The Labour Government

BlueHammer85 said:
They have to be diplomatic as possible - Tories and Farage would be looking the enact whatever Trump and Musk demands. That would be a hell of a lot worse.
Click to expand...
My big concern, mainly through looking how we are quite good at fucking things up in order to put money in providers pockets, is that instead of fixing the NHS as is or going in a more European direction we will go full fat yank.
 
hilts said:
We have been somewhat restricted by the institution of the NHS and I get why. I think an adult conversation should be had, not sure that's possible. The only thing I would say is not everyone can pay world class contributions though but I'm sure they can't in Germany either.
I would be interested to know the difference in performance in an insurance based scheme and how it affects those struggling financially.
Click to expand...
Adult conversations seem to be lacking regardless of political party.

The same discussions need to had about the state pension. Increasing the age continually whilst maintaining the triple lock is bonkers. By increasing the age you just cause more disparities between the better off and the poor. People from poorer backgrounds live around 9yrs less than those from more affluent backgrounds, so by just increasing the age it has a disproportionate impact depending on which income decile you fit into.
 
Kompany Car said:
Adult conversations seem to be lacking regardless of political party.

The same discussions need to had about the state pension. Increasing the age continually whilst maintaining the triple lock is bonkers. By increasing the age you just cause more disparities between the better off and the poor. People from poorer backgrounds live around 9yrs less than those from more affluent backgrounds, so by just increasing the age it has a disproportionate impact depending on which income decile you fit into.
Click to expand...
I'm in favour of the triple lock because our state pension is poor compared to other European countries. When it gets to an acceptable level then fair enough.
 
hilts said:
I'm in favour of the triple lock because our state pension is poor compared to other European countries. When it gets to an acceptable level then fair enough.
Click to expand...
I agree it needs to increase to a sensible level first but not ad infinitum like those forecasting future pension provisions are planning. At some point it needs to be a double lock against earnings growth or cpi only.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Going to be sad to see this government inevitably prostitute itself to this Trump administration in the months the ahead.
Click to expand...

Giving Mandelson the ambassador job was a smart move IMO.

He’s a brilliant communicator and we need someone to the right of the Labour church to connect with the American administration.

He’s a smooth but very astute operator.
 
Johnny Mars Bar said:
Giving Mandelson the ambassador job was a smart move IMO.

He’s a brilliant communicator and we need someone to the right of the Labour church to connect with the American administration.

He’s a smooth but very astute operator.
Click to expand...
Agree on Mandleson, assuming he isn’t vetoed by Trump (wasn’t even aware that could happen but seems to be feasible).
 
Kompany Car said:
I agree it needs to increase to a sensible level first but not ad infinitum like those forecasting future pension provisions are planning. At some point it needs to be a double lock against earnings growth or cpi only.
Click to expand...
Things need to be separated.

Relative to other European countries' pensions, UK pensions are low.

Are other European countries' pensions affordable? (Retirement age, level - tax to cover them?)

Is the triple-lock the best means to increase pensions levels? (The recent big rises have been because one year it was based on inflation, and the next year - when the inflation rate had reduced - it was based on wage rises catching up with the previous year's inflation.)
 
bluenova said:
That reminds me of one of the chapters of Freakonomics. A nursery had problems with parents picking up late, so they introduced a system of fines for anyone collecting late.

Problem is that it made the situation worse, as people apparently felt entitled to turn up late more often, as they were paying for it.

£5 deposits for GP appointments are only a disincentive to the very poorest, who are most likely to need healthcare. I would expect that you'll get some people not trying, because they can't afford it, and subsequently ending up even more ill, while others will feel like they now have the right to abuse the system as they're paying.

It would also not surprise me if GP surgeries had already built an assumption that some appointments would be missed, into their workloads. It's not like they're famously underworked, after all.
Click to expand...
In France you pay for your GP appointments (and are then reimbursed but the state for the vast majority of the cost). They are introducing missed appointment fines. Could be interesting to learn what happens?

www.theguardian.com

France to fine patients €5 for missing GP appointments

Proposed penalty, intended to boost creaking health service, is criticised by doctors’ unions and patients’ groups
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
Pingu the Penguin said:
In France you pay for your GP appointments (and are then reimbursed but the state for the vast majority of the cost). They are introducing missed appointment fines. Could be interesting to learn what happens?

www.theguardian.com

France to fine patients €5 for missing GP appointments

Proposed penalty, intended to boost creaking health service, is criticised by doctors’ unions and patients’ groups
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...

There is room for some reforms at the NHS and I know the word reform used with the term NHS does send some into fits of the vapours but I have had a classic example of issues this very morning. Late last year I had a bout of anaemia which meant I needed blood transfusion at James Cook Hospital. They followed that up with an endoscopy and a colonoscopy at Stockton-on-Tees Hospital to see if I was losing blood from my intestines ( I knew I wasn't because I check ). The colonoscopy was incomplete as they couldn't access the small bowel so I had a CT scan. That was done at the regional centre at Hartlepool hospital who in turn recommended I have a capsule endoscopy at Redcar Hospital. I got a call half an hour ago from the original hospital ( James Cook ) saying they may refer me to get a CT scan or a capsule endoscopy to which I had to tell her I had the former just before Xmas and am having the latter a week today.

The point I am making is that has all happened over 4 hospital sites 1 South Tees Health trust and 3 North Tees Trust sites ( I live in the South Tees catchment area ) and its clear the flow of info between them regardless of trust is dis-jointed or nonexistent at times.
 
bluethrunthru said:
There is room for some reforms at the NHS and I know the word reform used with the term NHS does send some into fits of the vapours but I have had a classic example of issues this very morning. Late last year I had a bout of anaemia which meant I needed blood transfusion at James Cook Hospital. They followed that up with an endoscopy and a colonoscopy at Stockton-on-Tees Hospital to see if I was losing blood from my intestines ( I knew I wasn't because I check ). The colonoscopy was incomplete as they couldn't access the small bowel so I had a CT scan. That was done at the regional centre at Hartlepool hospital who in turn recommended I have a capsule endoscopy at Redcar Hospital. I got a call half an hour ago from the original hospital ( James Cook ) saying they may refer me to get a CT scan or a capsule endoscopy to which I had to tell her I had the former just before Xmas and am having the latter a week today.

The point I am making is that has all happened over 4 hospital sites 1 South Tees Health trust and 3 North Tees Trust sites ( I live in the South Tees catchment area ) and its clear the flow of info between them regardless of trust is dis-jointed or nonexistent at times.
Click to expand...
That’s because there is no “NHS”. It is a conglomerate of a few hundred hospital trusts and tens of thousands of private contractors in primary care.

The NHS, such as it is, is a concept to guarantee free at the point of care (except optometry and dentistry) rather than a cohesive organisation. I personally don’t mind who delivers what so long as it is free at point of use.

It suits no politicians to be honest about that, and the job of reforming it, joining it up, improving IT, etc, has been botched by many many governments of different colours
 
The prime minister said the attack "is a sign Britain now faces a new threat".

"Terrorism has changed," he told a news conference in Downing Street.

"In the past, the predominant threat was highly organised groups with clear political intent. Groups like Al-Qaeda. That threat, of course, remains.
"But now, alongside that, we also see acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety, sometimes inspired by traditional terrorist groups, but fixated on that extreme violence seeming only for its own sake."

"He added: "If a law needs to change to recognise this new and dangerous threat, then we will change it and quickly, and we will also review our entire counter-extremist system to make sure we have what we need to defeat it."
Click to expand...
 
Vic said:
Things need to be separated.

Relative to other European countries' pensions, UK pensions are low.

Are other European countries' pensions affordable? (Retirement age, level - tax to cover them?)

Is the triple-lock the best means to increase pensions levels? (The recent big rises have been because one year it was based on inflation, and the next year - when the inflation rate had reduced - it was based on wage rises catching up with the previous year's inflation.)
Click to expand...
We are definitely at the top end when it comes to retirement age.

1737455860555.jpeg

Our age demographic is nowhere near as bad as Japan.

As for affordability this broadly comes down to how many working age people there are vs retired. I say broadly as it also depends on the productivity.

The graph below shows the ratios of working age to pensioners... So by 2050 the ratio in Japan will be 4 pensioners for every 1 working age person! By comparison the UK looks OK.

1737456046777.jpeg
 
hammocity said:
The good news for you is you will get your State Pension at 66 years and 2 months of age, so August 2026, it was announced a few years ago. Anyone born after the 6th March 1961 will not qualify for the State Pension until they reach 67. Furthermore, anyone born after the 6th April 1968 won't qualify until they are 68.

You're right, these lot don't give two fucks about our generation.

Edit, if your DOB is before the 6th June your retirement age is 66 years and two months, if it's later in June it's 66 and three months, the latter would cost you circa £2700!
Click to expand...
Thanks for that mate, this has cleared up the doubts I was having.
I’ve clearly misunderstood the paper I was reading with me being born on the 19th June
And the paper saying anyone born after April 1960 would include myself in the change.
I seem to have gotten a fair bit of slight abuse with my post due to me not understanding what the proposals meant
As an old twat pushing 65 and not really interested in politics I posted this hoping someone like yourself with far better understanding than me could explain it.

Which you have Cheerz mate.
 
roach3 said:
Thanks for that mate, this has cleared up the doubts I was having.
I’ve clearly misunderstood the paper I was reading with me being born on the 19th June
And the paper saying anyone born after April 1960 would include myself in the change.
I seem to have gotten a fair bit of slight abuse with my post due to me not understanding what the proposals meant
As an old twat pushing 65 and not really interested in politics I posted this hoping someone like yourself with far better understanding than me could explain it.

Which you have Cheerz mate.
Click to expand...
19th June means you'll qualify for your state pension in September, if you don't receive a letter from the Gov Pension administrators within 3 months of your retirement just get in touch with them. Also the link to gov.uk may help you with accessing how much your pension will be.
www.gov.uk

Check your State Pension forecast

Find out how much State Pension you could get (your forecast), when you could get it and how you could increase it
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
Kompany Car said:
We are definitely at the top end when it comes to retirement age.

View attachment 143922

Our age demographic is nowhere near as bad as Japan.

As for affordability this broadly comes down to how many working age people there are vs retired. I say broadly as it also depends on the productivity.

The graph below shows the ratios of working age to pensioners... So by 2050 the ratio in Japan will be 4 pensioners for every 1 working age person! By comparison the UK looks OK.

View attachment 143923
Click to expand...
What is often missed with these graphs is some additional perspective. Japan is fucked, they have an incredible culture but this culture is also driving them to ever more unsustainable demographics. They are work obsessed and the modern work culture doesn't allow for families.

USA also fucked, retirement only applies to the rich. The average American will work until they are physically unable to work.

Spain and Italy have massive issues on the face of it but so many of them work abroad and then go home to retire it skews the data.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top