Oh Mr Starmer … could things be any worse only 4 months in?

MissAdventure

I don't believe that job security should depend on staff working their bums off for little pay.
That isn't a help, long term.

I think we all think that MissA.
The increase in minimum wage is very welcome.

I remember when Labour brought in the minimum wage. At the time it was £ 3.50 per hour and there was outrage from employers saying they would go bust, as couldn't afford to do it, unemployment would go through the roof….etc etc.
What happened… ? Life carried on.

Yes I knew GP Practices are not exempt, and I think they should be. GP Practices will not be able to afford the staff they need, which is not good news.

foxie48

I'm listening to a podcast about Margaret Thatcher, she had a very rough ride at times, especially at the start of her time as PM. She was despised by many, including members of her own party. Do you remember the Thatcher milk snatcher when she was Education Minister? However, she managed 10 years as PM and 14 or so years as leader of the Conservatives and she is still, for some, seen as a very successful PM (not by me, I must add) hence I'm unwilling to judge KS on the basis of four months in office.

The truth about school milk being removed …… Labour Education Secretary Ted Short axed free milk from secondary schools in 1968.

It was only 3 years later that Margaret Thatcher did the same for primary schools.

So actually Short was the original milk snatcher.

^I don't believe that job security should depend on staff working their bums off for little pay.
That isn't a help, long term.^

Well, if the warnings from Tesco, Sainsbury's and John Lewis et al are correct, they won't be working at all and will be living on the pittance of benefits, meaning that the government will have to pay out far more than they do now and the rich/poor divide will be even wider. Not to mention that employer's overheads will rise, which will inevitably be passed onto the consumer, who is already struggling to keep up with enormous cost of living increases. More reliance on food banks who are sinking under the weight of unprecedented need for their services. The future for the poor, the unskilled and those relying on charities and care looks bleak. But hey, the good news is that the Tories are out!

As I said, employers fought tooth and nail against a minimum wage, but the world didn’t come to an end and yes, the good news is the Tories are out.
They will be back, they have spent 75 of the last 100 years in government.

If is the operative word here.
If, if, if...
Again, so far, I've seen nothing so far.
Just ifs.

How can John Lewis produce something worthy of a hollywood award for Christmas each year, and be talking about "ifs"??
Whats their profit margin each year?
So amall that they will have to oust staff "if" they have to pay more N,I?

I do so hope you're right MissAdventure and silverlinings; the low skilled, the poor and those relying on care givers and charities really don't have any margins to lose any more so, fingers crossed, all those issuing dire warnings, including Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, are just miserable doom mongers.

It's quite feasible that they're right, but the thread was asking what people have seen that's positive.
Not predictions about what might end up happening.

I didn’t expect the government to find anything easy. 14 years of Tory mismanagement, of an unnecessary, destructive austerity approach to public services meant huge investment would be needed to scratch the surface to improvement.
The previous government could and should have settled the dispute with doctors. It suited them to let it run, in full knowledge Labour would have to sort it, along with trying to redress the other salary losses teachers, police, social workers etc etc faced

Starmer is the best pm we’ve had in 14 years

Interestingly, when an attempt was made to raise money to fill the black hole, KS thought the method was unacceptable, until he decided to do it. And . . . Wasn’t there some dispute about whether a black hole existed, until he decided it did?

Primrose53 Yes I knew that but that's not the point I'm making, it's about not judging a PM on their first few months in office. I'm not a Thatcher fan but I'm perfectly willing to accept that she had a difficult time, criticised for the way she spoke, criticised for being a grocer's daughter, criticised for not being a man and criticised for the way she dressed etc. Nothing changes does it?

Isn't there still some dispute about the existence and size of the black hole Mollygo?

I take it you’re happy with Labour and how things are so far

Yes, extremely happy👍

It's still early days to be so critical of the govt but I do think that they launched into some policies rather too early without much thought. It is ridiculous that many pensioners will not get the allowance because their income is slightly over the limit. Apparently the state pension is increasing by about £400 but that will start in April next year and doesn't help those pensioners with low income pay their winter fuel bills.

I think that politicians, being younger than most GNers forget that when we were working there was very little pension provision for those working in the private sector unless one worked for a large company. Many of the current batch of MPs have worked either in the public sector or for large companies, as did R Reeves.

The WFA changes in particular were not a good idea. I think that last year the govt paid far too much to everyone. I've just done someone's tax return who is financially comfortable and he received £500 WFA.

Their action reminded me of the leadership election some years ago. Andy Burnham referred to the workers but he was only talking about public sector workers. There was no mention of private sector workers, many of who work very long hours, often in poor conditions and often with no recourse to a union for assistance.

Iam64

I didn’t expect the government to find anything easy. 14 years of Tory mismanagement, of an unnecessary, destructive austerity approach to public services meant huge investment would be needed to scratch the surface to improvement.
The previous government could and should have settled the dispute with doctors. It suited them to let it run, in full knowledge Labour would have to sort it, along with trying to redress the other salary losses teachers, police, social workers etc etc faced

Starmer is the best pm we’ve had in 14 years

OMG 😱

Starmer and co...I'm thinking communist....

BevSec

Iam64

I didn’t expect the government to find anything easy. 14 years of Tory mismanagement, of an unnecessary, destructive austerity approach to public services meant huge investment would be needed to scratch the surface to improvement.
The previous government could and should have settled the dispute with doctors. It suited them to let it run, in full knowledge Labour would have to sort it, along with trying to redress the other salary losses teachers, police, social workers etc etc faced

Starmer is the best pm we’ve had in 14 years

OMG 😱

So, which PM over the past 14 years do you think was good at the job and could you give me examples of what they actually achieved?

LizzieDrip

^I take it you’re happy with Labour and how things are so far^

Yes, extremely happy👍

Some people must be easily pleased. 🤣

So still no definitive reasons why Starmer is so terrible, then.

No buyers remorse here because I didnt vote for them. Ive been a conservative voter all my life and always very much to the right of the party.

None here.
I voted Labour, and have seen nothing to suggest its an unmitigated disaster yet.
I'm afraid Rayners trousersuit, whether the pm worked on a farm and so on haven't convinced me otherwise.

escaped

^Now Starmer is telling us that he used to work on a farm….^
What does that prove?

I've herd it all now! I'll be laughing til the cows come home. 🐄 🐄 🐄

“I grew up on the countryside. All my entire family live in the countryside and we are a rural family. I am the only one that lives in the city"
Keir Starmer
🤔 Whatever next.

I collected the eggs when I was a child.
I feed the hens and the cows when I stay with DD.

It doesn't make me an expert on farming.