| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. 22:58 - Mar 14 with 11454 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/14/blockers-checkers-bats-and-chai
'Starmer’s language has been praised by the rightwing Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a thinktank that was closely associated with Liz Truss.
Tom Clougherty, the executive director of the IEA, said: “Increasingly, the government is getting its rhetoric right. But its actions haven’t quite caught up. The British state is overloaded and that hurts both public services and the private sector. Changing structures might help, but ultimately government just needs to stop doing some things altogether.”
Starmer’s shift to using more robust language has increased in his eight months as prime minister. He said he would “build, baby, build” to meet his pledge on more housing, channelling Trump’s mantra of “drill, baby, drill”.'
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:30 - Mar 15 with 2018 views | DJR |
I posted the following Guardian comment on another thread.
"Re the NHS - to be honest it’s looking like the NHSE England discussion is a distraction. The real policy has been revealed in the HSJ - 50% cuts to the NHS as a whole via ICBs by this December, voluntary redundancy scheme to get rid of people, and THEN outsourcing of back office functions to the private sector.
This is privatisation, and by the Labour Party. Dodgy back room deals with the likes of Serco, Crapita, United Healthcare, maybe even dictated by Trump. Nobody voted for Labour to do this. This is an absolute betrayal of Labour voters and members, and a betrayal of the NHS. And anyway as we know full well in the NHS, outsourcing usually leads to worse performance and huge amounts of work in managing the contracts of errant private providers. And also, as per Grenfell, a lack of accountability and the public being shafted.
Waiting for the detail on policy in May, but it’s beginning to look like Streeting and Starmer are using the cover of the Labour Party to privatise swathes of the NHS and give these rapacious private sector outsourcing companies a few more billion in public contracts. Disgraceful." |  | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:41 - Mar 15 with 1998 views | nrb1985 |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:00 - Mar 15 by DJR |
I am still a Labour party man but am no longer a Labour party member because the Labour party isn't the Labour party anymore.
The fact is that the Labour government is doing things that many would absolutely condemn the Tories for.
And there are alternatives given the changed World situation. Indeed, Germany is going down this route.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/15/economists-urge-rachel-reeves-t
PPE at Oxford has a lot to answer for because they all end up thinking the same, and that thinking has led to little in the way of real growth since the great recession. [Post edited 15 Mar 8:10]
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Germany has SIGNIFICANTLY more headroom than us and a much lower debt to GDP ratio that means they can turn the fiscal taps on.
That's part of the reason they are in such a mess in fact - didn't borrow when rates were negative and are now financing much needed fiscal expansion with rates at 2.5-3% in the Eurozone. Not a particularly good example if you're suggesting we need to be more like them.
Comparing apples and oranges on that aspect. Albeit I have a lot of time for Blanchflower and what he says generally. [Post edited 15 Mar 8:44]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:46 - Mar 15 with 1973 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:30 - Mar 15 by DJR |
I posted the following Guardian comment on another thread.
"Re the NHS - to be honest it’s looking like the NHSE England discussion is a distraction. The real policy has been revealed in the HSJ - 50% cuts to the NHS as a whole via ICBs by this December, voluntary redundancy scheme to get rid of people, and THEN outsourcing of back office functions to the private sector.
This is privatisation, and by the Labour Party. Dodgy back room deals with the likes of Serco, Crapita, United Healthcare, maybe even dictated by Trump. Nobody voted for Labour to do this. This is an absolute betrayal of Labour voters and members, and a betrayal of the NHS. And anyway as we know full well in the NHS, outsourcing usually leads to worse performance and huge amounts of work in managing the contracts of errant private providers. And also, as per Grenfell, a lack of accountability and the public being shafted.
Waiting for the detail on policy in May, but it’s beginning to look like Streeting and Starmer are using the cover of the Labour Party to privatise swathes of the NHS and give these rapacious private sector outsourcing companies a few more billion in public contracts. Disgraceful." |
They are hiding in plain sight, the syphoning off of public funds to pay dividends will continue unabated. | |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:47 - Mar 15 with 1970 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 07:17 - Mar 15 by gtsb1966 |
Guardian cut & paste. Rinse & repeat  |
Any other thoughts GTSB other than your usual cut and paste personal dig? | |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:49 - Mar 15 with 1964 views | Churchman |
On the positive side, unlike the last mob, the current government doesn’t appear to be openly corrupt. They don’t have stick insect odious men leaving silly notes on desks and haven’t told people to do one thing and done the complete opposite (on the lash in no 10) and backing alien creatures travelling 100s of miles during lockdown.
I believe the government have one or two good people in ministerial jobs as opposed to the tories who had a few on the back benches. Labour are I think trying to do things but as has been pointed out are straightjacketed by the mess left by their predecessors whose policies were vindictive and self serving, Trump style. They don’t have a Liz Truss, Chris Grayling to represent stupidity or a Reece Mogg or Gove to represent rudeness and nastiness.
Free Gear Kier might be dull, but he’s not full of sht like call me Dave Cameron or I eat cheese from the fridge Johnson. Bozo’s On the negative side, Reeves looks out of her depth. Clueless. For example, Labour seem wedded to bits of their manifesto and not others. They also seem to be running through the blame book all a bit too lustily.
Blame the tories for everything forever. Fine, but sooner or later you are accountable. Pile into the people you think didn’t vote for you - pensioners, farmers, people who rent out (lessors) property. Bit unnecessary and counter productive. Tell people you’re the party for business and hammer business. They could have just increased income tax.
Blame the Civil Service. That’s more year three and just as stupid an assertion as ever it was. Go scuttling off around the world at every opportunity to look statesman like. Year four play, that one though to be fair, he’s had little choice with the world as it is.
Talking of that, UK doesn’t exist in a void. The world seems in turmoil too and that cannot be avoided. Does he have short term plans (try and avoid being hit by Trump for example) and long term plans (move away from US and closer to Europe and friendly countries equally threaten like Canada and Japan? Is there a strategy or is it todays firefight? Can Starmer make decisions beyond words?
Time will tell and it’s still too soon to form a conclusion. [Post edited 15 Mar 12:32]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:03 - Mar 15 with 1940 views | Pinewoodblue |
When you ask Labour voters how it feels so far it is the wrong question.
You should be asking those who voted for Reform if they are happy with the fact they have handed Starmer such a big majority. A majority that is stopping the more socialist minded members of the Labour Party from having any influence.
Starmer & even more so Reeves have set a course and are following it regardless, not listening to warning signs. In a way Reeves currently has a lot in common with the Captain of that Container Ship - carry in regardless.
We desperately needed a change of government but we don’t need the one we have got. |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:09 - Mar 15 with 1932 views | DJR |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:27 - Mar 15 by itfcjoe |
Fun fact - Tom Clougherty was in my year at school in Ipswich |
Did he have any friends at school? | | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:11 - Mar 15 with 1922 views | DJR |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:41 - Mar 15 by nrb1985 |
Germany has SIGNIFICANTLY more headroom than us and a much lower debt to GDP ratio that means they can turn the fiscal taps on.
That's part of the reason they are in such a mess in fact - didn't borrow when rates were negative and are now financing much needed fiscal expansion with rates at 2.5-3% in the Eurozone. Not a particularly good example if you're suggesting we need to be more like them.
Comparing apples and oranges on that aspect. Albeit I have a lot of time for Blanchflower and what he says generally. [Post edited 15 Mar 8:44]
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Oh I realise that but the issue is that Reeves has boxed herself into a corner. And Reeves would not have followed what Blanchflower said in relation to austerity, something he was proved right on. [Post edited 15 Mar 9:14]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:20 - Mar 15 with 1900 views | The_Flashing_Smile |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:49 - Mar 15 by Churchman |
On the positive side, unlike the last mob, the current government doesn’t appear to be openly corrupt. They don’t have stick insect odious men leaving silly notes on desks and haven’t told people to do one thing and done the complete opposite (on the lash in no 10) and backing alien creatures travelling 100s of miles during lockdown.
I believe the government have one or two good people in ministerial jobs as opposed to the tories who had a few on the back benches. Labour are I think trying to do things but as has been pointed out are straightjacketed by the mess left by their predecessors whose policies were vindictive and self serving, Trump style. They don’t have a Liz Truss, Chris Grayling to represent stupidity or a Reece Mogg or Gove to represent rudeness and nastiness.
Free Gear Kier might be dull, but he’s not full of sht like call me Dave Cameron or I eat cheese from the fridge Johnson. Bozo’s On the negative side, Reeves looks out of her depth. Clueless. For example, Labour seem wedded to bits of their manifesto and not others. They also seem to be running through the blame book all a bit too lustily.
Blame the tories for everything forever. Fine, but sooner or later you are accountable. Pile into the people you think didn’t vote for you - pensioners, farmers, people who rent out (lessors) property. Bit unnecessary and counter productive. Tell people you’re the party for business and hammer business. They could have just increased income tax.
Blame the Civil Service. That’s more year three and just as stupid an assertion as ever it was. Go scuttling off around the world at every opportunity to look statesman like. Year four play, that one though to be fair, he’s had little choice with the world as it is.
Talking of that, UK doesn’t exist in a void. The world seems in turmoil too and that cannot be avoided. Does he have short term plans (try and avoid being hit by Trump for example) and long term plans (move away from US and closer to Europe and friendly countries equally threaten like Canada and Japan? Is there a strategy or is it todays firefight? Can Starmer make decisions beyond words?
Time will tell and it’s still too soon to form a conclusion. [Post edited 15 Mar 12:32]
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Not sure why you've said "people who rent property" given they've put through a renters' rights bill and done more for renters than the Tories ever did. |  |
| Trust the process. Trust Phil. |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 10:42 - Mar 15 with 1813 views | NeedhamChris |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:20 - Mar 15 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Not sure why you've said "people who rent property" given they've put through a renters' rights bill and done more for renters than the Tories ever did. |
I interpreted that as people who rent out their property, but might be wrong. Otherwise agree it would be odd to include them. | |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 10:56 - Mar 15 with 1799 views | OldFart71 |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 07:42 - Mar 15 by DJR |
By a spiralling welfare bill, do you mean the state pension (with its triple lock) which currently makes up 44% of the welfare budget?
Disability benefits (which some pensioners will also get) make up 12%
As it is, they have upped the rhetoric on the sick and disabled, many of whom I imagine can't get better because of the state of the NHS.
I sense the hands of Morgan McSweeney, but the following which I posted on another thread seems rather appalling, and is the sort of thing that clearly sets the narrative (a narrative which currently has them behind Reform in the upcoming by-election).
"DWP accused by expert of making false claims about rise in claims for top rate of universal credit for sick/disabled
Yesterday the Department for Work and Pensions put out press notice about the large rise in the number of claiming the top rate of universal credit for people with sickness or a disability. I covered it on the blog here and here is the full press release is here. It included the claim:
The number [of people in this category] has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic when 360,000 people were considered too sick to look for work – a 383% rise in less than five years. In the last year alone, the number has risen by from 1.4 million people to 1.8 million.
Iain Porter, a senior policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation thinktank, calims this is highly misleading. He has explained why in a thread on social media.
Yesterday, a Government press release claimed the number of people “considered too sick to work” had “quadrupled” since the pandemic (a “383% rise”). This is incorrect. In fact, it’s not even close. It’s more like 40%. This thread explains why
The press release ignores that Universal Credit was still early in rollout pre-pandemic, so starts from a very low number. It ignores equivalent group in the legacy ESA benefit that UC is replacing. You can’t compare UC LCWRA over time without including the equivalent ESA. 2/7
This same DWP statistical analysis also shows that the unexplained rise over this period is actually nearer 30% after accounting for rise in State Pension Age, demographic changes and structural differences between UC and ESA: 4/7
Disabled people are really worried about how these proposed changes will affect them. We know half of people receiving these benefits are unable to afford enough food, to heat home, or pay bills. That’s why it’s so important Govt sticks to the facts and avoids misleading. 6/7
We will have to wait to see the Green Paper to see what exactly happens. But what we know for certain now is that people should take what they’re reading with a pinch of salt. 7/7" [Post edited 15 Mar 7:48]
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It never fails to amaze me how somebody always manages to rake up the cost of pensions. What do they want ? a cull of pensioners once they reach a certain age. These people, including myself worked for many years paying into a system that the Government decides to call a benefit. What other benefit do you have to pay into for 35 years currently to get the full amount. Many don't get the full pension. I for instance had to pay N.I. for 44 years and I get less than those on the new State Pension. I worked until I was 71, my choice and now a few years older wish I was still capable of working. Due to being fortunate that I worked for a Company that had a pension scheme I also get a Company pension. But because of that I get taxed. My pension in April goes up by around £400 but I have lost the winter fuel payment and been informed that I will pay another £250 tax next year due to the personal tax allowance staying at £12,570. I haven't received my water rates for next year yet but Council tax up by £8 per month, internet up by £3 per month, Sky by £13 a month. I still have a mortgage and my gas like everyone else has gone up considerably even though I have my heating on about 2/3rds less and again like everyone else my food bill seems to increase monthly. We aren't all rolling in it even if we receive more than just the miserly State Pension. | | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 11:06 - Mar 15 with 1756 views | Freddies_Ears |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 06:46 - Mar 15 by The_Flashing_Smile |
I'm quite happy. Lots of good things are getting swept under the carpet while the press just focus on things that aren't working so well. The idea that Starmer's sounding a bit like Musk is just clickbaity nonsense.
I don't think there's anyone who could've done any better with what they inherited. |
The one thing the govt have failed to do is control the media message. Difficult, when almost all media is pro-Tory or alt-right. Starmer took a step that way by writing in the Torygraph this week. They should have removed the BBC DG, appointed by the last govt, and replaced with a Labour equivalent - Campbell maybe. | | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 11:11 - Mar 15 with 1744 views | nodge_blue |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 07:42 - Mar 15 by DJR |
By a spiralling welfare bill, do you mean the state pension (with its triple lock) which currently makes up 44% of the welfare budget?
Disability benefits (which some pensioners will also get) make up 12%
As it is, they have upped the rhetoric on the sick and disabled, many of whom I imagine can't get better because of the state of the NHS.
I sense the hands of Morgan McSweeney, but the following which I posted on another thread seems rather appalling, and is the sort of thing that clearly sets the narrative (a narrative which currently has them behind Reform in the upcoming by-election).
"DWP accused by expert of making false claims about rise in claims for top rate of universal credit for sick/disabled
Yesterday the Department for Work and Pensions put out press notice about the large rise in the number of claiming the top rate of universal credit for people with sickness or a disability. I covered it on the blog here and here is the full press release is here. It included the claim:
The number [of people in this category] has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic when 360,000 people were considered too sick to look for work – a 383% rise in less than five years. In the last year alone, the number has risen by from 1.4 million people to 1.8 million.
Iain Porter, a senior policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation thinktank, calims this is highly misleading. He has explained why in a thread on social media.
Yesterday, a Government press release claimed the number of people “considered too sick to work” had “quadrupled” since the pandemic (a “383% rise”). This is incorrect. In fact, it’s not even close. It’s more like 40%. This thread explains why
The press release ignores that Universal Credit was still early in rollout pre-pandemic, so starts from a very low number. It ignores equivalent group in the legacy ESA benefit that UC is replacing. You can’t compare UC LCWRA over time without including the equivalent ESA. 2/7
This same DWP statistical analysis also shows that the unexplained rise over this period is actually nearer 30% after accounting for rise in State Pension Age, demographic changes and structural differences between UC and ESA: 4/7
Disabled people are really worried about how these proposed changes will affect them. We know half of people receiving these benefits are unable to afford enough food, to heat home, or pay bills. That’s why it’s so important Govt sticks to the facts and avoids misleading. 6/7
We will have to wait to see the Green Paper to see what exactly happens. But what we know for certain now is that people should take what they’re reading with a pinch of salt. 7/7" [Post edited 15 Mar 7:48]
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So my son has disability benefit as an autistic person. I am very worried about that being removed despite him having a diagnosis since 2. The bar now be as low as he cant qualify cos he can operate a microwave,
But he cant cope with life and he cant do full time work.
So we are at the sharp end of that.
My original post was more there are few easy answers. |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 12:31 - Mar 15 with 1653 views | Churchman |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:20 - Mar 15 by The_Flashing_Smile |
Not sure why you've said "people who rent property" given they've put through a renters' rights bill and done more for renters than the Tories ever did. |
I meant rent out. Lessors. Apols - rubbish English on my part which I’ve amended. I have three friends who do this and who are considering selling up because of the liability aspects. Details? I didn’t really listen if I’m honest. It was more a thought that of private landlords and property decrease, rent prices will inevitably rise.
Answer? I don’t have one but flogging off the best housing stock for pennies in the 80s as thatchers crowd did certainly wasn’t the answer [Post edited 16 Mar 21:00]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:10 - Mar 15 with 1600 views | J2BLUE |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 12:31 - Mar 15 by Churchman |
I meant rent out. Lessors. Apols - rubbish English on my part which I’ve amended. I have three friends who do this and who are considering selling up because of the liability aspects. Details? I didn’t really listen if I’m honest. It was more a thought that of private landlords and property decrease, rent prices will inevitably rise.
Answer? I don’t have one but flogging off the best housing stock for pennies in the 80s as thatchers crowd did certainly wasn’t the answer [Post edited 16 Mar 21:00]
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Those properties have to go somewhere though if they are sold so house prices could fall allowing more people to buy and reducing demand.
Or, if you think more like Gary Stevenson, the rich will buy up the properties with their excess income where rent isn't as important as just owning an asset which will likely continue going up in value over the longer term. |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:25 - Mar 15 with 1563 views | Ryorry |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 12:31 - Mar 15 by Churchman |
I meant rent out. Lessors. Apols - rubbish English on my part which I’ve amended. I have three friends who do this and who are considering selling up because of the liability aspects. Details? I didn’t really listen if I’m honest. It was more a thought that of private landlords and property decrease, rent prices will inevitably rise.
Answer? I don’t have one but flogging off the best housing stock for pennies in the 80s as thatchers crowd did certainly wasn’t the answer [Post edited 16 Mar 21:00]
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I will also have to take the one let I have (annexe to my house) off the long-term rental market, not just because of the renters' rights bill, but because of the threat of a £10K bill for reducing the EPC of the let from a D to a C - virtually impossible as it's already DG'd, has 2 foot thick stone walls, and 1st floor has opened up ceiling, so no loft. That's even if there were tradespeople available (there aren't, & that's UK-wide) to do the work before the 2028 deadline if the proposed bill gets onto the statue book.
The theory is that it would save renters £240 heating/HW costs annually. The fact is that landlords, if they didn't remove their properties from the market, would have to massively raise rents over 10+years to cover the work, as no package has even been mentioned yet. Personally, my tenants would save nothing as their heating & HW come directly from my biomass boiler anyway.
The whole drive towards improving the situation for tenants has, in the words of one letter-writer to a professional journal, resulted in nothing more than the most damaging changes for them in a generation.
Edit for J2 - zero chance of my selling the annexe (and that's not a situation unique to me btw, there are many similar single property landlords in England). [Post edited 15 Mar 13:57]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:34 - Mar 15 with 1542 views | itfcjoe |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 09:09 - Mar 15 by DJR |
Did he have any friends at school? |
He was fairly average, quite intelligent but nothing out of the ordinary, decent golfer, but when we got to 6th form he seemed to become about 5 years older than everyone! He went of to Oxbridge (I think Cambridge) to read Law. His Mum was the school nurse when the main one was away.
Not unpopular, not a person who left a huge impression either but a nice enough guy - spoke to a friend of his recently around a reunion and he said that sort of thing would be his worst nightmare now - so guess he’s well and truly moved on from Ipswich! |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:36 - Mar 15 with 1532 views | Herbivore |
I'm not a Labour voter but so far it feels like we've got a slightly more lower middle class Cameron and Osborne in charge. So a bit sh!t, basically. |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:41 - Mar 15 with 1514 views | DBaldy |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 08:07 - Mar 15 by The_Flashing_Smile |
That's a trial... which is a good idea in principle and could be made to work.
Other things that have gone well;
Pay increases ending the long-running strikes on the railways and in the NHS.
Improvement of employment rights, such as protection against unfair dismissal from day one and expanded flexible working arrangements.
The International Investment Summit, which has lead to substantial investments in AI and life sciences.
£5 billion for housing investment, aiming to increase affordable housing.
£6.7 billion to rebuild over 500 schools.
Renters' Rights Bill banning no-fault evictions and extending building safety requirements.
Tax-dodging land owners like Clarkson seeing that particular loophole closed.
There's probably more I've forgotten, one or two smaller things that are just better/more sensible ways of doing things, but that's not bad for a start after 8 months. I'm sure you'll find a way of belittling all of those, or ignoring them, though. |
Funny how certain people conveniently forgot to reply to this message. | | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 21:20 - Mar 15 with 1351 views | DJR |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 11:11 - Mar 15 by nodge_blue |
So my son has disability benefit as an autistic person. I am very worried about that being removed despite him having a diagnosis since 2. The bar now be as low as he cant qualify cos he can operate a microwave,
But he cant cope with life and he cant do full time work.
So we are at the sharp end of that.
My original post was more there are few easy answers. |
Really sorry to hear that.
Indeed, it is for people like your son that I feel very strongly about the unfairness of targeting the disabled. | | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 21:22 - Mar 15 with 1346 views | MaySixth |
It's brilliant to be in power when the shambles before cocked it up. |  |
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 21:47 - Mar 15 with 1304 views | DJR |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 10:56 - Mar 15 by OldFart71 |
It never fails to amaze me how somebody always manages to rake up the cost of pensions. What do they want ? a cull of pensioners once they reach a certain age. These people, including myself worked for many years paying into a system that the Government decides to call a benefit. What other benefit do you have to pay into for 35 years currently to get the full amount. Many don't get the full pension. I for instance had to pay N.I. for 44 years and I get less than those on the new State Pension. I worked until I was 71, my choice and now a few years older wish I was still capable of working. Due to being fortunate that I worked for a Company that had a pension scheme I also get a Company pension. But because of that I get taxed. My pension in April goes up by around £400 but I have lost the winter fuel payment and been informed that I will pay another £250 tax next year due to the personal tax allowance staying at £12,570. I haven't received my water rates for next year yet but Council tax up by £8 per month, internet up by £3 per month, Sky by £13 a month. I still have a mortgage and my gas like everyone else has gone up considerably even though I have my heating on about 2/3rds less and again like everyone else my food bill seems to increase monthly. We aren't all rolling in it even if we receive more than just the miserly State Pension. |
I would just point out that I myself will receive the new state pension in November, and I am in fact arguing for something which is not in my self-interest.
According to a report from Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) a year or so ago, under current population projections and government policy (maintaining the triple lock and the state pension age rising to 68 by 2046), spending on the state pension, pension credit and winter fuel payment is expected to rise by 1.2% of national income (£32 billion per year in today’s terms) by 2050. One key driver of this is that there are expected to be 25% more pensioners in 2050 than today, with another driver being how the state pension is indexed.
I already have a fairly decent non-state pension, but I will still get the benefit of 4.1% increase in April which is a result of the triple lock.
If we have to cut the welfare bill, I would rather people like me don't get the triple lock rather than targeting the disabled, and even freezing PIP for them, something that even George Osborne didn't do.
I might add that I expressed on this forum my total opposition to the removal of WFA but that was because it was not targeted on those (like me) who could afford its loss.
And I am not in any way suggesting that pensioners in your position should be targeted. But we have an ageing population, and if people are not prepared to pay higher taxes, something is likely to have to give at some time. [Post edited 15 Mar 22:07]
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| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 23:07 - Mar 15 with 1228 views | gtsb1966 |
Good. So many get PiP payments and there is no need to get it. I know people who get it who shouldn't get anything at all. It's so easy to work the system and I've seen it close to home. |  | | |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 23:29 - Mar 15 with 1202 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| All you Labour voters, how's it feel so far. on 13:41 - Mar 15 by DBaldy |
Funny how certain people conveniently forgot to reply to this message. |
I'm sorry but that just seemed like a long winded way of saying tinkering on the fringes/nothing/platitudes so I thought I would let it pass as I didn't want to expend the energy on an all day argument. | |
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