The Tories have an attitude towards Public Services: they regard them in the same way as they look at parasites – unwelcome.
The Tories regard Public Services as an unproductive drain on resources. They wish to reduce them to a minimum and curb pay for public servants.
The Tory ethos is that it is the Private sector that generates wealth. That is where the money should go. We can do without the Public sector.
This is short-sighted. While the Public sector does not generate the wealth directly it is essential to enabling the wealth generators to function. I would make the analogy to the army. The soldier may be the effective force at the front-line but without a munitions industry making the bullets, a transport industry to get them to the front, food, water and information they are helpless.
The Public services provide essential back-up.
We need our teachers, nurses, doctors, road workers, social workers, fire-fighters, police and council workers.
If you look in the field of education (that I happen to know something about) this is obvious. The workforce who are going to power the country and create the wealth are only able to do so because they have been properly educated. Every parent wants their sons and daughters to receive a first-rate education. They want nice schools which are properly equipped, excellent teachers who are well-motivated and a curriculum that stimulates their children.
If you don’t put the money into the system it falls apart. If you don’t pay properly then you do not attract the best. If you have poor work conditions and pension schemes you end up with demotivated staff. If you do not have the money to buy equipment lessons become substandard and boring. If you do not repair buildings they rapidly become dilapidated. You end up with a poor quality service.
The Tory answer is to introduce competition and threat. They deploy Ofsted as a weapon bring in business and use the big stick.
Result – the best teachers leave. The ones left are depressed. The children suffer.
I’ve witnessed it first hand.
The same is true for the Health Service, the Police, The Council Workers, The Fire Service, Social Services and the rest. They are all being paid less, have worsening conditions, reduced numbers, poorer pensions and expected to perform at the same standard. If I get ill I want to be operated on by one of the best. If I get mugged I want the police to sort it out. If my house catches on fire ……..
The rich buy in private to ensure they get the best. The rest of us have to make do with what’s left.
The infrastructure and support provided by the Public Services is a crucial part of the economy. They contribute!
Don’t believe the lies! We should have the best education, health care, policing, fire service, road maintenance, social care and environmental standards. You cannot do that on the cheap!
