We don't want the government to lurch to the left

Yeah and all those fleeing the country will be the patriotic type. Although it doesn’t extend to supporting their country in difficult economic times.

The hypocrisy makes me sick.

So in Scotland the recent budget saw real terms increases to the benefit and NHS budgets. Everything else saw a budget cut. As someone whose tax just keeps rising here in Scotland I am getting less and less back in public services because the increase in spending on welfare. Tax goes up, benefits in terms of public services fall. This cannot go on exponentially. Something has to give. My housing costs are still astronomical.

Virtually all of us do one or both, I should think. Why do you think, therefore, that there isn’t universal agreement with your view?

a) we are all too stupid to see what you can see

b) not everyone votes solely for policies which will enrich them personally

I ran an SME for years. I paid a lot of tax. I eventually sold the business and paid an absolute fortune more in tax. I had no problem with that, because I recognise that I never would have made a brass farthing without my employees, or if I had set up the same business in a developing nation.

I don’t think that anyone should expect those things for nothing.

@Bargepole45 but if Reform aren’t going to improve anything why vote for them? Another protest vote? as I said didn’t we learn from Brexit? I have seen a fair few posters on MNs say they would vote Reform but I’ve never seen a reason why.

Maybe that cafe should pay better wages then? My heart bleeds

Tell me what is "left wing" about having a significant proportion of your workforce requiring UC top-ups to meet a basic standard of living because we've had 30+ years of government who pander to business, refuse to tax them properly, and refuse to legislate to compel them to pay reasonable salaries in the first place.

It's not down to lack of money, because they are still pulling enormous profits out of the UK economy every single year, so clearly this is by design and with the complicity of government, and since the UK has had exclusively right of centre governance since the advent of Tax-credits, UC top up and suchlike, I'm baffled as to how this can possibly be painted as a situation resulting from "left wing" policies or perpetuated by "left wing" politicians.

It’s not about who you know it’s about statistics
Do you know all the professionals graduating this year
Do you know where all those who graduated in 2010 are now

Open the window and look at the stats
15% of U.K. doctors are working abroad
195,000 UK graduates and young professionals left the U.K. in the year up to June 2025.
The numbers are increasing year on year.

@XDownwiththissortofthingXBy taxing jobs and not stimulating growth. By not supporting business and seeing it as a cash cow rather than a source of employment. Employment rights are pretty good in the uk.

Why do people think all business owners are rich? Unbelievably ill informed. If we don’t have bouyant SMEs, we have unemployment. If we don’t have growth in the economy, we cannot afford the nhs and benefits. We have huge loan debts. More taxation leads to a worse position because we don’t have poor productivity in government services. We tax highly to produce very little.

Although if they abandon the triple lock I might vote for them as they would he doing the right thing there but they won’t do that as they won’t want to lose older voters.

This is another issue with changing demographics people vote for themselves and what will benefit them.

@Mishmosher I feel like I’m getting little back for all the taxes I pay I won’t be making it worse by voting for Reform though.

Both. But I also care about society, have children in state school and relatives with health needs. I am realistic about needing to fund these services.

@Bargepole45 what is Reform going to improve?

I don’t understand since Brexit was a disaster and so many Tories have deflected to Reform why are they not just more of the same shit?

I’m not saying Reform are the solution. I’m saying that’s who people will vote for if taxes keep rising here with people getting nothing back for it.

In response to higher taxes? Even Labour said fully funded at the GE. But anyway I take it you’re keen for them to go up?

How left counts as left for you? State ownership of everything and individual work allocations? Should we all be wearing identical government issue clothing.

I can’t believe anyone is still trying to defend Labour, their policies are basically flailing around in the dark. They have zero idea what they’re doing, my 13 year old is better at economic planning. I’m just hoping and praying that we last until the next general election. I think it is likely to descend into civil unrest before then. People will only be pushed so far. It’s going to be the poll tax riotsx100 if they don’t alter policies soon

I saw a local cafe saying their labour costs have gone up £90k a year since government changed NICs rules. I know another which now won’t employ young people since the govt abolished the lower minimum wage for them.
This government has already done immeasurable harm to growth. Bills are so high. I don’t know anyone finding it easy at the moment. Who can afford high taxes than we already have?

Endless disability benefits not being tackled. Totally unaffordable triple lock pensions to start with. These things need to be addressed and aren’t being.

Well they tried to tackle benefits and I agree the triple lock needs to go but look at the outcry over means testing winter fuel.

The biggest problem is the changing demographics.

I'd personally prefer them to slide to the left then freeze (criss cross) then everybody claps our hands.

@DrPrunesqualer but when I am
talking about the costs of housing I am obviously not just referring to home ownership, it’s all housing costs so includes rent.