[Politics] The Labour Government

Weststander said:

Lord Alli, later claiming it was a typo, insisted on ”the thinnest of fabrics”.

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Guinness Boy said:

Another flawlessly well argued post, addressing every point with rapier like wit.

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Bozza said:

Quite an eye-catching turnaround in Marine, Worthing - the ward vacated by new Worthing West MP Beccy Cooper, which had its by-election yesterday...

May 2024
Beccy Cooper (Lab) 56.0%
Oliver Jones (Con) 31.1%
Julie Dawe (Green) 7.4%
Trudi Ann Starling (LibDem) 5.6%

Sep 2024
Thomas Taylor (Con) 40.7%
Mary Mernagh (Lab) 36.7%
Lionel Harman (Reform) 10.7%
Jimi Taylor (Green) 6.5%
Nicholas Wiltshire (LibDem) 5.3%

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KZNSeagull said:

What the government do need to do is restructure how the energy markets work. Under the current model (if I understand it correctly), even if the country produced 99% renewable electricity and 1% from gas, the suppliers would be paid at the gas price for all of it, hence the reason why firms producing renewable energy are currently raking it in.

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• Reform Ofgem which is unfit for purpose
• Improve access and local government funding for insulation grants and double glazing grants for ALL pensioners
• Improve access and information to benefits- funding a project to Help the Aged or other such community based group to visit people in their homes to help with applications would be a start.
• Raise the basic thresholds for means tested benefits especially the amount of savings that bar people from claiming (this disproportionately effects pensioners)
• Raise the basic level of State Pension - those living just on State Pensions are living well below the weekly amount considered the minimum level that people need to live on when determining the Minimum Wage. On a 37 hour week, the minimum wage is £423.23 gross (about £367 net) . On a State Pension, the average weekly full pension before any tax paid is £221.00.

LamieRobertson said:

Wasn’t she one of those that abstained on the recent vote concerning the WFA …my MP on the other hand

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FIVESTEPS said:

Fish rots from the head down.

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Bozza said:

Quite an eye-catching turnaround in Marine, Worthing - the ward vacated by new Worthing West MP Beccy Cooper, which had its by-election yesterday...

May 2024
Beccy Cooper (Lab) 56.0%
Oliver Jones (Con) 31.1%
Julie Dawe (Green) 7.4%
Trudi Ann Starling (LibDem) 5.6%

Sep 2024
Thomas Taylor (Con) 40.7%
Mary Mernagh (Lab) 36.7%
Lionel Harman (Reform) 10.7%
Jimi Taylor (Green) 6.5%
Nicholas Wiltshire (LibDem) 5.3%

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Weststander said:

Despite Worthing’s much heralded younger demographic of Brightonians and Londoners.

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Bozza said:

I asked a couple of mates who are very active in the loal Labour party, involved in all the campaigning and canvassing etc.

Needless to say, the Winter Fuel Allowance dominated all local issues, and that did for their candidate.

I guess when you have literally no defence to the senseless victimisation of some of society's poorest, Labour are a difficult sell on the doorstep right now.

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Zeberdi said:

I am very active in the Labour Party and we are not doing any doorstep selling because we just won an election by a landslide so not sure what ‘doorstep selling’ is going on right now in your area? Bi-election?

We do however, amongst ourselves acknowledge the PR own goal and saying there are much better alternatives, some of which I have mentioned.

Maybe the policy will be softened with offsetting the loss of WFA to those who are in need of it - I suspect there are some very intense talks going on pre-budget - I don’t envy Starmer one bit to be honest given what we inherited from the Tories.

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Zeberdi said:

They should also use the windfall tax to subsidise the Winter Fuel Allowance which I said days ago on the thread.

• Reform Ofgem which is unfit for purpose
• Improve access and local government funding for insulation grants and double glazing grants for ALL pensioners
• Improve access and information to benefits- funding a project to Help the Aged or other such community based group to visit people in their homes to help with applications would be a start.
• Raise the basic thresholds for means tested benefits especially the amount of savings that bar people from claiming (this disproportionately effects pensioners)
• Raise the basic level of State Pension - those living just on State Pensions are living well below the weekly amount considered the minimum level that people need to live on when determining the Minimum Wage. On a 37 hour week, the minimum wage is £423.23 gross (about £367 net) . On a State Pension, the average weekly full pension before any tax paid is £221.00.

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Herr Tubthumper said:

View attachment 189149

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Bozza said:

I asked a couple of mates who are very active in the loal Labour party, involved in all the campaigning and canvassing etc.

Needless to say, the Winter Fuel Allowance dominated all local issues, and that did for their candidate.

I guess when you have literally no defence to the senseless victimisation of some of society's poorest, Labour are a difficult sell on the doorstep right now.

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Herr Tubthumper said:

View attachment 189149

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keaton said:

I can't see it being a big deal in Worthing , a lot of them voted for the Tories for a decade or so of austerity and victimisation of the most vulnerable. It would be odd if they suddenly started caring

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Herr Tubthumper said:

View attachment 189149

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Bozza said:

Cheers - I'll tell my mates that have been knocking on doors and speaking to voters that they're wrong.

Thanks for setting the record straight.

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