Election Year or Fear!

[MadAmster]

We need to keep cash. I know of pub landlords who pay the card machine companies upwards of 6 grand a year. Then there's bank charges on top of that. If we all paid cash in the pub, that fiver would still be a fiver and not something like £4.70 for the landlord. He can buy, say, pie and chips with it and the chippy has a fiver. Chippy pays fiver to the barber for a haircut. The fiver is still a fiver. The banks and card machine companies haven't taken £0.90 in charges.

The fiver is still a fiver but the value has remained in circulation and bankers etc have earned zero. I like that. The landlord benefits to the tune of a fiver rather than £4.70 after charges. Same with the chippy. Same with the barber. Enough people pay with cash, prices might even be able to come down. Only a little, agreed. That, or price rises will occur later...

No cash would be great for banks and card machine companies. It would also, very likely, see the back of car boot sales, markets stalls, tips would end up in the pocket of restaurant owners and not in those of the staff, no giving to the homeless or buskers, no selling unwanted items for cash and HMG would soon be charging VAT on those sales, any privacy when buying anything would be gone, we'd be 100% reliant on having a power source and the internet to buy/sell anything. The tooth fairy would be out of business as well. Piggy banks would have no purpose.

[SithHappens]

If they just take card in pubs etc there is the benefit of not having to cash up, balance the books, make a trip to the bank, which is even harder these days.

All of that costs money.

[MadAmster]

If they just take card in pubs etc there is the benefit of not having to cash up, balance the books, make a trip to the bank, which is even harder these days.

All of that costs money.

Then why do all my landlord friends prefer cash to card?

[Geoff Parkstone]

Because cash can disappear on its way from the customers pockets to the official records held at the bank

[SithHappens]

Then why do all my landlord friends prefer cash to card?

I'd guess some will be down to location and type of pub, don't know but there has to be a reason lots only want card now. Having worked in retail balancing at the end of the day was a pain in the arse, I know had we just taken card it would have made the job much easier.

[SithHappens]

Back on winter fuel, speaking to a pensioner friend of ours this morning, she's been on her own 10 years now and I fully expected her to be one who still gets it, but she is just a few pounds a week over the amount where she could get pension credit so she won't get it.

She is really worried about the winter, has been given extra jumpers etc from family members.

I think the new government have rushed it in, agree with it being means tested but it seems like they maybe haven't done the legwork on working out the right measure.

[Trickytreesreds]

Back on winter fuel, speaking to a pensioner friend of ours this morning, she's been on her own 10 years now and I fully expected her to be one who still gets it, but she is just a few pounds a week over the amount where she could get pension credit so she won't get it.

She is really worried about the winter, has been given extra jumpers etc from family members.

I think the new government have rushed it in, agree with it being means tested but it seems like they maybe haven't done the legwork on working out the right measure.

Its outrageous. Pensioners credit then for her, works out at £11,343.80
Minimum wage is going up to £12.10 and 40 hour week = £25,160

Yet poor Doris, gets no heating help over that paltry pension and no doubt will be losing her single person council tax allowance and bus pass in the next budget. Party of the people my arse.
Meanwhile, the monkey driving a train, gets £80 k a year for a 4 day week.
Something seriously wrong here,

[Trickytreesreds]

People in glass houses and all that
Tick tock

https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmers-wife-getting-clothes-from-donor-not-a-transparency-issue-lammy-insists-13215777

[SithHappens]

Sir Kier is definitely punching, his wife very much has a Vanessa Angel look about her (kingpin, spies like us)

Does it bother me she's had some clobber bought for her, not really.

[Trickytreesreds]

Sir Kier is definitely punching, his wife very much has a Vanessa Angel look about her (kingpin, spies like us)

Does it bother me she's had some clobber bought for her, not really.

Had the boot been on the other foot, I'm sure Herr Keir, wouldn't dream of mentioning Boris's wallpaper, or anything trivial like that? (whistling)

[ramAnag]

Back on winter fuel, speaking to a pensioner friend of ours this morning, she's been on her own 10 years now and I fully expected her to be one who still gets it, but she is just a few pounds a week over the amount where she could get pension credit so she won't get it.

She is really worried about the winter, has been given extra jumpers etc from family members.

I think the new government have rushed it in, agree with it being means tested but it seems like they maybe haven't done the legwork on working out the right measure.

That’s a sensible questioning of the proposals imo, unlike Tricky who just wants to have a pop at the new government and train drivers.
The other side of the coin is that I can take you to see an elderly lady who lives, about 300 metres from me, alone in a very large ‘listed’ building. The property is worth at least £5 million and, as I understand it, she has more (millions) to fall back on. Good luck to her but are we seriously suggesting she should be entitled to the same wfa as poorer pensioners?
I don’t think so…but I do accept some ‘fine tuning’ may be necessary.

[Trickytreesreds]

That’s a sensible questioning of the proposals imo, unlike Tricky who just wants to have a pop at the new government and train drivers.
The other side of the coin is that I can take you to see an elderly lady who lives, about 300 metres from me, alone in a very large ‘listed’ building. The property is worth at least £5 million and, as I understand it, she has more (millions) to fall back on. Good luck to her but are we seriously suggesting she should be entitled to the same wfa as poorer pensioners?
I don’t think so…but I do accept some ‘fine tuning’ may be necessary.

Nothing sensible to do with it.
Everyone knows, its something that should be means tested and when minimum wage gets you double what a pensioner gets, the threshold needs to be a lot higher.

Just like your goodself on many occasions, who's in power and who made the decision?
Who gave the train drivers, already on a wage punching above their abilities, just to satisfy Union pay masters?
You can't have it all your own way can you?

Sorry RA, like I mentioned with Boris's wallpaper, 2 tier would be first screaming about that. At least his wall paper donor didn't get a Downing street security pass? WTF is that all about?

Stinks of cronyism and I'll say again. This lot are no different than the Tories. Except oddly, its them attacking the poorer rather than the Tories.

[SithHappens]

That’s a sensible questioning of the proposals imo, unlike Tricky who just wants to have a pop at the new government and train drivers.
The other side of the coin is that I can take you to see an elderly lady who lives, about 300 metres from me, alone in a very large ‘listed’ building. The property is worth at least £5 million and, as I understand it, she has more (millions) to fall back on. Good luck to her but are we seriously suggesting she should be entitled to the same wfa as poorer pensioners?
I don’t think so…but I do accept some ‘fine tuning’ may be necessary.

Yeah I know wealthy pensioners who didn't need it too.

That's why I'd have preferred them to take more time. Maybe set the level based on savings like other benefits, is it 16k? Bring it in next year, give those having it taken away more notice.

There is never a perfect way of doing things unfortunately though. There will always be someone who falls in the gap.

[Ramshank72]

To go against the grain, why should pension and pensioner benefits be means tested? I mean, I understand if you want to have a cap for millionaires, but otherwise, you're just punishing those who work hard all their lives, that made sacrifices throughout their lives to put together some savings for their retirement, only to be means tested and end up with the same or less as the lazy twonk that didn't work hard or make sacrifices.

[Geoff Parkstone]

To go against the grain, why should pension and pensioner benefits be means tested? I mean, I understand if you want to have a cap for millionaires, but otherwise, you're just punishing those who work hard all their lives, that made sacrifices throughout their lives to put together some savings for their retirement, only to be means tested and end up with the same or less as the lazy twonk that didn't work hard or make sacrifices.

Unfortunately RS that is symptomatic of our society - work hard, save for your retirement and have entitlements taken away as you have done just that. Alternatively laze around, spend everything you earn and then put your hand out.

To an extent it's transitional as the generations move into workplace pensions as opposed to state benefit reliance but for another 20 years or more there will be this inequity.