Triple Lock On Pensions To Go !

[mikey4444]

There are distinct rumours that Mrs May is thinking of ditching the triple lock on pensions, as well as ditching the 2015 Tory manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

So, we could be looking at a future Tory government, where the value of your pension will go down, at the same time as taxes go up.

Vote Tory...get a double whammy !

[fender62]

i think the way it's going..so far the powers that be are happy to give away x amount to erm charity foreign aide etc, but like judge said we are living beyond our means, or the government are letting things spiral montary wise, live for today tommorow will take care of itself
example, we have universities pushing out media degrees, of 0 value
where are the tech and engineering degrees, i htink people are either to lazy or they have not got any savy, anyway back to triple lock..it's dead in the water..why look at our gdp and think in ten yrs time and double that, unsustainable

[douglas9401]

Thanks Eddie, I've a few summers to go then. :)

[Old_Geezer]

All speculation at present; but it does underline how sad it is that there is no decent alternative even likely to be able to form a government at present. Pro EU, pro ID card, "the masses do what they are told as we monitor them" Labour are going to be unelectable for some time yet. Decades possibly. The citizen is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

[sp1814]

NJ - the foreign aid thing.

Weak.

[Old_Geezer]

If one becomes a 'coffin dodger' when one reaches State retirement age then there won't be many more of them then. As the government raises the qualifying age by a year each year to allow the unemployed to stay on welfare whilst those who have done their bit are denied and worked to death instead.

[Jackdaw33]

Fortunately I became a coffin dodger just in the nick of time, before they started changing the rules. I heartily sympathise with those who are going to have to flog their guts out to the bitter end.

[New Judge]

"NJ - the foreign aid thing. Weak."

The current cost of State pensions is about 6% of GDP or about £90bn. Assuming the “Triple Lock” would lead to increases of, say, 1% pa more than if it was not in place, it will cost less than £1bn to fund it. The country is asked to believe that this is unaffordable whilst in the same breath being told that the £13bn pa given in “Aid” to foreigners is perfectly sustainable.

If there is any weakness involved it is with that contention, not mine.

[Zacs-Master]

Mikey, I keep telling you that until your beloved Labour Party get their act together, the current govt will do as they please. The answer lies in their being no opposition as long as 70s throwback and champagne socialist Corbyn is dumped.

[Zacs-Master]

Until

[Jackdaw33]

As usual, NJ, you tell it like it is. What I cannot fathom is why a person of May's political acumen should want to tell all and sundry that while we will continue to fund foreign countries, most of whom hate our guts, to the current level, the rest of the country should be prepared to pay more to finance it. She needs some new spin doctors.

[THECORBYLOON]

NJ, why should pensioners receive above inflation benefit increases in the first place?

[ladybirder]

The increase was about £2.90 on the basic SP. Big deal. The increase in my Council Tax took care of most of that.

[Jackdaw33]

Once again I agree with LB. Mine went up about £12 per month. Rent and council tax went up £10 so I'm a whole £4 per month better off. Decisions, decisions. Still waiting to hear about any increase in my works pension.

[Jackdaw33]

Sorry, that should read £2 per month better off.

[RobNorth]

NJ - your maths tells me that the cost of the totally unnecessary HS2 fiasco would cover it for around 80 years - and climbing.
J33 - I'm with you there, but the surviving £2 is already under attack, with a charge of £27.50 to empty my garden waste bin during spring/summer.
The fact that State Pension is constantly referred to as part of the "benefits" bill doesn't help - seems to me it's no more a benefit that a pension paid to a Teacher or Firefighter.
It's also, I believe, the lowest in Western Europe by some measure.

[Jackdaw33]

I agree. To me the state pension is not a benefit, rather an entitlement to which I have contributed all my working life and expect my reward. To say that I am in receipt of benefits is like comparing me to Vicky Pollard, pushing a huge pram around with kiddies chewing on a Gregg's sausage roll.

[david small]

We were thinking of supporting May until she refused point blank to cut foreign aid. Sigh, back to UKIP.

[Jackdaw33]

You're not the only one. May has done herself a hell of a lot of harm by this. Suddenly the huge landslide is no longer the prospect it was.

[Khandro]

“Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries"

Can someone explain why successive governments are determined to do this hugely unpopular activity, - we have even given money to North Korea it appears.

[mikey4444]

Dougie...I will be 65 in June 2018, so expect my OAP to kick in at that time !

In 2015, the Tories promised not to increase income taxes, VAT or NIC's. But, just a few weeks ago, Hammond did exactly that, when he increased NICs for self-employed people.

Of course, he and Mrs May had to do a U-Turn on that, mainly because of a rebellion in the Tory Party.

We shouldn't forget that it was the Tories, not Labour, that raised VAT to its present high levels on occasions in the past, so they have previous form in this area.

There has been such a rebellion overnight, that I now doubt that these two things will be in their Manifesto after all, but perhaps they will anyway, if they win the Election.

To threaten the retired section of our population would be suicide indeed, but how else are they going to make the sums add up ?