Chancellor statement

[slogen51]

Reeves also confirmed the government has made a 22% two-year pay offer to junior doctors. Teachers and NHS workers will also get a 5.5% rise

Interesting how she differentiates between doctors and NHS workers - most people you will see or will be of actual help will be a 'NHS worker' rather than a doctor

Don't get me started on teachers

You knew darn well that that was going to be a red rag to me!

If the amount saved by limiting the winter fuel payment is going towards stopping young doctors completing their (very expensive to us) training and then emigrating to the former colonies down under or goes towards meeting the major teacher shortage the country is facing then it's worth the "sacrifice". After all I was going to spend mine on the lift pass for my second ski holiday next March - and I suspect the honourable member for Mundford would use his to part fund a trip abroad to watch aeroplanes!

Maybe it's an East Anglian thing but the Truss budget, the billions that Hancock paid out unnecessarily (that should save me from a libel allegation) on unusable PPE or the Johnson parties in No.10 while the rest of us were imprisoned at home is seemingly forgotten on here. The country is broke - and that didn't just happen in the last three weeks - and needs to be paid for.

I was thinking of my neighbours - i don't even know you?

Just say why you agree with the decision rather picking apart what others post

[James Cutting]

Why do you take everything so personal Mike? You make a thread to disucss it, people raise legitimate points without getting that personal and you get your back up and on the defensive??

Are you going to PM someone else to tell them they are toxic to the community??

[slogen51]

Why can't you just post about the subject and add some information or correct something rather than commenting on what I or others have posted?

What have my spotting trips got to do with my friend who are struggling on a pension.

[atech]

The country is broke - and that didn't just happen in the last three weeks - and needs to be paid for.

Yes the country is broke, but mainly because for nearly two years we paid a lot of the population 80% of their salary to sit at home and do s*d all, seriously egged on by one Mr Captain Hindsight Starmer because we were not spending enough and moving into lockdown fast enough. That also needs to be remembered.

Yes it doe need to be paid for, by doctors, teachers, public/private sector workers et al, and not leave it to those people who have little chance of increasing their income to shoulder the burden.

At the beginning of this century I listened to labour’s one Mr Gordon Brown telling us we are not saving enough for our old age. So I worked hard, saved and thought I could have a comfortable retirement. Now after over a half century of work, the same party’s chancellor wants to take take it all away from me.

[XWP29]

I’m thinking of all those who can’t even afford gloves who get frozen fingers at Lakenheath.

Seriously, we now know who’s in the frame, Rachel R showing her true intents.
Cutting winter fuel payments is Dickensian, add in the
Edstone eco nut who’s going to make everything electric, goodness help the pensioners who won’t qualify, but will be turning off the heating this winter.

Wait till October…..

[Ghostrider01]

If you all think that 22% for junior doctors is er, bad, then let's just wait to see what our illustrious MP's choose to bump their 'salaries' by !!

While on the subject of them (the mp's), how much correlation is there with the 'benefit cheats' .. probably quite a bit.

My Mrs works for the NHS .. she can't wait now to leap that massive amount up .. over the minimum wage !

[James Cutting]

Restricting winter fuel allowance (as it is just a restriction) is simply not going to fund the AVERAGE 22% pay rise for doctors (as it isn't just a straight 22% raise).

Multiple things were cancelled or scrapped - Rwanda will save millions. £500million saved after the Tories wanted to bring back rural railway lines from the 60s and 70s. A tunnel under Stonehenge will be scrapped.

And to be frank - you want the NHS to be paid well when everyone gets the care they need. (Easy what you find when you spend a mo reading the BBC report )

[XWP29]

Restricting winter fuel allowance (as it is just a restriction) is simply not going to fund the AVERAGE 22% pay rise for doctors (as it isn't just a straight 22% raise).

Multiple things were cancelled or scrapped - Rwanda will save millions. £500million saved after the Tories wanted to bring back rural railway lines from the 60s and 70s. A tunnel under Stonehenge will be scrapped.

And to be frank - you want the NHS to be paid well when everyone gets the care they need. (Easy what you find when you spend a mo reading the BBC report )

As you know James I love Railways and bringing them back would help reduce car use. As long as they are steam locomotives that’s fine.

[slogen51]

I personally think taking money from pensioners to ' balance the books ' should be a last resort not in the summer statement

We will never know but I wonder what the Tories had in mind

I think I was shocked or surprised at the decision because it seems so un labour

[XWP29]

Stopping Doctors leaving is key as is NHS workers. Totally happy to support that one.

[slogen51]

The Rwanda money has been spent - i thought I read in the media we are not getting the money back?

[XWP29]

I personally think taking money from pensioners to ' balance the books ' should be a last resort not in the summer statement

We will never know but I wonder what the Tories had in mind

I think I was shocked or surprised at the decision because it seems so un labour

I’m surprised you’re surprised, Gordon Clown (sic), raided pension plans by taking away tax relief from pension funds. They’re hitting what they see as pensioners with too much.

[Blackcat1]

Pensioners with too much , absolute bollocks

[XWP29]

Pensioners with too much , absolute bollocks

What they see

[Blackcat1]

Pensioners with too much , absolute bollocks

What they see

Yes I know I was referring to “what they see”

[slogen51]

I suppose it is close to my heart ( not as James Cutting hilariously inferred because I can't go spotting anymore) but because, and obviously i am not alone in this, I have several friends who will be effected by this.

In fact it was brought to my attention by a lady friend who is single and although gets by with a lot of class and dignity will now have to be even more careful - she can cope of course she can but I just think it's unfair - quite harsh

I fully accept budgets need to be balanced but hitting pensioners is too easy and a cheap shot

[James Cutting]

In breach of Rule 4, no?

Tells off someone else for doing it, then as a Mod, does it himself? Just as everything was back civilised.

[raptor9]

Happy with loosing the fuel allowance. I regard it as 'doing my bit' to try to get the country on it's feet, though I am well aware that a large number of people are going to be affected by this. Ah well, I get free electricity [solar panels].

[C24]

In breach of Rule 4, no?

Tells off someone else for doing it, then as a Mod, does it himself? Just as everything was back civilised.

The thought crossed my mind too

[iainpeden]

Just say why you agree with the decision rather picking apart what others post

First, the Tories have all but bankrupted the country with 99.5% borrowing to GDP and that needs to be paid for; not by some Truss magic money tree but by people.

Second reason revolves around my personal finances. Having been a teacher and headteacher for 38 years I have a comfortable pension - not non-contributary. last November I turned 66 and became eligible for my state pension. Over my working life (the only time I claimed unemployment benefit was in my first summer as a student) I was careful with money using a number of savings plans over 10, 20 and 25 years to build up a savings pot (the most I paid into one was £21 a month). Then my parents died within 20 months of each other - neither needing any care packages and owning their own house - so that money was shared between my sister and me. When my daughter was born we stuck to UK holidays once a year; neither my wife and I smoke, we tended to eat out once a fortnight at the local pub but did indulge in newish cars every few years. So by being careful, saving a bit, sticking with a demanding job and realising the value of my pension early on I am comfortably off.

There are plenty of people like me to whom that winter payment was just a bonus so that's why I agree with it. While I know there are people who haven't had the benefit of those breaks it has always seem a bit anachronistic that this was a benefit which was not linked to need.

With regard to the lady you mention - don't forget that we pensioners still have the advantage of the triple lock.