Fuck it - the government will look me

Why don’t you think we should be making good choices bar health/ catastrophic events. By choices I mean like paying into a pension and building financial resilience. Or when younger trying hard in school, finding a profession and not getting pregnant before we we afford them.

I started from an easier position than many with a supportive family. BUT my point is that the government should be getting everyone to the same starting point. When I think of a labour government and a conservative one actually, they should be removing social economic barriers.

Bless you, that sounds hard.

In the same vein as your reply, I didn't choose to be adopted, born to heroin addicts, have a head injury and post concussion syndrome before being injured by psychotropic drugs and then have a movement disorder... I think it's all about the circumstances of someone's life but equally the way they respond to life events and the hand they have been given.

Sometimes those circumstances are easiest to get through than others, and of course, everyone is different so will react differently.

Life isn't as black and white as some people say. I do think that some people actively choose to live with a lower standard than they could, and it isnt beyond them to improve things. They sometimes just choose not to.

Privileged for having a house and a job?

Oh yes ‘privilege’. That has t been used enough in this Race to the Bottom thread.

So are we now classing train drivers, police officers and teachers as ‘middle class’? 😳

Oh the muddled voice of privilege.

Oh the muddled voice of privilege.

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the way our country is run. I love my country, but what on earth can I do to fix it? the Rachel reeves pension and stamp duty rumours have tipped me over the edge.

I believe 90% of our lives is the summation of our own choices. Bar (some of) our own (and families) health and tragic life events, there is very little we can’t choose in this country.

I’m not saying that the playing field is fair - I absolutely acknowledge that some groups face structural barriers that make good choices harder. Others are unaware those choices even exist. That’s where government should step in—not to equalise outcomes, but to equalise access to meaningful choice.

I think we all acknowledge that bad governments are ones that take away choices. This government, however is also taking away choice by incentivising bad choices. Policies should nudge people toward self-sufficiency, not make state reliance easier than self-reliance, or rewarding short-term decisions over long-term

Our Government should be working towards equitable availability of choice (not equal - see below) to make sure those choices are as easy and available to everyone. Policies should be in place to make sure people are encouraged to make the right choices.

I increasingly feel like I make the right choices and think what was the bloody point!

I’m going to wish I never paid into my pension soon and went on holiday instead! Should I just spend my money, move into a smaller house and quit my job. At this point I think I’d be better off.

Jargon Buster - EQUALITY - It’s assumed there is a level playing field and everyone gets the same resources. EQUITY - Everyone gets what they need to succeed, which may mean different levels of support.

If Labour hit people over £45 or £50k it’s been determined that a whole raft of teachers, train drivers etc are in that group

@EasternStandard my point was they have already been hit by fiscal drag

People can be as pissed off as they like but if they're going to be lazy and not look into what Reform actually stand for and what policies they back and want to implement then they are being idiots, IMO.

Reform are NOT for the working people of this country.
They are NOT for workers rights.
They are NOT for women's rights.
They will CUT funding to the NHS, education, mental health and child services.
They want to REDUCE buyers rights, food standards and drug standards.
They are FOR tax breaks for the rich.
They are FOR privatisation of the NHS.

NONE of this improves life for me or the majority of the country.

AND they can't stop the bloody boats!

It's all lies and propaganda.

The bastards are Tories on acid and they're using the Trump playbook to rile up the lower classes to vote for their own demise.

People can be as pissed off as they like but if they're going to be lazy and not look into what Reform actually stand for and what policies they back and want to implement then they are being idiots, IMO.

Reform are NOT for the working people of this country.
They are NOT for workers rights.
They are NOT for women's rights.
They will CUT funding to the NHS, education, mental health and child services.
They want to REDUCE buyers rights, food standards and drug standards.
They are FOR tax breaks for the rich.
They are FOR privatisation of the NHS.

NONE of this improves life for me or the majority of the country.

AND they can't stop the bloody boats!

It's all lies and propaganda.

The bastards are Tories on acid and they're using the Trump playbook to rile up the lower classes to vote for their own demise.

Pardon? Doesn’t that fall into the health category that isn’t a choice?

And wouldn’t you prefer a government that supports him to be able to have choices?

People can be as pissed off as they like but if they're going to be lazy and not look into what Reform actually stand for and what policies they back and want to implement then they are being idiots, IMO.

Reform are NOT for the working people of this country.
They are NOT for workers rights.
They are NOT for women's rights.
They will CUT funding to the NHS, education, mental health and child services.
They want to REDUCE buyers rights, food standards and drug standards.
They are FOR tax breaks for the rich.
They are FOR privatisation of the NHS.

NONE of this improves life for me or the majority of the country.

AND they can't stop the bloody boats!

It's all lies and propaganda.

The bastards are Tories on acid and they're using the Trump playbook to rile up the lower classes to vote for their own demise.

I don’t think they do get a free pass, that’s why Reform are doing well. People are pissed off with Labour but still angry about Boris and co.

We likely need to be realistic about what is affordable, not sure the electorate will go for that though.

I don’t want anyone punished but I do want work incentivised and this government is certainly not doing that.

I think actual people talking about their community are just the people to believe over politicians and activists. That is not to say there aren’t people living in squalid places and children living in poverty. How people choose to spend their benefits is a whole other discussion. We all know that there are those who spend their money with their children in mind and those who prioritise addiction and dysfunction.

For a lot of people, their lives are result of other people’s bad choices. My DD1 (16) almost certainly has FASD as a result of her birth mum drinking through her pregnancy. It also wasn’t her or DD2’s (13) choice to be taken away from her birth parents at birth and adopted into another family.

Obviously, it doesn’t mean their own choices aren’t important, but there’s no denying that DD1 in particular hasn’t been severely damaged by her birth mum’s drinking.

But it isn't lazy to generalise based on a few people you know?