I'm not happy with either the Coalition or Labour proposals on long-term care for the elderly.
This needs to be free at the point of delivery for everyone who needs it, either in a claimant's own home or in good-quality residential homes for the elderly.
There is no point in saying this is unaffordable - it is the will of the majority (as you can prove for yourself by just carrying out a poll of the options) and so the government must MAKE it affordable.
Having any kind of charge, even one that is "capped", will just lead to subsequent increases and qualifications so that it becomes as unfair as the present system.
Social welfare (NHS, unemployment benefits, as well as long-term care for the elderly etc) needs to be funded entirely by National Insurance, and when the costs go up National Insurance should be increased to pay for it. This was the original concept in the wartime plans and post-war implementation of the welfare state. Unfortunately both the Conservative government of Macmillan and the first government of Harold Wilson funked increasing National Insurance for short term political reasons (now long forgotten).
The result is that National Insurance has become just a meaningless extension of general taxation. Right-wing politicians (all parties) attack the welfare state on the general libertarian premise that "taxation is theft". Labour politicians manipulate and corrupt the system to buy votes, particularly bloc votes from immigrant communities who have no right to welfare assets they have not paid for.
And yet the popular will is for long-term care for the elderly free at the point of delivery (and if it were paid for by a hypothecated tax the funding would not be controversial, unlike the present system of general taxation where it all goes into a big pot and we are told "trust us, we are politicians, we will spend the money wisely on your behalf").
Unfortunately the politicians are so stupid they cannot see what a vote-winner this would be.
This needs to be free at the point of delivery for everyone who needs it, either in a claimant's own home or in good-quality residential homes for the elderly.
There is no point in saying this is unaffordable - it is the will of the majority (as you can prove for yourself by just carrying out a poll of the options) and so the government must MAKE it affordable.
Having any kind of charge, even one that is "capped", will just lead to subsequent increases and qualifications so that it becomes as unfair as the present system.
Social welfare (NHS, unemployment benefits, as well as long-term care for the elderly etc) needs to be funded entirely by National Insurance, and when the costs go up National Insurance should be increased to pay for it. This was the original concept in the wartime plans and post-war implementation of the welfare state. Unfortunately both the Conservative government of Macmillan and the first government of Harold Wilson funked increasing National Insurance for short term political reasons (now long forgotten).
The result is that National Insurance has become just a meaningless extension of general taxation. Right-wing politicians (all parties) attack the welfare state on the general libertarian premise that "taxation is theft". Labour politicians manipulate and corrupt the system to buy votes, particularly bloc votes from immigrant communities who have no right to welfare assets they have not paid for.
And yet the popular will is for long-term care for the elderly free at the point of delivery (and if it were paid for by a hypothecated tax the funding would not be controversial, unlike the present system of general taxation where it all goes into a big pot and we are told "trust us, we are politicians, we will spend the money wisely on your behalf").
Unfortunately the politicians are so stupid they cannot see what a vote-winner this would be.
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