Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

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looking at this table of debt to GDP, only Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal seems worse?

France too.

Government borrowing is not bad in itself, it's essential, but if it is felt that government spending is out of control then the cost of that borrowing will rise and we will be paying more just in interest rates. Borrowing to raise public sector pay, with no guarantees of productivity or service improvement is the sort of thing that the people at Standard and Poors get very twitchy about

Now who is spouting nonsense.

Take a look at his historical ratings.

His personal approval ratings weren’t particularly high to start with.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/18/public-approves-response-to-riots-but-starmers-appeal-fades-new-poll-shows

Hasn’t taken long has it

That makes absolutely no sense.

The socialists would rather see everyone poorer (but more equal), rather than see a wealthier minority.

Socialists: one day I will have that person out of their nice car/school/house.

Those who aspire to better themselves: one day I will have a house/car like that because I will work/study hard.

Playing the devils advocate here -

looking at this table of debt to GDP, only Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal seems worse?

https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/government-debt-to-gdp?continent=europe

With regards to the 10% of £16m…. Still more in tax than I have paid in my life and will pay and that in one year… Have you paid this much tax?

With regards to the “always trotted out” , do you know any of these people? A few of them went to my DC’s previous schools (Assume none will be in the state school). Many are not British. They are Indian, Russian and assorted Europeans - and some Americans. They like living in the U.K. - but only up to a certain point. They can move very quickly and several of them are moving. I would personally rather have their tax money… but that is me!

I expect more realism along those lines on the way

Don’t worry - gas futures are in contango,
meaning your energy prices will be going up after you come off any fixed rate tariff.

Funny that.

Says a man who rode in on a wave of populism.

Some pensioners get a lot of pension credit depending on circumstances. If they get a disability benefit then not only could be getting the disability benefit but the severe disability premium on pension credit too. We have some pensioners on basic state pension, they get awarded Attendance allowance which I personally believe is very easy to get awarded ( and I know others on here will dispute this ). Once they get awarded the AA which can be between £75 and £108 a week, they then become eligible for an extra £85 odd Pension credit too. Honestly most are amazed at being up to £190 a week better off .That is an awful lot extra of money. I help people to claim these benefits every day of my working life. I honestly can't see how it can continue. many of these people are not having to pay for care as such, well some of the more severely disabled are but not many. Some want to pay family members for doing errands for them. I have no doubt that many are spending it on holidays and pub meals but at least it's money going back into the economy ! I know I'll be flamed for writing this but I honestly don't think people realise what amounts some pensioners are getting. You will get a handful who are too proud to claim but most want to claim for every penny they are eligible for. - who would turn down an extra £200 a week ? These figures are before you even grasp that once someone is awarded even £1 of Guaranteed pension credit they also get all rent and council tax paid. I regularly see pensioners with £350- £400 a week to live off with no housing costs to pay or council tax. No wonder they are eating out several times a week, if they let that money build up in their bank account then they'll start losing their pension credit !

Before the GE there were regular threads moaning about greedy pensioners. Now everyone is suddenly concerned about them freezing to death. Funny that.

But as you said, Parliament is in recess. Big announcements are not made at this time of year. Nothing much happens at all until after conference season is done and dusted.

By who though? Do you have a link, please?

‘if we then start to clobber highly movable people who pays a huge amount of tax revenue (if you not are a UK citizen, expect to realise a huge capital gain, why would you do that in the U.K. if you can live abroad for a couple of years), the finances will not really improve?’

TBH the kind of people who threaten or do this, bugger off to Dubai or wherever are t really the kind of people you’d want staying anyway.
You also underestimate how easy it is to ‘mitigate’ tax burdens legally when you’re very wealthy in the U.K. and you don’t know how few places there are to bugger off to that would actually let rich Brits escape taxes…

I know the Andrew Tate’s of the world are happy to go and live in the shadows in Romania but not everyone wants to do that to save a few quid when a decent wealth form in the U.K. can achieve the same and let you stay home.

Yes look what happened to Corbyn? not even in the PLP and his backers either out too or on the backbenches, rules changed so another Corbyn cannot happen again.

Unions are democratic bodies, with members who have to actively opt in to support Labour, they now get much of their funding from other sources, where as the Tories get theirs from a very few very rich people and company bosses.

Try again.

Popularity and strength aren’t the same thing.

Nothing surprising there, they weren't great pre GE plus Parliament is in recess.

However, for a party over halfway through their first 100 days, its beyond weak, i don't expect miracles but they have done very little other than piss people off for tiny savings (WFA).

Where are the announcements on Dentalcare? Care workers? Road mtce? just tell us you will change these over time but nothing, not a whisper.

Yes, all require money but if Labour aren't going to change these, then what is their point?

Bright children can get on anywhere,

Just not true. For so many reasons.

And that's before we even begin to discuss the less able children.

Wrong.

The weaker he is - the more those on the left will ensure he is held to ransom with the unions.

The left never went away - look what happened to Corbyn.

Fundamentally, the country is broke, the NHS is broken, public sector spending (and pensions) are out of control- and the big savings so far is a) winter fuel allowance (hitting some very badly off pensioners) and VAT on independent schools (hitting a lot of children with undiagnosed SEN) - both policies unlikely to bring in anywhere near what they are expected to do

We are still a very wealthy country, with, compared to many countries in Europe, low tax rates, we have spent the last 14 years helping the wealthy get wealthier but look how that has worked out for the rest of us???

if we then start to clobber highly movable people who pays a huge amount of tax revenue (if you not are a UK citizen, expect to realise a huge capital gain, why would you do that in the U.K. if you can live abroad for a couple of years), the finances will not really improve?

This always gets trotted out, are these "very movable people" paying huge amounts of tax? they use 'vehicles to ensure they do not but even if they don't avoid tax:
Someone i know has been paying 10% entrepreneurs tax on profit of over £16m, the rules have changed now (to just the first 1m in profit) but he paid £1.6m tax... all legally done, in fact encouraged.
Not super rich, just the owner of a med sized company.

Sunak, not a billionaire, paid just 20% on almost £2m of investment income, his own investments in the USA, plenty of people will be paying very similar low rates of tax on un earned income, we could also look at increasing the amounts charged on the higher rate council bands too, you think people will leave because their CT bill doubles???

100s of billions get moved out of the UK to avoid tax, nothing illegal but this idea that we cannot tighten up/change the rules because they will leave is completely wrong.

14 years of Tory mismanagement will have caused those things. It will take years to reverse the problems yet no one appears to want to contribute even rich pensioners who 'need' their wfa and private school parents who can find on average £18,000 a year for fees and are suddenly poor .

We all want better services but no one seems to want to contribute.

That would only be of any consequence if an election was imminent. As it is …

Meanwhile, Starmer’s approval rating is getting hammered….

looks like education is not doing too well….

https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/aug/21/ministers-urged-to-act-over-numbers-failing-english-and-maths-gcses

but no money announced for schools (except this VAT which is spent many times over should it materialise)…. And of course the fuel allowance taken of old people as energy cost are rising - and energy firms are leaving the uk pushing prices up further
https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/08/19/could-britains-soaring-taxes-push-energy-companies-to-norway

Borrowing up massively above expectations today, expected to raise taxes etc…

And train unions now demanding extra holidays 38 days annual leave and 35 hour working week… is this the same people with the bumper pay rise and massive pensions?