Governments First Budget

Mollygo

eazybee

Perhaps it would be a good idea for all those who profess to care about the plight of struggling pensioners to actually do something positive for them, rather than scaring them with hyperbole.

How do you know that those who' profess to care about struggling pensioners' are not helping the elderly. Do you have experience of attempting to help and being rigorously rejected; 'we can manage and don't need your help.' Unless there is Power of Attorney even next of kin are powerless.

Have dealt with some of those you mention. Claiming benefits is still seen as shameful to some. They weren’t brought up in a time of claim as many expenses as you can even if you don’t actually need them.
l

That is very true, Mollygo
Some people see it as charity.

TerriBull

GrannyGravy13

Bill Gates and Larry Fink visit Starmer and Reeves days ago.

Gates and Finks are massive buyers of agricultural land…

I've signed a petition in support of the farmers. When we have individuals such as Bill Gates and Larry Fink, Black Rock, the largest multinational investment management corporation in the world with more than $10 trillion in assets, buying up vast swathes of agricultural land we need to have some concern. Black Rock were the instigators of the "ESG", that most companies have adopted, why we need a feckin' dubious hedge fund to be arbiter of people' s morals and ultimately have a far reach into what we consume via their buying out the independent farmers we need questions regarding the motives of those who are trying to shape the world and for what end.

I'm afraid that these are the people who run the world.
Politicians just tinker and do what they can.

I couldn’t find much about it, but this is a debate in Welsh Senedd, which contains a few interesting facts I didn’t know about claiming Pension Credit.
Apparently there’s a cut off date for applications getting WFP in December.
The application rate has increased by 152% between July and August.
Most importantly, DWP are already directly contacting households they believe may be eligible.
www.theyworkforyou.com/senedd/?id=2024-10-16.2.620496
Incidentally, one thing which is benefitting us all is the mild weather, which must be saving on our fuel bills at the moment.

Sorry, that should have read between July and September.

God. Help. Us. All.!

Allira

TerriBull

GrannyGravy13

Bill Gates and Larry Fink visit Starmer and Reeves days ago.

Gates and Finks are massive buyers of agricultural land…

I've signed a petition in support of the farmers. When we have individuals such as Bill Gates and Larry Fink, Black Rock, the largest multinational investment management corporation in the world with more than $10 trillion in assets, buying up vast swathes of agricultural land we need to have some concern. Black Rock were the instigators of the "ESG", that most companies have adopted, why we need a feckin' dubious hedge fund to be arbiter of people' s morals and ultimately have a far reach into what we consume via their buying out the independent farmers we need questions regarding the motives of those who are trying to shape the world and for what end.

I'm afraid that these are the people who run the world.
Politicians just tinker and do what they can.

I'm afraid that they 'run the world' because we let them. For some reason extreme wealth is revered, despite the fact that it has been acquired at the expense of the rest of the population. .

Any party genuinely proposing to clip their wings is feared and ignored. The idea that a more even distribution of resources would be a good thing seems to provoke more horror than agreement.

MaizieD

Allira

TerriBull

GrannyGravy13

Bill Gates and Larry Fink visit Starmer and Reeves days ago.

Gates and Finks are massive buyers of agricultural land…

I've signed a petition in support of the farmers. When we have individuals such as Bill Gates and Larry Fink, Black Rock, the largest multinational investment management corporation in the world with more than $10 trillion in assets, buying up vast swathes of agricultural land we need to have some concern. Black Rock were the instigators of the "ESG", that most companies have adopted, why we need a feckin' dubious hedge fund to be arbiter of people' s morals and ultimately have a far reach into what we consume via their buying out the independent farmers we need questions regarding the motives of those who are trying to shape the world and for what end.

I'm afraid that these are the people who run the world.
Politicians just tinker and do what they can.

I'm afraid that they 'run the world' because we let them. For some reason extreme wealth is revered, despite the fact that it has been acquired at the expense of the rest of the population. .

Any party genuinely proposing to clip their wings is feared and ignored. The idea that a more even distribution of resources would be a good thing seems to provoke more horror than agreement.

I agree

It is truly depressing.

I agree to MaizieD, too many shadowy un=electeds pulling the strings behind the scenes, governments, whatever their persuasion covertly colluding with them. Yes! it's damn depressing they appear to run the world for whatever purpose, for all their rhetoric it's not for egalitarian reasons, their agenda to my mind is at best self serving and at worst sinister.

That idea now seems to be more mainstream.

Even a year ago, I think many, and on this forum as well, would have shouted "conspiracy theory".

fancythat

That idea now seems to be more mainstream.

Even a year ago, I think many, and on this forum as well, would have shouted "conspiracy theory".

It's hardly a conspiracy theory.

Adam Smith was warning about the way the wealthy merchants and factory owners influenced governments to their own advantage 250 years ago. Mostly taking by advantage of the men in parliament being largely ignorant of 'business.

What is ironic is that Smith's writings on the operation of 'markets' have been used to justify their practices. But Smith also had a moral dimension and concern for the 'workers' which has been conveniently ignored by his followers.

“I'm afraid that they 'run the world' because we let them. For some reason extreme wealth is revered, despite the fact that it has been acquired at the expense of the rest of the population”

Yes they run the world - because they have the money to lend us, to provide the services we want/need. It doesn’t matter whether they are UK based or overseas the only thing they are interested in is return on capital. These are the companies that pay our pensions, our life insurance, fund our utilities, not just our lifestyle, the lifestyle of every country. If anyone is imagining a UK with no outside investment they are living in fairy land.

Inheritance tax does not affect these investment companies they will sell shares from day to day, if the values fall there is no capital gains tax either, make an investment less attractive values fall.

Increasing IHT takes money directly out of the commercial farms in the UK, the 70% of farms said to be exempt are not commercial, £1m represents 80 acres, that is the owners pension fund. I’m not especially bothered about values falling, it will enable the farmer with money to spend to buy more acres. As a tax raising change it’s very poorly thought out.

Matt cartoon today.
It’s being dubbed the ‘Tractor Tax’.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Matt cartoon today.
It’s being dubbed the ‘Tractor Tax’.

Matt missed one out, cuts in payments scheduled following closure of the old Basic Payments Scheme

So let’s see what happens when a 500 acre farm that is an ongoing commercial prospect gets hit by IHT

Current value £6m less £1m exemption
IHT due £5m x 20% = £1m

If that was borrowed at say 5% + capital repayment over 20 yrs
that’s £100,000 a year, very few are making £200 an acre.

Or land could be sold, if so CGT has to be paid + sale costs over £1.3m has to be found reducing the size of the farm by 110 cares and making it less commercially viable.

That why farmers are angry, it hits the best commercial farms hardest.

MaizieD

Allira

TerriBull

GrannyGravy13

Bill Gates and Larry Fink visit Starmer and Reeves days ago.

Gates and Finks are massive buyers of agricultural land…

I've signed a petition in support of the farmers. When we have individuals such as Bill Gates and Larry Fink, Black Rock, the largest multinational investment management corporation in the world with more than $10 trillion in assets, buying up vast swathes of agricultural land we need to have some concern. Black Rock were the instigators of the "ESG", that most companies have adopted, why we need a feckin' dubious hedge fund to be arbiter of people' s morals and ultimately have a far reach into what we consume via their buying out the independent farmers we need questions regarding the motives of those who are trying to shape the world and for what end.

I'm afraid that these are the people who run the world.
Politicians just tinker and do what they can.

I'm afraid that they 'run the world' because we let them. For some reason extreme wealth is revered, despite the fact that it has been acquired at the expense of the rest of the population. .

Any party genuinely proposing to clip their wings is feared and ignored. The idea that a more even distribution of resources would be a good thing seems to provoke more horror than agreement.

I'm afraid that they 'run the world' because we let them. For some reason extreme wealth is revered, despite the fact that it has been acquired at the expense of the rest of the population.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is as relevant today as it was when it was authored.

David how would the ‘angry farmers’ and their supporters suggest the government raises the money needed to fund public services … for all?

LizzieDrip

David how would the ‘angry farmers’ and their supporters suggest the government raises the money needed to fund public services … for all?

A good place to start would be with the multinational corporations who do not pay tax here in the UK despite making millions of £s of profit off of UK citizens.
Amazon, Google etc.

GrannyGravy13

LizzieDrip

David how would the ‘angry farmers’ and their supporters suggest the government raises the money needed to fund public services … for all?

A good place to start would be with the multinational corporations who do not pay tax here in the UK despite making millions of £s of profit off of UK citizens.
Amazon, Google etc.

👏👏👏

Certainly not from farmers who are just about keeping their heads above water, working for less than a minimum wage and wondering how they'll fund their retirement. The people who work hard to put food on our tables.

The government seems to have gone for the easy options - are they frightened to tackle these big corporations?

I also want the government to force the likes of Amazon and Google to cough up their fair share.

I am fortunate to have a farm shop a few minutes away by car (30 minute walk)
I buy the majority of my fruit, veg, and meat products from them.

You can see the pigs and cows in the adjacent fields.

There are too many people who grow up thinking that food only comes ready washed and wrapped from supermarkets.

We need to up production, cut down on food transport mileage and maybe not expect asparagus all year round!

I support UK Farmers

LizzieDrip

David how would the ‘angry farmers’ and their supporters suggest the government raises the money needed to fund public services … for all?

I don't know but attacking food production won't help anyone

Maybe it’s time to start counting the food miles we use to bring food that we can rear or grow ourselves and working out how to reduce those
OR counting them against our green credentials and realising how much our net zero is being achieved by contributing to pollution in other countries.

Yes they run the world - because they have the money to lend us, to provide the services we want/need.

You so prove my point about reverencing the rich, David.

They only have this excessive amount of money because they have extracted it from the less rich in the first place. Or have inherited wealth initially extracted from the less rich. And they only 'lend' it to any country if they see the prospect of their 'loan' making them richer by way of interest rates and dividends.

As far as providing goods and services is concerned, in the UK a great number of 'goods and services' were perfectly well provided by state owned and run companies until the tories, in the thrall of money worshipping, decided that they should be in private hands. Well, a lot of people have become extremely wealthy as a result of that, but look at the state of many of our former public services...

MaizieD 👏👏👏

Agreed, Maisie and Lizzie.