[Politics] Labour Party meltdown incoming.......

[Weststander]

No you didn't mention the LGPS. BUT - we are part of the public sector, and you said it was a shortfall on 'public sector pensions'. It's just one area of public sector pensions that have a shortfall.

I just get a bit fed up with being lumped into all the 'gold plater public sector pensions at taxpayer's expense' and 'way above inflation public sector pay rises'!

I never say that. But we will benefit hugely from an NHS pension, I won't hide that.

I don't think it would ever have been the big topic it is, if he hadn't been for the demise of private sector defined benefit pension schemes 25 years ago. That's a whole other topic including criticism of politicians.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I didn't mention that scheme.

The public purse meets a shortfall on public sector pensions.
https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/public-service-pension-payments-net/

The bigger problem with most public sector pensions (obviously not the Local Government one) is that they aren't funded at all. There is no pension fund for the NHS, for example. They pay this year's pensioners out of the current staff's contributions, and the annual deficit is because the current contributions aren't enough to cover the pensions.

According to an article I read last weekend, if the government had to put money into a pension fund in the same was as private companies do, it would more than double the national debt - which already is almost £3 trillion. So the debt we pass on to our children isn't just the "official" £50,000 per head, it's double that. (And more if we add in the debt still owed on the finance-lease funded public private partnership deals.)

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Starmer’s £100,000 in tickets and gifts more than any other recent party leader

Prime minister has come under fire recently for clothing, accommodation and glasses provided by Waheed Alli

www.theguardian.com

PR disaster after telling everyone things are going to get worse.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Starmer’s popularity is in freefall, as Labour’s polling has plummeted to an average below 30% - something no new governing party has managed in over 40 years, according to PollBasePro. In just 70 days, Starmer’s Labour is already under the 30% mark. Here’s how long it took for other governments to hit the same level in the past after a general election:

• 1993 Major – 397 days.
• 1968 Wilson – 664 days.
• 2019 May – 675 days.
• 1981 Thatcher – 676 days.
• 2022 Johnson – 762 days.
• 2008 Brown – 1,082 days.
• 2004 Blair – 1,104 days.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Starmer’s £100,000 in tickets and gifts more than any other recent party leader

Prime minister has come under fire recently for clothing, accommodation and glasses provided by Waheed Alli

www.theguardian.com

PR disaster after telling everyone things are going to get worse.

Free Gear Keir and his wife, Victoria Sponge

(Courtesy 5 Live)

 

[Leekbrookgull]

£2.500 on glasses !

 

[fly high]

£2.500 on glasses !

Should have gone to Specsavers, 2 for the price of 1.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Should have gone to Specsavers, 2 for the price of 1.

Will be interesting to see if the Specsavers advertising team make anything of it ?

 

[pocketseagull]

Starmer’s popularity is in freefall, as Labour’s polling has plummeted to an average below 30% - something no new governing party has managed in over 40 years, according to PollBasePro. In just 70 days, Starmer’s Labour is already under the 30% mark. Here’s how long it took for other governments to hit the same level in the past after a general election:

Starmer is either serially dishonest or unprincipled so this is no surprise. My fear has always been that a Labour government under Starmer will lead to a lurch even further right next election.

 

[Chicken Run]

Starmer’s popularity is in freefall, as Labour’s polling has plummeted to an average below 30% - something no new governing party has managed in over 40 years, according to PollBasePro. In just 70 days, Starmer’s Labour is already under the 30% mark. Here’s how long it took for other governments to hit the same level in the past after a general election:

• 1993 Major – 397 days.
• 1968 Wilson – 664 days.
• 2019 May – 675 days.
• 1981 Thatcher – 676 days.
• 2022 Johnson – 762 days.
• 2008 Brown – 1,082 days.
• 2004 Blair – 1,104 days.

Love this video of Free gear Kier in which early on he’s showing concerns for people without money being silenced and afraid of free speech as they can’t afford good legal representation

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Starmer’s popularity is in freefall, as Labour’s polling has plummeted to an average below 30% - something no new governing party has managed in over 40 years, according to PollBasePro. In just 70 days, Starmer’s Labour is already under the 30% mark. Here’s how long it took for other governments to hit the same level in the past after a general election:

• 1993 Major – 397 days.
• 1968 Wilson – 664 days.
• 2019 May – 675 days.
• 1981 Thatcher – 676 days.
• 2022 Johnson – 762 days.
• 2008 Brown – 1,082 days.
• 2004 Blair – 1,104 days.

This was always the danger when a decent chunk voted to remove the Tories rather than for Labour

 

[BBassic]

It's just such an own goal.

"Things are going to get worse, before they get better. Oh the glasses? Why yes, they are new, thank-you"

 

[Weststander]

This was always the danger when a decent chunk voted to remove the Tories rather than for Labour

Several 'gutted with Starmer' callers to Nicky Campbell today were Scottish. The swathes of reclaimed Scottish seats were integral to the Commons landslide. Demonstrating I think how we it be easy to blow things in 2028 / 2029. Should the SNP get their credibility back.

Rather than doubling down on controversial policies and poor optics (not those specs, at that value), a Labour Party doctor or savvy strategist should be pin sharp on learning the lessons of recent government history. Not repeating the mistakes leading to the demise of Maggie, Brown, Johnson and Truss.

 

[pocketseagull]

The swathes of reclaimed Scottish seats were integral to the Commons landslide. Demonstrating I think how we it be easy to blow things in 2028 / 2029. Should the SNP get their credibility back.

Yep.

 

[Weststander]

Yep.

Crikey, I wasn't aware.

 

[Right Brain Ronnie]

Starmer’s popularity is in freefall, as Labour’s polling has plummeted to an average below 30% - something no new governing party has managed in over 40 years, according to PollBasePro. In just 70 days, Starmer’s Labour is already under the 30% mark. Here’s how long it took for other governments to hit the same level in the past after a general election:

• 1993 Major – 397 days.
• 1968 Wilson – 664 days.
• 2019 May – 675 days.
• 1981 Thatcher – 676 days.
• 2022 Johnson – 762 days.
• 2008 Brown – 1,082 days.
• 2004 Blair – 1,104 days.

I think many of us knew what a disaster he would be, but seeing it in black and white, and how unpopular he is now, and so quickly, shows what a rough time we are in for.
God bless the UK.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Starmer is either serially dishonest or unprincipled so this is no surprise. My fear has always been that a Labour government under Starmer will lead to a lurch even further right next election.

A lot of prominent people are fairly frequently stating that the is honest, scrupulous, has enormous integrity and so on. Maybe you don’t know him as well as they do.

 

[jcdenton08]

I don’t give a shit about any of this. It’s just small potatoes. Nobody I know IRL gives a toss either.

The number of people in politics who are there for the money are tiny. For many, it’s a short, perilous career with your job security completely taken out of your hands by people above you. Look at Stephen Lloyd, exemplary Lib and later Independent MP for Eastbourne. Lost his job to a Tory despite being enormously popular, because national politics almost always overrides constituency issues. Out of a job through no fault of his own and scrambling around for a new career.

The huge majority of the top guys, the Oxbridge set - businesspeople, landlords, lawyers etc - most would make vastly more money in the private sector.

The PM’s salary is what some top CEO’s earn in a week when bonuses are factored in.

The majority of politicians are genuinely in it for a combination of a desire to make change, a desire for power and control and sometimes a desire to represent their communities.

So no, I don’t begrudge the PM being given hospitality at the football, or an expensive pair of spectacles.

What I do resent is Boris Johnson and his cabinet boozing it up during lockdown, while ordinary people were prevented from visiting dying loved ones.

Priorities, people. This is just a smear campaign from the right wing media to tide over until a real scandal happens.

 

[Bodian]

I think many of us knew what a disaster he would be, but seeing it in black and white, and how unpopular he is now, and so quickly, shows what a rough time we are in for.
God bless the UK.

But in general things seem to be going okay don't they. We've had no new strikes, threats of strikes have been removed, we seem to be getting on with other countries instead of pissing them off, we're investigating new ways of sorting out asylum issues. And so on.

Other than the Winter Fuel Payment, which has been a right royal PR disaster that could have been avoided, not a lot has 'gone wrong' indicating that we're in for a rough time has it?

We're getting pretty much what we voted for as a country. Stability and common sense.

 

[beorhthelm]

I think many of us knew what a disaster he would be, but seeing it in black and white, and how unpopular he is now, and so quickly, shows what a rough time we are in for.
God bless the UK.

it shows he's unpopular, not a disaster. not much of anything has gone wrong in past 3 months, except Labours PR department. maybe trying looking in colour?