The new government – good accomplishments and bad?

[HKOwen]

Yeah they have been out of power for a long time so hardly surprising they present badly.

Coupled with the fact that the Tories are a well-oiled, well resourced spin machine and the Tory press making it their sole mission to undermine Labour, Labour will always appear amateurish, clumsy and gaff prone next to the Tories.

And because they are amateurish, clumsy, and gaff prone.

Winter fuel allowance is hardly a gaff though.

Reeves' free clothes around 19 winter fuel allowances

 

[silvertop]

And because they are amateurish, clumsy, and gaff prone.

Winter fuel allowance is hardly a gaff though.

Reeves' free clothes around 19 winter fuel allowances

No and I back it 100%.

I have so far not heard a credible argument supporting the giving of public money to folk with a higher disposable income than the waged.

The problem is more a case of those who are entitled to pension credit not claiming it.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

Have you seen the clip of that numpty on Mastermind?!

"who suceeded Henry VIII to the throne?"

Lammy, "Henry VII"

I have EE, many times. And enjoyed it every time. Blue cheese? Red Leicester.
Halfway to being an idiot savant.

 

[eagleman13]

No and I back it 100%.

I have so far not heard a credible argument supporting the giving of public money to folk with a higher disposable income than the waged.

The problem is more a case of those who are entitled to pension credit not claiming it.

An awful lot of pensioners cannot claim PC because the State Pension is £3.05 over the threshold. Also, most pensioners are living hand by mouth just surviving & not wealthy. I do however, agree with you that the more 'well-off' should not receive the WFA, as has been reported, a lot of them use it for holidays or give to charity.

 

[Hrolf The Ganger]

Yeah they have been out of power for a long time so hardly surprising they present badly.

Coupled with the fact that the Tories are a well-oiled, well resourced spin machine and the Tory press making it their sole mission to undermine Labour, Labour will always appear amateurish, clumsy and gaff prone next to the Tories.

You are funny Silvertop.

It is the oppositions job to make the government look useless. Labour spent 14 years doing it.
Labour should never be in government because they are charlatans. They look crap because they are.
The Tories won't have to work too hard to highlight their limitations.

If you had one word to describe socialists, it would be HYPOCRITES.

 

[Badger11]

An awful lot of pensioners cannot claim PC because the State Pension is £3.05 over the threshold. Also, most pensioners are living hand by mouth just surviving & not wealthy. I do however, agree with you that the more 'well-off' should not receive the WFA, as has been reported, a lot of them use it for holidays or give to charity.

Or buy Christmas presents for their grand kids as the do where I live.

 

[Willo]

And because they are amateurish, clumsy, and gaff prone.

Winter fuel allowance is hardly a gaff though.

Reeves' free clothes around 19 winter fuel allowances

Rachel Reeves claimed that a 'Fiscal black hole' (Total hogwash) forced her to make tough choices the most egregious of which was stripping Winter Fuel Payments from 10 Mill pensioners. Millions will face a cold winter not because of any 'Fiscal black hole' discovered after the election.

I accept that all governments have to make tough choices, however when it came to Public Sector pay, Labour never made 'Tough choices', they caved in granting £10 Billion inflation-busting increases to their Trade Union paymasters.
Millions of pensioners will suffer because of Labour's reckless spending.

I get exceedingly irate when I hear Labour politicians spout about this fictitious 'Black hole'.
Labour had made decisions prior to the election in the full knowledge that they would use a 'Fiscal black hole' to justify their actions.

 

[georgenorman]

An awful lot of pensioners cannot claim PC because the State Pension is £3.05 over the threshold. Also, most pensioners are living hand by mouth just surviving & not wealthy. I do however, agree with you that the more 'well-off' should not receive the WFA, as has been reported, a lot of them use it for holidays or give to charity.

I received the winter fuel allowance and didn't need it, but was content to keep it knowing that I would spend it more wisely than any government.

 

[Willo]

Labour being in Government is another thing you can blame the Tories on.

I'm a life long Conservative but clearly a change was needed.

My expectation of Starmer and Co was not high but so far I'm disappointed.

His ' holier than thou ' mask has slipped. He's used pensioners to demonstrate that he's prepared to make unpopular decisions just because he can. He's caved in to the train drivers while ensuring that their working practises remain the same. And the Junior Doctors, albeit a more worthy cause, have only been temporarily placated.

A bit like before the election, all I'm hearing is how bad things are but without a workable plan in place to make anything better.

Only my opinion, but the Tories lack a sufficiently credible potential leader that will preside over an effective opposition party.

I'd like to see Farage holding Starmer to account. At least that wouldn't make for an easy ride.

The Starmer 'Honeymoon' was exceedingly ephemeral with no time to open the Champagne bottles.
His public standing is in freefall.

 

[cryrst]

An awful lot of pensioners cannot claim PC because the State Pension is £3.05 over the threshold. Also, most pensioners are living hand by mouth just surviving & not wealthy. I do however, agree with you that the more 'well-off' should not receive the WFA, as has been reported, a lot of them use it for holidays or give to charity.

The problem is means testing for the lot would cost much more than actually paying it. Pension credit form filling must be a frightening prospect bearing in mind what happens if they make a mistake. Why not just pay it and know that it helps some even it’s a minority. 2TK will reverse this decision as I heard reeves suddenly found 6 billion. Watch this space.

 

[Rudi Hedman]

The problem is means testing for the lot would cost much more than actually paying it. Pension credit form filling must be a frightening prospect bearing in mind what happens if they make a mistake. Why not just pay it and know that it helps some even it’s a minority. 2TK will reverse this decision as I heard reeves suddenly found 6 billion. Watch this space.

Diane Abbott did the original sums?

 

[becky]

Diane Abbott did the original sums?

....and they were audited by David Lammy, too

 

[Wisbech Eagle]

Rachel Reeves claimed that a 'Fiscal black hole' (Total hogwash) forced her to make tough choices the most egregious of which was stripping Winter Fuel Payments from 10 Mill pensioners. Millions will face a cold winter not because of any 'Fiscal black hole' discovered after the election.

I accept that all governments have to make tough choices, however when it came to Public Sector pay, Labour never made 'Tough choices', they caved in granting £10 Billion inflation-busting increases to their Trade Union paymasters.
Millions of pensioners will suffer because of Labour's reckless spending.

I get exceedingly irate when I hear Labour politicians spout about this fictitious 'Black hole'.
Labour had made decisions prior to the election in the full knowledge that they would use a 'Fiscal black hole' to justify their actions.

How do you know it is “hogwash”?

Have you got access to the financial records that are only available to the government and those they consult?

The OBR confirmed only last week that there were significant overspends left over from the last government so it doesn’t seem to be “hogwash”. It’s real.

Britain's real black hole is far larger than £22bn – and far harder to close - The Centre for Policy Studies

Rachel Reeves has warned of a £22 billion ‘black hole’ in the public finances. But the reports published today by the Office for Budget Responsibility and Lord Darzi show that the real black hole is far larger – and driven by the cavernous gap between Britain’s spending commitments and its...

cps.org.uk

 

[steeleye20]

If it was the tories, they would say that Starmer and Reeves are not quite 'members of the club'.

Angela Rayner however, takes time out to speak for the Palestinians.

😎

 

[Teddy Eagle]

How do you know it is “hogwash”?

Have you got access to the financial records that are only available to the government and those they consult?

The OBR confirmed only last week that there were significant overspends left over from the last government so it doesn’t seem to be “hogwash”. It’s real.

Britain's real black hole is far larger than £22bn – and far harder to close - The Centre for Policy Studies

Rachel Reeves has warned of a £22 billion ‘black hole’ in the public finances. But the reports published today by the Office for Budget Responsibility and Lord Darzi show that the real black hole is far larger – and driven by the cavernous gap between Britain’s spending commitments and its...

cps.org.uk

Far less than 10% of the debt accrued over Covid. Just add it to the bill.

 

[Wisbech Eagle]

Far less than 10% of the debt accrued over Covid. Just add it to the bill.

How our debt has been accrued is now irrelevant. It has and must be recognised and dealt with.

I don’t blame this, or the last, government for most of it. I do blame governments for not being honest about it and explaining what the consequences will be.

I met our new MP last week. The previous one, a Tory, was assisting me to solve an issue with a Ministry. The new one is Labour. Both are very impressive ladies, intelligent, quick to grasp the point and willing to help. Talking to either you would struggle to know which party they represented and they are cooperating to ensure a smooth transition locally. This is the way it ought to be. Good people working for us. They get as frustrated as we all do.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

How our debt has been accrued is now irrelevant. It has and must be recognised and dealt with.

I don’t blame this, or the last, government for most of it. I do blame governments for not being honest about it and explaining what the consequences will be.

I met our new MP last week. The previous one, a Tory, was assisting me to solve an issue with a Ministry. The new one is Labour. Both are very impressive ladies, intelligent, quick to grasp the point and willing to help. Talking to either you would struggle to know which party they represented and they are cooperating to ensure a smooth transition locally. This is the way it ought to be. Good people working for us. They get as frustrated as we all do.

The point being that in the grand scheme of things £22 bn is piddle in the ocean.

The United Kingdom National Debt Clock 2024 Counter >> nationaldebtclock.co.uk

The Great Kingdom UK national debt grows at a rate of 45.486 pond per second! Watch the live debt clock 2024. Watch it live...

www.nationaldebtclock.co.uk

 

[Willo]

DAILY DOSE OF LABOUR LUNACY: Labour’s £22 billion black hole hypocrisy

It takes a very special kind of chutzpah for Labour, led by Starmer and Reeves, to now bemoan the state of the public finances. The £22 billion black hole they’re wringing their hands over is, in f…

conservativepost.co.uk

Rachel Reeves stated that she identified a £22 billion fiscal “black hole” only after the election, despite the fact that the previous government’s fiscal data was publicly available beforehand.🙁

​

 

[HKOwen]

No and I back it 100%.

I have so far not heard a credible argument supporting the giving of public money to folk with a higher disposable income than the waged.

The problem is more a case of those who are entitled to pension credit not claiming it.

There are many who are not in the higher disposable income bracket who will lose it. I agree well off should not receive it but there should be a delay until some kind of means test can be done and all eligible are registered and a process is in place for the future as people reach pensionable age. If the cost of doing all this is so much as to negate the benefit then just leave as is.

Ill thought out

 

[HKOwen]

Or buy Christmas presents for their grand kids as the do where I live.

How do you know, or is that you? I don't think the local Greggs to you is full of pensioners declaring they have spent the WFA on gifts for grand kids.