tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post5416762331287299099..comments2024-03-05T10:52:24.691+00:00Comments on Mark Wadsworth: Outbreak of commonsense in Finland.Mark Wadsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-27375109384293402552015-12-08T19:30:26.376+00:002015-12-08T19:30:26.376+00:00M, so there you are, the unemployment problem solv...M, so there you are, the unemployment problem solved forever for only 4.5% of GDP. Finland leads the way!Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-52136286492807949912015-12-08T18:25:19.976+00:002015-12-08T18:25:19.976+00:00B: "How much do you think would be saved by g...B: <i>"How much do you think would be saved by getting rid of the DWP (who would be effectively redundant under a CI system)?"</i><br /><br />DWP costs about £8 bn a year to run, according to their accounts. HMRC spend another couple of billion on tax credits admin and fraud and overpayments etc = £10 bn.<br /><br />Seeing as the cost of non-means tested stuff like old age pensions or Child Benefit is pennies and for some reason, so that works out at about 5% of what they pay out. Which is pretty shit.<br /><br />Personally, I think £576 a month, no questions asked is plenty enough for basics, a rented room in a shared house etc, if you want more you have to get a job.<br /><br />D, funny you should mention that. As an atheist, the closest thing I know to a 'place of worship' is a good old fashioned public library. Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-14196885049279284602015-12-08T17:17:05.072+00:002015-12-08T17:17:05.072+00:00If anyone asks me my politics from now on, I'm...If anyone asks me my politics from now on, I'm definitely going to say, <a href="http://littlefreelibrary.org/" rel="nofollow">left-librarian</a>. Free books for all! Little libraries on every street corner!<br /><br />Of course the Government, Big Publishing and the Faux Librarians are trying to stop us. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/02/little-free-library-crackdown/385531/" rel="nofollow">The Danger of Being Neighbourly Without a Permit</a>.Derekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06296053477905542366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-64390407844670939952015-12-08T14:03:38.333+00:002015-12-08T14:03:38.333+00:00M, no need. He's on the gravy train, so he...M, no need. He's on the gravy train, so he'll never be short of a well-paid job/sinecure.Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-27598289919958256292015-12-08T12:44:21.492+00:002015-12-08T12:44:21.492+00:00@MW and B, I had such a nice feeling in my heart t...@MW and B, I had such a nice feeling in my heart thinking about abolishing DWP. Maybe we could do a whip round for some go-away money for IDS?mombershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650866436764567516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-65661170806749217082015-12-07T23:36:05.673+00:002015-12-07T23:36:05.673+00:00Mark, thanks for that. How much do you think would...Mark, thanks for that. How much do you think would be saved by getting rid of the DWP (who would be effectively redundant under a CI system)?<br />I take it that you are assuming that it would be possible to rent a social housing home out of that £576/month (which at social rents being £70/week average it should be, just, especially if there were two people to a household).Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-23652640425862984412015-12-07T18:34:00.923+00:002015-12-07T18:34:00.923+00:00L, sadly, the true libertarian is a tiny minority....L, sadly, the true libertarian is a tiny minority. Most people are socialists or Homeys, with a smattering of Faux Libs who say that all taxes are equally bad. <br /><br />TS, yes, we've covered this. What interests me is the left-liberarian overlaps, because that's where I'm at.<br /><br />Sh, that political compass is very crude as it expects stereotype replies. I usually end up pretty dead centre, even though I am scattered round the edges. <br /><br />B, pensioners already get £576 a month. If we replace the entire working age welfare system (excl. Housing Benefit), personal allowances and pensions tax breaks and dished it out as CI instead, it would be about £330 per working age adult. The extra 'cost' of topping up all adults up to £576 would be about £246 x 12 x 35 million = £100 billion a year, less £25 billion Housing benefit and Council Tax benefit (no longer necessary) = £75 million. Which happens to be 5% or so of GDP.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-57857888657943715542015-12-07T17:12:27.725+00:002015-12-07T17:12:27.725+00:00Mark, what would £576/month for everyone in the UK...Mark, what would £576/month for everyone in the UK cost compared to the current plethora of benefits/personal allowance or where could I find the figures?Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-12204574800696140652015-12-07T14:45:01.367+00:002015-12-07T14:45:01.367+00:00Lola,
Thanks. To be honest, even Hitler and Musso...Lola,<br /><br />Thanks. To be honest, even Hitler and Mussolini were just part of the difficulty in transition from kings to democracy. If you think about Italy, it didn't have democracy until 1945.Tim Almondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369256383976094670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-52798231782243145002015-12-07T14:43:01.699+00:002015-12-07T14:43:01.699+00:00I always sigh and tell people to go here
https://...I always sigh and tell people to go here<br /><br />https://www.politicalcompass.org/<br /><br />And I always despair about the fact there is nobody towards the bottom right... which is where my vote would go.<br /><br />https://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015Shineyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13281261419328886986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-86722340813199722642015-12-07T14:01:48.704+00:002015-12-07T14:01:48.704+00:00TS Nice analysis. Mirrors my thoughts.TS Nice analysis. Mirrors my thoughts.Lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586735342675041312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-90753457189718622622015-12-07T12:37:22.204+00:002015-12-07T12:37:22.204+00:00Which further endorses my view that 'most'...Which further endorses my view that 'most' people are libertarian - they just don't know it yet.Lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586735342675041312noreply@blogger.com