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Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

markysimmo said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1903855625915797704
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what i don't get about Reeves is that she keeps stating that she's put the foundations in place for growth. But I'm unsure where they think the growth is going to come from when:
1) taxes have been increased when they were already at historic highs.
2) employment costs have been increased.
3) public spending looks like it is being cut.
She's literally trying to squeeze every £ out of the economy: she's put a straight jacket on growth.
 
Rorschach said:
Iconic image from the protests in Turkey (photo by Umit Bektas)
bafkreicnb4xm7eyvkbaiodbd2putpm5f3otfo6fapmrug2hm26kd5uw4mi@jpeg
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bsky.app

Monica Marks (@monicamarks.bsky.social)

Ümit Bektaş is one of Turkey’s most talented photographers. His photos here are going viral. You’re not looking at AI: these are real photos from Turkey’s current pro-democracy protests. Despite mounting police repression, the demonstrations are expanding. Erdogan hopes protesters will tire out.
bsky.app bsky.app
 
Just following up on the above, I get the feeling that this current government seem to be a hybrid of the worst of Tory/Labour. Under tories our public services might be starved but at least we have money in our pockets. Under Labour we might get taxed to sh** but at least our schools and hospitals are getting investment. This govt. seem to be about taking money off you and then not spending it because....*looks it up* ah yes, Rachel's Rules.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
Just following up on the above, I get the feeling that this current government seem to be a hybrid of the worst of Tory/Labour. Under tories our public services might be starved but at least we have money in our pockets. Under Labour we might get taxed to sh** but at least our schools and hospitals are getting investment. This govt. seem to be about taking money off you and then not spending it because....*looks it up* ah yes, Rachel's Rules.
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The problem with this Labour government is theyre trying to take the 'everyman' approach and it simply won't work.

Boiled down it's quite easy to simplify what the current issues/difficulties are for any government.
Public services in many departments are on its knees.
The economy is stagnating.
The government need money to rectify this.
They are indebted up to their eyeballs.
It's hard to ask the middle class for more (let alone the lower class,) as living costs are screwing them to the floor, and in general they are indebted up to their eyeballs.
There is only a small group of people with real money....and you can't upset them.
So, rock and a hard place in reality (but in truth we've been here for a while)

Getting interest rates down will give Joe public more money in their pocket and reduce the governments own monthly debt payments.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
The problem with this Labour government is theyre trying to take the 'everyman' approach and it simply won't work.

Boiled down it's quite easy to simplify what the current issues/difficulties are for any government.
Public services in many departments are on its knees.
The economy is stagnating.
The government need money to rectify this.
They are indebted up to their eyeballs.
It's hard to ask the middle class for more (let alone the lower class,) as living costs are screwing them to the floor, and in general they are indebted up to their eyeballs.
There is only a small group of people with real money....and you can't upset them.
So, rock and a hard place in reality (but in truth we've been here for a while)

Getting interest rates down will give Joe public more money in their pocket and reduce the governments own monthly debt payments.
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Agreed but that's why the (unannounced and not in manifesto) employers NI uplift was such a poorly thought out policy because it's probably the main thing screwing the entire strategy up: minimum wage uplifts and workers rights reforms were in manifesto and while businesses largely didn't like they had prepared and probably baked in costs uplifts into long term planning meaning minor upwards shifts in inflationary pressures caused by this spread out over time and unlikely to impact overall inflation. The NI uplift caused not only a significant and immediate cost uplift but one that was unplanned for meaning businesses have had to deal with it immediately and via means of short term measures of job cuts and price increases. This has not only put pressure on employment but it has caused headline inflation to start to tick upwards meaning interest rates will either not come down or they will come down more slowly than expected which could have the knock on impact on inflation where businesses again have to rebenchmark against unexpected costs and this is where the term "inflationary spiral" comes from where governments do daft sh** like this that risks losing control of the economy.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
what i don't get about Reeves is that she keeps stating that she's put the foundations in place for growth. But I'm unsure where they think the growth is going to come from when:
1) taxes have been increased when they were already at historic highs.
2) employment costs have been increased.
3) public spending looks like it is being cut.
She's literally trying to squeeze every £ out of the economy: she's put a straight jacket on growth.
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This is because you take all your cues from government.

There is a real world out there where the growth comes from people actually generating wealth for themselves with new ideas and products and so on.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
Just following up on the above, I get the feeling that this current government seem to be a hybrid of the worst of Tory/Labour. Under tories our public services might be starved but at least we have money in our pockets. Under Labour we might get taxed to sh** but at least our schools and hospitals are getting investment. This govt. seem to be about taking money off you and then not spending it because....*looks it up* ah yes, Rachel's Rules.
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Labour are better run than the Conservatives, who let spending go! Totally out of control. They let the civil service spiral, and become woefully inefficient. Labour are making the tough choices to cut benefits etc that the Tories didn't, making government more efficient....to pay for the incompetence of the Conservative governments that have left the nation in stasis since Brexit. And all we hear from right wing supporters is whinge whinge whinge!

One of the biggest obstacles to growth is the army of naysayers - the old media and entrenched cronies who seem intent on undermining positivity. Labour is taking the right steps, offering a much-needed reprieve after years of Tory incompetence. It's time to support these efforts, not sabotage them!

:)
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
Agreed but that's why the (unannounced and not in manifesto) employers NI uplift was such a poorly thought out policy because it's probably the main thing screwing the entire strategy up: minimum wage uplifts and workers rights reforms were in manifesto and while businesses largely didn't like they had prepared and probably baked in costs uplifts into long term planning meaning minor upwards shifts in inflationary pressures caused by this spread out over time and unlikely to impact overall inflation. The NI uplift caused not only a significant and immediate cost uplift but one that was unplanned for meaning businesses have had to deal with it immediately and via means of short term measures of job cuts and price increases. This has not only put pressure on employment but it has caused headline inflation to start to tick upwards meaning interest rates will either not come down or they will come down more slowly than expected which could have the knock on impact on inflation where businesses again have to rebenchmark against unexpected costs and this is where the term "inflationary spiral" comes from where governments do daft sh** like this that risks losing control of the economy.
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I agree it was a poorly thought out move.

Reeves problem (and any government) is they restrict themselves with silly fiscal rules and promises that are never met or achieved. They just back themselves into corners. Hence increasing income from business NI because 'we said we wouldn't raise taxes on the working man'

The situation we (and many other countries) are in needs a reasonably long term view. It's about a vision and re-working of where we are/were and where we need to be (and this moment in time really does feel an ideal opportunity to press ahead). Be confident, bold and honest about that and stop being beholden to micro managing the finances. It's like a ball and chain.

It would be handy if certain projects/economic direction (eglike GB renewables) could be cross party agreed and supported, so we can press ahead with confidence that our goals are achievable.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
what i don't get about Reeves is that she keeps stating that she's put the foundations in place for growth. But I'm unsure where they think the growth is going to come from when:
1) taxes have been increased when they were already at historic highs.
2) employment costs have been increased.
3) public spending looks like it is being cut.
She's literally trying to squeeze every £ out of the economy: she's put a straight jacket on growth.
Click to expand...
Historic highs?! Do you write for the mail?

Our taxes are higher than the US, but lower than EU 14 and G7avg.

Interestingly, most western type economies have had a steady increase in tax rates post WWII.
The UK has a seriously volatile rate.
The current rate are similar to all rates since WWII, except for the 90s. The lower tax periods all look like reactions to recession, but built on debt.

obr.uk

The UK’s tax burden in historical and international context - Office for Budget Responsibility

In our March 2023 Economic and fiscal outlook, we forecast that the UK's tax burden was set to rise to a post-war high. This box considered the UK's tax burden in international and historical context.
obr.uk obr.uk

We have to accept that the current societal set up is no longer possible. It's built on post war economics and then boomers era economy. As are the fiscal rules we create.

Look at many of those factors for "living standards" - they are financial. They don't focus on happiness, they focus on wealth being the measure of living standards, with housing being a core part of it - you can't use equity in Tesco.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
Good idea imo. On the City/Docklands/Excel side of London...combine it with new freight/ports area in the Thames estuary (closest M25 side to Dover as well), connect into Stratford/ebbsfleet Eurostar (HS1)
Plus not adding to the amount of traffic to the busiest section of the M25 (A3-M40)

Air traffic flying East lesser effect on populated areas.
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100%, now they've approved the lower thames crossing this would be the perfect time to look at it again which is why it will never happen.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
I do think there is a "benefits trap" in this country in that, once you've been assessed to be entitled to benefits; i think its very hard to get off them. I think my brother in law's ex is a really good case in point. She has housing benefit, child benefit, universal credit and all together that's equating to almost £3,000 a month in benefits. Shes in a new build 3-bed semi owned by a housing association on a new build estate that only got planning permission based on the developer building a % of properties for social housing. Why would you work when you can get more than twice the money you'd likely get from working and a far better house in a better area than if you were having to find a private rental or buy yourself a house?

It gets to the point where I'd tell people that don't do well at school and can't rectify it by learning a trade or starting their own business to not get a job at all , because if they do, they knacker their claim for benefits.
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It's hard to work out the actual facts with so much media hyperbole and hysterics, I think the government could go a long way to addressing some of these stories by having better statistics that are updated and published regularly in an easy to understand format. They should be doing this for lots of areas to educate people better.

There's lot's of different scenarios and requirements, obviously some people can't work at all and need protecting but I never see it suggested about people who have paid a lot into the system and been made redundant/or at risk of redundancy - could their payouts be linked to their years of contributions for example in the short term whilst they look for another job. I believe Germany has a similar type of arrangement (not sure it's linked to contributions) - https://adeccogroup.it/kuzarbeit-sustainability-work-germany/
 
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