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Post by The Squeezed Middle on Jul 28, 2024 14:44:34 GMT
With respect to the public sector, many have had a decade of below inflation or even zero pay rises. I had zero for about 8 years. So that does need to be addressed. Disagree , make 50% redundant and no-one would even notice . They are underproductive , unaccountable on jobs for life . Give them a £20 m&s voucher at Christmas if ''something'' is thought necessary) What does need to be addressed about the public sector is their gold plated pensions (denied to the private sector) , the vast overmanning and lack of productivity or competence ( tried phoning HMRC recently and managed to speak to anyone with a working brain cell who doesn't simply parrot ''look on line, it's mtd and on there , no I can't ask a manager I'm not in the office '' -no it f**king isn't what's on there doesn't work why the hell do you think I'm spending hours on the phone trying to talk to someone ?) What was also very noticeable on July 4 was the complete incompetence of electoral offices and staff - I was a poll clerk that day and if there are issues with a wannabe voter that aren't rectifiable in the polling station they are given details of the electoral office and told to contact them for help. All very well apart from the fact that the electoral office shuts up shop at 5pm every day including election day Voter issues arising after 5pm cannot be dealt with and voter is denied a vote because the lazy public sector/taxpayer funded staff bugger off and switch off comms at 5 when polls close at 10pm . All valid critiques, pension aside (and I very much enjoy mine and look forward to another when I retire again). The problem with the public sector is that it is an inverse pyramid. I've always worked at the sharp end, actually doing the work, and there are precious few of us, but there are vast swathes of middle management and box tickers ie more people telling us how to do the job then there are actually doing it. This is supposed to achieve best value, but fuck knows how. As an example, I was recently listening to a radio phone in and a guy rung up, who was a road-sweeper. He said that there were only three road-sweepers in the whole borough but they were answerable to six different managers. And in my experience that's a pretty good description of the whole public sector. And you're right - no one would actually notice if that management disappeared but they'd certainly notice if there was rubbish piled everywhere. And back to the pensions: Pensions are simply deferred pay. They're part of the package. I took a substantial pay cut when I joined the public sector. The pension was the quid pro quo. So for thirty years I worked cheap. Now you've got to pay my pension. Fair's fair, I earned it (and paid for it, I might add). So no apologies for that. |
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Post by see2 on Jul 28, 2024 21:13:35 GMT
Firstly a full medical and report from an independent doctor before any assessment of eligibility. Not the personal GP. Who would do it? Type of people who do not put up with BS and can see through the ''I can't'' and MH b*llocks pretence often offered to the woke social workers sort who lap it up . Maybe retired middle/senior management military types would fit the bill ? I'd have assessment over a period of time , 2/4 arranged appointments in different locations over 6/8 weeks and inspectors turning up at the house unannounced/random filming - if someone is claiming to be so disabled so they cannot work and earn their own money they should be at home 24/7 - not out working cash in hand or if they are ''well'' enough to go out to friends/gym/shops they are not that disabled enough to live off the taxpayer and can work . Allow one missed random visit provided that a credible excuse is forthcoming within 72 hours - no more and if they are ''out' on a second random visit then cease all handouts . Something along those lines, there's far too much fraud from spongers and far too much ''this is how to beat the system'' advice from do gooding lefty websites and advice lines - don't expect you to agree bt you asked my view. Yes - welfare is far too easy to get, it really needs to be restricted to those really in need. It used to be a 'hand up not a handout' but now it is simply a lifestyle choice. Obviously Labour will never change this As I understand things, Starmer is intent on reversing the 1980s shutting down of thousands of small and not so small businesses by putting Britain back to work. This should help create many job vacancies some of which people with some physical problems will be able to do. And which some will be eager to do. You have no idea just what Labour will or will not achieve, so your last comment is just self destructive political bias. |
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Post by Pacifico on Jul 28, 2024 21:26:09 GMT
Yes - welfare is far too easy to get, it really needs to be restricted to those really in need. It used to be a 'hand up not a handout' but now it is simply a lifestyle choice. Obviously Labour will never change this As I understand things, Starmer is intent on reversing the 1980s shutting down of thousands of small and not so small businesses by putting Britain back to work. This should help create many job vacancies some of which people with some physical problems will be able to do. And which some will be eager to do. You have no idea just what Labour will or will not achieve, so your last comment is just self destructive political bias. I'm not sure if you understand anything if you think that increasing taxes on businesses and investment is going to lead to growth which will provide more jobs. |
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Post by Baron von Lotsov on Jul 29, 2024 7:15:53 GMT
Both the NHS and the UK military suffer a lack of a defined objective. Both should be reviewed with the purpose of asking and answering two questions 1 What exactly do we expect ( with defined perimeters) ? 2 Can we afford the answer to 1 ? Medicine will go through a rapid change in the next few years. Machines are surpassing the abilities of doctors to diagnose conditions. This is one of the main things we use doctors for. It's just one of those AI applications that works really well because you can feed the system a lot of data from diagnostic machines 24/7 if you want. A human brain can not deal with this amount of data well. |
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Post by Bentley on Jul 29, 2024 9:12:04 GMT
Both the NHS and the UK military suffer a lack of a defined objective. Both should be reviewed with the purpose of asking and answering two questions 1 What exactly do we expect ( with defined perimeters) ? 2 Can we afford the answer to 1 ? Medicine will go through a rapid change in the next few years. Machines are surpassing the abilities of doctors to diagnose conditions. This is one of the main things we use doctors for. It's just one of those AI applications that works really well because you can feed the system a lot of data from diagnostic machines 24/7 if you want. A human brain can not deal with this amount of data well. Nothing to do with either point made in the post that you replied to. |
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Post by Pacifico on Jul 29, 2024 16:59:52 GMT
So to pay for the wage increases in the Public Sector pensioners are going to have their incomes cut and infrastructure investment slashed.
I suppose its good news for public sector workers.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2024 17:16:39 GMT
Rachel Reeves who has always said that she would have to make tough choices has announced the abolition of winter fuel payments to all but the poorest pensioners who are in receipt of pension credit or other means tested benefits.
I actually applaud this. When money is tight, investment is needed, and broken Britain needs fixing, tough choices do have to be made. But it is a refreshing change to see the poorest protected from these tough choices and the better off being hit rather than the other way round.
Why on earth should struggling taxpayers have to pay to fund freebies to retirees who not only don't need them but are better off than they are?
There were howls of outrage from the Tory benches of course. This probably hits the majority of their membership after all, lol.
I have long been saying that if savings have to be made on handouts, the place to start is not those who are struggling already but those who are getting handouts they don't need.
I never expected Labour to do this. I half expected them to mimic the Tories and give the poor a good kicking yet again. So pleasantly surprised thus far on this one and a thumbs up from me.
As for the 22% increase for junior doctors following a 35% pay cut from the Tories, I applaud that too. It is totally unsustainable for people doing such jobs to be paid little more per hour than I am for manning a supermarket checkout. We already had a recruitment and retention crisis which was going to cost us dearly. I'd rather stop giving handouts to unproductive pensioners who are well off enough not to need them - the poorer ones are not being hit - so that we can put the money to better use paying key workers properly.
I might even vote Labour next time if they keep this up, lol
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Post by Pacifico on Jul 29, 2024 17:22:53 GMT
Freezing granny to death to pay for increased foreign aid is not a good look - if the opposition is any good they will jump on this very heavy.
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Post by Pacifico on Jul 29, 2024 17:24:33 GMT
Rachel Reeves who has always said that she would have to make tough choices has announced the abolition of winter fuel payments to all but the poorest pensioners who are in receipt of pension credit or other means tested benefits. Trouble is that 30% of means tested welfare for pensioners goes unclaimed - this measure will hit some of those in extreme hardship. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2024 17:30:55 GMT
Rachel Reeves who has always said that she would have to make tough choices has announced the abolition of winter fuel payments to all but the poorest pensioners who are in receipt of pension credit or other means tested benefits. Trouble is that 30% of means tested welfare for pensioners goes unclaimed - this measure will hit some of those in extreme hardship. The problem there is people not claiming what they are entitled to, which should be tackled as a separate issue. It should not be used as an excuse for maintaining handouts to those such as yourself who don't need them. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2024 17:33:11 GMT
Freezing granny to death to pay for increased foreign aid is not a good look - if the opposition is any good they will jump on this very heavy. You are aware that the payments are being maintained for poorer pensioners. So all this talk of granny freezing to death is utter nonsense. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2024 17:35:19 GMT
With respect to the public sector, many have had a decade of below inflation or even zero pay rises. I had zero for about 8 years. So that does need to be addressed. I agree with you whilst noting the fact that you are only reasonable about this sort of thing when you experience it directly. Other times you prefer being a right wing loon. |
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Post by The Squeezed Middle on Jul 29, 2024 18:23:01 GMT
With respect to the public sector, many have had a decade of below inflation or even zero pay rises. I had zero for about 8 years. So that does need to be addressed. I agree with you whilst noting the fact that you are only reasonable about this sort of thing when you experience it directly. Other times you prefer being a right wing loon. Well I'd rather be right some of the time than wrong all of the time. Maybe you should give it a go, Shrieks. |
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Post by Bentley on Jul 29, 2024 19:18:11 GMT
I suspected and still do that the labour government will use the means test of pensions ie pension tax credits as the point where it’s a free for all to take stuff away .
Free bus pass ? Only pensioners in tax credits . Free prescriptions? Only pensioners on tax credits .
That’s ok because plenty of lefties hate the idea of pensioners being comfortably off .
They can’t hope to take away enough money from the rich pensioners to make them sting so they want the pensioners who have scrimped and saved to give back as much of it as the lefties can get their grubby hands on .
They are losers and they are going to do their best to make sure their contemporaries are too.
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Post by The Squeezed Middle on Jul 29, 2024 19:39:59 GMT
Freezing granny to death to pay for increased foreign aid is not a good look - if the opposition is any good they will jump on this very heavy. You are aware that the payments are being maintained for poorer pensioners... And how is this to be assessed? |
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