Reform UK - A symptom of all that is wrong?

[crankedup5]

wc98 said:

Condi said:

It depends, the state pension isn't as good as most of Europe, but many UK pensioners have their own pensions which is much less common on the continent. America very much the other way. For those who have planned and saved for their retirement then UK pensioners have a very comfortable lifestyle, for those relying entirely on the bare minimum the state provides then it's not so good. As ever, individual circumstances vary.

But the simple argument that UK state pension is lower than European alternatives does ignore the differences in private pensions across Europe too.

EDIT - it would also be interesting to take into account living costs, for example in Germany owning a house is much less common, so many pensioners are still paying rent whereas in the UK many more own their own homes before retirement.

Edited by Condi on Tuesday 9th April 16:54

Fair points, i would not be averse to it being means tested (along with child benefit) but i understand that's not a popular view on here and would likely be even less popular around the country.

Means testing is so expensive to administrate.

[wc98]

Castrol for a knave said:

As someone in business, the old Conservative party, the one that ostensibly supported the business community, is no more.

Quite how Reform would support enterprise is beyond me. Their poster girl is Anne Widdecombe - it's all about culture wars, immigration and angry letters to local papers about the BBC.

I'm 54 this year, to think how much the Conservative and Labour parties have changed since the 80's and early 90's would have been incomprehensible back then. On a business front the lack of support around here sees what would have been many of this generations SME owners disappearing overseas. My brother still has local business interests but along with the majority of his friends they are all now based overseas. I get the impression many areas, especially Asia, are in the same place the UK was a long time ago, we are past the peak while they are in the ascendency in business growth terms.

If Reform ever become the answer to any of the issues in the UK today then we will know we have hit rock bottom.

[Killboy]

crankedup5 said:

Fiscal drag is a killer, even the guy who sweeps my chimney doesn’t increase his charges or seek to expand his business due to hitting stupidly low tax bands.

I heard the way to be successful is to expand to China and India.

[oyster]

Dagnir said:

Staggering that people think the Torys are moving to the right.


Simply jaw-dropping and really highlights how far down the rabbit hole some people here are.


Get out of your media bubbles.

So why do one nation Tories, like myself, feel left out by the party?

[TTwiggy]

oyster said:

So why do one nation Tories, like myself, feel left out by the party?

Er… possibly because they have moved to the right?

[Randy Winkman]

Isn't the issue that some people are thinking about economics (eg during covid) and others about "woke" stuff?

[TTwiggy]

Randy Winkman said:

Isn't the issue that some people are thinking about economics (eg during covid) and others about "woke" stuff?

Probably. Economically you could argue they’ve gone left. Socially they’ve shifted right.

Sort of Nazi-lite maybe? (This is a joke before anyone gets frothy).

[thetapeworm]

Blue62 said:

thetapeworm said:

I suspect a decent number are dead and a lot of others aren't quite as keen now...

Is that genuine?

Sorry for the delay, I've been offline today.

It's genuine in so much as it's from a Reform candidate but I'm not sure if it echos any messaging from their central team.

[crankedup5]

Killboy said:

crankedup5 said:

Fiscal drag is a killer, even the guy who sweeps my chimney doesn’t increase his charges or seek to expand his business due to hitting stupidly low tax bands.

I heard the way to be successful is to expand to China and India.

Do tell.

[crankedup5]

TTwiggy said:

Randy Winkman said:

Isn't the issue that some people are thinking about economics (eg during covid) and others about "woke" stuff?

Probably. Economically you could argue they’ve gone left. Socially they’ve shifted right.

Sort of Nazi-lite maybe? (This is a joke before anyone gets frothy).

If you are going to state this nonsense at least have the balls to stand up with it.

[Killboy]

crankedup5 said:

Killboy said:

crankedup5 said:

Fiscal drag is a killer, even the guy who sweeps my chimney doesn’t increase his charges or seek to expand his business due to hitting stupidly low tax bands.

I heard the way to be successful is to expand to China and India.

Do tell.

Study the teachings of Richard Finney the wise.

[TTwiggy]

crankedup5 said:

TTwiggy said:

Randy Winkman said:

Isn't the issue that some people are thinking about economics (eg during covid) and others about "woke" stuff?

Probably. Economically you could argue they’ve gone left. Socially they’ve shifted right.

Sort of Nazi-lite maybe? (This is a joke before anyone gets frothy).

If you are going to state this nonsense at least have the balls to stand up with it.

How do I ‘stand up’ on an internet forum?

I said it was a joke for fk sake.

[crankedup5]

Killboy said:

crankedup5 said:

Killboy said:

crankedup5 said:

Fiscal drag is a killer, even the guy who sweeps my chimney doesn’t increase his charges or seek to expand his business due to hitting stupidly low tax bands.

I heard the way to be successful is to expand to China and India.

Do tell.

Study the teachings of Richard Finney the wise.

I was interested in your mutterings.

[crankedup5]

TTwiggy said:

crankedup5 said:

TTwiggy said:

Randy Winkman said:

Isn't the issue that some people are thinking about economics (eg during covid) and others about "woke" stuff?

Probably. Economically you could argue they’ve gone left. Socially they’ve shifted right.

Sort of Nazi-lite maybe? (This is a joke before anyone gets frothy).

If you are going to state this nonsense at least have the balls to stand up with it.

How do I ‘stand up’ on an internet forum?

I said it was a joke for fk sake.

No joking involved when the terminology involves Nazi however you want to dress it up or excuse it
Just don’t go there.

[TTwiggy]

crankedup5 said:

No joking involved when the terminology involves Nazi however you want to dress it up or excuse it
Just don’t go there.

Get a grip. This isn’t Germany and we’ve been laughing at Nazis since 1945.

[Killboy]

crankedup5 said:

I was interested in your mutterings.

I'm glad. It's a teachable moment.

[crankedup5]

TTwiggy said:

crankedup5 said:

No joking involved when the terminology involves Nazi however you want to dress it up or excuse it
Just don’t go there.

Get a grip. This isn’t Germany and we’ve been laughing at Nazis since 1945.

Get a grip! you may have been laughing at the Nazi’s since 1945 but don’t think everybody is as crass as you or the idiot who wanted to pass it off as some sort of light joke. Disgusting from the pair of you.

[crankedup5]

Killboy said:

crankedup5 said:

I was interested in your mutterings.

I'm glad. It's a teachable moment.

Then move it along.

[TTwiggy]

crankedup5 said:

TTwiggy said:

crankedup5 said:

No joking involved when the terminology involves Nazi however you want to dress it up or excuse it
Just don’t go there.

Get a grip. This isn’t Germany and we’ve been laughing at Nazis since 1945.

Get a grip! you may have been laughing at the Nazi’s since 1945 but don’t think everybody is as crass as you or the idiot who wanted to pass it off as some sort of light joke. Disgusting from the pair of you.

Have you been drinking? There’s only one of me.

When John Cleese - as Basil Fawlty - goose stepped through his hotel foyer holding two fingers under his nose to represent a Hitler moustache, you must have been apoplectic.

[Killboy]

crankedup5 said:

Then move it along.

I'm trying. If your mate doesn't have what it takes I'm sure we all can look forward to funding his retirement

Edited by Killboy on Tuesday 9th April 23:57