Our clueless government should start by looking at our clueless public services like the Police and Councils

Rachel Reeves thinks the right way to sort the mess out is to take more from the working people and businesses that actually are the only reason the country functions when the exact opposite is what we need.

Many would not mind so much if the money was used wisely but all we've seen over decades is a sharp rise in costs and a sharp decline in the quality and levels of service. This same shocking decline, as technology and tools have improved beyond all recognition, shows right across all public services, environment, defence, immigration, education, health, energy, transport, water, you name it, it's broken.

But it is not lack of money that causes the problem, it is incompetence, waste, greed, protection and coverup. Throwing more money at the same organisations and people will only make matters worse.

Take for example the police. In the South, we have 2 Chief Constables suspended on full pay in Devon and Cornwall and yet another in Hampshire "retiring" while under investigation for gross misconduct. (Previous CC Martin Baker "retired" just as a complaint of mine was upheld against him, it's normal). And they have been temporarily replaced by James Vaughan (who has featured heavily in my investigtions about Dorset Police)  and Sam de Reya, who has worked alongside James Vaughan Here she is a few years ago misrepresenting "road safety" effectiveness of Dorset Police,  the resulting objection was of course covered up.

And while James Vaughan went onto a golden police pension at an absurd age of 53 (which for Chief Constables can be a lump sum of 1/2 £million and 100K+ per annum), under "retire and return", may be "abated" (or may not be), he is also now receiving a salary of £200K + car and accommodation!!

You can see about 20 articles here and many more following the links back demonstrating the shocking state of Dorset Police for much of JV's time as ACC from 2012 and Chief Constable from 2018. Here he is back in 2017 (perhaps fundamental to but certainly covering up) a fraudulent money making activity misrepresented to the public as a safety operation

He became Chief just as the shocking failures of the Gaia Pope case were emerging. Typically, Dorset Police stated that "those failings did not cause or contribute to her death" when in fact the Jury were disallowed to decide that, another classic case of protection, glossing over the facts and misleading the public.

Just as I have seen for decades, the police do not learn and Marta Elena was murdered with failure of the Police a significant factor a couple of years later.

"It is equally hard for us to understand why the English police did not make themselves fully aware of the danger Cole posed when he stayed at the Travelodge on that night. Our daughter paid with her life for lapses in the English prison and policing systems."

The fundamental problems in these cases (and others I know about) of corruption, dishonesty, dodging, protection and cover up resonate so strongly with everything I have seen in my investigations.

And yet the public (most of whom will never be able to choose to retire) are now scraping to pay the absurd pensions and salaries of people like James Vaughan at the top of oganisations like the police.

I don't like saying "I told you so" but I saw Dorset (and neighbouring forces) for what they are decades ago. The list of those who have prolonged and still do so it is still growing, it will now include, if they do nothing, Keir Starmer, and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson.

And now, the PCC of D&C, Alison Heranandez, who has behaved just as appallingly, seems to think JV will take D&C out of special measures.  Take a look at my 2020 Coverup of the year award to see the proof

Maybe I am picking on JV but although Dorset Police was what happened to trigger my interest and scrutiny, wherever I have looked in public service I have seen the same, I do not believe he is any worse than most other Chief Constables, Council Chief Executives, etc etc.

This is how councils constantly manage to burn what seems to be a factor of 10 more than what it should on projects many of which are utterly pointless or counter-productive:

Bumbling council who spent £5.5m on pedestrian crossing paintjob blasted by furious parents

Our council spent £1million on outdoor planter scheme

Council set to spend almost £500k on two new crossings

In the real world people who provide such appalling value for money would be thrown out immediately but in the police / council no one is fired, the money keeps coming in and the "mistakes" keep happening. And even though they can take the money regardless and keep pushing up costs, somehow councils are managing to go bust.

What I mention here is the tip of the iceberg. This country seems to reward people in inverse proportion to their quality and contribution. It is blindingly obvious that THIS is the reason everything is broken. I hope it is clear now why doing it even more will only make matters even worse.

These absurd rewards do not attract the best talent, they attract the very worst, and the message seems to be, if they get caught out, there is no penalty.

This appalling situation runs right through public service such as the NHS

And we have Ed Miliband crippling the country further with his ridiculous spend on solar cells etc without offering any analysis whatsoever that this is doing more good than harm. I wonder if he even knows that the average usable output of a solar cell in the UK due to cloud and darkness is about 10% of its maximum rating. Other "green" ambitions seem equally poorly justified and could easily do more harm than good all things properly considered. Blackouts? Just you wait until we are all forced to use electric cars and heat-pumps. Has anyone worked out that if 10% of the population of Bournemouth wanted to charge their cars overnight it would need a gigawatt?

I could go on and on but I think the message is clear (perhaps to all apart from those that need to listen)

So, Mr Starmer, Ms Reeves, how dare you take more money from hard working people without their consent to fix public services. You can throw all the money in the world at the police and other public service providers, it won't improve the service, it will just fuel more waste, greed and corruption.

Surely by now everyone must realise that the traditional political parties are long obsolete. Having the "privilege" to choose between these dinosaurs is not democracy. We need new people, new systems, and a complete reset for the core public services in this country. Run competently this country could be a world leader and the people could see the fruits of their labour with a fraction of the current public services costs. That does not seem to be the aim of current senior politicians.

Ian Belchamber