The elephant in the room is an ageing population, living longer, taking up more NHS resources, who vote for governments which strangle the young people who are not being born in large enough numbers to fund everything. Something's got to give. The system is destined to break.
Westminster Politics
- Thread starter altodevil
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The elephant in the room is an ageing population, living longer, taking up more NHS resources, who vote for governments which strangle the young people who are not being born in large enough numbers to fund everything. Something's got to give. The system is destined to break.
My goodness, how dare they?
Most of them vote tory. What can I tell you? They're inherently selfish people
Co-signMost of them vote tory. What can I tell you? They're inherently selfish people
Do you think she brought up the cost because she thinks its too low?
Would be an odd choice considering she's talking about bringing it down within the first five years of a Starmer regime.
It's an uncomfortable truth though. Not enough tax payers to cover the cost of pensioners unless we immediatley start siring lots of children or bringing in immigrant workers en masse.
That's on top of accepting that anyone under 40 might never be able to retire.
Or she thinks it's too high and action needs to be taken that is more than just acting tough
You're whataboutisms are we transparent as hasbara spiel. Ukraine is not undergoing a Labour approved genocide.
Edit: Galloway and Corbyn will not abandon Ukraine if that's what you meant.
So the Tories aren't tough enough. As I said.
Their version of tough sees too many people for Kendall in receipt of benefits, therefore they're not being tough enough.
Yes, living that long does make you selfish, or if you prefer 'conservative', wanting to keep more of what they earn, unfortunately it can happen to the best of them.Most of them vote tory. What can I tell you? They're inherently selfish people
The biggest problem of course is that people are out living the expectations of former generations, government planning etc. Of course raising the age for retirement might help and push up the death rate.
Don't know what the figures are today, but at one time and in certain occupations very few people tended to live up to ten years beyond their retirement. At one time even in the 50's and early 60's it was less than 50% made it beyond 3-4 years after retirement, especially in manual-labour type occupations, miners, heavy manufacturing, construction/outdoor repair working, etc. then when they did make it to the state pension it was a mere pittance (still is relatively speaking). So shortage of money, age and illness, cold houses and poor food also took its toll.
However, that's all change now the 'boomers' are living the dream their forefathers had, early retirement, lots a money, world cruises and new cars, etc. every few years.
Suppose you have to ask yourself the question can the state afford to let people live so long... especially when they may tend to vote Tory.... hold on, maybe that's why the Tory Party is seen as the natural Party of government... they live longer!!
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I repeat again, Galloway doesn't give a toss about anyone but himself.
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He was booed at every corner in Rochdale, why would they vote for someone who was complicit with his leader in staying silent or worse supporting the massacres in Gaza.
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So like every other politician?
That's certainly one reading but it isn't the only conclusion you can take from Kendall's words. It could be that Kendall believes that Tory toughness is a necessary component of a winning strategy but insufficient on its own. So she advocates retaining the stick as is, but marries that to a (fairly vague) strategy of improving the nation's health and providing a better class of carrot in the shape of improved training schemes and better paying jobs. Only with these powers combined etc...
Seems to me to be just an extension of the generic argle-bargle you expect from the average politician - ie it's designed so you can read into it what you want.
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The meltdown in government and the media is hilarious. FFS, pull yourselves together you donkeys.
Is every other politician believing in deep state conspiracies??
So just like the last 3 PMs.
Words fail...again.
Home Office refuses Afghan youth orchestra visas days before first gig
Portugal-based musicians on tour have played Breaking the Silence across Europe after Taliban seized music institute in Kabul
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...sas-for-tour-of-england-days-before-first-gig
Home Office refuses Afghan youth orchestra visas days before first gig
Portugal-based musicians on tour have played Breaking the Silence across Europe after Taliban seized music institute in Kabul
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...sas-for-tour-of-england-days-before-first-gig
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Well if Galloway has the same beliefs as them it says it all.
A good chunk of the party in power apparently and our previous PM seem too. Conveniently glossing over the "party in power" (for 14 years) bit.
You literally said if every other politician believes in conspiracy theories, well yeah, how about the PMs themselves. Not only the current one, but also the one before, that if we want to exclude the other PM Tony fecking Blair with his "Saddam is building an atomic bomb" in 2002 which was the biggest foreign policy lie in modern history.
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Blair was 100 times more of a religious/conspiracy lying politician (politest word I could use in place of cnut) than Corbyn and Galloway. He just had 100 times better PR than those two. The blood, oh my God, on those Labour hands.
coming over here, stealing are woodwind instrument’s jobs.
"The British Empire was a good thing that benefitted the world" must be up there too.
These are the same dickheads that have had Nigel fecking Farage on a pedestal for the last 10+ years despite the fact that he constantly fails to make it as an MP. Like him or (most likely) not, Galloway keeps winning elections, why have the press and politicians any more right to be rude to/about him than all the other dweebs that represent us in Parliament?
Why aren't they outraged about Liz Truss swanning around spreading conspiracy theories as we pay her vast prime ministerial pension and security for life in exchange for 44 days of utter catastrophe?
I think Galloway is a complete and utter cnut, but it's a bit rich of this current government - who weren't elected, just like the short lived government before them - talking about anything related to democracy.
My partner works for DWP processing PIP claims and thinks an enormous majority of people are gaming/manipulating the system. She also sees a ton of ‘fraud’ daily - EG people claiming PIP because they can’t do XYZ, but also in receipt of carers allowance to do XYZ for someone else in the house, who also claims PIP and carers allowance for someone else, and so on.
I think people are ultimately driven to behave in certain ways and I believe in a comprehensive benefits system but the current set up is open to a lot of manipulation.
I think people are ultimately driven to behave in certain ways and I believe in a comprehensive benefits system but the current set up is open to a lot of manipulation.
Universal Credit is reduced by the amount equal to that received in carers allowance.
Say what you want about Galloway, at least he has a mandate, unlike the inept, unelected PM. Perhaps if they cared so much about the spectacle of democracy then they'd do the country a favour and call an election immediately instead of dragging us through the mud as they prolong as their asset strip frenzy.
UC and legacy benefits are projected to cost the taxpayer £80.9bn in 2023/24 (about £1150 per person in the UK if shared out equally).
During COVID the government wrote off £10bn in unusable PPE and lost £16bn due to fraud and error in their shitty loan scheme alone. Truss' 44 days as PM cost us £30bn. Fossil fuel projects received £80bn in government subsidies between 2015 and 2023.
So do you think that the amount that fraud costs universal credit is at all comparable to the amount that government incompetence and corruption costs? I'm even only considering wasteful and corrupt spending right now, not the cost of e.g. refusing to deal with the tax evasion and avoidance of the mega rich as well. And do you think that the sorts of people claiming more than they're entitled to on benefits are more or less likely to spend that money in the UK than the sorts of people who sell dodgy PPE or invest in fossil fuel projects?
The government also collects £30bn to £35bn a year less in tax than it should do.
Plus on the fossil fuels point - we gave Shell $£54m in tax breaks a year before they posted their $40bn annual worldwide profit.
It is always easier for any government to punch down, even when spending more on benefits would save money in the long term, just considering public health alone.
Well that's me convinced they are all shirkers.
FFS
It’s anecdotal, she handles 4 a day so a tiny fraction of the 6 month backlog of claims currently sat there waiting to be picked up, though I understand it’s the consensus amongst the case handlers that most claims (not awards) are people trying it on. Whether that’s word for word notes from a GPs supporting evidence or glaring contradictions in their claim such as the carers allowance issue.
My mum and one of my sisters are PIP claimants. Can my mum walk the length of a bus? Yes. Is her COPD otherwise and often near completely debilitating? Yes, and she’s medically retired from the NHS. Should she get PIP? Apparently not by the letter of the law, but she does because a case handler looked favourably upon her. That’s not the kind of manipulation I’m talking about, but I need people to understand where I’m coming from. I don’t think all claimants are lying scroungers and PIP is one facet in a big complex picture. Without PIP my mum would be up a creek without a paddle, my sister too.
My mum and one of my sisters are PIP claimants. Can my mum walk the length of a bus? Yes. Is her COPD otherwise and often near completely debilitating? Yes, and she’s medically retired from the NHS. Should she get PIP? Apparently not by the letter of the law, but she does because a case handler looked favourably upon her. That’s not the kind of manipulation I’m talking about, but I need people to understand where I’m coming from. I don’t think all claimants are lying scroungers and PIP is one facet in a big complex picture. Without PIP my mum would be up a creek without a paddle, my sister too.
I think fraud is a strong word for what I was meaning to describe but yes, it pales in significance compared to everything else you’ve raised which would be a priority fix for me.
Fair enough, I think I know what you mean. I know that PIP and attendance allowance etc. are often slightly gamed, but that's generaly because the rules are unkind and the amounts insufficient to begin with, so often the carers / social workers help people out as they know they need the money.
Conversely, my Mum with stage 4 lung cancer is not entitled to ESA because she underpaid her NIC by £60 in 1 tax year. She has made over 35 years of NIC contributions and would be entitled to a full state pension if she survived to retirement age, which she won't. We have a lot more pressing issues to deal with rather than punching down on the most vulnerable.
Sorry to hear this. Is your mum able to claim PIP? She may well be able to claim under special rules. The old form used to be the DS1500.
I don't know, obviously if what you say is correct then giving Starmer/Labour a 'bloody-nose', was not the intention.
So, what was?
Surely the people who voted for GG didn't think that voting for him would change a thing in Gaza? It might change things in Rochdale, but that is down the road a bit and given GG's record its not likely to be good news anytime soon, especially it would seem with both major party Leaders now looking for his scalp; he will become something of a pariah in the commons.
For the people of Rochdale, 'shooting oneself in the foot' is an image that comes to mind.
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