Winter fuel payment

[DavidCM]

This rather sums up our new Government...

[Boomer54]

24 minutes ago, DavidCM said:

This rather sums up our new Government...

I have taken a vow not to whinge at whatever Labour decide to enact. My reasoning is there really should be no surprises for we voters. Fact is many of us were completely exhausted watching the Tory party implosion that is nigh a decade old. Unfortunately, that was enough for certain voters to fall into the trap of the grass must be greener with Labour. Well, keep it short. No!. However, every mistake as a bill that comes with it and we will simply have to pay up for this harsh reminder of why Labour are always a threat to our wallets. Next time just remember to take your brain with you when you vote.

 

[Malc1]

My new local Labour MP has received my email dosed in ire …… possibly along with several thousands more …….. just got the automated Holding Reply ….. I’m not really expecting a rational answer …….. he might be suicidal at the end of all this eh !  He’s new to politics 🤣😂

We were Conservative here  for decades prior 😇

Malc 

[Kevin Williams]

Labour's time for change means... We will end up with only LOOSE CHANGE in our pockets...???

[GMB]

17 minutes ago, Kevin Williams said:

We will end up with only LOOSE CHANGE in our pockets

If you're lucky.  Apparently there is more pain to come allegedly. They think most pensioners are rich and can take the hit. How wrong they are.  Means testing here we come.  Look out pensioners and motorists pain is on the way. If you saved for a private pension and a nice home then you are a target. I am trying to think of something cheerful to say to avoid being called a whinger but I honestly can't think of anything - sorry!😬

[Guest]

I'm a conservative through and through, but I agree the former long-term conservative government lost its effectiveness not really doing much that kept anyone happy. I agree we needed a change so I've also been resisting 'complaining' about the new Labour government. Let's just wait and see how the next four years go. If they do good, then I'll commend them. If they don't, well, maybe the next four years can kick the conservatives back into gear.. Or ideally, some new fresh party that is free of the same-old-crap from both red and blue. Won't hold my breath on that though lol 

On the bright side... at least Labour is rid of Corbyn. I am young, (thankfully) relatively fit and healthy... but my blood pressure and brain channels could NOT cope with having to seriously imagine for even a second what the country would be like under that [every expletive]... 

[Brian R]

5 minutes ago, CT200NI said:

On the bright side... at least Labour is rid of Corbyn. I am young, (thankfully) relatively fit and healthy... but my blood pressure and brain channels could NOT cope with having to seriously imagine for even a second what the country would be like under that [every expletive]... 

Couldn't agree more, but boy oh boy, look at the multitude of out-and-out idiots that are now part of this new government. I'm not going to name names but the list would likely run into 25% of Labour MP's. I fear, in the words of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, you ain't seen nothing yet......

[Malc1]

Us Pensioner Age Group ……. I’m assuming most here, understand deprivation from our emergence from WarTime Britain and the lifetime experiences following on from that ……. and pointlessness of whingeing much about anything…….. 

We have, as a Nation, incredibly it may seem, entrusted our futures, and present economic protection,  to a “ sympathetic and caring Govt “ 

How wrong we have been right now ……. this shower of a Govt really can’t care a hoot about the OAPs to have brought many to the likely point of an early death from winter cold ……. if the Govt don’t know, and they should, that our generation just won’t whinge about this and will simply shiver at home in the cold …… and I’m quite sure many will simply die sadly …….. and I really don’t think I’m over-egging the likelihood of this desperation setting in ……. 
 

Forgive me if I’m being too pessimistic but I think this is realism ahead of a rash of otherwise State induced, preventable deaths 

Malc 

[Cotswold Pete]

As an about be be pensioner I am likely to be financially okay (luck and judgement got me mainly sorted), and I totally get that some pensioners need all the help they can get, and some will never need the fuel payment. 

IMHO the problem will be those that do not meet some benchmark and will have a be a little colder of hungrier each winter, and most MPs do not know what it is like to be hungry, homeless, frozen like too many people (not just pensioners) suffer from in the 7th largest economy in the world.

On the new government I would suggest reading Why we get the wrong politicians.  Even before reading this I always thought no new MP goes in with a view to being naff at their job.  Whether Labour or Tory they want to do good but they get subsummed by the whipping strucuture in Commons and appeasement of the 'Ruler'.

By the way having read books on the good and abd of the Nordics, Germany, Netherlands and a good few others, nowhere is perfect, but some are less broken than others.

I would add I wished more people voted as democracy is a fragile thing hard fought for by the people over the centuries.

[Malc1]

A feature of the Winter Fuel Payments was the right and ability of a recipient to just advise the Payer that they didn't wish to have the payment this time around ...........

Leaving it to the simple analysis or conscience of that OAP as to whether or not they felt Society should " give " them the benefit .........  and I'm sure many did actually not take the Allowance for the greater good of the Exchequer's coffers and Society in general 

Malc

[Guest]

I'm 28, and it sickens me when 'my generation' talk about 'old people making the rules'.  Some of them advocate for younger people having a heavier weight vote, as 'they need to live with the rules for longer' - absolute bull ****.   I reckon if anything, the vote should be weighted in favour of older folks who have lived through more decades of societal change.. more life stages and witnessed the world around them change and experienced recessions...booms...wars, and indeed earlier iterations of Labour and Conservative governments and their track records. 

Labour (but not just them) have been constantly pandering to the wrong people, be it globalists, hippies who want to de-arm our country, the woke mob and 'young voters' - didn't Labour want to make 'free internet' a right in the UK for everybody? What an absolute waste of money and joke of a policy. And yet.. the young voters still couldn't get motivated to get out of bed and vote. 

[wharfhouse]

I'm approaching retirement age (though it keeps moving away from me as the age I can retire keeps increasing!) - now 4 years to go. I've run my own small consultancy business for over 20 years and so have had to get a handle of a lot of rules and regulations, but financial planning for retirement is an absolute nightmare due to the ever moving goal posts and complexity of our pension system. Admittedly the lack of the winter fuel allowance won't impact me materially, but it DOES amount to a cut in the state pension that many people have used in their planning.

I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, but this change of government, partly due to the landslide they had, has me more concerned than I have been for a long time about what destruction Labour will bring to the country. My focus is now on mitigating what I can foresee for my own personal circumstances. I am hoping (but not holding my breath) that this winter fuel allowance change will prove to be the proverbial shot in the foot that will temper more extreme policies.

[DavidCM]

The latest rumor I have seen is free prescriptions and eye tests being taken away from pensioners .Whether that is an unfounded rumor or likely to happen,who knows.Given the Loony Let's track record,it wouldn't surprise me.

[GMB]

 

/Rant/

At risk of looking like a conspiracy theorist, the world seems to be run by massive corporate entities and money operations like banks and such. See what happened to silly old Liz Truss when the "established world money" took a dislike to her policies. So,  it's not our government that holds the stick, it's someone/ something else far, far away.  On a more local issue, isn't it strange how much everything costs compared to a few years ago? So where is the money actually going? Answers on the back of a postage stamp please. The book by Yaris Yaroufakis is very clear about all this and the   ( powers behind the)   EU's shameful behaviour with Greece as an example of the corruption.

/Endrant/

[Brian R]

23 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

I'm approaching retirement age (though it keeps moving away from me as the age I can retire keeps increasing!) - now 4 years to go.

 

There is the nub of your planning problem, successive governments have messed around with long term plans for their short term gain and you have always been the loser, not them. This is not satisfactory and with the October budget threatening to bring about yet more changes I'm left wondering do I trash my careful plans now while I still can or risk suffering a similar Gordon Brown money grab.

One thing I have learnt over the years, and I suspect if people would but know it, we have always done far worse under a Labour government than a Conservative.

[Malc1]

I'm quite intrigued as to how the new Govt NEW house build policy will ever work   .........  almost 100% of housebuilding in the UK in the hands of half a dozen private/public companies who's remit in life is to make shareholder profit .................. surely it's these companies that will be calling the tune on when and where and how the new builds will occur  AND how much profit they will make from these new 1.5 million homes over the next 5 years ................ Social and Affordable Housing to the fore, well 20% anyway ..  but not always ........... for the new John Lewis Bromley Kent 353 newbuild flats they only have to build 10% ..  to make sure it's vialble for JL of course ....  and why not, it's their money being spent !

FARCICAL the way the Govt thinks it's going to control anything in the new housebuild sector ............ sites will only be built upon if those half a dozen housebuilders WANT to build there .  it's as simple as that  ..............

These clowns have no more say than any Govt ever ......... the newbuild targets are at the whim of those housebuilding companies ..  as are the prices to be charged for Renters and Buyers alike ................

Can i rest my case me lord !  ............  two new tyres to go get fitted to my Lexus for high noon today  👍

Malc

[Cotswold Pete]

25 minutes ago, GMB said:

At risk of looking like a conspiracy theorist, the world seems to be run by massive corporate entities and money operations like banks and such.

Read this book - The New Few - fascinating read and you can see how we have got here. 

The whole we always do worse under labour than we do under Tory leadership is something I would love to read up more on, but never found a really good book written on this subject, but if someone knows of one then let me know.

[wharfhouse]

4 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

I'm quite intrigued as to how the new Govt NEW house build policy will ever work   .........  almost 100% of housebuilding in the UK in the hands of half a dozen private/public companies who's remit in life is to make shareholder profit .................. surely it's these companies that will be calling the tune on when and where and how the new builds will occur  AND how much profit they will make from these new 1.5 million homes over the next 5 years ................ Social and Affordable Housing to the fore, well 20% anyway ..  but not always ........... for the new John Lewis Bromley Kent 353 newbuild flats they only have to build 10% ..  to make sure it's vialble for JL of course ....  and why not, it's their money being spent !

FARCICAL the way the Govt thinks it's going to control anything in the new housebuild sector ............ sites will only be built upon if those half a dozen housebuilders WANT to build there .  it's as simple as that  ..............

These clowns have no more say than any Govt ever ......... the newbuild targets are at the whim of those housebuilding companies ..  as are the prices to be charged for Renters and Buyers alike ................

Can i rest my case me lord !  ............  two new tyres to go get fitted to my Lexus for high noon today  👍

Malc

Yes, just more wishful thinking and political posturing - as you say the market will determine what actually gets built - along with some councils that get it in the neck for not meeting "targets"...

[Malc1]

2 minutes ago, Cotswold Pete said:

Read this book - The New Few - fascinating read and you can see how we have got here. 

The whole we always do worse under labour than we do under Tory leadership is something I would love to read up more on, but never found a really good book written on this subject, but if someone knows of one then let me know.

aha, you now have the time to read irreverent tomes on politiking matters  😂🤣

Malc

............ off to spend £265 on two new Falkens with my local independent small tyre business 👍

[Cotswold Pete]

8 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

 almost 100% of housebuilding in the UK in the hands of half a dozen private/public companies

My missus - who works for an architects that wants to build low cost homes (as well as madly expensive conservatories for super rich people), says that from her experience the paperwork and costs for small builders to create low cost housing makes the whole thing a ruddy nightmare.

The big wheels of the inflexible system called planning needs to be scaled back with appropriate checks and balances to stop cowboys building low cost houses that will be useless before the 'nominal' 80 year life span of a new build.

I live in a Jerry Built Georgian house (most Georgian properties are Jerry built) still standing after 250 years, it was all small builders in them days, so clawing back the grip on corporates by scaling back the inflexibility (and costs) of the planning system is required

I will be long in heaven (or hell) before the housing crisis that embedded itself in 1980 is actually cured.

[Cotswold Pete]

12 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

aha, you now have the time to read irreverent tomes on politiking matters  😂🤣

 

Nope, I used to fly around the world a lot on business, so plenty of time to help create global warming and reading at 35,000 feet.

Got a huge pile of books to read still, but only at bedtime, and even in retirement the garden / allotment and wifes project requests mean limited time to gem up on what's broken with this planet.

[GMB]

15 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

the newbuild targets are at the whim of those housebuilding companies ..  as are the prices to be charged for Renters and Buyers alike

Have you seen the prices of new homes? Absolutely bonkers. 3 and 4 bed detached built within 3 feet of each other, tiny plots, tiny rooms, no proper internal walls, some with no garage just a tarmacked front space, some of the rubbish is timber framed and that won't last. Awfully overpriced money pits. Our son has one and we find that we are always having to sidle past furniture to get anywhere and it is falling apart already. I think the cost of building a house to the standard of 100 years ago would be prohibitive.

[Malc1]

Oh don’t despair ……. my timber framed house and timber clad,  wasn’t built that long back and has lasted ok 

Summat like 1650’s but it’s the quality of materials used and skills set at that time ……… you reckon a new build today will last 80 years ……. You’re forever the Optimist  🤣😂😄

Malc 

[Poundy]

Look on the Bright side the Pensioners are losing the energy supplement  to enable the Government to give in to the demands of the Public Sector  Unions demand to settle a pay increase of between £140 to £240 per week @ 22% to Junior Doctors.

Thank you NHS 

[Cotswold Pete]

8 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

you reckon a new build today will last 80 years ……. You’re forever the Optimist  🤣😂😄

I am the cycnic you do not want to get trapped with at a party.🤓😬💥

The original windows in my house still going strong, the new lounge window fitted 40 years ago needed a bit of TLC a few years ago, the next door neighbours 10 year old new bay window rotting already.  Using the fast growing (harvested too early) timber always has a loose grain that resists water like a paper towel.

Everytime I repair any timber features I scarf in oak to make sure things will last more than long enough for me to not be worrying when I am a dribbling idiot sat in front of Homes Under the Hammer all day every day.