Why do things keep getting worse?

fancythat

Most people wont like what I am going to say and that is part of the problem in my opinion.

Bat tunnel - £100 million.

Many many other schemes like that. Too many to mention.
And the majority of people, on GN at least, thought it was perfectly acceptable.

If money is spent on this type of thing, not so much money left for other things.

I agree with you, my husband has worked on engineering projects where this sort of thing happened. Our local council spends money painting zebra crossings in rainbow colours - minor spending, but typical of the wasted money in our economy. Why do we spend so much on things that, in a perfect world, we'd like to do but realistically we can't afford to do it today.

The country has no chance of improving for the masses until, unfortunately, the huge number of people choosing not to work, but living on benefits provided by others' taxes decide to get a job. I don't include genuinely sick/disabled people. However, there are many who just cheat the system

If I may say so, OP, I think you have failed to take international events and politics into account.

All of Europe has experienced significant inflation resulting in food and utility prices rising quite steeply since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Trump's rather odd view of finance is not helping either.

Most people have had to tighten their belts significantly and many are finding it hard just to keep food on the table and their home reasonably warm.

Some of the hardship may be caused by individual governments misspending money or not using it as wisely as they perhaps could, but it would be unfair in the extreme to place all the blame on whoever in whichever country you live is in power right now.

Sorry I posted this in the wrong place, Osborne's Austerity has left us all poorer.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.tiktok.com/%40fryrsquared/video/7326976812322393377&ved=2ahUKEwj5jobpoMmPAxXBXUEAHSNhMr4QtwJ6BAgLEAE&usg=AOvVaw1P3mF0xEBxPKVykvPPHwyZ

nanna8

MayBee70

nanna8

It is early days yet. When it gets closer to an election they will dig up major dirt on Reform and discredit them. That, or declare a war somewhere so everyone has to rally round and support the current crowd. Wait and see. Old tactic but tried and true and it usually works.

What a disgusting thing to say…from someone thousands of miles away gloating over all of this (don’t worry though…I’m the one that will get banned from this forum, not you…)

Truth hurts. I don’t think it is disgusting at all. Thatcher did it with her war in the Falklands. Blair did it. Open your eyes please. I never gloat, I love my country of birth but that is perhaps too hard for you to understand. I just do not love the current shower who are in government. You should have kept with Sunak, an honourable man.
Thanks for the lovely comment darling ,it cheered me up immensely.

Sometimes people living in other countries who still have close links to the UK can see things with a different perspective than those of us who live here and are more involved in whst is happening.

I was going to say see things more clearly but I think 'different perspective' is probably a better term.
Certainly some of my family living overseas ask pertinent questions and are puzzled by some decision making here.

I don't think there is a problem with that at all. It is not gloating any more than some of the comments on here about what is going on in the USA, which is not our country.

Because of the idiots who voted Labour

If you're interested, I've just read a book that may explain a lot of the economics government , how the economy works and why it seems so broken. it's called The Establishment -And how they get away with it by Owen Jones.I found it very enlightening and infuriating. For illustration one of the examples he uses is how the Government/Civil Service second people in from the big accountancy firms to help with new tax legislation and where the loopholes are that can be used to, legally, save the rich paying taxes. It's been well researched and is a real eye opener.

I doubt changing governments will change anything, if the economic model stays the same is just like changing clothes, different trousers but same idiots.

David49

GrannyGravy13

rocketstop

David49

I see no indication that the economy is good even the well off are economizing and businesses are very downbeat

This ! Exactly.

Spot on 👍

We don’t often eat out but Friday night was an anniversary so booked a table at our favourite mid range pub
I was surprised when I got my first choice of time 2 yrs ago it was very busy. They were only half full, nice food, sensible prices good service, I was very surprised.

If they are quiet the rest are really struggling.

We don't go out that often, but when we do, pubs and restaurants seem packed and it's essential to book a table in some places, lunchtime or evening.

One or two pub/restaurants do look extremely quiet as we go past but that is because they are not popular, usually because both the food and the staff are indifferent.

I'm also in a lucky position, our life is fine though we are not as comfortably off as we had realistically expected to be.
I wouldn't mind paying more tax if it was a temporary measure based on our annual income - this is what happened in the UK in the 60's to the better off sections of society.
But when there is talk of taxing peoples' capital that is an altogether different story. Many of us have saved all our lives into pensions, ISAs and savings accounts and would not take it well if the government decided to attack our savings as we rely on them for our future living expenses after retirement.
We need to encourage people to downsize if possible to get the housing market moving for people who need to move and to release more money into the economy. The idea of adding stamp duty to sales will stifle this. The idea of CGT on our main homes will hopefully be a non-runner as it is far too complicated to administer, in view of capital spent on home improvements etc.
The economy needs to be run in a balanced way but the current ideas doing the rounds suggests that the government will mainly be going for those of us who have always saved and invested so that we can look after ourselves in our old age.
I appreciate that there are many in society who are unable to work and look after themselves, one of my children is amongst this number, and they are being hit very hard at the moment. There are however many who could work and look after themselves and their families but who do not.
The money being wasted by Ed Milliband and his ilk could also be put to better use.

cc

fancythat

Most people wont like what I am going to say and that is part of the problem in my opinion.

Bat tunnel - £100 million.

Many many other schemes like that. Too many to mention.
And the majority of people, on GN at least, thought it was perfectly acceptable.

If money is spent on this type of thing, not so much money left for other things.

I agree with you, my husband has worked on engineering projects where this sort of thing happened. Our local council spends money painting zebra crossings in rainbow colours - minor spending, but typical of the wasted money in our economy. Why do we spend so much on things that, in a perfect world, we'd like to do but realistically we can't afford to do it today.

They spend £millions on feasibility studies, often several, but never do the actual work!

TanaMa

The country has no chance of improving for the masses until, unfortunately, the huge number of people choosing not to work, but living on benefits provided by others' taxes decide to get a job. I don't include genuinely sick/disabled people. However, there are many who just cheat the system

This is so true.

Babs, I don’t know why you think that things have been getting worse for the majority of people? Things probably have been getting worse for some people. But I think that is always the case in society.
The cafés, bars and restaurants in our town are full from Thursday to Sunday, all day and in the evening. The car parks of the supermarkets and retail parks are full everywhere I go. Roads are crammed, even on weekends and bank holiday holidays. If I want to go to a concert, theatre or even an exhibition at a major gallery I need to have booked it right at the beginning or everything will be completely sold out.
You can’t even give things away to charities etc these days, because there is more stuff around now than people can possibly use or need.

Yes, we do have food banks - I think there’s an old saying that ‘the poor are always with us’. Some of these are people who struggle to manage for all sorts of reasons, or experience temporary hardship. But I don’t know if there really are very many more people in this situation. Although it is true that there is greater inequality in the UK, and in the US, there has also been a massive global reduction in poverty. It’s the middle learners who seem to have lost the most, often because of significant changes in how work is structured, with the loss of ‘middle managers’.

Somebody commented here that some political factions have a vested interest in making people think that everything is terrible and the only they have the solution.
I’m personally always sceptical of people who claim that they have easy solutions to problems that we know are very difficult to tackle. If the solutions were easy, somebody would’ve found them by now.
I think it’s hard for both of us of a certain age to understand how the media operates these days - it’s really not based on providing news any longer. It’s all about getting the ‘clicks’ on social media, which is how they make money as businesses now but none of us buy newspapers anymore.

Middle earners, not middle learners!

Allira

cc

fancythat

Most people wont like what I am going to say and that is part of the problem in my opinion.

Bat tunnel - £100 million.

Many many other schemes like that. Too many to mention.
And the majority of people, on GN at least, thought it was perfectly acceptable.

If money is spent on this type of thing, not so much money left for other things.

I agree with you, my husband has worked on engineering projects where this sort of thing happened. Our local council spends money painting zebra crossings in rainbow colours - minor spending, but typical of the wasted money in our economy. Why do we spend so much on things that, in a perfect world, we'd like to do but realistically we can't afford to do it today.

They spend £millions on feasibility studies, often several, but never do the actual work!

The Clevedon seafront scheme is a case in point.

Work to remove wiggly road markings that sparked controversy in a seaside town has been completed.

North Somerset Council caused outrage in Clevedon when it introduced the changes, which included the removal of sea-facing parking, along the waterfront in 2022. RAC previously described the lines as one of the "most bizarre" road schemes it had seen.

It originally cost about £1m and a further £425,000 was spent on the reversal, but the council said the move was "in line with significant public feedback" from businesses and residents.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq54w75jd93o

This may not seem to be a huge amount of money - £1.5million - but it is large sum out of Council tax which could hae been put to better use on essential services.

Allira

fancythat

There used to be a time when man went out to work and woman kept house and kids.
Nowadays, to have any decent standard of living, both people need to work. And often get topped up by benefits.

I know which time of life I prefered.

When was that?
I remember my mother working.
Not full-time, admittedly and she was usually there for me or I went work with her.

I do have friends who never went back to work after having a family but somehow manage to have a higher State Pension than me 🤔

Yes, my sister has a higher "new" pension than I do despite the fact that I went back to work once my children were at school. She never worked after she met her husband.

cc

Allira

fancythat

There used to be a time when man went out to work and woman kept house and kids.
Nowadays, to have any decent standard of living, both people need to work. And often get topped up by benefits.

I know which time of life I prefered.

When was that?
I remember my mother working.
Not full-time, admittedly and she was usually there for me or I went work with her.

I do have friends who never went back to work after having a family but somehow manage to have a higher State Pension than me 🤔

Yes, my sister has a higher "new" pension than I do despite the fact that I went back to work once my children were at school. She never worked after she met her husband.

People I know must have had their stamp paid somehow! They are on the old SP.

I think that they voluntarily paid NI at a basic rate to cover the time they were not working once their children reached 18. If I'd been a couple of years younger my pension would have also have been "new" and I'd have received more. So irritating!

TanaMa If only it were that simple. It is becoming increasingly difficult for some people to find work for various reasons.

I know there are people who choose not to work but there are also many people out there who are not sick or disabled and are only too willing to work.

I never had to claim unemployment benefit as I was very lucky to be in a job throughout my 40 year working life. I put this down entirely to luck not virtue on my part.

Unemployment can happen to anyone.

cc

I'm also in a lucky position, our life is fine though we are not as comfortably off as we had realistically expected to be.
I wouldn't mind paying more tax if it was a temporary measure based on our annual income - this is what happened in the UK in the 60's to the better off sections of society.
But when there is talk of taxing peoples' capital that is an altogether different story. Many of us have saved all our lives into pensions, ISAs and savings accounts and would not take it well if the government decided to attack our savings as we rely on them for our future living expenses after retirement.
We need to encourage people to downsize if possible to get the housing market moving for people who need to move and to release more money into the economy. The idea of adding stamp duty to sales will stifle this. The idea of CGT on our main homes will hopefully be a non-runner as it is far too complicated to administer, in view of capital spent on home improvements etc.
The economy needs to be run in a balanced way but the current ideas doing the rounds suggests that the government will mainly be going for those of us who have always saved and invested so that we can look after ourselves in our old age.
I appreciate that there are many in society who are unable to work and look after themselves, one of my children is amongst this number, and they are being hit very hard at the moment. There are however many who could work and look after themselves and their families but who do not.
The money being wasted by Ed Milliband and his ilk could also be put to better use.

There is a plan for a completely new type of property tax, that is only paid after a property has been sold and if it’s over a certain value. It would replace stamp duty. There are some issues with it, but I thought it was quite a good idea.

As far as your point that the government are ‘coming for our pensions and savings’, I have heard a few people say this but I have no idea what it’s based on and it doesn’t seem to relate to any proposals or even suggestions from the current government. But the fact that the tax thresholds have not been raised for such a long time (by successive administrations) means that the population of pension age are paying much more tax.

The Conservatives made a lot of retaining the triple lock, but reduced national insurance contributions, thus reducing the overall tax burden on people in work. At the same time the tax concession on small amounts of dividend income was reduced. So, as pensions have risen, the tax burden on pensioners has increased signficantly, but goes largely unrecognised.

Raising stamp duty was brutal and in one fell swoop prevented many from being able to afford to buy a house and has slowed the property market down to a standstill with property experts saying is the most stagnated property market for over a decade.

Jeannied

Because of the idiots who voted Labour

What a naive, dismissive thing to say.

Plenty of people who are not idiots voted Labour. At the time it seemed the only way to put an end to 13 years of farcically incompetent Conservative government. I think it was often a case of better the devil you don't know.

David Cameron, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson. Memories seem to be very short.

I think people in the UK have to realise they have voted in a lot of bullies and burks over the last 30+ years and this is the result.
Thatcher said "there is no such thing as society". Well, she succeeded there. Blair and his various privatised agendas, Cameron and the oddities who followed him. Johnson - well, need I say more? Starmer is no socialist to my mind and is just continuing their work.

Follow the money. It's big corporations not countries who rule the world. Parliamentary lobbying is vile and has partially created this. A direct line to government if you can and are willing to pay.
People dislike the BBC but watch GB News!
Follow the money! Who owns GB news?

So just like in the US - and other countries, these self-centered politicians have led us here. Sadly creating the perfect breeding ground for very rich snake-oil salesmen like Chump and Farage to pretend to be 'of the people' and possible get in.

Reform's "cut taxes, slash the welfare budget" means worse NHS, worse education, much more poverty.
But, it's OK, you have all got your country back.

There has been no responsibility for the lies about Brexit, the criminal goings-on during Covid, the influence on elections and referendoms by bad actors using AI.

Chump just changed the name of the Dept or Defence to ... Department of War. Think on!
Yes, if we keep on and on voting this way, it's next stop 1984.

Brexit is the elephant in the room: Boris Johnson effectively bullied the media into propagating the nonsense that Brexit was a good thing. It has been an economic disaster. So many restaurants (now much more expensive) along with sectors like Care don't have enough staff. Added to this, Austerity was a disaster, robbing public services of valuable resources. One further addition to this disastrous brew was that Gordon Brown and Tony Blair bailed out the banks in 2008.

Allira

cc

Allira

fancythat

There used to be a time when man went out to work and woman kept house and kids.
Nowadays, to have any decent standard of living, both people need to work. And often get topped up by benefits.

I know which time of life I prefered.

When was that?
I remember my mother working.
Not full-time, admittedly and she was usually there for me or I went work with her.

I do have friends who never went back to work after having a family but somehow manage to have a higher State Pension than me 🤔

Yes, my sister has a higher "new" pension than I do despite the fact that I went back to work once my children were at school. She never worked after she met her husband.

People I know must have had their stamp paid somehow! They are on the old SP.

My friends stopped working for 7 and 10 years when they had children and get a higher (old) pension than me. They both had their stamp paid by the government called Home Responsibilities protection. (HRP)
Like CC I went back to work part time (11.30 - 2.30) when the children went to school but I paid the 'small' stamp until they went to senior school and then I paid the higher amount.
I was also raising my children and had 'Home Responsibilities' whilst juggling with that and work while they were at school, and had paid some NI.
My friends who stayed at home and paid nothing were able to be 'ladies who lunch' and other activities during school hours but they get the larger pension. How is this fair??
I did apply to HMRC recently to see if rules had changed and if I would qualify for HRP too but was advised that I was not eligible as I had paid the married women's NI