Election campaign kicks off

CLAPTON

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

One of the pensioners I know has been on an income of around 30k per year after retiring mid 50's on final salary pension, he spends his time on golf courses and lives a very comfortable life. I see people like this as very lucky and also draining the system reducing the likelihood I will get a good return when I retire, and also forcing me to retire later.

just think of the damage you are doing to probably billions of people in the 3rd world by consuming so many of their resources.

ukcarper

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

Thanks Carper

Please can you let me know where you got the average pension information from?

I would like to look at how the average was calculated, it's a potentially misleading thing to quote averages. Example, average uk house price is very misleading because at least London should be removed and regional averages are better to use in discussion.

Also, my comments about pensioners is not just about the pension pot size, it's total wealth, I.e. income from investments ISA's or plain shares, bonds etc, income from property lets, capital locked in the home they live in, income from any businesses still running. One of the pensioners I know has been on an income of around 30k per year after retiring mid 50's on final salary pension, he spends his time on golf courses and lives a very comfortable life. I see people like this as very lucky and also draining the system reducing the likelihood I will get a good return when I retire, and also forcing me to retire later.

It was in an article about pension returns. Obviously some boomers have big pensions but some young people earn big salaries and have large houses. My pension is considerably smaller than £30k and is larger than most of my friends. To get a final salary pension of £30k you would need to be earning between £50k and £60k and have a full complement of contributions normally 40 years.

Generali

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

Thanks Carper

Please can you let me know where you got the average pension information from?

I would like to look at how the average was calculated, it's a potentially misleading thing to quote averages. Example, average uk house price is very misleading because at least London should be removed and regional averages are better to use in discussion.

Also, my comments about pensioners is not just about the pension pot size, it's total wealth, I.e. income from investments ISA's or plain shares, bonds etc, income from property lets, capital locked in the home they live in, income from any businesses still running. One of the pensioners I know has been on an income of around 30k per year after retiring mid 50's on final salary pension, he spends his time on golf courses and lives a very comfortable life. I see people like this as very lucky and also draining the system reducing the likelihood I will get a good return when I retire, and also forcing me to retire later.

So the most accurate measure of the UK housing market is to remove the biggest part of the market:rotfl:

mayonnaise

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Why insisit that someone on minimum wage with two kids has to pay for their asthma medication....

And this mentality is what's wrong with modern day Britain.
Maybe society should insist that before you pop out a couple of sprogs, you should be able to afford them. We just cannot continue any longer with removing all responsibility from a certain underclass and expect the tax payer to pick up the tab.

Graham_Devon

mayonnaise wrote: »

And this mentality is what's wrong with modern day Britain.
Maybe society should insist that before you pop out a couple of sprogs, you should be able to afford them. We just cannot continue any longer with removing all responsibility from a certain underclass and expect the tax payer to pick up the tab.

Great.

So you got your kid(s). Your circumstances change and you find yourself in a minimum wage job.

What great wisdom do you have for this example? Removing the kids?

purch

Apparently the IMF considers the UK to be an Advanced Economy

The minimum wage is now £ 6.50 p/h :eek:

purch

Graham_Devon wrote: »

What great wisdom do you have for this example? Removing the kids?

Look Graham.

We've just spent £ 100,000 on a Brimstone missile to blow up a pick-up truck

We ain't got no cash to waste on Asthma medication.

Get real !!!!! :eek:

mayonnaise

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Great.

So you got your kid(s). Your circumstances change and you find yourself in a minimum wage job.

What great wisdom do you have for this example? Removing the kids?

Once again...the notion of personal responsibility completely removed.
Circumstances change and you find yourself in a minimum wage job, so we run to the taxpayer to fund it, yes? Great.
What about changing one's circumstances? What about doing your damned best to get out of that minimum wage job asap? What about just for once taking your destiny in your own hand and try to better your and your kids' life.

I'm all for a decent safety net for those losing temporarily their job or those being faced with serious illness or other setbacks in life, but we just can no longer continue to fund large swathes of the population who just can't be bothered to make their own way in life at the expense of those who do.

Graham_Devon

mayonnaise wrote: »

Once again...the notion of personal responsibility completely removed.
Circumstances change and you find yourself in a minimum wage job, so we run to the taxpayer to fund it, yes? Great.
What about changing one's circumstances? What about doing your damned best to get out of that minimum wage job asap? What about just for once taking your destiny in your own hand and try to better your and your kids' life.

I'm all for a decent safety net for those losing temporarily their job or those being faced with serious illness or other setbacks in life, but we just can no longer continue to fund large swathes of the population who just can't be bothered to make their own way in life at the expense of those who do.

One hell of a tangent you've sprinted off on.

My suggestion was simple. It makes no sense that someone on asthma medication or any other medication should pay based on their age alone.

If we are looking to save money, the easiest way to do this is to fairly share the burden of existing systems.

We could easily and effectively increase NHS funding by asking everyone to pay for their own prescriptions bar those unable to reasonably do so. (that could be defined by various methods).

You can buy a pre pay prescription charge for around £100 a year, so asking those who can easily afford to pay for their own medication would generate a fair amount of money.

I'm just looking at practical steps we could take in order to increase revenue, alongside other policies such as freezing benefits to save expenditure.

I don't really think you need to go to such lengths to make an issue out of it. if you don't agree with the idea of people aged over 65 who can afford to pay, paying for prescriptions, just say so. But don't go off on a tangent implying I don't want to pay my way and the problem with Britain is mentalities like mine.

N1AK

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I don't get this "more austerity" and "further austerity" people are talking about. THis government has been borrowing and spending hand over fist, and talking about austerity.

It's a relativity thing. I have absolutely no doubt that a Labour government, even clear majority, would have been incapable of doing more to cut the deficit and would certainly have done notably less.

For all the myriad of issues I have with this government their financial stewardship isn't one of them.

In the years before the crash Labour was running a 1% GDP deficit during a strong economy. The conservatives have, in a single term, got us back to that level of borrowing. They managed to do it with very moderate job losses compared to many economies, without shock cuts and set the economy up for sound growth.

Both Alistair Darling and George Osborne handled the financial crisis well in my opinion.