At some point during the past three years we've all heard the cliche that there's "no money left". Obviously there is - there's never no money left or else the country would grind to a complete halt - but the phrase has become accepted wisdom due in large part to the success of the government in popularising the idea.
At some point during the past three years we’ve all heard the cliche that there’s “no money left”. Obviously there is – there’s never no money left or else the country would grind to a complete halt – but the phrase has become accepted wisdom due in large part to the success of the government in popularising the idea.
Much like those “libertarians” who find themselves calling for censorship when there is a chance the BBC may play a song which might offend their sensibilities, the government’s austerity hawks are able to conjure up reams of cash when they happen to approve of where the money is being spent.
Margaret Thatcher’s funeral tomorrow is expected to cost around £10 million pounds.
Whether one agrees with that or not, it would indicate that there is (at least some) money left. Here are a few other things that £10 million might buy:
- 177,777 jobseekers’ allowance claims of £56.25 for one week
- Two years of foreign aid to Iraq
- 152 MPs’ salaries
- The upkeep and maintenance of England’s cathedrals for one year
- 1,999 students’ annual tuition fees
- 25,773 household electricity and water bills for one year
- Double the UK’s funding for global human rights projects on sexual violence against women and girls
- Pay for the monarchy for three months
- Double the funding designed to boost innovation in offshore wind turbines.
- 269 paramedics
- 322 nurses for one year on £31,095 each
- Buy two tonnes of European white truffles (£2,300 a pound)
- A mortgage on Dracula’s Castle in Romania (full value £86 million).
Source: Andrew Spooner: http://momentofcrisis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/thatchers-funeral-in-numbers.html
It’s interesting to note that the Taxpayers’ Alliance have been relatively silent about the cost of Lady Thatcher’s funeral on the public purse. I say relatively silent because Matthew Sinclair, the chief executive of the group, will be giving a speech.
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29 Responses to “Things you could do with £10 million”
Deri Jones
‘Yes’ you are against spending money on the funeral? Then, what’s your point?
How is this ‘propaganda’ worse than actually spending £10m superfluously?
Evan Price
The difference between the major parties over spending is, relatively speaking, tiny – unless you assume that Labour’s apparent opposition to every cut means that they would not cut anything if they were in power – contrary to what they began to do after the recession hit and before they were kicked out of office.
At the last election, despite the rhetoric, the difference was about £8 bn. The margin of error in Government expenditure that year was about £12 bn … yet the Conservatives are in some way beneath contempt for their plans?
Now, although I am a Conservative, I do not support some of the things that are being done. I shan’t go into that here – but the truth is that the ‘expenditure’ on the funeral probably includes things that are notional (such as wages for participants that would be paid even if they weren’t participating).
The reality is that if this funeral did not include any involvement of the public at all, then it would not release £10 million for other things … and so the list above is rather silly – and, in terms of rhetoric or polemic, rather old hat.
micklikeariot
my point is nothing to do with whether you should or shouldn’t spend money on a funeral. My point is how crap this article is. It implies that as we’re spending money on a funeral there obviously must be money so what’s the problem. It’s a dumb article.There is a problem – irrespective of this funeral. We have a huge debt problem – denying it or playing it down won’t help
micklikeariot
Good comment. I’m not a Labour or Tory supporter but what is pretty clear from their manifestos at the last election (as you rightly point out) is that they are both pro-cuts, pro-austerity. If you want something different you must look elsewhere.
tangentreality
Can’t you see the inherent irony in a Leftist blog protesting about public money being spent on something they don’t like? Now you know how Rightists feel. All the time.
Let’s put this into perspective, shall we? Lady Thatcher was Prime Minister for 11 years. She won 3 consecutive elections, and was the first female head of government in the UK, and in the Western world. She helped bring down the Soviet Union, ending the most murderous ideology in human history. These are, surely, accomplishments that are worth commemorating with a ceremonial funeral?
Obviously, there will always be a difference in opinion when it comes to some of her policies, but setting those aside, she’s still deserving of the funeral. I would argue that Tony Blair should receive the same honour. The fact that you’re trying to disregard her politically-neutral achievements shows that you’re the one being partisan.
Finally, even if the bill does go up to £10million (most of which is the cost of providing security, which wouldn’t be as high if certain hardline elements weren’t set on disrupting proceedings), that works out at about 16p per person, as a one-off expense. I think, in terms of reducing expenditure, we’ve got bigger fish to fry.