Benefits v Defence Lord Robertson

[Wednesdayschild87]

Lord Robertson’s Speech… seriously does anyone care?? He’s laid out the fact that as a nation we can’t carry on like this… he said we can’t afford to keep throwing money at benefits whilst leaving our country defences I’m actually shocked no one has come out and spoken on this matter before. I’m incredulous.

The UK has been living well above its means for years.

We need to get a grip on the benefits system.
We need to ditch the triple lock on pensions.
We need to cut demand on the NHS by making people take more responsibility for their own health: drink less alcohol, eat less so you are not fat, move more, stop/reduce smoking and doing drugs.

Everyone knows this, but the electorate will never choose a party that stands on this platform. We will continue to back those who promise us more stuff we know they cannot deliver.

Maybe when the Russians are coming down our streets behaving as they did in Germany after WW2 or in Ukraine over the last few years we will wake up!

That'll work well if things happen overnight.....

We now know that were alternatives to hotel accommodation for asylum seekers, but Tory ministers encouraged their cronies to use hotels and maximise profits, at the expense of our taxes. Support for asylum seekers is demand led and demand is increasing. There's a large number who will never work and a lot who will end up in the justice system. Costs are spiralling. However if we cut benefits, a lot more British born people will end up within the justice system, which costs more than giving out benefits. A lot more children will have to be removed, again that costs more than supporting families.

We can't remove benefits and put people into poverty, while we house and feed asylum seekers, there will be mass protests.

We do need to rethink the royal family and their tax situation.

A bit like the cost of Welfare then!

'Drink less alcohol, eat less so you are not fat, move more, stop/reduce smoking and doing drugs.'
Sounds good until we lose the revenue and lose jobs across hospitality. We need people spending money in the UK.

True but that's the classic import the labour from overseas fix that may in part have got the UK where it is today.

Make the military package attractive enough and you'll recruit those Uk residents you actually want to employ into the roles where personnel are needed.

However that would probably mean increasing the personnel budget to do things such as improve accommodation and other facilities. It maybe even worth considering writing off tje student loans of graduates who serve a minimum period of service (and services do need graduates in.many roles). ...

There have got to be ways of filling shortfalls in recruitment without raiding the Commonwealth...but I suspect the Treasury is quite keen on min cost.

However if we cut benefits, a lot more British born people will end up within the justice system, which costs more than giving out benefits. A lot more children will have to be removed, again that costs more than supporting families.
why would the only option if not getting funded by benefits be prison and removing children, rather than getting jobs and being self reliant?

Young people wouldn’t fight for this country. Most of them don’t see themselves as English or British, they are global citizens. It’s cheaper to choose pacifism.

Maybe when the Russians are coming down our streets behaving as they did in Germany after WW2 or in Ukraine over the last few years we will wake up!

Russia has no interest in invading and occupying us. Why would it?

Eta: although Nige might invite the Russians in if he wins the next GE.

I have to say I often think the same. Some boot on the ground invasion makes no sense. Bombing abd killing everyone to take the land makes more sense.

Also on the back of disincentives to work hard there has been massive wage stagnation in the UK.

Had my salary from 16 years ago kept pace with the NMW it would be pretty much £100k. I am on a lot less than that!

So we have the situation where the NMW is going up, people in the middle aren't seeing their wages increase, by the same amount so you may as well do a less stressful job and claim UC top up and not be much worse off.

A colleague of mine has done exactly this.

Single mum to 2 girls, working full time running herself ragged and she's gone part time and get UC top up. No worse off 🤷🏻‍♀️

So how would you fund such a tax cut? Do let Farage know, cause he doesn't seem to know how to find the extra £50-80 billion.

100%

All should be returned unless an active war zone and if the countries don't cooperate we end all visas and any foreign aid they're receiving

A report in Feb 2025 stated that the Met Police in London had already spent
£53 MILLION on policing the pre Palestinian marches and demos* *since October 2023. As a London tax payer I really resent this ongoing huge cost to us. Freedom of speech needs protection but the organisers (Palestinian Solidarity Campaign) should be paying some, if not all, of the costs. London football clubs contribute towards the cost of policing at matches.

You cannot keep asking a shrinking workforce to fund an ever increasing Welfare Bill. We've got to make work pay, make working more attractive financially than staying on benefits. The Welfare Bill IS unsustainable. Why can we afford increases in the Welfare Bill but not an increase in the Personal Allowance? The allowance hasn't been increased for several years dragging more and more low paid workers into paying tax. I can't remember where I read it but cutting rates of taxation can actually increase the tax take because people no long try and avoid paying tax.

We could start by properly taxing all these multinationals that claim to only be making tiny profits/making sweetheart deals with the treasury.

We need to improve the way benefits are assessed to weed out people who do not really need them.
We need to ensure assessment for benefits is done in person not on line. Training the assessors and setting this system in place will cost money up front but will end up saving more down the line.
Also, people should be better off going to work than they are receiving benefits - deciding not to work because it isn’t worth it should not be an option.
The whole system needs examining with a fine tooth comb followed by a complete rest.
Plus, benefits should be better means tested eg council house rents should be set according to the residents’ means (up to a fair market rate).
More effort and resources should be put into stamping out benefit frauds.
We should introduce financial incentives for people to downsize.
Disability benefits should be means tested and people in receipt of free prescriptions should be made to buy a pre payment certificate (c. £10 a month) above the poverty threshold.
The pensioners’ winter fuel payment should be taken away again.
Changes to NICs should be reversed.

Yes that increases income.
It doesn't reduce expenditure

Funny how no one ever suggests overhauling the pip assessment so that it's done properly and those of us with long term disabilities don't have to be reassessed.

scrap the triple lock
means test the state pension
but the grey vote is too strong

Well, we obviously need to spend more on defence. We are looking pretty pathetic. But where the money should be pulled away from, I don’t know. 🤷‍♀️

Or look at what criteria should be reassessed with sickness/disability benefits?

I think it's increasingly evident to the general population that our children and grandchildren won't be receiving state pensions anything like as generous as the current state pension. My parents know this so aren't supporters of keeping the triple lock. They know it's not fair or sustainable to ask their grandchildren to pay for their increases when the grandchildren will be lucky to receive a state pension at all.

We need to make a big dent so you need to hit the biggest expenditure, the triple lock is crazy & means testing state pensions is normal in many countries.