I mean I’m not going to give Labour any flak for means testing something like this.
We keep getting told to eat less avocado if we want to stop being poor but why didn’t the boomers just pay more into their pensions? Not to mention they’re the lucky ones who snagged those fat final salary pension schemes which are now way out of reach for our generation.
I saw one pensioner say she’ll have to only heat one room now - as if millions of people don’t live that reality already?!?!?
I might agree if I didn’t strongly suspect that middle class pensioners will find ways to game the system and get their payments while poorer pensioners will be exploited by a system they don’t understand and be denied payments.
I will, means testing sucks arse. Government, establishment and institutions has a massively different perspective on who is well off and who is struggling compared to the average citizen.
At the very least this will make those who qualify for pension credit (You have to take in less than £11.5k/Y btw if you’re single, nice number that) but didn’t claim it go through the hassle of making sure they can get the payments, more bureaucracy, more appeals (if rejected, which will happen), more costs.
If this is about the wealthy why are they dragging everyone else down with them? This will clearly have disproportionate effects. Wealthy pensioners will sulk but will get on with it but if you’re on the poorer side of things this is exponentally going to hurt you more.
The flak I’m giving her here is for blaming it on the current “blackhole” when it’s something she wanted to do for at least ten years lol.
I’m not against means testing this benefit in principle, if they set a high enough bar to ensure that nobody who actually needs it is going to narrowly miss out on receiving it, I honestly wouldn’t be slating them for it. The issue I have is that lots and lots of pensioners who do need it aren’t gonna qualify for it now because they sit just above a threshold that’s been set too low.
Also, one thing that I rarely see factored into the equation is the cost of all the means testing and resulting appeals. Under the Cameron aisterity coalition there were savings made by cutting or denying people benefits that were entirely eaten up by the means testing and appeals that followed people having claims for support being rejected.
I am absolutely not saying that the savings made with the winter fuel payment would be entirely eaten up by the cost of the means testing/appeals etc, I don’t believe this Labour government is ideologically wedded to austerity like that Cameron/Osborne government was, so I don’t think they’d do this if it wasn’t going to save money. But I do wish that analysis of these costs were referenced more in discussions about this cut.
Bubble story but still funny
Telegraph: Use our handy calculator to see how much the disabled are costing… No… Checks notes the government are costing disabled people!
Been in power a few months and they’ve managed to get the junior doctors to accept a new pay deal and got Mick Whelan on board with a deal.
So Starmer has not only taken more freebies than literally any other current MP, he has also taken more freebies than all other Labour leaders since 1997 combined (so Blair, Brown, Miliband and Corbyn)
Just buy your own Arsenal and Taylor Swift tickets ffs. It would be such an easy win to stop being a freeloading cunt and avoid people thinking you’re potentially a bit bent. Nothing comes for free in life, and while I don’t believe that he is offering any specific advantages to the people giving him all this shit, there is no denying that they want some level of access to or influence over him.
Like this former ASOS boss buying him and his wife clothing. Am I meant to think he doesn’t want to exert some level of influence over Starmer as his biggest personal donor?
Starmer been on a six figure salary for about 15 years now, he’s a wealthy man, so he should just buy his own fucking football tickets and designer glasses.
And on that point about going to the football, Corbyn managed just fine sat with the commonfolk in the stands, and that was while being a hugely divisive figure, one that a terrorist specifically wanted to assassinate lol. And if anyone wants to argue that the difference is he was Leader of the Opposition, while Starmer is the PM, Sunak was just fine sitting in the cheap seats to watch Southampton as a widely disliked PM, so I’m not buying that Starmer couldn’t do the same.
And even if he can’t do what his presecessors did, and for some reason cannot afford the safer, more expensive tickets (lol), I don’t think it is unreasonable to suggest that he just forgoes regularly attending football matches if he wants this specific job that comes with understandable limitations on your personal life.
Agreed - surely you’d also think that Arsenal FC could do the PM a solid and invite him to a few games on the clubs dime.
I’m sure they’ve invite people to games all the damn time.
Thats what’s happening
He has declared just over £12,000 worth of tickets and hospitality for Arsenal matches, from both the club itself, other clubs, the Premier League and commercial companies, since becoming Labour leader in 2020.
He’s a twat and an arrogant one at that Implying he’ll continue to take gifts
On the subject of football it’s been more than a couple of own goals so far, they add up.
Oh well that’s whatever to me tbh, I don’t feel Arsenal FC have a nefarious motive behind doing something like that.
I thought it was some sketchy billionaire buying him the football tickets etc.
Now all the other stuff about wealthy people buying clothes for his wife etc. is much more suspect and something I’m not particularly comfortable with
Like this actually matters 
Its poor politics and optic but its largely a nothing bubble story. I remember BJ getting slaughtered over £10k donation for curtains at downing street and thinking what a silly story.
Its not principled for elected representatives to take gifts as it raises a question about conflict of interest and patronage. It’s not a great look for a Labour leader tbh, even if proper declarations have been made. I thought Starmer had more sense/was above this sort of thing ngl
I am surprised as one not a fan of Starmer, I did think they’d be a lot wiser than this. Doesn’t make sense to sour the public mood on Labour. Vastly overestimating the public confidence in them.
It’s nothing fatal, but all these minor problems do add up. He was just in opposition and bare witness to how the Tories kept self-harming their reputation. Even among their loyal supporters.
If someone offered me a box seat at the Emirates, I’d definitely take it too!
Me too. Unless they offered it to me because of the job i have.
