news & politics:discussion

[Neil]

2 hours ago, steviewevie said:

Loads of bike thefts in Manchester too. My bike got nicked a few years ago.

think its the same everywhere, its impossible to keep a bike in Bristol.

[Neil]

just seen that my local coffee roasters have a "i still hate thatcher" sign up, which sparked a convo, where they blamed thatcher for the sh*t state of the country now - they're not wrong!

[steviewevie]

https://iandunt.substack.com/p/labour-is-going-to-be-more-radical

[steviewevie]

 

[Comfy Bean]

5 hours ago, steviewevie said:

So Manchester has been heading in direction of favouring public transport users and cyclists/pedestrians over the years...20mph limits, new cycle paths and bus lanes etc...and i know it f**ks many drivers off as I see it on social media and also I drive too. So..I guess it is these people that Sunak sees as potential way to get votes.

I also cycle and it's f**king dangerous in some places and I have been knocked off my bike a couple of times just in last few months, and I use public transport when need to but would take ages if I tried to get to work on it, my kid uses every day...and we we need to get more people out of their cars so f**koff rishi.

6 month pilot starts next week with no increased rail fares during “peak” travel times. Not before time and hopefully becomes permanent and takes people off the roads.

[Ozanne]

28 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

 

Pretty much reverting back to their previous poll and it’s already fairly old. 

[Nobody Interesting]

2 hours ago, stuie said:

 

Are you perfect? 

I've been driving for 26 years and have just had my first speeding offence.  

I didn't mean to break the law that day. 

 

 

No I am not..................... how little you know..........................

but when you know there are cameras in bus lanes then don't drive in bus lanes. Not hard is it?

[Nobody Interesting]

THIS

[Nobody Interesting]

As I walked in the woods a thought hit me................... and I wonder what you lot think.

The UK has an aging population and already needs more willing workers.
We have a stream of people who want to work on tap and could, if we chose, get them sorted and in work fast.

If we therefore decided to do that but added one more new thing to the equation - an 'incomer tax' of 10% on top of all other taxes that they have to pay on earnings for the first 10 years - as do any dependant family that are allowed in with them once they earn as well (so a 12 year old will pay the tax for 10 years once they start work).

That helps fund the NHS and services they may use and as all the ones I have spoken to and heard say they just want to work and earn money then I am sure they would not turn down the chance to come here and earn their keep.

I know racist minds will hate it cos they do not want them regardless but if I were 55 and was told I could retire now and enjoy life as we have new workers coming who will pay more tax and so enable you to take your pension early I would bite their hands off....................... but I am not scared of people who look different so maybe I am bias.

Anyway, I know it is not as simple as this but - we need workers, they want to work........................ some jigsaws can be easy to complete.

[steviewevie]

47 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

As I walked in the woods a thought hit me................... and I wonder what you lot think.

The UK has an aging population and already needs more willing workers.
We have a stream of people who want to work on tap and could, if we chose, get them sorted and in work fast.

If we therefore decided to do that but added one more new thing to the equation - an 'incomer tax' of 10% on top of all other taxes that they have to pay on earnings for the first 10 years - as do any dependant family that are allowed in with them once they earn as well (so a 12 year old will pay the tax for 10 years once they start work).

That helps fund the NHS and services they may use and as all the ones I have spoken to and heard say they just want to work and earn money then I am sure they would not turn down the chance to come here and earn their keep.

I know racist minds will hate it cos they do not want them regardless but if I were 55 and was told I could retire now and enjoy life as we have new workers coming who will pay more tax and so enable you to take your pension early I would bite their hands off....................... but I am not scared of people who look different so maybe I am bias.

Anyway, I know it is not as simple as this but - we need workers, they want to work........................ some jigsaws can be easy to complete.

incomer tax?!

Why not they just pay same tax as everyone else?

[Crazyfool01]

56 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

As I walked in the woods a thought hit me................... and I wonder what you lot think.

The UK has an aging population and already needs more willing workers.
We have a stream of people who want to work on tap and could, if we chose, get them sorted and in work fast.

If we therefore decided to do that but added one more new thing to the equation - an 'incomer tax' of 10% on top of all other taxes that they have to pay on earnings for the first 10 years - as do any dependant family that are allowed in with them once they earn as well (so a 12 year old will pay the tax for 10 years once they start work).

That helps fund the NHS and services they may use and as all the ones I have spoken to and heard say they just want to work and earn money then I am sure they would not turn down the chance to come here and earn their keep.

I know racist minds will hate it cos they do not want them regardless but if I were 55 and was told I could retire now and enjoy life as we have new workers coming who will pay more tax and so enable you to take your pension early I would bite their hands off....................... but I am not scared of people who look different so maybe I am bias.

Anyway, I know it is not as simple as this but - we need workers, they want to work........................ some jigsaws can be easy to complete.

we could and should let them work from arrival , putting them in hotels and making them sit there waiting is bonkers and detrimental to them 

[Nobody Interesting]

11 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

incomer tax?!

Why not they just pay same tax as everyone else?

Try reading it again................. it is in addition to, it does say and the name is only a idea you could call it Fred if you want.

[Nobody Interesting]

Ah, elections.............. such fun

 

Rishi Sunak is considering removing the winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners as a way of clawing back some taxpayer funds from the elderly as he prepares to fight the next election on a pledge to keep the pension triple lock despite its spiraling costs.

Government figures told Sky News the prime minister "understands the politics" of the triple lock and knows he has no option but to recommit to it, given the importance of the pensioner vote to his campaign

[Nobody Interesting]

2 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

we could and should let them work from arrival , putting them in hotels and making them sit there waiting is bonkers and detrimental to them 

I absolutely agree but was trying to come up with an idea where some of the 'anti' brigade might be won over so they do work from arrival but also pay more to make up for their use of services.

[steviewevie]

1 minute ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Try reading it again................. it is in addition to, it does say and the name is only a idea you could call it Fred if you want.

so immigrants pay more tax? 

I don't know. Doesn't seem fair.

[steviewevie]

First of all...the issue is not immigration, we have lots coming in with visas already to fill gaps in the labour market. The issue is with asylum seekers. So should asylum seekers who are granted asylum pay more tax? Or all immigrants?

[Crazyfool01]

2 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

I absolutely agree but was trying to come up with an idea where some of the 'anti' brigade might be won over so they do work from arrival but also pay more to make up for their use of services.

They only reason I can think that they don't is that the govt want to use it as a divisive policy and want them hanging around with not much to do . 

[hodgey123]

1 hour ago, Nobody Interesting said:

As I walked in the woods a thought hit me................... and I wonder what you lot think.

The UK has an aging population and already needs more willing workers.
We have a stream of people who want to work on tap and could, if we chose, get them sorted and in work fast.

If we therefore decided to do that but added one more new thing to the equation - an 'incomer tax' of 10% on top of all other taxes that they have to pay on earnings for the first 10 years - as do any dependant family that are allowed in with them once they earn as well (so a 12 year old will pay the tax for 10 years once they start work).

That helps fund the NHS and services they may use and as all the ones I have spoken to and heard say they just want to work and earn money then I am sure they would not turn down the chance to come here and earn their keep.

I know racist minds will hate it cos they do not want them regardless but if I were 55 and was told I could retire now and enjoy life as we have new workers coming who will pay more tax and so enable you to take your pension early I would bite their hands off....................... but I am not scared of people who look different so maybe I am bias.

Anyway, I know it is not as simple as this but - we need workers, they want to work........................ some jigsaws can be easy to complete.

I think this is a good idea but does pander a lot to right-wing voters (which make up a large percentage of our population); personally, I don't agree with the idea of immigrants or asylum seekers having to pay more tax than the rest of us just by virtue of not being born here, but it would definitely make immigration more palatable to these voters. Practically speaking though, would it not dissuade people from coming to work here if they could be taxed at up to 55% and, for the lower earners, we would be making it even harder for them to survive?

[cellar]

39 minutes ago, hodgey123 said:

I think this is a good idea but does pander a lot to right-wing voters (which make up a large percentage of our population); personally, I don't agree with the idea of immigrants or asylum seekers having to pay more tax than the rest of us just by virtue of not being born here, but it would definitely make immigration more palatable to these voters. Practically speaking though, would it not dissuade people from coming to work here if they could be taxed at up to 55% and, for the lower earners, we would be making it even harder for them to survive?

I agree with this pretty much - something feels a bit wrong with the idea of taxing some people more than others, but maybe it is a sort of middle ground.

I think there would need to be an expiry date on it though, like the tax would only apply for a few years or something.

Either way I couldn't see anything like that ever getting implemented. The additional costs and headaches of setting up and maintaining that system would be a nightmare for HMRC.

[Nobody Interesting]

1 hour ago, Crazyfool01 said:

They only reason I can think that they don't is that the govt want to use it as a divisive policy and want them hanging around with not much to do . 

Oh yes, this government certainly do, but I am talking about other ideas.............. things other parties and governments might try..................... trying to think outside the box a bit.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Given that skilled workers atm can be on as low as 70% of the going rate I think extra taxation unfair.

[Nobody Interesting]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

First of all...the issue is not immigration, we have lots coming in with visas already to fill gaps in the labour market. The issue is with asylum seekers. So should asylum seekers who are granted asylum pay more tax? Or all immigrants?

I did say it would not be simple - and the answer is I really don't know.

Just trying to fly ideas around to see what other ways there might be...............

Perhaps migrants via the Visa route stay as is and those arriving unauthorised route pay a premium. So incentive to to come unauthorised at the same time as getting jobs filled, tax paid and more perhaps

[Nobody Interesting]

46 minutes ago, hodgey123 said:

I think this is a good idea but does pander a lot to right-wing voters (which make up a large percentage of our population); personally, I don't agree with the idea of immigrants or asylum seekers having to pay more tax than the rest of us just by virtue of not being born here, but it would definitely make immigration more palatable to these voters. Practically speaking though, would it not dissuade people from coming to work here if they could be taxed at up to 55% and, for the lower earners, we would be making it even harder for them to survive?

I find the idea wrong too on a personal level but trying to think of ways, outside the box, to shut the haters up so we might all have  a better life................... but I doubt it would shut the really loud haters like Farage up.

[Nobody Interesting]

2 minutes ago, Rufus Gwertigan said:

Given that skilled workers atm can be on as low as 70% of the going rate I think extra taxation unfair.

So we pay authorised migrant works 70% of the going rate? Genuine question, cos I have no idea..............

I live in a world where a job advertised pays that rate regardless of who applies but maybe I am naiive.

I just wonder if they would be more than happy to pay more - If it were me and I had walked 5000 miles for  abetter life I would bite your hands off to get in and get paid work even if it meant paying  a bit more.

We looked at going to Kenya to live for work years ago and they have an annual fee that overseas people have to pay that varies according to income. We were quite happy to pay it but we never managed to sort out the ability to relocate.

It is all very hard - I just wish we could find some way to work with the majority of the population to get these folks out there working and paying tax hence my thoughts.................... cos I know how much they want to work.

[steviewevie]

We have loads of migration, but people only seem bothered about the "illegal" bit...so maybe make it more legal. Safe routes from some countries like already in place for Ukraine and Hong Kong..speed up asylum claims so not being held in hotels for so long...and somehow work with other countries to come up with a solution to this. Labour has suggested something along these lines.