Budget, deaths, bombs and other joyful themes
Budget: Been quite a week then. Budget was announced today – although in truth it had been trailed for so long there weren’t any real surprises. We do kind of get that the finances inherited by the current government were pretty dire but I do hope that today’s budget might at least move the narrative on a bit. First glance – it’s a little bit redistributive, comes with some investment plans, will have some extra costs for employers and targets more of the burden at the better off. So neither a surprise and won’t rock too many boats. The gamble for everyone of course is whether or not the stability offered helps creates the conditions whereby growth is achieved to an extent that ‘business’ doesn’t worry too much about the extra costs of National Insurance.
Can’t imagine that the extent of this budget is going to really lead to a flight of entrepreneurs – but wouldn’t mind too much if the bloke from Wetherspoons naffed off to Dubai with the twit from Pimlico Plumbers.
There were some obvious quirks of course – fuel duty frozen whilst bus fare subsidies reduced. I’m also pretty sure that the 2% efficiency savings target across all government departments is little more than pie in the sky.
The devil is always in the detail (and in the comprehensive spending reviews) – and more of that to follow.
Drug Related Deaths: the 2023 figures were published last week. Showed a depressingly predictable rise of 11% (for all drug poisonings) and around 15% for drug related deaths as more directly related to ‘treatment’ (un)met needs. As predictable were the announcements from across the sector – offering condolences, urging continued investment and regretting the loss of life in preventable circumstances. What was missing from nearly all the statements that I read was any real commitments to changing things – other than (welcome) calls for greater drug testing services to be available. The geographic discrepancies are stark, the rise in cocaine related death alarming and the rise of nitazenes etc bring unknown threats.
Those aged 40-49 remain most likely to die.
It strikes me that it is inconceivable that this cohort of people are ‘treatment naive’ – they will have been in and around our services for years. So it seems incumbent upon us all to think about re-engagement, real harm reduction and different opportunities for progress. Harm reduction that is discrete, valued and promoted in and of itself – not as ‘part of a recovery journey’. Whether that’s as free-standing provision or within integrated services – it’s what is needed.
Heroin Assisted Treatment, Safer Consumptions Rooms etc are all important – in the right places and at the right cost. But are not a silver bullet in and of themselves.
And of course people’s access to detox and residential rehab is vital – we still have far fewer people accessing these services than most comparable countries. This sector also has the iniquitous position whereby it has been starved of cash for years, something like 30% of provision has been lost, costs have been driven down, placements are routinely funded for a number of week rather than against the evidence base. And then we moan about limited choice for people.
Dangerous times – the world feels pretty unstable right now. The US election can’t come soon enough – as it seems really clear that the situation in the Middle East is going to continue to unfold as it has for the last 13 months until the Americans and Allies actually do something more tangible than ‘urging restraint’. Whatever one thinks of Netanyahu – he has been pretty clear what he is trying to achieve. Of course what happens next is then largely going to depend on whether he gets back in or not.
There’s an unmitigated disaster going on in Sudan, Russia are still in Ukraine and unconscionably in Afghanistan women’s rights to be educated or even talk audibly is outlawed.
And then at home Kemi Badenoch has promised to tone down her style of speech as she has been told others consider her rude and abrupt. Things that are only ever ever said about black people & women in positions of power.
Messed up.
Luckily Spurs continue to provide a comforting blanket of inconsistent Spursiness. Always reassuring.