Where is the UK headed?

[janvanvurpa]

Forget the few lazy sods cheating the system. They amount to peanuts against bonuses for the managers of bailed out businesses, tax fraudsters, money launderers... How many of these are immigrants, I wonder

Not able to comment on the details of England's system but we know they "the financial sector" has never been more entrenched, and more profitable than in recent years....In that respect England mimics America...
And as an example of what you say above we just voted in mid-term elections.
2 of the things we had to vote on were to float bonds to pay for the local school system---because for 3 years our REPUBLICAN controlled State legislature has been "unable" to write a budget to allocate funds which by law they must--and are in fact been judged in contempt of the Supreme Court of the State..

3 years..no mandatory budget for schools...

But it took these lackeys just 3 days to put together and pass a $9,000,000,000 tax "deferal"---a gift---for Boeing (who has nearly abandoned manufactring things in this state (sure they still assemble aircraft....but they don't MAKE a lot of the things they assemble here)

Boeing CEO somehow has to struggle along on just:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...soars/6425487/

Boeing CEO James McNerney's 2013 compensation soared in 2013.
McNerney's pay was up 9.4% to $23.2 million from about $21.2 million in 2012. But his overall compensation jumped 66% on a $24.2 million gain from restricted shares that vested and from previously awarded stock options McNerney cashed in, Boeing said Friday in its annual proxy. McNerney gained about $7.3 million from vested shares and exercised stock options in 2012.
McNerney's $1.9 million salary, $3.7 million stock award and $3.7 million stock option grant were virtually unchanged from 2012. His annual incentive bonus grew 19% to $12.8 million.
Boeing valued McNerney's perks at $885,000, including:
$305,000 for personal use of corporate aircraft,
$51,700 for ground transport
and nearly $44,000 for tax preparation and planning services.

And pooor ol Boeing is really in need of that 9 billion tax break:

The commercial and military aircraft giant delivered a record 648 airliners last year and had massive backlog order for 1,355 more.

But really I shouldn't complain, giving Boeing a 9 billion dollar break only costs each man, woman and child in this state just $1304....chicken feed to the CEO