To feel completely disillusioned with the Labour Party?

Lots of Tory press scaremongering. Diverts attention from the mess they made over 14 years. All governments make mistakes. It's too early to judge Labour in power.

Everybody thought that when Labour were talking about taxing rich people more and giving it to poor people they were talking about taxing people richer than them.

Now they are finding out they are the people who are going to get taxed.

Well they can't say they weren't warned.

I feel totally let down by this new Labour Government, for one thing they politisize everything.
Well, it's politics, isn't it?!

But their Winter fuel tactics beggar belief, they have removed this from almost all the people who have worked hard, paid all their dues and demands etc.
No they haven't. It's going to be means tested, so that those who don't need it, don't get it. I can assure you that I, and my DH, have worked very hard all our working lives, paid all our dues and demands etc (whatever the fuck they are!) which means that we don't actually need the WFA. It would have been a lovely nice, extra sum of money to have, which would probably have spent on nice food or a meal out or wine. But we don't need it to pay our fuel bills.

At the same time offering a free cheque to a great many people who have put very little back, some who have lived on benefits for ever??
I have no idea what you mean by this. If people have lived on benefits, then they probably need the WFA.

Encouraging people not to bother working, what's the point, we don't get any better thought of, may as well live on benefits?? what a shambles.
Ah, so you're a benefits frother!

And we can't even die without every greedy government demanding nearly half our savings
Pray tell how the government will remove half of your savings?

we can't even help our children or grandchildren
Why is this? What is the government doing to stop you doing this?

and IHT hits people at their most vulnerable time when they have lost a family member.
Very few people in the UK will pay IHT. Do you actually understand how it works?

Is it any wonder this country does not prosper.
It's a great wonder that so many in this country have so little idea of what is actually going on

it's time older people stopped being shielded from tough times at the expense of working age and disabled people

And, arguably, the effects of their decisions ...

Completely agree. In principle there’s nothing wrong with it. It would be fairer if the cut off point was higher - in line with liability for income tax, perhaps.

And? So? Vorders doesn't agree. Nobody expects everyone who voted Labour to agree with everything they do. FWIW I would like to see this policy tweaked so that more people are protected. But I don't want a full U turn - it's time older people stopped being shielded from tough times at the expense of working age and disabled people, who have had 14 years of being hammered and reviled.

But they are not decent alternatives either.

i would never vote Conservative, especially after the last 14 years that included the Johnson era, but I have no illusions about Labour any more. Women are always Labour's lowest priority.

https://news.sky.com/story/carol-vorderman-calls-for-apology-from-pm-over-winter-fuel-cut-13212459

Dearest Clav, even if it comes from a member of the former government backed by the Torygraph, that statement is still no more than speculation.

BIossomtoes
It wasn’t in the manifesto because they had no intention of doing it until they were faced with a £22 billion overspend.

There were no references to winter fuel payments in Labour’s recent election manifesto for the first time in 14 years, suggesting the party always planned to target pensioners, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Coutinho last week told followers to “look at past Labour manifestos: in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019 they mention the [winter fuel payment]. In 2024 they were silent. They planned this before the election”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/timeline-hypocrisy-labour-warning-tory-winter-fuel-raid/

That's the scaremongering from the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, yes.

Thing is, all this fear they're creating about Labour coming for everyone for an arm and a leg is going to end up leaving most people relieved when Labour only take the arm. Silly sods will end up making Labour's tax increases look reasonable and modest.

Gotta laugh.

Right now that statement is no more than speculation.

That’s odd because the IFS and OBR didn’t have full access to those figures. The current year’s budgets were already overspent along with the entire year’s reserve funds, nobody knew about it and Hunt was hiding it to the extent of promising tax cuts. It wasn’t in the manifesto because they had no intention of doing it until they were faced with a £22 billion overspend.

The vast majority of estates in the UK do not incur IHT. That's about to change, quite dramatically, however.

It wouldn't have come as a complete surprise they had full access to the figures. I note Labour didn't put abolishing the Winter Fuel Allowance in their manifesto. I wonder why?

Given the rest of that post I wouldn’t hold your breath for a sensible answer. Complaining about a PM and government politicising everything is beyond belief. It’s what they’re for.

What a very silly post. The vast majority of estates in the UK do not incur IHT. It taxes the very rich. I am from the Netherlands, where the IHT nil band is in the low tens of thousands and I paid IHT on my mum's very modest estate. And no, I didn't begrudge it because I hadn't earned that money.

What do you mean, cheques for people who haven't worked? Which policy does that refer to?

Labour need to fix a lot of stuff that the Tories ruined. It's not going to happen in a couple of months.

Taking away WFA from higher rate tax payers will save about £800m a year .. add in all those who are paid over a taxable income and you are talking billions. It should not be a universal benefit.

I feel totally let down by this new Labour Government, for one thing they politisize everything. But their Winter fuel tactics beggar belief, they have removed this from almost all the people who have worked hard, paid all their dues and demands etc. At the same time offering a free cheque to a great many people who have put very little back, some who have lived on benefits for ever?? Encouraging people not to bother working, what's the point, we don't get any better thought of, may as well live on benefits?? what a shambles. And we can't even die without every greedy government demanding nearly half our savings, we can't even help our children or grandchildren, and IHT hits people at their most vulnerable time when they have lost a family member. Is it any wonder this country does not prosper.

I can't claim any personal knowedge of any candidate in the race. I don't think our tiny village rates personal appearances by major figures, and in my 35 years of life here, nobody has ever sought my opinion on politics. I don't dislike Sunak, who I think is doing a good job despite being handed a basket of nasties on fire. He's calmed the situation, IMO quite brilliantly, but he also has a lot of responsibility to carry for some of the Covid bail out fiascos.

I also don't dislike Sir Keir. I would like a much more precise steer on his policies and direction than has been revealed so far. I like Wes Streeting at health very much. It would be nice to know much more about how KS plans to resolve the immigration issue without being barracked for racism. (Not sure there is one). He's dull, but so is Rishi. I actually like dull and COMPETENT.

And to complete the circle of how unelectable my agenda is, I thought Theresa May's dementia tax was completely necessary to salvaging social care.

I had high hopes for him in opposition. I know Johnson gave the Tories a stonking majority and Labour were pretty powerless. But Starmer's opposition has been pretty pathetic. Fair play that he bothered to turn up to work, and for that perhaps he should get the big job. Will say and do what he needs to get into power isn't really that great a thing is it? Just implies he's duplicitous, and that much we already know. Whether that comes from him or the higher echelons of the party/machine who knows.

Didn't I read on here something like Gove is nice to work with? Corbyn just emanated a decent authentic air of principle. Sadly I just don't get those vibes from many other MPs.

Absolutely this. Labour has always been held to higher standards than the Tories - people are whinging about Starmer's ruthlessness because Labour aren't allowed to be like that. They have to be nice and they have to be losers. Now they're doing what needs to be done to get into power and good for them. Ideological purity is a hiding to nowhere.

This is a good point. I'm glad he's doing this. I don't think the country could cope with another 5 years of Tories.

Starmer is extremely strategic and imo has been doing what the Tories always do and Labour never - say and do what is necessary to win. Everything about his past and what people say if him is that he is principled and decent. He is also absolutely ruthless in trying to get Labour back into power again. I for one hope he does, this country is desperate for a change of government.