[NevTheSweeper]

So, there we have it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c5y3n56eg9rt

Labour have decided to go for the nuclear option in taking away from the most vulnerable people. We will now see reports in the media of pensioners, the disabled, and the poor dying in hospital because they cannot afford to heat their homes. Even the meagre help offered will not be enough to stave off the crisis to come....and it was self-inflicted. Every single Labour MP who voted for this need to be named and publically shamed. This will not be forgotten. They need to be reminded every time a person dies as a result of this shameful policy.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Nev - with all respect, that's bollocks.

[NevTheSweeper]

Nev - with all respect, that's bollocks.

I wish it could be, but it's not, unfortunately.

[kreuzberger]

It is a clumsy policy which takes a hammer and will smash vulnerable walnuts as collateral damage. The lack of finesse is breathtaking, but it epitomises the lead-footed Reeves and her rather oafish demeanour.

"Don't worry, they'll whack the bankers and run riot over CGT, oh, and they have made some adverts", is not going to provide any respite for those who will suffer the most.

[mattomac]

Sorry again that’s bollocks

Interesting you mention the disabled as they have never had anything as generous as the WFA to cover their needs.

So wherever you got that from, end of the day uplift in pension will cover any loss, like every working person has had borrow and move around money for the last 14 years.

My wage increase hasn’t outstripped pensioners for almost a decade now, I have little pension, a retirement age of probably over 70 so cry me a fucking river that something that was brought in universally and is woefully out of date has been curbed partly because the last government drove an austerity bulldozer through services. This was a quick Brown manoeuvre due to the woefully inadequate pension uplifts under Thatcher and Major

We don’t know what will be in the budget or statement but the suggestions seem to include inheritance tax for one. There was also some bleating I saw in passing on that windfall tax on energy companies not to mention getting rid of another tax relief for Private schools.

[davidjay]

I don't doubt there are some poor pensioners, but will £300 really lead to "heat or eat" ? Most pensioners I know think of it as a nice Christmas bonus; like Malcolm, some give it to charity. And lest we forget, these are the generation who kept Thatcher in power because buying council houses cheaply and making a short-term profit on utilities shares was more important than keeping communities intact.

[Killer Whale]

Entirely anecdotal:

My parents are on pension credit, yet they live reasonably comfortably. They certainly never have to think about putting the heating on if required. Yes, they're old enough now to not be particularly active, but this only makes them more like the stereotype of the lonely pensioner, isolated and starving in a freezing house. Except their lifestyle is nothing like that.

The classic image of the poor pensioner is out of date, yet we cling to it like a comforting symbol of the past, as 'British' as all those Brexit fantasies that had long gone, faded into history.

More, and more active, targetting of help is required, not blanket benefits.

[Watchman]

It’s the “ we should be doing more for our own, not boat people”, propaganda. Doesn’t qualify who exactly are “ our own “, apart from “heat or eat” pensioners and homeless ex-military. The situation re homelessness being a completely different conversation

[Andy McDandy]

I think Jim Davidson of all people tried to do something to help homeless veterans, setting up a hostel for them. IIRC he quickly learned that many of them had other issues, from addictions to various MH conditions, and pulled the plug on it, calling them ungrateful so-and-so's.

My mother is 75, almost 76. Her house is very thoroughly insulated and she avails herself of every benefit the state can offer that she's eligible for. She sees the winter allowance as Christmas present money.

Maybe a way of doing it would be to arrange with energy companies a discount for anyone meeting the criteria. If GB Energy gets going, that should be fairly easy, I'd have thought (although what do you do about pensioners sharing homes with their children, how do you factor in total savings and other not easily quantifiable/liquefied assets etc....).

[The Weeping Angel]

The current Labour party is heading for defeat at the next general election. Starmer comes across as very politically inept. Even some commentators sympathetic to him are now having second thoughts. It's as if they actively want to LOSE the election. Opponents will certainly pick on Labour's difficulties during the election campaign. The big fight after the election will see a huge factional fight over who succeeds him as leader after the inevitable defeat. People may hate the Conservatives, but at least we know where they stand, but people are struggling to see what Starmer actually stands for. The party is still being perceived as being BOTH antisemitic and islamophobic. Nothing has changed.

The OP's predictions are certainly something.

[Killer Whale]

Certainly there's an element of naivety in there about how all governments get the unpopular stuff out of the way early on before handing out the sweets later.

[Youngian]

The current Labour party is heading for defeat at the next general election. Starmer comes across as very politically inept. Even some commentators sympathetic to him are now having second thoughts. It's as if they actively want to LOSE the election. Opponents will certainly pick on Labour's difficulties during the election campaign. The big fight after the election will see a huge factional fight over who succeeds him as leader after the inevitable defeat. People may hate the Conservatives, but at least we know where they stand, but people are struggling to see what Starmer actually stands for. The party is still being perceived as being BOTH antisemitic and islamophobic. Nothing has changed.

The OP's predictions are certainly something.

Is he Ross Clark?

[Watchman]

I think Jim Davidson of all people tried to do something to help homeless veterans, setting up a hostel for them. IIRC he quickly learned that many of them had other issues, from addictions to various MH conditions, and pulled the plug on it, calling them ungrateful so-and-so's.

Yes he did set up a charity, the cynic in me says it was an attempt to upgrade his OBE, Also he did the "entertaining the troops gig" to curry favour, more like pissed up squaddies are the only ones likely to find anything remotely funny in Davison's so called humour

[Oboogie]

Yes he did set up a charity, the cynic in me says it was an attempt to upgrade his OBE, Also he did the "entertaining the troops gig" to curry favour, more like pissed up squaddies are the only ones likely to find anything remotely funny in Davison's so called humour

I recall seeing a clip of him doing a gig on the Falklands and, yes, the pissed up squaddies did appear to be enjoying it - in their defence their alternative sources of entertainment were very limited - watching Jim Davidson or trying to get it on with a penguin on a sleet lashed beach? Tough call.

[Killer Whale]

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019/12/ ... is_charity

https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-new ... ter-Combat

Despite official figures reporting that 13,000 former war heroes are sleeping rough, the 64-year-old said he “couldn’t find any” to move into the property, opened by the organisation and comprising of 12 self-contained apartments.

Jim also accused some of the few tenants who had been housed in the £550,000 Hampshire hostel of “sitting around playing Playstation” rather than looking for work.

“It’s very simple to say there’s 50,000 homeless veterans on the streets,” the Celebrity Big Brother winner started. “But I don’t believe those figures, because we couldn’t find any in Hampshire.”

Those figures, both the 13000 and the 50000, look massively exaggerated. This is what comes of believing your own prejudices.

[Watchman]

I recall seeing a clip of him doing a gig on the Falklands and, yes, the pissed up squaddies did appear to be enjoying it - in their defence their alternative sources of entertainment were very limited - watching Jim Davidson or trying to get it on with a penguin on a sleet lashed beach? Tough call.

Rock and a hard place!

[Tubby Isaacs]

It is a clumsy policy which takes a hammer and will smash vulnerable walnuts as collateral damage. The lack of finesse is breathtaking, but it epitomises the lead-footed Reeves and her rather oafish demeanour.

"Don't worry, they'll whack the bankers and run riot over CGT, oh, and they have made some adverts", is not going to provide any respite for those who will suffer the most.

It was more than just some adverts though. Kendall announced linking Housing Benefit with Pension Credit, work with Age UK and Saga, 450 extra staff.

Pension credit has barely been mentioned before. It's got mentioned now, and that should make a big difference before any adverts.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Also eroding the idea amongst some olders that claiming 'benefits' is somehow wrong or shameful. Publicising the benefit as an entitlement will go a way towards that.

[Yug]

While it's bad news for the charity concerned, this shows that scrapping the universal Winter Fuel Allowance wasn't such a bad idea.

The organisers of charity appeal that relied on people donating their unwanted winter fuel payments say they have already had donors pull out as the government scrap the scheme.

MPs voted to scrap the winter fuel payments for most pensioners on Tuesday.

The 'Surviving Winter' appeal has raised more than £1.5m in Somerset alone. The Somerset Community Foundation is now looking into other ways to raise funds.

The appeal was started in 2010 when one of the members of the charity realised he did not need his payment...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw84dp8dj7o.amp

Yes, it's good that some pensioners donated the money, but how many others just blew it on Christmas presents, piss-ups, holiday spending money &c? At least now it's actually going only to those who need it.

[mattomac]

That is not a good reason to keep it.

Government needs to now show where it is going. It can’t simply disappear into space like it did under Cameron.