Is there anyone on here who voted Labour who is genuinely happy with how things are going

[Iwishicouldflyhigh]

I didn’t vote Labour, but was actually quite excited. We needed change, now I dint think that at all and although Tories weren’t great in many respects, this shit show feels worse! I’m so tired of our politicians just not doing what is best for the country and having to curtail to babk benchers/unions, lining their own pockets and wardrobes and generally just being untrustworthy.
i have no doubt Farage will get in next time, and it will be Keir’s fault.

I'm not "mumsnet" so I can't speak for popular/unpopular opinion. Personally, I'd be interested to know what you foresee to be the end goal to be with rising benefits. We increase them, to what end?

Who will you vote for in 4 years time?

Whatever they do they have to get on top of the benefits bill, it i completely unsustainable no matter how unpopular that feels to people. At the moment they seem keen to increase the amount being paid out and no real idea of how to tackle it as the backbenchers kick off so they backtrack.

Removal of waste from public services including NHS, civil service etc is a way to also save billions and be able to invest in better front line services. Again, too difficult so just keep on pumping money in or set up new quangos to review and actually achieve nothing.

We increase them so that people can afford to live and support people who can come off benefits.

Austerity has a lot to answer for.

The biggest benefit is for the state pension. Perhaps those who worked in sectors, private and public, should have their state pension reduced because they paid in extra rewards that were tax deductible for the companies or sectors they worked for.

It all needs to looked at, making it more attractive to work than claim benefits, better provision of more affordable childcare, care home costs, pensions, etc etc. Nothing should be off the table, it's not 'picking' on any one group but if we refuse to do it or go 'yes, but we can't impact group x or y' we will end up with tinkering and the net result is still a bill that will be completely unaffordable in a matter of a few years.

I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the result of the Stranraer bye-election, which was won (after the votes were transferred around) by the Scottish Conservative candidate. Not by Reform. I find this quite reassuring. Congratulations to the voters of Dumfries & Galloway.

Making it attractive to work is all very well and good but if you're not suited to the job in order to get off benefits and are dismissed then that's a dereliction of duty to those trying their best to get out of the system.

That's not really an answer. It's like relative poverty all over again. Increasing them "until people can afford to come off them" is too wishy washy to mean anything.

I voted Labour and while I still think they're way too central, the budget was better than it could be. I'll probably vote Green next time. Anyone who genuinely thinks that Farage would be a good choice worries me. I do think, to a degree, as soon as any party gains power they're forced to develop a degree of pragmatism that might well go against their values in order to survive, if that makes sense. E.g. pandering to Trump to protect trade deals, even though he represents everything that's fundamentally anti-Labour.

I think he is doing a good job in difficult circumstances and the press are not on his side when you look what they have actually achieved compared to what is reported it's shocking

I would only vote Green, Lib Dem and deep intake of breath, Tory, if it meant that Reform didn't get in.

So in my constituency, I shall be campaigning again for Labour. Fully understand that other constituencies may be different.

They can have the kids, but they are responsible for having them, so they should be responsible for supporting them both financially and emotionally. Who are you to dictate that others should pay to support them! Mind your language please.

To have promoted growth at every opportunity, then perhaps one day we can afford to improve the public sector, cut the debt and improve the country for all citizens.

Instead they killed the economy with negative talk and infantile taxes aimed at the successful, and then wondered why no one wants to invest in the U.K.

I thought the tories were bad, but this is a new level of clown car government, what a wasted opportunity.

All children should have the emotional and financial support they need. If the parents can't provide that, wider society should step in.

I pay tax which is used to support the health and education etc. of other people's children. Very happy to do so.

Swearing is allowed on MN, btw.

Do you mean that the kids should be taken off the parents? I think that’s a bit harsh. The parents should be allowed to keep their kids, just have to provide for them themselves.

Instead they killed the economy with negative talk and infantile taxes aimed at the successful, and then wondered why no one wants to invest in the U.K.

Really? J P Morgan disagrees with you.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/9f57eb70-a1bf-4a60-9b57-cdb39c4acb7c

No! God, no. I meant in terms of financial and other support.

That article is literally about how J P morgan are throwing the government a few sweeties in exchange for no tax rises. Maybe the hospitality/farming industries etc just couldn't come up with enough sweeties.

People would never come off them. That is want we learnt from COVID - give people a taste of the xbox life and they don't go back. Benefits need to drop to force people to go back to work.

I don’t dictate what others should pay in tax. The power to decide what taxes we pay rests with Parliament. Any fool knows that.

And don’t dictate to me what I can say on Mumsnet. FFS!

Exactly - tax and employee NIC hasn’t changed.

We ve had more growth in the last 16 months than we ever had in the 16months prior to the election in july 2024.

Sunak gave us a recession that lasted 6months at the back end of 2023.

We ve also had far more inward investment too.

Debt to GDP will fall over the course of the next 3 to 4 years.

People have v short memories and/or can't be bothered to look at simple facts.

They have been whining for a General Election since July 2024!

I don’t know who will be around in 4 years time. Definitely not con/lab/reform though so my options are somewhat limited.