Continuation of AR housing thread

[TheNuthatch]

Continuation of the Angela from housing thread. For those who want to moan about the government and share thoughts and articles.

That's not how it works. There is clue in 'public forum'. People are allowed to post on whatever threads they like and MN do any policing that is required.

We can move on anyway.

The whole troops thing rumbling in the background has been annoying. Not giving it too much headspace. But still

Yeah, I've got my fingers crossed that a lot of it is just posturing. That lib-dem guy (quick google) Mike Martin was banging on about conscription again.

In their defence, the libdems were the only party talking about expanding the numbers in the army in their manifesto last year but obviously there's not much liberal or democratic about forcing unwilling youngsters to fight in a war. I think a new name might be in order.

So £6bn in cuts and £1bn to be reinvested in to getting people in to work. A £5bn saving made in this arm of welfare cuts. It looks like the government got their pound of flesh without scrapping the uplift - I wonder where the extra came from?

A desire to take the most disabled out of reassessments, which is absolutely necessary but a demand that others are assessed in person.

The way Kendall was taking she's doing everyone a favour - so that's lovely😙

Whately practically thanks her for implementing the Tory policy that they never could.

Did anyone get what Kendall was saying about benefits for those under 22 yrs? I missed that.

There's new assessment criteria for pip that will exclude 1 million people currently claiming, and presumably more again in new claimants.

She was a bit hard to take, all the over embellishment.

I mean wiping out £9bn and then having to claw back £6bn and trying to blame others as per.

Idk what the changes in point system mean in reality. But given its cuts of £6bn then some who would have got support won’t.

Cuts are also landing on new claimants for incapacity benefits.

There didn't seem to be a note of apology or regret at the scale of the cuts. Cuts that are double that which we expected in September and required now because of the state of the economy since then.

Edit, for shameful grammar.

Yep @Upstartledpretty much shouting that cuts will help disabled people. I mean it takes some bizarre twisting on that one.

Looks like charities are coming back already. ‘Immoral and devastating’

Dramatic cuts to benefits that have been unveiled by the work and pensions secretary have prompted backlash from charities and trade unions, who have described them as “immoral” and “indefensible”.

Has anyone told the charities that it is all for their own good. That they should be grateful that the economy is on the brink of recession because now Labour can give them what they really need - less money.

It's some grade A gaslighting, that's for sure.

They have used today to bury the dumbing down of GCSEs + the fact that they arent fully funding the NI increase for schools

What's the GCSE dumbing down thing?

I mean it depends on your view point but they are "too academic" and the Curriculum and Assessment review looks likely to reduce number of tests + increase coursework. The problem is that coursework is a bigger burden on teachers in midst of a huge retention and recruitment crisis. So who is going to mark all of this increased coursework burden? Personally I think this is where they will bring in AI to mark and they can then claim they don't need as many teachers. So they can reduce recruitment targets and claim they have met them through AI.
NEU says class sizes are now biggest on record whilst lowest number of teachers on record.

Oh right. Yeah, We've been really lucky that we have bright kids who have thrived under the reforms made by Gove. And I was so worried about those changes when they first came in.

They are about to do A-levels, GCSE's and SATs this summer (save me) and I don't have any complaints about their schooling.

I know it doesn't suit all kids and we need a broader range of options, but it seems like madness to throw it all up in to the air.

Agree, we need appropriate options for academic, vocational + technical qualifications. Not to rip the whole thing up and start from scratch yet again. Current GCSEs work well for academic kids, therefore why not focus on expanding the technical and vocational options? Just spaffing money away, money that could be used to fund the pay rises etc.

I've only listened to snippets of the statement, but the response seems to be scathing from charities. I heard labour mp Clive Lewis call it austerity. Yes, he actually used that word.
Does anyone else find Liz K's voice like nails down a chalkboard? And why does she have to shout ffs.

A good day to bury more bad news for our Bridget it would seem. I agree with your pp @twistyizzy.

@Upstartled You have my upmost sympathy with the exams. Three years ago, I had one dc doing A levels, another doing GCSEs. You need gin. Lots of gin.
I just have the youngest one doing GCSEs this summer thank God.

Gin at the ready, Pimm's if it's sunny! 😎

Can't believe Lewis dropped the austerity bomb. His name will be mud.

We’re university, GSCEs and primary, young though not SATs.

Agree with you all on GSCEs, I’m just glad the eldest two will likely get through and Labour’s policies won’t impact them.

Kendall really was shouting, and all this Tory stuff.. I mean come on Labour wiped out £9bn.

They really do gaslight on epic levels.

Thankfully, it's y6 sats, I did a victory dance when I did my last ever world book day outfit a few weeks ago😁

I found it odd to marry the context with the tone of her speech. Who is she shouting at about Labour's impending cuts?

They ALL shout, just watch BP!

Idk, it just...seemed different.

So that's £5bn savings and so another billion to be found in the Spring statement. I have my fingers and toes crossed that they don't freeze the tax thresholds for longer. What a colossal, counter product act of self sabotage for growth that would be. And yet, it seems to be top of the list of likely outcomes.

Yep she seemed to be doing a call to arms.. against who exactly, disabled people?

Bizarre.

God I hate this government!
Listening to Stephen Timms this morning, who obviously drew the short straw to do the media rounds.
He was totally denying that the welfare cuts were anything to do with saving the chancellor's arse. They were always going to do it anyway apparently, nothing to do with the fucking incompetent chancellor and PM.
If that's the case, why has this been announced a week before the spring statement, and without an impact assessment? And why is the money 'saved' going to the treasury's coffers rather than the DWP's? Lies and more fucking lies.
Rant over.

It's true that they were always going to push on with welfare cuts, Reeves has been gunning for disability benefits for almost a decade, but back in October they were forecast to be just half of that which we saw yesterday.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-2024-benefits-dwp-rachel-reeves-b2631447.html

Yes they were, but the timing of this, and the way it was done speaks volumes for me. I would imagine they would have announced much more carrot rather than just stick in their original plans.

Yes, absolutely. The doubling of cuts is a consequence of the economic policy decisions. And does heavy lifting for Reeves in the spring statement. And yet, the rhetoric around it is that they are doing the disabled a favour and, you're welcome.

I was listening to the Daily T yesterday though and it's clear that many don't feel like the cuts went far enough - if Reeves wants to take another chunk out of the welfare state I expect it will only be her own back benchers who would make any move to hold them back.