The Budget

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Ah, so increase the minimum wage then reduce said benefits on a pro rata basis say?

Nope - Not necessarily.

Stop the likes of tesco & poundland profiting from free labour & pay them a better wage.

Make the corporates pay their tax dues. (ALL of it, from ALL of them operating in this country)

Restrict the portfolios of private landlords.

Ban foreign nationals from owning more than one domicile property and one investment/rental property.

Reduce VAT, which hits the poorest, hardest.

Force the banks to make loans to small/medium businesses (As that's what they were given OUR money for, not their bonuses)

Impose a financial transactions tax of 0.005% on ALL transactions over £1m

(Best part of) Job done.

 

[hullefc]

Government guaranteed interest rates and bonuses, on things like pension bonds and ISA's etc. will add to government debt that future generations will have to pay. Quite ironic really, considering that Osborne's reason for taking money off the disabled, was to save future generations from paying government debt.

 

[Mrk]

The assistance to do those things should be across the board and not at the expense of those who are already least well off. You know, the demographics who are demonised for being a drain on the state.

I think all demographics, from the very top to the very bottom, need 'help' from the state in one way or another. This policy helps people with relatively small savings to save a little more - how that is worthy of criticism, I'll never know.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It's not. But the folks who can afford to save don't need extra money for saving in the same way. It's deflection politics again. The real issues are lack of affordable housing, high rents and a cost of living crisis manufactured by government so that the flow of money is away from the poor and towards the rich.

Wasn't the recession caused in large part because huge swathes of the population borrowed too much/saved too little? We have had rock bottom interest rates for the last few years now so you could surely be forgiven for thinking that under current circumstances, saving money is a complete waste of time.

 

[roydo]

Nope - Not necessarily.

Stop the likes of tesco & poundland profiting from free labour & pay them a better wage.

Make the corporates pay their tax dues. (ALL of it, from ALL of them operating in this country)

Restrict the portfolios of private landlords.

Ban foreign nationals from owning more than one domicile property and one investment/rental property.

Reduce VAT, which hits the poorest, hardest.

Force the banks to make loans to small/medium businesses (As that's what they were given OUR money for, not their bonuses)

Impose a financial transactions tax of 0.005% on ALL transactions over £1m

(Best part of) Job done.

Wouldnt disagree with any of that.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Force the banks to make loans to small/medium businesses (As that's what they were given OUR money for, not their bonuses)

So you're happy to discourage people from saving money, and also want to encourage wreckless lending to people that wouldn't normally be eligible for loans? I feel we've been here before somehow.

Incidentally, if you want to support small businesses, you can always put your money into them via www.seedrs.com and the dozens of other platforms just like them. You know, your money where your mouth is

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Wouldnt disagree with any of that.

Hard to disagree with any, tbh - even if I do say so meself.

I haven't come up with them off the top of me head, but there's plenty of of pundits/experts saying that these are the routes to go down, if only osborne (And probly a labour chancellor as well, tbf) had the cojones to implement them...Or even a few of them.

But he who pays the piper...

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

So you're happy to discourage people from saving money, and also want to encourage wreckless lending to people that wouldn't normally be eligible for loans? I feel we've been here before somehow.

Incidentally, if you want to support small businesses, you can always put your money into them via www.seedrs.com and the dozens of other platforms just like them. You know, your money where your mouth is

Who rattled your cage?

Who said owt about discouraging people from saving? I didn't. I said there's plenty of people don't earn enough to save...FFS some don't even earn enough to eat, man!

(W)reckless lending to people?

I did say to businesses (And for infastructure projects but didn't mention that, sorry) didn't I?

Be no need for that plug link if the banks did what they originally got our money for, Bruce...

 

[roydo]

Hard to disagree with any, tbh - even if I do say so meself.

I haven't come up with them off the top of me head, but there's plenty of of pundits/experts saying that these are the routes to go down, if only osborne (And probly a labour chancellor as well, tbf) had the cojones to implement them...Or even a few of them.

But he who pays the piper...

Its why I inwardly sigh, and just crack on as best I can. Seen it so many times.

Way I see it, we aint perfect in the UK, but it aint that bad. Some, on the fringes of left and right, will disagree, obviously.

I have worked for 30 years. Never asked for a penny. Now do delivery work cos it pays ok and is quite good fun.

Given a fair wind, will be ok. Paid tons in tax and that, but the mutants in power, for decades, have found ever bewildering ways to spend my cash.

So I am in the sod it party now. Defeatist? Yeah, probably. Arsed? Not remotely.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Who rattled your cage?

Who said owt about discouraging people from saving? I didn't. I said there's plenty of people don't earn enough to save...FFS some don't even earn enough to eat, man!

(W)reckless lending to people?

I did say to businesses (And for infastructure projects but didn't mention that, sorry) didn't I?

Be no need for that plug link if the banks did what they originally got our money for, Bruce...

yes, I own that site and the dozens of others just like it that allow you personally to support businesses directly. A couple of billion quid was invested in that way last year I believe. If you don't think banks are doing enough then there's nothing to stop you joining them.

Likewise, I'd imagine it was a positive move to get the supermarkets (and other businesses) to massively reduce their food waste this week. Good news doesn't tend to sell, but that's approximately £19bn in food that could be used (but isn't currently). Might go some way to help the starving masses, no?

 

[Groucho]

So I am in the sod it party now. Defeatist? Yeah, probably. Arsed? Not remotely.

This just sums up my political outlook - all parties just want to take a good chunk of my wages and spend it on evermore inventive ways of doing nothing for anyone.

It's all skewed - how is someone supposed to save £50/week if they're on a low income? Now consider that the scheme is only open to those with less than a household income of £30k/year.

I'm not being party specific here, I just can't help but feel they're all just in it for their own ends, from all parties.

The expenses scandal did it for me - mass scale benefit fraud that'd have seen most ordinary folk jailed. Most of them got away scot free, and paid it back.

One rule for the rich, one for the poor - at least, that's how it seems to many people.

 

[Groucho]

it was a positive move to get the supermarkets (and other businesses) to massively reduce their food waste this week

Reducing waste is always good. I hate waste.

 

[orly]

lol yes, I own that site and the dozens of others just like it that allow you personally to support businesses directly. A couple of billion quid was invested in that way last year I believe. If you don't think banks are doing enough then there's nothing to stop you joining them.

Likewise, I'd imagine it was a positive move to get the supermarkets (and other businesses) to massively reduce their food waste this week. Good news doesn't tend to sell, but that's approximately £19bn in food that could be used (but isn't currently). Might go some way to help the starving masses, no?

Lend us a tenner please

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Its why I inwardly sigh, and just crack on as best I can. Seen it so many times.

Way I see it, we aint perfect in the UK, but it aint that bad. Some, on the fringes of left and right, will disagree, obviously.

I have worked for 30 years. Never asked for a penny. Now do delivery work cos it pays ok and is quite good fun.

Given a fair wind, will be ok. Paid tons in tax and that, but the mutants in power, for decades, have found ever bewildering ways to spend my cash.

So I am in the sod it party now. Defeatist? Yeah, probably. Arsed? Not remotely.

Fair play mate. Nowt wrong with it, tbf - It's natural to just get on with the rat race.

And yes, essentially they're all the same. Sure, we're better off than a lot of other places, but while there's greed, profligacy, injustice etc, I won't get tired of shouting spite...as futile as it sometimes seems

lol yes, I own that site and the dozens of others just like it that allow you personally to support businesses directly. A couple of billion quid was invested in that way last year I believe. If you don't think banks are doing enough then there's nothing to stop you joining them.

Likewise, I'd imagine it was a positive move to get the supermarkets (and other businesses) to massively reduce their food waste this week. Good news doesn't tend to sell, but that's approximately £19bn in food that could be used (but isn't currently). Might go some way to help the starving masses, no?

Look Bruce, we pay taxes that went into bank bailouts to help the nation's small businesses & infrastructure projects, no?

So why is it that banks aren't lending the money you & me gave them to do so, instead of paying themselves obscene bunces; while ripping off businesses & then encouraging sites like that to do their jobs for them, so they can rake it in double time?

Nah lad.

'Starving masses' is it? How very Marie Antoinette...And we all know what happened to her & her attitude.

 

[Groucho]

Incidentally, if you want to support small businesses, you can always put your money into them via www.seedrs.com

Is that like an informal "Dragons Den"-esque idea?