[Politics] The Labour Government

A mex eyecan · Oct 15, 2024

Weststander said:
Imho:
Council tax increased for higher bands.
IHT changes.
Reduce pension contributions tax relief, no longer 45% and 40%. I like the idea of a flat rate 30% for all. Fair and this simplifies admin.

I’d pretty well agree with all that, rather hefty raisers.
However, we don’t seem to be hearing anything about other duty raising. (I may have missed seeing them though). So in addition I'd like to see a large increase on cigarettes, alcohol and vapes. How about £1 minimum on cigarettes, £1plus on all spirits and wines. I’m not sure if vapes have duty on, if so increase it the same as ciggies and if there isn’t then impose it.

None of them are compulsory to do, all of them would, I imagine, raise a good few £’s

Is it PotG? · Oct 15, 2024

Go for it Rachel

WATFORD zero · Oct 15, 2024

Weststander said:
Imho:
Council tax increased for higher bands.
IHT changes.
Reduce pension contributions tax relief, no longer 45% and 40%. I like the idea of a flat rate 30% for all. Fair and this simplifies admin.

I would also reinstate the two panic NI cuts that the previous Government introduced a few months back in January and April of this year as they failed completely in the objective of keeping them in power.

That's worth over £10B a year straight on the bottom line. Seems fair, sensible and simple :wink:

Chicken Run · Oct 15, 2024

Is it PotG? said:
Go for it Rachel

Yeah but 22 Billion blah blah blah

WATFORD zero · Oct 15, 2024

Is it PotG? said:
Do you mean the 14 years and £22bn black hole?
Sounds like a good slogan.
Just like every single regime before, it's 'oh, what a mess we've been left'.
All the bloody same.
I must admit I was expecting a little better, at first.

Of course you were :laugh:

Machiavelli · Oct 15, 2024

WATFORD zero said:
Of course you were

It was quite apparent to anyone that follows such threads that the expectations had gone through the roof

Peteinblack · Oct 15, 2024

Chicken Run said:
Yeah but 22 Billion blah blah blah

As opposed to several years of "Clearing up Labour's mess/Labour maxed-out on the nation's credit card/Labour failed to repair the roof while the sun shone."

A mex eyecan · Oct 15, 2024

Peteinblack said:
As opposed to several years of "Clearing up Labour's mess/Labour maxed-out on the nation's credit card/Labour failed to repair the roof while the sun shined."

I wonder if there’s a cat in hells chance of any party coming into power and saying ‘the last lot did a reasonable job so we’re pleased to see we have something half decent to build upon’ Can you imagine

WATFORD zero · Oct 15, 2024

A mex eyecan said:
I wonder if there’s a cat in hells chance of any party coming into power and saying ‘the last lot did a reasonable job so we’re pleased to see we have something half decent to build upon’ Can you imagine

The last 5 PM's have knocked the lot who preceded them and 4 of them were in the same Government :lolol:

BLOCK F · Oct 15, 2024

Machiavelli said:
The reason why the budget is taking so long is that RR has committed to having the books and plans scrutinised by the OBR after Truss refused it and delivered on providing business with clarity. It didn't turn out well. Business and the rest of us will know in just over a fortnight.

A big mistake to have such a gap between election and budget according to Alastair Campbell.

Machiavelli · Oct 15, 2024

BLOCK F said:
A big mistake to have such a gap between election and budget according to Alastair Campbell.

I can see why he thinks that and he knows comms better than you and I. The gap has left a huge void such that (in AC's terms) the government haven't been able to narrate their agenda. I suspect that once the budget takes place, the focus on Labour will shift towards that, their policies, the growth agenda and where they can start delivering on repairing public services -- which is the terrain that AC wants.

A1X · Oct 15, 2024

It’s amazing how so many people on here feel such sympathy for billionaires, private schools and large corporations. Then express surprise that a Labour government might pick on them.

What next, I wonder, siding with the racist rioters because it was EVIL STARMER who locked them up?

Is it PotG? · Oct 15, 2024

Machiavelli said:
I can see why he thinks that and he knows comms better than you and I. The gap has left a huge void such that (in AC's terms) the government haven't been able to narrate their agenda. I suspect that once the budget takes place, the focus on Labour will shift towards that, their policies, the growth agenda and where they can start delivering on repairing public services -- which is the terrain that AC wants.

Indeed, I agree.

Mr ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ would have preferred a smoother transition.

Bozza · Oct 15, 2024

Forster's Armband said:
They took away the heating allowance from people who can afford not to have it (for the most part), they need to make sure if some fall through the cracks they catch them.

There's a couple of bits of that sentence trying to do some very heavy lifting.

And failing.

Many hundreds of thousands of people are facing a horrible cold winter which will bring about bad health, exacerbate existing bad health and will result in deaths.

Thus far, the government have stressed, explicitly they are unwilling to do anything to help those who desperately need help. We can but hope that there is softening in that stance in the budget, but there is no indication of that.

Bozza · Oct 15, 2024

Machiavelli said:
Frighten business. Are you sure? Business seem to be relatively level-headed about what's in store...

Really?

Sitting here watching the ITV early evening news (don't judge - my mum has the remote control), and there seemed to be a long list of business groups condeming the now-expected rise to employers' NI.

I've just typed "CBI NI rise" into google and it led me to this BBC piece which looks broadly similar...

National Insurance fears spark business backlash

The government is facing criticism by businesses over a potential tax rise that would fall on employers.

www.bbc.co.uk

A1X · Oct 15, 2024

Bozza said:
Really?

Sitting here watching the ITV early evening news (don't judge - my mum has the remote control), and there seemed to be a long list of business groups condeming the now-expected rise to employers' NI.

I've just typed "CBI NI rise" into google and it led me to this BBC piece which looks broadly similar...

National Insurance fears spark business backlash

The government is facing criticism by businesses over a potential tax rise that would fall on employers.

www.bbc.co.uk

“Businesses whinge about being asked to pay more tax” isn’t exactly earth shattering news though, is it?

Is it PotG? · Oct 15, 2024

A1X said:
“Businesses whinge about being asked to pay more tax” isn’t exactly earth shattering news though, is it?

The hospitality industry is already on its knees, this is hardly going to help…..is it?

Zeberdi · Oct 15, 2024

jcdenton08 said:
I know you’ve spoken before about your issues relating to be on the spectrum, but as a watching third party, I can tell you objectively this is a complete overreaction to what was written to you. I understand when you’ve spoken about your condition before that you’ve struggled to relate certain things, so I’m hoping you find this helpful.

Edit: just to be clear; this is intended to be helpful not an attack. I enjoy your posts

Just to make it clear, the only part of my post that directly related to the post I was quoting was I thought the sarcastic response a bit ‘uncalled’ for. So apologies to Bozza and all if that was unclear (brain fog).

The rest of my post was not to do with the post I quoted but a summary of how I feel about the general thread direction and the previous ad hominem anti-Labour barbs directed towards me by one or two others on this thread with the usual suspects piling in with thumbs up - also the dominance of a single issue for the past 3 weeks to the exclusion of nearly everything else that became the first response to me posting updates of other policies.

Nothing to do with being on the spectrum on this occasion thanks (although sometimes it is) , just stating how it is - I just cba with the predominantly one-sided and excessive anti-Starmer agenda on a Labour Government thread (that I started btw before it was merged to discuss the very broad Government agenda announced in the King’s Speech as it developed). I get he’s shot himself in the foot on the WFA, and giftgate but there is a massive Government programme of reform that hasn’t even been discussed.

Anyway, as I said - Happy to stand aside - I’m really not that invested in the thread tbh.

So carry on .

Bozza · Oct 15, 2024

Zeberdi said:
The article was (1) rounding up the major policy areas that had bills in the King’s Speech - and (2) it was not put together by me but by a Guardian journalist so the sarcastic and mocking response to my post is uncalled for really.
- I started a Labour Government thread initially for us all to objectively critique the first 100 days and the whole programme of Bills in this Parliamentary session but instead, some of us that voted Labour who have tried to engage with any such discussion have been repeatedly subject to ad hominem attacks with the agenda being dominated by a handful of people arguing about sleaze and the WFA for weeks now to the exclusion of just about anything else (despite no one actually agreeing with the latter‘s way of being implemented).

As such, I will back out again, I have absolutely no interest in getting embroiled in a polarised political argument especially with the owner of this fantastic site.

It wasn't an attack on you in any way, shape or form. I'm well aware you aren't the author of the article you linked to.

I simply can not take seriously any article with "what has Labour done in its first 100 days?" and makes no mention of the policy that has dominated political discourse for much of those 100 days.

One of any government's top priorities has to be to look after those who can't look after themselves, and this government seems to have already absolved itself of that responsibility in a way that few could have imagined possible from the Labour Party.

Bozza · Oct 15, 2024

A1X said:
“Businesses whinge about being asked to pay more tax” isn’t exactly earth shattering news though, is it?

Of course not, and I was not suggesting that.

I was just countering the assertion that UK business are chill about everything right now because, as I read that very post, the TV news was parading business group after business group saying anything but.

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