General Election - 4th July 2024

Who will you be voting for in the General Election?

  • Labour

    Votes: 266 56.8%

  • Conservative

    Votes: 12 2.6%

  • Liberal Democrat

    Votes: 40 8.5%

  • Reform

    Votes: 71 15.2%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 28 6.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 51 10.9%
  • Total voters
    468
mackenzie said:
Just thought I would add something as a private renter.
I'm 60 now, and I have some savings. I have worked continuously since I was 16. Even when I had my son I was only absent from work for about 6 months

I now work 2 days a week, and supplement that wage with my occupational pension.
.
Life is OK, and I'm better off than many. I do know that.. I can go on the odd holiday without any worry.

But I know I'm slowing down with arthritis, and the lift in this building keeps breaking down.

So I have to walk up 8 flights of stairs every day now, with heavy shopping etc.

Thing is, I can't get social housing because I have a bit of savings.

It's just that I don't see any help at all for people like me
Click to expand...

It's pretty shit isn't it. Unless you play the system or exaggerate things you get very little support. Ironically it probably actually ends up costing the state more when people, can't work anymore, have to be hospitalised for long spells or go into care homes because their health conditions worsened because they didn't have just a little bit of support at the right time.
 
Mr Kobayashi said:
It's pretty shit isn't it. Unless you play the system or exaggerate things you get very little support. Ironically it probably actually ends up costing the state more when people, can't work anymore, have to be hospitalised for long spells or go into care homes because their health conditions worsened because they didn't have just a little bit of support at the right time.
Click to expand...
To be honest, I think very few "play the system."
Not saying they don't exist, but it's negligible IMHO

It's just that there are many who work all their lives with little or even no return. Apart from their State Pension.
 
mackenzie said:
To be honest, I think very few "play the system."
Not saying they don't exist, but it's negligible IMHO

It's just that there are many who work all their lives with little or even no return. Apart from their State Pension.
Click to expand...
I really can't understand how people can survive on just a State Pension. How have we got this? Some will even start paying tax on this pittance.
 
mackenzie said:
To be honest, I think very few "play the system."
Not saying they don't exist, but it's negligible IMHO
Click to expand...
That's a fair point. It wasn't intended as a criticism of such people or play into tropes about layabouts etc. It's just that so many public services have been cut back it seems you have to exaggerate circumstances to even get a little bit of help.

mackenzie said:
It's just that there are many who work all their lives with little or even no return. Apart from their State Pension.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Accomodation costs are few too high and whilst some people have done very well out of rising house prices, it doesn't benefit most of the population and worsens or creates a whole load of other social issues. People like yourself stuck in apartment blocks, elderly people in need of a bungalow, women and men choosing to stay in toxic relationships because it keeps a roof over their head.
 
Fred_Quimby said:
I really can't understand how people can survive on just a State Pension. How have we got this? Some will even start paying tax on this pittance.
Click to expand...
I'post: 17247880, member: 87825"]
That's a fair point. It wasn't intended as a criticism of such people or play into tropes about layabouts etc. It's just that so many public services have been cut back it seems you have to exaggerate circumstances to even get a little bit of help.



Indeed. Accomodation costs are few too high and whilst some people have done very well out of rising house prices, it doesn't benefit most of the population and worsens or creates a whole load of other social issues. People like yourself stuck in apartment blocks, elderly people in need of a bungalow, women and men choosing to stay in toxic relationships because it keeps a roof over their head.
[/QUOTE]
I think the housing issue is the first thing that should be addressed by whatever incoming Government we have. It's a sodding disgrace to be honest
 
mackenzie said:
To be honest, I think very few "play the system."
Not saying they don't exist, but it's negligible IMHO

It's just that there are many who work all their lives with little or even no return. Apart from their State Pension.
Click to expand...
That should be less of an issue in the future now its compulsory for the employer to contribute 3% regardless of if the employee contributes.

Even on minimum wage thats 690 per year and invested over 40yrs (85% in stock market and 15% in bonds) the median return would be just under 450k which is quite astonishing. Einstein even called compound interest the 8th wonder of the world.
 
Mr Kobayashi said:
That's a fair point. It wasn't intended as a criticism of such people or play into tropes about layabouts etc. It's just that so many public services have been cut back it seems you have to exaggerate circumstances to even get a little bit of help.



Indeed. Accomodation costs are few too high and whilst some people have done very well out of rising house prices, it doesn't benefit most of the population and worsens or creates a whole load of other social issues. People like yourself stuck in apartment blocks, elderly people in need of a bungalow, women and men choosing to stay in toxic relationships because it keeps a roof over their head.
Click to expand...

This is one thing that I think the Conservatives really fundamentally don’t seem to get.

They came in playing the role of fiscally responsible administrators, trimming costs, but what they’ve actually done in practice is create whole rafts of new costs that were totally avoidable. So yes you may have reduced public health budgets by x% but the cost to service the average person is increasing far faster than the money is being saved because there has been a total elimination of preventative measures.

Back during the New Labour years I was in paediatrics, I don’t remember it particularly well being a child, but the one thing I do remember is I had a dedicated care coordinator. From memory her job was basically “head problems off at the pass”. So ensure that if things started to go wrong my mum got put in touch with the right people straight away. Also that I was supported in accessing all of the things I was entitled to that were designed to improve outcomes, including funding/welfare.

Does such a role even exist any more? I haven’t had a coordinator since I was about 14 but it’s not like my needs have become less complex. Preventative care is simply not a thing in this country any more. I’ve had so many issues that have just been allowed to deteriorate to the point where the only solution is some kind of urgent care, it simply can’t be cost effective to do things that way.
 
mackenzie said:
Just thought I would add something as a private renter.
I'm 60 now, and I have some savings. I have worked continuously since I was 16. Even when I had my son I was only absent from work for about 6 months

I now work 2 days a week, and supplement that wage with my occupational pension.
.
Life is OK, and I'm better off than many. I do know that.. I can go on the odd holiday without any worry.

But I know I'm slowing down with arthritis, and the lift in this building keeps breaking down.

So I have to walk up 8 flights of stairs every day now, with heavy shopping etc.

Thing is, I can't get social housing because I have a bit of savings.

It's just that I don't see any help at all for people like me
Click to expand...
I’m in a similar position myself and find no matter how much you save it just means you cannot claim for anything. I’ve taken to spending any surplus, the intention of the Tories was to start charging a nominal amount if you need hospital treatment so with your arthritis or care home needs later on in life the tax man will claw it back if you hold on to to much money.

You can’t even give it away without telling the bank where it came from, successive government have eroded the council housing stock so the rules to get a property have been tightened so that people with young children and health issues like yourself can’t get a property
 
Kirkstall Blue said:
I’m in a similar position myself and find no matter how much you save it just means you cannot claim for anything. I’ve taken to spending any surplus, the intention of the Tories was to start charging a nominal amount if you need hospital treatment so with your arthritis or care home needs later on in life the tax man will claw it back if you hold on to to much money.

You can’t even give it away without telling the bank where it came from, successive government have eroded the council housing stock so the rules to get a property have been tightened so that people with young children and health issues like yourself can’t get a property
Click to expand...
I'm just tired of it all KB.
I know I'm not "priority" but I have worked nearly 50 years now, with no return, and I'm sodding tired.
 
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