BlueHammer85
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Comforted that Ed Davey didn’t rule out a coalition with Labour to see off Reform come next election.
The Labour Government
- Thread starter SkyBlueFlux
- Start date
hilts
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A free voucher for Alton Towers would definitely swing it :-)
ChicagoBlue
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“Borrow to invest” sounds great, but what happens when you balloon the deficit, need millions more taxes just to cover interest on the billions you borrowed, while also driving up interest rates, and making borrowing more expensive, thus costing more in taxes to pay the increased interest expense!!
England’s biggest problem appears to be the amount of WF&A in the social system, the lack of investment outside London and the collar counties, and the desire for quick fixes to generational problems.
Fixing those things, which are sadly at odds with each other, is no small feat!
Blue Maverick
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So Reeves been told to reduce NI on employees and put 2p income tax across the board to hit pensioners and landlords. Tell me again the incentive to save for retirement? How about fucking off the freeze on personal allowance that’ll help everyone if they are going to do that. Meanwhile some twat million/billionaire threatens to leave the country because the get taxed a bit more and can’t buy a 6th Ferrari.
The Resolution Foundation suggests it as wealth redistribution. Pensioners' standard of living has risen three times higher than that of working-age people. (Yes, we know not all pensioners are well off.) And why would you not want to tax landlord profits and other "unearned" income?
The Future’s Blue!
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Is this a Labour policy or one suggested by one of the many think tanks?
hampshireblue
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A think tank.
hampshireblue
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The incentive to save for a pension is massive. But just becasue you turn a certain age doesn't mean your income should not be treated as just that,income. I was staggered t find that when I took early retirement at 56, my pension income was no longer subject to NI until normal retirement age.
The vast majority of pensioners nowadays have the benefit of having a personal/company pension, very different to the sitaution 20-30 years ago. And why should landlord's income be put in the same breath as pensioner's income?
The Future’s Blue!
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So, not Reeves, or Labour.
Amazing how much worry a headline makes. Used to listen to the radio in mornings, LBC or 5Live, can’t listen to it anymore as it’s all based on these type of headlines, taken as gospel to scare people into phoning in.
False narratives do not make a good listen.
hilts
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't say 70% is a vast majority especially as the workplace pension scheme that came in can be quite small. A couple of mine will get cashed in as they are projected to be worth around a whopping £4 a week at 67, score.:-)
Anyhow as its kick a pensioner time again for the 50th time this year may I remind people compared to much of the EU our state pension is poor. These countries will also have people on private pensions doing very well.. We have a contract of intent with the government that we receive a liveable state pension. Money that people have given to companies for private pensions is none of their business outside of tax.
If they want to grab some dosh then tax them more as they obviously will be paying income tax.
The govts problem is their pledge not to raise income tax they need to man the fuck up, raise the personal allowances and raise income tax. They may want to Reform the tax system a bit, you know do their fucking job and lead rather than fiddling round the edges and shitting themselves
Blue Maverick
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It’s a think tank advising her saying it will raise £6 billion, but then labour would be breaking one of their pledges.
Blue Maverick
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The state pension will come under income tax very soon as well, we should be on about £14k personal allowance by now but the Tories froze it because you know Austerity was good! I agree we all pay income tax but it seems the constant targeting of pensioners is a thing now, it’s almost like they don’t want any, let’s face it the retirement age will be 70 in the next 25 years or so, fucking great if your sat behind a desk not so much if your up a ladder.
Ifwecouldjust.......
Well-Known Member
The Tories did have a plan ..... dont forget that the Labour Government left them with less than 18,000 outstanding cases. The Tories laid off over 50% of the case handlers thus creating a backlog , then decided that instead of hiring the staff needed to clear the backlog they would spend the money renting hotels off their mates and donors .
Then spent 10 years pointing at boats to wind you lot up.
Ifwecouldjust.......
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mosssideblue
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Isn’t it a case that you apply first and are then invited?
We've got Guardiola
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The one thing I feel in the UK is the lack of energy, certainly in young people. Work does not really pay anymore and being productive does not really pay because we're struggling to pay bills and optimistic goals such as owning a house are becoming impossible. You have to earn well above average to be comfortable.
One major problem is low productivity which I think has actually fallen here since COVID. We can't improve productivity by viewing everything in terms of the deficit and I didn't vote to elect a government that sees a spreadsheet as more important than me.
In the US if you have a dodgy hip which stops you working then do you have to wait a year to get it fixed? This is the reality here. There are hundreds of obstacles like this and couple this with the expensive cost of living, it's bleak.
For many it's almost pointless going to work and that's if you can get there. A few years ago just getting a train into Manchester was difficult because for a period trains either turned up late or they didn't turn up at all, but yes we were still paying record high fare levels.
The end result is people are generally spending less, generally doing less and there is no energy to do more so the economy has flattened and stagnated. Successive governments see this as a deficit increase but do they fix the problems that led us there? No, instead they decide to increase taxes or cut spending and the fundamental problems remain.
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Dave Ewing's Back 'eader
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We're gonna be the first country in the world that has slavishly followed the Rags' Guide to Economic Management'!
Bracketing landlords and pensioners was what the report did.
It's not that difficult. Most pensioners with an occupational pension can now expect to live into their 80s, getting way more out of the system than they "put in" when working (years more pension, and major user of the NHS which has kept us alive for longer).
The over-65s own a third of the nation’s financial wealth.
New study shows top 11% of households own 73% of investment assets - IFA Magazine
A stark wealth divide is reshaping Britain's financial landscape, with just 11% of households now controlling nearly three-quarters of the nation's investment
ifamagazine.com
Ifwecouldjust.......
Well-Known Member
If you read through the Governments page it invites applications from the following.
What safe and legal routes does the UK offer?
The UK offers the following safe and legal routes:UK Resettlement Scheme
The global resettlement scheme is open to vulnerable refugees around the world. Individuals coming through this scheme are assessed and referred by the UNHCR according to their criteria, which is based on people’s needs and vulnerabilities.People coming via this route only move to the UK once suitable accommodation is in place for them. Since its launch in 2021, the UK has taken refugees through this route from countries including Ethiopia, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
Since the first arrivals under the new UK Resettlement scheme in March 2021, 2,023 refugees have been resettled in the UK via the UKRS, as of December 2022.
Community Sponsorship
Community Sponsorship enables civil society - friends and neighbours, charities and faith groups - to directly support refugees resettled in the UK as they start their new lives in safety.Since the scheme began in 2016, a total of 942 refugees have been resettled through Community Sponsorship, including 15 since the start of the ACRS, according to the latest published data (year ending December 2022).
Mandate Scheme
The Mandate Scheme, launched in 1995, is a global scheme that resettles refugees who have a close family member in the UK who is willing to accommodate them.The publication of the data relating to the Mandate Resettlement scheme commenced in 2008. Since then, as of December 2022, 441 individuals have been resettled through this scheme.
Family Reunion
Our refugee family reunion policy provides a safe and legal route for families to be reunited. This allows immediate family members (partner and children under 18, and over 18 in exceptional circumstances) of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of a family unit before the sponsor left their country to seek protection.There are separate provisions in the Immigration Rules to allow extended family members to sponsor children to come here where there are serious and compelling circumstances. In addition, refugees can sponsor adult dependent relatives living overseas to join them where, due to age, illness, or disability, that person requires long-term personal care that can only be provided by relatives in the UK.
There is also discretion to grant leave outside of the Immigration Rules which caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances.
Our family reunion policy has reunited many refugees with their family members; more than 44,600 family reunion visas have been granted since 2015, with over half issued to children.
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme
In January 2022, we announced the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), one of the most generous schemes in UK history. This response to the situation in Afghanistan will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK, through a safe and legal route.The ACRS prioritises those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom of speech, or rule of law (for example, judges, women’s rights activists, academics, and journalists); and vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk.
More than 7,600 eligible people have already been granted settled status through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), launched on 1 April 2021, offers relocation to eligible Afghan citizens who worked for, or with, the UK Government locally in Afghanistan. The ARAP recognises the service of eligible Afghan citizens and the risks arising to them and their dependent family members due to their work.Since April 2021, we have relocated more than 12,000 Afghans to the UK under the ARAP scheme.
As of December 2022, we have granted settlement to 6,235 individuals since April 2021, in addition to 1,400 former staff and families who were relocated between 2013 and March 2021 under the previous ex-gratia scheme for Afghan interpreters.
Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas)
On 31 January 2021, the UK Government launched the Hong Kong BN(O) Immigration route in response to China’s passing of the National Security Law which significantly impacts the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.Over 153,700 BN(O) Hong Kong visas have been granted as of the end of December 2022, of which 105,200 have arrived in the UK.
On 30 November 2022, the BN(O) route was expanded to enable adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born on or after 1 July 1997 to apply to the route independently of their parents. This will ensure this cohort who were not eligible for BN(O) status and who may not have been able to apply to the route previously, can now choose to make the UK their home.
The BN(O) route is not a refugee resettlement route, but is a safe and legal route to the UK for those eligible.
Ukraine schemes
In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, we launched one of the fastest visa schemes in UK history. The UK government has devised three bespoke visa routes for the people of Ukraine, working in close communication with the Ukrainian Government.167,600 Ukrainians have now arrived safely in the UK through our Ukraine visa schemes.
As of 21 March 2023, the UK Government has issued 223,000 visas under the Ukraine Schemes, of which 156,000 visas have been issued under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. We have also extended permission to stay to 24,300 Ukrainians who were already present in the UK.
Ukraine visa scheme data is updated weekly here: Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) and Ukraine Extension Scheme visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
All others fleeing war / persecution cannot wait for a decision and have to arrive here to claim asylum.
You must apply for asylum if you want to stay in the UK as a refugee.
To be eligible, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you fear persecution.
Find out more about who is eligible to claim asylum.
Apply for a visa if you want to come to the UK for another reason (for example to work, study or remain with family). If you’re already in the UK and want to remain with family living here, apply for a family of a settled person visa.
You should apply when you arrive in the UK or as soon as you think it would be unsafe for you to return to your own country. Your application is more likely to be refused if you wait.
mosssideblue
Well-Known Member
So, you can only apply via legal routes.