Did Anyone Watch The Dispatches C4 Prog On Pfi

[Guest mattsta1964]

I only caught the last half of this programme but that was enough to make the bile rise!

Not only is the taxpayer getting very poor value for money from many of these PFI companies, poor service, gross overcharging etc etc, but more importantly, the NHS and councils are tied into contracts for up to 40 years to pay for the hospitals, schools etc being built by them. So, on top of poor design and build quality, the tax payer will be footing the bill, a huge bill, for up to 40 years to pay for it. Tony and Gordon are mortgaging the construction of new public expenditure to private companies who are becoming multi millionaires at our expense, and most disgraceful of all, they are using holding companies in the Channel Islands to avoid corporation and capital gains taxes on their profits.

There no fate bad enough for NU Labour. What a bunch of spivs and crooks. I fekkn detest their hypocrisy and double standards

[crash2006]

I only caught the last half of this programme but that was enough to make the bile rise!

Not only is the taxpayer getting very poor value for money from many of these PFI companies, poor service, gross overcharging etc etc, but more importantly, the NHS and councils are tied into contracts for up to 40 years to pay for the hospitals, schools etc being built by them. So, on top of poor design and build quality, the tax payer will be footing the bill, a huge bill, for up to 40 years to pay for it. Tony and Gordon are mortgaging the construction of new public expenditure to private companies who are becoming multi millionaires at our expense, and most disgraceful of all, they are using holding companies in the Channel Islands to avoid corporation and capital gains taxes on their profits.

There no fate bad enough for NU Labour. What a bunch of spivs and crooks. I fekkn detest their hypocrisy and double standards

Saw a bit of it something like for every £1 they spend the tax payer has to pay back £7, and its of poor standard.

[Goat]

What they should have mentioned (& did briefly) is the whole reason behind the scheme.

It is pure and simple "creative accounting". Because its not government money used in building the projects, the capital costs and borrowing stay off the government books, allowing GB to meet his golden rule by hiding his borrowings (which is all pfi really is).

This was one of the favorite tricks in the 80s amongst FDs/CEOs; largely stamped out by SSAP 21.

So to summarise, it's all an enormous waste of public money undertaken purely to preserve Gordon's image.

[Guest mattsta1964]

What they should have mentioned (& did briefly) is the whole reason behind the scheme.

It is pure and simple "creative accounting". Because its not government money used in building the projects, the capital costs and borrowing stay off the government books, allowing GB to meet his golden rule by hiding his borrowings (which is all pfi really is).

This was one of the favorite tricks in the 80s amongst FDs/CEOs; largely stamped out by SSAP 21.

So to summarise, it's all an enormous waste of public money undertaken purely to preserve Gordon's image.

But that is absolutely scandalous!!!!!!!!!!

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this. The cost to the future taxpayer will be crippling, as if things aren't bad enough already!

[SHERWICK]

But that is absolutely scandalous!!!!!!!!!!

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this. The cost to the future taxpayer will be crippling, as if things aren't bad enough already!

no one in Government or the media cares about the *future* tax payer... they'll all be long gone by then..

[MarkG]

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this.

Because everyone benefits except the taxpayer? The government pretend they're not spending as much, and private companies make a ton of money from the taxpayers.

The cost to the future taxpayer will be crippling, as if things aren't bad enough already!

Sure, but in a democracy future costs don't matter, because they're dumped on future governments: who may well be from another party.

[Garry AKA Pod]

But that is absolutely scandalous!!!!!!!!!!

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this. The cost to the future taxpayer will be crippling, as if things aren't bad enough already!

Probably cos most media organisations have vested interests and/or shares in the PFI companies.

[Jason]

Here you go: http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=34011

I even added the video to the net for you all to download!

[Guest mattsta1964]

Because everyone benefits except the taxpayer? The government pretend they're not spending as much, and private companies make a ton of money from the taxpayers.

Sure, but in a democracy future costs don't matter, because they're dumped on future governments: who may well be from another party.

Bloody hell. This is so big, it should have its own internet forum dedicated to stopping it! Wakey wakey people. This is HUGE

[Goat]

But that is absolutely scandalous!!!!!!!!!!

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this. The cost to the future taxpayer will be crippling, as if things aren't bad enough already!

Off balance sheet financing is not the sort of thing most journalists understand and expect the public to be interested in.

[Ethel]

As someone who has detested the Labour party my whole life, I can honestly say this programme didn't even make me raise an eyebrow.

It's been clear for years that Tony's cronies are a bunch of crooks who are slowly but surely sending our country into ruin.

I'm past caring. Nothing this appalling government does can shock me any more.

I'm just sitting here watching and quietly waiting for the all rest of the sheeple to wake up and smell the coffee. Then the shit will really hit the fan, and this country will probably completely disentegrate into an apocolyptic nightmare.

[MarkG]

Then the shit will really hit the fan, and this country will probably completely disentegrate into an apocolyptic nightmare.

Indeed: this is just another insane policy piled on top of many, many others over the last few decades. Sooner or later the whole system in the UK is going to collapse under the weight of stupidity that's been built up on top of it.

Blair, of course, doesn't give a damn, because he'll be living on one of his mates' estates on a tropical island when that happens.

[Guest mattsta1964]

As someone who has detested the Labour party my whole life, I can honestly say this programme didn't even make me raise an eyebrow.

It's been clear for years that Tony's cronies are a bunch of crooks who are slowly but surely sending our country into ruin.

I'm past caring. Nothing this appalling government does can shock me any more.

I'm just sitting here watching and quietly waiting for the all rest of the sheeple to wake up and smell the coffee. Then the shit will really hit the fan, and this country will probably completely disentegrate into an apocolyptic nightmare.

Yes. That's how I feel too. it's taken 50 years to wreck this country. But the Tories are every bit as responsible and I'm afraid we are too for voting all these shysters into power.

[MarkG]

I'm afraid we are too for voting all these shysters into power.

Speak for yourself. I've never 'voted a shyster into power'.

[Guest mattsta1964]

Speak for yourself. I've never 'voted a shyster into power'.

I've never voted! Full stop.

I've never trusted any of em

[backtoparents]

I've never voted! Full stop.

I've never trusted any of em

I've spoiled my (national elections) ballot paper every time. Deliberately - not through incompetence.

Next time I'll take a stapler and use it to attach a picture of Crash Gordon to my paper with "b@stard" lovingly tattooed on his forehead.

btp

[Marina]

It's just another kicking for you lot to take in the future. You'll need low rents as you'll be paying so much tax. In a way HPI is a blessing in disguise. You couldn't afford a mortgage and the tax you are going to pay to fund the nonsense here and, of course, my pension. Whereas with rent the options are infinite. If you can't afford a house, rent a flat. If you can't afford a flat, you can rent a room. And if that is a problem, you can share a room.

It is the perfect market cycle you are always on about. But instead of turning back to some imaginary golden age of 25 years ago, it looks to me like we will be going back to the world of slum landlords and families all living in one room.

[Goat]

It is the perfect market cycle you are always on about. But instead of turning back to some imaginary golden age of 25 years ago, it looks to me like we will be going back to the world of slum landlords and families all living in one room.

"The middle class exit" revisited. :angry:

[Guest mattsta1964]

It's just another kicking for you lot to take in the future. You'll need low rents as you'll be paying so much tax. In a way HPI is a blessing in disguise. You couldn't afford a mortgage and the tax you are going to pay to fund the nonsense here and, of course, my pension. Whereas with rent the options are infinite. If you can't afford a house, rent a flat. If you can't afford a flat, you can rent a room. And if that is a problem, you can share a room.

It is the perfect market cycle you are always on about. But instead of turning back to some imaginary golden age of 25 years ago, it looks to me like we will be going back to the world of slum landlords and families all living in one room.

You may well be right. That really is a possibility

I've spoiled my (national elections) ballot paper every time. Deliberately - not through incompetence.

Next time I'll take a stapler and use it to attach a picture of Crash Gordon to my paper with "b@stard" lovingly tattooed on his forehead.

btp

[Casual Observer]

Why isn't anyone in the media taking him to task over this.

What do you think Channel 4 is then?

I've spoiled my (national elections) ballot paper every time. Deliberately - not through incompetence.

Next time I'll take a stapler and use it to attach a picture of Crash Gordon to my paper with "b@stard" lovingly tattooed on his forehead.

btp

But it wont get past some town hall clerk who's been drafted in to count 50,000 ballot papers.

[MarkG]

You may well be right. That really is a possibility

Hardly. We'd need a population of hundreds of millions of people to have 'families living in one room', and there's no way this country's infrastructure could support them in that state.

[backtoparents]

But it wont get past some town hall clerk who's been drafted in to count 50,000 ballot papers.

How perceptive of you - I thought each vote was hand delivered to No 10.

1 clerk - 50,000 papers - are they this productive?

btp