Why won't any political party focus or help the squeezed middle

[Winterday1991]

Off the back of another thread, has got me thinking about the next general election.

Why is there not a party that will focus on the middle earners in the squeezed south east , where both partners work full time, who are struggling juggling mortgages, cost of childcare and self fund everything and are over threshold for any help or subsidies ie child benefit, cost of living payments, free childcare via universal credit?

We are a middle/highish income family and are just so sick of paying into the system and getting nothing back! The amount of tax we pay is insane, certainly not anywhere near value for money. Labour just seem to want to focus on single parent families and those on universal credit.

Any party who focuses on the middle will surely win the election?

Exactly. Build in the fact people on UC etc can get free dental care, free prescriptions...

I'm not in this position but I can see why people struggle to know why they work so hard to end up with a very similar lifestyle to someone who doesn't.

There does need to be a sense that there is a tangible benefit to going to work. Or resentment builds.

however I also agree that it suits the wealthy elite for the middle and low earners and those on benefits to tear each other apart , as it stops them looking at where the money is really going. "Divide and Conquer"

The solution is to make the wealthy and the and massive companies pay their proper share.

I'm in a family of a combined income of just over 100k living in a fairly expensive city. I wouldn't describe us as the squeezed middle. I also understand that my taxes support those not as fortunate as I am, as they should. I would pay more tax if it improved services, a rising tide lifts all ships.

’squeezed middle’ here . Because while I don’t particularly like paying higher mortgage rates and higher gas bills and everything costing more… We can afford to. And our kids can still do all their activities. And we can still go out and afford childcare. And we have a car. And a dog. And still have the cleaner. We can still afford holidays. Travel to see family.

We aren’t entitled to benefits because we don’t need them.

Nor do you. So while we don’t have big savings, or feel ‘flush’ in anyway our day to day lives are fine.

We aren’t making decisions about whether or not we can pay rent or the the mortgage. Our kids aren’t missing out. We aren’t worrying about how to pay the heating bill, new uniform, school shoes, decent food, giving our kid a birthday party, or new clothes…

that’s why.

Oh and I don’t feel ‘squeezed’ BTW
we feel fine. Because we are.

I get UC and I do not get free prescriptions or dental care, I pay full council tax also and am not entitled to free school meals. It's different depending on individual situations.

Hmmm so I should bust a gut working all hours to have something to leave to my kids, then the government takes a SHITLOAD of it, to give to people who have never been bothered to work, much. My earnings have already been taxed!!

Without looking it up, what % of estates do you think pay inheritance tax?

The tories are only out to line their own pockets - £21b fraud during Rushis tennership says it all....
Labour, the Greens etc don't see the pressed middle as the priority & they're right.
The other parties are irrelevant.

Sorry, the pressed middle could sell up, move, change jobs, tighten their belts.... As crap as it sounds, they're your options and it's not just just the pressed middle in the SE either. It's the same across the UK.

:(

People in UC do not get free dental care and prescriptions. If you know anybody who receives that, it's because they are entitled under a different scheme through NHS rules.

Yeah, UC actually sometimes is paid to people on pretty high incomes. There are 40% taxpayers who get it, if their childcare and rent costs are sufficiently high. I assume nobody thinks that group are on free prescriptions.

Because their objectives are not your objectives.

They want more Govt power and more taxpayer funding moving around for themselves to control and take credit for.

For this, they need more poor people and more crises.

Yep.

Bust a gut to improve your own life and to create children that don't need a handout from anyone? Living off an inheritance is far worse than living off benefits in my eyes

I probably just about fall into the category you are suggesting and I don’t think we should be the focus. I don’t think we should be ignored and/or squeezed for more tax (as people constantly seem to suggest on here), things are relatively tough for almost everyone at the moment, but there are other groups that need the help a lot more right now.

Op we have a similar household income to yours and also live in the Southeast. We really aren’t the squeezed middle. They are the people who are just over the benefits limit, our income is way over. Childcare years are tough but once they’re over we will have much more spare money than those in the middle income bracket.

As someone who is largely “out the other side” of this in terms of childcare, money worries etc., can I remind all that the decision to give up work in a professional job can be hugely damaging to women’s later finances? Even qualifying for a “full” gov pension requires 30 years let alone having a private pension that can pay for a good old age. The 30s and early 40s are when progress and earning capability grows most and while it’s not impossible to catch up, it is harder.
Throw in long term illness, death or divorce and life’s finances become even more challenged. My personal advice is to accept the early days of childcare cost money and it’s a case of staying in at best.

I think this anger and resentment has increased since covid. There used to be a clear divide between those that work and those on benefits, now it's blurred and it's waaaaay too blurred.

When people are working their socks off and seeing people only working PT or not working at all getting top ups here there and everywhere, of course it causes resentment.

It's very complex though, working for many, now doesn't pay. In the old days people could work and still have money to support themselves now the wage to cost of living ratio is too big. If this continues more and mire will choose not to work or work just to the threshold so they get all the top ups. Look at the stats, this is already a massive issue.

I do agree that simply increasing wages is not the answer as that just drives inflation and everyone earning more but paying more means no one is any better off.

I do believe that “the rich” need to contribute fairly - I’m not going to use the word “more” as I believe the problem is tax avoidance rather than taxation rates not being high enough.

I also believe the definitions of “high earner” are now outdated. Okay a family on 100k a year are earning higher than “the average” but they are certainly not rich. Our family of 2 NHS staff (neither a doctor) were getting at one point 120k between us (before tax) but that was after careers spanning nearly 30 years each, multiple additional courses/degrees (about half of which were self funded), extremely stressful lives balancing demanding jobs/study/raising DC. We are now what I would describe as “comfortable” but we still have to budget for holidays, car etc.

I don’t consider us lucky as we both came from very working class backgrounds and have worked our arses off to get to this point. It’s not luck that’s got us here. But it really drives me mad when we are lumped in with the “higher earner”/top 10% group as we are no where near equivalent to those earning hundreds of thousands a year and footballers and the like getting millions but using tax avoidance schemes to dodge paying their fair share. We have paid a lot of tax which I accept is due to our incomes, but there are plenty more who are very wealthy and shafting the system way more than those on benefits.

💯 this. But I would also add - stress to your DC the importance of pension right from the get go. No one wants to be working til they are 70 through necessity. My DS is in his first “proper” job and wanted to opt out of paying pension but after some discussion, we’ve persuaded him to pay a little each month so he gets used to paying it and doesn’t constantly defer it. DD still at Uni but is a bit more savvy and already knows to do this.

If that article about labour onyl offering more childcare help to poorer households again is true I will no longer be voting for them.

Cuz we don’t need help to actually live. Yes we’ve had to make some cutbacks like eating out less often etc. but in terms of actually being able to make ends meet we’ve been fine.

They've waged war on workers. Professions like teachers, doctors, the police force, train drivers etc. would all be quite conservative leaning traditionally. That's certainly what Thatcher tapped into, getting the middle class professionals vote. She even had a majority with younger voters.

The Tories have in effect made these kind of professions the new 'enemy within' and as you say rely entirely now on the retired vote and the weighted demographics of baby boomers who have become extremely conservative as a majority.

But you CAN'T choose not to work. I'm not sure where this myth comes from that you can just get benefits for doing nothing. I was made redundant earlier this year (I'm a single parent) and I had to attend the jobcentre every week, prove that I had been applying for jobs, etc. There was not an option for me not to work, which is fine as I wanted to work anyway.