The Tory demonisation fetish - and just what is 'a problem family'?
Latest post on my blog skwalker1964.wordpress.com: As someone who pays close attention to news and politics, and who has an eye for patterns, it’s very clear to me that the Tories have a particular...
View ArticleAre public sector pensions really unaffordable?
When the state retirement pension was introduced in the UK almost exactly a hundred years ago, it was paid to people over 70 years of age. Life expectancy was 71.5 years. More recently, the pension has...
View ArticleSoldiers sacked before pension pay-out?
Putting this one here as it is to do with pensions and this governments attempt to save money...... Soldiers sacked before pension pay-out? Did the army deliberately sack soldiers because they were...
View ArticlePay Day loans with 4,000% APR interest rates; is this moral or just plain...
CHARITY SHELTER REPORT IN TOO PAY DAY LOANS. WITH 4,000% APR INTEREST RATES. I know that one Labour MP has been battling to end pay day loans with interest rates of 4,000% APR and up to know this banal...
View ArticleGovernment to introduce new £170 death tax
Death is going to get more expensive - by about £170. Whether you are burnt or buried when you go, the government is planning to grab an extra £170 from your estate via a new death tax. It claims the...
View ArticleIs there fairness and sense in the new mobility criteria?
Original including links is at: http://wp.me/p2sftc-4f4 400k to lose mobility benefit & car for walking 20m? Just not cricket! As a report by the excellent campaign group ‘We are Spartacus’ (WaS)...
View ArticleIs the new state pension plan fair?
The government is going to change the pension to one flat rate, is this a simpler and fairer way of planning for retirement and does it give women and the lower paid a higher amount. Also it does away...
View ArticlePoliticians' homes
Should politicians live in houses the vast population can only dream of, yet pay for. Property features •Fantastic Freehold House •Master Bedroom Suite •Reception Room •Open-Plan Kitchen and Sitting...
View ArticleIs a tax break for some married couples a good idea?
“This is social engineering, for God’s sake, and when I joined the party we weren’t in favour of it.” Those were the words of Ken Clarke who, as Tory chancellor in the mid-1990s, started the process...
View ArticleWorking into our seventies
So, a bright spark who sits in a warm office all day long has decided we shall have to work into our seventies. A few years ago via the local newspaper I had occasion to chastise our Conservative Mayor...
View ArticleWill the bedroom tax be the new poll tax?
Original at: http://skwalker1964.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/unbelievable-not-1-tory-turns-up-for-bedroom-tax-debate/ The Tories’ complete contempt for ordinary people couldn’t have been more clearly...
View ArticleWinter Fuel Payment was cut and we let elderly people die from cold and...
Did you know that this Tory lead coalition Government have cut the pensioners Winter Fuel Payment, they say, in a bid to save money and cut the Deficit. I write this because the BBC TV media have not...
View Article"Elderly should do community work or lose their pensions" (Lord Bichard)
Older people should lose their pensions if they refuse to do community work to stop them being a “negative burden on society", a former senior Whitehall official has suggested. Lord Bichard, an...
View ArticleSquatting - who are the real criminals?
Cameron's fascist government has just brought in a new law to make squatting a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to £5,000 and six months’ imprisonment. For a start, the punishments show how...
View ArticleYes, the top 1% pay 27% of tax. No, they're not paying their share
A single 30% rate of income tax is needed in order to boost growth in the UK, a report by lobbying groups says. The 2020 Tax Commission's report also calls for the abolition of national insurance, and...
View ArticlePensioners are failing to claim billions in benefits
Since the 80's when the State pensions link with male average earnings was broken by Margaret Thatcher, means testing pensioners on a wide scale has been the norm. New Labour continued this means...
View ArticleCan we save on fuel bills by swapping energy companies?
The Energy Secretary Chris Huhne today claimed householders in Britain were enjoying 'relatively good electricity and gas prices' compared to other countries, amid fresh warnings that electricity bills...
View ArticleEnduring power of attorney
I like to believe that most of us on here, being of a mature age will be aware of the need to have an enduring power of attorney in place so that if we should become unable to manage our health and...
View ArticleAdvice wanted
I would like to know how to set up an Overseas Company and Account possibly in British Virgin Isles or Panama in which I can stash my just awarded Army Pension rise, to keep it safe from the tax...
View ArticleWhat will they think of next?
Banco Santander have launched a new savings "Product" onto the UK market which takes top prize for sheer cheek ("Mucha cara" as they say in Spain).......... Santander has outlined plans to "turn the...
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