What Has The National Debt Been Spent On?

[Thunderchild]

I am confused - less confused than most as I know the difference between the much talked about deficit and the never talked about national debt.

While the ONS will show you that the deficit has gone down the debn was £1.2T in 2011 and is now £1.8T. So if the deficit is down how is the debt up? what has this money been spend on to not be included in the spending figures.

From what i remember as the ONS site does not go back far enough and i have not looked further the national debt when the conservative arrive was around £500B (which included rescuing the banks). So where has this money gone? how can so much debt be taken on without any explanation?

[teacake44]

Royal family. :0)

[CrapAtCryptics]

Debts back to the 2nd world war, interest, labour governmnts, bad management, incompetent chancellors overpaying for contacts weapons etc

[EDDIE51]

The main government spending is on Defence ! (Army Navy Airforce !!)
Followed by Benefits . (pensions , etc !)

[Thunderchild]

I don't think the royal family hold a candle to what the debt is.

[Thunderchild]

EDDIE51
You are missing the point. if the deficit is down how is there so much more debt?

[EDDIE51]

Following teacakes answer, The Royal Family is funded from 'The Civil List' ! A department of central government !
They actually make FAR FAR more in terms of tourist visitor & income than it costs us !

[davebro]

The deficit may be down but it's still a deficit so the Nat Debt increases - just a bit slower.

[Thunderchild]

yes but with 500B including baling the banks out we are at 1'800B, so when did the debt start? in 2000?

[Gromit]

The deficit is a planned over spend by the Government. So when the Conservatives came to office they planned to spend £152Billion more than we were raising through tax. So they borrow that money which goes onto the National Debt.
While through austerity the Government are reducing their over spend, they are still overspending. So since 2010 the Government have spent £956 Billion more than we have, and that is added to the National Debt.

https://www.economicshelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/uk-net-borrowing.png
(Worth comparing on the map todays borrowing with Blair/Brown’s borrowing previously)

It is spent on the usual things, military, NHS, benefits/pensions

[Thunderchild]

thank you, yes that adds up but it means that at those rates national debt is a recent thing.

[Gromit]

// national debt is a recent thing. //

Not really.
We have had a National Debt for centuries, usually because of costly wars. Governments of both colours like spending (other people’s) money, and surpluses like 1999-2002 are very rare.

[Gromit]

Footnote:
In 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, British government debt reached a peak of £1 billion (that was more than 200% of GDP).

[Canary42]

///They actually make FAR FAR more in terms of tourist visitor & income than it costs us !///

Prove it - the tourists come for the History, not the dysfunctional family. Other countries attract a greater tourist population than UK.

[Gromit]

Cost of the Royal Family

[ToraToraTora]

50% of it is spent on Scotland, the rest is our own WSS.

[ToraToraTora]

good to see gromit now owning up as a Labour man. usual carp, Tories yada yada, royal family yada yada!

[Thunderchild]

ToraToraTora, you are an idiot. Why is seeking the facts and explaining the facts make someone of the party you hate? oh yes you just spout lies. You don't care about the truth.

[ToraToraTora]

just gave you the facts 50% of our deficit is spent on Scotland. No one disputes that.

[Gromit]

// good to see gromit now owning up as a Labour man. usual carp, royal family yada yada! //

My post on the cost of the Royal Family is a video supporting them.
You need to calm down a bit Tora you are getting too exited. Lately you have been a bit of a buffoon.

[Gromit]

Exited (if only). Excited too