danny.

109,000 job losses when that kicked in. Unemployment rate now at 4.8%, highest since COVID.

If only there was a written trail to see if I said or claimed any of the things you are getting angry about…

You seem to be getting really angry over a strawman of your own creation

I view reality as defined by violence and suffering? Wow, that’s quite a claim out of nowhere.

I don’t even know how to reply to that. You seem to have left the planes of reality.

Of course they do? Are you saying they don’t?

“Violence is an artificial construction”, Mamdani sounds unhinged.

Sugababes and it’s not even close, as much as I love Spice Girls and All Saints. Incredible debut album and they kept up the quality even with the rotating lineup.

Hope so! VED and BIK have already had some pretty big increases recently.

To be fair, they would if they had room!

Not sure what you think I’m being dishonest about but agree easier to move on, neither of us are going to change our outlook on this.

Not sure why it’s the U.K.’s responsibility to i.e. improve the Albanian economy to stop economic migrants coming from there via small boats. It’s up to each country to sort out their own economies and I don’t believe it’s the jurisdiction of a sovereign nation to fund the economies of other sovereign nations. As I said to leicsmac, though, I suspect this isn’t something we’ll agree on! Maybe there could be a voluntary tax scheme where people of the mindset that you and leicsmac have could pay additional tax that can go to other countries to improve their economies.

I guess where we disagree here, is that I believe that a sovereign country first and foremost should look after it’s own citizens, and you believe that they should look after citizens of other sovereign countries. Suspect we won’t agree here!

I didn’t say that. Is that your proposal?

People literally can’t afford Basic human necessities like food, heat and housing here. Why should we be spending money we don’t have to help people in other countries? That’s up to their governments.

Yup, just brings down the standards of living for everyone. I heard on LBC at the weekend we’re down to close to 40th in the global GDP/capita rankings. Quite a drop from 15th at the turn of the century.

Importing millions of cheap workers bringing down GDP per capita and pushing up house prices won’t help with stagnant wages or wealth inequality either 🤷‍♂️

Especially as she’s promised over and over again not to, and it was a manifesto pledge. Pointless having pledges if they are broken soon into the duration of parliament

Either put taxes up or cut spending. One of those. Someone will lose out either way. We could also invest on infrastructure that would save/make money long term but can’t see this government doing that.

Not sure that means much, why are you the yardstick here? Are they just “rich” because they are apparently wealthier than you?

Because the wealthy already pay most of the tax. Most people do not even break even in terms of paying into the system positively - the U.K. government spends £17k per person, so unless a person is earning around £70k/year they are paying in less tax than government spending on them (ie net drain). If they have dependants that figure would be much higher. If the wealthy are taxed too high they will simply leave the country and then the problem escalates. Wealth taxes have been tried around the world and they don’t work.

With a 7% pension contribution it’s a take home of £2800. If you bought a house ages ago maybe that’s good money, but if not then you can easily sink £1400 on a 3 bed semi in a not-amazing area. That leaves £1400. If you don’t own a car and need one you’re looking at £500-700 a month for finance, insurance, fuel, VED, tyres, breakdown for just a standard low spec family car. That leaves £700-900. Take off £400 for food, £50 for internet and phones, £50 for water, £100 energy , £150 council tax, and you’re left with with between -£50 and £150. I haven’t included clothes, entertainment or anything crazy like a holiday into that. Hardly the life of a wealthy person is it!?

45k really isn’t that much in 2025 with the crazy amount of inflation we’ve had for years. We just get poorer and more hammered every year in the U.K. What a time to be alive.

Faes isn’t slow?

Yup, that is certainly very different to how it was presented at the time!