The Labour Government

[Churchlawtonblue]

Its percentage of government spending per department, not of GDP.

How else would they spend the money? Apologies for my ignorance but I don't see the difference ?

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

Defence is a mess, literally. People preaching for political gain don’t understand the situation on the ground and will argue anything other than the truth.

Let’s face it, we, as a country, are in shit state and it seems nobody wants to fund it for the future good of our people. You only have to look on here for that. Fuck, some are even leaving the country after they’ve made their money from it.

Pitiful.

We can get away without having aircraft carriers without any aircraft. It's time to accept that we aren't a great power anymore.

 

[metalblue]

It's been a rise in pensions of £36 a week over the last two years so (cynically maybe) withdrawing £6 a week now should have been less outrageous than against a £9 a week rise next year.

If we accept that UK pensions are low compared to most other European countries, the triple lock has improved that position. And the "relative" figure that isn't being mentioned is that the number of pensioners keeps getting higher relative to the number of people paying tax to fund their pensions.

An aging population is a huge problem. I fully expect state pension to be means tests at some point but it’ll be a brave party that brings it in given we have this relationship to NI.

The timing and/or cut off point are the main issues. We know a pensioner or two is going to die this winter and you know the headlines already even if they would have died anyway. The past couple of years have been expensive for us all but ultimately the rise next year is decent and would allay a lot of the concern for the million living above pension credits but on under £259 a week.

They’ve raised taxes by £40bn and are scrabbling around the back of the preverbal sofa for a quid. Anyroad choices have been made and they’re going to front it out.

 

[meltonblue]

17m a year saving per ship against the loss of that potential capability. Whoopee doo. Just for context this year the UK spent 15m a day on Assylum seekers.

I didn’t post that to justify the decision, I was just saying the money saved isn’t being cut from the budget. All the service chiefs agreed with the decision so clearly they believe the money is better spent elsewhere.

 

[hilts]

Only if people don’t hold them to account against it. Starmer has made a cast iron commitment to increasing spending to 2.5% and the strategic review underway is to say the roadmap on how to get there.

If it doesn’t or if he doesn’t deliver the roadmap, then he will fail in that commitment, it’s not that he hasn’t made one.

That's a very naive way at looking at something, these are politicians they spend most of their lives promising things they don't deliver on. Can't believe people still judge on what they say they will do rather than what they have done.

 

[Churchlawtonblue]

Old rates, reviewed and changed in-line with minimum wage.

So it's minimum wage? Ok no problem so £500 a year more, I think my case still stands?

Does anyone on here think that paying new Navy recruits the minimum wage is appropriate? Given the commitment and responsibility they have ? I think we all know the answer to this question.

 

[meltonblue]

How else would they spend the money? Apologies for my ignorance but I don't see the difference ?

I’m not sure I get your question, how else would they spend what money? I was responding to someone asking where all the collective tax income was spent, the chart I posted gives government expenditure broken down per sector to show where it’s being spent.

 

[metalblue]

The statement said the savings were being retained in full in the defence budget, so it’s there for reinvestment. Thats why I was asking when the strategic review was planned to be completed.

Fair enough if that’s what they’ve said mate

 

[meltonblue]

That's a very naive way at looking at something, these are politicians they spend most of their lives promising things they don't deliver on. Can't believe people still judge on what they say they will do rather than what they have done.

Which is exactly what I said?

 

[metalblue]

Which is why I said they were doing the strategic review, that’s to give the roadmap to get to the 2.5%. Collectively it’s not word soup at all.

I’ll believe when I read it. Really hope to be proven wrong because increase in defence spending was something I wanted to see in the main parties manifesto’s