So you're a Caveman, citizen against virtually everything, politics is tough and is about allocating a scarce resoures,if you don't vote don't moan

"scarce resoures"

Politicians are supposed to protect the most vulnerable in society not fleece them

Well said Jamie.

Who said I don’t vote
I have a duty to vote, people fought for it.
I compromise by voting for a local independent.
I hold my nose and mark the ballot paper.

The ‘caveman’ is you for naively assuming democracy is only for the big useless party’s.
Oh the irony.

He went with his wife, tell me the nature of how they forced him out when they can’t force him out legally, the only other way would surely be illegal.

And just to add fuel to the fire what about abolishing the two-child benefit cap.
Lets see what the October budget/statement says. We are in for rocky times.

Can’t see it being scrapped, they’ve said too much about not scrapping it to back down….they jumped in with both feet instead of waiting.

Riots in Murray St. Now

Means testing for pensions

I can see the budget corroding football crowds.
The burst bubble of the game is on its way.
The countrys heading back to the skint days of 70s early 80s.

I read an article on this a few months ago, that plans are underway to means test the state pension as its not economically sustainable to keep paying it to everyone. I am in my late 50's, so if this is brought in before I reach the age of 67, does that mean I get all my NI contributions back that I have paid over the years if I don't qualify for the state pension? No I thought not!!!

Disgusting

So scarce I couldn't find the c ......

How could they tell the difference?

Plus 11 billion to other countries to spunk up the wall

I internally didn’t mean forced out, it was not only him and his wife who left, there around 5 bully boy councillors at the time, one woman nicknamed mad dog.
High Tax Hartlepool used to highlight all the goings on in the Council and it’s website was constantly being brought down by who ever, it’s now The Hartlepool Post (I have a lifetime ban from it for voicing my Brexit opinions and one of the admins who I thought was a mate.) but not a patch on HTH since it’s original founder passed away.

Oh I know them very well, threats were flying around the Council chamber like pork pies in a wedding reception fight. I think we mean the same thing, they were sort of forced out, but some Councillors did stand their ground. I’d have liked them to stay because in my opinion they were up against cardboard cut outs who fell apart eventually.
As regards The Hartlepool Post, I used to go on there but went away for a while and there was no possibility of being able to go on the board…when I tried after two months to log in, I couldn’t get in, but that’s life.

might have actually gained even more votes as many of the younger end actually hate pensioners in general and in some families not all that bothered when their parents pop off just to get their hands on anything they have got left. plus most of us voted for brexit, want the boats stopping and hate woke. not something the new left like one bit. at least immigrants can show us the way in their treatment of the old and of the greater esteam they put them in.

This cutting of the payments, it seems a strange thing to do.

Why now? Merely two weeks after winning the election - it could have been announced in two months time.
Why the very low threshold? It would have been much fairer to set a limit which is comparable to everyday living, to allow for a little other income.

Is Reeves trying to look tough?

Well she has a voice like a Rottweiler with a cough.
Seriously though,
was there a bit of reverse psychology……bang on about the alleged financial black hole caused by the Tory’s which is forcing them to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance and hope the Tory’s get the blame.
Even more baffling is footage of Starmer asking about the future of the fuel allowance recently…..do they talk to each other…?

It just seems a strange hill to die on, or whatever that little phrase is....

Like she's looking for trouble, I mean she'll get enough of that in any case.

even they cannot be that foolish if they never expected some backlash from this in their honeymoon period. possibly less though that some other measures i feel they,ll bring in during this parliament. if our council tax does not go through the roof by 2029 and the cost of diesel and petrol does not shoot up as well as road tax and insurance i,ll stand bollock naked next to ward jacksons statue. it will be all for the national good.

if you are a 25 year old you would not give a damn about this decision. just the same as when the pension age was raised if you are years away from it. who at that age thinks much about retiring anyway. it was the furthest thing from my thoughts then.

skint. there will like always be many who will still find money for exclusive holidays abroad, drink, drugs and pay a fortune to watch an away game down south but still bleat about being hard up. thats before the festival of shopping called christmas turns up to fill bins on waste food and trying to outdo neighbours on presents they buy for spoiled brats.

To stand up and claim a huge black hole in the country's finances then announce an average £400 p/w rise for Junior Doctors coupled with £5 p/w cut for pensioners is not what you'd expect from a Labour government. Obscene imo.

doubt they,ll cut the benefits for the workshy though. they,ll use the children of them for their regular stance on this issue.

For 2023/2024 the UK government raised £1,095 billion in tax.
In my days of budget setting if i could not find a few billion out of that to save a payment to a vulnerable group i would have been asked to think again.
Perhaps as a token it should have been taken away from the more "comfortable" but NOT to those in the trap between the benefit top limits and what is really a living wage.

I don't think many people will argue that benefits should be targetted at the vunerable/needy etc but very many people point the finger at pensioners benefits and demand they are reduced or taken away from those "who don't need them" We have a national minimum wage in this country, which is supposed to be the amount necessary to live on, so why can't we find an alignment with that when it comes to deciding what is necessary for pensioners to live on. If we do that and it is fair and proves to be a true reflection of a "living minimum income requirement" then all this chopping and changing through benefits and triple locks etc, would be totally unnecessary. The money saved in administrating these benefits would help towards setting up and paying this state pension.
People also say yes but pensioners have savings, equity in their homes, private pensions etc etc. Some even still have a job. So what, they have created this wealth to have extra in their retirement and to pass on to their kids.They've paid taxes all their working lives and that should be enough. Why should the Government have the right to steal part of that or even take it into account. Those of you who have not reached pensionable age as yet, have taken out private pensions, regular savings plans and such, so you will have that bit extra towards being comfortable in your twilight years. You will be able to treat your Grandkids and go on nice holidays. Rewards for years of hard work, sacrifice, bringing up a family and all that. I tell you now when you find you are being discriminated against for doing all that and Governments start reducing your income because "after all you don't really need it" you will not like it. Not one little bit you won't.

The cost of the paperwork alone would probably cancel out any savings.

Isn't the issue the way that State Pensions are funded. The NI collected today pays the Statutory Sick Pay, Maternity Pay and State Pensions now, not what the contributors will get over their lifetime. The only way to get this back in line is for all workers to pay higher NI (and considerably higher so that future generations do not end up on a ridiculously steep curve of increasing NI if/when things like AI replace jobs and fewer people are working and paying NI)?

Roll back the NI cut the Tories put in place and use the money to help the poorest in society

I don't mind how they do it, just make it fairer and less complicated to manage.
The bottom line for me is that people who work all their lives and contribute to society shouldn't have to scrimp and scrape when it comes to retirement. I've looked after my money and how I spend it or even give it away is surely my business. This chancellor is going to take us much of my money as she dare, and that's after i've paid my taxes to her predecessors and saved a bit to enjoy my final years and pass a bit on to those I leave behind. You wait when she is done loading inheritence tax what we leave will lose more value. She'll squeeze and squeeze to fund political ideals, which is why she and her colleagues refused to answer questions on prospective tax rises. We're about to get to know how much our income and personal earnings is going to change and you can safely assume that the change won't be up. Then when the zealot on energy, Millibean, gets cracking, who knows what we'll face.
We're gonna get change alright but don't hold yer breath waiting for it to get better. Us pensioners are already £200/£300 down. How long are we expected to fall for the chancellor chucking money around on huge pay rises and daft quangos, whilst blaming what she inherited.
She's squealing about what she inherited, whilst she squeezes what our generation's offspring are gonna inherit.
In future years when this parliament/government gets written about it will be headed "how a country fell for the ultimate three card trick"
Current tax income is over one thousand billion, for a country the sizo of this one, but still politicians are spending their waking hours straining to find ways to fleece it's citizens even more.

The issue is people are innately after what they can get for themselves.

Junior doctors get 22%, next day GPs are going to limit the number of appointments per day unless they get more money.
Bin men in Scotland go on strike during Edinburgh festival which will force the Government North of the Border to find money from somewhere to fund the councils to make an offer.

Which of those 3 sectors of public service do you want to do without? I don't see a right answer.

Well GPs have now voted for industrial action and I'd imagine they'll want the same rise as Junior Dr's 22%, how are they going to pay for that take away bus passes and free prescriptions unless you're on less than £11300 a year?

Lack of GP appointments will push more people to A&E and therefore increased costs there. Maybe we are just living too long now.

Time for a good clear out, what do those Chinese labs have in their fridges?

He pointed out that large groups of grooming gangs were operating in towns and cities around the UK ,the media outlets and government didn't like it and he was silenced'for a while'..As for his convictions they actually make him look like a mere pussycat compared to some of the nut jobs arriving on our shores...Who is there out there in this country to speak out?Are we all meant to put up and shut nowadays?

GPs aren’t directly employed by the NHS, Doctors Surgeries are run as a business receiving x amount of pounds for every patient they have on the books.

US health insurance giant, Centene, through its UK subsidiary, Operose Health, has been taking over GP surgeries and practices in London and across the country for many years.

Centene has recently taken over AT Medics, a primary care provider responsible for 49 GP surgeries and over 370,000 patients in the Greater London area.

With a total of 70 GP surgeries and practices, Centene is almost certainly the largest single provider of NHS primary care in England.

I warned that when they got in the Unions and other representations would see it as pay back time.
A very frail old lady who still lives independently asked Why is she picking on me?
I asked her if she had applied for pension credit and suggested she did so and then she would get the allowance. I was astonished at her answer.
Shaking with anger and probably contempt, she replied defiantly. "That Lady, and I use the word loosely, will force me to use my heating sparingly this winter and she may see me off but she will never turn me to begging."
Wow. I was near to tears.
That's the pride and dignity these people have. And yes she should apply but her upbringing and background won't let her and no matter how much I told her she wasn't begging, all I got was then why do I have to ask for what I've been entitled to up to now. Am I a cheat by taking money I'm now told I can't have unless I beg for it.
That experience has probably made me angrier than I should be and If Rachel Reeves had appeared I dare not think what I would have done.
Disgraceful.

GP’s are well paid, and have a lot of respect and kudos. They need to be careful.

While I understand her point, we went through the same with my mother, unless you want the government to have access to every part of your life, to be able to see if you have any other incomes (shares dividends, occupational pensions etc), then occasionally you will need to point out to the DWP that these are your circumstances and you therefore qualify for these benefits that you are entitled to. It's no different to applying for your bus pass.

It's not great that there is nowhere that people can go to find out what benefits they may be entitled to either, we went 3 years before realising my mother was entitled to Attendance Allowance.

Isn't there online calculators and suchlike now? Meaning people (or helpers/offspring) can take a look first to see what the score is.

They keep stating the massive number of people who are entitled to pension credits but don't claim but the authorities don't seem to ask the question why or make any visible attempt to get to the bottom of it. If they know this number what is stopping them contacting those they think qualify. Politicians and civil servants could complicate a glass of water if they think it will save a few bob.

Cant disagree with your sentiments but i use the word "token". In a previous post i pointed out that the winter fuel payment has been paid since 1997 (27 years) and is baked into pension payments due to the length of its existence. Therefore this action to what ever degree is a pension cut. A true living income needs to be established.

Once something becomes a regular thing down many years people come to incorporate it into their income, it’s human nature.
It shocked me when the said it was going, like a slap in the face, from an unexpected direction from someone you least expected it from….which turns it into betrayal marinaded in hypocrisy.

You have to apply for benefits, the DWP won’t knock on your door offering them, most are online applications, not all us have smart devices. Don’t you even have apply for the State Pension, it’s not automatically paid ?

Bottom line is that if the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage is £22600, why should a pensioner be expected to live on half that and lose £500 per year?
Are we happy as a country that some of our pensioners are getting half or thereabouts of what is deemed the bare minimum to live in this country?
If they've got extra pensions they'll pay more tax so they're still contributing unlike many on other benefits who never have and never will contribute.

We have the worst state pension in Europe but in other countries they have paid a lot more in tax during their working life. The equation is simp!e do you want more tax or more pension or like many people contribute to a private/ vocational pension when you have the chance.

That's a fine choice for the future generations, but what about those on the breadline today who've just been told they're losing £5 a week when they've just offered Junior Dr's over £100 per week?
Many of today's pensioners couldn't contribute to private pensions for a variety of reasons - childcare meant many women couldn't work for many years, most employers didn't offer pensions, spare cash for pensions didn't exist for many. Do we just cast them adrift on £11300 a year and say f*ck them? If it were a y other country our government would be condemning kicking some of our most vulnerable in society. Where is the dignity in begging to stay warm or nourished? UK World Leaders - my arse!!

The problem is the numbers to get to that £22,600. At the moment you would need about £400k in NI payments over a 40 year employment lifetime to return anything like that which would mean almost doubling NI contributions for both employee and employer. I have no doubt that there are people really worrying about the WFA being withdrawn from them but there are no easy answers.

I'm fortunate that I have had a reasonably well-paid job over the years and contributed to a personal pension from quite early on but when I add together the current state pension plus what I will currently get from my private pensions it doesn't put me much above that £22,600 figure. Gone are the days of Final Salary Pensions which set people up quite comfortably into retirement if you had one. Contributory pension pay-outs are not great from what I see in my pension forecasts.

If you have to top up any pension with benefits, it’s a sign it’s a poor pension in the first place.