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  1. #501
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    “lackeys and donors”
    whilst the house of lords is certainly in dire need of reform, when it comes to lackeys and donors the kneeler and his gobshite deputy need to take a long hard look in the mirror, for they are no more than hamstrung lackeys to their principal donors, the unions.

  2. #502
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    its the closest we have to the EU assembly, bloated, unaccountable, overpaid and corrupt

  3. #503
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    ^ I didn't think members of the House of Lords were paid. They receive expenses for attendance but aren't paid as such.

    IMHO reforming the House of Lords to make it an electable body would be a mistake and lose the very reason for its existence.

  4. #504
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    well they currently the "elected" based to the prime ministers favouritism, currently no cap on numbers or qualification required except if you've been a good donor - it stinks

  5. #505
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troy View Post
    ^ I didn't think members of the House of Lords were paid. They receive expenses for attendance but aren't paid as such.

    IMHO reforming the House of Lords to make it an electable body would be a mistake and lose the very reason for its existence.
    It has no reason for its existence except to reward Tory donors and, latterly, people with lavish homes around the globe with drinks cabinets bojo can drain.

    It's a festering carbuncle on the body politic and should have been lanced decades ago.

    And has Truss seen sense and concluded that her nominating new Lords would be just taking the peers?

    No, of course she hasn't.
    Last edited by cyrille; 20-11-2022 at 06:49 PM.
    'That's the nature of progress, isn' t it. It always goes on longer than it's needed'. - JCC

  6. #506
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    cyrille
    It has no reason for its existence except to reward Tory donors and, latterly, people with lavish homes around the globe with drinks cabinets bojo can drain.
    you blinkered dolt.

    starmers hypocrisy regarding the house of lords is breathtaking. as is yours.


    Keir Starmer bringing 'shame' on House of Lords by backing Tom Watson peerage

    Ex-Labour deputy leader should be 'nowhere near Parliament' after VIP paedophile ring allegations, Tories have said

    By
    Christopher Hope,
    ASSOCIATE EDITOR (POLITICS)
    14 October 2022 • 7:23pm
    Tom Watson, twice a deputy leader of the Labour Party, was recommended for a peer by Sir Keir Starmer

    Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of bringing "shame on the House of Lords" after the Government confirmed that Labour's former deputy leader Tom Watson has been given a peerage.

    Mr Watson, Arlene Foster and former Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames are among 26 peers who are now set to enter Parliament's upper chamber.



    Mr Watson, twice a deputy leader of the party, was recommended for a peer by leader Sir Keir Starmer two years after the House of Appointments Commission blocked his application.

    The then-Labour MP had wrongly claimed in the House of Commons in 2012 that a child sex abuse ring had operated in Westminster and was accused of putting pressure on police to reopen an historic rape allegation against Lord Brittan made by a suspected fantasist with mental health problems.

    Just days after Lord Brittan’s death in 2015, Mr Watson described the peer as “close to evil as any human being could be”, quoting Carl Beech, another fantasist who was subsequently convicted of perverting the course of justice and paedophile offences and jailed for 18 years.


    Other public figures including Harvey Proctor, a former Tory MP and General Lord Bramall were also wrongly implicated.

    Tories criticised the news. Lord Lamont, a former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, told The Telegraph: "Tom Watson destroyed the reputations of a number of totally innocent people. He ruined the lives of Lord Brittan, Harvey Proctor and General Lord Bramall.





    "If there were any justice in the world Tom Watson would be nowhere near Parliament. This will bring great shame on Labour and the House of Lords."

    Mr Proctor said: "I fear the House of Lords will rue the day Tom Watson was ennobled. Today is a very dark day; Tom Watson is now a peer of the realm. It is iniquitous to ennoble him now.

    "Those who were the real victims of Operation Midland – Lord Leon Brittan, Field Marshal Lord Bramall and Sir Edward Heath will be turning in their grave. I am deeply depressed at the state of our honours system which honours the dishonourable and rewards failure."


    Lord Brittan's widow Diana struck a more conciliatory tone saying on Friday that she hoped Mr Watson would make a good peer and that "lessons have been learned" from the past eight years.

    Mr Watson did not return requests for comment. He has in the past apologised for the “people that suffered” because of Beech’s allegations but that “I did try my best to get to the truth” of his claims.

    Daily Telegraph

    and the labour party have history when it comes to promoting paedophila. look up P.I.E. and their connections with the labour party.

    tom watson, corbyns fat deputy, is a piece of human scum, and starmer should be ashamed of himself.

  7. #507
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    her nominating new Lords would be just taking the peers?
    I see what you did there, silver spoonerism by proxy Bravo sir you square getting into the spirit

  8. #508
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troy View Post
    ^ I didn't think members of the House of Lords were paid. They receive expenses for attendance but aren't paid as such.

    IMHO reforming the House of Lords to make it an electable body would be a mistake and lose the very reason for its existence.
    Do you know the very reason for its existence?

  9. #509
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    ∆∆∆ Bringing paedophilia into the discussion, well done.
    It's an excellent idea to get rid of it, there's no place for an institution like that anymore

  10. #510
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    State pension age set to rise to 68 in Treasury’s ‘big bazooka’ cash grab

    Government considers increasing upper limit a few years earlier than planned under plans to raise tens of billions of pounds

    The pension age will rise to 68 a few years earlier than planned, under government proposals.


    The age at which Britons receive their state pension is set to increase to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2039, but ministers want to pull that forward to the mid-2030s.


    It would mean that people currently in their mid-50s having to wait a year longer than expected before receiving their pension, potentially disrupting scores of retirement plans.


    The move will raise the Treasury tens of billions of pounds and has been labelled a “big bazooka” as officials look to secure the long-term finances of the country.


    It paves the way for people starting work to see their retirement delayed until they are in their 70s.


    Supporters argued that it would be justified to boost intergenerational fairness, given that life expectancy in the past decade has risen, and would help fund heightened public spending levels.


    However, critics are likely to question whether the move will cause too much disruption to those already planning for retirement.


    Furthermore, it risks an elderly voter backlash before the election.


    There is growing interest in Whitehall in the idea of automatically linking changes in the pension age to life expectancy, with a belief that it could help depoliticise the issue.


    The concept has been explored by ministers and officials and could see a link pinned on people spending about a third of their life retired, although thinking remains fluid.


    The Telegraph has talked to half a dozen current and former government figures involved in discussions in recent months about speeding up the pension age increase.


    While no final decisions have been made, it is clear that successive Tory governments have bought into the argument the pension age should be set to 68 earlier than 2039.


    Liz Truss was so supportive of the push that she called it a “silver bullet”. She initially wanted to announce it in her mini-Budget, according to sources involved, before the move was delayed.


    The age at which people get their state pension has been a controversial topic for the Conservatives since they took office in 2010, especially under David Cameron’s premiership.


    The drive to equalise when men and women received their pensions triggered a fierce backlash from the Women Against State Pension Inequality group, which became known as the “Waspi women”.


    Liz Truss initially wanted to announce a rise in the state pension age in her mini-Budget CREDIT: Reuters/Hannah McKay
    The pension age was 65 for men and women in 2018. It is gradually rising to 67 by 2028. Within the Government, there is an ongoing debate about when that should reach 68.


    Under the current law, it will hit 68 by 2046, although existing government policy is that it should happen by 2039. However, ministers are considering making the change even earlier.


    Ministers and officials involved in the decision making under Boris Johnson, Ms Truss and now Rishi Sunak have been inclined to pull the date forwards, according to sources familiar with discussions.


    Multiple current and former government figures told The Telegraph that a date of the mid-2030s was widely favoured for the pension age becoming 68. However, it could be even sooner.


    Ministers want to leave at least 10 years between the time that the policy decision is legislated and when it takes effect, so it could be as early as 2033.


    The Treasury savings would be major. If the state pension age rises to 68 a year earlier than planned, then about £10 billion would be saved, according to analysis by pension experts.


    LCP, a pensions consultancy, estimated that around £8 billion would be saved in state pension payments and a further £1.3 billion would be made in taxes on extra earnings, although that could be higher.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/11/25/state-pension-age-set-rise-68-treasurys-big-bazooka-cash-grab/

  11. #511
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    The age at which Britons receive their state pension is set to increase to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2039, but ministers want to pull that forward to the mid-2030s.
    IMO it should not be retroactive , if you have entered into a contract with someone you should not be able to change it midstream .
    And it should be progressive, An accountant might be able to work until age 68, but could a bricklayer?

  12. #512
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Yup, it's set up to shaft the brickie, for sure.

    Who is of course less likely to make it past 68 than the accountant.

    Thing is though, these days the brickie may well be a tory Brexiter.

    If so #¿¢; him.

    Or her.

  13. #513
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    IMO it should not be retroactive , if you have entered into a contract with someone you should not be able to change it midstream .
    I tried to send a green. Apparently I need to be more generous elsewhere first. But where?
    I had a lifetime contract with the the UK government, then they moved the goalposts. By chance I had written to them in my later years to confirm my status and they replied that I was fully paid up, although they failed to mention that rule changes already passed meant that I needed to pay 3 more years and my pensionable age was advanced by 2 years. I found out elsewhere, topped up, and now find that my pension is frozen forever because I moved to Thailand.
    Coonts, the lot of them. What the government teaches you is that a contract between unequal powers is worthless. A great life lesson for my children.

  14. #514
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    State pension age set to rise to 68 in Treasury’s ‘big bazooka’ cash grab
    Same fairly well everywhere in the west . . . (except Greece where it is probably 25 by now) . . . governments can't afford paying out pensions that helped them function over the past decades

  15. #515
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    . . . governments can't afford paying out pensions that helped them function over the past decades
    I have paid into mine. They'll steal it.

    You know why ?

    They need me to carry on working cause working people are in demand



    (can't be bothered to look for smiley

    Edit: looks like I found it

  16. #516
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    (except Greece where it is probably 25 by now)
    Yep

    Orders from Bruxelles got it raised from 19 years.

    Demos as we chat

  17. #517
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    I have paid into mine. They'll steal it.

    You know why ?

    They need me to carry on working cause working people are in demand



    (can't be bothered to look for smiley

    Edit: looks like I found it
    Given all the time you spend gossiping on here, I seriously doubt that your 'work' input will be missed.

  18. #518
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Same fairly well everywhere in the west . . . (except Greece where it is probably 25 by now) . . . governments can't afford paying out pensions that helped them function over the past decades
    Unfortunately it's 67 in Greece. The average state pension in Greece is 384 euros per month
    But we are not here to discuss pensions in Greece but rather , the responsibilities a goverment has towards that goal.
    ..The notion that the goverment pays out pensions is a red herring argument. The goverment redistributes funds they have collected from individuals and corporations, funds that they have mismanaged in order to finance their political agendas.
    And now try to extract off the backs of those with which they had an agreement which they are now reneging on.
    ....They never said , "you play nice, you work and contribute, you bleed for us in our wars, and then maybe we will pay you a pension at age 65,
    They entered into a bilateral agreement , in which both parties must perform . We performed our part but now they are not performing theirs
    This constitutes a non performing contract and renders the contract null and void . No wonder people are also starting to not perform also , and not play nice.
    Life spans have increased , but there was no caveat in the social contract that pensions will be paid contingent to life spans not increasing.
    I understand that they need a new social contract to face the "Longer life" problem and that new contracts need to be negotiated, but these new contracts need to be negotiated with those new people entering the system , and not retroactively, otherwise contracts have no value.
    Perhaps funds should not be squandered , "liberating" countries such as Iraq, or "democracy" in the Ukraine. and start applying the old adage that "charity begins at home"

    A question: if you were allowed to not pay into the National pension system and keep such contributions to invest on your own , with which you purchased a home in the UK and rented over the years to subsidize the 30 year mortgage. Would the rent you receive when after these 30 years the house was paid off and you retired, be more than the goverment would have gives you? and would your heirs receive a nice inheritance after you pass?
    Would the goverment be able to tell you that you lose your house if you move to Thailand?
    In the US I paid 6.2% of my income and my employer 6.2% for a total of 12.4% , What could I have done on my own with 12.4% per year?
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  19. #519
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    ..The notion that the goverment pays out pensions is a red herring argument. The goverment redistributes funds they have collected from individuals and corporations, funds that they have mismanaged in order to finance their political agendas.
    Exactly that, BB. When a government says they can't afford to fund, a, b or c, it's because they prefer to fund x, y and z.

  20. #520
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    A question: if you were allowed to not pay into the National pension system and keep such contributions to invest on your own , with which you purchased a home in the UK and rented over the years to subsidize the 30 year mortgage. Would the rent you receive when after these 30 years the house was paid off and you retired, be more than the goverment would have gives you? and would your heirs receive a nice inheritance after you pass?
    The Govt would still go after it regardless.

    Most countries with State Pensions operate similarly, current pensions are paid for by current workers contributions and as people live longer and those in work either earn less or there are less of them as is the case in the UK, the ability to meet current pension liabilities is dwindling. We all know there is no magic state pension pot so the only actuarial adjustment available is to manipulate state pension age or ask the dwindling workforce to pay more.

    I read some time back that Germany, which has one of the most generous state pensions is facing similar challenges.

    German state pension system on ‘verge of collapse’ without reform

    Germany’s state pension system is on the verge of collapse and may not be financially sustainable in five years’ time if reforms are not made, Confederation of German Employers’ Association president, Rainer Dulger has warned.


    Speaking to the Bild am Sonntag, the president of the think tank called for the retirement age in Germany to be linked to linked to life expectancy.

    Currently, the state pension in Germany guarantees pensioners at least 48 per cent of the average wage until 2025.

    The state pension age is 65, although it is in the process of gradually increasing to 67.

    Dulger noted that for every 100 contributors, there are currently around 50 pensioners.

    He warned that this was set to rise to around 70 pensioners for every 100 contributors in 15 years.

    “This means that the financing of our pension system is on the verge of collapse,” Dulger stated.

    “The retirement age should be linked to the increase in life expectancy. It must not be the case that the further increase in life expectancy leads to an ever longer retirement.

    “The citizen's income threatens to divide our society. It can't be right that some people who go to work in the morning have only a little more money available than someone who doesn't go to work in the morning.

    “That's unfair and sets the wrong incentives.”

    https://www.europeanpensions.net/ep/German-state-pension-system-on-verge-of-collapse-without-reform.php#:~:text=German%20state%20pension%20syst em%20on%20%27verge%20of%20collapse%27%20without%20 reform,-By%20Jack%20Gray&text=Germany%27s%20state%20pensio n%20system%20is,president%2C%20Rainer%20Dulger%20h as%20warned.

  21. #521
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    It can't be right that some people who go to work in the morning have only a little more money available than someone who doesn't go to work in the morning.
    Yet it is a feature of the British benefits system.

  22. #522
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    ^ yes and this is why every year there seem to be more and more - as the Stranglers said "somethings got to change"

  23. #523
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    Given all the time you spend gossiping on here, I seriously doubt that your 'work' input will be missed.
    Yes, it won't.

  24. #524
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    Yep

    Orders from Bruxelles got it raised from 19 years.

    Demos as we chat
    smallest tax base by percentage in the EU . . . and it was raised in 2015 due to pressure from other memebr countries. Still . . . nice life (at leat it's in Greece. )


    Lowest retirement are is in Russia at 60 . . . average 61 . . . and if you help 'defend' the motherland it's 25.






    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    The notion that the goverment pays out pensions is a red herring argument. The goverment redistributes funds they have collected from individuals and corporations, funds that they have mismanaged in order to finance their political agendas.
    Absolutely . . . chronic here in NZ



    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    In the US I paid 6.2% of my income and my employer 6.2% for a total of 12.4% , What could I have done on my own with 12.4% per year?
    Another NZ-related response which is common, though, is that pension funds have decimated their value and people are scared.

    It'll pick up again with the general raise in the stock market but anyone needing the funds now is fucked, being worth half of what it was three years ago.




    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    They need me to carry on working cause working people are in demand
    Yup . . .

  25. #525
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    ^ yes and this is why every year there seem to be more and more - as the Stranglers said "somethings got to change"
    Always amazes me how many of these workshy soap dodgers still have enough money for Sky, drugs and booze. It seems quite easy to be handed cash by the state just by pretending you're "depressed".

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