Autumn Statement 2013 - your thoughts

I am feeling very bleak about the future, we can't save because my earnings are eaten by childcare and DHs just cover our (very frugal) living costs. The cost of living is going up but our salaries aren't and neither of us have secure jobs.

We work so hard and I feel like we will be working until we die to finance an increasingly mean existence.

It was complete rubbish.

The capital gains tax thing will only apply to gains from 2015 for foreign owners of properties, no easing of the cost of living for ordinary folk. The government are basically hoping that the whole of the UK economy can survive on forever rising house prices as all other industries are either dying or broke. Basically a sop to the older generation who tend to have large homes they bought cheaply, good pensions etc and a "screw you" to the younger generations who are going to be forced to work until they die in order to pay for a hovel to a slum landlord (and because the young don't tend to vote, they can do this with ease).

It's short-termism in the hope that they get re-elected (not a hope in hell).

MY DH has a manual job there is no was that he could continue with this job until 70. Not all people work in offices pushing pens all day, some people come home each day aching and dirty

You don't have to do a manual job and be aching and dirty to do a physically and emotionally demanding day's work.

Under Coalition plans, “day to day spending on public services… (will be at) It’s smallest share of national income since 1948”. George Osborne’s 2013 Autumn Statement on spending plans for the UK government consisted of 7,025 words and took 50 minutes to read – but could have been summed up by that one line in the report of the government’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility

Sums it up really.

I retired as a full-time teacher two years ago, aged sixty- five; both my parents worked as long as they were allowed- sixty-five and seventy, and would have worked longer if they could; stop whingeing and be thankful you have got a job. Please don't start about the quality of the work of older people; from what I observe we have produced a generation of lazy, under performing children who don't want to work when they have the opportunity.

All very depressing. On a personal note, free school meals quite cheering as DD goes into reception in September 2014 but other than that nothing to feel positive about. And I feel the same about pensions - by the time we actually get to pension age (in our late 80s by that stage no doubt) there will be nothing left to claim.

looks like we are heading as a country in the right direction

Raising pension age also very inequitable for those living in parts of the country where average life expectancy isn't much past 70. a pretty sick example of a harsh and over-the-top deficit reduction strategy.
Not heard much else of the detail yet tho..

And this government isn't exactly strong on employment rights - seems like the employers have all the cards these days.

That is a very good point zebra they will also be forced to attend the job centre regularly to prove how they are trying to find work.

This happened to my Mum. In those days she was able to retire at 60, however when she lost her job at 56-ish it was hell trying to get another one because of her age.

I'm thinking that unless employers take on board that staff will be around a lot longer, things will be very tough for that age group.

Its very difficult to get a job in your 50s already, raising the retirement age will mean those people who lose their jobs in their fifties may have to support themselves for a very long time until they get the state pension.

Juliet-

Amusing that I regard them as wet wet wet, tinkering whilst the debt grows and grows and the left think the Government is cutting too much.

Is your MP a Tory? Have you asked him or her to go after the > £100 Billion / year in tax evasion?

It replaced both Darkesteyes, back in 2008. The transfer from those to the new version was a bit mashed up with a lot of reassessments and likely not complete nationwide at the governments rate, but it's not something one can claim now, it's only available to those who were already on it. No point in including it in a cap when it has mostly been replaced and can't go up anyways.

Amusing that I regard them as wet wet wet, tinkering whilst the debt grows and grows and the left think the Government is cutting too much.

Osborne Announces Cuts That Take the UK Economy Back to 1948

Under Coalition plans, “day to day spending on public services… (will be at) It’s smallest share of national income since 1948”. George Osborne’s 2013 Autumn Statement on spending plans for the UK government consisted of 7,025 words and took 50 minutes to read – but could have been summed up by that one line in the report of the government’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Ideological Austerity

On arrival in government, the Conservative section of the Coalition government were keen to present austerity as temporary, necessary and purely practical. Back in 2010, Cameron claimed that he “didn’t come into politics to make cuts”, and that austerity was simply temporary spending restraint based on a necessary effort to cut the deficit, not “some ideological zeal”.

In 2013, ‘Austerity’ is delivering the half century long ambition of the Conservative party: to revoke the post-war social contract of the United Kingdom.

The modern welfare state: decent pensions, affordable and decent social housing, a publicly funded and managed healthcare system, a reliable and low cost transport system, the guarantee of a decent education regardless of circumstances of birth. This was the social contract the UK public signed up to in the post war period. Why? Because these generations had lived through the horrific consequences of unrestrained capitalism; enormous inequality, widespread poverty and destitution, starving and malnourished children, an entrenched class system, the benefits of the hard work of the many enjoyed by a privileged and undeserving few.

cont'd

www.scriptonitedaily.com/2013/12/05/osborne-announces-cuts-that-take-the-uk-economy-back-to-1948/

Employment Support Allowance replaced Incapacity Benefit not income support

MY DH has a manual job there is no was that he could continue with this job until 70. Not all people work in offices pushing pens all day, some people come home each day aching and dirty.

Oh ffs, my pension age has gone up by another year. Given family history of keeling over in their sixties, maybe it's time for me to just stop thinking about that.

Pleased about dd monthly thing for road fund licence as mine and dhs are due in the same month.

Not impressed with the money they're wasting on giving well off families free dinners which we all know are generally shite quality and they could easily fund themselves.

Seems to be money available to fritter when they want it- generally when it's to push Tory idealism eg marriage.

All the good married families get a pat on the head, the rest of us are just not worthy.

Will it be difficult to organise I'm wondering (the 1k tax transfer)?

The married couples tax thingumy bob is a nonsense. It's social engineering. Most married couples I know are better off than single people. It discriminates against unmarried people and it's clearly just a measure to try and win votes before the election.

The job I do is physically demanding and emotionally draining. I cannot see myself doing it for another ten years let alone til I'm in my seventies! My NHS pension will also be very poor due to working very part time for the past 13 years while my kids were small and working abroad for a while. I too don't think there will be a state pension by the time I retire.

Nothing for middle income one wage families- again!

KS 2 kids so no free dinners.
Not married so no married tax allowance.
If we were married we wouldn't be eligible for the £1k tax transfer as we're just in the HTR.

Think we've got the Tory message loud and clear re one income,middle income families.Roll on the general election.

Yes indeed - due to further cuts to work and pensions dept, there is definitely no hope for me or my profession ever being properly funded. It's been cut so hard already

Some things make sense (tax discs) but I still maintain that cuts create more expense for the public in the future - especially to early years and vulnerable families etc.

Yes Spork regarding "there are many jobs that won't be able to be done by most at that age (68)"

For the last 25 yrs I've worked with young children and their families and I doubt I am going to find someone to employ me in this role well into my 60s. I don't see other 60+ ers doing this work.

It's probably all very well if you can spend your days dozing on the benches of the Commons (and texting your mates ) and then eventually end your working days pontificating from the even more comfy posh red seats of the Lords.

Think I might have to semi-retire to Norfolk and run a B&B with DH
(not just joking)

Issues over separate taxation of husband and wife which people fought for for so long. Encouragement of the wife to stay home and not work because of this new payment etc etc.