reading that it does go back to the covid restrictions that stopped so many having the normal life they needed. mental health has always been with us but seems to have escalated since then. is it as serious as some make out ot just the new bad back for the workshy or somebody who wants a month off. i,m not trying to say it doe not matter as i have suffered once where it was hard to actually go to the doctors to even get diagnosed never mind doing anything else.

Why is it a subject the politicians of all colour dare not touch?
Increase Income Tax by 1% for basics and 2% for highers rates.
Loads of money, problems solved.
And then there is the corporates............................

I see Mr Brash who was opposed to the bill didn't have the balls to vote against it abstaining instead.
All votes should be mandatory for our elected MPs and the cop-out of an abstention should be taken away. Abstention is basically acceptance by silence, and generally done in the interests of Party before constituents or even conscience.
What a shambles from a Party who claimed to be ready to govern, hit the ground running, etc etc. It's taken less than 14 months for this lot to become as shambolic and catastrophic to the country's wellbeing as 14 years of the Tory's. Mother of all parliaments has become an absolute laughing stock across the globe.

Completely agree about abstaining.

Benefits reform is a tough subject, after a very lucrative working life I was able to retire at 55 but wanted to do something so did support work for a young fella with a brain injury in York, he’d been knocked off his moped by someone pulling out without looking wrecked he’s shoulder and ankle put him in a coma for six weeks, six months later his life got worse as he got me getting him back into life computer courses gym, medical appointments. I asked what benefits he got, he was knocked back for PIP as he didn’t want to be classed as disabled so didn’t exaggerate his ailments and scored zero, for those who don’t know the system this classed him as fit as peak Usain Bolt. I knew nothing of benefits but appealed and got him PIP. The waiting room for the appeal was unreal with well dressed people who looked well nourished and fit as lops taking ten minutes to cross the room to find a seat, they may have been disabled but did make me wonder.

been said especiaaly over the last 15 years a party doing that would be having a death wish. funny how people detest paying income tax but rarely say a word about indirect taxation like the dreaded VAT.

More or less sunk.

They don't increase basic income tax because they get millions from the tax thresholds freeze every year.
Even off the low paid now thats why they up the NMW A canny whack every year.

Still the gap between working n not working needa to be bigger.

Shit loads of lazy bastads getting spoilt rotten of us taxpayers.

making work really work would help and raising the tax threshold would be one way to start and getting those who can afford pay more. get the lazy bastards working would mean more for our dinghy diving friends as well. who can argue with that.

Over the years governments have fell into a trap where people are better off working part time then topping up with benefits, their idea was getting people back into work.The employers don’t help as they some times encourage it to reduce their tax burden and NI contributions.
Labour have put forward their plans for workers rights but MSM hasn’t picked up on it yet. Couple of things, zero hours contracts to banned but not until 2027 along with hire and fire.