- This topic has 196 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 32 minutes ago by
.
-
Posts
-
The poor start made by this government might be useful if it finally makes a few people open their eyes and realise the idea that one side is morally virtuous and the other is nasty and evil is a load of hogwash.
They are as bad as each other, only interested in themselves and their own enrichment and certainly not interested in any of us. There is no need to pick a side, as if they are football teams.
The ridiculous Carol Vorderman is one such character who is slowly beginning to realise she has been duped:
CAS we had 12 years of Tory chaos , maybe we should give Labour more than 2 months to see if they can improve things …
But they won’t, HDLG. All they have is the same tired old ideas. Fixing the issues that face the country will require some proper, radical thinking. There is no sign anyone in both political parties is willing or even capable of doing so.
Starmer’s statement yesterday that he had to remove the winter fuel allowance otherwise there would have been a market meltdown is laughable. Even by his own calculations it will only save £1.4 billion. The markets won’t even notice such a small sum. It is bizarre he is committing such an act of self harm over such a piffling amount.
Professor John Curtice, stalwart of the BBC’s election coverage, wrote an article yesterday about how he believes this will be a one term government despite its large majority. I am beginning to think he might be right, although a lot depends on if the Conservatives can get their act together.
CAS that’s a view not fact, everyone seems to be forgetting the chaos the Tories created very quickly , Starmer is trying to get the dirty work out of the way quickly ,he wants those on the dole back in work , bring down numbers of those on sick and get them back to work , if there working there paying tax , we need the tax , we need to teach people it’s up to them to take care of themselves not the state …..JFK was right all those years ago
I agree with you, HDLG. But why do you think Starmer and his party believe that? All their instincts are tax and spend and increasing the power and scope of the state, not taking it out of people’s lives.
“We need to teach people it’s up to them to take care of themselves not the state”.
Mrs Thatcher couldn’t have put it better.
The problem with Thatcher though CAS was that she wanted to control everything and became a near political dictator at the end , the poll tax was never ever going to work was it ? , we need to educate and people need to learn the value of a pound again
Labour needs to learn and learn fast.
The £300 Winter Fuel “tax” on pensioners Labour is bringing in will never “work” either, HDLG.
Value Is EverythingPolitics stated over 300 years ago
Most things should have been worked out by now…
Blackbeard to conquer the World
The Unite Union’s Labour Party Conference motion – to stop the Winter Fuel Payment cuts – has passed.
It is “unbinding” on the Labour government, but makes it even harder for Reeves to go through with this dangerous policy.
She may well bring it in using Council Tax Bands rather than Credit. In order for the cut off point to be higher.
Or – as all Unions seem to be against this cut – imagine what a brilliant offer it would be…
If all the Unions who’ve had pay rises under this Labour Government get together – without Labour’s say so?… Announcing all their members will take a fraction less money than their pay rises, in order to pay for pensioners in Council Bands A, B, C and D to get the Winter Fuel Payment.
Value Is Everything“The poll tax was never ever going to work was it?”
Taken in isolation, the idea wasn’t that bad. The old system of rates which it was meant to replace wasn’t exactly fair either.
However, it was very badly implemented and soon became unpopular, which was understandable. Mrs Thatcher’s obstinate defence of such a bitterly unpopular policy was one of the reasons for her downfall, although I believe the European issue would have caused that eventually.
CAS the poll tax was ludicrous from the start, it rightly brought Maggie’s down fall , where should Labour go to fill this massive Tory hole … That’s £12 billion lost by the Tories sure would have come in useful …
You don’t seriously believe that “black hole” argument, do you? All governments try to pull that trick. The Coalition government tried it on, claiming they had been left a note saying there was no money left.
I don’t believe a word any of these liars have to say, no matter what colour rosette they are wearing.
CAS are you seriously saying that Tories have left the country in a good financial position … What does Starmer have to gain from squeezing people if he doesn’t need to
I expected little from this new government other than a wish that they’d be less dreadful than their predecessors
It hasn’t started exactly well with feet repeatedly peppered with bullets but I’m going to give them at least six months before I form a judgement. The budget at the end of next month will hopefully mark the start of ‘the change’
As for their unwise decisions so far I expect a tweak to this winter fuel allowance farce and a repeal of the two-child benefit cap, sooner rather than later
‘I’m going to give them at least six months’
This is why the constant criticism is tiresome, nobody is doing this.
Whatever one thinks of so-called ‘black holes’ or anything else, there is no doubt that the Tories made a complete pig’s ear of things, more so as their term went on and if you ask me deliberately so once they knew the game was up. It was never going to be possible to ‘fix’ everything in a couple of months. The electorate gave the Tories 14 years and three election victories after 2010 before they decided enough was enough.
This constant barrage of criticism for the slightest thing is tedious, especially from those who stood by for years whilst the Tories were at it. As Cork says, it’s not a football match where your ‘team’ can do no wrong whilst every slight in fraction from your opponent is met with demands for the referee to start producing cards.
I definitely agree some form of climbdown on the fuel allowance is coming. Even taking it away only from anyone in the 40%+ tax brackets would do. There won’t be that many but at least it would stop the money going to those who indisputably don’t need it.
No I’m not HDLG but it is undeniable that all governments pull the “it was the previous government’s fault” out of the bag. There is only so long they can get away with that one, assuming they get away with it at all.
As for Starmer squeezing people, it was his choice to take away the winter fuel allowance. It is only a small saving in the greater scheme of things. Lots of people in his own party are not pleased about it, largely because he could easily have found that saving somewhere else.
And no matter how they try to spin the situation, it is a very poor look for a Labour Prime Minister to be taking away what is an important benefit for some people while he is accepting free clothes and football tickets and his wife is receiving expensive dresses and free tickets for Taylor Swift concerts (twice). It looks crass and arrogant and the excuse that all politicians do it doesn’t make it right.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.