The Politics Thread 2020

[Jon the Hat]

 

1 hour ago, foxile5 said:

One of the biggest drivers for the Brexit voters, in a lot I know at least, was the fact that Cameron was banging the remain drum. The public opinion of him was at an all time low - and his desire to be part of the Euro Parliament so transparent - that many voted simply because his support was perceived as a curse. 

So many different reasons.  I could say most of the people I know who voted for remain are professional people who want the freedom of movement and don't give a toss about the impact that is has on the low paid in the UK.

[Jon the Hat]

Sunak cuts the foreign aid commitment from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP.  A sad day.  I hope this mostly hits Pakistan - they really need to sort some shit out before we lift it up again.

[Kopfkino]

Get John back as shadow chancellor, may have been more radical but was at least interesting and had something to say. This Dodds woman has been terrible so far. In fact Labour have a decent record with its appointments of Chancellor/shadow chancellor, Brown, Darling, Balls and McDonnell.

[foxile5]

2 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

 

So many different reasons.  I could say most of the people I know who voted for remain are professional people who want the freedom of movement and don't give a toss about the impact that is has on the low paid in the UK.

You're quite right - I'm speaking from the demographic of a N.W. Leicestershire Hamlet that aren't, perhaps, concerned with the freedom of movement. All context based, of course.

[Nick]

6 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

It is only an embarrassing shambles if you read / listen / watch the neverending coverage applauding every move the EU makes and condemning every move the UK makes.  It is such bullshit.  In reality this is pretty normal negotation with pretty normal issues remaining as the deadline approaches.  There will be a deal I have no doubt, and probably I won't like it much and you won't either, but such is the nature of compromise.

No, it’s an embarassing shambles no matter what you read. It’s also divisive and lacks integrity. It’s bullshit no matter how you wish to polish it, John. It’s a saddening crock of looming misery that could have been very much differently handled.

 

 

[Buce]

 

And they wonder why they're called the Nasty Party...

 

Universal credit: tens of thousands of families face benefits cap

Tens of thousands of struggling families on universal credit will be told in the run-up to Christmas their benefit payments are to be capped – leaving them potentially hundreds of pounds a month worse off and at risk of destitution.

Many claimants who lost their jobs in March under the first coronavirus lockdown and have been unemployed since will be informed in December by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that their benefits will be slashed unless they find work.

 

If they are capped, these households face benefit income losses averaging about £250 a month from January. For some families living in high rent areas such as London, being capped could leave them several hundred pounds a month out of pocket.

Official figures published on Thursday show 170,000 households in Great Britain – the vast majority with children – had benefits capped in August, marginally down on July when record numbers of households were capped. More than 40% of capped families had children under the age of five.

The anticipated pre-Christmas surge of capped claimants follows the end of a nine-month “grace period”, which protected some new universal credit claimants from the cap at the start of the pandemic. A further surge is expected in January, when the grace period ends for thousands who made a claim in April.

Separate research published on Thursday said the financial shock of the benefit cap increased the risk of poor mental health among claimants. A study by the London School of Economics concluded: “[The cap] may actually push people further away from the labour market because it undermines their wellbeing.”

The increase in benefit-capped households is likely to heighten concern that ministers are failing to protect many low-income people from falling into deeper poverty as a result of the pandemic. The chancellor on Wednesday refused to commit to retaining the £20-a-week Covid top-up to universal credit beyond March.

Shelter urged ministers to scrap the benefit cap. “It limits families’ basic incomes to the point where parents have to choose between paying their rent or feeding their children. And too many get to the point where they have no choice, and homelessness becomes unavoidable,” said the housing charity’s chief executive, Polly Neate.

Alison Garnham, the chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “Families are being capped at a time when the shrinking labour market leaves them little or no hope of finding extra hours or new jobs to escape the cap … They are losing crucial support just as we enter a coronavirus recession. That isn’t right.”

The DWP has said up to 160,000 people who started a universal credit claim in March will see their grace period end in December, though it does not know how many will be capped. Claimants are exempt if they work and earn more than £604.59 a month, or are in receipt of some disability benefits.

The cap was introduced in 2013 to provide an “incentive” for jobless claimants to find a job. Ministers have since made it even less generous, despite evidence – including from the DWP’s own research – that capped claimants were less likely to find work. About 440,000 households have been capped at some point in the last seven years.

The cap restricts jobless universal credit or housing benefit couple claimants to household benefit payments totalling £20,000 a year (£385 a week) outside London and £23,000 (£442 a week) in the capital. These limits have remained unchanged since 2016.

The government’s official social security adviser, the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), has called for the cap to be suspended or made more generous during the pandemic, because it is unfair to put low-income families at risk of homelessness when employment opportunities are scarce.

A DWP spokesperson said: “To help them adjust to receiving welfare support, households will have already received a nine-month exemption from the cap and many still won’t be capped because, for example, they are exempt or their total benefit income is below the cap level.

“The benefit cap … provides a strong work incentive and fairness for taxpayers, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable.”

 

 

 

[Carl the Llama]

Happy holidays, we understand there are fewer job vacancies as a result of covid so to help you find one we're going to threaten you with destitution.

 

Peace and love this festive season,

 

The Tories  xX

Edited 26 November 2020 by Carl the Llama

[iniesta]

unless you're a single person, UC is quite generous... that doesn't suit the narrative i suppose

[Footballwipe]

2 hours ago, iniesta said:

unless you're a single person, UC is quite generous... that doesn't suit the narrative i suppose

Could you please back this up with some more info? I'm genuinely intrigued.

• What do you define as "generous"? Could we please have some numbers to evidence this above assertion?
• As and when you supply these numbers (very much looking forward to them!!) what do you think would be considered "standard" and not "generous"?
• What is "the narrative" and why do you perceive it to be so harsh?
• Have you been in receipt of UC and have experience of receiving "generous" income?
• Do you believe people on UC are living a life of luxury? If so, do you have any examples other than "people on UC buy alcohol and cigarettes?"

Thank you

[iniesta]

6 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Could you please back this up with some more info? I'm genuinely intrigued.

• What do you define as "generous"? Could we please have some numbers to evidence this above assertion?

currently a family of 4 can expect roughly £1100 a month personal allowance, child element. plus housing costs on top. would not pay council tax at all or very little. 

• As and when you supply these numbers (very much looking forward to them!!) what do you think would be considered "standard" and not "generous"?

thats not up to me to decide, but would hardly say clearing 1100 a month is causing destitution. 

it a diff story for single people though and feel for them greatly

 

6 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

• What is "the narrative" and why do you perceive it to be so harsh?

evil torwees.. i dont find it harsh, just predictable

• Have you been in receipt of UC and have experience of receiving "generous" income?

i haven't, worked with plenty of claimants though

• Do you believe people on UC are living a life of luxury? If so, do you have any examples other than "people on UC buy alcohol and cigarettes?"

nope, but neither are many people. who actually go to work. 

many do spend it on alcohol and fags. 

 

6 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Thank you

cheers fella

 

[Buce]

36 minutes ago, iniesta said:

 

Predictable Tory diatribe.

 

 

It's the housing element that is the problem as it's capped at the same level regardless of how much rent the claimant pays; in some cases, private renters see a defecit of several hundred pounds; if the personal element is set at the amount people need to live (which is what the Govt claim), clearly paying a large chunk of it towards the rent puts them below that level. Also, claimants no longer get full Council Tax relief and have to pay full water rates. And then there's the Bedroom Tax to consider. Interesting that you rederence a family of four - nothing to do with CTC only being paid for the first two kids, I'm sure, because that wouldn't suit your agenda, would it?

 

But it's easy to keep banging the Tory drum when you're alright, Jack, eh?

Edited 26 November 2020 by Buce

[StanSP]

 

 

 

[Innovindil]

4 minutes ago, StanSP said:

 

 

 

 

DEVASTATING DEPORTATIONS. Ridding the UK of a few drug dealers. 

 

[Dahnsouff]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

 

DEVASTATING DEPORTATIONS. Ridding the UK of a few drug dealers. 

 

 

Never miss a chance to bash the Tories in here that is for sure, facts are for weirdos #askdon

[StanSP]

2 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

 

Never miss a chance to bash the Tories in here that is for sure, facts are for weirdos #askdon

Of course.

 

Having said that, I must learn to read properly and look at all info.

[DennisNedry]

Bit different deporting serious criminal offenders and law abiding pensioners who've been here for 50 years without the correct paperwork.

[CosbehFox]

It’s not a great look for Johnston to be waving people towards the aye door of the lobby.
 

Given it was still a sure fire victory, face saving game as 56 Tory MPs went against him 

[Leicester_Loyal]

 

He looks like me when I used to be coming up off a pinger

[bovril]

The 'Sun says' Boris needs to stand firm on fishing even though obviously it's vital we get a deal as frictionless trade with the EU is so important.

 

Kill me now. 

[Dahnsouff]

Fishing was always the pawn in these negotiations.

[Buce]

18 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Fishing was always the prawn in these negotiations.

 

[String fellow]

On 01/12/2020 at 23:56, Leicester_Loyal said:

 

He looks like me when I used to be coming up off a pinger

It looks to me like he's trying hold in a number two.

[StanSP]

He doesn't help himself does he. 

I'll get some predictable responses but it just typifies exactly what Johnson is like. 

 

And he's leading our Brexit negotiations... 

 

[Carl the Llama]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

He doesn't help himself does he. 

I'll get some predictable responses but it just typifies exactly what Johnson is like. 

 

And he's leading our Brexit negotiations... 

 

Worst thing about that is if he'd just said "yes, everyone has the right to protest peacefully" he wouldn't have made himself look like a pratt pretending to know what's going on

[HybridFox]

Even if he came out and said he was unaware, it would have looked better than winging it on a pretty serious issue!