Fuck it - the government will look me

[Phonicshaskilledmeoff]

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the way our country is run. I love my country, but what on earth can I do to fix it? the Rachel reeves pension and stamp duty rumours have tipped me over the edge.

I believe 90% of our lives is the summation of our own choices. Bar (some of) our own (and families) health and tragic life events, there is very little we can’t choose in this country.

I’m not saying that the playing field is fair - I absolutely acknowledge that some groups face structural barriers that make good choices harder. Others are unaware those choices even exist. That’s where government should step in—not to equalise outcomes, but to equalise access to meaningful choice.

I think we all acknowledge that bad governments are ones that take away choices. This government, however is also taking away choice by incentivising bad choices. Policies should nudge people toward self-sufficiency, not make state reliance easier than self-reliance, or rewarding short-term decisions over long-term

Our Government should be working towards equitable availability of choice (not equal - see below) to make sure those choices are as easy and available to everyone. Policies should be in place to make sure people are encouraged to make the right choices.

I increasingly feel like I make the right choices and think what was the bloody point!

I’m going to wish I never paid into my pension soon and went on holiday instead! Should I just spend my money, move into a smaller house and quit my job. At this point I think I’d be better off.

Jargon Buster - EQUALITY - It’s assumed there is a level playing field and everyone gets the same resources. EQUITY - Everyone gets what they need to succeed, which may mean different levels of support.

Everything is seen as a left wing vs right wing issue now and it creates a lot of division.
Neither the Tories or Labour have really tried to tackle the welfare bill issue yet it's one of the few things we can do in this country to make things better.
I agree that the government need to support its citizens and there are many people who simply cannot work.
I also agree with the OP that the government should also try to lift people out of poverty.
The fact is there are too many people on benefits. I believe if you have ADHD, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues it is still important you go out and work. Long term sickness traps people in a cycle of hopelessness.

I also believe employers and the state can help in providing more mental health support. If a counselling session gives you the motivation and tools to get into work then it's a great thing.

Basically I think we have lost our work ethic in this country. In a lot of other countries there is pressure amongst young people, from parents or society, to have big careers like a doctor or lawyer. It's clear that in today's world not everyone can achieve this even with lots of top qualifications. In the UK we don't have that kind of pressure thankfully. All we ask is that you get a job earn a wage. Labour is supposed to be the party of the working class. The key word being "working".

There are other things we have some control over too:
Social media - IMO the bigger driver of behaviour issues amongst children and young people. It also promotes fear and division amongst adults (it's crazy how many people believe in conspiracy theories). It's also contributing to sexual offenses. It's entirely unregulated like the press or TV.

Crime - We need to get more young offenders out picking litter etc. Some of our towns and villages are a dump.

The UK like many other countries is skint and there are major causes for this that we have little control over:

Climate Change - crops are failing pushing up food prices, though I believe we may be able to grow chickpeas here in the next 30 years
Wars - Russia & Ukraine
Viruses - recovering from COVID, which came as we were just recovering from the 2009 financial crisis. We have to hope there is not going to be any more epidemics any time soon. We have seen AIDS and COVID in recent history.

In summary the boomers experienced a great time in history and it's unlikely we will have that again. The next generation will face challenges such as the loss of jobs to AI, climate change and the widening of the gap between rich and poor.

My uncle does this for my sibling, my sibling lives in his house and he gets housing benefits for it. Different surnames, the council/govt dont know they're related. Fraudulent, yes. Impossible, no.

Exactly, so the bloated public sector and those in receipt of benefits (both courtesy of the tax payer) would be OK then

Oh, I’m not saying they’ll be comfortable. I don’t believe those currently relying on the state pension are comfortable either.
And most people have private pensions because by law, employers must provide them to staff. They may be utterly insufficient, but that’s a choice (again).

You get the same amount even if you opt out of a car.

I opted for the car because it's essential I can travel with my severely physically disabled son. Frivolous indeed.

I believe 90% of our lives is the summation of our own choices

Work in a sink school on a council estate for a week and you’ll soon see how untrue this is.

Crikey, seriously?

**
I think we all acknowledge that bad governments are ones that take away choices. This government, however is also taking away choice by incentivising bad choices. Policies should nudge people toward self-sufficiency, not make state reliance easier than self-reliance, or rewarding short-term decisions over long-term

"When the government does everything for you, it soon takes everything away from you"

@Legolava I agree the labour government has targeted the "rich" more than the Tories but I couldn't argue that the Tories didn't target anyone. I also don't think means testing winter fuel was an awful thing. I think there does need to be some benefit reform & the public want to see that.

A single person working a minimum wage job would also be leading a very frugal existence with hardly enough money for the basics. Plus, they'd have to spend most of their waking hours working a boring, hard, thankless job. Frankly, I think I'd choose unemployment, with the abundance of free time that brings and only slightly marginally less money.
Low paid working people have the worse lot in this country imo. They also get looked down upon and blamed for their own poverty despite the fact the country would collapse without them.

But does that change my point that plenty of them are?

@Calliopespa My point was I don't think the majority of those who pay the highest paye contributions all use private education & healthcare. Happy to be proved otherwise.

The website is called "entitledto", it is independent and has been running since 2000 to help people navigate the benefits system throughout various reforms and changes.

They also research the benefits system and obstacles to people claiming the help they are entitled to claim.

This will probably get ignored as you're all too busy pissing yourselves with excitement at it being called "entitled", but whatever.

It seems that to be elected, politicians have to make promises they can’t keep and the electorate will vote for them because they want so badly to believe that things can get better across the board. But with higher demands on taxpayers, and making money being disincentivised (whether by being a landlord, owning a company/farm, starting up and/or growing a business, crossing the £100,000 threshhold, etc) by ever increasing regulation and taxes of all kinds, it’s hard to see how the economy will grow. To say that other countries are facing the same dilemma is not much comfort.
I can see how people who can afford it would be tempted to move abroad.

The Tories were terrible for middle earners, or the rich as they are now defined. All the while increasing welfare and pensions. They were more Labour than Tony Blair. They actively harmed productivity. Labour are making it 1000 x worse. There is no-one they haven’t pissed off apart from a hard core few on MN. Their policies and kite flying are a bin fire. Their targetting of the jobs market was a disaster for the private sector and employment. That was deliberate because it was the private sector. It was those who private schooled. It was the pensioners (they are in for it again), now anyone who appears to get up, go to work and save for a pension. The only people protected so far are: public sector workers and welfare claimants. They are kite flying with the latter so the public anger does the job for them. The former, it’s all kicking off now. Some teachers, nurses, drs, police and military personnel are no longer workers…

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/claiming_benefits_if_you_rent_from_family

coughs

It’s beyond delusional to think that that IMF bailout is not on the cards.

@Swiftie1878 I just didn't interpret the above as could, I would never argue something couldn't happen.

working a minimum wage job would also be leading a very frugal existence with hardly enough money for the basics. Plus, they'd have to spend most of their waking hours working a boring, hard, thankless job.

Many jobs now requiring a degree, depth of knowledge and years of experience pay minimum wage. The job may be very enjoyable and fulfilling - but it's an employers market, they're getting hundreds of applicants so can offer really crappy pay.

There is a lot of blaming others/the government for people’s own choices and not much responsibility. I feel like a mug for making sensible choices and then being bled dry by the government at every turn.

i tell you what. Even though this thread has been depressing its been nice to take the focus off the asylum seekers for a change.

Well, one thing would seem certain - the more and more taxes which are piled on people by Reeves, the increasing amount of scrutiny there will be of the welfare state, by those same people….

Understandably.

No, I'd agree with that, it probably isn't a majority. And I think the proportion that do is going down, not up - but then that was sort of my point.

It's not just tax payer cliff edges though it's benefit claimant cliff edges (or tapering) so for an hours work you might be £1 better off or something.

@Legolava

I think your post is a little convoluted so am not sure what you are saying?

The Tories were terrible for middle earners, or the rich as they are now defined. All the while increasing welfare and pensions.

As pensions & welfare have increased are you saying it's wrong for labour to target them now?

The only people protected so far are: public sector workers and welfare claimants

pensioners are welfare claimants, a large proportion of them & public sectors workers are workers & impacted by tax changes.

There is no-one they haven’t pissed off apart from a hard core few on MN

I can't argue that they should only be targeting one sector, everyone needs to pay more.

• "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
• "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

Ronald Raegan

ODFOD!

This country didn't go to shit the moment Starmer took the reigns!

We are being fed that narrative in the press because media moguls want Reform in.

If you don't understand why, there's no hope for you.

At least have the decency to look into Reform manifestos and voting records.

If you honestly want less rights, less money and tax breaks for the rich, you crack on.