Labour isn't Working - Thread 41

[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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Headlines now onto hikes in energy costs. AB’s emotion won’t hide those.

Steal, sorry, it’s Irish.

Something else not mentioned in the PM's speech yesterday. 4% rise tomorrow, and another huge hike in January. He doesn't want to talk about energy until after the by election it seems.

Thank you. Never heard it used like that and I'm half Irish.
Shame you need cameras. They all just have a lock box where I live. One farm has an egg vending machine.

Did I read it right that Labour's timeframe for its attack on the triple lock is 2030?

I think it’s all after a GE. His speech is post 2029.

Yep. Everything was for after the next GE.

He's got time to find some more big headlines then to turn this round. At the risk of sounding (unintentionally) cold, I wonder If his big social care scheme is being run on personal reasons. I hope our PM can remain emotionally detached from other difficult decisions.

We have honesty boxes around me too, county council Reform useless MP Labour. Lots of black, red, yellow labs and lots of shooting😬. We must be right wing Labour supporters? Oh and nobody admits to voting Labour except our village idiot.

It’s getting ridiculous, we’re looking at solar and air con for our home. The installer that came out to give us a quote showed us his set up on an app - the solar panels run everything through the summer including the air con at minimal cost and then in the winter the air con doubles as air source heating and the solar battery charges from the grid overnight at a quarter the cost of drawing it during the day. He said he pays his monthly direct debit of about £150 per month as normal than claims back the overpayment in November each year in time to pay for Christmas - £600 last year.

If energy prices are going to go crazy it’s seriously worth considering the investment, though it is hideously expensive.

I saw the link to earnings explained as being so that pensioners share in the economic growth of the country. Which actually seems pretty reasonable.

(Although given our very low levels of economic growth currently, perhaps that's less significant than we might think...)

But the ratchet effect - using the highest of the measures each year - hasn't played out well under the extremes of covid and high inflation. Earnings growth lagged inflation by a year or so, and pensions benefitted from each increase in turn. This wasn't really the intention: the later earnings increase were a reaction to inflation - rather than reflecting genuine growth - and so the rise should only have been counted once.

I'd have preferred it to be smoothed out instead. Eg taking an average of inflation and earnings growth rather than the higher. Or alternatively, averaging each measure over 5 years before taking the highest measure (although that does result in a lag).

On reflection I think Labour have played a good game in distraction with the conference, get the country talking about fascist country pubs and a change in adult social care that is 10 years away rather than anything about the immediate needs to spend on defence and cut welfare.

Interesting interview. Michael Gove interviews Jonathan Hinder, one of the leading voices in so-called “Blue Labour”. He speaks a lot of common sense.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/quite-right/id1822769271?i=1000792229829

My OH has this in his house and it’s fantastic! - and good fun watching the app on a sunny day and remotely running on the washing machine: dishwasher etc😃

I think we're also going to need to look at solar panels, especially with a heat pump.

@LuckyHazelFox indont think that's emotionally cold at all

Ab is clearly moved by his personal experiences there and often an up close experience really helps us get to grips with issues that don't get air time or have anyone to hang the drum for them.
I just hope he sees that there are also many many other issues attached to this one that also needs air time ,money and support.

I suppose I am a bit glad that AB feels that he can’t really do much without winning an election. That’s
good news. Perhaps we can expect similar a non event budget, with no significant new taxes. maybe that would give us hope…

Yes perhaps that’s the plan - KS pushed down hard on the pain lever, the creeping tax take is baked in, sit back wait for tax receipts to rise whilst looking cuddly…

Debt servicing increase is higher than tax receipts increase.

Better if Burnham leaves us alone for a while, unlike Starmer. Although I think winter bills will see calls for something.

I shopped my gas and elec round - I had a good fix before and I’m looking at £800-£1200 more next year depending on whether I fix or gamble. Not great….

Omg the story keeps changing. My kids were better fibbers but at least stuck to the same fairytale.

Can anyone answer this?

Why did the villagers have to evacuate the following morning for a day ⁉️

We have honesty boxes for eggs and vegetables around here. I stop for eggs. The honey though I do have to knock on the door to buy.

We don't get litter off season in our area. But come the hordes of day trippers it's a pain in the derriere.

I’m in London.

It’s awful here.

Our local farmer caught the honesty box thief. A lad from the village who had worked up at the farm at busy times. The lads family were mortified and the lad got a hard time in the village.