General Chat

It's soul destroying to hear of all the cuts, I bet the bigwigs won't take a cut in their wages tho! I am beginning to lose pride in Britain, the Great will soon be gone with the way other countries companies will control everything we do and need.

Prince William was so proud to get the job he now has and I wonder what he will be found to do if his job goes.

Quite apart from the loss to our country, this puts loads more people on the dole in many situations, so even more money coming out of the DSS coffers, seems to defeat the object doesn't it?

Lizx

Yes, it does seem all money driven with no understanding of what is being affected. Yet the government is now offering up to £5,000 subsidy for anyone purchasing an electric car. This money all comes from us in the first place and we should have a say in how it is spent.

I do wonder if these penpushers in Whitehall have any concept of how valuable these services are, and just what is involved.

To reduce the Coastguard Service to virtually nothing is disgraceful, and in my view grossly irresponsible. As an ex merchant seaman I know that the waters around this island are some of the busiest in the world, and that the Coastguard Service is stretched as it is.

These cuts have nothing to do with common sense, but all to do with appeasing their masters in the Treasury. Very worrying.

Tec.

I don't understand how they can consider it is all right to cut down these emergency services. We are a third world country these days. Unbelievable.

Even worse - Coastguards service. Tomorrow announcements are expected to reduce their staff by one quarter. There are 19 coastguard stations around our island - this figure will be reduced to 8 - only 3 will be on 24 hour standby. What price life now?

When I think back to the 80s when they first started selling off bits and pieces of the MOD, NHS, Local Government. That was when things went downhill. Hospitals not cleaned properly as contracts sold to lowest bidder who then cut corners to save time and thus money to manage to fulfil their contract for the money bid. Hope search and rescue don't go the same way. They are saying that because the operators will be civilian they will be full time. I have never heard of a rescue being delayed because the crews were not full time so i don't know what they mean by that.

The Search and Rescue crews are providing a proffessional and dedicated Emergency Service, along with the Ambulance and Fire Brigade crews.
When Search and Rescue are sold off to private enterprise it will all be about profit. Profit first - service second.
I fail to understand how an emergency service can operate at a profit in private hands.

How long before the Ambulance Service and Fire Brigade are sold off to foreign operators?

Tec.

There will be nothing belonging to this country soon, no wonder we have no industry and no jobs. How can the government get away with this? Has it been debated in Parliament? If the French can make money from search and rescue, why cant we, and I see no other reason for them wantingit.

l wonder what is next??

jude

Yes, I realise that they can be deployed on other duties but the specific training will be wasted which is a shame. Just another cost cutting exercise to cut our military power in the future.

I don,t think so Ann,they can be deployed to other duties,as for selling off the S&R.I think its wrong and should,nt be allowed.**M**.

Now they are selling off our military search and rescue to a French American consortium from 2013. We will have nothing left soon. The pilots will be civilian so all the money spent on training the military pilots, will it be wasted? (That includes Prince William of course).