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”
OldLb
SO lets see.
Phillpot has cost 4 million in welfare and service.
Then another 1-2 million for the trial.
We’re going to have to pay to jail him. Since he’s on the nonce’s ward, that 100K a year min. I hear that 3 guards have been assigned too him. Over 15 years, that’s a tidy penny. Then no doubt we will be expected to pay for his retirement.
So 1 funeral, 1 Philpot.
Since most of the policing cost is for the numpties dancing on Thatcher’s grave, perhaps they should be sent the bill.
OldLb
Cheaper than a 2.4 billion Olympics that cost 11 billion in the end.
Selohesra
Would be interested to see the statististics for proportion of income tax paid by ‘rightists’ as opposed to leftists – I bet those banging on abouit the cost here pay relatively little tax but are always keen to find ways to spend my large amounts of tax
jenb
£10 million would fund 5 more families to not work for 2 generations
jenb
the ones moaning about it will be public sector workers who’ve never been net taxpayers in their lives