Dorset Boy
Über Member
As I've said before, he isn't going to announce anything major before the budget.
Doing lots of little things to make people feel better is a sensible strategy in the meantime.
Burnham
- Thread starter briantrumpet
- Start date
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As I've said before, he isn't going to announce anything major before the budget.
Doing lots of little things to make people feel better is a sensible strategy in the meantime.
secretsqirrel
spiteful class warrior
Agree.
Fixing the big stuff needs a lot of time and money (and a mandate). Fixing little stuff is not wasted, if people feel better.
swee'pea99
Regular
It also resonates - taps into a pre-existing mood. It's not by chance that 'Every little helps' has become one of Britain's longest-lasting taglines.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Timewaster
I bet if in 2016 you'd done an opinion poll that included rip-off parking charges and the EU, parking charges would have been a higher priority for many people: if you put some long-term remote 'philosophical' concern alongside something immediate/local most people get grumpy about regularly, the latter will register more. It's why Farage has put the focus on the small boat arrivals: they are visible, and the news is (or was) daily.
Good government won't be an either/or between modest small-scale daily grumbles and the long term 'philosophical' stuff. Ignore either for too long, and voters will notice.
Psamathe
Squire
As an example, from the mandate givewn to Labour last General election us per their melection manifesto (https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf)
Yet Burnham has kicked it until after next General Election despite already having a mandate for it.
secretsqirrel
spiteful class warrior
Well it still takes a lot of time and money.
Psamathe
Squire
Labour made a clear commitment, got a clear mandate yet Burnham seems to be focusing on people playing music loudly on trains and appealing private parking fines, etc. Good use of his time?
Starting to resolve even some aspects of social care could have so many indirect benefits and savings eg getting older people fit to leave to leave hospital (I have the term "bed blocking" as it makes it sound like something the patient is doing where patient probably wants to leave hospital more than the NHS wants them to) meaning NHS savings, reduced NHS waiting lists, reduced "corridor care", etc., eg freeing up unpaid family carers, etc.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Timewaster
Would Thursday week be soon enough?
Psamathe
Squire
I am wondering if all these minor announcements that actually impact very few people are "flooding the zone" to prevent press speculation about the budget. Given how in the past, press speculation has fed significant negative economic impacts from "might happen" (and then don't), maybe keeping the press full of minor stuff is distracting them from "budget might increase ...".
I'm still hoping Burnham will get to start sorting the real challenges facing the country. I accept in his remaining term not all will be fully resolved and that new ones will appear but as per the example Social Care issue it doesn't need to be a "big bang" but can we can take incremental steps in the right direction to improve things.
Dorset Boy
Über Member
Social Care is an issue that can only be resolved on a cross party basis. Social Care reform has been on the poitical agenda for over 20 years so expecting Burnham to sort it out in 3 months is ludicrously stupid.
To make reform affordable, it also needs an acceptance from the population that we need to contribute to the cost of our own care in later life.
There are currently just under 280,000 over 65s living in a care home in England and Wales and 50% are self funders.
Age UK reckon there are 2.6 million over 50s unable to get the care they need.
In 10 years there will be the need for an additional 144,000 care home beds due to the population growth.
The average cost of a care home is £1,300 per week, though many are closer to £1,600 pw.
To make reform affordable, it also needs an acceptance from the population that we need to contribute to the cost of our own care in later life.
There are currently just under 280,000 over 65s living in a care home in England and Wales and 50% are self funders.
Age UK reckon there are 2.6 million over 50s unable to get the care they need.
In 10 years there will be the need for an additional 144,000 care home beds due to the population growth.
The average cost of a care home is £1,300 per week, though many are closer to £1,600 pw.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Timewaster
FWIW... a generation or two ago...
Psamathe
Squire
Who suggested 3 months? My disappointment is that he's kicked it into after the next General election supposedly because he wants a "mandate" - but the Labour Manifesto he currently has and the Government was elected on gives him that mandate.
Start asap not kick into the long grass.
And maybe start incremental improvements ideally cross-party. Lib-Dems have welcomed cross-party involvement whereas Conservatives are just doing what Badenoch does ie being uncooperative over anything and everything.
Pblakeney
Shaman
My Dad's friend is paying £1700/week and it is by no means a "posh" one.
He
secretsqirrel
spiteful class warrior
I mentioned the ‘mandate’ because of your comments regarding challenges and rescuing France(?). I was not referring to Social Care because you hadn’t. I far as I’m aware planning for Social Care is already underway with cross party talks and budgeting like changing the triple lock.
bobzmyunkle
Guru
Perhaps the reforms could look into the costs. It does strike me the ones who whinge most about paying are the ones more likely to oppose a more 'socialist' model.
