ChatterBank2 mins ago
Front Page Of Guardian Today :::
Changes for rich people....huge pay rise caused by the abolition of 50p tax rate and self-satisfaction from knowing that poor people are being hit for six, plus changes to regulation of the financial industry ( thus providing even more opportunities to fleece the public )
Changes for poor people....Bedroom tax, lose of Legal aid, Disability Living allowance scrapped, Welfare benefit cap, further privatisation of the NHS, and introduction of "new" universal credit, providing another way to hide cuts in aid to vulnerable people.
A few days ago....changes to Air and Sea Rescue...now a private (American) firm. How long will it be that the first thing a winch man in a hovering helicopter will ask you is not "Are you OK ?" but "Which credit card do you use ? " or perhaps "what Local NHS Trust do you want to be taken to ?"
What is Wills going to do now for Gods sake ?
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I agree...I always enjoy Harris. But the problem is that not enough people will read this edition of the Guardian, or any other I'm afraid.
I have an idea that might improve the basic political education of people in Britain today. Why don't we try giving away a free copy of the Guardian with every copy of the Daily Mail ? Or we could try the Telegraph ?
( there wouldn't be much point in including The Sun in this experiment because, by definition, an ability to read would be the lowest qualification needed )
I'm sure it would only take about 2 weeks for enough people to realise that in order to really know what is going on, you need know the real facts.
I have an idea that might improve the basic political education of people in Britain today. Why don't we try giving away a free copy of the Guardian with every copy of the Daily Mail ? Or we could try the Telegraph ?
( there wouldn't be much point in including The Sun in this experiment because, by definition, an ability to read would be the lowest qualification needed )
I'm sure it would only take about 2 weeks for enough people to realise that in order to really know what is going on, you need know the real facts.
Thanks bibs...I missed that. But its a sign of our new Conservative times I'm afraid. All this could have been predicted on the 9th of May 2010, but even after years of Thatcher, and Major Bumble, enough people still voted for them. People have such short memories !
Still, it won't be long now before Cameron is looking for another job, although probably not on the Minimum Wage I bet !
Still, it won't be long now before Cameron is looking for another job, although probably not on the Minimum Wage I bet !
The 50p tax rate is a strange beast.
The Labour Party were the party of government for thirteen years. They saw fit to leave the top tax rate at 40p for all but the last two or three weeks of those thirteen years. Suddenly, though, with its reduction (to "only" 45p) the current government is accused of "providing huge tax cuts for millionaires".
Leaving aside:
that the top rate affects not just millionaires but people earning more than £150k (not nearly "millionaire" status)
that people earning more than £100k lose their tax free personal allowance (making their marginal tax rate even higher)
that the threshold for the 40% tax band has been reduced from £35k in 2010 to £32k this year
Just what it it that is so important about the 50p tax rate that its abolition now is seen as a disastrous travesty which will kick working people in the crutch, but which the Labour government deemed unnecessary for 99.5% of its term in office?
The Labour Party were the party of government for thirteen years. They saw fit to leave the top tax rate at 40p for all but the last two or three weeks of those thirteen years. Suddenly, though, with its reduction (to "only" 45p) the current government is accused of "providing huge tax cuts for millionaires".
Leaving aside:
that the top rate affects not just millionaires but people earning more than £150k (not nearly "millionaire" status)
that people earning more than £100k lose their tax free personal allowance (making their marginal tax rate even higher)
that the threshold for the 40% tax band has been reduced from £35k in 2010 to £32k this year
Just what it it that is so important about the 50p tax rate that its abolition now is seen as a disastrous travesty which will kick working people in the crutch, but which the Labour government deemed unnecessary for 99.5% of its term in office?
mikey...I don't see it as clearly as you.
The lower level of personal tax has been raised, thus helping the lower paid to pay less tax and keep more of their earnings............good move i would say.
Now the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer was a cry in the last Labour government.
For these changes, it depends to whom you speak, Labour says that the middle classes and poor are getting hit......a representative of some financial institution says that the middle classes and poor will benefit.
Take your pick.
The helicopter deal is the Private Sector offering a better deal than the Public Sector.....nothing new there.....just give them time before you criticise the end result.
Privatisation of the NHS...yepp! has been going on for a decade or more and supported by the last Labour government.
The lower level of personal tax has been raised, thus helping the lower paid to pay less tax and keep more of their earnings............good move i would say.
Now the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer was a cry in the last Labour government.
For these changes, it depends to whom you speak, Labour says that the middle classes and poor are getting hit......a representative of some financial institution says that the middle classes and poor will benefit.
Take your pick.
The helicopter deal is the Private Sector offering a better deal than the Public Sector.....nothing new there.....just give them time before you criticise the end result.
Privatisation of the NHS...yepp! has been going on for a decade or more and supported by the last Labour government.
You made a very brief post 'wonderful isn't it, spending less on the workshy all good if you ask me, now if we can just get rid of this 40% bracket too.....'
By that I assumed you felt all of the government's austerity measures which come into force today to be a good thing, including scrapping DLA since the questioner had mentioned them specifically in his opening post. Sorry if I misunderstood you.
By that I assumed you felt all of the government's austerity measures which come into force today to be a good thing, including scrapping DLA since the questioner had mentioned them specifically in his opening post. Sorry if I misunderstood you.
I can't really reply to all of you but there is a few points to be made :::
The real poor are not necessarily the "workshy" I am against the workshy as much as anybody else. The real tragedy is that there are millions of people in Britain who earn such poor wages, that they are forced to claim some benefits in order to keep their heads an inch or two above water. The minimum wage in Britain is only £6.19 an hour ! The last Labour governments record has been savaged by some contributors here on AB, and in some cases, quite rightly so. But the Conservatives were in power from the 3rd of May 1979 till 1st May 1997. In all of those 18 years, they saw no need to bring in a minimum wage....Tony Blair did....this is a fact. Poor people are still paid poor wages but at least there is a minimum below which employers can't go, much as they would like to.
Not only did the Tories not see a need to bring in a minimum wage, they actually caused hours rates to go down, by abolishing various Wages Councils, in traditionally poorly paid industries. Google wage councils and you will see what is what. So when people start whining "what have the Romans ( sorry, Labour ) ever done for us", well, the National Minimum Wage is one.
This is not political gossip, its a fact.
Blair also won two more elections after 1997, making three consecutive elections in a row. I know its fashionable to do Blair down these days but we shouldn't forget his record.
By the way, the Tories supported the Iraq war just as enthusiastically as Labour, and saw the same evidence through the Privy Council, so its a little late for the Tories to start having fits of the vapours in disgust.
The truly horrible Saddam Hussein and his ghastly sons are dead...get over it !
Devolved governments for Wales and Scotland were introduced during the period 1997 to 2010, another innovation that the Tories seemed not to bother with in the 18 years under Thatcher and Major Bumble. This might not seem important to the English but its made a huge difference to the Welsh and the Scots.
The remarks made by someone about selling the Air and Sea Rescue services to an American private company is despicable to the record of the RAF, and I am going to give it the attention that it deserves...bugger all !
The 50p rate of tax seems to be rather unimportant to some ABers, but when you are living on £6.19 an hour, it seems like another world.
This morning millions of people woke up worse off that they were the previous day. Yes, some of them may have been scroungers but most weren't. In the same way, an awful lot of well paid people are even better off than they were on Sunday, due to the reduction in tax rates from 50p to 45p. And some of them at least will still be able to claim Child Benefit !
So, the old adage about "poor people getting poorer under the Tories and rich people getting richer" isn't so very wrong, is it ?
Which category would most of us like to be in...£6.19 an hour or paying the top rate of tax, whatever that is ?
The real poor are not necessarily the "workshy" I am against the workshy as much as anybody else. The real tragedy is that there are millions of people in Britain who earn such poor wages, that they are forced to claim some benefits in order to keep their heads an inch or two above water. The minimum wage in Britain is only £6.19 an hour ! The last Labour governments record has been savaged by some contributors here on AB, and in some cases, quite rightly so. But the Conservatives were in power from the 3rd of May 1979 till 1st May 1997. In all of those 18 years, they saw no need to bring in a minimum wage....Tony Blair did....this is a fact. Poor people are still paid poor wages but at least there is a minimum below which employers can't go, much as they would like to.
Not only did the Tories not see a need to bring in a minimum wage, they actually caused hours rates to go down, by abolishing various Wages Councils, in traditionally poorly paid industries. Google wage councils and you will see what is what. So when people start whining "what have the Romans ( sorry, Labour ) ever done for us", well, the National Minimum Wage is one.
This is not political gossip, its a fact.
Blair also won two more elections after 1997, making three consecutive elections in a row. I know its fashionable to do Blair down these days but we shouldn't forget his record.
By the way, the Tories supported the Iraq war just as enthusiastically as Labour, and saw the same evidence through the Privy Council, so its a little late for the Tories to start having fits of the vapours in disgust.
The truly horrible Saddam Hussein and his ghastly sons are dead...get over it !
Devolved governments for Wales and Scotland were introduced during the period 1997 to 2010, another innovation that the Tories seemed not to bother with in the 18 years under Thatcher and Major Bumble. This might not seem important to the English but its made a huge difference to the Welsh and the Scots.
The remarks made by someone about selling the Air and Sea Rescue services to an American private company is despicable to the record of the RAF, and I am going to give it the attention that it deserves...bugger all !
The 50p rate of tax seems to be rather unimportant to some ABers, but when you are living on £6.19 an hour, it seems like another world.
This morning millions of people woke up worse off that they were the previous day. Yes, some of them may have been scroungers but most weren't. In the same way, an awful lot of well paid people are even better off than they were on Sunday, due to the reduction in tax rates from 50p to 45p. And some of them at least will still be able to claim Child Benefit !
So, the old adage about "poor people getting poorer under the Tories and rich people getting richer" isn't so very wrong, is it ?
Which category would most of us like to be in...£6.19 an hour or paying the top rate of tax, whatever that is ?
“The truly horrible Saddam Hussein and his ghastly sons are dead...get over it ! “
I was never under it !!! I cared not whether they lived or died. Unfortunately Mr Blair and others though otherwise and we all know what that led to.
Devolved governments, far from being an achievement to praise, are probably the one of the biggest constitutional mistakes made by any recent government. All they have done is to introduce another layer of administration which will set itself against central government (of whatever persuasion). Whilst the biggest mistake of all is the only area without a devolved government is the largest and most populous of all - England.
I’ve made my comments about the 50p tax. It is a total irrelevance to the vast majority of the population. It gathers little additional revenue and simply breeds resentment among both those that pay it and those who can only dream of being in a position to pay it.
I am by no means rich nor am I destitute. And that situation probably applies to the vast majority of the UK electorate. I’ve lived under a number of administrations both Tory, Labour and this ridiculous Coalition. And I know what I’d choose every time.
I was never under it !!! I cared not whether they lived or died. Unfortunately Mr Blair and others though otherwise and we all know what that led to.
Devolved governments, far from being an achievement to praise, are probably the one of the biggest constitutional mistakes made by any recent government. All they have done is to introduce another layer of administration which will set itself against central government (of whatever persuasion). Whilst the biggest mistake of all is the only area without a devolved government is the largest and most populous of all - England.
I’ve made my comments about the 50p tax. It is a total irrelevance to the vast majority of the population. It gathers little additional revenue and simply breeds resentment among both those that pay it and those who can only dream of being in a position to pay it.
I am by no means rich nor am I destitute. And that situation probably applies to the vast majority of the UK electorate. I’ve lived under a number of administrations both Tory, Labour and this ridiculous Coalition. And I know what I’d choose every time.
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