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The most selfish generation? – politicalbetting.com

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  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498

    Carnyx said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    But can it clean out the puke and worse?
    I'd guess a lot of drivers will use a professional service to clean out their cars instead of doing it themselves, so no difference there.
    ‘Young folk, have you considered an exciting career in cleaning out the puke from automated taxis?’
    I guess you could use forced labour from antifa political prisoners to do it instead.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 26,119
    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    If literally everything becomes automated what will happen to American tipping culture? I bet they find a way to perpetuate it

    “Why am I tipping a machine?”

    “Because someone invented the machine”

    “He’s dead”

    “Yeah but someone has to look after his grave”

    And yet even Americans don't tip either airline pilots or airline stewarts/stewardesses. (Sorry for not using whatever the new terms are for those jobs).
    "Flight attendant". See also "firefighter"
  • LeonLeon Posts: 65,919
    Just saw a psychedelic painted Waymo pull up in front of about ten zonked out homeless fent addicts… on the junction of haight-ashbury

    Possibly the most San Francisco-ish tableau in the history of San Francisco
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    It's no exaggeration to say an opinion poll putting Reform and the Greens on 47% between them is pretty mindboggling.
  • fitalassfitalass Posts: 4,598
    X
    @GinaDavidson@ginadavidsonlbc

    Scottish Govt has confirmed it will vote against the Right to Recovery Bill being voted on at Stage 1 in Holyrood today. If it falls, then there will be no further action on it. Douglas Ross had hoped SNP would abstain so it could at least go to Stage 2 and be amended.

    https://x.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1976294147821900081

    stephendaisley.substack.com@JournoStephen

    Scotland is the drugs deaths capital of Europe.

    The SNP will today vote against helping people to get themselves off drugs.

    You are not misreading this.

    https://x.com/JournoStephen/status/1976302554058310012
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    "Skelton East (Redcar & Cleveland) Council By-Election Result:

    Rfm 839
    Lab 247
    Con 179
    LDm 19

    ➡️ RFM: 65.3% (New)
    🌹 LAB: 19.2% (-10.7)
    🌳 CON: 13.9% (-29.4)
    🔶 LDM: 1.5% (-1.5)

    No Ind (-23.7) as previous.

    Reform GAIN from Conservative.
    Changes w/ 2023."

    https://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/19739/local-council-election-october-2025?page=3&scrollTo=1668696
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 5,468
    fitalass said:

    X
    @GinaDavidson@ginadavidsonlbc

    Scottish Govt has confirmed it will vote against the Right to Recovery Bill being voted on at Stage 1 in Holyrood today. If it falls, then there will be no further action on it. Douglas Ross had hoped SNP would abstain so it could at least go to Stage 2 and be amended.

    https://x.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1976294147821900081

    stephendaisley.substack.com@JournoStephen

    Scotland is the drugs deaths capital of Europe.

    The SNP will today vote against helping people to get themselves off drugs.

    You are not misreading this.

    https://x.com/JournoStephen/status/1976302554058310012

    I'm not quite sure that's what Douglas Ross's bill was quite going to aim for.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 5,468

    Nigelb said:

    Of course.

    I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

    Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

    https://x.com/JayShams/status/1976357831038337214

    GOP now owns the voting machines?

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/dominion-voting-systems-sold-republican-b2842794.html

    'Ex' Trump/GOP. So all above board. Move along.

    Or else.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 5,468

    I had no idea Waymos could do that. I'll have to watch Barbarella again, I guess.

    The world would be a much better place if more people watched Barbarella.

    It's also my eternal sadness that the remake with Drew Barrymore never happened.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    I always use a traditional taxi when in London. I like the fact they know where to go without using a SatNav.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 88,243
    edited October 9
    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I think you might be an outlier. Have you seen the proportion of people these days that basically just wear headphones / earbuds whenever they are out and about, totally blocking our the world. Those people aren't looking to chat to a Reform supporting black cabbie or an Albanian driving a minicab.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 65,919
    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I never talk to cab drivers, apart from Albanians obv

    It’s like a haircut. I want it done in peace. Also ina Waymo you can have a wank or a fuck without anyone judging whereas in normal taxis drivers often get tetchy
  • sladeslade Posts: 2,242
    Easy Lib Dem hold in Banes.
  • sladeslade Posts: 2,242
    slade said:

    Easy Lib Dem hold in Banes.

    Ref in 4th Con in 5th.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    edited October 9
    Bath, Widcombe & Lyncombe
    LD hold

    LD 769
    Grn 267
    Lab 212
    Rfm 206
    Con 149
    Ind N 83
    Ind B 45

    LD 44.43% [-11.75]
    Grn 15.42% [+0.56]
    Lab 12.25% [+4.68]
    Rfm 11.90% [new]
    Con 8.61% [-12.78]
    Ind N 4.79% [new]
    Ind B 2.60% [new]
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 7,349
    Leon said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I never talk to cab drivers, apart from Albanians obv
    I think last time I had an Albanian taxi driver was a share taxi from Fier to Vlora, and it cost me less than the bus the other way had in the morning
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886

    Zack finally gets to appear on QT

    Don't really like the programme but have a feeling the 1 vs 5 that is about to be aired will be very beneficial for us ( Greens)

    On other developments good to see ZS and JC appear together for your party. A successful electoral pact could be the biggest threat to Farage in GE 2029 and the death knell for red and blue Tories.

    The so-called Greens and Sultanarama are two cheeks of the same arse.

    What will they do when there is no war in Gaza to pretend to be bothered about?
    That's easy: they'll get very bothered about Ukrainians defending themselves.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 56,192
    Just watched Batman Begins on ITV1, and I swear there weren't any ad breaks!
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980

    Just watched Batman Begins on ITV1, and I swear there weren't any ad breaks!

    I was going to watch for the first time but got sidetracked by local election results.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,980
    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    Andy_JS said:

    I always use a traditional taxi when in London. I like the fact they know where to go without using a SatNav.

    They know where to go, but often don't fancy it.

    I've given up on black cabs.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I think you might be an outlier. Have you seen the proportion of people these days that basically just wear headphones / earbuds whenever they are out and about, totally blocking our the world. Those people aren't looking to chat to a Reform supporting black cabbie or an Albanian driving a minicab.
    It's part of that which makes people rude.

    I had a bloke on a bike the other day, riding on the pavement, straight at me and a colleague walking along it.

    He said, "You gonna move, or what?"

    Charming.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    HYUFD said:

    Taz said:

    Looks like the inept JLR are about to restart producing their mediocre vehicles.

    Should they just be LR being as J no longer make any vehicles?
    Both Jaguar and the Church of England seem to both hate their own brand, and are determined to destroy it.
    Rubbish, after male sex scandals in the church a female Archbishop was long overdue and welcomed by the vast majority in the C of E I have spoken to
    Why have you interpreted my comment as an objection to a female archbishop?

    I never said anything of the kind. It's the self-flagellating progressivism that's the issue.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    Leon said:

    EXC

    Jonathan Powell suppressed a major Whitehall investigation into Chinese spying after lobbying from the Treasury.

    Powell decided in June that the Government would not publish details about Beijing’s espionage from the Foreign Office’s “China audit”.

    https://x.com/Tony_Diver/status/1976373757423083572

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/09/treasury-suppressed-investigation-chinese-spying-scandal/

    Powell was also, of course, in charge of the Chagos Deal, a deal so mysterioiusly bad for Britain, and beneficial to China, no one can explain it...
    Jonathan Powell must be the most overrated person in government I've ever heard of.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386

    EXC

    Jonathan Powell suppressed a major Whitehall investigation into Chinese spying after lobbying from the Treasury.

    Powell decided in June that the Government would not publish details about Beijing’s espionage from the Foreign Office’s “China audit”.

    https://x.com/Tony_Diver/status/1976373757423083572

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/09/treasury-suppressed-investigation-chinese-spying-scandal/

    This whole story smells worse than a Jackson Lamb fart after a big curry.

    But we know: it's rife, a surprising number of people are on the take, and we aren't going to do anything about it because the Chinese economy is too big.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    Andy_JS said:

    It's no exaggeration to say an opinion poll putting Reform and the Greens on 47% between them is pretty mindboggling.

    We talk about Reform a lot, but are we underestimating how well the Greens could do?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    Andy_JS said:

    Just watched Batman Begins on ITV1, and I swear there weren't any ad breaks!

    I was going to watch for the first time but got sidetracked by local election results.
    This is peak pb
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886
    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886
    edited October 10
    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    I was going to read the article but got distracted by a cat TikTok, and ohhhh… did you know Tylenol causes… and those cruise ships, that story about it losing, sound.. ooohh… right, the Wi-Fi on cruise ships! It’s basically powered by seagull enthusiasm and three gerbils in a wheel. Anyway, I was just about to Google that when I remembered the email I never sent to myself reminding me to find out what that noise in the fridge was. Turns out it wasn’t the fridge. Or maybe it was.

    And speaking of fridges. Why don’t they make jokes when you open it? “Hey close the door, this isn’t a sauna.” I’d buy that. Oh! Sultana! That's Your Party, right?

    That reminds me I need to look up whether eucalyptus oil actually makes you live longer or if that’s just something the spa lady said while selling me the $37 towel.

    But anyway, back to the article.

    Wait.

    Was it about Tylenol or cruise ships? Or cats? Or possibly climate change? Because the cat was definitely on a cruise ship, wearing a little sailor hat, and honestly that’s the kind of leadership we need in government.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886

    HYUFD said:

    Taz said:

    Looks like the inept JLR are about to restart producing their mediocre vehicles.

    Should they just be LR being as J no longer make any vehicles?
    Both Jaguar and the Church of England seem to both hate their own brand, and are determined to destroy it.
    Rubbish, after male sex scandals in the church a female Archbishop was long overdue and welcomed by the vast majority in the C of E I have spoken to
    Why have you interpreted my comment as an objection to a female archbishop?

    I never said anything of the kind. It's the self-flagellating progressivism that's the issue.
    Reading @HYUFD's comment, it sounds like "well, we had so many scandals involving male prelates, we needed to have a scandal involving a female one."
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,827
    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    I was going to read the article but got distracted by a cat TikTok, and ohhhh… did you know Tylenol causes… and those cruise ships, that story about it losing, sound.. ooohh… right, the Wi-Fi on cruise ships! It’s basically powered by seagull enthusiasm and three gerbils in a wheel. Anyway, I was just about to Google that when I remembered the email I never sent to myself reminding me to find out what that noise in the fridge was. Turns out it wasn’t the fridge. Or maybe it was.

    And speaking of fridges. Why don’t they make jokes when you open it? “Hey close the door, this isn’t a sauna.” I’d buy that. Oh! Sultana! That's Your Party, right?

    That reminds me I need to look up whether eucalyptus oil actually makes you live longer or if that’s just something the spa lady said while selling me the $37 towel.

    But anyway, back to the article.

    Wait.

    Was it about Tylenol or cruise ships? Or cats? Or possibly climate change? Because the cat was definitely on a cruise ship, wearing a little sailor hat, and honestly that’s the kind of leadership we need in government.
    I didn't realise you were the President.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,827
    edited October 10
    The Tories have plumbed new lows tonight in the locals after the Kemigasm.
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,859

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I think you might be an outlier. Have you seen the proportion of people these days that basically just wear headphones / earbuds whenever they are out and about, totally blocking our the world. Those people aren't looking to chat to a Reform supporting black cabbie or an Albanian driving a minicab.
    There’s less joy to be had from a noisy street than a piece of music or podcast.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    edited October 10
    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 11,253
    Leon said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I never talk to cab drivers, apart from Albanians obv

    It’s like a haircut. I want it done in peace. Also ina Waymo you can have a wank or a fuck without anyone judging whereas in normal taxis drivers often get tetchy
    And that is supposed to encourage other people to use them after you?
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 12,168
    edited October 10

    Andy_JS said:

    It's no exaggeration to say an opinion poll putting Reform and the Greens on 47% between them is pretty mindboggling.

    We talk about Reform a lot, but are we underestimating how well the Greens could do?
    The Greens are all over my social media at the moment. I'm closer to the target demographic. Super positive buzz; lots of mad but interesting ideas.

    It's a nice change from from the relentless videos of the IDF burning Palestinians alive.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Nigelb said:

    Growing the pot to be shared out is the only answer.

    Squabbling over a declining amount of national wealth is a recipe for dystopia, and any party which overly focuses on who pays what, at the expense of growth, will not get my vote.

    (Which is not to say that I would oppose necessary tax increases.)

    tax increases to just throw into the ever increasing black hole is pointless. At some point the morons running the country need to understand that when you are skint , hav emaxed out all your credit cards , etc then you hav eto cust costs , there are no ohter options. IMF will be the solution for the deadbeATS THAT GET ELECTED IN THIS F***ED UP COUNTRY OF LOSERS.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886
    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Personally, I think it's time for the US to split. Cascadia and the North East will go one way. Dixieland will go another.

    And the remainder will need to make a call.

    Sometimes you just need to recognize that things just aren't working out , and it's better to split amicably - as the two halves of the Roman Empire did - than continue as things are.
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 6,478
    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Two things can be true at the same time . Trump should be given due credit if this Peace Plan lasts but that doesn’t give him a pass on supplying the vast majority of arms used to kill so many Gazans .
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    Even by Guardian standards this is a quite outrageously misleading headline


    “‘We don’t want to be a toy town’: has Brexit sunk this historic UK fishing fleet?”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/09/hastings-brexit-sunk-historic-uk-fishing-fleet

    If you read the text, what they mean by “Brexit” is actually Keir Starmer’s pathetic, treacherous fishing deal when he gave everything to the French for 12 years, in return for… nothing

    Before SKS:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

    Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to understand that fishermen, like farmers, always complain.

    Therefore most of their complaints should be ignored... :)
    They don't always complain: they complain when the harvest is bad or prices are low; they very cleverly shut up when the harvest is good or prices are high.
    Nah, there's always something to complain about. If the harvest is good and prices are high, it's the cost of fertiliser. If they've had a good day selling livestock at the market, it's that Joe down at another farm got a better deal on some ewes.

    I have family in farming, and it's a bit of a running joke.
    You will never see a poor farmer
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    Foss said:
    The release of all the hostages should be the first stage towards peace. That's been obvious from the very beginning. And they were not released because Hamas were not interested in peace.

    Neither was Israel; but the hostages were a blooming good excuse for Netanyahu to continue his war...

    Once the hostages are released, Netanyahu will find much 'support' for his war disappearing.
    For sure it will end in tears , TRump could not run a bath, will either be Trumpsville run by Blair or back to business as usual.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    some feckin gravy train , 11K a year. work and save your own money sponger.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 32,887

    Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser by the US technology companies Microsoft and Anthropic.

    The former British prime minister’s pair of new jobs emerged on Thursday in letters published by Westminster’s office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba). They add to his roles as a senior adviser to Goldman Sachs International, the investment bank, and speechmaker to investment firms including Bain Capital and Makena Capital in the US, which have netted him over £150,000 a talk.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/09/rishi-sunak-takes-advisory-roles-with-microsoft-and-ai-firm-anthropic

    'Bravely staying in parliament, doing his duty to his constituents, what a guy' -PB shrewdies
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421
    edited October 10
    nico67 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Two things can be true at the same time . Trump should be given due credit if this Peace Plan lasts but that doesn’t give him a pass on supplying the vast majority of arms used to kill so many Gazans .
    Most Gazans in this spat were killed in 23 and 24, prior to his ascending to power.

    I doubt he’s responsible for those armaments being shipped.
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421
    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Personally, I think it's time for the US to split. Cascadia and the North East will go one way. Dixieland will go another.

    And the remainder will need to make a call.

    Sometimes you just need to recognize that things just aren't working out , and it's better to split amicably - as the two halves of the Roman Empire did - than continue as things are.
    Is there any appetite for that in the US at the moment ?
  • malcolmg said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    some feckin gravy train , 11K a year. work and save your own money sponger.
    11k a year of other people's money they are working for.
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421
    Eabhal said:

    Andy_JS said:

    It's no exaggeration to say an opinion poll putting Reform and the Greens on 47% between them is pretty mindboggling.

    We talk about Reform a lot, but are we underestimating how well the Greens could do?
    The Greens are all over my social media at the moment. I'm closer to the target demographic. Super positive buzz; lots of mad but interesting ideas.

    It's a nice change from from the relentless videos of the IDF burning Palestinians alive.
    Of all the parties the Greens are the ones who now have some distinct policy platforms and are clear on who they are and who they appeal,to.

    I’m not sure their brand of Corbynism will appeal to the leafy shires NIMBYs but the younger, disaffected, will lap it up.

    Good for them for articulating a clear vision.

    It is hard to see what Reform stand for aside from trying to secure the borders and manage migration. The Lib Dem’s seem to promise interest groups whatever they want. The Tories no one is listening to and Labour really lack a vision. Just more managed decline.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Foss said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    I am looking to retire when I hit 55 which is less than a decade away.

    I’ve always worked on the assumption that I’ll never get a state pension.
    You see this a lot now.

    One of a set of related lies seeded by (probably) Russian trolls.

    Wealthy boomer pensioners vote themselves the triple lock which will bankrupt the pension system before today's workers can claim.

    First, our baby boom generation is in its 60s, not 70s (from which I infer foreign trolls started this). Second, there is a lot of pensioner poverty. Third, it will be decades before the triple lock seriously impacts affordability of what compared with our peer nations is not a generous pension. Demographics are more of a problem as the baby boom generation (remember them) nears retirement age.

    The other curious thing is the well-paid pundits never point to their own perks, like higher rate tax relief on private pension contributions, or salary sacrifice, or free childcare for couples on £200,000 (well, technically just under £100k each). Again this points in my tin foil mind to troll-sown discord rather than serious analysis.
    That the state pension won't survive has been a quietly expressed fear for far long than social media has been around.
    Country is full of lazy greedy w**kers , whining about people who actually work hard and make some money , these whining losers want to be given all eth money of these hard workers rather than getting off their arses and making it tehmselves. Generations after 1965 are whining greedy losers who expect everything to be handed to them on a plate. Get out and earn your own money you greedy losers.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 35,048
    malcolmg said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    some feckin gravy train , 11K a year. work and save your own money sponger.
    Eleven grand added to one's copper bottomed employer paid index linked pension is handy pin money.

    You've never had it so good. And we won't.
  • nico67 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Two things can be true at the same time . Trump should be given due credit if this Peace Plan lasts but that doesn’t give him a pass on supplying the vast majority of arms used to kill so many Gazans .
    Not a free pass, indeed, he should be given plaudits instead as its one of the few things he has done right.

    Killing Hamas until they surrendered is how a war is won.

    Now Hamas have surrendered, peace is viable. Let's hope it lasts.
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421
    malcolmg said:

    Foss said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    I am looking to retire when I hit 55 which is less than a decade away.

    I’ve always worked on the assumption that I’ll never get a state pension.
    You see this a lot now.

    One of a set of related lies seeded by (probably) Russian trolls.

    Wealthy boomer pensioners vote themselves the triple lock which will bankrupt the pension system before today's workers can claim.

    First, our baby boom generation is in its 60s, not 70s (from which I infer foreign trolls started this). Second, there is a lot of pensioner poverty. Third, it will be decades before the triple lock seriously impacts affordability of what compared with our peer nations is not a generous pension. Demographics are more of a problem as the baby boom generation (remember them) nears retirement age.

    The other curious thing is the well-paid pundits never point to their own perks, like higher rate tax relief on private pension contributions, or salary sacrifice, or free childcare for couples on £200,000 (well, technically just under £100k each). Again this points in my tin foil mind to troll-sown discord rather than serious analysis.
    That the state pension won't survive has been a quietly expressed fear for far long than social media has been around.
    Country is full of lazy greedy w**kers , whining about people who actually work hard and make some money , these whining losers want to be given all eth money of these hard workers rather than getting off their arses and making it tehmselves. Generations after 1965 are whining greedy losers who expect everything to be handed to them on a plate. Get out and earn your own money you greedy losers.
    We certainly seem to have a disdain for people who grow businesses and create wealth.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 62,986
    Good morning, everyone.

    Nice to see PB has collectively agreed that people need to stop being so selfish and realise we need to save money. Now we just need to agree who's being selfish and who should save the money...
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,859

    Good morning, everyone.

    Nice to see PB has collectively agreed that people need to stop being so selfish and realise we need to save money. Now we just need to agree who's being selfish and who should save the money...

    ‘Them’.

    All sorted now.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886
    malcolmg said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    Even by Guardian standards this is a quite outrageously misleading headline


    “‘We don’t want to be a toy town’: has Brexit sunk this historic UK fishing fleet?”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/09/hastings-brexit-sunk-historic-uk-fishing-fleet

    If you read the text, what they mean by “Brexit” is actually Keir Starmer’s pathetic, treacherous fishing deal when he gave everything to the French for 12 years, in return for… nothing

    Before SKS:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

    Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to understand that fishermen, like farmers, always complain.

    Therefore most of their complaints should be ignored... :)
    They don't always complain: they complain when the harvest is bad or prices are low; they very cleverly shut up when the harvest is good or prices are high.
    Nah, there's always something to complain about. If the harvest is good and prices are high, it's the cost of fertiliser. If they've had a good day selling livestock at the market, it's that Joe down at another farm got a better deal on some ewes.

    I have family in farming, and it's a bit of a running joke.
    You will never see a poor farmer
    Why, are you blind?
  • boulayboulay Posts: 7,596

    nico67 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Two things can be true at the same time . Trump should be given due credit if this Peace Plan lasts but that doesn’t give him a pass on supplying the vast majority of arms used to kill so many Gazans .
    Not a free pass, indeed, he should be given plaudits instead as its one of the few things he has done right.

    Killing Hamas until they surrendered is how a war is won.

    Now Hamas have surrendered, peace is viable. Let's hope it lasts.
    Let’s wait and see if it works first shall we? The troops haven’t withdrawn yet, the hostages and bodies haven’t been returned yet, etc. If it works and is the platform for lasting peace he should be praised for pressuring both sides to a deal. If it doesn’t then he’s just another in a long line of people who tried and it failed.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Taz said:

    Three quarters of pensioners own their own home.

    The same can not be said about working people.

    Working people's wages should go to themselves first, before it goes to anyone else.

    Working people should not be worse off than those who are not working.

    I’m genuinely amazed people who have worked 40 plus years have paid off their mortgage whereas people who have been in the world of work a few years haven’t 😂😂😂😂
    Taz, this site is full of greedy entitled arseholes. Instead of going out and working to better tyhemselves they just constantly whine about people who have spent 50 years grafting to get themselves a few bob. It is no wonder the country is so f**ed if this is representative of the public. Want everything for nothing.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,886
    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    I was going to read the article but got distracted by a cat TikTok, and ohhhh… did you know Tylenol causes… and those cruise ships, that story about it losing, sound.. ooohh… right, the Wi-Fi on cruise ships! It’s basically powered by seagull enthusiasm and three gerbils in a wheel. Anyway, I was just about to Google that when I remembered the email I never sent to myself reminding me to find out what that noise in the fridge was. Turns out it wasn’t the fridge. Or maybe it was.

    And speaking of fridges. Why don’t they make jokes when you open it? “Hey close the door, this isn’t a sauna.” I’d buy that. Oh! Sultana! That's Your Party, right?

    That reminds me I need to look up whether eucalyptus oil actually makes you live longer or if that’s just something the spa lady said while selling me the $37 towel.

    But anyway, back to the article.

    Wait.

    Was it about Tylenol or cruise ships? Or cats? Or possibly climate change? Because the cat was definitely on a cruise ship, wearing a little sailor hat, and honestly that’s the kind of leadership we need in government.
    You know, I went to a lot of trouble with that comment.

    Philistines.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    I was going to read the article but got distracted by a cat TikTok, and ohhhh… did you know Tylenol causes… and those cruise ships, that story about it losing, sound.. ooohh… right, the Wi-Fi on cruise ships! It’s basically powered by seagull enthusiasm and three gerbils in a wheel. Anyway, I was just about to Google that when I remembered the email I never sent to myself reminding me to find out what that noise in the fridge was. Turns out it wasn’t the fridge. Or maybe it was.

    And speaking of fridges. Why don’t they make jokes when you open it? “Hey close the door, this isn’t a sauna.” I’d buy that. Oh! Sultana! That's Your Party, right?

    That reminds me I need to look up whether eucalyptus oil actually makes you live longer or if that’s just something the spa lady said while selling me the $37 towel.

    But anyway, back to the article.

    Wait.

    Was it about Tylenol or cruise ships? Or cats? Or possibly climate change? Because the cat was definitely on a cruise ship, wearing a little sailor hat, and honestly that’s the kind of leadership we need in government.
    You know, I went to a lot of trouble with that comment.

    Philistines.
    You’re auditioning to be Gavin Newsom’s new social media manager?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Taz said:

    Omnium said:

    Taz said:



    Nice new tattoo

    Why would you link such an image?
    Because I saw it so I should share it.

    I mean, why would someone have it.
    Exactly, obviously deranged
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 1,724
    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    Cookie said:

    The Farage claims of all the teachers are indoctorinating our kids and are activists again seems very MAGA and "Online" where the likes of "Libs of TikTok" social media accounts bang on constantly about it.

    I don't have kids, but I don't get that the "reds under the beds" scare is something that is part of the UK political discussion around education.

    I have quite a bit of interaction with education - and at the secondary level at least this feels very plausible. It's not all teachers, and not all schools, but, well, if you're a white British straight male, British schools aren't a place to make you feel good about yourself.
    Not like in the good old days when all the gay kids were either closeted or bullied every single day, the girls could expect to be continuously harassed by the boys and racism was absolutely endemic. This was my experience of school life in the 1980s and early 1990s. These days my son's straight white male friends all seem pretty happy at school FWIW.
    50's & 60's we did not know or had ever heard of "gay" other than being happy , knew nothing of racism , some did harass the girls for sure.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498
    Foss said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I think you might be an outlier. Have you seen the proportion of people these days that basically just wear headphones / earbuds whenever they are out and about, totally blocking our the world. Those people aren't looking to chat to a Reform supporting black cabbie or an Albanian driving a minicab.
    There’s less joy to be had from a noisy street than a piece of music or podcast.
    I heard a Raven while walking down North Street in Skibbereen earlier this year. That was quite exciting.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    dixiedean said:

    Cookie said:

    These findings fill me with incredulity.

    The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

    Same, I had to check with YouGov that there were no typos in the posts.

    I just cannot wrap my ahead around it, my parents think their main role in life is to spend money on their grandkids, and also leave me and them a massive inheritance.
    I'm not sure it's entitlement - just a massive failure to recognise how anomalously lucky their generation is.
    My mother in law has a slightly exasperating tendency to talk to us about what we'll do when we retire, blithely expecting that we'll be able to have the same two-cruises-a-year lifestyle she has. At present my plan A is work until my 70s then off to Dignitas.
    There's a total lack of self-awareness.

    It's also the generation that did the Summer of '69 and all the self-indulgence of the 1960s, so there's a certain me me me to them anyway.
    We can take the 'generation' thing a bit too far. My dad's reaction to the 'summer of love':
    "I was too busy trying to make a living"

    I fear the stories of the swinging sixties are far more widespread than the actual experiences.
    Especially for the Boomers born in 1965.
    Their only swinging in the Sixties was done in playgrounds.
    Most of that lot were pre Boomer. War babies.
    No easy life in those days, if you did not work you starved, no free houses, no free money and no-one would ever have whinged and whined about a pensioner.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    "Sunak joins Microsoft and AI firm as paid advisor"

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyqe22pz81o

    I don't have much against Sunak, but he's already rich, and like so many ex-PM's and prominent politicians he seems to be after the money. Why doesn't he just write books about music hall and cricket? :)

    To be fair that is his interest and I expect he will stand down at the next election anyway
    they are all greedy grasping Barstewards, how anybody can make excuses for their venality is amazing.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Andy_JS said:

    Just watched the first episode of the Traitors from yesterday. Great fun.

    saw the z listers on it and vowed to never have the horror of watching the deadbeats.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Andy_JS said:

    Foxy said:

    Cookie said:

    These findings fill me with incredulity.

    The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

    Same, I had to check with YouGov that there were no typos in the posts.

    I just cannot wrap my ahead around it, my parents think their main role in life is to spend money on their grandkids, and also leave me and them a massive inheritance.
    I'm not sure it's entitlement - just a massive failure to recognise how anomalously lucky their generation is.
    My mother in law has a slightly exasperating tendency to talk to us about what we'll do when we retire, blithely expecting that we'll be able to have the same two-cruises-a-year lifestyle she has. At present my plan A is work until my 70s then off to Dignitas.
    There's a total lack of self-awareness.

    It's also the generation that did the Summer of '69 and all the self-indulgence of the 1960s, so there's a certain me me me to them anyway.
    We can take the 'generation' thing a bit too far. My dad's reaction to the 'summer of love':
    "I was too busy trying to make a living"

    I fear the stories of the swinging sixties are far more widespread than the actual experiences.
    My Dad was 25 in 1960.

    He described the Sixties to me as "a depressing time, everyone was trying to emigrate".

    When you look at the figures, he was probably right.
    Only £10 to emigrate to Australia.
    It also included a free cruise, not bad for a tenner.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 56,555
    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    So you are telling us that not only do civil servants have gold plated pensions, they are disproportionately likely to draw on them for long periods of time. The UK workforce currently totals around 33.2 million, of which 17.9% (5.9 million) work in the public sector, of which only around 1.6% (546 thousand) are in the civil service. If 1.6% of the workforce is generating roughly 8.5% of pensioners the evidence that they have an easy and cosseted life becomes overwhelming.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    If Hamas disarms, and if the IDF withdraws from most of Gaza, who is responsible for ensuring public order in Gaza?

    And with which army?

    pigs will fly before that happens in any event
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    Zack finally gets to appear on QT

    Don't really like the programme but have a feeling the 1 vs 5 that is about to be aired will be very beneficial for us ( Greens)

    On other developments good to see ZS and JC appear together for your party. A successful electoral pact could be the biggest threat to Farage in GE 2029 and the death knell for red and blue Tories.

    The so-called Greens and Sultanarama are two cheeks of the same arse.

    What will they do when there is no war in Gaza to pretend to be bothered about?
    Them and many others
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421
    malcolmg said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Just watched the first episode of the Traitors from yesterday. Great fun.

    saw the z listers on it and vowed to never have the horror of watching the deadbeats.
    Charlotte Church caused a bit of a kerfuffle for a couple of reasons.
  • MonksfieldMonksfield Posts: 2,918
    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    Alot of legacy civil service pensions were payable at 60 or 65. If you don’t want to retire at 60 and many don’t, then the pensions are considered to be deferred until the point at which they are taken. Similarly, if you have money in a civil service pension scheme but leave to work elsewhere, that is considered deferred.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 32,887
    rcs1000 said:

    malcolmg said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    Even by Guardian standards this is a quite outrageously misleading headline


    “‘We don’t want to be a toy town’: has Brexit sunk this historic UK fishing fleet?”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/09/hastings-brexit-sunk-historic-uk-fishing-fleet

    If you read the text, what they mean by “Brexit” is actually Keir Starmer’s pathetic, treacherous fishing deal when he gave everything to the French for 12 years, in return for… nothing

    Before SKS:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

    Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to understand that fishermen, like farmers, always complain.

    Therefore most of their complaints should be ignored... :)
    They don't always complain: they complain when the harvest is bad or prices are low; they very cleverly shut up when the harvest is good or prices are high.
    Nah, there's always something to complain about. If the harvest is good and prices are high, it's the cost of fertiliser. If they've had a good day selling livestock at the market, it's that Joe down at another farm got a better deal on some ewes.

    I have family in farming, and it's a bit of a running joke.
    You will never see a poor farmer
    Why, are you blind?
    Because poor farming was made illegal by the EU, and sadly the 2020 Agriculture Act did not restore this as one of our Brexit freedoms. Most livestock farmers now stick to cows, sheep, or chicken.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 53,097
    edited October 10
    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    Deferred means you are a scheme member but not in eligible employment, nor retired and taking your pension. It will be people who have moved from: the civil service into other jobs, or who have stopped working before pension age and not taken it early. It doesn’t mean the pension is actually deferred. You could do a couple of years with the civil service in your twenties and then remain a deferred scheme member for a very long time.
  • TazTaz Posts: 21,421

    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    Alot of legacy civil service pensions were payable at 60 or 65. If you don’t want to retire at 60 and many don’t, then the pensions are considered to be deferred until the point at which they are taken. Similarly, if you have money in a civil service pension scheme but leave to work elsewhere, that is considered deferred.
    My wife’s local govt deferred pension is payable at 60. Her NHS pension, 95 scheme, she has just taken. The 2015 scheme is 67.
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 1,724
    DavidL said:

    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    So you are telling us that not only do civil servants have gold plated pensions, they are disproportionately likely to draw on them for long periods of time. The UK workforce currently totals around 33.2 million, of which 17.9% (5.9 million) work in the public sector, of which only around 1.6% (546 thousand) are in the civil service. If 1.6% of the workforce is generating roughly 8.5% of pensioners the evidence that they have an easy and cosseted life becomes overwhelming.
    Not telling you anything other than DYOR. And these days DYOR is important as relying on the skills of journalists in the MSM is not a good idea. Nor are the various rabbit holes available on social media.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    Carnyx said:

    ohnotnow said:

    Foxy said:

    Cookie said:

    These findings fill me with incredulity.

    The sense of entitlement is unbelievable.

    Same, I had to check with YouGov that there were no typos in the posts.

    I just cannot wrap my ahead around it, my parents think their main role in life is to spend money on their grandkids, and also leave me and them a massive inheritance.
    I'm not sure it's entitlement - just a massive failure to recognise how anomalously lucky their generation is.
    My mother in law has a slightly exasperating tendency to talk to us about what we'll do when we retire, blithely expecting that we'll be able to have the same two-cruises-a-year lifestyle she has. At present my plan A is work until my 70s then off to Dignitas.
    There's a total lack of self-awareness.

    It's also the generation that did the Summer of '69 and all the self-indulgence of the 1960s, so there's a certain me me me to them anyway.
    We can take the 'generation' thing a bit too far. My dad's reaction to the 'summer of love':
    "I was too busy trying to make a living"

    I fear the stories of the swinging sixties are far more widespread than the actual experiences.
    My Dad was 25 in 1960.

    He described the Sixties to me as "a depressing time, everyone was trying to emigrate".

    When you look at the figures, he was probably right.
    I think the only time I remember my parents getting proper angry was when I - as a young lad - referred to the swinging sixties, people partying, everyone having a lovely time.

    It didn't seem to quite chime with their memories of the same era. Thank goodness the media is now far less middle-class and London-centric.
    Beeching Cuts.
    Sucj a strange era - old waggonways, even plateways in places like Shropshire, and steam locos from the Victorian era, at the same time as V-bombers and Deltic diesels.
    The 60s - https://youtu.be/2G-BNvZvz8I?si=-R_C-MXLeA8Q7yWq
    childhood in the late 50's - 60's were pretty damn good.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 80,236
    Someone explain to me like I'm 5 why Sunak has his job, because surely it's not ... that obvious..
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    fitalass said:

    X
    @GinaDavidson@ginadavidsonlbc

    Scottish Govt has confirmed it will vote against the Right to Recovery Bill being voted on at Stage 1 in Holyrood today. If it falls, then there will be no further action on it. Douglas Ross had hoped SNP would abstain so it could at least go to Stage 2 and be amended.

    https://x.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1976294147821900081

    stephendaisley.substack.com@JournoStephen

    Scotland is the drugs deaths capital of Europe.

    The SNP will today vote against helping people to get themselves off drugs.

    You are not misreading this.

    https://x.com/JournoStephen/status/1976302554058310012

    Those losers still spouting crap.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    Pulpstar said:

    Someone explain to me like I'm 5 why Sunak has his job, because surely it's not ... that obvious..

    Same reason Facebook employed Nick Clegg.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,491
    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    Note that it is “excluding rent”

    Good thing that pensioners live, rent free, in some PBers heads, eh?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Leon said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I never talk to cab drivers, apart from Albanians obv

    It’s like a haircut. I want it done in peace. Also ina Waymo you can have a wank or a fuck without anyone judging whereas in normal taxis drivers often get tetchy
    Only wimpy losers take taxis.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 81,982
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    I was going to read the article but got distracted by a cat TikTok, and ohhhh… did you know Tylenol causes… and those cruise ships, that story about it losing, sound.. ooohh… right, the Wi-Fi on cruise ships! It’s basically powered by seagull enthusiasm and three gerbils in a wheel. Anyway, I was just about to Google that when I remembered the email I never sent to myself reminding me to find out what that noise in the fridge was. Turns out it wasn’t the fridge. Or maybe it was.

    And speaking of fridges. Why don’t they make jokes when you open it? “Hey close the door, this isn’t a sauna.” I’d buy that. Oh! Sultana! That's Your Party, right?

    That reminds me I need to look up whether eucalyptus oil actually makes you live longer or if that’s just something the spa lady said while selling me the $37 towel.

    But anyway, back to the article.

    Wait.

    Was it about Tylenol or cruise ships? Or cats? Or possibly climate change? Because the cat was definitely on a cruise ship, wearing a little sailor hat, and honestly that’s the kind of leadership we need in government.
    You know, I went to a lot of trouble with that comment.

    Philistines.
    We're just being careful in case you get a surprise call to join Trump's White House team.0
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Andy_JS said:

    "The Princess of Wales has warned that an overload of smartphones and computer screens is creating an "epidemic of disconnection" that disrupts family life.

    "While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite," writes Catherine, in an essay written in collaboration with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School.

    Catherine says smartphones and gadgets have become a "constant distraction, fragmenting our focus" and undermining the time that families spend together.

    "We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us," writes the princess, in an essay that's part of her early years education campaign."

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgek62l6pzo

    pass the sick bucket, a parasite opines.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    Andy_JS said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Leon said:

    I want a fucking Waymo but they’re all sold out. I am now addicted to waymos. Have to put up with a stupid human

    Is that what your driver said?
    No he’s mainly sobbing as he sees his job go up in flames

    Waymos are simply superior to the human version. They will conquer
    I bet they don't conquer, except for in a few weird places like San Francisco. Elsewhere people will want to be able to chat with a real person.
    I think you might be an outlier. Have you seen the proportion of people these days that basically just wear headphones / earbuds whenever they are out and about, totally blocking our the world. Those people aren't looking to chat to a Reform supporting black cabbie or an Albanian driving a minicab.
    It's part of that which makes people rude.

    I had a bloke on a bike the other day, riding on the pavement, straight at me and a colleague walking along it.

    He said, "You gonna move, or what?"

    Charming.
    I would have said "what" arsehole
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 53,097
    Pulpstar said:

    Someone explain to me like I'm 5 why Sunak has his job, because surely it's not ... that obvious..

    For his address book - connections and access, innit?
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 1,724

    Battlebus said:

    Had a look at pensioner numbers. Seems to be 13mn of which 1.1mn are Civil Servants. Notable point is about 1/3rd of those are deferred which seems odd if they are so generous but have no evidence as to why this is the case. The other point is there are about 1.5mn on Pension Credit where there were not enough contributions to get enough to live on.

    Perplexity tell me

    In terms of pension income relative to the cost of living, the UK ranks 11th out of 23 European countries studied, with pension income about 121.5% of basic living costs. This means retirees in the UK have a pension income slightly above the breakeven point for covering living expenses. For example, the UK pays a maximum state pension of about £997.75 per month, while the estimated average monthly cost of living (excluding rent) is around £820.90.


    So gold-plated pensioners are just above the monthly cost of living (it up)
    Note that it is “excluding rent”

    Good thing that pensioners live, rent free, in some PBers heads, eh?
    There is a point here to show the inequality within the benefits system. Those on the Pension Credit level will get their housing costs paid. Those just above won't so there is a cliff edge where you are just not poor enough to be helped.

    Back to the complexities upon complexities which simple solutions (® Reform UK) will sort out .
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,491

    rcs1000 said:

    malcolmg said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    Even by Guardian standards this is a quite outrageously misleading headline


    “‘We don’t want to be a toy town’: has Brexit sunk this historic UK fishing fleet?”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/09/hastings-brexit-sunk-historic-uk-fishing-fleet

    If you read the text, what they mean by “Brexit” is actually Keir Starmer’s pathetic, treacherous fishing deal when he gave everything to the French for 12 years, in return for… nothing

    Before SKS:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c066r811z7ro

    Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to understand that fishermen, like farmers, always complain.

    Therefore most of their complaints should be ignored... :)
    They don't always complain: they complain when the harvest is bad or prices are low; they very cleverly shut up when the harvest is good or prices are high.
    Nah, there's always something to complain about. If the harvest is good and prices are high, it's the cost of fertiliser. If they've had a good day selling livestock at the market, it's that Joe down at another farm got a better deal on some ewes.

    I have family in farming, and it's a bit of a running joke.
    You will never see a poor farmer
    Why, are you blind?
    Because poor farming was made illegal by the EU, and sadly the 2020 Agriculture Act did not restore this as one of our Brexit freedoms. Most livestock farmers now stick to cows, sheep, or chicken.
    Pish - nothing to with the EU.

    Farming poor people collapsed due to cost. Back in the day, your basic serf was a cheap product - hardy, needing little effort to grow.

    These days poor people need trainers, mobiles phones, tracksuits, knifes, Facebook and drugs. And that’s just before primary school age.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 56,555
    malcolmg said:

    fitalass said:

    X
    @GinaDavidson@ginadavidsonlbc

    Scottish Govt has confirmed it will vote against the Right to Recovery Bill being voted on at Stage 1 in Holyrood today. If it falls, then there will be no further action on it. Douglas Ross had hoped SNP would abstain so it could at least go to Stage 2 and be amended.

    https://x.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1976294147821900081

    stephendaisley.substack.com@JournoStephen

    Scotland is the drugs deaths capital of Europe.

    The SNP will today vote against helping people to get themselves off drugs.

    You are not misreading this.

    https://x.com/JournoStephen/status/1976302554058310012

    Those losers still spouting crap.
    Our records for drug deaths in Scotland are absolutely the worst in Europe and far worse than any other part of the UK. The Scottish government says that reducing this is a priority but then vote down this bill giving addicts an entitlement to rehabilitation and treatment at first reading. The cognitive dissonance is, once again, deafening.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 7,596
    Sandpit said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Someone explain to me like I'm 5 why Sunak has his job, because surely it's not ... that obvious..

    Same reason Facebook employed Nick Clegg.
    More reasons than employing Nick Clegg, at least Sunak had a previous career in the finance world where he could give insight from the position of an investor who has also been a senior politician.

    The other difference is that Nick Clegg took a huge salary, Sunak donates his fees to the Richmond Project.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Thursday to clear the way for President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., and pause a lower-court ruling that found that Mr. Trump had probably exceeded his authority by declaring a “rebellion” where there was none.

    NY Times blog

    You know, I'm beginning to think that Biden should have attempted to post troops to Republican areas, so the Supreme Court could have squashed it, and therefore (hopefully) Trump would have been stymied.
    Instead he sued Texas for putting up a border fence, and established the precident that the Federal government, and not the States, are in charge of dealing with illegal immigration.
    Somebody really smart once wrote something about this kind of thing: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2024/07/17/the-dangers-of-oppositionalism/
    Sadly the US is now totally split, and the polarisation makes blind oppositionism easy.

    Trump is so unpopular that he could announce a cure for cancer and there would be people standing up for the cancer.

    In fact, he’s now so hated that he could announce a deal for peace in the Middle East and we’d hear nothing from people who have spent two years shouting about “Palestine”.
    Most People would know instantly that both announcements were utter bullshit and be proven so in short order.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091
    Eabhal said:

    Andy_JS said:

    It's no exaggeration to say an opinion poll putting Reform and the Greens on 47% between them is pretty mindboggling.

    We talk about Reform a lot, but are we underestimating how well the Greens could do?
    The Greens are all over my social media at the moment. I'm closer to the target demographic. Super positive buzz; lots of mad but interesting ideas.

    It's a nice change from from the relentless videos of the IDF burning Palestinians alive.
    :D:#:p made my day. WTF social media are you on if it is all those f**king halfwitted nutters. You have obviously overdosed on quinoa and tightened your sandals too much.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 53,537
    Sandpit said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Someone explain to me like I'm 5 why Sunak has his job, because surely it's not ... that obvious..

    Same reason Facebook employed Nick Clegg.
    Clegg worked for Facebook after leaving Parliament. Sunak is still in Parliament, apparently.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 45,091

    malcolmg said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    some feckin gravy train , 11K a year. work and save your own money sponger.
    11k a year of other people's money they are working for.
    Dumb and dumber appears, yes they only paid 50 years for it you cretinous halfwitted thick twunt.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 81,982
    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    some feckin gravy train , 11K a year. work and save your own money sponger.
    11k a year of other people's money they are working for.
    Dumb and dumber appears, yes they only paid 50 years for it you cretinous halfwitted thick twunt.
    Morning, malcolm.
    What did you have with your porridge this morning ?
    I haven't seen you so cheerful for ages.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 64,386
    malcolmg said:

    Foss said:

    I'm guessing that the pensioner gravy train will derail just before I reach retirement age.

    I am looking to retire when I hit 55 which is less than a decade away.

    I’ve always worked on the assumption that I’ll never get a state pension.
    You see this a lot now.

    One of a set of related lies seeded by (probably) Russian trolls.

    Wealthy boomer pensioners vote themselves the triple lock which will bankrupt the pension system before today's workers can claim.

    First, our baby boom generation is in its 60s, not 70s (from which I infer foreign trolls started this). Second, there is a lot of pensioner poverty. Third, it will be decades before the triple lock seriously impacts affordability of what compared with our peer nations is not a generous pension. Demographics are more of a problem as the baby boom generation (remember them) nears retirement age.

    The other curious thing is the well-paid pundits never point to their own perks, like higher rate tax relief on private pension contributions, or salary sacrifice, or free childcare for couples on £200,000 (well, technically just under £100k each). Again this points in my tin foil mind to troll-sown discord rather than serious analysis.
    That the state pension won't survive has been a quietly expressed fear for far long than social media has been around.
    Country is full of lazy greedy w**kers , whining about people who actually work hard and make some money , these whining losers want to be given all eth money of these hard workers rather than getting off their arses and making it tehmselves. Generations after 1965 are whining greedy losers who expect everything to be handed to them on a plate. Get out and earn your own money you greedy losers.
    Which is somewhat representative of Boomer opinion, yes.
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