Your tax money at work

[Steve (sdh2903)]

14 minutes ago, Blatman said:

 

If 900K would get us out the hole then OK. But it's a drop in an ocean that ain't done filling yet.

And I tend to agree this wasn't planned yesterday.

I wonder what tactical capabilities the plane has? I'm betting it's not just "paint"... 

 

It has a fair few 'extras' shall we say.

 

They sublease the unused voyager aircraft out and I used to work for a company that had one. Before they came to us there was a fair few bits removed and we weren't allowed access to the maintenance manuals or wiring diagrams. We had to request the specific documentation and it was sent to us.

[ajpearson]

12 hours ago, Hemsley said:

Ignoring for the moment the benefits of a respray, this seems remarkably expensive. Anyone know why it is so costly? Is it some sort of 2-part special paint? Do they have to put the whole plane inside a big oven to cook it? Do they use a 1” brush?

 

It's not actually 900k for the paint work. The Voyager is at Marshall's aerospace for a routine 24 month inspection, part of which is an overall replay. Its mandated every 2 years anyway.

 

The total cost which still isnt 900k, covers the entire work being done. The extra cost is basically just a design review

[Steve (sdh2903)]

2 hours ago, ajpearson said:

Its mandated every 2 years anyway.

 

Paint is? That's a very short time interval for a repaint. Especially on a pretty low hours voyager.

[jeff oakley]

This is how the media spin things. This morning Chris Evans was talking about this very subject. He told his millions of listeners that Boris was spending £900k on a paint job for Boris 1, his own plane.

 

Clearly utter rubbish as any sane person knows but how many of his listeners will now be repeating this "fact" to everyone on social media.

 

He missed off it was used by the Royal Family and other ministers for overseas trips but that is either him not having facts checked or just simply parroting the news from others.

[Lyonspride]

18 hours ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

The paint job alone won't be 900k. Normally for an a330 size aircraft your more like 150k for a full paint. Id imagine the 900k is the total cost for its maintenance check and the paint.

 

Some places are reporting that its only the tail and aft section thats getting painted. In which case it will be even less for the paint job.

Yeah, it's probably nothing like the media are reporting, it was probably leaked that it was getting a paint job as part of routine maintenance + refit, and when the press found out it was going to have the racist flag of oppression added to it, they knew they had a great story, especially in the current climate.

I for one think it's brilliant, I want a govt that is not ashamed to show the world that we are British.

 

[DonPeffers]

We might re-examine our view of Government expenditure on a variety of things when our taxes start going up to pay for a financial crisis.

 

So far talk of breaking Dec 2019 Conservative Manifesto commitment to 'triple lock' State Pensions. Also rumours that selling the home you live in (currently tax free gains) might start to fall under a revised Capital Gains Tax regime....wait and see.

[jeff oakley]

We know we will somehow have to pay for this pandemic and it as sure as hell will be those who have something to tax that will have to do it. 

 

On the pension, I do feel that needs revisiting when you look at other issues and as I approach a pension yes I want as much as I can and with UK pensions being one of the lowest in the EU that is never going to sit well.

 

Taxing your home when you sell it will be political suicide as it affects everyone who is a home owner left or right. I suspect they will hit people more with buy to let or private pensions. Take away the tax free lump sum would make a huge difference short term but would decimate the pension industry.

 

What we need is more jobs in the UK across the spectrum so we have a larger tax take from a larger proportion instead of it falling on fewer and fewer. 

 

I am sure there is a lot of people better at economics than I and I have never complained about paying my tax as others in my family who did not do so well benefit as do genuine people who need a hand up. I object to waste where there is no real reasoning behind the decision to spend our money. 

[Steve (sdh2903)]

35 minutes ago, jeff oakley said:

What we need is more jobs in the UK across the spectrum so we have a larger tax take from a larger proportion instead of it falling on fewer and fewer. 

 

Solution is we need to start making 'stuff' again. The sheer amount of supplies we are having to bring in from China and other places throughout the pandemic illustrates this perfectly. But to do this we'd need to ween everyone off cheap imported stuff (tax it?). 

 

Simplistic view I know but with the B word looming we need to be more self sufficient. The economy would only grow if we did. 

[jeff oakley]

1 hour ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

 

Solution is we need to start making 'stuff' again. The sheer amount of supplies we are having to bring in from China and other places throughout the pandemic illustrates this perfectly. But to do this we'd need to ween everyone off cheap imported stuff (tax it?). 

 

Simplistic view I know but with the B word looming we need to be more self sufficient. The economy would only grow if we did. 

You are correct Steve but we the consumer have to take the initiative. I try to buy British but as you say so much is made in China component wise that it is hard.

We have in our family two BMW minis, had MG before. British appliances and I just bought a new Triumph bike, which is still a British company with two factories in the UK and four around the world. 

 

Again simple things like call centres, we have people here that can do the work and yet so many companies in the past shipped jobs over there when it was cheap to do it, even the NHS has some back room functions done in India, why?  many companies are bringing those jobs back already as consumers have demanded that. BT are bringing everything back to the UK as an example.

 

We need to take into account the cost of unemployment on society not just monetary, mental health etc. How many of the young who have jumped on the current bandwagons would do so if they had a stake in society with money and some self worth.

 

Japan and the US have set funds aside to bring jobs back from China not only for the economics but also security of supply. The pandemic has shown how woefully prepared all countries was and the reliance on China exposed. We should do the same not in an isolistical way as we can never stop trading with the world but a practical way.

 

Above all we need more young to value education and hard work, the chance of becoming rich as a grime star or footballer are slim for most yet, with the right schooling and direction most can do well and achieve abilities in areas where we need skills. We also need to stop so many feeling they must go to university when again for many skills like electronics, computers, building skills all pay good money and are in need.

 

[Steve (sdh2903)]

Looks quite smart I think.

 

[jeff oakley]

I agree Steve but the BBC is still peddling that this cost £900k for the paint job. I think it looks befitting of the UK and certainly better than the grey before

[Alan France]

Wonder how much the MOD spent painting it grey?