To feel completely disillusioned with the Labour Party?

And your DM would have spent 14 years not having real terms cuts to her pension, whereas low paid workers and disabled people spent 14 years seeing their income eroded. Why is your DM worth more than a young disabled person?

Not so sure of that. DM, born 1935 so Silent generation, a wartime child, and a paed nurse in the 50s, a young mum in the 60s, and a school meals cook or nurse in the 70s. In the 80s a market trader, in the 90s a MH carer, at which point with financial help she was able to buy a 2-up,2-down terrace. Retired at 78.... older people paying their share at last @Zonder @pointythings

She lived gracefully, but not well, and certainly not the high life.

Excellent point.

After all the hate for older people soaking up benefits, I think my DM died at about the right time. She worked in a mental health nursing team until she was 78, Latterly only three days a week. How much blood does the machine want? She lived another 11 years retired, and died a month ago, without requiring a doctor or nurse.

I'm rather pleased that this current Labour government aren't all wishy-washy and are taking a 'hard line' on some 'issues'. And with regards to the WFA, my only criticism is that the threshold is too low and could easily be remedied by increasing the thresholds for PC qualification, effective immediately with the Autumn Budget.

I also agree with the 'principle' of stabilizing certain 'unionized' actions with pay increases solely for the public good as necessary; but also think that there are many cost saving and equalizing measures that can be undertaken to prevent the unproductive and inefficient work practices, in all it's forms, curremtly prevailing within all public services.

I'm a floater voter, so didn't vote Labour in the last GE, so have no skin in the game.

Indeed it isn't. It's older people paying their share at last.
Of course when you have been accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.

This is not a race to the bottom.
Mick Lynch

So they aren't using it for what it's intended yet you still think the tax payer should fund it? Yeah, no thanks.

My Mum was pissing and moaning about Labour four weeks after they got in, saying that they were no good. And I did ask her what exactly she wanted or would expect from a government that had been in power for under a month. She was still frothing at the mouth. Chatted something about immigrants and so called far right activists. Then moaned more recently about the winter fuel allowance followed by, I don't need it anyway I can afford it. Now I'm saddened by Labour's position politically on some topics, but wouldn't judge them for at least three years. Whereas we have had 14 years of pretty much utter chaos, and the Tories have left us with nothing much good. Personally I'm quite surprised Labour won at all, and looking at the figures they crept through on hardly any votes and it was mainly thanks to Farage for splitting the Tory vote. So I'm worried that Labour will potentially get one term. But if they aren't prepared to bring about electoral reform and power share then so be it. We'll be back to something as bad as the Truss weeks in no time at all. The current four candidates for the Tories are hopeless, so one does have to ask what next at this all time low. Means tested benefits are a pain in the arse and costly to distribute. Oh well, I'm digging out the duvet for the front room this year with hot water bottle, same as last. The housing stock in the UK is so utterly abysmal we are literally throwing cash out the window and fuelling shareholders. I'd love to see some kind of national housing rebuilding initiative, and a complete change in legislation for new development. We should not even need to heat properties in this country with anything much other than the Sun.

And what about all the younger disabled people who have spent 14 years being called scroungers and not supported? Of course they don't matter.

Older people are no more or less deserving than younger people. It's time they were treated just like everyone else. After 14 years of cossetting, that's no more than fair.

What did he say about Thatcher?

pointythings
it's junior doctors

According to the Nuffield Trust - the estimated average earnings for a first year junior doctor (including top-ups) was £41,300 (2023/2024) - year 3 it was £62,300. Are they getting a 22% pay rise on top?

I note you have completely ignored my point about the disabled

Disability Rights UK has said that 45% of all pensioners are disabled, with this figure rising to almost 80% of those aged 85 or over. The charity said the changes would “leave millions of older disabled people without any financial assistance with the extra costs of heating, required to stay safe and healthy”.

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/changes-to-winter-fuel-payments-the-social-fund-winter-fuel-payment-regulations-2024/

But it isn't just the train drivers, is it? It's nurses, it's junior doctors, it's everyone whose pay review body recommendations have been completely ignored by the previous government at a time when inflation was in double digits. Overall, priccate sector pay has grown faster under the Tories than public sector pay: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/recent-trends-public-sector-pay

Redress is needed, times are tough.

I note you have completely ignored my point about the disabled. I am not surprised.

£300 buys a lot of 'ice cream' - I expect train drivers earning £67,000 can afford to buy their own 'ice cream' anyway.

In a democracy it is your right to vote meaningfully or waste your vote. It’s also your right to make your choice for whatever reason you want. There is no hierarchy of reasons when it comes to voting. The whole point of the system is that your choice is as valid as everyone else’s.

I always vote. I have voted for several parties over the years for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I have voted she isn’t the party I don’t want to win. At other times I have voted for a local candidate I respect, even if the party they are a member of isn’t my favourite.

There is nothing working class about voting Labour though. Labour was a Northern working class voting preference because the heavy industries were unionised. By contrast, in southern counties like Essex, the working classes were more Lily to vote Tory.

Meh. Let's see some more proper wage rises for working age people - so they can treat their own kids. The 'granny can't buy her grandbaby an ice cream any more' argument is probably the weakest argument against this policy I've seen so far.

I see.

The previous poster said 'it's time older people stopped being shielded from tough times at the expense of working age [people]' but in some cases it will be the younger generation who miss out.

Then surely they didn't need it. It's for keeping the house warm.

we can't even help our children or grandchildren

That's a good point actually - Bridget Phillipson and Wes Streeting both said they experienced poverty as children but their grandparents treated them to things they would otherwise have missed out on. There must be tens of thousands of pensioners (of modest means) who use the winter fuel allowance to help out their struggling children and grandchildren.

Grantanow
Lots of Tory press scaremongering

The Guardian's economics editor described the decision as 'mean and stupid'.

I think the winter fuel payment cut was a mistake. Personally I think they could have carried on paying it but introduced a national insurance payment of 1-2% on those who get it with income between say £20-50,000 to claw it back rather than piss about means testing it.

One post only from @RosieQDS Not coming back to argue their case, clearly.

Someone from a working class family who has always voted Labour is a fan of Thatcher? 🤔

And we can't even die without every greedy government demanding nearly half our savings

Pedant note. If you are dead, they aren't your savings. They were your savings.