The monument for a decade and a half of Toryism.

[BillyStubbsTears]

We planned to spend £55bn building a railway to connect most of the great cities of the North to the centre of London.

We are going to spend £100bn linking the outskirts of Manchester to Acton.

[BobG]

And the accounts of the Dept.of Health & Social Care have showed a £6bn write off in 21-22 on top of a £8.9bn write off in 20-21 - all for useless PPE. That's £14.9bn wasted by those self same Tories. They might have got the train line to to St. Pancras with that...

How many hospitals does £14.9bn buy? How many roads resurfaced? How many teachers? Doctors? Nurses? How many planes for those ridiculous aircraft carriers without planes of our own? How many escort ships that actually work in warm waters?

BobG

[danumdon]

I'd say a decent size statue of a crowing Clegg and whimpering Corbyn somewhere important in London would do just as well.

[drfchound]

We should never have started HS2 in the first place.  The original estimate of cost to build it was never going to be adhered to.

[selby]

 Bob G, I listened to an expert and also a doctor who has wrote a report on the NHS, and he criticised every government this century for the demise of the NHS.
  The single most damaging government he blamed for the demise of the NHS was the Blair government early this century that signed the contracts they did with the doctors especially the GP's and the building and repair contracts for hospitals that have been a massive rip off wasting millions and ever increasing debt for no return.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Let me guess.

Talk Radio?

[selby]

  Don't you listen or watch it Billy, you don't know what you are missing, you might learn something.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Aye.

Right wing gobshites telling the ignorant what they want to hear.

Is Mike Graham still insisting concrete grows like trees, in between his advertising of gambling sites?

[danumdon]

I’d say BST is a tadge  sensitive about PFI contracts and usually gets a little hot under the collar when they are mentioned.

I wonder why?

[roverstillidie91]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

[selby]

  Surprised you don't listen to it then Billy, your description sounds spot on for your views except the left footer weight you carry around your neck, I thought it would be up your street, preaching and all that.

[mugnapper]

https://www.libdems.org.uk/news/adlib-articles/conservative-mps-vote-for-15-more-years-of-sewage-dumping

I think this is a much more fitting monument to the Tories.
Thanks to RoverstillIdie91 from whose thread I nicked the link

[tyke1962]

I’d say BST is a tadge  sensitive about PFI contracts and usually gets a little hot under the collar when they are mentioned.

I wonder why?

They should be an absolute embarrassment to the Labour Party to this day .

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

The PPE still exists clearly they bought too much of it.  Unfortunately I doubt they were able to predict how long the pandemic was going to last.  In accounting terms any Ppe still held now has to be written down in value as it's simply worth less than it was.  That's not a cash impact though.

[Ldr]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

Had one thanks, and the absolute amount (not %) was greater than what my bills have gone up by this year, I am therefore better off. Not all of us in the NHS are in situations that the press would have you all believe

[roverstillidie91]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

Had one thanks, and the absolute amount (not %) was greater than what my bills have gone up by this year, I am therefore better off. Not all of us in the NHS are in situations that the press would have you all believe

not everyone is in the fortunate situation like yourself, using food banks etc. I work on the railway and haven't had a pay rise for 3 years but gas and electric based on my usage and on my tariff is nearly £3k more a year than before

[Ldr]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

Had one thanks, and the absolute amount (not %) was greater than what my bills have gone up by this year, I am therefore better off. Not all of us in the NHS are in situations that the press would have you all believe

not everyone is in the fortunate situation like yourself, using food banks etc. I work on the railway and haven't had a pay rise for 3 years but gas and electric based on my usage and on my tariff is nearly £3k more a year than before

Unlucky, I feel for you but doesn’t change the fact that nhs staff have had a rise

[ravenrover]

Which sector of NHS staff have had a raise?

[Ldr]

Which sector of NHS staff have had a raise?

Everyone on an agenda for change contract RR, was paid in Septembers pay and backdated to April, 4% (this includes nurses on and a4c contract)

[Ldr]

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-pay-and-benefits/agenda-change-pay-rates/agenda-change-pay-rates

For info RR

[Hounslowrover]

Which band level covers nurses?

[Ldr]

Which band level covers nurses?

As a rule 5 6 and 7 depending on role, specialism and experience, some exceptions. Newly qualified will be 5. Worth noting an HCA (Health care assistant) is a lower banding.

[roverstillidie91]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

Had one thanks, and the absolute amount (not %) was greater than what my bills have gone up by this year, I am therefore better off. Not all of us in the NHS are in situations that the press would have you all believe

not everyone is in the fortunate situation like yourself, using food banks etc. I work on the railway and haven't had a pay rise for 3 years but gas and electric based on my usage and on my tariff is nearly £3k more a year than before

Unlucky, I feel for you but doesn’t change the fact that nhs staff have had a rise

MP's have had a pay rise of 28% in the last 13 years. So may be it is that that's causing inflation to spiral because they say giving public sector workers will fuel inflation. So maybe they should of had a pay freeze

[ravenrover]

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-pay-and-benefits/agenda-change-pay-rates/agenda-change-pay-rates

For info RR

Thank you

[albie]

Ldr,

A settlement below the inflation rate is a real cut in income.
If that situation has continued for 10 or more years, then the position of workers has grown weaker and weaker in terms of purchasing power.

The knock on effect passes through the economy, with low income groups spending more of their reduced wages on the basics.
Not good for anyone, other than the shareholders of companies supplying essential services.

[SydneyRover]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/149billion-wasted-ppe-covid-tests-29061252

But public sector workers can't have a pay rise. Priorities.

The PPE still exists clearly they bought too much of it.  Unfortunately I doubt they were able to predict how long the pandemic was going to last.  In accounting terms any Ppe still held now has to be written down in value as it's simply worth less than it was.  That's not a cash impact though.

You are forgetting this this yet again pud .......

''Revealed: PPE stockpile was out-of-date when coronavirus hit UK
By Channel 4 News Investigations Team
Channel 4 News obtains full inventory of the national pandemic stockpile – revealing vital safety gear was years out of date''

https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-ppe-stockpile-was-out-of-date-when-coronavirus-hit-uk

despite a virtually brand new built for purpose stock purchase and stock control system ministers overruled the department and decided they knew best and how to work the system to their personal advantage.

They wouldn't have had to panic if they had used the knowledge that a pandemic was coming, used the experienced staff they had for procurement and fully funded, equipped and staffed the NHS.

[normal rules]

I’m still baffled by HST.
Is 125 mph not quick enough ?

[SydneyRover]

If you want to travel fast enough from top to base though the UK and on to the continent to reduce polluting air travel it needs to be fast, fast enough for business travel.

[BobG]

I keep hearing, and seeing ads for, technology that is making business travel obsolete....

Business travel will never be completely obsolete. Cultural differences have to be dealt with F2F sometimes - just try doing a deal with an Italian or a Chinese without looking him fully in the face - but the need for high speed business travel is falling while the demand to cut t&s costs is inexorably rising. The needs of business is not much of an argument for higher speed trains - especially ones wirh such a limited route availability as is proposed.

BobG

[SydneyRover]

You're probably correct Bg on business travel but an answer has to be found to get people an freight off short and mid haul flights.