2 private donations of £36m each to one political party - is this the future of democracy in a world at the mercy of tech bros?

Oh, I get it now - ha, ha.

Do you think you need to repeat that?

Do you think you need to repeat that?

People find these donations vulgar and undemocratic I think. There is a lot of support for caps. This quck survey from YouGov showed that. It is an ongoing survey but this was how things stood yesterday:

100% of the funding of unions to Labour is the part of the subs contributed by members that have 100% given formal permission to contribute to Labour

Found this;
A trade union member who joins a union that operates a political fund on or after 18 February 2026 is automatically a ‘contributor’ to that union’s political fund, unless they have provided an opt-out notice informing the union of their decision to stop making contributions to the political fund.

So, it would appear that the burden is on the member to actively opt out.

This was also the case prior to March 2018. The Conservative government introduced changes which took effect between 1 March 2018 and 17 February 2026, whereby new members were automatically opted out of contributions to a political fund, unless they opted in. The Labour government has reversed that decision and opted new members back in as the default position. Sneaky.
(Members joining prior to 1 March 2018 are opted in as the default position).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-political-funds/trade-union-political-funds-a-guide-for-trade-unions-their-members-and-others

How many times do I have to repeat myself?

Trade union donations to the Labour party amount to about £5 million per year made up of voluntary donations from union members as the political levy. With 4 million members that's about 10p/week per member. So 100% of the funding of unions to Labour is the part of the subs contributed by members that have 100% given formal permission contribute to Labour. There is zero additional funding to Labour from the union members.

I think it’s terrible that pensioners going over the basic allowance don’t pay tax just disgraceful.
Special dispensations across the board are ruining this country
im a pensioner -I suspect it’s because millions of pensioners would have to do an online tax return which they won’t have a clue about but it means they can continue to raise pensions higher above the allowance if they allow this -so unfair

Now, now - don’t twist it.

’Nice people’

’Corruption and violence’

Your words.

I haven't judged him, just stated the facts, however inconvenient they may be to you.

Allegations, you say?

How would you feel if your DC or your DP was judged before trial?

Reform's leader in Wales has just had to stand down due to allegations of assault.

Nice people.

Indeed!

Nathan Gill, Reform's previous leader in Wales is serving 10 years in prison for accepting bribes from Russia to ask planted questions when he was a UKIP MEP.

Reform's leader in Wales has just had to stand down due to allegations of assault.

Nice people.

@Smokeywater if you have a personal or occupational pension that takes you above the tax threshold, then you pay tax. It will be deducted at source by the pension provider in the same way as PAYE

Currently the state pension is just under the tax threshold. If the triple lock is applied at the next pension increase, then for the first time it will go just above the current tax threshold, meaning that a tiny amount of tax would be payable on it. The only pensioners currently not paying tax are those who are only receiving the state pension.

What do you mean? I am not a pensioner myself so currently have no skin in the game. I can genuinely see both sides.

I shall resist the temptation to deploy the laughing emoji because I could have guessed your reply…

Am on the fence as I can see both sides of the argument. I remember when the State Pension was utterly pitiful and many pensioners lived in poverty. We shouldn't go back to that.

So you would not want the triple lock scrapped, then, like the PP suggested?

UK employers cut jobs, vacancies declined and private sector wage growth remained subdued over the summer, according to official data that could ease Bank of England policymakers’ concerns over high inflation becoming entrenched in the economy.

Payroll employment in the three months to July fell by 39,000, or 0.1 per cent, from the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. The drop left payroll employment down 84,000, or 0.3 per cent, from the same period in 2025.
FT

The slow death of the UK economy due to jobs taxes, business rates and regulations. Only when that is reversed will that change. Sooner rather than later the overall tax take will fall to its lowest as economic activity dries up, people and companies stop investing. Next will be capital gains hikes with no indexation - again slowing the incentive to take risk when the only winner will be the person who doesn't work and the government takes the lions share with no risk attached….

It isn't "breadcrumbs" when it comes to other benefits though. UC for a single person is way less than that (approx £5K), but people want to see that slashed.

So pleased you said that, Blossom. Ain’t fiscal drag wonderful?

Not sure every pensioner will agree with you though.

Meanwhile, for all the hate the Triple Lock gets, £13k a year is a poverty wage in 2026. People bickering over the dispersion of breadcrumbs shows the state the country is in….