To feel utterly miserable about a future with Andy Burnham as PM?

[OneWarmHazelQuail]

I feel like I'm being stung in every possible way at the moment- £15 a day on tube to work, high mortgage costs, high energy costs, private schooling for SEN child (I was told state wouldn't be unlikely to assist him as he isn't mute or violent). My parents have had to help fund schooling it felt like my only hope as son has behavioural issues.

I also have an unsold old home that I have to rent out as it wouldn't sell. Buy-to-let mortgage costs, agent fees, maintenance and tax put me in a loss position.

I can't bear what the future holds with Andy Burnham. I have no doubt that he will find new and imaginative ways to keep me in this financial nightmare. I'm literally struggling from food poverty but regarded as rich by policy.

YABU- Andy Burnham is actually going to make things better

YANBU- I'm screwed

All politicians are a disaster. Mainly because they have absolutely zero commercial or business sense. I don’t know anyone who would aspire to be an MP or PM when you can earn (and achieve) significantly more in consulting/law/bank/accounting.

The UK is a fucking nightmare at the moment for anyone who is a net contributor. There seems to be little acknowledgement that the vast majority of Brits take more out of the system than they put in! It’s abhorrent and entirely unaffordable.

No party will fix the system as it will make them massively unpopular with the masses.

DH and I are both very high earners. We won’t push to earn more, we will utilise any opportunity to make tax savings and won’t move house. We’ve actually revisited the idea of moving to the US (which itself seems like the less worse option).

The UK economy will stagnate and the only people to blame are the government…and the feckless individuals abusing the currently flawed benefits framework!

Some people don't have huge amounts of money for a large deposit. I bought the house, was a victim of a traumatic crime. I left the area and couldn't deal with the home for a few years.

I started my life from scratch, with a new home and tried to sell my old home. I haven't been able to sell. It just won't go.

I have a SEN child who screams for several hours at home and wont use a toilet. At school, he's very very quiet. I genuinely don't know what I'm supposed to do. My husband and I spoke to the health visitor, family centre, Autism charities. At my lowest ebb, we both felt suicidal.

We are in this mess because our economic growth has tanked. Our gdp per person* is less than a poor USA state. It’s half that of Switzerland.

The reasons for this are numerous. for example:
-not enough people being contributors to tax revenue and instead relying on state benefits
-anti business laws eg NI increase on employers means fewer people being employed, especially younger people
-other structural issues encouraging people to do less work eg make tax digital means those self employed above £20000 per year will have to submit tax returns 5 times a year.
*GDP per person is the total monetary value £ of all goods and services produced and sold within a country over one year, divided by its population.

I just don't understand how some clueless mayor can wander into the highest position in politics. Don't they need specific qualifications, even if they are supported by MPs is that really it?! no actual vetting process?

He got in via a fake by election. You'd just think criteria for the role would include if not being in the cabinet then an actual serving MP of longer than 5 mins.

Yes he has the gift of the gab and the performance skills in the way that Starmer didn't but he just seems absolutely thick.

Absolutely agree with this. I fear it's going to be a long time before/if we are to have any economic good times, regardless of who is governing us.
I think anyone who would choose to be a leader in these times are somwhat unhinged 😂

Have you heard of AI?

Have you heard of Labour’s tax policies?

We got really far in the world Cup yet today is talk of sackings. We are a pessimistic country by default

ECHP is not a quick process. Takes several years. Just getting diagnosed is an incredibly long process.

I can't wait another 2 years for help. I need help now. My sons quality of life is incredibly low. Can you imagine what its like to have a child screaming for multiple hours a day and refusing to use a toilet? In addition to working full time, commuting for 3 hours a day. Life is an utterly misery. There's no one to help. I have spoken to health visitor, family centre, autism charity. It's beyond desperate.

quite and those of us on the coal face know the only solution is to slash taxes. The first thing I would do is halve employer ni and business rates for small businesses . I’d increase corporation tax slightly to compensate so the government will benefit from that growth but get businesses investing again. I’d put in a package of other measures to grow a 1 million business to a 10 million business. Whatever they need I’d give it. I’d just sit down and listen to them.

In the same boat.

Wont move house as the stamp duty so ludicrous. Nervous about a LVT or mansion tax and reluctant to up my monthly outgoings by so much.

Excluded from childcare help so take home £0 on about £55k of income.

Pretty much given up on idea of private education for kids, cost has become too stupid.

Feel a bit stuck about what to do next really. Currently thinking to just have a much more basic life and retire very early instead (in Europe somewhere with a better climate).

Surrounded by people in my position working part time and maximising salary sacrifice due to punitive tax thresholds. It’s a mess.

edit: worth noting - this isn’t specifically about Labour; the tories have created most of this mess. There doesn’t seem to be anyone representing the interests of our group now, we are merely cash cows to be milked.

Fair question. Absolutely no idea. I'm just in a desperate situation and fear it getting worse

The UK hospitality sector is experiencing a sharp drop in employment, with tens of thousands of roles lost due to rising wage costs, tax hikes (including National Insurance contributions)

AI isn’t pouring your pint fgs or bringing you a latte. No wonder Labour are this clueless.

Which government is going to spend more taxpayers money (that no one wants to pay more of) to allow your SEN child to get free care? Which government is going to lower your tube prices? Which government is going to quickly lower house prices? Which government will lower energy costs which are in the main caused by Trump?

Any government that spends more than it can afford will spook the bond markets and cause the same interest hikes that mainly happened in recent years under the Tories

What is the government doing to migrate that though? Brexit means we are in a position to make ourselves the AI capital of the world. We can put in policies that will make every AI start up want to come to the UK… tumbleweeds so far

We have become a nation of childish, reactive, spiteful, whingers. We fight and bicker and point fingers at each other instead of acting as a community that pulls together.
There are good and sensible politicians on the left and the right and I include Teresa May, Sunak, Starmer and potentially Badenoch in that (although she needs to step away from the ridiculous aggression and name calling at PM questions).

What didn't help was having idiots who lacked respect (Boris calling Muslim women "postboxes" and gay men "bum chums") and
Farage with his utter lies! and corruption.
They tear us apart.

Burnham has got a hell of a job on his hands, particularly with stamping out corruption in public services. It would be nice if we could all try and calm down and work together to build our country up instead of constantly tearing ourselves apart.

I have decided Kemi Badenoch looks like the only competent adult in the room these days.

I would 100% vote for her tomorrow. You can moan about the conservatives - and they have made plenty of mistakes, but I felt much safer with them.

My parents help. They can't pay the lot.

My parents are mid 70s and are working just to try and help us. We're desperate. I think my parents fear I'll commit suicide as I think they see how trapped I am. At this point, life insurance feels like a genuine choice.

My son needs help. I'm unable to access the help. He screams for hours a day. The council have given me courses. They don't help. EHCP takes several years. Its a desperate situation. Im hemorrhaging funds on a second home that I need to pay for therapies for my son

You have an interesting take on poverty, while owning two properties and sending your child to a private school (for whatever reason - the fees are the same!). It's great that you have parents to help - many people don't.

The problems in the UK (other than those that had been created and perpetuated by the incompetence of the Cons. govmt) are largely caused by the small elite of the super rich who are sucking up all the assets and growing wealthier and wealthier at phenomenal rates while the country (the state) has less and less wealth and the middle class are paying high income tax rates and losing wealth in real terms. That's before we even start talking about the ordinary, 'working class' people. Gary Stevenson (of Gary's Economics) talks about one possible solution, a 2% wealth tax on wealth above £10m, which he proposes should be used to reduce taxes for the average tax payer. It doesn't solve everything by any stretch, but it's a start. I'm really hopeful that his movement gains some traction. He's tirelessly campaigning because he thinks the country is slowly sliding back towards a Victorian-style poverty for many, if inequality isn't addressed. But under the current conditions, can I just say, you're not really struggling. Maybe you can't live the way you would like to, or the way you feel you deserve (?!) but that's different.

Some people are never going to be satisfied with what they have.
As for the property that isn't selling just stop whinging and either reduce the price or get on with being a landlord.
A property near me [same as mine] isn't getting traction and has been on the market for about 10 months. It's a probate and needs some refurb, but the price is stupid high and it's stands empty. The exterior needs redecorating, painting etc as it was cracking and looks worse since the heat waves are now flaking the paint into the garden. It's been the same price for over six months now.
Makes no difference to me, but I know the sellers and they are greedy people.

@Writer034 who on earn would then keep that amount of assets in the Uk if they are going to be taxed 2%? Rich people are very mobile in terms of moving money

I am so sorry you are feeling that desperate op. That is a serious post, and one that needs to be addressed beyond the political football. Do you have real life support? 116 123 keep that in your phone and contact your doctor today. You sound totally overwhelmed.

I doubt you will get much sympathy when you have 2 homes,a privately educated child and parents who can help you financially.This is because most people can never in their wildest dreams be in that position.
I can though understand your current outgoings means you are currently cash poor . I dont think that would change much regardless of PM.
I can understand that is stressful .
Times are tough and i fear are going to get worse.
You can only try to make the best of your situation, keep trying to sell your second home,look at why it isnt selling and try to resolve that,is your son entitled to any benefits eg DLA? It sounds as though he has additional needs, i dont beleive its true that unless a child is mute or violent they cant get support from state schools.

I got in touch with a similar company. There's a lot of small print.

The basically said that they would try and sell within 30 days using their pool of investors. There were no takers, it was quite a few years ago so I can't recall detail but it didnt pan out.

I've tried auctioning. I would sell at any price I could afford to given the large mortgage.

I didn't become a second home owner for investment purposes. I bought and essentially abandoned after a traumatic incident