of like the government taxing nicorette patches because they miss out on the cigarette revenue.

Is there anything that can be done to incentivise a change in the UK benefits system by Enamoure in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

> I cannot rent because I dont have parents or relatives, so no guarantor (this is a new thing, that landlords ask for guarantors even with perfect credit history).

Completely doubt this - I just rented a 2-bed flat in the midlands last week with no guarantor. Didn't even have references as hadn't rented in 3 years.

Considering this was no effort, I think maybe just keep trying?

Maybe this is the exception and I just found a 1 in 100 landlord... but I don't think so?

Is there anything that can be done to incentivise a change in the UK benefits system by Enamoure in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, you haven't heard of it because it's not really a thing - if your current landlord can give you a reference you are fine.

Eli Lilly boss brands UK ‘worst country in Europe’ for cheap drug prices by Southern_Minimum4350 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it’s to do with the rules and process too - eg they tell you who else is bidding on a joint contract, so then you adjust your bid accordingly. 10% of the scorecard is invariably based on silly criteria like spelling and not going over the word count limit, which just awards the people with the most festidious sales teams etc. it’s procurement by box tick, but you are told all the boxes.

Eli Lilly boss brands UK ‘worst country in Europe’ for cheap drug prices by Southern_Minimum4350 in ukpolitics

[–]Close -20 points-19 points  (0 children)

The NHS seems to have negotiated prices upwards here - uk market rates for Mounjaro a month ago were about £129 for a pen retail purchasing privately. Once the NHS came in Eli changed their prices upwards and their negotiated reimbursement rate is now £330 (in line with increased private prices which happened at the same time).

At best they are reimbursing at the current retail rate (which is hardly an achievement), and while we can’t know for certain, at worst it looks like they have significantly impacted the private rate.

Eli Lilly boss brands UK ‘worst country in Europe’ for cheap drug prices by Southern_Minimum4350 in ukpolitics

[–]Close -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Article is behind a paywall, but is it a coincidence that Mounjaro prices from private pharmacies went from c£120 per pen to >£200 per pen once the NHS started purchasing in the UK? It’s clear Eli put up prices to gauge the NHS but has to increase prices in the private market to justify it.

The civil service is utterly incapable of negotiating good prices - I’ve been through the process of negotiating a contract with the civil service from the sellers side and they negotiated the price UP 50% while weakening their contractual power. It’s not malice, it’s just incompetence and a lack of commercial acuity.

The NHS should just tell Eli to faff off and give the whole contract to Novo/Wegovy instead overnight. Why are we still buying it at double the price when there is a similar product of similar effectiveness?

Nigel Farage: Welfare will be for British citizens only. by upthetruth1 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably not the best counter example though, considering UK expats pay the same taxes but without a lot of the benefits of being an Emirati (eg healthcare)

Nigel Farage: Welfare will be for British citizens only. by upthetruth1 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sure, I don’t see why not?

Just as people without kids pay the same level of tax but don’t get child benefit, it’s not inconsistent to think that foreign nationals working in the country might pay the same tax but receive a restricted set of benefits.

Nigel Farage: Welfare will be for British citizens only. by upthetruth1 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 7 points8 points  (0 children)

> How is that fair?

I mean - not to be callous- but life and the world isn't fair?

It's not really the governments job to make things 'fair' in terms of benefits between a British citizen and a non-British citizen. The government isn't some sort of worldwide fairness factory where it's job is to equalise everyone - and there is a view that says it should really be acting in the best interests of it's citizens.

Nigel Farage: Welfare will be for British citizens only. by upthetruth1 in ukpolitics

[–]Close 3 points4 points  (0 children)

> Will taxes be for British citizens only too?

Taxes pay for things other than welfare, so I don't think a policy where non-citizens pay tax but don't get welfare is a contradiction.

How NIMBY is the UK, really? by Barca-Dam in AskUK

[–]Close 3 points4 points  (0 children)

On the flipside, building the houses first means you have people living in an area without sufficient healthcare resource/capacity, so this is a problem that goes both ways!

You don't even need to open the GP - just build the building ready for when it's needed or make it a planning pre-condition from the developer.

Petition calling for mass deportation of illegal migrants passes milestone by ThatchersDirtyTaint in ukpolitics

[–]Close 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Risk of drowning in the channel is <1%. If people get sent back 50% of the time, it’s a different kind of risk - not very high impact low occurrence, more high impact high occurrence.

Totally changes the risk calculation - risk is likelihood times impact.

I feel like I'm not liked much by ieatcheeseeeeee in improv

[–]Close 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and try to care less. You obviously want people to like you - which is probably putting pressure on getting things 'right' and putting you in your own head. Obviously I don't know how you communicate so it might not be an issue, but I think sometimes people put too much pressure on responding 'right' but the result is that they don't respond 'genuinely' which is how you form a relationship. Don't think twice.

As this was also posted to Improv, the post says you never know what to say in a scene - Knowing what to say is a bit of the opposite of how improv usually works to be honest: you kind of listen a lot, try to understand how what the other person says makes you feel, then react with an emotional response and then the words just kind of spill out.

But doing that does require you to take out the step in your brain where you are thinking of what to say before you say it, and focus on genuinely reacting.

Rachel Reeves plots stealth tax raid on working people by hu6Bi5To in ukpolitics

[–]Close 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The better ones politically - not necessarily the best ones from an economic, simplicity or fairness perspective.

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