Westminster Politics 2024-2029

Jippy said:
That just shows a country's rank though, not life expectancy. France has more than double the smoking rate of the UK.
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It's a rank and decline of healthy life expectancy.

For some context from the article

"Compared with 20 high-income countries, the UK performs poorly on healthy life expectancy. Between 2011 and 2021, healthy life expectancy increased or remained stable in 16 countries; the UK experienced a decline alongside only the Netherlands, Canada, Germany and the United States, with the second largest reduction among these nations. As a result, the UK fell from 14th to 20th out of 21 countries and now only ranks above the United States.

On average, healthy life expectancy increased by 0.4 years across the 20 comparable countries. Had the UK followed similar trends, healthy life expectancy would have improved rather than declined. This suggests that the UK’s deterioration is not inevitable, but reflects country-specific factors. "
 
TwoSheds said:
Or indeed the previous anti-business series of governments masquerading as pro-business governments. But here we are, we should try and tax corporate profits and the very wealthy so we can unfeck the last few decades of feckery.
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What we really need to do is add a little bit to everybody, but nobody wants that. Somebody else always has to pay.

The same applies on the other end. Make small savings across the board, but god forbid it affects you or I.

What governments generally never understand is how targeted policies to extract cash from single groups change behaviours, especially in those best placed to change e.g corporations, the wealthy.
 
If you want an an explanation to why the Overton window has shifted so far to the right in the UK, look no further than Kier Starmer's Labour.
 
TheGame said:
Can’t say much to your face these vile racists.

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It’s so funny watching these little rats squirm.

I’ve had 2 people in my work recently have complaints against them from the public because of shite they’ve put on social media. One lost their job.

Tip for anyone, don’t put your place of work on your social media if you want to write about beating a kid to death.
 
KStandBarmyArmy1993 said:
These debates around unemployment and benefits etc always go after the wrong causes and the wrong people. Too much is still discussed like it's the mid 2000s and "benefits street" type chat.

You'd get thousands of parents back into full-time work almost immediately If you funded nurseries and/or decent childcare.

You'd get thousands of disabled people back into work if hybrid working for office jobs was made a legal requirement. Again, I've mentioned on here before about a disabled person I know who worked remotely for years because she struggled to travel. She's now on benefits because of a ludicrous return to full time office hours in her industry and she's finding it impossible to find work.

Actually fund proper mental health training so people who are suffering get the help they need but also meaning that the small % of people who take the piss can actually be found out.

This is the big one. Force big organisations into paying their staff a living wage. If you're working 40 hours a week at Tesco, you shouldn't be relying on universal credit to live.

Ultimately, stop allowing right wing oddballs (who have no experience of what this is actually like) dictate policy discussion. Like I've said before, them being critical of things like breakfast clubs which, as much as anything else allow parents to work earlier in the day.
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Sorting out the reason it's necessary for 2 parents to work full-time is a much better solution, we all kn,ow what that reasons is and until that's sorted out nothing is going to really change
 
Red in STL said:
Sorting out the reason it's necessary for 2 parents to work full-time is a much better solution, we all kn,ow what that reasons is and until that's sorted out nothing is going to really change
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We need those women folk to stay at home and clean the house. How dare they be let out these past years…

There’s nothing wrong with two parents working. I stayed pretty much what @KStandBarmyArmy1993 said in the Starmer thread.

Free school meals for all children, greater maternity rights (maternity pay is pathetic), and free nursery provision for all from 6 weeks (or whatever figure - but within the first couple of months), up until school.

Wrap around care should be available for everyone as well, once children enter education.

These things are blindingly obvious.

You will get some opposition from people who dont have children who say - you want kids, you wait until you can afford it. But, hey, that’s worker really well.
 
11101 said:
What we really need to do is add a little bit to everybody, but nobody wants that. Somebody else always has to pay.

The same applies on the other end. Make small savings across the board, but god forbid it affects you or I.

What governments generally never understand is how targeted policies to extract cash from single groups change behaviours, especially in those best placed to change e.g corporations, the wealthy.
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No what we really need to do is make it so that the greatest percentage tax burden isn't loaded on low to middle earners rather than the mega wealthy and big businesses. We have some of the lowest corporation tax in the developed world and yet most big businesses still route all their money through Dublin or a tax haven because they're cnuts. The easy option is not always the right option.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
We need those women folk to stay at home and clean the house. How dare they be let out these past years…

There’s nothing wrong with two parents working. I stayed pretty much what @KStandBarmyArmy1993 said in the Starmer thread.

Free school meals for all children, greater maternity rights (maternity pay is pathetic), and free nursery provision for all from 6 weeks (or whatever figure - but within the first couple of months), up until school.

Wrap around care should be available for everyone as well, once children enter education.

These things are blindingly obvious.

You will get some opposition from people who dont have children who say - you want kids, you wait until you can afford it. But, hey, that’s worker really well.
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Theres nothing wrong with 2 parents working but theres nothing wrong with one parent staying home either. 2 jobs should be an option, not a requirement.
 
F-Red said:
I don’t get why this is being pushed as ‘new’ news, more so why some in the media don’t look beyond the headlines. Whitbread came out with statements in 2024 that it was planning to close all those restaurants as part of its five year plan then. They’re simply accelerating the plan to close them and expand on Premier Inn’s.
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And they're also cutting staff and replacing them with screens. I'm not feeling sorry for them as a company, personally.
 
caid said:
Theres nothing wrong with 2 parents working but theres nothing wrong with one parent staying home either. 2 jobs should be an option, not a requirement.
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Precisely, for most people it's not an option, when I and my brothers were growing up my Dad worked and my Mum stayed home, she did have a part-time job at times but that was in the evening when my Dad was home.

My Dad is 89 now, he never earned more than GBP10K a year in his life, that was suffient to raise 4 sons and buy a house in a decent area, we didn't live in a shithole, OK we never went on holiday abroad or stuff like that but we had a holiday every year and we also had a car.

That hasn't been possible for decades, resolving the cost of housing is probably the biggest single thing the Government could do for the benefit of the whole country, the cost of the welfare state could be reduced massively because most people in work would not require benefits to just exist

Sure the cost would be astronomical but in the long run it would save money
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
We need those women folk to stay at home and clean the house. How dare they be let out these past years…

There’s nothing wrong with two parents working. I stayed pretty much what @KStandBarmyArmy1993 said in the Starmer thread.

Free school meals for all children, greater maternity rights (maternity pay is pathetic), and free nursery provision for all from 6 weeks (or whatever figure - but within the first couple of months), up until school.

Wrap around care should be available for everyone as well, once children enter education.

These things are blindingly obvious.

You will get some opposition from people who dont have children who say - you want kids, you wait until you can afford it. But, hey, that’s worker really well.
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I think a lot of folk without kids understand how bad it is. If we had proper support for childcare and maternity etc there'd be less in that cohort too probably. Plus the demographics argument is a strong one if we want the state pension system to survive.

TwoSheds said:
No what we really need to do is make it so that the greatest percentage tax burden isn't loaded on low to middle earners rather than the mega wealthy and big businesses. We have some of the lowest corporation tax in the developed world and yet most big businesses still route all their money through Dublin or a tax haven because they're cnuts. The easy option is not always the right option.
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UK has a 25% rate versus a 21.9% average for the OECD and 21.6% for the EU, so it's pretty middling.
The EU could surely close that Dublin tax loophole if there was the will.

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/11/corporate-tax-statistics-2025_09806d11.html
 
Jippy said:
I think a lot of folk without kids understand how bad it is. If we had proper support for childcare and maternity etc there'd be less in that cohort too probably. Plus the demographics argument is a strong one if we want the state pension system to survive.


UK has a 25% rate versus a 21.9% average for the OECD and 21.6% for the EU, so it's pretty middling.
The EU could surely close that Dublin tax loophole if there was the will.

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/11/corporate-tax-statistics-2025_09806d11.html
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Sorry you're right, it's lowest in the G7 I believe. Fundamentally I don't understand why we all just accept that tax on business profits is far lower and less progressive than on personal income, and instead we whack up business rates, NI and all these other fixed cost type taxes on doing business to cover for it. People would say you were certifiable if you proposed that people only pay tax on their income after expenses and you were going to reduce the rate to between 19 and 25%. "Maxing out the national credit card! Etc etc"
 
decorativeed said:
And they're also cutting staff and replacing them with screens. I'm not feeling sorry for them as a company, personally.
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I don’t feel sorry for Whitbread whatsoever, but the Premier Inn experience is infinitely better when you don’t have to talk to staff to check-in. So i’m all for self check-in.
 
KStandBarmyArmy1993 said:
These debates around unemployment and benefits etc always go after the wrong causes and the wrong people. Too much is still discussed like it's the mid 2000s and "benefits street" type chat.

You'd get thousands of parents back into full-time work almost immediately If you funded nurseries and/or decent childcare.

You'd get thousands of disabled people back into work if hybrid working for office jobs was made a legal requirement. Again, I've mentioned on here before about a disabled person I know who worked remotely for years because she struggled to travel. She's now on benefits because of a ludicrous return to full time office hours in her industry and she's finding it impossible to find work.

Actually fund proper mental health training so people who are suffering get the help they need but also meaning that the small % of people who take the piss can actually be found out.

This is the big one. Force big organisations into paying their staff a living wage. If you're working 40 hours a week at Tesco, you shouldn't be relying on universal credit to live.

Ultimately, stop allowing right wing oddballs (who have no experience of what this is actually like) dictate policy discussion. Like I've said before, them being critical of things like breakfast clubs which, as much as anything else allow parents to work earlier in the day.
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Just to come back to this. For some reason people ignore the elephant in the room, with the increased state pension age more and more over 60s in bad health have to go on benefits to bridge the gap to their pensions.

That trend along with youth unemployment is going to continue. Rather than looking at headline figures and shouting scroungers people need to look for bespoke solutions per cohort.
 
F-Red said:
I don’t feel sorry for Whitbread whatsoever, but the Premier Inn experience is infinitely better when you don’t have to talk to staff to check-in. So i’m all for self check-in.
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Yeah, what could possibly go wrong when big companies like that replace hundreds of entry level service jobs with screens.
 
decorativeed said:
Yeah, what could possibly go wrong when big companies like that replace hundreds of entry level service jobs with screens.
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You're right. The airline industry collapsed when it moved the simple process of check-in to a self check-in model.
 
F-Red said:
You're right. The airline industry collapsed when it moved the simple process of check-in to a self check-in model.
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I'm not bothered about the industry. I'm bothered about the removal of jobs at that level.

And personally, I avoid those things for that very reason. I was pretty annoyed to find I had no choice but to interact with a machine rather than a person at a Premier Inn and a few food places in London earlier this week.
 
Red in STL said:
Sorting out the reason it's necessary for 2 parents to work full-time is a much better solution, we all kn,ow what that reasons is and until that's sorted out nothing is going to really change
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I kind of agree but we also miss out on a lot of talented workers because mums have to change career paths entirely because childcare is so expensive.

Both parents should be able to have successful careers whilst also having families. Things like hybrid working should be the norm and a legal requirement for the vast majority of office jobs.
Smores said:
Just to come back to this. For some reason people ignore the elephant in the room, with the increased state pension age more and more over 60s in bad health have to go on benefits to bridge the gap to their pensions.

That trend along with youth unemployment is going to continue. Rather than looking at headline figures and shouting scroungers people need to look for bespoke solutions per cohort.
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Oh I agree. I just think there are some easy fixes to some issues.

It's very much a choice to ignore some of these things.
 
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, told the programme that all pro-Gaza marches needed to be stopped, saying they were “creating a climate that is normalising hatred towards Jews”.

Asked if police should ban a march in London also planned for 16 May and led by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, Badenoch said no.

“Is he creating a climate of intimidation and violence?” she asked. When told that a previous Robinson-organised march last year resulted in a number of arrests, Badenoch said: “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You haven’t been able to say who that was targeted against.”
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These duplicitous wankers won't stop until we live in the most absurd, far-right authoritarian hell.
 
dumbo said:
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, told the programme that all pro-Gaza marches needed to be stopped, saying they were “creating a climate that is normalising hatred towards Jews”.

Asked if police should ban a march in London also planned for 16 May and led by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, Badenoch said no.

“Is he creating a climate of intimidation and violence?” she asked. When told that a previous Robinson-organised march last year resulted in a number of arrests, Badenoch said: “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You haven’t been able to say who that was targeted against.”
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These duplicitous wankers won't stop until we live in the most absurd, far-right authoritarian hell.
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I absolutely fecking despise her, she is just a nasty vile cnut who jumps on every bandwagon without actually having any policies. Right there after Farage in the nasty cnut stakes. We've now got to the point where she is defending Tommy Robinson marches. Anyone can tell you he proposes intimidation and violence.
 
TheGame said:
I absolutely fecking despise her, she is just a nasty vile cnut who jumps on every bandwagon without actually having any policies. Right there after Farage in the nasty cnut stakes. We've now got to the point where she is defending Tommy Robinson marches. Anyone can tell you he proposes intimidation and violence.
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She is beyond shame, unfortunately shamelessness is now rewarded more than ever in politics. She is yet to show an ounce of leadership on any topic, that I have seen anyway.
 
TwoSheds said:
No what we really need to do is make it so that the greatest percentage tax burden isn't loaded on low to middle earners rather than the mega wealthy and big businesses. We have some of the lowest corporation tax in the developed world and yet most big businesses still route all their money through Dublin or a tax haven because they're cnuts. The easy option is not always the right option.
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Id love to see how you come to that conclusion.

Top 1% account for 13% of income and 30% of income tax.

Top 10% account for 35% of income and 60% of tax.

Bottom 50% account for less than 10% of tax, and that number has been decreasing.


Its the very top and the very bottom that need to start contributing more. Not one or the other.
 
dumbo said:
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, told the programme that all pro-Gaza marches needed to be stopped, saying they were “creating a climate that is normalising hatred towards Jews”.

Asked if police should ban a march in London also planned for 16 May and led by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, Badenoch said no.

“Is he creating a climate of intimidation and violence?” she asked. When told that a previous Robinson-organised march last year resulted in a number of arrests, Badenoch said: “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You haven’t been able to say who that was targeted against.”
_

These duplicitous wankers won't stop until we live in the most absurd, far-right authoritarian hell.
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She is such a vile human being, basically throwing her own race under the bus as if the world is just one big hunger game to her and she doesn't care how many non white people lives will be put at risk from the rise of far right figures in this country as long as she makes it out alive and far wealthier
 
11101 said:
Id love to see how you come to that conclusion.

Top 1% account for 13% of income and 30% of income tax.

Top 10% account for 35% of income and 60% of tax.

Bottom 50% account for less than 10% of tax, and that number has been decreasing.


Its the very top and the very bottom that need to start contributing more. Not one or the other.
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And yet if you look at how wealth inequality has continued to increase year after year, perhaps you could engage brain and understand why the lower echelons can't really contribute any more...but you know who could?

https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk/#wealthinequality
 
TwoSheds said:
And yet if you look at how wealth inequality has continued to increase year after year, perhaps you could engage brain and understand why the lower echelons can't really contribute any more...but you know who could?

https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk/#wealthinequality
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You seem to be mixing up wealth and income.

Nobody taxes wealth because as nice as it sounds, it rarely achieves the desired outcome.

Income wise, the lower earners have already had taxes skewed hugely in their favour. Too many people take out more than they put in. Thats hard to see through the rage though.
 
11101 said:
Nobody taxes wealth because as nice as it sounds, it rarely achieves the desired outcome.
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That’s not really true. Many countries tax wealth, just not through one simple “wealth tax”.

The most workable options are usually inheritance reform, capital gains reform, property/land value taxes, exit taxes, and possibly a one-off tax on very high net worth individuals. Annual wealth taxes are harder, but saying wealth can’t be taxed isn’t accurate.
 
Fluctuation0161 said:
That’s not really true. Many countries tax wealth, just not through one simple “wealth tax”.

The most workable options are usually inheritance reform, capital gains reform, property/land value taxes, exit taxes, and possibly a one-off tax on very high net worth individuals. Annual wealth taxes are harder, but saying wealth can’t be taxed isn’t accurate.
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Also, this very country we're living in used to tax wealth, and the decades those policies were in place were the same when the average person could buy a house for a reasonable price, join a workers Union and have a job for life with a decent pension at the end of it and we produced some of the best art, film, literature and music ever made.
 
11101 said:
You seem to be mixing up wealth and income.

Nobody taxes wealth because as nice as it sounds, it rarely achieves the desired outcome.

Income wise, the lower earners have already had taxes skewed hugely in their favour. Too many people take out more than they put in. Thats hard to see through the rage though.
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If nobody taxes wealth what's council tax? Everything is a choice. They choose convenience over what's right when it comes to taxes decade after decade.
 
decorativeed said:
Also, this very country we're living in used to tax wealth, and the decades those policies were in place were the same when the average person could buy a house for a reasonable price, join a workers Union and have a job for life with a decent pension at the end of it and we produced some of the best art, film, literature and music ever made.
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Well fecking said.

This is exactly why we need to have a strong welfare state that allows the average person to get by. It benefits everybody and results in some of the best cultural contributions this country has provided. So-called patriots should be all for this.

The Overton window has shifted so far to the right that Harold fecking MacMillan would be considered hard left (in terms of his economic policy). The post-war Keynesian economic policy is now viewed as far-left and somehow unreasonable.
 
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