@steve_hawkes: Confirmed: Zac Goldsmith, David Davis and Stephen McPartland signing Frank Field's call for a Commons motion forcing rethink on tax credits
Yawn - Zac is such a wet.
Someone who is in the Tory party largely for social reasons.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Indeed, Mr. Max. It was a spitting dummy moment, throwing away his career because he couldn't handle having lost the leadership and serving under Cameron.
It'll be interesting to see if Cameron's successors keep his approach to Cabinet, or reshuffle like a crazed magician as per Blair.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
@steve_hawkes: Confirmed: Zac Goldsmith, David Davis and Stephen McPartland signing Frank Field's call for a Commons motion forcing rethink on tax credits
When did Davis turn into such a wet?
Ever since Cameron didn't give Davis his job back after that by election.
That was such an idiotic move. Given how Dave runs his Cabinet (slow and steady) Davis could still be Home Sec today, resisting all of these illiberal moves that May is being spooked into by the Spooks.
I remember when that story broke, none of us could believe it, first we thought it must be a scandal .
Then it was like, WTF, he's fighting a by election against himself?
If Brown were a doctor he would've prescribed 100% oxygen. Because more is better, you know.
On dynasties: don't forget Pitt the Younger.
Still it is amusing that a republic has stronger political dynasties than a kingdom.
Yes, but only one example of a PM being father to a PM, and that before 1832 when politics was even more a family business than it is now (not least because it was just as legitimate for a PM to come from the Lords, and more likely - because of the money there - that a peer would lead a faction or party).
There are plenty of examples father-son combos to have made cabinet level, and a few which extend to more than two generations, but none I can think of where a son or grandson (or, these days, daughter), has come close to following in their father's footsteps into No 10. Curiously, the closest may be where the child has gone further than the parent, with perhaps the Chamberlains as the best example.
My family had 4 cabinet ministers (3 direct line, 1 first cousin) plus one father-in-law and one grandfather-in-law in the Cabinet during the 20th century. Plus, I'm sure, assorted other cousins with further degrees of separation.
Are the Cecil's still in business? I seem to remember that when the Hereditaries were to be slung out it would be the first time in 400 years that they would not have a least one member of the family in Parliament.
Gives me an excuse to post one of my favourite Wikipedia lines:
Lord Cranborne was selected, unexpectedly, as Conservative candidate for South Dorset in 1976, where his family owned lands
Robert is still messing around, but neither of the boys have shown much interest
The service is awful, personnel keeps changing all the time, but evidently it's cheaper, a lot cheaper.
The retail banking model is utterly broken in the UK.
Banks are expected to maintain high cost service infrastructure (CHAPS, FP, ATM, etc) and are shouted at (Ulster Bank) when it breaks down.
But customers refuse to pay for this infrastructure (free current accounts). And the banks get sued for cross-selling (PPI) and regulated on charges they can make for infringment of account T&Cs (CC rules letter fees). Even when they make a profit, they pay an 8% surcharge on profits, and are now required to hold excess capital to take account of deposit flight risk even though the Bank of England overnight rates mean it is virtually impossible to earn money on deposits.
So they try to reduce costs. And people complain when they close branches and complain when staff are offshored.
Just f**king pay for th product, alright? Then the sector might f**king work.
(For the avoidance of doubt, I am not a retail banker)
I'm not actually complaining (though of course I would prefer this wasn't the case). I was illustrating a point. We're told its ok to lose industry because we're a service economy, but most services can be transferred abroad just as easily. We need some joined up thinking to work out where as an economy we're going over the next 10, 20, 30 years, rather than fiddling whilst Rome burns as the Government is doing at the moment.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
The "sponger" as you describe the person is a worker...working long hours...*doing the right thing" - for every £1 extra he works his family income goes up £0.20...check it out. These cuts impact on WORKING people not spongers!
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
But that probably was not in the poshest postcode where, of course, everyone fresh out of university should be entitled to live
I can't actually remember any time - not even in the New Labour boom years when Brown was pouring money in like it grew on trees - when the NHS didn't claim to be in near-terminal crisis.
Of course it's in permanent crisis, because its mechanism for matching supply with demand is the queue.
The ridiculous thing about the NHS is how much it has failed to come up with solutions to stop the waits being ridiculously inconvenient to the consumer. If you have to wait a month for a consultant appointment or two weeks for a GP appointment, you need to have the flexibility of being able to change it easily, or to see cancellations at a glance, or to switch providers.
Yet getting an appointment generally means calling at a set time (usually the beginning of a workday), waiting for a long time in a queue. Equally, consultant appointments can only be arranged by your GP, often during a mess of a process where the GP surgery and the hospital talk to each other via faxes that get lost. It is also incredibly difficult to change GPs: you have to do it in person, during a certain window during the working week, and only to a handful in your catchment area. And working out which GP can best cope with demand is very difficult: the various rouses they use to prevent wait times appearing too long is by refusing to take appointments too far out, limiting when you call etc masks the picture.
The government really needs to force all surgeries to have electronic booking, abandon catchment areas, allow new sign-ups during most of the week, take all appointments and to publish their waiting times for making and attending an appointment.
The surgery I use has electronic booking and repeat prescription requests. Works very well.
@steve_hawkes: Confirmed: Zac Goldsmith, David Davis and Stephen McPartland signing Frank Field's call for a Commons motion forcing rethink on tax credits
When did Davis turn into such a wet?
Well, it causes trouble for Cameron/Osborne.
It is said that the Tory whips have a colour coded system for their MPs.
Blue for the loyal Tories who will vote with the Government, Green for the those that might rebel on a specific issue, and for David Davis, he has a colour all on his own, brown, for a shit who will always vote against the government.
I can't actually remember any time - not even in the New Labour boom years when Brown was pouring money in like it grew on trees - when the NHS didn't claim to be in near-terminal crisis.
Despite that it does surprisingly well. Maybe some people are exaggerating the problems?
Hunt or Monitor?
Both say its in worst crisis of a generation/ever.
Take your pick.
RN says its doing fine though
Can you find a quote where Hunt uses the word 'crisis'? The hysteria in the Mirror only manages to quote him as talking about financial pressure.
Having had quite a bit of experience of the NHS recently, the waste in it seems to be immense.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
The "sponger" as you describe the person is a worker...working long hours...*doing the right thing" - for every £1 extra he works his family income goes up £0.20...check it out. These cuts impact on WORKING people not spongers!
Apparently even strivers are spongers now if they are not fortunate enough to be Watford 30
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
The "sponger" as you describe the person is a worker...working long hours...*doing the right thing" - for every £1 extra he works his family income goes up £0.20...check it out. These cuts impact on WORKING people not spongers!
Man Up, and open a nail bar, WHINGER. Cash in hand, lovely jubbly.
@steve_hawkes: Confirmed: Zac Goldsmith, David Davis and Stephen McPartland signing Frank Field's call for a Commons motion forcing rethink on tax credits
When did Davis turn into such a wet?
Ever since Cameron didn't give Davis his job back after that by election.
That was such an idiotic move. Given how Dave runs his Cabinet (slow and steady) Davis could still be Home Sec today, resisting all of these illiberal moves that May is being spooked into by the Spooks.
I remember when that story broke, none of us could believe it, first we thought it must be a scandal .
Then it was like, WTF, he's fighting a by election against himself?
I think Cameron is very loyal to those in his inner circle, who he's known a long time or personally appointed, until they let him down. He can even then have a residual loyalty and affection for them.
I suspect that those to whom he's not naturally close, but are political allies, he keeps whilst they are of value but drops when they start to become a liability or let him down.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
The "sponger" as you describe the person is a worker...working long hours...*doing the right thing" - for every £1 extra he works his family income goes up £0.20...check it out. These cuts impact on WORKING people not spongers!
Apparently even strivers are spongers now if they are not fortunate enough to be Watford 30
If Brown were a doctor he would've prescribed 100% oxygen. Because more is better, you know.
On dynasties: don't forget Pitt the Younger.
Still it is amusing that a republic has stronger political dynasties than a kingdom.
Yes, but only one example of a PM being father to a PM, and that before 1832 when politics was even more a family business than it is now (not least because it was just as legitimate for a PM to come from the Lords, and more likely - because of the money there - that a peer would lead a faction or party).
There are plenty of examples father-son combos to have made cabinet level, and a few which extend to more than two generations, but none I can think of where a son or grandson (or, these days, daughter), has come close to following in their father's footsteps into No 10. Curiously, the closest may be where the child has gone further than the parent, with perhaps the Chamberlains as the best example.
My family had 4 cabinet ministers (3 direct line, 1 first cousin) plus one father-in-law and one grandfather-in-law in the Cabinet during the 20th century. Plus, I'm sure, assorted other cousins with further degrees of separation.
You don't sound like a Benn?
I'm not... and I'm not a Mandelson either...
(George V) I said to your predecessor: 'You know what they're all saying, no more coals to Newcastle, no more Hoares to Paris.' The fellow didn't even laugh.
Said to Anthony Eden on 23 December 1935 following the furore that erupted over the Hoare-Laval Pact.
*Disputed*. The only source for that is Eden's memoirs (Facing the Dictators, which I've not got round to reading yet). Hoare's memoir of the period, Nine Troubled Years - which I have read ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R8P7TBCLGLDG0 )- doesn't mention it, but then perhaps that's not too surprising. The joke was certainly doing the rounds at less exalted levels though.
On topic, having the same strategist on the winning and losing side in the same year is a reminder that success and failure in politics tend to be over-determined; Since nobody really knows what works, everything the winner does looks like genius and everything the loser does looks like a pile of pants. In reality, the winner does a lot of things wrong, and the loser does a lot of things right.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
That's not right. I got a £340k mortgage when I was on £31k a year and my wife was on about £27k.
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
That's not right. I got a £360k mortgage when I was on £31k a year and my wife was on about £27k.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
And a two-word reply: "move elsewhere".
We recently sold the house my wife lived in before we moved in together for £68,500. It's in a decent little village with reasonable connections to South or West Yorkshire. There are many affordable starter homes out there.
Things will change. It is dull at the sharp end, but some good competition further down and next year should be an improvement.
Speaking of which, I would guess the American race, this coming weekend, will clash with the rugby. Americas start times tend to be around 4pm. Although, having checked, it appears to be 7pm, and same for Mexico (the week after). Bit surprised it's so late, but there we are (I was probably thinking of Canada/Brazil, and forgetting how much further west Texas is).
...The pioneering 18th-century economist David Ricardo thought this scarce supply of land spelled long-term immiseration for working people. Over time, as the population grew, it was landlords — the people who owned the most useful land — who were going to reap all the gains.
But what Ricardo had in mind was agricultural land. He was writing before the Industrial Revolution (to say nothing of the internet), so what he meant by useful land was good land to grow crops or raise sheep. After all, even way back in Ricardo's day it was technologically possible to fit a whole bunch of people on a parcel of land by constructing adjoining houses rather than separate ones each on their own lot. And with modern technology, we can even stack homes vertically and use elevators to access dwellings hundreds of feet in the air.
Except across the vast majority of America's valuable land we've made it illegal to build rowhouses or apartment buildings. And so the land's value only increases, the rents going to its owners accumulate, and workers lose out.
If the government introduced a free £10,000 cash handout, then next year decided it could only afford to give £9K away in unearned freebies to people, the left would still be screaming "hard working families £1000 a year worse off as tories tuck in to more babies"
Tax credits didn't exist a few years ago, they were absurdly generous even in the good times, and we can't afford them now.
The biggest problem - and the area where the tories do deserve criticism - is the stupidly high cost of housing, which is a major expense for most people.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
That's not right. I got a £360k mortgage when I was on £31k a year and my wife was on about £27k.
Tax credit cuts not a problem for you two then
I don't see how that's relevant to the argument. You mocked starter homes for being at £450k, someone pointed out that they can be considerably less than that under government schemes, and you claimed they'd have to be a very high earner to afford even the lower point. I then provided evidence that your numbers were off, and then you bring in tax credits out of nowhere.
I can't actually remember any time - not even in the New Labour boom years when Brown was pouring money in like it grew on trees - when the NHS didn't claim to be in near-terminal crisis.
Despite that it does surprisingly well. Maybe some people are exaggerating the problems?
Hunt or Monitor?
Both say its in worst crisis of a generation/ever.
Take your pick.
RN says its doing fine though
Can you find a quote where Hunt uses the word 'crisis'? The hysteria in the Mirror only manages to quote him as talking about financial pressure.
Having had quite a bit of experience of the NHS recently, the waste in it seems to be immense.
Well at the select Committee on 15/9/15 he said at
2.22pm Immediately starting with the issue of finance, the health secretary says the financial pressures on the NHS are “the worst its ever been in its history.
With regard waste the Acute Sector has made GT 30% efficiencies in the last 8 years.
Most hospitals now receive less or the same in cash terms but are seeing 40% more patients.
Things will change. It is dull at the sharp end, but some good competition further down and next year should be an improvement.
Speaking of which, I would guess the American race, this coming weekend, will clash with the rugby. Americas start times tend to be around 4pm. Although, having checked, it appears to be 7pm, and same for Mexico (the week after). Bit surprised it's so late, but there we are (I was probably thinking of Canada/Brazil, and forgetting how much further west Texas is).
It doesn't help that I am not a fan of Lewis Hamilton...his brattish behaviour gets on my wick...stick Vettel in that car and he'd be world champion
...The pioneering 18th-century economist David Ricardo thought this scarce supply of land spelled long-term immiseration for working people. Over time, as the population grew, it was landlords — the people who owned the most useful land — who were going to reap all the gains.
But what Ricardo had in mind was agricultural land. He was writing before the Industrial Revolution (to say nothing of the internet), so what he meant by useful land was good land to grow crops or raise sheep. After all, even way back in Ricardo's day it was technologically possible to fit a whole bunch of people on a parcel of land by constructing adjoining houses rather than separate ones each on their own lot. And with modern technology, we can even stack homes vertically and use elevators to access dwellings hundreds of feet in the air.
Except across the vast majority of America's valuable land we've made it illegal to build rowhouses or apartment buildings. And so the land's value only increases, the rents going to its owners accumulate, and workers lose out.
You do wonder what sort of researchers Vox has working for them if they think Ricardo was writing before the industrial revolution. The British industrial revolution is generally dated around 1760-1830, and Ricardo was writing in the 1820s.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
That's not right. I got a £340k mortgage when I was on £31k a year and my wife was on about £27k.
Crikey! £58K income and £340 debt, nearly six times joint salary! How did you sleep at night? When in 1991 we took out a mortgage of £78k on a joint income of £37k, I was worried sick (rightly, as she fell pregnant a year later and a year after that we were surviving on my earnings alone - and that was tough, disposable income £20 per month for a while). How you managed I have no idea.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
£285,000 mortgage - must be on £70,000 a year - sounds pretty average..NOT
That's not right. I got a £340k mortgage when I was on £31k a year and my wife was on about £27k.
Crikey! £58K income and £340 debt, nearly six times joint salary! How did you sleep at night? When in 1991 we took out a mortgage of £78k on a joint income of £37k, I was worried sick (rightly, as she fell pregnant a year later and a year after that we were surviving on my earnings alone - and that was tough, disposable income £20 per month for a while). How you managed I have no idea.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
My sister bought a house for just over £300k earlier this year in London. First time buyers, 5% deposit.
I don't see how that's relevant to the argument. You mocked starter homes for being at £450k, someone pointed out that they can be considerably less than that under government schemes, and you claimed they'd have to be a very high earner to afford even the lower point. I then provided evidence that your numbers were off, and then you bring in tax credits out of nowhere.
Sorry, JEO...we shot off at a tangent somewhere alaong the line. No...indeed. although I read on the Shelter website that in order to affoed a first home at £450k an individual would have tio be earning over £70k pa...the irony of the government handing out incentives to an individual on that sort of salary whilst stitching up those on £20,000 in Redcar was illuminating
I can give a real example of the wasteful working practices that still exist in Local Councils. For the past 12 years we worked for a Local Council carrying out the electrical element of decent homes work on Council Houses, basically rewiring kitchens. Two of our chaps did the work for the entire time, they did the work on price. They could complete 6 kitchens in 2 days. Six months ago due to political reasons the Council decided to take the work back in house. Due to TUPE regulations our two electricains were transfered to the Council, becaue they now work on daywork they got a £3 per hour pay rise.
Now over a 2 day period they have to complete 1 kitchen rewire. They are finished by 12 on the first day. For the next day and half they have to go and sit in the Council yard. Due to an agreement between the Union and the Council they are not allowed to do any other work (it may take someone elses job).
So they receive two days full pay for doing 4 hours work and sitting around for the remainder day and a half. They are bored to tears.
I do wonder how the Council thinks that by bringing the work back in house and using these working practices will save money. Its quite incredible.
Crikey! £58K income and £340 debt, nearly six times joint salary! How did you sleep at night? When in 1991 we took out a mortgage of £78k on a joint income of £37k, I was worried sick (rightly, as she fell pregnant a year later and a year after that we were surviving on my earnings alone - and that was tough, disposable income £20 per month for a while). How you managed I have no idea.
Interest rates were very low and unlikely to go up any time soon; I had done a year of research on the local property market and was certain the place was undervalued; I felt confident that the London property market in general was going up; my employer was very profitable; it had completed the only round of redundancies it was going to be doing; my specialism was in an area the company wanted to expand in; we were not going to be having children for several years; and we had very low outgoings due to general prudence.
In short, I thought it very low risk we were going to get into financial difficulty, and even if we did we would have had plenty of time to sell up without losing out.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Your party thinks the working poor are spongers does it?
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Your party thinks working people are spongers does it?
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
I can't actually remember any time - not even in the New Labour boom years when Brown was pouring money in like it grew on trees - when the NHS didn't claim to be in near-terminal crisis.
Of course it's in permanent crisis, because its mechanism for matching supply with demand is the queue.
The ridiculous thing about the NHS is how much it has failed to come up with solutions to stop the waits being ridiculously inconvenient to the consumer. If you have to wait a month for a consultant appointment or two weeks for a GP appointment, you need to have the flexibility of being able to change it easily, or to see cancellations at a glance, or to switch providers.
Yet getting an appointment generally means calling at a set time (usually the beginning of a workday), waiting for a long time in a queue. Equally, consultant appointments can only be arranged by your GP, often during a mess of a process where the GP surgery and the hospital talk to each other via faxes that get lost. It is also incredibly difficult to change GPs: you have to do it in person, during a certain window during the working week, and only to a handful in your catchment area. And working out which GP can best cope with demand is very difficult: the various rouses they use to prevent wait times appearing too long is by refusing to take appointments too far out, limiting when you call etc masks the picture.
The government really needs to force all surgeries to have electronic booking, abandon catchment areas, allow new sign-ups during most of the week, take all appointments and to publish their waiting times for making and attending an appointment.
The surgery I use has electronic booking and repeat prescription requests. Works very well.
Yeah ours has electronic booking as well...
If you are not logged on with your finger on the mouse button at 08:00:00 you are screwed.
(At this time I am in the car on the way to work)
Alternatively you can ring up for an appointment on the day...at 8.00 exactly and ideally with a good half an hour free to be on hold.
Luckily I have only been once in the last 4 years! I am hoping to be able to afford BUPA by the time I start falling apart healthwise...
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Indeed. 16 hours work a week, and the State tops up my income? Yes please, who wouldn't be up for that.
Shining a light on Tax Credits in the past few weeks has been a real eye opener. I bet I'm not the only taxpayer amazed by how some, (not all), have benefited from such crazy system.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Your party thinks working people are spongers does it?
I'm not a member of any political party.
The party you voted for in GE 2015 thinks the working poor are spongers does it?
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
If the government introduced a free £10,000 cash handout, then next year decided it could only afford to give £9K away in unearned freebies to people, the left would still be screaming "hard working families £1000 a year worse off as tories tuck in to more babies"
Tax credits didn't exist a few years ago, they were absurdly generous even in the good times, and we can't afford them now.
The biggest problem - and the area where the tories do deserve criticism - is the stupidly high cost of housing, which is a major expense for most people.
Well said, even with all these changes we're still spending more on tax credits than we were in 2003, with a living wage that didn't exist then, free childcare that didn't exist then and tax allowances that didn't exist then.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Thats a quote from Dave pre GE2015 is it?
It should have been, might have got the Tories to 45%.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Indeed. 16 hours work a week, and the State tops up my income? Yes please, I'm in.
Mr JCisBack, there are some crap systems, aren't ther?. I can log on any time, see when there's an appointment ...... which might or might not be that day .... just looked and there are two slots available Monday pm, but plenty on Tuesday onwards. If I'd wanted a repreat prescription yhough I could have asked for it then and there.
If you are not logged on with your finger on the mouse button at 08:00:00 you are screwed.
(At this time I am in the car on the way to work)
Alternatively you can ring up for an appointment on the day...at 8.00 exactly and ideally with a good half an hour free to be on hold.
Luckily I have only been once in the last 4 years! I am hoping to be able to afford BUPA by the time I start falling apart healthwise...
Which is why they need you to book weeks out. Then people who are deciding which GP surgery to sign up with can see which ones have two weeks wait and which ones have seven weeks wait. Right now there is no transparency at all.
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
There seems to be this strange belief that private involvement in the system means ending up like the USA, when most of the developed world has private involvement and much better health outcomes than we do.
Incidentally, back on topic, the pollsters had a jolly good election in Canada. The final polls average out at almost exactly the right level for the big 3 parties (the BQ did a shade better, the Greens a shade less well).
Incidentally, back on topic, the pollsters had a jolly good election in Canada. The final polls average out at almost exactly the right level for the big 3 parties (the BQ did a shade better, the Greens a shade less well).
And the result gives something for Tim Farron to dream about for the next four and a half years.
How on earth can you know if you're going to be sick in 2-7 weeks time !
Depends what you're suffering from. I have a broken toe that never healed properly. I probably need a pin in it to refix it, but I can't be bothered going through the hassle of getting both a GP appointment and a consultant appointment. It would take months.
Remain 53 (-2); Leave 47 (+2). Fieldwork Fri to Sun.
Which referendum? Labour Shadow Cabinet members?
I predict the Lab. Party will be more united on this than The Tories.
Do you disagree?
On the EU?
I would imagine that the Tory debate will be the more openly frank and challenging of the two, though I suspect Labour will quietly find itself deeply split between the well-off, metropolitan, liberal element and the old-school, working class one seeking trade protection.
How on earth can you know if you're going to be sick in 2-7 weeks time !
Depends what you're suffering from. I have a broken toe that never healed properly. I probably need a pin in it to refix it, but I can't be bothered going through the hassle of getting both a GP appointment and a consultant appointment. It would take months.
@steve_hawkes: Confirmed: Zac Goldsmith, David Davis and Stephen McPartland signing Frank Field's call for a Commons motion forcing rethink on tax credits
Zac emailed my wife this morning.
Dear ..... Thanks for your email. The philosophy behind the Tax credit move – moving from low wage, high tax to high wage, low tax - is the right one, but of course the details matter. The Chancellor has said that losses will be absorbed by higher wages, and we will have to make sure that’s the case. I know Boris Johnson is looking at how the cuts will affect Londoners and how they will be offset by the introduction of the Chancellor’s new "national living wage", and I very much support that process. As the Government reforms welfare and the tax system, people on the lowest incomes need protection and although we do not have reliable figures, it is important that the wage increases go hand in hand with any withdrawal of tax credit. I have made the point to the Chancellor and will continue to press. Best wishes, Zac Goldsmith
I do wonder how the Council thinks that by bringing the work back in house and using these working practices will save money. Its quite incredible.
Ah, because there's no need to make a profit, so logically it must save money to bring it itn-house. Or at least that's the bonkers argument used quite often.
How on earth can you know if you're going to be sick in 2-7 weeks time !
Depends what you're suffering from. I have a broken toe that never healed properly. I probably need a pin in it to refix it, but I can't be bothered going through the hassle of getting both a GP appointment and a consultant appointment. It would take months.
Last time I went to the GP was when I had a case of Campolybacter. The Doctor said I was fine, so I said OK but I'd like to know what I've got ! Might as well have just picked up the 'analysis' from reception. Actually thinking about it I don't even think he took my temperature.
Incidentally, back on topic, the pollsters had a jolly good election in Canada. The final polls average out at almost exactly the right level for the big 3 parties (the BQ did a shade better, the Greens a shade less well).
And the result gives something for Tim Farron to dream about for the next four and a half years.
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
There seems to be this strange belief that private involvement in the system means ending up like the USA, when most of the developed world has private involvement and much better health outcomes than we do.
I agree. I also think there's a lot of confusion between privatisation of supply and privatisation of demand. Privatisation of supply (the subcontracting that is going on at the moment) may be useful in some instances, but has no inherent merit. Privatisation of demand is what we need. The problems all come from the fact that the customer is the state. The customer should be the individual, and the money should flow upwards. However, people are miles away from taking that sort of control over their own health decisions sadly.
I can give a real example of the wasteful working practices that still exist in Local Councils. For the past 12 years we worked for a Local Council carrying out the electrical element of decent homes work on Council Houses, basically rewiring kitchens. Two of our chaps did the work for the entire time, they did the work on price. They could complete 6 kitchens in 2 days. Six months ago due to political reasons the Council decided to take the work back in house. Due to TUPE regulations our two electricains were transfered to the Council, becaue they now work on daywork they got a £3 per hour pay rise.
Now over a 2 day period they have to complete 1 kitchen rewire. They are finished by 12 on the first day. For the next day and half they have to go and sit in the Council yard. Due to an agreement between the Union and the Council they are not allowed to do any other work (it may take someone elses job).
So they receive two days full pay for doing 4 hours work and sitting around for the remainder day and a half. They are bored to tears.
I do wonder how the Council thinks that by bringing the work back in house and using these working practices will save money. Its quite incredible.
I am aware of a council where Labour's unions are now in cabinet positions and previously outsourced services have been taken back in. Much skulduggery is expected.
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
There seems to be this strange belief that private involvement in the system means ending up like the USA, when most of the developed world has private involvement and much better health outcomes than we do.
I agree. I also think there's a lot of confusion between privatisation of supply and privatisation of demand. Privatisation of supply (the subcontracting that is going on at the moment) may be useful in some instances, but has no inherent merit. Privatisation of demand is what we need. The problems all come from the fact that the customer is the state. The customer should be the individual, and the money should flow upwards. However, people are miles away from taking that sort of control over their own health decisions sadly.
Pretty well all GP practices, pharmacies, dental practices and opticians are private sector contractors to the NHS
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
There seems to be this strange belief that private involvement in the system means ending up like the USA, when most of the developed world has private involvement and much better health outcomes than we do.
I agree. I also think there's a lot of confusion between privatisation of supply and privatisation of demand. Privatisation of supply (the subcontracting that is going on at the moment) may be useful in some instances, but has no inherent merit. Privatisation of demand is what we need. The problems all come from the fact that the customer is the state. The customer should be the individual, and the money should flow upwards. However, people are miles away from taking that sort of control over their own health decisions sadly.
Pretty well all GP practices, pharmacies, dental practices and opticians are private sector contractors to the NHS
Any organisation that has a single purchaser or a single source of funds (or where one predominates even if not quite to exclusion) is really just an autonomous extension of whatever provides the money. It's not a black-and-white divide. Pharmacies are probably pretty genuinely private sector; GP practices, heavily public albeit with certain private features.
Does Canadian politics ever see significant spill-over from the US - Canadians look at US Republicans and react?
On our side of the pond, another great piece from Janan Ganesh (£):
Politics is full of truisms that are not actually true. A week is not a long time in politics; much more stays the same than changes. People do not vote for hope and vision, but for the lesser evil. And nobody really minds a divided party. Division, managed properly, can convey vitality while draining opponents of a reason to exist. There is no solace for Labour in the Tories’ coming strife.
There are only two major issues in British politics right now: who will lead the Tories to victory in 2020 and in which year will Scotland become independent.
On SINDY I suspect Sturgeon may live to see it - as an elderly lady - but Salmond (who I wish a long life too) may not. The Scots are having their cake & eating it - voting in a government that robustly defends Scotland's corner without actually facing the consequences of independence.....
I see it from the opposite perspective. Scotland will either become independent within the next decade (ie, within Salmond's lifetime) or the issue will have been put to bed for a very long time. The SNP's opportunity will come in the early 2020s after the Tories win their majority at the next GE. If they don't secure a Yes at that point they will be a busted flush.
SO , I agree, it will be in under 10 years or not at all.
Have to say malc your boys were hard done by at the weekend in the rugby.
What's most surprising about that article is the comments. They seem to be broadly supportive of the tax credit cuts for the same reason I am. People are severely overestimating the damage they will do to the government.
Yes you are for them as you are a nasty Tory. You do not get them and so you don't want people poorer than you to get them. We get it.
Does Canadian politics ever see significant spill-over from the US - Canadians look at US Republicans and react?
On our side of the pond, another great piece from Janan Ganesh (£):
Politics is full of truisms that are not actually true. A week is not a long time in politics; much more stays the same than changes. People do not vote for hope and vision, but for the lesser evil. And nobody really minds a divided party. Division, managed properly, can convey vitality while draining opponents of a reason to exist. There is no solace for Labour in the Tories’ coming strife.
There are only two major issues in British politics right now: who will lead the Tories to victory in 2020 and in which year will Scotland become independent.
On SINDY I suspect Sturgeon may live to see it - as an elderly lady - but Salmond (who I wish a long life too) may not. The Scots are having their cake & eating it - voting in a government that robustly defends Scotland's corner without actually facing the consequences of independence.....
I see it from the opposite perspective. Scotland will either become independent within the next decade (ie, within Salmond's lifetime) or the issue will have been put to bed for a very long time. The SNP's opportunity will come in the early 2020s after the Tories win their majority at the next GE. If they don't secure a Yes at that point they will be a busted flush.
SO , I agree, it will be in under 10 years or not at all.
Given both Trident and EuRef are within three years - what would trigger it if either of these will not?
I would be happy just to trigger it anyway for no reason other than wanting it, the trend is all one way so sensible they wait till it is at 60% or more for YES to be certain. Will not take long.
''Economists warn of the effect of mortgage interest rises next year - these cuts are equivalent to £100-£200 a month mortgage rises...that is going to be catastrophic''
Well if that is the case, you'll be back in government soon enough.
A 0.5% rise in rates (as much as we'd get) would be around £85 extra a month for a £200k mortgage.
Impact will probably be staggered as most of us are now on 2/3/5 year fixed rate deals.
About to fix for 10 years at 3% for the new place. Some deals out there are amazing for people with larger mortgages. It will give me a lot of security knowing that for 10 years my liabilities are fixed and at the end of the 10 year period one hopes to be in a position to significantly reduce the total mortgage amount thereby making it easier to remortgage for a decent rate even if interest rates are much higher than today.
Anyone who doesn't fix in today's climate is an idiot.
Easy to say if you have money to change, not everybody has a job from their Dad's pal to make it easy.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
Quite probably I do. When I started work, in a summer job in 1992, I earned £1.50/hr. After university, I was unemployed for several short periods between temporary jobs and it took several years before I made it to something that might be considered a graduate position (admittedly, I handicapped myself by pursuing a political career at the same time). When I came off Bradford Council in 2003, I took about a 60% drop in income. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I saved what I could, when I could and paid my mortgage off in five years. I didn't have expensive holidays, I didn't have Sky TV, I didn't smoke or drink to excess and I didn't drive a big car (I had a Vauxhall Nova at the time).
As you say, a different world to a whole lot of people.
Good for you sir...three words for you that may highlight a slight change of circumstance now compared to then "starter home £450k"
Cut out the fags and a pint and you can save that in 5 years no bother
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
Indeed - the very group that have been insulated from the cuts more than any other.
Really? Savers?
You mean those who have accumulated their wealth in the past, benefited from property booms whilst the kids and grand kids will struggle even to rent a home of their own, let alone buy one. Saving is a freakin' aspiration for millions in this country.
No, it's a discipline.
You live in a completely different world to a whole lot of people...
There are plenty of people across the developing world who save money despite having far lower incomes, even on a PPP basis. Too many people have a mentality in this country of "if I have money in my account, I can spend it". Some of those apply that to an overdraft too.
The trick is to have a standing order to a savings account very early in each month that you view as a bill, like council tax or utilities.
Even £100 a month can make a big difference over the course of a year, when the unexpected comes up.
Yeah?...well that £100 standing order has just been gobbled up by a £200 a month drop of family income from the Tax Credits cuts hasn't it...so what now when the unexpected comes up?
The sponger can work a few extra hours then to make up any shortfall, and stop whining. You know, like normal people do.
The "sponger" as you describe the person is a worker...working long hours...*doing the right thing" - for every £1 extra he works his family income goes up £0.20...check it out. These cuts impact on WORKING people not spongers!
Apparently even strivers are spongers now if they are not fortunate enough to be Watford 30
How are the Lansley reforms impacting the NHS right now?.
Not as well as they would have done if they'd been implemented according to the original Lansley plans, before the LibDems got cold feet and forced additional layers of complexity to be introduced. Still, things seem to have gone quite well:
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
People are deluded about the NHS, and the more imbued with left wing thinking they are, the more likely they are to register satisfaction. I know someone whose much loved grandfather was hastened into an early grave by the NHS not too long ago after going in for a non-serious op - still a huge fan.
There seems to be this strange belief that private involvement in the system means ending up like the USA, when most of the developed world has private involvement and much better health outcomes than we do.
I agree. I also think there's a lot of confusion between privatisation of supply and privatisation of demand. Privatisation of supply (the subcontracting that is going on at the moment) may be useful in some instances, but has no inherent merit. Privatisation of demand is what we need. The problems all come from the fact that the customer is the state. The customer should be the individual, and the money should flow upwards. However, people are miles away from taking that sort of control over their own health decisions sadly.
Pretty well all GP practices, pharmacies, dental practices and opticians are private sector contractors to the NHS
Any organisation that has a single purchaser or a single source of funds (or where one predominates even if not quite to exclusion) is really just an autonomous extension of whatever provides the money. It's not a black-and-white divide. Pharmacies are probably pretty genuinely private sector; GP practices, heavily public albeit with certain private features.
Yes, GP practices are odd structures. Pharmacies of course are nowadays mainly owned by corporations, often off-shore. Our largest opticians is based in Guernsey.
Comments
It'll be interesting to see if Cameron's successors keep his approach to Cabinet, or reshuffle like a crazed magician as per Blair.
Assume you knew that and was just testing.
Then it was like, WTF, he's fighting a by election against himself?
Lord Cranborne was selected, unexpectedly, as Conservative candidate for South Dorset in 1976, where his family owned lands
Robert is still messing around, but neither of the boys have shown much interest
Another great result for Dave and Lynton.
Shows that after ten years a leader needs to move on or the country will.
Plus it allows Corbyn to think austerity is a vote winner (ignoring the fact Trudeau is more Blair than Corbyn)
Having had quite a bit of experience of the NHS recently, the waste in it seems to be immense.
I suspect that those to whom he's not naturally close, but are political allies, he keeps whilst they are of value but drops when they start to become a liability or let him down.
But still, 14pts better than Labour do in Wales .
It's a bit of a shocker than the SNP can trim budgets in the NHS in Scotland and - according to the Tories, spend 10% less in real terms than in England but manage such a whopping lead in satisfaction levels.
Someone needs to stop the Tories attitude of "spend, spend, spend" and never worry about value. Filthy socialists ruling the roost in Westminster.
We recently sold the house my wife lived in before we moved in together for £68,500. It's in a decent little village with reasonable connections to South or West Yorkshire. There are many affordable starter homes out there.
Things will change. It is dull at the sharp end, but some good competition further down and next year should be an improvement.
Speaking of which, I would guess the American race, this coming weekend, will clash with the rugby. Americas start times tend to be around 4pm. Although, having checked, it appears to be 7pm, and same for Mexico (the week after). Bit surprised it's so late, but there we are (I was probably thinking of Canada/Brazil, and forgetting how much further west Texas is).
Remain 53 (-2); Leave 47 (+2). Fieldwork Fri to Sun.
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/20/9570175/labor-share-housing
Tax credits didn't exist a few years ago, they were absurdly generous even in the good times, and we can't afford them now.
The biggest problem - and the area where the tories do deserve criticism - is the stupidly high cost of housing, which is a major expense for most people.
2.22pm Immediately starting with the issue of finance, the health secretary says the financial pressures on the NHS are “the worst its ever been in its history.
With regard waste the Acute Sector has made GT 30% efficiencies in the last 8 years.
Most hospitals now receive less or the same in cash terms but are seeing 40% more patients.
People are crying out for some honesty from politicians. They should be saying "some people work hard, lots and lots of people don't" and "there's a lot of choice to be on benefits its time to end scrounging".
Those are not harsh or unfair as comments, I suspect they would also be very popular with the public.
Now over a 2 day period they have to complete 1 kitchen rewire. They are finished by 12 on the first day. For the next day and half they have to go and sit in the Council yard. Due to an agreement between the Union and the Council they are not allowed to do any other work (it may take someone elses job).
So they receive two days full pay for doing 4 hours work and sitting around for the remainder day and a half. They are bored to tears.
I do wonder how the Council thinks that by bringing the work back in house and using these working practices will save money. Its quite incredible.
In short, I thought it very low risk we were going to get into financial difficulty, and even if we did we would have had plenty of time to sell up without losing out.
If you are not logged on with your finger on the mouse button at 08:00:00 you are screwed.
(At this time I am in the car on the way to work)
Alternatively you can ring up for an appointment on the day...at 8.00 exactly and ideally with a good half an hour free to be on hold.
Luckily I have only been once in the last 4 years! I am hoping to be able to afford BUPA by the time I start falling apart healthwise...
Shining a light on Tax Credits in the past few weeks has been a real eye opener. I bet I'm not the only taxpayer amazed by how some, (not all), have benefited from such crazy system.
Oh the horror!
Do you disagree?
I would imagine that the Tory debate will be the more openly frank and challenging of the two, though I suspect Labour will quietly find itself deeply split between the well-off, metropolitan, liberal element and the old-school, working class one seeking trade protection.
Unless the target is not met.
New Thread New Thread
Dear .....
Thanks for your email.
The philosophy behind the Tax credit move – moving from low wage, high tax to high wage, low tax - is the right one, but of course the details matter. The Chancellor has said that losses will be absorbed by higher wages, and we will have to make sure that’s the case.
I know Boris Johnson is looking at how the cuts will affect Londoners and how they will be offset by the introduction of the Chancellor’s new "national living wage", and I very much support that process. As the Government reforms welfare and the tax system, people on the lowest incomes need protection and although we do not have reliable figures, it is important that the wage increases go hand in hand with any withdrawal of tax credit.
I have made the point to the Chancellor and will continue to press.
Best wishes,
Zac Goldsmith