So basically the same as in other areas, investment in getting things right will be better for everyone in the long run, but might make it a bit harder right now, so no politician will commit to it because voters are incredibly shortsighted. So instead we get more and more cuts, very rarely in the right areas, and things end up worse for everyone but the elite in the end.
You might be right about short-sightedness. I read this article a couple days ago which talks about short-sighted cuts to the F-35 programme, which then add costs in the long run. For example:
A cost-saving move to delay by six years building infrastructure for the naval squadron that operates the F-35 jets means the cost for that construction will almost treble to £154m from £56m.
So basically the same as in other areas, investment in getting things right will be better for everyone in the long run, but might make it a bit harder right now, so no politician will commit to it because voters are incredibly shortsighted. So instead we get more and more cuts, very rarely in the right areas, and things end up worse for everyone but the elite in the end.
You might be right about short-sightedness. I read this article a couple days ago which talks about short-sighted cuts to the F-35 programme, which then add costs in the long run. For example: