Some numbers on pensions and the winter fuel payment

[Borg Refinery]

It's true that it doesn't make sense to send such money to Ukraine and deprive pensioners, and I mostly support Ukraine

[Barry]

That states £3 billion over three years NOT annually.

Wrong. Learn to read it properly.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to providing £3 billion a year in military support to Ukraine for as long as necessary.

The fact is they are giving more to Ukrainians than they took away from our own pensioners and it's not a good look.

[papasmurf]

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-09-11/lammy-and-blinken-in-ukraine-for-first-of-its-kind-trip-for-a-decade

That states £3 billion over three years NOT annually.

[Barry]

Where did you get that number please?


UK Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State in Kyiv in first ever joint visit, as David Lammy announces over £600 million worth of support for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-09-11/lammy-and-blinken-in-ukraine-for-first-of-its-kind-trip-for-a-decade

[papasmurf]

 Lammy has pledged £3 billion per annum to Ukrainian war equipment for each year the war persists.

Where did you get that number please?


UK Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State in Kyiv in first ever joint visit, as David Lammy announces over £600 million worth of support for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[Barry]

Plenty of labour members made the promise of protecting the wfp and triple lock immediately before the election,in any event you ignore what neutral observers say and that the money saved is a drop in the ocean and it looks little more than pure spite.

Meanwhile, Lammy has pledged £3 billion per annum to Ukrainian war equipment for each year the war persists.
Ukrainians don't vote Labour, do they?
Also, this is double the amount they will have saved by robbing the pensioners.
It definitely looks spiteful to me.

[cromwell]

I'm not ignoring that at all.  I was pointing out that the attack on Rayner's integrity because of posts she made 7 years ago before a lot changed was at best mistaken.

Contrary to your inference I have not supported this WFA policy as currently planned.  It's politically naive, introduces yet another cliff edge loss of income (in effect marginal tax rates well over 100%) and the threshold is set too low. 

I inferred what,where and when?

[Unlucky4Sum]

Plenty of labour members made the promise of protecting the wfp and triple lock immediately before the election,in any event you ignore what neutral observers say and that the money saved is a drop in the ocean and it looks little more than pure spite.

I'm not ignoring that at all.  I was pointing out that the attack on Rayner's integrity because of posts she made 7 years ago before a lot changed was at best mistaken.

Contrary to your inference I have not supported this WFA policy as currently planned.  It's politically naive, introduces yet another cliff edge loss of income (in effect marginal tax rates well over 100%) and the threshold is set too low.   

[cromwell]

In 2017 we hadn't taken on all that debt for Covid, we hadn't increased the state pension by well over inflation as we have across the last 7 years and we hadn't suffered that 5% GDP hit from Brexit.

So the facts changed, Rayner can't be held to what she said before they changed. 

Plenty of labour members made the promise of protecting the wfp and triple lock immediately before the election,in any event you ignore what neutral observers say and that the money saved is a drop in the ocean and it looks little more than pure spite.

[Unlucky4Sum]

What fact would that be,you make statements for political capital and the renege on promises citing black holes when almost every neutral political observer has said it was a mistake to go down that route and the amount saved was insignificant.

There were plenty of ways to draw back spending and it's reported that the attitude is "most of the old don't vote for us so sod 'em"

Seems more than plausible,it will come back to bite them on the back side,I'm trying to recall a govt that has lost support so early that this lot has.

In 2017 we hadn't taken on all that debt for Covid, we hadn't increased the state pension by well over inflation as we have across the last 7 years and we hadn't suffered that 5% GDP hit from Brexit.

So the facts changed, Rayner can't be held to what she said before they changed.  

[cromwell]

because a lot of spilt milk has flowed under the bridge since.  When facts change decisions change. 

What fact would that be,you make statements for political capital and then renege on promises citing black holes when almost every neutral political observer has said it was a mistake to go down that route and the amount saved was insignificant.

There were plenty of ways to draw back spending and it's reported that the attitude is "most of the old don't vote for us so sod 'em"

Seems more than plausible,it will come back to bite them on the back side,I'm trying to recall a govt that has lost support so early that this lot has.

[Nick]

When are those tweets dated?

25th May 2017, is it ok for old people die from the cold 7 years on from her statement?
As per previous questions, what does the date matter?

[Unlucky4Sum]

What's that got todo with anything?

because a lot of spilt milk has flowed under the bridge since.  When facts change decisions change.  

[Barry]

How the heck did Labour manage to get this so wrong?


https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24576146.expats-eu-will-get-fuel-payments-shetland-shiver/

Can someone verify if this is actually true?

If so I can only laugh... WTF?

The mind simply boggles

Yes, but not the Costa del Sol.


https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/if-you-live-abroad


Eligible countries

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

[Streetwalker]

Well no worries, I'm sure those who spent as they earned because they had no choice can be recast as layabouts if the right wing media says so

Number of Britons without savings jumps by more than one million in a year

Don't think everyone gets a choice in whether they pay their stamps or lives paycheck to paycheck, I also wouldn't begrudge those with lifelong disabilities who can't work and lived their lives on benefits given they were unable to work, but I'm sure if Farage could get in power he could spend all their money for them on lavish dinners with Trump

People have differing circumstances and for sure there are some who have no option but to live week to week . I wasn't generalising but indicating that 'some' people would be getting the WFP due to their life choices and others won't because of theirs .

Farage voted against removing the WFP