British workers 'among worst idlers', suggest Tory MPs

[FoxEye]

Totally believable. The armed forces are definitely a load of layabouts, me included \o/

Well, here's the thing. I do about 5 1/2 hours worth of work each day in 8 hours.

If they paid me more p.h. I'd happily do less hours, whilst getting the same amount of work done.

But "the law" is everybody works 8 hour days, and therefore most of us have at least 1+ hours idle time in a day. Actually more like 2+.

They also pay us peanuts, and pay by the hour.

It's not always a failing of the staff on the ground. It's also a failing of management, sticking rigidly to the "thou shalt work 40 hours a week" mantra and being unable to find more efficient ways of employing staff.

Btw, I work in the public sector (this will really cheese off the tories here!)

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Well, here's the thing. I do about 5 1/2 hours worth of work each day in 8 hours.

Is that because you only have 5 and a half hours of work to do, or are you just taking the employer for a ride?

 

[FoxEye]

Is that because you only have 5 and a half hours of work to do, or are you just taking the employer for a ride?

The first. I only have 5 and bit hours of work to do.

The nature of the job is such that in my down time it's hard to get anything useful done, since I'd be regularly interrupted by my actual assigned work.

So I'm routinely just browsing the net waiting for the next job to come in...

 

[Incinerat0r]

Quite a stupid article really

"Too many people in Britain prefer a lie-in to hard work," they argue.

No ****, given the choice of working and making someone rich or doing things for myself I know which I'd choose. One important thing I've been taught during my apprenticeship, I'm working to make someone else rich. Whats my incentive again?

"We must stop bailing out the reckless, avoiding all risk and rewarding laziness."

If we didn't live in such a nanny state with ridiculous amounts of law and health and safety we could do a bit more. The problem isn't the workforce, it's further up. We needed new lights put up in our toolroom, so the maintenance guy says okay get a skylift in but nope, got to write out risk assessments and fill in a load of paper work before it can be done.

 

[MrMoonX]

if I got paid a fair price for my labour I'd do a lot more, but that aint gonna happen as generally workers are used to make fat cats rich. I often wonder if anyone would notice if I turned up at all

Oh and these MPs are morons, britain has some of the longest working hours in europe

 

[Theophany]

what makes you say that?

your idea that 'the key is ever increasing amounts of debt.' is ridiculous tbh...

western capitalist economies don't necessarily need increasing debt

It isn't ridiculous at all.

People want to pay less tax but get more public services - the population are happiest when this is happening because they're oblivious to what it actually means.

Nobody needs increasing debt levels whether they're national or personal - but they make people feel better, they give higher levels of personal confidence and they continue to inflate the unfounded sense that an economy is doing well.

 

[Biohazard]

It isn't ridiculous at all.

People want to pay less tax but get more public services - the population are happiest when this is happening because they're oblivious to what it actually means.

Nobody needs increasing debt levels whether they're national or personal - but they make people feel better, they give higher levels of personal confidence and they continue to inflate the unfounded sense that an economy is doing well.

I don't think this belief in the simplicity of popular politics is actually true. I think by in large the majority of people know the score, even if they do not understand the larger picture they draw from their own life experiences.

Don't believe everything the newspapers, or Dolph and his followers, tell you about the public.

They may not be a match for what they clearly consider a superior and elite minority, but they manage in their day to day lives just as well and most people while appreciative of a bargain, expensive or good services are equally aware of the risks of deficits, spending beyond your means or just what the value of money is and what it equates to.

imo.

Of course what you say is true for some of course for some, but not all. Increase in personal debt can be contributed to reasons beyond personal discipline as well.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

if I got paid a fair price for my labour

I often wonder if anyone would notice if I turned up at all

You've just confirmed your labour isn't worth much at all.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

The first. I only have 5 and bit hours of work to do.

The nature of the job is such that in my down time it's hard to get anything useful done, since I'd be regularly interrupted by my actual assigned work.

So I'm routinely just browsing the net waiting for the next job to come in...

That's partly our fault - the claims culture (cliche). A lot is government regulation to protect ourselves, yes, but some of it is also because the employer needs to protect themselves.

 

[wnb]

The first. I only have 5 and bit hours of work to do.

The nature of the job is such that in my down time it's hard to get anything useful done, since I'd be regularly interrupted by my actual assigned work.

So I'm routinely just browsing the net waiting for the next job to come in...

My wife ia in the Cival Service, they allocated her work down south and then she expected to be made redundant. Never happened, she has spent the last 18 months doing her open uni course at work with about 1-5hrs of acutal work a week. She has planned a career change because of the way she had being treated and starts Uni in September.

She gets paid 30 hour week.

 

[alexakasloth]

"Too many people in Britain prefer a lie-in to hard work," they argue....

Well **** me, I can see now how they have become MP's, perhaps I should write to them to see if they would like to swap with me, a 'British worker' in a hot kitchen 50 hours a week.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Well **** me, I can see now how they have become MP's, perhaps I should write to them to see if they would like to swap with me, a 'British worker' in a hot kitchen 50 hours a week.

If you fancy at least doubling your hours (excluding travelling time between London and your constituency) and under much greater stress and generally intellectual demand, then why the hell not?

 

[Theophany]

I don't think this belief in the simplicity of popular politics is actually true. I think by in large the majority of people know the score, even if they do not understand the larger picture they draw from their own life experiences.

Don't believe everything the newspapers, or Dolph and his followers, tell you about the public.

They may not be a match for what they clearly consider a superior and elite minority, but they manage in their day to day lives just as well and most people while appreciative of a bargain, expensive or good services are equally aware of the risks of deficits, spending beyond your means or just what the value of money is and what it equates to.

imo.

Of course what you say is true for some of course for some, but not all. Increase in personal debt can be contributed to reasons beyond personal discipline as well.

Going by my back-of-a-fag-packet way of working things out...

If the people down my local boozer are anything to go by, the general public are alright as far as I can tell. They're not morons and they're nice people.

I'm not saying that there is a fundamental misunderstanding of economics or the system, but there is undeniably a feel good vibe when you're paying less tax and the government is providing you with better and more prolific services which are 'free' as in 'free at the point of receipt.'

Don't get me wrong, I'm not passing judgement on anybody's intellect, all I'm saying is that when things feel like they're going well and, more importantly, people tell us that we're doing well, you start to believe it - regardless of the underlying truth.

It's hard to deny that '97-'06 felt good (unless you were heavily invested in gold or equities) for the general public.

 

[Yamahahahahaha]

If you fancy at least doubling your hours and under much greater stress and generally intellectual demand, then why the hell not?

Politicians are not the type to be burdened by intellectual taxation.
Although I do agree with your broader point that politicians are quite poorly paid given their responsibilities.

 

[gothic_hobbit]

Politicians are so out of touch sitting in their ivory towers.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Politicians are so out of touch sitting in their ivory towers.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE POLITICIANS YOU KNOW PERSONALLY.

 

[alexakasloth]

If you fancy at least doubling your hours (excluding travelling time between London and your constituency) and under much greater stress and generally intellectual demand, then why the hell not?

A hundred + hour weeks? I'd like to know where you get those figures.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

A hundred + hour weeks? I'd like to know where you get those figures.

First hand observation.

However, if you don't like my anecdote, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13638310 - MPs report an average of 69 hours a week (excluding travelling time and 'extra curricular' MP activity)

 

[dowie]

It isn't ridiculous at all.

People want to pay less tax but get more public services - the population are happiest when this is happening because they're oblivious to what it actually means.

Nobody needs increasing debt levels whether they're national or personal - but they make people feel better, they give higher levels of personal confidence and they continue to inflate the unfounded sense that an economy is doing well.

He was talking about deficit reduction... I'm sure places like Germany, Canada etc.. the populations are happy too - capitalist economies can run on a surplus the debt doesn't have to increase year on year

 

[kwerk]

He was talking about deficit reduction... I'm sure places like Germany, Canada etc.. the populations are happy too - capitalist economies can run on a surplus the debt doesn't have to increase year on year

Then why run a surplus at all? The only time a country should run a surplus is during a war pr when their is a realistic chance of growth that can pay it back later in the good time. For example a bad drought and crop failure or the discovery of mineral deposits that require infrastructure building to exploit or something like that.

What they have been use debt for is to bring demand forward to overclock the current economy if you will. The are stealing demand from the future. That then inflates the economy. But the longer they put off paying it back the more new debt they need to keep it inflated. Eventually it suddenly reaches an exponential wall where they cant even service the debt.

Canada and germany are far from peaches and cream btw.

Then when you compound the private debt on top and realize the tax money they relying on from this inflated economy... Its very precarious.