[News] What planet is this guy on? cutting pensions

[LiamH]

Stupid is stupid.

It isn't aligned with one side or the other.

I know, just pointing it out before the party bashing begins and things get off topic.

A quick look says he is a crossbencher having worked for both parties, originally Tory then Labor for most of his time. he is clearly a fully pledged idiot though

[nephilim]

ARGHHHHHHHHH this country is going to the dogs. We have a bunch of useless wasters whose sole aim in life is to 'get preggers and get a flat on the social'

Especially in my area! I think the social workers said 1 in 3 girls under 16 has a child in my county.

a state pension that cannot cover even the most basic of living expenses and human rights

State pensions were never going to be great, but in this country it is warped, those that have never paid in get more, compared to those that have paid in. Countries like Germany, Holland, Sweden etc you cannot draw out more than you paid in. To me, this is a fair system.

a health service so mired in red tape and bureaucracy that people wait months for vital appointments, cannot get access to their GP, die in filthy, squalid conditions of neglect, abuse or incompetance

I must be relatively lucky, I see my GP the same day I make an appointment or if I make one online, within 3 days, my hospital visits are around 3 month turnaround except in an emergency (when the Dr thought I had a tumour I was seen within 5 hours)

a police force so similarly mired, that they don't even have an officer to send when a person actually stands at their window WATCHING a group of lads breaking into cars

Health and safety is a big issue, however they respond quite well when I need them, just need to say certain keywords and they're there like lightning. EG Street robbery (rather than mugging), gang violence (rather than thugs attacking someone), this was told to me by a police officer and call centre worker.

an education system that is out of date with the needs of todays society... need I go on?

No argument there

[Andrew_C]

Especially in my area! I think the social workers said 1 in 3 girls under 16 has a child in my county.

Did Jimmy live there then?

[Easy_506]

Oh wouldn't it? Like it isn't the same as cutting off someone's benefits if they don't take unpaid work stacking shelves for the MegaRich supermarkets? This has the benefit of removing REAL jobs, with employment protection at the same time?

Didn't they scrap that scheme though? I'm no expert but i'm sure it raised all sorts of questions about human rights and whether or not the companies involved in the scheme were benefitting in some dodgy way...

[nephilim]

Did Jimmy live there then?

No. Its just a sad fact, and it should read 19, not 16...stupid typo!

[Michael]

It's not just this country, France are at it too! I think the bottom line is these people have paid into a pension pot in their working lifetime. It's incredibly unfair to then ask more of them. Elderly people should be given the choice to work, like there's an old chap near me who delivers papers - the point is he does it to keep active. Not because he hasn't a choice.

In France they're talking about elderly people who own their property 100% paying a new tax, despite the fact those people have worked hard and paid their taxes already.

It's these sort of policies and ideas that will drive revenue underground and the Governments will get nothing.

[AMLightfoot]

Especially in my area! I think the social workers said 1 in 3 girls under 16 has a child in my county.


State pensions were never going to be great, but in this country it is warped, those that have never paid in get more, compared to those that have paid in. Countries like Germany, Holland, Sweden etc you cannot draw out more than you paid in. To me, this is a fair system.


I must be relatively lucky, I see my GP the same day I make an appointment or if I make one online, within 3 days, my hospital visits are around 3 month turnaround except in an emergency (when the Dr thought I had a tumour I was seen within 5 hours)


Health and safety is a big issue, however they respond quite well when I need them, just need to say certain keywords and they're there like lightning. EG Street robbery (rather than mugging), gang violence (rather than thugs attacking someone), this was told to me by a police officer and call centre worker.


No argument there

To book an appointment at a reasonable time so that I don't get into trouble at work, the earliest I can get is 2 weeks and they book up so quickly you have to have 3 or 4 phones on constant redial to get through...

I agree that the state pension is warped - if you earn more, you pay more tax, so therefore you should get back what you pay in. Ultimately that means the people that earned more get higher pensions, but at least it is fair and proportionate!

Re: Police - a gang of youths was attempting to break into cars in our road. I stood there on the phone to the police control room telling them so. This was 2am. At 4am they phoned me and woke me up to tell me they didn't have someone available and were the group still there? I was tempted to retort with 'No, they've successfully stolen a car and gone joy riding.'

Ludicrous?! I was about to vote for you to become PM based on that alone.

LOL be careful what you wish for - totalitarianism FTW ;-P If I got into power I'd have to rebuild everything from the ground up. Health service, education, policing, law courts, social welfare (workhouses FTW)...

[X-13]

LOL be careful what you wish for - totalitarianism FTW ;-P If I got into power I'd have to rebuild everything from the ground up. Health service, education, policing, law courts, social welfare (workhouses FTW)...

Kneel before AMLightfoot.

[sted]

part of the problem with the stae pension is though that it was designed at a time where fewer people lived say 10 years past retirement and there was a higher percentage of workers to pensioners now the population is getting older and living longer what worked before needs to be changed wither people have to cough up more as a percentage of their wage/get less pention/work longer there is only a finite pot of money

[pcstru]

Re: Police - a gang of youths was attempting to break into cars in our road. I stood there on the phone to the police control room telling them so. This was 2am. At 4am they phoned me and woke me up to tell me they didn't have someone available and were the group still there? I was tempted to retort with 'No, they've successfully stolen a car and gone joy riding.'

There was a report of an elderly woman having much the same experience when a bunch of youths breaking into her shed. After being told no one was available and watching the burglary continue, she phoned them back and said "Those burglars I told you about in my shed. No need to hurry, I've shot them all". Funnily enough, an Armed Response Unit and two plod cars were on the scene almost before she put the phone down. If you want action ...

(no, please don't try it, really).

[aerospacemango]

There was a report of an elderly woman having much the same experience when a bunch of youths breaking into her shed. After being told no one was available and watching the burglary continue, she phoned them back and said "Those burglars I told you about in my shed. No need to hurry, I've shot them all". Funnily enough, an Armed Response Unit and two plod cars were on the scene almost before she put the phone down. If you want action ...

(no, please don't try it, really).

Surely this is an apochryphal story that has been doing the rounds for years??

snopes.com: Response Time


Hmmmm.....

[pcstru]

Surely this is an apochryphal story that has been doing the rounds for years??

Don't I at least get a cool story bro meme. Sheesh - what is the world coming to.

[aerospacemango]

Don't I at least get a cool story bro meme. Sheesh - what is the world coming to.

You got an "I caught you with a ropey made-up story" wink....

What more do you want???

[AMLightfoot]

part of the problem with the stae pension is though that it was designed at a time where fewer people lived say 10 years past retirement and there was a higher percentage of workers to pensioners now the population is getting older and living longer what worked before needs to be changed wither people have to cough up more as a percentage of their wage/get less pention/work longer there is only a finite pot of money

Finite pot of money notwithstanding, why not take the approach of 'you get out what you pay in'. If the 'State pension' was not a mandatory requirement, but an 'optional' choice where you choose to take advantage of the state scheme (similar to workplace pensions) to get a better investment return, and over your working life you paid in X amount, when you retired, you should get X amount + invested gain back again? Or do away with the state pension and enforce private pensions (similar to the private healthcare system in America) but remove completely the element of income tax or national insurance that goes into the state pension. Pay out what people paid in, and it's fair. The pot of money would only be as large as the amount paid in, but then it would only have to pay out that same value + whatever % it has gained 'in the market' surely?

Perhaps that is an overly simplistic view, but the culture of 'something for nothing' is problematic.

[witch]

Perhaps that is an overly simplistic view, but the culture of 'something for nothing' is problematic.

Sorry, you've lost me - "something for nothing" - what, the state pension? I dont think so when you may have paid into it via taxation for upwards of 40 years