Thursday 12 November 2015

BETTER TOGETHER POOLING AND SHARING JOB LOSSES

They told us that the only way to save jobs in HMRC, was to vote No. (An independent Scotland wouldn't, it seemed, have needed tax collectors???)
Cumbernauld HMRC with Jim, making sure that their jobs were safe.
Indeed, they even managed to get people from HMRC to stand outside with banners proclaiming their jobs were only safe within the pooling and sharing UKOK. Save our UK jobs! Vote NO, they pleaded with us!

You'll maybe find this a little hard to believe, but apparently they lied.

And the irony is that these job losses will be happening in a department that has just been slated by a Commons committee for gross incompetence, and customer services that would make Attila the Hun Enterprises look friendly and magnanimous. 

And why are they so inefficient? Well, because they have too much work and not enough staff.

Fifty per cent of calls to HMRC go unanswered  because there's no one to answer them, and no one seems to be available to deal with the thousands of tax dodgers' names given to them by the HSBC leaker.

You'd have thought that given Gideon is short of cash, that he has to take food our of kids' mouths, he might have though it worthwhile to get his hands on the billions that the super rich have been salting away in Switzerland.
Chris and Stewart with union representatives
outside the Dundee Office
Somewhere between one and two thousand jobs will be lost in Scotland, including the closure of the offices in, yes, you guessed it, Cumbernauld. My home town of Dundee will also suffer substantial job losses.

So maybe Jim, who in fairness lost his own job following the great Pooling and Sharing, and who is now working as a conflict resolution consultant, can pop back from wherever he's creating chaos and disharmony at the moment and explain just how these UK jobs in Cumbernauld were served best by pooling and sharing within the UK. He might try resolving the conflict that he caused by advising these staff members that voting NO would save their jobs.

Good luck with that Spud.

37 comments:

  1. All the UKOK lies, are being exposed for what they were; lies.
    'Twas all done to ensure the two "main" parties hegemony in Westminster, and sod all to do with democracy in Scotland.
    They are going to rape Scotland, as we warned; though now they're not even trying to hide it.

    They should have kept some of their promises, to our nation; thus keeping their powder dry for the next referendum. They have used all their scare tactics, which were all lies and preplanned actions to be executed, all in the name of austerity.

    Next time we shall win, they have nothing left. We still have, hope in a better future, faith in ourselves and the truth on our side. And it's bugger all to do with the sodding oil price.

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    1. And then the Evil Tories told the Gullible Labour that they were binging in EVEL and that any aspirations of a Labour government in the UK were all pie in the sky dreams...

      Labour and the Tories dumped on the Scots, and the Tories dumped on Labour.

      Got to hand it to the Tories. All these expensive qualifications bring results.

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  2. I can just see Broon the Loon now leading the conga line down the road!

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  3. stirrers you know who you are


    So now the snp will with the power to raise taxes save those from
    unemployment by creating a Scottish tax raising department.
    Er maybe not better to have some Scots suffering just so the snp and you lot
    can point at them and say thats what the English have dun !

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    1. "Er maybe not better to have some Scots suffering just so the snp and you lot can point at them and say thats what the English have dun !"

      I'd prefer what the Tories have done Niko.

      Not all MPs are Tories. Not all Tory MPs are English.

      Just the huge fucking majority.

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    2. Well, if Labour hadn't voted against it, we might have been able to help the working poor with tax credits, like even Gordon Brown wants us to be able to do and like Kezia wants us to be able to do. Now of course we would have to risk that the money we give them will be taxed.

      I take no joy at these redundancies. I just say that perhaps it would have been prudent for Murphy not to believe everything that the Tories told him... and sell us the package that jobs were safe and there would be no cuts in Scotland.

      These folk have been let down.

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    3. If we were independent, we would have our own tax offices. Under the new "powers" all tax bands are raised at the same rate, across the board. Thus hurting the low- waged proportionately more. Thanks to Labour and the other Tories, stitching up the Smith commission etc, for short term political advantage.

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    4. It's VERY short term gain.

      But I'm glad you confirmed that. I read that if you wanted to increase the tax on the top people by 5p, you had to put up tax on the ordinary people by 5p. I don't see it being mentioned elsewhere.

      I wonder if Dugdale is proposing that we do that to fund her scheme for supporting the working tax credit gap?

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    5. Niko, I would have thought better of you than that, though why I have no idea. The pity is that the Unions took the Labour way and that has resulted in this. Engand gets the jobs we get shafted, sadly it was ever thus, the worst thing about this is it would not have happened with Independence because each and every job would have been needed.

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    6. Jobs to be lost in Wales too.

      But as Boris said, the best way to make the country rich is to create jobs in Croydon.

      So... as the Glasgow lads on the video said; Embrace it...

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  4. While I've never worked at HMRC, let's say I have the experience to make an educated comment (unusual I know!).

    HMRC have been making cuts for some time, but have managed to keep it under the radar.
    Other government departments are short-staffed, and along with a wages freeze, many of them are losing highly experienced and dedicated personnel to the private sector.

    This "reorganisation" only has one positive note - the changes are being implemented over a relatively long time scale, unheard of in my experience. But being cynical, this is in itself a saving as some staff will reach retirement age and others will move onto other jobs, thus reducing the redundancy bill.

    While in principle centralising some services can make sense, the problem is that many experienced staff - those who HMRC rely on - may not or be unwilling to relocate.

    There will be problems. Productivity may remain stable, but efficiency certainly will not. It is no good hitting a target to process x number of tax returns in a given time period, when those processing are ill-equipped to deal with them properly. Mistakes will be made. That causes additional work to be carried out, and will soon snowball. Add stress-related illness and then the processing at HMRC starts falling apart. And in will come the consultancies and the cost of employing them will blow any savings out of the water.

    Osbourne is going too far with his cuts. No one can argue that savings have to be made, but there appears to be an air of desperation to cut anywhere he can.

    zog

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    1. I've had experience of being on the receiving end of their inefficiencies.

      And trying to get them to do anything is nightmarish. It takes forever to get through. They promise to do something and you leave them only to have to phone back next month to find that no one has actioned anything.

      They are short of staff... probably short of good ones who are sick of them. It's certainly what happened in other government departments or agencies (Jobcentre Plus for example). All the good ones have gone. They are left largely with totally untrained staff.

      And the UK tax system is supposedly the most complex in the world.

      Yes. They may need to cut some stuff, but why is it always the little people they hurt.

      Why are the Saxe Cobergs still living in Buck House, Windsor Castle, St James's Kensington and Clarence House?

      Surely one palace in England and one in Scotland would be enough for them?

      And how can we possibly afford 20 billion for a new parliament?

      Not to mention another war?

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    2. I would love to see the Scottish Parliament making an example - get rid of the subsidised food and drink. MSPs get paid more than enough, and their expenses are about to jump, as they will be allowed to employ 3 staff rather than 2 for the constituency offices.

      I accept and support that both FM and PM have official residences. That is an essential part of politics, and necessary in diplomatic and business negotiations. But let;s start making savings that make our politicians understand a little of what we are going through.

      Quick one on HMRC tax credits - been told that someone waited 10 weeks for a decision on an appeal. No wonder HMRC staff have been given advice on suicidal callers.

      I think the Royals should be reformed in a similar fashion to the Dutch. Open up the royal palaces for tourism, as they really do pull in a lot of income, but get rid of a lot of the hanger-ons, especially those who take the occasional break from holidaying to do a little bit of work.

      zog

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    3. Agreed on the subsidies restaurants etc. Scotland should show a lead. bring sandwiches.

      The royals should only be the immediate family. Queen and Edinburgh, Charlie and his wife; William and his wife and Harry.

      The rest of them can go and live in their private homes and stop getting any money from us.

      As for the idiot princesses who holiday. Cut them off. Not another penny.

      This is such an insult to people who are sanctioned for being 2 mins late at the jobcentre.

      So now that's 2 government departments that are getting suicide training.

      What does that say about this country?

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    4. OK and Hello magazine style targeting of the 'young' Royals 'get' a huge female chunk of people for free. Wee babies [aw] help too.

      Something the SNP cannot counter like for like.

      Thank fuck.

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    5. True Conan. For anyone who actually believes in the dignity of royalty, it must be a right slap in the face.

      The two Airmiles kids get the same sort of attention as Jordan, or Paris Hilton, teh Kardashians or anyone elsse that would go on"I'm a celebrity ( well sorta) Get me out of here."

      Same with William and his wife, and Harry.

      The rest seem to live off us into their dotages, when other people are living on a retirement pension of £114 a week.

      I don't see Princess Alexandra or the Duke of Gloucester doing that!

      And the buggers live forever.

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  5. Must admit to being a bit surprised to find a republican wishing to retain some members of the Royal Family! Why?

    As for HMRC I suspect that those civil service job losses are just the tip of the iceberg. Why would the Tories give a toss about Scottish job losses when it is not going to make a scrap of difference to their few remaining voters in Scotland? I can't imagine that low-wage clerical officers are Tory supporters unless things have changed dramatically since I worked for the Civil Service Unions.

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    1. Well, of course I don't, John.

      The whole concept of royalty belongs in another world...one of fairy tales and castles, and handsome princes freed from lives as frogs by the kiss of a beautiful princess.

      (As the Saxe Coberg Gotha lot don't have anything vaguely approaching beautiful princesses or handsome princes, they fall short of even that).

      But I'm practical. The press sell them as celebrities. It's all William, Kate and Harry now. No one is interested in the Duke of Kent or prince Michael. They don't have Hollywood allure. So like the rest of the C list celebrities that populate the magazines and tabloids, the younger ones will go on being popular with the people that read that bilge.

      We just have to tolerate them I suppose and hope that when the queen dies Charlie will make a complete mess of it and hack everyone off.

      But if I had my way they would all be shipped out to Australia, and they could pay for them.

      I agree about the job losses. The Tories haven't anything to lose here, well except Fluffy Muddle, and he is to loss, what Edward is to handsome prince!

      They have no reason at all not to hurt Scotland.

      I think that they must still be confident that the bad weather will keep us form protesting too loudly.

      And the more they ruin our jobs, the more that they will be able to tell us we are a basket case and unlike any other country in the world we couldn't possibly manage without them.

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  6. Is it just me, or is anyone else struggling to have any sympathy with these terminally stupid people?
    In the run up to the referendum they were happy to think only of themselves, and their jobs, and hold up their pathetic placards, and pose with Jim and assorted chancers.
    Now they are wanting our support because their imperial masters have jettisoned them.
    Nae luck pal.

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    1. The thing is Colin, that we aren't sure that that is what they thought. I mean out of the 1400 who worked/work there, there seem to be fewer than ten posing with Jim. And actually, the clothes they are wearing suggest that either it was taken on a Saturday, or maybe none of them is an HMRC employee. Rather they are Jim's touring fanatics.

      But I tend to go with the Glasgow lad who was filmed the day after saying... "Embrace it. Whatever horrible measures the Tories throw at you, embrace it, becasue you voted for it."

      And this is one of them. Jobs going in Scotland and Wales, being recreated in London.

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    2. @Colin

      From what I have read these are Better Together paid activists as most of them had never been to Cumbernald before and it was a Yes area.

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    3. I suspected they might have been. At one point I could have recognised a good few of Murphy's fellow travellers. Now happily I've forgotten what they look like.

      Delete
  7. Off topic afraid but very angry about British forces being deployed in Syria without democratic approval.
    What are British drones doing attacking people in Syria?
    Pretty sure British special forces are also involved.
    Self defence is the claimed justification.
    Right!

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    1. Assuming you are referring to Jihadi John? Well, he bloody well deserved it. I don't agree with air strikes in Syria in general, and Blair needs to be held to account for being a major factor in these problems, but in this case I support the action. Corbyn is wittering on about bringing these people to justice. Perhaps he could explain just how he would achieve that.

      Or are you happy for them to carry on killing and maiming?

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    2. The point is that military action is being taken against the express decision taken by parliament.
      If Cameron and friends are so sure of their case,why don't they return to parliament and make their case.
      What we are seeing is just the usual propaganda ratcheting up so that the English PM can back up his masters in Washington without being accused of "war crimes".
      The people they killed may have been despicable human beings but without the rule of law,we are no better than them.

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    3. Have to say I'm not particularly clued up about this as I've managed to avoid the "news" all day, but basically I agree Bringiton.

      In my opinion, based on little evidence I reckon, anyone who thinks jihadi john is anything but a worthless piece of sh*t is mad. Far as i can see he's guilty as sin and proud of it.

      OK. You can say he doesn't deserve a trial, because of the filthy things he has (supposedly?) done, and many may agree with that. Maybe it's saved us a lot of bother just killing him.

      What worries me is that today it's jihadi john, tomorrow someone a little less self evidently guilty, then it's someone who may or may not have been around at the time a crime was committed.

      I just think we should do the due process thing. Because ten years down the line they will be be offing people who committed ordinary crimes as a way of saving the public purse... so they can buy another helicopter for William. And if we can simply kill people who have offended our laws, in someone else's country, we mustn't complain if someone uses a drone to kill Blair, or Straw, or and of the other lowflife that have ordered murders and torture... Loathe them though I do, I want to see them in the Hague, not splattered across a London street.

      In fact bringiton, as I understand it, the pm can go to war with the agreement of the privy council (quorum three, so him and two of his slavering idiot ministers gagging for a seat in the lords, or him and Blair and Straw, a couple of old warmongers). It's rather a new thing that they bother asking parliament at all.

      Another antiquated piece of Brit history that needs abolishing.

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    4. Yup,feudalism rules....UKOK

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    5. Would people to prefer to wait a few years in the off chance he will be caught? Tris, it's not just our laws the bastard broke, it was international law. It was moral laws as well. Blair we can stick on trial, if our politicians had any balls to do so.

      Yes, I'd rather he was caught and stuck in a cage for life. But he stuck his head out too far and got spotted. I'll bet the Russians are involved as well.

      And given the tragic events in Paris tonight, there's going to be a lot more activity,

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    6. It wouldn't have been an off chance of course if we knew exactly where he was Anon.

      I couldn't care less what happened to him. I just don't like the idea that Cameron thinks he can go around executing people. He's barely the kind of man I'd leave to make a decision about tea or coffee never mind a judgement on whether someone should live or die.

      And I'm not sure how far his new found powers will be taken. I don't want him thinking he can just execute anyone who breaks his laws.

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    7. But I agree. After tonight god knows what will happen in France.

      I have so many friends in Paris. I'm trying to get in touch by email or text.



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    8. The British Establishment have been murdering folk since time immemorial it is how they have survived so long.

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    9. Aye well, that's certainly true.

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  8. Same story in Wales - all tax offices to close (including one at Porthmadog providing service in Welsh) and centralisation in Cardiff and Liverpool. Zero consultation with our own Assembly, just arrogance.

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  9. Hi Dafydd. I hope that folk in Croydon find learning Welsh easy.

    As for Welsh people, they should demand that their tax affairs are dealt with in their own language adn they should be annoyed if there are insufficient staff to do it, specially in Croydon.

    Bloody better together... yes, but not for any of us.

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  10. Well I hope your generosity to the staff of HMRC is well founded. Personally I found in the run up to the referendum that it was mainly within the blue collar workers and sadly our senior citizens that the " I'm all right jack" attitude prevailed the most.
    This seemed to be backed up in post referendum analysis.
    Well they are hitting the blue collar workers now and pensioners with savings should start to worry. And I agree, you get what you vote for.

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    1. Ah,well... I'm only saying that I'm not sure that these were the staff. They may well be Murphy's mutts.

      I imagine that most of the tax office staff are relatively badly paid, though and as someone pointed out, Cumbernauld was a YES town.

      I agree braodly that Yes was more popular in the blue collar group, but i know a lot of lawyers, lecturers, doctors and top business people who were YES supporters.

      And my own personal experience of NO voters were that they were elderly and quite genuinely read the Daily Mail.


      :)

      You're right. Watch everything they said that would suffer in Scotland, suffer in UK.

      Embrace it, as the Glasgow lad said....

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