Will the British Government ever learn?

[Forsakia]

If you look at other countries like Greece, Spain and Cyprus then we're doing brilliantly, but notice this, they didn't have austerity until the last minute and now look. Indeed, Austerity isn't brilliant, but It's better than what's happening with those countries...

Austerity in the face of a failing economy is, for want of a better word, stupid. Just look at how a flawed study on the relationship between debt and GDP has contributed to keeping the recovery soft.

Total Spending


Education Spending


Healthcare spending


Defence spending



What is this harsh austerity?

[Democratic Koyro]

Well, quite. But he does at least understand how it's run. He just isn't very good at it. Clegg, on the other hand, is increasingly proficient with his Etch-a-sketch.

It's not hard to understand how an egg and spoon race is run, he just shouldn't participate.

I genuinely wonder if there is a single individual who likes Mr. Osborne these days, other than himself and Mrs. Osborne, and im not sure about the latter.

ah the conservatives. Privatizing NHS hospitals because the American system is better...oh wait.

[Disserbia]

Seems legit. Does this mean if we do "Economic recovery dances" the economy will get better?

No. Because my left wing foreigner arse will use my evil magik to further erode the UK economy.

I thought they'd throw you out with the other evil foreigners.

[Mike the Progressive]

Austerity in the face of a failing economy is, for want of a better word, stupid. Just look at how a flawed study on the relationship between debt and GDP has contributed to keeping the recovery soft.

Total Spending


Education Spending


Healthcare spending


Defence spending



What is this harsh austerity?

Didn't they increase taxes?

[Democratic Koyro]

Austerity in the face of a failing economy is, for want of a better word, stupid. Just look at how a flawed study on the relationship between debt and GDP has contributed to keeping the recovery soft.

Total Spending


Education Spending


Healthcare spending


Defence spending



What is this harsh austerity?

Your graphs only lead up to 2010. Which is the year the ConDem Regime took power.

[Chestaan]

Austerity in the face of a failing economy is, for want of a better word, stupid. Just look at how a flawed study on the relationship between debt and GDP has contributed to keeping the recovery soft.

Total Spending


Education Spending


Healthcare spending


Defence spending



What is this harsh austerity?

Imagine that, tax revenue falls and spending increases automatically in a recession. Truly astonishing.

[United Kingdom of Muffins]

It's not hard to understand how an egg and spoon race is run, he just shouldn't participate.

I genuinely wonder if there is a single individual who likes Mr. Osborne these days, other than himself and Mrs. Osborne, and im not sure about the latter.

ah the conservatives. Privatizing NHS hospitals because the American system is better...oh wait.

Are you talking about this Osborne?

[Napkiraly]

No. Because my left wing foreigner arse will use my evil magik to further erode the UK economy.

I thought they'd throw you out with the other evil foreigners.

I'm Canadian so I have a good cover. But once they are done with all the East Euros...

[Priory Academy USSR]

Austerity in the face of a failing economy is, for want of a better word, stupid. Just look at how a flawed study on the relationship between debt and GDP has contributed to keeping the recovery soft.

Total Spending


Education Spending


Healthcare spending


Defence spending



What is this harsh austerity?

That's as a percentage of GDP. GDP fell quite a considerable bit, so any rise in percentage would be down to the economy shrinking, not the Government spending.

Even if it is increasing, as you suggest, Osbourne must be trolling because there's a considerable amount of jobs being cut far into the future. If there was any real rise, why would there be so many job losses? I would presume that keeping unemployment down would be a big aim fo the government at this time.

[Democratic Koyro]

I genuinely wonder if there is a single individual who likes Mr. Osborne these days, other than himself and Mrs. Osborne, and im not sure about the latter.

ah the conservatives. Privatizing NHS hospitals because the American system is better...oh wait.

Are you talking about this Osborne?
[snip]

Nothing wrong with Ozzy.

I am refering to this monsterous demon spawn from the 9th circle of hell.

[Eoghania]

It's not a nice route, but that's what up top have decided

"Up top" are meant to enact the will of the people. If "up top" do a crap job, "we" give them a bad time for it.

Well, quite. But he does at least understand how it's run. He just isn't very good at it. Clegg, on the other hand, is increasingly proficient with his Etch-a-sketch.

It's not hard to understand how an egg and spoon race is run, he just shouldn't participate.

It might be entertaining to watch, so long as his competitors aren't too competent. I imagine he'd fit in well with the nursery children.

(Image)
Total Spending

(Image)
Education Spending

(Image)
Healthcare spending

(Image)
Defence spending

What is this harsh austerity?

Spoiler'd many images. Those go up to 2010. The current "NOT ENOUGH AUSTERITY, NEED MORE AUSTERITY" lot were only elected then. Graphs show no austerity because the previous quite-a-while weren't stupid enough to do it.

[United Kingdom of Muffins]

Are you talking about this Osborne?
[snip]

Nothing wrong with Ozzy.

I am refering to this hellish demon spawn from the 9th circle of hell.

Oooooooooo... I think you guys should elect Ozzy as MP then.

[Forsakia]

What is this harsh austerity?

Your graphs only lead up to 2010. Which is the year the ConDem Regime took power.

No they don't, 2010 refers to the last notch on the x-axis, not the end point. They go up to the Financial Year 11 (we've just finished FY 12 so a little behind but not much has changed in the last year.

[Eoghania]

Nothing wrong with Ozzy.

I am refering to this hellish demon spawn from the 9th circle of hell.

Oooooooooo... I think you guys should elect Ozzy as MP then.

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

[Democratic Koyro]

Oooooooooo... I think you guys should elect Ozzy as MP then.

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

I am also in favour of banning caravans and turning Wales into a racetrack. Jerry C, sensible policies for a happier Britain.

[United Kingdom of Muffins]

Oooooooooo... I think you guys should elect Ozzy as MP then.

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

EVEN BETTER! You British people are so smart. No wonder you guys had such a big empire.

[Nadkor]

I always get a kick out of how liberally people throw out Godwin, straw man or the other useless "I'm so full of myself, *snarky, snarky* I'm not even going to argue" when they argue...

Calling a Godwin is a way of saying the post has posted an empty post. A one-line reference to Hitler in a thread on the modern British economy is empty. *snarky snarky*

You know that Godwin is a law of probability, right? Not something that renders a post invalid, or "empty", or whatever.

[Napkiraly]

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

EVEN BETTER! You British people are so smart. No wonder you guys had such a big empire.

Sometimes I actually wonder how my ancestors pulled it off. I think it was just kind of stumbled into by accident.

[Nadkor]

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

I am also in favour of banning caravans and turning Wales into a racetrack. Jerry C, sensible policies for a happier Britain.

I'm appreciating this post for the Black Adder reference.

[Forsakia]

It's not a nice route, but that's what up top have decided

"Up top" are meant to enact the will of the people. If "up top" do a crap job, "we" give them a bad time for it.

It's not hard to understand how an egg and spoon race is run, he just shouldn't participate.

It might be entertaining to watch, so long as his competitors aren't too competent. I imagine he'd fit in well with the nursery children.

(Image)
Total Spending

(Image)
Education Spending

(Image)
Healthcare spending

(Image)
Defence spending

What is this harsh austerity?

Spoiler'd many images. Those go up to 2010. The current "NOT ENOUGH AUSTERITY, NEED MORE AUSTERITY" lot were only elected then. Graphs show no austerity because the previous quite-a-while weren't stupid enough to do it.

No they don't.

What is this harsh austerity?

That's as a percentage of GDP. GDP fell quite a considerable bit, so any rise in percentage would be down to the economy shrinking, not the Government spending.

Even if it is increasing, as you suggest, Osbourne must be trolling because there's a considerable amount of jobs being cut far into the future. If there was any real rise, why would there be so many job losses? I would presume that keeping unemployment down would be a big aim fo the government at this time.

Good point, probably should have used this one

[Eoghania]

Your graphs only lead up to 2010. Which is the year the ConDem Regime took power.

No they don't, 2010 refers to the last notch on the x-axis, not the end point. They go up to the Financial Year 11 (we've just finished FY 12 so a little behind but not much has changed in the last year.

"From fiscal year 1900 to fiscal year 2011" - doesn't state inclusive or exclusive. Reading your source, as noted in the corner of the graph, the values for 2010 onwards are all, explicitly, predicted. Presumably on the grounds that the government would follow current best economic theory. They haven't.

[Democratic Koyro]

"Up top" are meant to enact the will of the people. If "up top" do a crap job, "we" give them a bad time for it.


It might be entertaining to watch, so long as his competitors aren't too competent. I imagine he'd fit in well with the nursery children.


Spoiler'd many images. Those go up to 2010. The current "NOT ENOUGH AUSTERITY, NEED MORE AUSTERITY" lot were only elected then. Graphs show no austerity because the previous quite-a-while weren't stupid enough to do it.

No they don't.

That's as a percentage of GDP. GDP fell quite a considerable bit, so any rise in percentage would be down to the economy shrinking, not the Government spending.

Even if it is increasing, as you suggest, Osbourne must be trolling because there's a considerable amount of jobs being cut far into the future. If there was any real rise, why would there be so many job losses? I would presume that keeping unemployment down would be a big aim fo the government at this time.

Good point, probably should have used this one

Oh look. Spending increases with rising inflation. Who would've thought it?

[Eoghania]

There is a not-entirely-small movement to elect Jeremy Clarkson as Prime Minister.

EVEN BETTER! You British people are so smart. No wonder you guys had such a big empire.

Yes. Yes that was entirely why. It was nothing to do with luck and bargains with the alien overlords. Not at all. Cough cough.

[Forsakia]

No they don't, 2010 refers to the last notch on the x-axis, not the end point. They go up to the Financial Year 11 (we've just finished FY 12 so a little behind but not much has changed in the last year.

"From fiscal year 1900 to fiscal year 2011" - doesn't state inclusive or exclusive. Reading your source, as noted in the corner of the graph, the values for 2010 onwards are all, explicitly, predicted. Presumably on the grounds that the government would follow current best economic theory. They haven't.

The continuance of the graph past the notch 2010 would seem suggestive to me. Admittedly I clicked through to the briefing when I should've posted the other charts (that were total spending rather than by GDP).

Equally they aren't adjusted for inflation (which I'll dig up if I have the time, and would love for someone else to post). With inflation running at the ~3% range you'd end up with a graph flattened out or a small downward move. But not massive cuts by any means.


(As a side note I'd be fairly delighted if someone could prove me wrong, that significant austerity is really happening etc. I just haven't seen evidence of it, please do come back with a chart showing that and have a virtual high five).

[Sucrati]

Sounds like Austerity measures in Great Britain in regards to cutting spending can be found to be similar to what we are doing here in the States in regards to Obama's Sequester (yes, his idea, he even vowed to veto Republican attempts at averting it)... Which doesn't really cut actual spending but proposed spending and raises taxes all round (income, sales, etc...)

Maybe actually looking at domestic spending and reforming specific programs could be a start. Maybe reform things to the point to where redundant programs are either merged or cut. It seems that people that aren't part of the political elite actually could give better advice, even if we're from different countries. Spending increases on programs that aren't financially viable is kind of, in realistic terms, kind of silly right? Either you reform and simplify your spending or you'll have to raise costs and taxes to account for the loss in revenue. What most people don't realize is that if you are to receive something that you don't pay into or pay enough into, then you'll wind up losing everything anyway when the whole thing collapses like a house of cards. That applies there and elsewhere in regards to entitlement spending or 'social rights'.