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

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-16066364

This boy practically lived in my house. The one who was murdered. The whole community were devastated. We all marched to stop knife crime which led to stop and search plus a knife amnesty by Scottish Police.

It still doesn’t take away from the fact that finding out why those boys did it and trying to stop them resorting to that is better than locking them up.

There is no cure better than prevention.

So what is your deterrent for reducing crime..?

I was part owner of a small business and am hugely relieved to have sold it. Not for very much in the scheme of things and after taking no personal income from it for years, but the stress from worrying about getting sufficient revenue to pay costs was constant. The annual increases in NMW, the increases in energy, business rates, rent etc etc It felt like running to stand still.

Thank you.

Polished professional? 😆😆😆

what are her actual policies though? What are the party’s suggestion?
it’s very silly to vote based on how leader is looking rather than what they are proposing.
i haven’t seen a single solution proposed by the Tory party

Never going to recover from the financial mess the previous (Conservative) govts left us in? Don't worry, there's been small but encouraging progress; very modest economic growth despite the Iran debacle and ongoing war in Ukraine; anticipated growth of 1.1% next year. Very importantly, higher productivity in 2025 than the previous seven years combined. The national debt is 95.1% of GDP, compared with 94% in 2024. Not ideal, by any means, but economic growth 2025/26 has helped offset high repayment charges (which account for £110bn of the £200bn growth in the debt). The OECD now considers the UK economy stable.

Some factors that will help to strengthen the economy are continuing renewables transition, thus less vulnerable to global shocks and which will also address (from 2027) high energy prices (I gather current Tory policy is to auction North Sea licences to international energy companies, so they can sell the product on the international markets. Not sure how that builds UK resilience, but). Also, tackling regional inequalities. I believe Burnham is beginning to look into this. When he's officially PM, hopefully we'll hear more.

Do you think Badenoch will talk about restitution of the £10bn wasted on gifts to cronies during C-19 procurement when she was, variously, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Equalities? Perhaps some kind of retroactive financial penalty for the Cabinet Members involved in signing off on those deals?

Personally, I doubt Badenoch will last as Leader until 2029. But if she does and, in a hypothetical scenario, the Tories win a majority and push through their expressed policies, I'm always curious to know which of their guaranteed rights Conservative voters - particularly working, women voters - are keen to give up, if the UK withdraws from the ECHR and the HRA?

There are entire BOOKS written on the subject

Not to mention the problem that Saint Kemi thinks having autism confers an advantage in school because you get extra time etc. That will all go away once she takes us out of the ECHR.

are these books working?

When I was broken into a few years and the scumbag kids beat up the dog and rampaged through the house leaving chaos of course I thought 'I wonder why they did it, let me understand the reasoning behind it!'

The Mother told a lie and that they were with her the whole time. They had my DH's watch on them.

They were given a suspended sentence...

wrong thread

....no because they are books and not policies! Really?

The magic faraway tree isn't real either just because it's written in a book

I'm really sorry that that happened to you but I don't understand your point. Policies which look to tackle the causes of crime would aim to stop things like this from happening in the first place, which is good surely?

I think I said that in the post you replied to.

don't mean this unkindly, but reading your posts, it sounds as though your family is beyond coping. Your son clearly has very significant needs, and needing multiple clothing changes a day because of soiling, alongside the screaming and behavioural issues, is an enormous amount for one family to manage, especially with a younger child in the home.
I wonder whether it's time to stop thinking about how you can keep managing and start asking what support the local authority should be providing. If the evidence shows his needs can't be met in a day placement, councils can fund residential specialist placements through an EHCP. They aren't common, but they do exist for children whose needs are that complex.
From what you've written, I'd be pushing for urgent assessments and making it very clear that the current situation isn't sustainable. This doesn't sound like a family that needs to try harder—it sounds like a family that needs far more support than it's currently getting. 💐🙏

Well, there are many countries with a smaller prison population, lower crime rates and lower recidivism rates than the UK who follow advice from actual experts. Norway currently has excess prison capacity and the lowest recidivism rate in the world.

The point is often there is no reason for something to happen beyond greed and thinking they can get away with it which effectively they did.

I used to work in retail. I am so glad I dont now. Every shift there was thieving.

We were told never to tackle anybody. What view does that give to the criminals undertaking these crimes??

So just...shrug and say nothing can be done? What a sad outlook. I hate to see this attitude in response to someone talking about making positive change. Sadly this attitude is becoming more common.

If the punishments were feared then perhaps there would be less crime.

Maybe the people undertaking these crimes such as drug dealing just need to be understood?

Nothing. For the simple reason we’re not finding out why they do it. I have never committed a crime in my life. But I have always had enough food, shelter, comfort, morals and love in my life.

If I hadn’t had that, I might have been a criminal too.

I'm sorry to hear that you were in a situation where you had to leave your home. And also sympathetic to the fact that financial choices you made are now causing additional stress.

The problem (with the other house) is probably that it looks what it is: a long-term rental that's had basic maintenance, but little owner love; worn and torn and (in buyers' eyes) something that requires a lot of work. If the price you're hoping to get doesn't fit with what they're willing to pay for a "project" it won't sell. Buying a property is a gamble; this one hasn't come off in terms of being able to realise a profit.

My advice, fwiw as an internet stranger, is to cut your losses. You have more important priorities, not least your own mental health. Nothing feels worse than not having control. So take control of this house. Go and look at it, judge its condition compared with property in the same road and neighbourhood. Look at what's been sold, for how much, in what condition, in the past year or so (easy to do with Rightmove etc) Research local estate agents, pick one to sell your house at a price that realistically reflects its condition and location.

If this price means you'll be left owing money to the mortgage company (it's not clear), do your sums about how much you can repay monthly, speak to the mortgage company about setting up a repayment plan, get advice from debt advisors at CAB about how to manage the situation. Doing nothing is not an option - everything above is something you can do to solve the house problem, and clear your head to focus on more important issues.

Yes that’s worked well for centuries.

This is ridiculous. So we should make no effort at all to try to prevent crime? What a weird take

I didn't know she thought that! That's shocking.

I wonder what other ECHR rights she might be minded to do away with?

I don't think there's wide enough support for evidence- based policy-making at present.
It's a political conundrum - what's popular doesn't work, what works isn't popular.