Latest council cuts proposed - YOUR ESSENTIAL SERVICES AFFECTED - Harringay online2024-03-29T10:28:07Zhttps://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/latest-council-cuts-proposed?commentId=844301%3AComment%3A214826&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=no". . . malicious cuts to fron…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-28:844301:Comment:2148262011-02-28T09:26:58.629ZAlan Stantonhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/AlanStanton
<p><em>". . . malicious cuts to frontline services that the council are making yet protecting back office and support service jobs."</em></p>
<p>Any actual evidence for the allegation <em>of malice? <br/></em></p>
<p><em>". . . malicious cuts to frontline services that the council are making yet protecting back office and support service jobs."</em></p>
<p>Any actual evidence for the allegation <em>of malice? <br/></em></p> Yes, and when based largely o…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2148682011-02-27T21:29:48.543Zmatthttps://harringayonline.com/profile/mburge
<p>Yes, and when based largely on driving down labour costs, as has been the case it's a road to nowhere, or a road that keeps on moving around the world to the next cheapest labour market.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My understanding of comparative advantage in student days had been particularly centred on skills base/knowledge/resource (eg. silk coming from China) but the 'new' China has changed the game completely. They're so big and so concerned to keep creating jobs for their own population that…</p>
<p>Yes, and when based largely on driving down labour costs, as has been the case it's a road to nowhere, or a road that keeps on moving around the world to the next cheapest labour market.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My understanding of comparative advantage in student days had been particularly centred on skills base/knowledge/resource (eg. silk coming from China) but the 'new' China has changed the game completely. They're so big and so concerned to keep creating jobs for their own population that resources needed to feed their factories (products from which we all buy) are bought in from around the world, from Brazil to Indonesia to central Africa. The significance of this activity (the scale) by China is fairly new. Cost of resource is no longer the significant factor. Cost of 100 million unemployed is.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Of course the more resource cost does go up the more determined the Chinese govt will be to subsidize their exports to the world market by keeping the yuan undervalued. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But, we digress! Back to Haringey. </p> To add into the pot of backgr…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2147022011-02-27T21:15:42.206Zmatthttps://harringayonline.com/profile/mburge
<p>To add into the pot of background information; the council's long term debt is £600 million and relates to capital investment which the Council has undertaken in previous years and the current year. 66% of this debt relates to investment in council housing. Above figure found under section 'Capital Investments', (page 8 of the pdf).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Accounts 2009/10 attached.</p>
<p>To add into the pot of background information; the council's long term debt is £600 million and relates to capital investment which the Council has undertaken in previous years and the current year. 66% of this debt relates to investment in council housing. Above figure found under section 'Capital Investments', (page 8 of the pdf).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Accounts 2009/10 attached.</p> Comparative advantage is inte…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2148042011-02-27T21:14:17.918ZJohn McMullanhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/bogan72
<p>Comparative advantage is interesting in theory, but of course in practice there are some things that limit its usefulness:</p>
<p>1. People do not live forever.</p>
<p>2. The cost of transportation is variable and can be very high.</p>
<p>3. The earth is not an infinite place where there's "something" for "everyone".</p>
<p>4. Some jobs are crap.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Number one is there because economists often talk of a "period of adjustment" which can be (and often is) as much as someone's…</p>
<p>Comparative advantage is interesting in theory, but of course in practice there are some things that limit its usefulness:</p>
<p>1. People do not live forever.</p>
<p>2. The cost of transportation is variable and can be very high.</p>
<p>3. The earth is not an infinite place where there's "something" for "everyone".</p>
<p>4. Some jobs are crap.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Number one is there because economists often talk of a "period of adjustment" which can be (and often is) as much as someone's working lifetime.</p> John, as you well know the pr…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2147962011-02-27T19:30:31.948Zmatthttps://harringayonline.com/profile/mburge
<p>John, as you well know the practice of <a href="http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/comparative-advantage.html" target="_blank">comparative advantage</a> has been around for some time (ie. before Labour) and whilst Thatcher seemed to break the unions to reduce wage costs in the UK, she ended up overseeing a speeding up of the process of UK production in many industries moving east, where the cost of labour was cheaper for global business empires.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>City trading of…</p>
<p>John, as you well know the practice of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/comparative-advantage.html">comparative advantage</a> has been around for some time (ie. before Labour) and whilst Thatcher seemed to break the unions to reduce wage costs in the UK, she ended up overseeing a speeding up of the process of UK production in many industries moving east, where the cost of labour was cheaper for global business empires.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>City trading of financial instruments then grew to fund and under write the massive growth in global trade made possible by the cheap labour of newly 'open' countries (from Eastern Europe through to the far east). The UK has been trying replace wealth from lost manufactured exports receipts with the growth in The City financial trade ever since.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Such a trade off appears to have faltered and I don't think it was anything to do with which party was in power. You see, tangible things like manufactured goods can be tracked, counted, have real value for an economy. No surprises. The financial world; no one knew who was doing what .... well some knew mortgages were being sold to people on the dole in the US but then, they were the ones earning the commission. :)</p> @ Alan
● Do you think nationa…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2145422011-02-27T18:11:39.351ZJohn Dhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/JohnD
<p>@ Alan</p>
<p><em>● Do you think national Governments should stop issuing bonds?</em></p>
<p>No, I hold some. Individuals of course are not forced to buy them.</p>
<p><em>● Or leave all capital investment to the private sector?</em></p>
<p>No.</p>
<p><em>● That our Government should have let Northern Rock and other banks collapse?</em></p>
<p>No and I hope my shares in RBS will recover. I think the Government should have prevented Rock and the others from getting into a collapse situation in…</p>
<p>@ Alan</p>
<p><em>● Do you think national Governments should stop issuing bonds?</em></p>
<p>No, I hold some. Individuals of course are not forced to buy them.</p>
<p><em>● Or leave all capital investment to the private sector?</em></p>
<p>No.</p>
<p><em>● That our Government should have let Northern Rock and other banks collapse?</em></p>
<p>No and I hope my shares in RBS will recover. I think the Government should have prevented Rock and the others from getting into a collapse situation in the first place.</p>
<p><em>● In brief what are your views on John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge?</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>Keynes - I think the policy of fiscal intervention at government level is the only practicable option in times of crisis. I am not a free marketeer.</p>
<p>Beveridge - I applaud the Welfare State, although I think he went a bit far when he said ( in his younger days ) "those men who through general defects are unable to fill such a whole place in industry, are to be recognised as 'unemployable'. They must become the acknowledged dependents of the State... but with complete and permanent loss of all citizen rights — including not only the franchise but civil freedom and fatherhood."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I do not say that the Government should not play a part in guiding or directing fiscal policy: I say they should have done <strong>more</strong> of it and not encouraged the Financial Regulators to apply a light touch to the banks' dubious frenetic trading activities which were bringing in much-needed tax revenue which could be used to paper over the cracks in Labour's spendthrift economy.</p> I think Will was there willin…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-27:844301:Comment:2145272011-02-27T10:55:37.818Zmatthttps://harringayonline.com/profile/mburge
I think Will was there willing on the cuts because he believes it'll make a Ho<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">y</span>le lot of difference. Being a tory voter in a labour/liberal heartland must be frustrating eh Will. :)
I think Will was there willing on the cuts because he believes it'll make a Ho<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">y</span>le lot of difference. Being a tory voter in a labour/liberal heartland must be frustrating eh Will. :) Hi Will,
were you present or…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-26:844301:Comment:2145132011-02-26T21:21:58.588Zalexhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/alex62
<p>Hi Will,</p>
<p>were you present or are you just rehashing the inaccurate reports you've read in the local papers? There was no violence, just worried and angry residents wanting to stop their public services being wrecked by politicians of all parties. There was one chalked slogan on a council table, and one door accidentally broken when people were trying to get into the council chamber. The mindless vandalism is the unnecessary damage being done to our public services which we all rely…</p>
<p>Hi Will,</p>
<p>were you present or are you just rehashing the inaccurate reports you've read in the local papers? There was no violence, just worried and angry residents wanting to stop their public services being wrecked by politicians of all parties. There was one chalked slogan on a council table, and one door accidentally broken when people were trying to get into the council chamber. The mindless vandalism is the unnecessary damage being done to our public services which we all rely on.</p> P.S. Some people have had tro…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-26:844301:Comment:2143812011-02-26T00:38:24.923ZAlan Stantonhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/AlanStanton
<p>P.S. Some people have had trouble watching the webcast. <a href="http://www.haringey.ukcouncil.net/site/player/index.php?a=52413&l=en_GB" target="_blank">This link</a> should work.</p>
<p>If you're running Windows and it asks you to install Windows Media Player 11, you don’t need to. There's a plug-in for FireFox.</p>
<p>For the deputations, jump to 29 minutes into the meeting.</p>
<p>P.S. Some people have had trouble watching the webcast. <a href="http://www.haringey.ukcouncil.net/site/player/index.php?a=52413&l=en_GB" target="_blank">This link</a> should work.</p>
<p>If you're running Windows and it asks you to install Windows Media Player 11, you don’t need to. There's a plug-in for FireFox.</p>
<p>For the deputations, jump to 29 minutes into the meeting.</p> Despite the delay starting th…tag:harringayonline.com,2011-02-25:844301:Comment:2140872011-02-25T11:49:33.802ZAlan Stantonhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/AlanStanton
<p>Despite the delay starting the <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">circus</span> budget meeting last night, I'm told that the webcast went ahead and staff involved worked on it until midnight. Obviously someone's in line for a WOW award.</p>
<p>It should be on the Council's website later today. Worth watching for the deputations, though not much else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite the delay starting the <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">circus</span> budget meeting last night, I'm told that the webcast went ahead and staff involved worked on it until midnight. Obviously someone's in line for a WOW award.</p>
<p>It should be on the Council's website later today. Worth watching for the deputations, though not much else.</p>
<p> </p>