Labour isn't Working - Thread 36

[Nuthatch26]

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.

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https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5544016-labour-isnt-working-thread-35?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Do you follow this thread because you agree Labour’s not working?

When people want renationalisation, they need to take heed of the absolute foul ups in governmental organisations that were never privatised, such as NHS and HMRC who are prime examples of public sector waste and incompetence.

There's been no real improvement in the train operating firms that are now back under government control, such as Northern Rail, who remain as useless as ever with constant cancellations, short trains, etc. despite being back under government control for the last six years! Plenty of time for improvements to start to be seen, but no, no improvements at all.

The polls, the local election results and Starmer's resignation make it rather difficult to deny that Labour is currently not working. I am not sure why you are asking.

I can see the argument for renationalising water in the sense that it shouldn't be private - does that make sense?

Unfortunately, successive governments have been so hopeless, but there isn't actually a reason why a nationalised industry should do badly in terms of efficiency. Certainly, Thames water isn't working!

I don't actually remember when water was privatised but I would've been a little kid

I am aware that there were lots of similar issues in the 70s with sewage - I mean similar to what we have now.

The problem is that the privatized companies just had TUPEd over the same jobsworth employees with their public sector mentality and lack of initiative so there was not going to be any improvement.

I doubt many of those jobsworths are still in post decades later, though, so that doesn't really let the privatised companies off the hook? And Tupe or not Tupe, the private companies could have still culled any dead wood that moved over.

But the deadwood would have been the ones training and managing the next generation(s), and so the rot continues.

Like the successive different train companies - yes, different "ownership" as the franchise holders have changed over the decades, but the same staff Tupe'd over, usually doing their same job, in the same building, etc.

Difficult to cull the useless dead wood because they're usually heavily unionised so the dead wood are protected.

But the managers were also deadwood with no desire except to sit it out till retirement on cushy pension and recruit people like them.

Nail on head!

So state pension age rise being brought forward by 7 years according to the Times.

FFS. That means I have an extra year to work now. Sigh.

I wonder if they'll increase the number of years you need NI contributions for again? This is my final year for the number I need at the moment.

Mw too. Right in the affected age.

Yes, our parents are exempt as they are old (mid 70's)

My husband had an extra year to work as he's 3 years younger than me. At least there's now only a 3 year gap, rather than 4!

It doesn't surprise me that this will happen, to be honest, as it's been recommended for a while. It's still a bit galling though!

Millions forced to work longer under state pension age extension

https://www.thetimes.com/article/b7470387-b6d0-4b38-bf97-199e64232886?shareToken=24a9bdb1f5b8024d84c9a7b06d69c5b8

It’s not good news. Just part of being poor.

The Times is being rather mischievous with that headline give that the subheading is:

"Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, said that bringing forward the increase to the end of the next decade was under consideration"

Personally I feel a better way forward would be to abolish the triple lock. Simply index-linking is enough. But no government is brave enough, it appears.

Despite this do you still support Labour?

This will just be the pre-announcement water-testing. 'Under consideration' normally means 'will happen'. Probably waiting for the King to be crowned, then it'll be firmed up.

It's already gone up for me once - I'm sure it was 65 when I started working.

Do you think? I suspect Burnham might have the nous not to have a negative major policy announcement early in his reign. He may have learned lessons from the WFA debacle.

Final PMQs for Starmer today. Great.

While it's annoying, I don't think it's negative in the same vein as the WFA was, or the removal of the triple lock would be. Most of us were likely anticipating it anyway given it's been recommended for a while.

I was at a graduation ceremony yesterday. Youngest finally fledged away. We clapped for hundreds of young graduates, privately thinking was it worth it when you will struggle to get a foot on the ladder of the career, you slogged away at. The young woman I was sat next to said not. She graduated four years ago and has given up that dream. Yet we clapped for the latest graduates who'd qualified in her field.

Yes, we've had it steadily rising since that first increase, which was since we started work.

I'm 50 this year.