Waste of taxpayers' money

"I have no idea of your financial situation nonnie nor was I referring to you."

But never mind!

I was just answering your point , nonnie

jane just as a matter of clarification the reason I thought you were referring to me was because you named me

I looked at Nick Robinson's tax and benefit calculator and could not make head nor tail of it, which is a pity, as I thought it would throw some light on the widely trumpeted claim that older people are a financial burden on society. Like many I had, and still have, no choice but to pay direct and indirect taxes all my life, not to mention NHS, pension, rates, car tax, etc., etc. Now I have lost track of the revenues accruing to government from each of those sources but with a population of 60m+ the totals must be colossal, as is the expenditure.

I'm going to have to do much more analysis of all this, if only to try and blow away some of the clouds of political fog which surround us, which I suspect are highly selective and, of course, always politically motivated. However, I'm still grappling with the minefields M1, 2, 3, 4 etc., and all that other fiscal flim-flammery, but now I feel the need of the comfort of a nice cup of tea and gingernut. The search will then go on, as they say about the sugar man's apprentice, but in my case much more slowly.

I have no idea of your financial situation nonnie nor was I referring to you.

You stated 'we feel that over our working years we paid in an awful lot for the general good, far, far more than we ever took out' and that reminded me of Nick Robinson's programme a couple of years ago, when he showed that contrary to popular belief, it is not just those on benefits who gain from the welfare state.
I just thought others might be interested, so I found the link.
jen I can't comment on your situation either.

jane do you think I'm very rich?

I can honestly say that we have put in much more than we have taken out. You may be right as a generalisation but all such are just that.

i do not understand Nick Robinson's system. He asks how much I get before tax is taken off, then tells me my disposable income is 25% more than I am getting in. It's not possible.

Nick Robinson explains it all here
In fact nonnie it is only the very rich who pay in a lot more than they take out.

Pleasure ninny

I agree with you ninny we paid in all those years and now we seem to come under blanket terminology which implies we are being given something for free! We feel that over our working years we paid in an awful lot for the general good, far, far more than we ever took out and deserve our state pensions. In fact we are still paying in far more than we take out!

TriciaF Hi I am sure Margaret will return.

Personally I don't look upon the State Pension as a benefit, but as a right. We were told if we paid our contributions years ago we would receive a State Pension when we retired and could not work anymore.

JessM Hi can understand this, don't want to end up like the speakers wife! Thanks for explaining.

LizG Hi sorry if my reply to your post upset you but I was upset myself that you had commented on a post of mine but hadn't read the OP or previous posts by other posters.

I do not care whether someone is gay or not, it's never bothered me, or the colour of a persons skin.

The only thing that bothers me is politicians, whether they are Conservative, Labour or LibDems, or Government Departments misusing our money.

I've just read this thread too, hoping Margaret decides to return, because it's a very interesting subject.
The most blatant misuse of public money , imo, is the use of pension contributions for many other things, including paying off the national debt.
Most people think these contributions are a sort of savings scheme for their old age. Their own little pot waiting for them. Which I think it used to be.
But it's not now, and the govt. OAP is really just another benefit.

MamaCaz

I'm getting really annoyed by this thread.

It seems to have been hijacked by a few who are determined to see prejudice and bigotry where absolutely none is intended. The resulting verbal bullying - accusations of bigotry - are totally unacceptable.

If I had my way, this whole thread would now be deleted!

ninny you entitled to voice your opinion only up to a point. If it involves allegations about the conduct of individuals you would be well advised not to post it on any social media. One of the problems with your post is that it could open you or GN to legal action. Private individuals made untrue allegations about Lord McAlpine on Twitter not so long ago and he took them to court, won, and it cost each of them a fair bit of money.
If your post was a letter to a newspaper it would not get printed.

Again well said Charleygirl and * Adriane*

Thankyou MiceElf my reply would not have been as reasoned and patient as yours

Can we not draw a line under this subject?

Oh it's quite simple.

The gay community is a big one - one that has been oppressed and vilified in the past, and still is in some quarters.

Demonstrating that these attitudes are unacceptable is a legitimate and sensible way to address prejudice.

For these marches / celebrations/ festivals to be supported by national or local government is a perfectly sensible way to allocate a tiny proportion of revenue.

The same applies to any festival, for example the Lord Mayor's Show, Bonfire Night fireworks, the South Bank Festival, the Early Music Festival, Pop Festivals, a skateboard park and so on.

Each one of these can be described as 'a pet project'. But actually they all form part of the rich diversity which makes up this country. And that is a good thing.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Yea, Aka it is not a good place to be for margaret at the moment; as you say, it is her feelings that are important, and she has withdrawn but only, I hope, for the time being.

It's how margaret felt that's important. All those who have left GN ( and thankfully come back) will understand what it feels like.

Come back, margaret. Please.

Agreed!