£22bn Track & Trace

Its a joke of a number, I know a few people working at home on track and trace and they have all said the system is a joke. Some people being paid for weeks despite not having logins from Serco. Literally getting paid to do nothing. Issue is Serco subbie all their work out and then can't manage it properly, plus the actual system itself is absolute crap.

The T and T workers themselves are paid around 19k a year, they work 5/6 days a week and they have just begun laying staff off. It is impossible that this has cost the numbers being spent. This is yhe most crooked deal i have witnessed in UK politics in a long long time.

imagine if this money had been invested in the North East. The infrastructure and jobs that it could have created. It could have been spent ensuring the NHS has what it needs to run as it should. It could have eased the financial pain of millions of families during lockdown.

They are soulless hourders of wealth and power, constantly looking for new ways to siphon off public money into private hands. The Tories are good with "the economy" is a myth, proper scrutiny of the UKs economic and political history makes that clear. Is been over a decade now of "Labour can't be trusted with the economy" rhetoric from the right and their mouthpieces on Fleet Street. (despite overseeing one of the most prosperous periods economically in our history prior to the financial crash). This has allowed them to literally empoverish families, child poverty rising, inequality rising, austerity for the poor and tax breaks for the rich.

We are a small c conservative nation predominantly, however, our inability to look beyond the sophistry and hold these crooks accountable after 10+ years of theft of public money and feeding all their donors from the public trough is troubling. What do politicians have to do to get voted out now? Are we that far gone we will just believe the headline in The Sun and vote accordingly?

We all need to be better at holding these people accountable and often the only way of doing that is in the booths. Don't be fooled again next time around, it will only make this country poorer.
 
JonnyHistory said:
Its a joke of a number, I know a few people working at home on track and trace and they have all said the system is a joke. Some people being paid for weeks despite not having logins from Serco. Literally getting paid to do nothing. Issue is Serco subbie all their work out and then can't manage it properly, plus the actual system itself is absolute crap.

The T and T workers themselves are paid around 19k a year, they work 5/6 days a week and they have just begun laying staff off. It is impossible that this has cost the numbers being spent. This is yhe most crooked deal i have witnessed in UK politics in a long long time.

imagine if this money had been invested in the North East. The infrastructure and jobs that it could have created. It could have been spent ensuring the NHS has what it needs to run as it should. It could have eased the financial pain of millions of families during lockdown.

They are soulless hourders of wealth and power, constantly looking for new ways to siphon off public money into private hands. The Tories are good with "the economy" is a myth, proper scrutiny of the UKs economic and political history makes that clear. Is been over a decade now of "Labour can't be trusted with the economy" rhetoric from the right and their mouthpieces on Fleet Street. (despite overseeing one of the most prosperous periods economically in our history prior to the financial crash). This has allowed them to literally empoverish families, child poverty rising, inequality rising, austerity for the poor and tax breaks for the rich.

We are a small c conservative nation predominantly, however, our inability to look beyond the sophistry and hold these crooks accountable after 10+ years of theft of public money and feeding all their donors from the public trough is troubling. What do politicians have to do to get voted out now? Are we that far gone we will just believe the headline in The Sun and vote accordingly?

We all need to be better at holding these people accountable and often the only way of doing that is in the booths. Don't be fooled again next time around, it will only make this country poorer.
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The numbers don't seem to add up. Does the figure include testing costs as well?
 
bear66 said:
The numbers don't seem to add up. Does the figure include testing costs as well?
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It could, I am not certain on that if I'm honest. Even if it did I still feel you'd be hard pressed to reach that figure.

Have SERCO ever actually delivered a decent service on any government contract? They are living proof the belief that the private sector is more efficient than the public is a myth.

Honestly though, I want to know what our money has been spent on here. Everything must be costed, we all need to demand to see those costings and have explanations as to every penny wasted. This happens to often for it to be a mistake in my opinion and the only way to stop it is to hold those accountable that are at fault.
 
JonnyHistory said:
It could, I am not certain on that if I'm honest. Even if it did I still feel you'd be hard pressed to reach that figure.

Have SERCO ever actually delivered a decent service on any government contract? They are living proof the belief that the private sector is more efficient than the public is a myth.

Honestly though, I want to know what our money has been spent on here. Everything must be costed, we all need to demand to see those costings and have explanations as to every penny wasted. This happens to often for it to be a mistake in my opinion and the only way to stop it is to hold those accountable that are at fault.
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It's presumably a costs + contract so the figures should be available.
 
Chris_Boro said:
It must do and to get close to £37 billion they would be charging around £400 per test if my early morning maths is worki
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There is huge wastage around the call handlers in this system alone. Its easy to derive a figure of 400 per test but that does not mean that the real cost. Additionally, this is a number of private companies working together on this managed by SERCO.

This means in real terms even if the profit margin for these contracted companies is 10% that's still 3.5 billion wasted of public money before we start.

Add in the inefficiencies I've seen and been told about on the call handling side we can safely assume more money wasted there although admittedly I wouldn't be able to put a figure on that. This is why scrutiny is important, simply saying oh its about 400 per person tells us nothing.

The tax payer has funded this con, the basic infrastructure was there and using the NHS (akin to how we have for the successful vaccine rollout) would have been more efficient, cheaper and presuming we gave the NHS the same figure, given them some much needed funding and resources during this pandemic.

This contract is theft of the public purse and another means of Tories paying private companies public money to under deliver, overspend, and pay themselves big dividends and walk away at the end.
 
JonnyHistory said:
There is huge wastage around the call handlers in this system alone. Its easy to derive a figure of 400 per test but that does not mean that the real cost. Additionally, this is a number of private companies working together on this managed by SERCO.

This means in real terms even if the profit margin for these contracted companies is 10% that's still 3.5 billion wasted of public money before we start.

Add in the inefficiencies I've seen and been told about on the call handling side we can safely assume more money wasted there although admittedly I wouldn't be able to put a figure on that. This is why scrutiny is important, simply saying oh its about 400 per person tells us nothing.

The tax payer has funded this con, the basic infrastructure was there and using the NHS (akin to how we have for the successful vaccine rollout) would have been more efficient, cheaper and presuming we gave the NHS the same figure, given them some much needed funding and resources during this pandemic.

This contract is theft of the public purse and another means of Tories paying private companies public money to under deliver, overspend, and pay themselves big dividends and walk away at the end.
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I agree, I see no reason for costs to be anything like the ridiculous figures mentioned, mass production of tests would be a fraction of the cost charged privately and that's around £120.

What is clear is a lot of managers/consultants working for Serco have had a good year.
 
Chris_Boro said:
I agree, I see no reason for costs to be anything like the ridiculous figures mentioned, mass production of tests would be a fraction of the cost charged privately and that's around £120.

What is clear is a lot of managers/consultants working for Serco have had a good year.
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I wonder how many MPs have shares in these companies too. I imagine there will be some nice dividends paid out this year.
 
All the above is true, you have not won extra vote. It's dull, un- interesting, yesterday. A lot don't know the difference between a billion and a million.

Ask 1000 people who Serco are, do you think 50 will?

I could get a Sunderland fan to win a Labour seat on this board, it's the Tory's vote we need.

In the end people will say we were first to the vacine and on our hols.
 
Same_as_before said:
All the above is true, you have not won extra vote. It's dull, un- interesting, yesterday. A lot don't know the difference between a billion and a million.

Ask 1000 people who Serco are, do you think 50 will?

I could get a Sunderland fan to win a Labour seat on this board, it's the Tory's vote we need.

In the end people will say we were first to the vacine and on our hols.
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What I don't understand is how the Tories convince normal working class people to vote for more poverty. Its the equivalent and paying your rapist, wages stagnate, "oh labour are bad with the economy", they push children into poverty, " labour are not to be trusted with the economy" ... Apparently adding more to the countries debt than all other governments in history combined = success. it is horrifying to see how easily manipulated and bought off most the electorate are.

Raising wages and living standards needs to be the front labour fight on in the next election, a minimum wage linked to inflation and productivity would be a good place to start. Higher living standards pay for themselves in the longterm. We need to be sold a long term vision with a clear end goal in mind instead of some pathetic slogan like "levelling up" which is not clearly just a thin cloak to disguise how they are rewarding mainly Tory areas with money that would be best spent elsewhere.

What do we want Britain to be? The oligarchy bleeding the public purse dry as we get poorer every year? Or do we want to build a better society where we are all able to have a humane existence?
Neither party seem to have something to sell right now, that's the sad thing, that being said it is impossible for any Labour government to do worse than the Tories who have been a failure for over a decade now judging them solely on their own metrics.

The state of politics is something that should unite both sides though, there is dross and careerists and grifters on both sides. Normal working people Left and right should be demanding accountability and voting these people out of our towns. Even if that means voting the other side or green or liberal. Vote for people who care about people, not their pockets and their party.
 
I like many are members of working men's club. Have a vote to increase the staff pay to £11 a hour, it would get a huge vote for. Then put the second vote to put the beer up by 20p to pay for it.

Bang goes the pay increase.

Putting rape in an argument is disgusting.

We need to win, we win by giving simple messages not by socialist dogma.
 
Chris_Boro said:
It must do and to get close to £37 billion they would be charging around £400 per test if my early morning maths is working.
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Musk reckons you could put a base on the moon for $2 billion. I'm much more likely to believe him than a Tory.
 
Same_as_before said:
I like many are members of working men's club. Have a vote to increase the staff pay to £11 a hour, it would get a huge vote for. Then put the second vote to put the beer up by 20p to pay for it.

Bang goes the pay increase.

Putting rape in an argument is disgusting.

We need to win, we win by giving simple messages not by socialist dogma.
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What's socialist or dogmatic about a higher minimum wage?

How would you describe how the the Tories have robbed the public purse. I think a rape of public finances would be a pretty accurate description to be honest. People are getting poorer every year, profits are not going down (pandemic aside in the case of smaller businesses in the main). People have died in their thousands because of their policies and actions prior and during Covid. Rape and murder are not to strong a term to describe that.

Economics does not work as simply as everything gets more expensive, lots of countries have high wages and tax brackets and the standards of living are better than the UK. That argument has been debunked over and over if you do a modicum of research on the subject you will be able to see that for yourself.

I have voted for three parties since the 90s I am not some diehard communist/socialist that you seem to think. Addressing the imbalance in society and economy is something we all should want. Constant help and cutsbfor the haves at the expense if the have nots. We can argue about how we get there, but that basic vision we should all share but is clearly not by those who make the decisions.
 
JonnyHistory said:
What's socialist or dogmatic about a higher minimum wage?

How would you describe how the the Tories have robbed the public purse. I think a rape of public finances would be a pretty accurate description to be honest. People are getting poorer every year, profits are not going down (pandemic aside in the case of smaller businesses in the main). People have died in their thousands because of their policies and actions prior and during Covid. Rape and murder are not to strong a term to describe that.

Economics does not work as simply as everything gets more expensive, lots of countries have high wages and tax brackets and the standards of living are better than the UK. That argument has been debunked over and over if you do a modicum of research on the subject you will be able to see that for yourself.

I have voted for three parties since the 90s I am not some diehard communist/socialist that you seem to think. Addressing the imbalance in society and economy is something we all should want. Constant help and cutsbfor the haves at the expense if the have nots. We can argue about how we get there, but that basic vision we should all share but is clearly not by those who make the decisions.
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I didn't suggest you were.

Here is my first poster.

Left hand side Serco £22 billion (see message below)

Right hand side a photo of a nurse in all PPI 1%
 
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There is plenty to go at isn‘t there?

I said Corbyns campaign 2019 was convoluted and poor.

He was much more focussed in 2017 and nearly won it despite the colossal media campaign against him and the Labour splits.

I agree it is all about clear simple messages and with the Tory shambles it’s all to play for at the next election.
 
Same_as_before said:
I didn't suggest you were.

Here is my first poster.

Left hand side Serco £22 billion

Right hand side a photo of a nurse in all PPI 1%
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Simply put there is a lot that needs to be addressed about our economy and priorities as a country and government. As you rightly said we need simple messages but meaningful ones that will make a difference. A increase in minimum wage will not solve the problems that are there but it will do two things. Firstly it will put more money in peoples pockets, and secondly it shows intent. Intent to help people and intent that their priority is to us and not whoever is funding the renovations to their temporary home.

What started with Reagan deregulating the stock market and cutting the top rate of tax in America, taxing social security to fund it and the neo liberal economic thinking that's grown since then, is now effectively creating a new generation of serfs. Beholden to our bosses and financially crippled enough to survive but not rock the boat because the alternative is abject poverty.
 
HolgateCorner said:
There is plenty to go at isn‘t there?

I said Corbyns campaign 2019 was convoluted and poor.

He was much more focussed in 2017 and nearly won it despite the colossal media campaign against him and the Labour splits.

I agree it is all about clear simple messages and with the Tory shambles it’s all to play for at the next election.
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I'd add fractured as well. The right unite at the crunch times, the left is always a tentative coalition of ideas. We need a united message and at least the impression of a united front on the key issues.
 
I have just read the NAO interim report on the £22 billion. It was the budgeted figure not the spend. By end of December £4.5billion had been spent of which 85% was on Testing.

The Tories will shred you lot apart, they will accuse you of lying through your teeth.
 
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It is allocated to be spent, the issue if have they spent it all now is irrelevant. No other country is spending these kinds of sums per capita on t and t.
 
JonnyHistory said:
I'd add fractured as well. The right unite at the crunch times, the left is always a tentative coalition of ideas. We need a united message and at least the impression of a united front on the key issues.
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I don’t think Labour should be frightened to stretch the truth a bit either to get their message across, Johnson has shown that really does not matter any more.

Take the Serco £22bn v Nurse 1%...

I would turn that into -

Track and trace failure CEO £22bn salary v Front Line Covid hero Nurse 1% rise

Rich business shareholders v poor essential worker

Ram the message home, the details don’t matter, ram it home as hard as you can, posters and adverts everywhere

And keep saying it day after day after day.....
 
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