Is there anyone on here who voted Labour who is genuinely happy with how things are going

I think he is doing a good job in difficult circumstances and the press are not on his side when you look what they have actually achieved compared to what is reported it's shocking

I voted Labour and while I still think they're way too central, the budget was better than it could be. I'll probably vote Green next time. Anyone who genuinely thinks that Farage would be a good choice worries me. I do think, to a degree, as soon as any party gains power they're forced to develop a degree of pragmatism that might well go against their values in order to survive, if that makes sense. E.g. pandering to Trump to protect trade deals, even though he represents everything that's fundamentally anti-Labour.

That's not really an answer. It's like relative poverty all over again. Increasing them "until people can afford to come off them" is too wishy washy to mean anything.

Making it attractive to work is all very well and good but if you're not suited to the job in order to get off benefits and are dismissed then that's a dereliction of duty to those trying their best to get out of the system.

I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the result of the Stranraer bye-election, which was won (after the votes were transferred around) by the Scottish Conservative candidate. Not by Reform. I find this quite reassuring. Congratulations to the voters of Dumfries & Galloway.

It all needs to looked at, making it more attractive to work than claim benefits, better provision of more affordable childcare, care home costs, pensions, etc etc. Nothing should be off the table, it's not 'picking' on any one group but if we refuse to do it or go 'yes, but we can't impact group x or y' we will end up with tinkering and the net result is still a bill that will be completely unaffordable in a matter of a few years.

The biggest benefit is for the state pension. Perhaps those who worked in sectors, private and public, should have their state pension reduced because they paid in extra rewards that were tax deductible for the companies or sectors they worked for.

We increase them so that people can afford to live and support people who can come off benefits.

Austerity has a lot to answer for.

Whatever they do they have to get on top of the benefits bill, it i completely unsustainable no matter how unpopular that feels to people. At the moment they seem keen to increase the amount being paid out and no real idea of how to tackle it as the backbenchers kick off so they backtrack.

Removal of waste from public services including NHS, civil service etc is a way to also save billions and be able to invest in better front line services. Again, too difficult so just keep on pumping money in or set up new quangos to review and actually achieve nothing.

Who will you vote for in 4 years time?

I'm not "mumsnet" so I can't speak for popular/unpopular opinion. Personally, I'd be interested to know what you foresee to be the end goal to be with rising benefits. We increase them, to what end?

I think, overall, they are doing better than what we have had for the last 14 years - Austerity, Brexit, failed public services, the national debt doubled, roads a mess, Liz Truss, justice & prison systems collapsed - a woman raped today who gets her attacker arrested, can expect a court appearance in 2029....

Doesn't any of this bother you?

Of course Labour have made mistakes but not on the scale the Tories did.

Reform have no policies and would, should they win, have in Govt, almost no one who has ever been an MP, let alone been in the shadow front bench, it would be an utter disaster.

As has happened in the councils they ve won.... Kent council paid 1000s to have new school markings repainted, then found out the school had been closed for over 9 years, then lied and said it only cost £350....

I am well aware that raising benefit payments is as unpopular as raising wages on MN

Plenty of threads on greedy junior doctors and train drivers alongside benefit bashing ones.

This isn't about Labour. Everyone who doesn't support Reform should be very worried about that lead, regardless of their personal politics.

There are lots of decent anti-Labour people who are worried about Reform. We all need to put personal politics aside and work together to keep the racists out of power. Although hopefully Reform will collapse before the next GE. Maybe Farage will go the way of Gill. Here's hoping.

Will i vote for them

Never again what?

Absolutely.

Well that would obviously be unaffordable. And would actively undermine efforts to drive house prices down and wages up.

I stick with as well.

I hate to say, I told you so but, I told you so. Some of us remember the mess Labour made in the 70's and then the Blair/Brown years

I would have Blair back rather than this current shower, and that's saying something

Stamp duty reforms have never been trialed long term. The initial panic would subside.
I'd pay more tax if we all saw positive changes as a result. They're going up anyway, might as well do it properly and all get something out of it.

Some will always vote Labour no matter what, it’s those who are pissed off at them after giving them their vote last time whom they should worry about losing. I don’t blame you btw

The key problem with what you said was ‘on a temporary basis. It needs to be thrown in the bin. Now. For good. With a loud message that it is NEVER being resurrected.

We then need to scrap council tax too and introduce an annual tax of a proportion of your house value instead. So people in large houses like mine would see a massive rise. And people in smaller houses would see a big fall. But it would be much fairer.

Stamp duty is a terrible tax for many reasons. Mainly because it incentivises people to remain in houses that no longer meet their needs, and prevents people from moving to get a new job. So many people sitting in houses they don’t want to be living in due to stamp duty.

They do cost money. But it would be instead if, not as well as, increasing pensions and benefits.

I don't follow the news often, or spend much time on social media, but I am happy that three people in my immediate family have been offered NHS dentists recently, and that the roads seem to be being fixed.
I haven't noticed much difference in any other way, not unhappy though.
I think people get very riled up online so try to avoid that if possible.