Wasted public money and Rachel Reeves’s income tax hokey cokey | Letters
In discussion of the chancellor’s need to raise taxes and cut spending, there has been too little focus on making better use of current resources.Every day, money is wasted because fragmented public services continue to work in silos and are not organised around the needs of individuals, families and communities.Too little is spent on preventing problems and too much on responding to them.As ministers and officials, we promoted Total Place pilots in 2009-10.They showed that far better outcomes could be achieved for the same money when Whitehall allowed local service leaders to work with local communities across service and budget boundaries.
Place-based budgets should once again be put at the centre of public service reform.Michael Bichard Former permanent secretary, Department for EducationJohn Denham Secretary of state for communities and local government 2009-10Liam Byrne MP Chief secretary to the Treasury 2009-10Helen Bailey Director of public service, HM Treasury 2008-11 Demos research shows that an increase in income tax is not only necessary to get the public finances out of the mess, but could avoid broad public opposition if delivered alongside pragmatic taxes on wealth.And reforms to level the playing field like the partnership tax announced this month enjoy voter support from across the political spectrum.It’s the lack of a positive vision that lets this government down.The public won’t get behind tax rises if the government is hesitant to make the case for them.
Your editorial (11 November) rightly urged the chancellor to stop digging holes and lay the foundation for a different politics.This budget offers an opportunity to change the narrative in Britain.Offer the public a new deal between citizen and state, founded on fairness, mutual contribution and a concrete promise on delivery.Dan GossResearcher in economic policy, Demos You report (14 November) that Rachel Reeves is no longer going to raise income tax rates.She should go on Strictly Come Dancing, as she’d do a mean hokey cokey!Jol MiskinSheffield Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Scott Boland seeks to inspire next generation as Indigenous history beckons in Ashes opener
Scott Boland expects Brendan Doggett to help inspire a new generation of Indigenous cricketers, as a slice of history beckons for the duo when the Australia XI is named for the Ashes opener in Perth.The fast bowlers are on the verge of shattering the glass ceiling and becoming the first pair of Indigenous cricketers to be included in the same Australia side as spots open up with Josh Hazlewood joining injured captain Pat Cummins on the sidelines.Only two of Australia’s 471 men’s Test players are Indigenous – former fast bowler Jason Gillespie and Boland – with Doggett poised to join the all-too exclusive club.Boland backed Doggett – whose Indigenous heritage traces back on his mother’s side to the Worimi people from around Newcastle – to make an impact on more than just the Ashes if he is selected to face England in the first Test starting on 21 November.“Hopefully Brendan does get the nod and that happens,” Boland said on Monday about the prospect of two Indigenous players being selected in the same Australia side
Mind guru Gilbert Enoka: ‘England are about to go to war, and I want to be in the trench with them’
“We’ve got a smooth lake at the moment,” Gilbert Enoka says, relaxing in the bar of England’s team hotel in Perth a few days before the battle for the Ashes gets under way. “But the series is going to start and then there’s going to be really, really choppy water in terms of what we actually have to sail. All I want is to help the guys develop structures that can help them be reliable when those waves come.”Enoka is the mental skills coach most famous for instigating a “no dickheads” policy during his 21 years in the All Blacks dressing room, and a man whose path to the pinnacle of team sport is as remarkable as the impact he has had since getting there. He spent much of his childhood in an orphanage before moving back in with his mother, who had settled with a new partner Enoka describes as “alcoholic, dysfunctional”
Anthony Joshua will ‘break internet over Jake Paul’s face’ as fight is confirmed
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will face each other in a heavyweight fight in Miami on 19 December, it has been confirmed.Rumours of the fight between Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, and Joshua, the British former heavyweight champion of the world, had been trailed earlier this month and Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, confirmed the news on Monday. The fight will be shown live on Netflix.“This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” said Paul
Australia target Joe Root as the England batter to ‘take down’ on eve of Ashes
Scott Boland has flagged Joe Root as the England batter to “take down” this Ashes series as Pat Cummins stepped up his return from a back injury with an encouraging net session at Perth Stadium.England were handed a day off on Monday after their warm-up fixture at Lilac Hill, as Australia’s players began their preparations after flying in 24 hours earlier. A green-tinged pitch was being watered out in the middle as temperatures hit 33C inside the ground.Boland, scourge of England on their previous tour here four years ago, was already the seamer chosen to replace Cummins in the Australian XI, with a further hamstring injury to Josh Hazlewood likely to result in South Australia’s Brendan Doggett being handed a debut this week.Asked about the tourist he was targeting, the soft-spoken Boland plumped for the obvious answer
England to launch first Nations Championship campaign with visit to South Africa
England will begin their inaugural Nations Championship campaign next summer by travelling to South Africa to lock horns with the two-times defending world champions.As revealed by the Guardian in June, Steve Borthwick’s side, who are not playing the Springboks this autumn, also face fixtures against Fiji and Argentina next summer.England last toured South Africa in 2018 and next year’s clash – likely to be at Ellis Park in Johannesburg – will be only the second meeting between the two sides since the 2023 World Cup semi-final.The game with Fiji is also set to take place in South Africa in an attempt to minimise travel, as per tournament protocols. Fiji had wanted to play the match in Europe, either in France or at Twickenham, but the expectation is England’s first two matches will be in South Africa before they return to Argentina, having played two Tests there last summer
Déjà boo: Sam Darnold didn’t think he’d see ghosts on the field again. Then he faced the Rams
The Seahawks quarterback has looked like an MVP this season. But his old failings returned in Los Angeles on SundayThe biggest game of Week 11 was undoubtedly the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams came in with 7-2 records, and were seemingly evenly matched on both sides of the ball, with dynamic offenses and stingy defenses. In the end, it was a defensive battle that the Rams won, 21-19, by the skin of their teeth.Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who had played at a near-MVP level this season for the most part, did absolutely nothing to help his team – and plenty to hurt them
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