UK Budget

[Rich]

- aThis mess is actually, in my opinion, a legacy from Mrs Thatcher.

No, it's a legacy from the idiotic spending of the Bliar, Brown regimes.
Lady Thatcher had to clean up the mess left behind by the previous labour government, history repeating itself

 

[Lightwave]

They are politicians, do they ever know what they're talking about?

I'd like to see like for like in their posts, eg:

Minister for Education - an ex head master
Minister for Finance or indeed the chancellor - a Chartered Accountant
and so on

I'd like to see that as well although with career politicians making up the majority of parliament that seems to be a less and less likely.

I guess that's where we overlap with the best president thread. If you can't be an expert yourself then the next best thing is to know when to follow expert advisers advice. But then how many people are good at taking other peoples advice?

Blaming it all on a politician not in power for over 20 years?
If that's the case the intervening governments were truly feckless.

Lets concentrate on the present and the future.

 

[oumahexi]

Lets concentrate on the present and the future.

Can do. I'm all for letting the past stay where it is, just as soon as we've hung Maggie

 

[Pauldohert]

Can do. I'm all for letting the past stay where it is, just as soon as we've hung Maggie

You can look forward to the street parties - anywhere outside the SE. Will make us feel like the UK again. Hoorah!

 

[Rich]

You can look forward to the street parties - anywhere outside the SE. Will make us feel like the UK again. Hoorah!

Funny, I don't live in the SE and don't at all feel the same way

 

[Alc]

Funny, I don't live in the SE and don't at all feel the same way

Nope. I can see why many disliked her, but I know an awful lot of people who think she did some good things.

 

[Pauldohert]

Funny, I don't live in the SE and don't at all feel the same way

There'll be jelly, ice cream , and the usual canapes.

 

[Pauldohert]

Calculator

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10335476.stm

Looks like those on low middle wages with kids are worse hit, percentage wise - on this limited look at the changes.

On these figure I am actually better off. Instead of 10 peanuts , I now have 11.

 

[GaryPanic]

remember its a mid budget - wait until the full budget later on ..

Pension age increase speeded up
Pension cut backs for Public sector workers (about time)
Increase payments into pensions for Public sector workers (about time)
a change in pensions for all public sector workers (execpt armerd forces) about time

roughly 20-25% of your council tax is paying indirectly for todays pensioner - Goverements have not been saving for pensions (note both Labour and conservatives) -

the solution is to make all geoverment pensions - stakeholder ones - and ensure that they are funded correctly - this in the long term would reduce tax payments into pensions -

in the short term this would penalise public sector workers - so a one off payrise to take into account this new pension arrangment - might not be abad idea ..

the pay freeze of Public sector workers - well I had a 18 month pay freeze - as did a lot of other people - the motor industry - also did pay freezes and short term hours to help - so if the public sector think they are except - think agian - they will not have the public support on this

 

[Pauldohert]

remember its a mid budget - wait until the full budget later on ..

Pension age increase speeded up
Pension cut backs for Public sector workers (about time)
Increase payments into pensions for Public sector workers (about time)
a change in pensions for all public sector workers (execpt armerd forces) about time

roughly 20-25% of your council tax is paying indirectly for todays pensioner - Goverements have not been saving for pensions (note both Labour and conservatives) -

the solution is to make all geoverment pensions - stakeholder ones - and ensure that they are funded correctly - this in the long term would reduce tax payments into pensions -

in the short term this would penalise public sector workers - so a one off payrise to take into account this new pension arrangment - might not be abad idea ..

the pay freeze of Public sector workers - well I had a 18 month pay freeze - as did a lot of other people - the motor industry - also did pay freezes and short term hours to help - so if the public sector think they are except - think agian - they will not have the public support on this

I agree with you - on the public sector.

Strikes will save money wont they?

 

[Yarp]

We got an across the board pay cut, and then a pay freeze. Least I still have a job though, unlike 25% of my office.

 

[oumahexi]

remember its a mid budget - wait until the full budget later on ..

Pension age increase speeded up
Pension cut backs for Public sector workers (about time)
Increase payments into pensions for Public sector workers (about time)
a change in pensions for all public sector workers (execpt armerd forces) about time

the pay freeze of Public sector workers - well I had a 18 month pay freeze - as did a lot of other people - the motor industry - also did pay freezes and short term hours to help - so if the public sector think they are except - think agian - they will not have the public support on this

What people seem to forget is that we in the public sector have put up with (well the majority of us) below average monthly incomes in the understanding that our pension was taken care of, in short, these are our savings. The top wage for a software developer in our council is approximately £24k. In the private sector I was earning that 12 years ago, but I had to provide my own pension plan. If we were all earning the top salaries even, I might agree with you, but we're not.

A lot of my friends are in a position where they are the sole provider in their household at this low pay, and with no children, they cannot claim working family tax benefit to suppliment.

Remember that most of us have also, very recently, had pay cuts due to "single status". Many of the manual workers lost the weekly bonuses that brought their pay up to a livable amount during that.

Most of us do understand the need for change and the reasoning behind the pay freezes, what I don't understand is how people can sing the praises of a government that wants to "outsource" much of the work already undertaken by public sector employees. Experience tells us that this avenue leaves us wide open to being held to ransom and it will be the tax payer who will pay dearly in the end.

 

[Pauldohert]

How does the single status pay cut work - without knowing anything about it, it doesn't sound legal.

 

[oumahexi]

How does the single status pay cut work - without knowing anything about it, it doesn't sound legal.

What they did was match up like for like jobs. So if it was deemed that a cook, for instance, was using the same energy value as a janitor they would both get the same pay. However, rather than, as the unions had hoped for, bringing the cook up to the same pay as the janitor, the janitor had his pay "frozen" until the cook reaches the amount of his pay without any bonuses, and his bonuses were taken away.

So, effectively, many of us have already went two years without an increase, and now we're being told again that we have to wait another two years.

 

[Adam Caramon]

I'm starting to wonder if raises are going to become a merit thing all around rather than an expected 1/year thing. They might be a thing of the past entirely...

 

[Pauldohert]

What they did was match up like for like jobs. So if it was deemed that a cook, for instance, was using the same energy value as a janitor they would both get the same pay. However, rather than, as the unions had hoped for, bringing the cook up to the same pay as the janitor, the janitor had his pay "frozen" until the cook reaches the amount of his pay without any bonuses, and his bonuses were taken away.

So, effectively, many of us have already went two years without an increase, and now we're being told again that we have to wait another two years.

I think I saw something similar in birmingham council were dinnner ladies won sexual discrimination claim, because they were paid less than a binman. Despite I guess being on the same council grade.

 

[Brianwarnock]

I think I saw something similar in birmingham council were dinnner ladies won sexual discrimination claim, because they were paid less than a binman. Despite I guess being on the same council grade.

It shows how daft the grading is, but what stopped the dinner ladies becoming bin persons and going out in all weathers and emptying those dirty smelly bins?

Brian

 

[oumahexi]

It shows how daft the grading is, but what stopped the dinner ladies becoming bin persons and going out in all weathers and emptying those dirty smelly bins?

Brian

Further discrimination I guess. The only reason we have a "bin lady" is that she threw a hissy fit about not getting the job because she was female, which was probably right. However, as it turns out, I hear she's every bit as worth her weight as the men in the same post.

 

[Pauldohert]

Further discrimination I guess. The only reason we have a "bin lady" is that she threw a hissy fit about not getting the job because she was female, which was probably right. However, as it turns out, I hear she's every bit as worth her weight as the men in the same post.

I feel sorry for the bin men - who chose back breaking work - in part beacuse of its superior pay. Only to find out years later -they could have opted for the easier physical option, for the same pay.

 

[oumahexi]

I feel sorry for the bin men - who chose back breaking work - in part beacuse of its superior pay. Only to find out years later -they could have opted for the easier physical option, for the same pay.

I don't think it's so back breaking any more. All the rules they have in place, you can't have your bin over filled, it must be on the kerb side and the handles must be facing the road. It's still physical,, but not as bad as it was say in the 1970s/80s.

The guys in South Africa used to have to run along side the truck (truck driver never stopped, but went at a steady 5mph pace), they would collect the bin from your property, run to the truck, empty it, run back, return it and run on to the next property. I heard that they had a life expectancy of around 35! Hardly surprising! Shame really, they could have retired at 30 and moved here to work as male strippers