Starmer's vision quest

[BoldonLad]

A seamless tax/benefits system depends on us all being monitored in the minutiae of our spending. Perhaps this is a bad idea?

I don't like 'subsidies/benefits/perks' being concatenated. Social housing is nominated subsidised when it's actually our common wealth. We wouldn't need all the benefits if so much of them didn't go to the landlord's pockets. Perks are the domain of business corruption.

Why does spending have to be monitored?

 

[Psamathe]

I also find it ironic that while the media generated so much heat over WFA that cuts to disability benefits, particularly removal of various premiums when legacy benefits moved to Universal Credit, never scored a single headline.

I wonder if that is because the PIP/disability changes are complex and most won't understand who and how those receiving the benefits will be affected.

Personally I'm not happy about the PIP/disability cuts but that's more of a emotional reaction along the "we need to help those in society ..." as I also don't understand the detailed criteria, how that works in the real world, etc., etc.

Ian

 

[Bromptonaut]

I wonder if that is because the PIP/disability changes are complex and most won't understand who and how those receiving the benefits will be affected.

Personally I'm not happy about the PIP/disability cuts but that's more of a emotional reaction along the "we need to help those in society ..." as I also don't understand the detailed criteria, how that works in the real world, etc., etc.

Ian

This isn't part of the proposed changes to PIP, it's about how Universal Credit differs form the legacy means tested benefits it replaces.

The particularly egregious example was the Severe Disability Premium paid to severely disabled people who live alone and have no carer. It added about £80/week to their benefits.

Government had to be dragged kicking and screaming through the courts even to get them to mitigate existing claimants who lost it if (eg) they moved to a different local authority to be near family or to ensure they were close to the hospital providing their cancer treatment.

 

[CXRAndy]

Kent council is refusing to analyse laptop usage data from its vast majority of work from home staff.


View: https://x.com/ZiaYusufUK/status/1935804899746627902?t=aYchHtTwMhVDtf9LHVCVMQ&s=19

 

[Bromptonaut]

Do I think Yusuf is a reliable source?????

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Some people celebrated saying that they'd put their Truss tax cut bonanza into turning their central heating up. Not sure that that was going to trickle down anywhere.

Trickle down economics
Trickle down economic
Trickle down economi
Trickle down econom
Trickle down econo
Trickle down econ
Trickle down eco
Trickle down ec
Trickle down e
Trickle down
Trickle dow
Trickle do
Trickle d
Trickle
Trickl
Trick

 

[briantrumpet]

Trickle down economics
Trickle down economic
Trickle down economi
Trickle down econom
Trickle down econo
Trickle down econ
Trickle down eco
Trickle down ec
Trickle down e
Trickle down
Trickle dow
Trickle do
Trickle d
Trickle
Trickl
Trick

It's the same chorus as we hear from Marxists and Brexiters... it only hasn't worked because it's not been done right. It's just not possible that any of these things are fundamentally flawed. Perish the thought. No, couldn't possibly be that.

Well, I suppose if the aim of 'trickle down economics' is to give an excuse to transfer wealth to the already-wealthy, it's worked pretty well.

 

[BoldonLad]

It's the same chorus as we hear from Marxists and Brexiters... it only hasn't worked because it's not been done right. It's just not possible that any of these things are fundamentally flawed. Perish the thought. No, couldn't possibly be that.

Well, I suppose if the aim of 'trickle down economics' is to give an excuse to transfer wealth to the already-wealthy, it's worked pretty well.

View attachment 8728

Shouldn't this be in the Trump thread, or, have I slept through the re-run of The American War of Independence, and, King Charles / Starmer now rule the USA?

 

[briantrumpet]

Shouldn't this be in the Trump thread, or, have I slept through the re-run of The American War of Independence, and, King Charles / Starmer now rule the USA?

It's a response to the stuff about the conceptual art that is the 'Laffer curve' and the smokescreen of 'trickle down economics': although the graph is from the US, given that's where Reagan kicked it all off, the transfer of wealth from the poor to the richest has been replicated elsewhere, and Truss's abortive attempt would have done the same in the UK, on steroids.

 

[farfromtheland]

Why does spending have to be monitored?

I don't think it must be but in practice the DWP now or soon has access to your bank account. Certainly now my PAYE earnings info reaches them before me.

Before migration to UC I had to send the council my bank statements for Housing Benefit assessment. I am partly self-employed.

Sorry if I jumped to my conclusion but seamlessness usually amounts to monitoring not simple integration these days.

 

[briantrumpet]

Certainly now my PAYE earnings info reaches them before me.

When I noticed my employments earnings pre-filled in on my tax return last year, I did a little celebration jig, as it saved me putting in figures which they've always had, but previously forced me to remember where I'd filed my P60s.

 

[farfromtheland]

When I noticed my employments earnings pre-filled in on my tax return last year, I did a little celebration jig, as it saved me putting in figures which they've always had, but previously forced me to remember where I'd filed my P60s.

I'm not gutted by this. It's when the DWP get bots to 'analyse' your spending and flag you for investigation that I'm wary of. My spending is rightly odd and my business.

 

[briantrumpet]

I'm not gutted by this. It's when the DWP get bots to 'analyse' your spending and flag you for investigation that I'm wary of. My spending is rightly odd and my business.

Agree with that. Next they'd be tracking your movements via your phone data, not unlike during covid.

 

[farfromtheland]

I wonder if that is because the PIP/disability changes are complex and most won't understand who and how those receiving the benefits will be affected.

Personally I'm not happy about the PIP/disability cuts but that's more of a emotional reaction along the "we need to help those in society ..." as I also don't understand the detailed criteria, how that works in the real world, etc., etc.

Ian

Just before i hop off to work... One of the proposed PIP changes is that you'll have to score at least 4 disadvantage 'points' under a single 'daily living' heading, as well as a total of 10 points overall.

In my complex case with interacting impediments this may mean I lose the extra funds that allow me to keep my job, by getting my helper to assist me for example.

 

[farfromtheland]

Another idea is to make it harder to claim with mental health problems. I only have such problems when the hardship kicks in - like the 7+ months I was waiting for the PIP claim to come through.

I kept all that out of my claim - I have a friend who is now made to attend compulsory mental health interventions to get the medication they need to sleep through physical pain.