Labour isn't working - Thread 13

[TheNuthatch]

A chat thread for those who don't like this Labour government.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Previous thread
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Agree.
We have signed up to Too Good To Go for cheap food bags at the end of the day, stopped all charity donations (used to be 10% of monthly take home), stopped anything but essentisl insurance, only shop at Lidl etc.
Got to make DH redundancy stretch out as long as possible cos thanks to Reeves the job market in pharma is utter shite as they are all pulling out of UK.

"and then those people were all proved right."

Did she not finish the sentence?

Shockingly not. Went on to blab about something else

So sorry for your DH going through this. I really hope he finds something soon. It's so stressful. 🫂

Thanks. I know we aren't the only ones going through it.
We've pared everything back to the bare minimum so I honestly don't know how we can give anything more.
Of course we aren't entitled to claim anything because DH got a payout....which was fucking taxed at a shocking rate 😡😡😡 if it wasn't for the tax we would be OK. So we pay for him to be made redundant but now can't claim anything. It's so fucked up, those who don't contribute get fuck all.

I know, it's shocking. The welfare system sucks in this country. It's supposed to be a safety net when we fall on hard times. It isn't though. Basically, if you lose your job if you have to jump through hoops but if you've never worked, it's a free for all. It should be contributory and after a set time, that's it. The thing is, if people who've always worked are wondering what the point is anymore, and downing tools, it's only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses. Part of me just thinks, let's get it over and done with.

Exactly.

I 100% think it should be contributory and that if you turn down 3 x job offers you have to either do mandated work or lose benefits. Break the cycle of a lifetime of benefits dependency.

Twisty, he will be entitled to contribution based JSA. It is non-means tested apart from occupational pension. It is not much, but it is something.

Sorry for butting, but lots of people don't seem aware there is a non-means tested form of JSA.

I swear her nose is acgtually growing

There was a thread recently where one of the more ardent Labour supporters on here said that those who were struggling from all the job losses should speak to the CAB, and make use of food banks.
For that poster, it's all worth it to have Starmer and co in power.

Oh Twisty, what a bloody awful place to be. An elderly lady up the road uses too good to go, but she goes for the restaurant and cafe bags so that she only has to use the microwave or airfyer to reheat, or at the most make something with the cooked veg etc. One of the resaurants know her now(a Toby Carvery) and always make sure to she gets some meat in her box and a pudding. There is kindness still out there.

I agree. I'm sick of hearing about people taking home a similar income to ours claiming pip, DLA for their kids and having rent paid. Yes, some people do need it, others not so much. A friend of mine gets £700 a month for her child in pip. He has Adhd. She told me he can get a motability car as he has higher rate. My daughter has had to save up for her car and take out a loan. I'm not Adhd bashing, as I have it myself and it can be debilitating when trying to concentrate or get important stuff done, but I have never even considered claiming pip for it. I didn't even know Adhd was something to claim for. This is why we are fucked. If everyone with Adhd is claiming, where is the money coming from?

Aw that is lovely 😍

I'm so sorry that your family has been so badly hit by awful Labour policies @twistyizzy

We have remained under the radar of Raiding Reeves so far but we have been boxed in to inertia, not knowing what is going to get hit next.

How can they be scratching their heads that we have stagflation when they have demoralised the whole country? It's like they have no theory of mind at all, they only have spreadsheets.

I’m so sorry it’s so stressful. We have some friends recently facing the same. I think some post as if they are immune to all this and Labour’s impact.

I have ADHD too, not diagnosed until early 40s. I've just got on with it cos that's what you've got to do! It's ridiculous to claim for ADHD

Because they are ie public sector workers or rich enough not to be impacted by Labour. As far as I can see those are the only supporters now.

The more tax they threaten the less we spend and put into the economy. We're squirreling it away .

Bless her. I'm glad someone is thinking of her. I volunteer once a week at my church's food pantry. Its not a food bank as such, but you can buy things really cheap, no questions asked. I have never known it so busy. We've had to rearrange the entrance and exit doors, because the queue was snaking down the main road, which is embarrassing for the customers waiting to come in. There are also less donations as people are less able to give. Bloody awful.

Thank you

Yes he is putting a claim in for that now

Yes, this is true. I saw some figures out from Barclays that shows that credit card spending is down. And that figure was quite small 0.7% decline on last September but when you think how inflation has increased in that time then that must represent a significant drop in stuff being bought and a drop in consumer confidence generally. It isn't good news for retail, that's for sure.

Pharma definitely is getting out of the UK faster than rats leaving a sinking ship, leaving bodies in their wake.

One of our neighbours (jokingly referred to as our neighbourhood drug dealer), a so-called high flyer with one of the big companies, was offered relocation abroad or redundancy. Aged 58, with a long term plan to retire at 60 anyway, the choice was obvious and welcome.

I really hope the stars align for your DH soon, @twistyizzy.

Yes, I feel sorry for the retailers, especially now coming up to Christmas. This should be their busiest time. Honestly, I haven't set foot in a shop for months, apart from buying groceries and the odd charity shop item. Everything I buy is from vinted or charity shops. I have discovered a cheap buying platform recently. It's like ebay but instant and you bid and it's sent out immediately. All Christmas presents will be coming from there.

My daughter is doing a pharmacology degree. I guess she will be moving abroad after graduation. It makes me a bit sad, but also kind of pleased she will start a new life somewhere that appreciates her.

Indeed, she is quite a character! Her husband fell for the OLD' Labour cradle to grave claptrap and since he died, she has been left practically destitute.
Like others on here, I come from a poor background, however, my parents instilled in me that there's always someone worse off and give what you can to feed another.
I have done so since getting my first job. Recently, I have stopped my charitable money donations and instead I put food into the charit box at Lidl. This all goes to a local food bank. This means I can target where my money is going.