Thread 20 Starmer - Spring Statement

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5286167-thread-19-starmer-a-coalition-of-the-willing?page=40&reply=142981585

Or "I don't care how you feel about my posts but I'm going to keep posting this way regardless" 🙄

I actually spotted for the first time, this week, that FIL's lamp was Ashington. DH has no idea why as he can't think of any family connection with the collieries. FIL worked around the Durham coalfields.

And they elected him in the first place and were prepared to reelect him. They've evidently never bothered to research any of Reform's policies or anything Farage has said about insurance based health systems.

@MyNameIsX

Let’s at least be honest, or make a decent fist of doing so.

So you’re accusing people of dishonesty? As well as insulting them?

Nice.

I'm wondering how much the fees are for the MTG charm school and whether they attract tax relief.

There are two posts that really deserve some comment. Even on Mothering Sunday. (Yes, I’m a fogey).

One of the most damaging - probably the most damaging - actions ever taken against UK business investment was Brown’s tax raid on pensions and the abolition of relief on funds’ UK equity investment. The costs to funds and the decrease in UK shareholding by funds since then are routinely quoted as £250bn and from 50% to 4%, respectively.

I appreciate that political living memory only goes back 14 years on this thread. But it might be nice to have proposals like UK-investment friendly ISAs offered in the full context.

As for “if the Tories get back in, the welfare cuts will be on steroids” (paraphrasing), the Tories backed off WFA and PIP changes. That nincompoop Darren Jones even tweeted (supposedly) heart-felt opposition to WFA cuts…before cutting WFA a few months later very soon after the election.

Labour is not and never has been a ‘nice’ or ‘caring’ party. That delusion is one of the great political frauds. (The Tories most definitely aren’t nice or caring, but they don’t pretend to be.)

The comment about welfare cuts on steroids related to the Reform party.

The post said:

Well if Reform or the Tories get in next time, it will be Labour's welfare cuts on steroids, so still not a good plan.

If your opening gambit on any thread is to insult posters, you don't then get to whine when they don't engage with you.

Nobody is owed a response.

Absolutely.

I shall endeavour to focus on the thread topic - with, I hope, valid links and postings.

A bit of humanity would be a good start.

Fair point. I only remembered the Reform reference. You seemingly remembered the Tory one 😁

That's another way of implying that posters are lying. And yes, I'm another poster who's not keen on engaging with your posts.

If you could do it politely without resorting to insults and assuming we know nothing and are spreading falsehoods we might take more notice. For now I'll go back to scrolling past posts with your name.

I look forward to you working out what the thread topic is and joining in in the spirit of the thread.

He is beautiful.and you are wonderful for taking care of him.

Posters on here have a wealth of experience. We all have or have had careers in all sorts of areas. But you chose to specify experience of the welfare system. Why?

I am sure you appreciate the welfare system is available and you won't be left destitute then

I’m glad I’m not the only one who notes that Pandora

The insults have such a thin veil they almost aren’t obscured even slightly

And I stand by that. Whatley said the Labour government's cuts don't go far enough.

The Tories introduced PIP and its cruelties in the first place. The carnage of transferring people from DLA to PIP was appalling.

This is Whatley's statement:

"This is a now or never chance to seize the moment, a now or never for millions of people who will otherwise be signed off for what could end up being a lifetime on benefits, but this announcement today leaves me with more questions than answers.

How many people will this help back into work? By when? Surely we haven’t been waiting eight months just for another green paper? Where is the fit note reform, crucial to stem the flow of people onto benefits? Where is the action on people being signed off sick for the everyday ups and downs of life?

Why is she only planning to save £5bn when the bill is forecast to rise to over £100bn?

Fundamentally, this is too little, too late. The fact is £5bn just doesn’t cut it. With a bill so big, going up so fast, she needed to be tougher. She should be saying no more hard working taxpayers funding the family next door not to work. No more free top of the range cars for people who don’t need them"

There’s an argument to be had there, sure.

But what’s beyond any argument is that Reeves and Starmer - as the most senior figureheads for the Labour Party - told the country that cutting welfare was the principled, decent thing to do…and then cut welfare by another half-a-billion pounds because the OBR didn’t agree with the extent of savings that Labour has trumpeted a few days before.

The further cuts are, like the originally announced cuts, nothing to do with principle or decency. They’re to save money because the economy is in deep shit.

Why anyone believes any of Labour’s ‘caring’ guff is a mystery.

Are top range cars the new flat screen tv's?

I do appreciate that my ‘delivery’ may sometimes grate, but I cannot abide hypocrisy or ludicrous falsehoods.

So what were you up to 2019-2024 ?