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?

For free? I seriously doubt it's free. Lower rent but not free. How do you know her/his parents aren't paying for holidays?
If you think being on UC is so great why not give up work and go on benefits.
I've been there and done that. Me and DH often survived on one meal a day so our DD could eat. I don't know why people think those on benefits have it so easy.
You find one example of people fiddling the system and just assume everyone is the same.

The Tories came out with that stuff on childcare in the full knowledge they'll never have the opportunity to deliver it. Labour are shooting themselves in the foot though, feels like an own goal there.

Like someone said on here….don’t know who it was. If people don’t listen to people like the op - you’ll end up with another Tory government. The retired and boomer vote is almost a guarantee now, People who have gone to uni and doing well, are seeing less and less of their money. We are a low tax economy as so many people pay low tax. However, the higher tax payers are some of the most over taxed in the world.

The green policies are targeting this cohort. They’d have to fund everything and most can’t afford it right now. Right or wrong - this has been seen and addressed. The cluster fuck that is Labour’s childcare policy is an open goal for even more Tory votes. Labour know this is an issue which is why they have now ruled out even more hikes to higher rate tax.

The level of understanding - as evidenced in this thread - is quite the eye opener.

Gosh I guess I fit in this bracket- both professionals on about 75k between us and yup living month to month it’s not great. But yup we never have a month where we can’t actually afford enough food, bills and doing some nice stuff.

we defo have less disposable income than we did 2-3 years ago (and our income is more). The issue is the cost of living, and that big companies Are making huge profits - presumably at least partly off our increased payments. And that’s being allowed to continue because their friends with the tories so 🤷‍♀️
But yeah as the middle earners we have access to the things we need, whereas others don’t so I can see why they are prioritised.

im pretty sure that if husband and I gave up our jobs and went on UC we wouldn’t be able to afford our mortgage (and therefore choice where we live) and we’d be worse off.

What do you mean you have no more money than someone entitled to FSM. FSM is £16k or lower you earn £35k more than that combined?

Completely with you on this one @Winterday1991- I'm fed up of subsidising other people's lifestyles. I can't stand the Tories (especially the current lot we're being forced to endure) but dread to think what'll happen when Labour gets in. There are some families for whom the benefits life is an entitlement- it sickens me. If there was a political party fighting for the us- the genuinely squeezed middle- I'd be voting for them.

This is exactly what life on benefits is like. I think unless you have experienced it, you just see the "free" stuff. Without the "free" stuff, I would not be where I am now. My "free stuff" meant I had my tuition paid and a grant so I never had to live on benefits as an adult and my children will never experience the childhood I did. Yes, I moan about the cost of living, and boy do I hate the Tories for freezing my salary for nearly 10 years, but I can still afford sports clubs and music tuition for DCs and have one holiday abroad. We may not have savings like we used to but we're not on the breadline. I think that's the marker isn't it? I may feel we're struggling, but we could cut down. I know its seems unfair that we shouldn't have to (and 10 years ago we wouldn't have) but this is life for everyone now - unless you're super rich!

UC it is just under £8k a year. Not exactly a great life.

one thing this government are mint at is putting middle class people against the poor or worse off. News flash it’s not people who need some support that are your enemy and they deffo aren’t living a similar level of life to you on the most part. It’s the Uber rich and tax dodging corporations you want to be worrying about. The people raising prices way beyond inflation just to make a profit off EVERYBODY.

but yeah bash a disabled person who is physically only capable of working 12 hours a week and has the rest topped up by UC and pip, who by the way will have to go through reassessments to be granted that support and is at every risk of losing it.

god you’re so privileged and you can’t even see it

FSM is not £16k any more. It is £7400 under UC.

Ah exactly I knew it wasn’t a lot at all but must have got confused! But yeah totally agree they’re not taking it in and getting a hot dinner for their children as a perk

Free school meals - all infant school age children get this so there's a benefit the OP is or will be receiving. Beyond that, it is families with an income below 7K per year not 16K. So those who really can only work a small number of hours for whatever reason.

The answer is simple - they target the voters they need for a critical mass.

Just to add the criteria for free dental care and prescriptions is the same, less than 8k a year so only really low earning families.

but yeah bash a disabled person who is physically only capable of working 12 hours a week and has the rest topped up by UC and pip, who by the way will have to go through reassessments to be granted that support and is at every risk of losing it.

No one is bashing them and imo that’s what benefits should be there for. People get frustrated at the people who have as many kids as they want, work part time as they end up being better off with their UC, get subsided childcare and rent and ultimately have a decent lifer style not dissimilar to theirs propped up by subsidies. On the other hand you (I) feel like I’m slogging my guts out working as a nurse, over the limits for benefits which is fine but I can’t afford to reduce my hours, can’t afford anything child, can’t afford any luxuries and paying a mortgage which is just going up and up. I am happy to support those who need it and cannot work but I strongly believe working should be rewarded and that ‘I’m better off working less hours’ needs to stop entirely.

The point is you have to look at the long term benefits, not the short. Childcare costs are brutal but temporary, it's not something you'll be paying all your life.

You can't have as many children as you like, you can only get benefits for 2 children and you're actually not better off working less hours, as someone who has claimed benefits for 15 years I can tell you that I'm better off working full time than part time.

Then the problem is the cost of housing and childcare in this country, not the few who manage to get a 'free ' council house and take loads of holidays on our amazing benefits system.

OP, the current government does very little other than think about the South East.

Jesus you are RAKING it in and yet still complaining? We jointly earn half what you do and don't qualify for any benefits, inc childcare. You don't know what struggling is.