Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Pensions warning..

Thanks for that, I'm interested to understand how the UK Government is aware of UK citizens received means tested benefit in the EU, is it a declaration made by the individual or is data being exchanged between the UK and EU member states?

Seems to me the real answer is to build more houses to meet the needs of the growing population size, rather than what some might consider quite drastic measures with regard to private property bought and paid for in a relatively free society. The cynic in me says where does it all end, once you start down that slippy slope of removing the elderly to create spare capacity in a particular area in this case say housing why not go the whole hog remove them altogether!!! As clearly we are becoming a burden on the state and its resources.

It would reduce the pressure on social care. hospitals, housing stock, energy, food take them off the roads reduces congestion , save the state pension costs........ just euthanise us when we retire and cease to be a contributing economic unit.. Just have done with us.

It seems we are just a piggy bank to be taxed by the Government as they see fit, why don't they just get us all to hand over all our money earned during our working lives and they just give us a weekly spending allowance to play with. As clearly the government knows what's best for us.

Please don't give them ideas.

I agree with this logic/sentiment, awkward when those two things collide. It does seem to have become "promise to win and fail to achieve" by both parties for some time now. Is that because the relationship between the public/elected has changed from "this is the program to run the country as a professional service" to "this is what they are expecting to get/keep us in" because the electorate will hang them on the sochul medier otherwise and they are insecure puppets? Tail wags dog then gets trapped in door and blames dog....

There needs to be some kind of rebalance. I have pulled up the popcorn and am watching the US election run-up with humour as all other emotions about the effects of that one going wrong defy belief. The orangemonkey party appear to be spending more time on subverting the vote process than actually campaigning to win. Perhaps not a surprise with a baboon and a third rate shape-shifting thug (other opinions are available) to work with.

Is it time to re-evaluate the objectives and working model of how the people/two party system is meant to work for the better? Perhaps we should add a fourth element to that, the press in all it's build/murder/exaggerate glory. Bring people back to a positive engagement and make it productive.

Its heading that way with the concept of Universal Credit, and pilots being run in different countries including UK to pay a universal state benefit to everyone irrespective of need or entitlement. Fix a benefit payment regime and then its only a few steps away from removing their other sources of income, creating a total state dependency with all the benefits of the economic activity going to the state to distribute as they see fit.

Saves them having to tax any wealth generated, the state takes it all..

Howard, Grumpy Pa and Alistair,

We cannot complain about foreign ownership of UK assets when UK companies have massive overseas earnings from their overseas investments, earnings which are taxed in the UK. I believe about 40% of the UK Corporation Tax paid is on foreign earnings.

What we need to ensure is that foreign ownership of UK assets does not lead to the export of the business and with it the taxes and jobs.

Another issue is transfer pricing and licencing arrangements which allow conglomerates to move profits earned in one jurisdiction to be taxed in another low tax regime. Ireland is an example of that in allowing the importing of effectively profits earned elsewhere to be transferred into Ireland and taxed at very low rates, depriving the country in which the economic actively was actually generated to appropriately tax that economic activity. Whilst they are trying to achieve a global universal minimum corporation tax rate, whilst tax havens continue to avoid, we will never raise the appropriate taxes in the area which generates the economic activity to help fund public expenditure and hence growing reliance on borrowing.

Plus get those of a working age and capable of working off their ar*es and doing something, anything to improve our productivity.

The US election is maybe symptomatic of society becoming increasingly detached and more isolated from itself, turning inwards towards same interest groups to the exclusion of the wider population and reducing interaction with more broader and wider ranging outlooks and views. Hence we are seeing more extreme views at all ends of the spectrum gaining momentum and entering into the wider audience of society with greater weight and strength of argument due to the ease of access to social media etc with little or no restriction or control or validation.

It is easier to promulgate more extreme views today than in the past and hence the rise of populist Trump who just tells people what they want to hear and tries to silence the dissenting voice. Trump is just the beginning, it wont stop with him, he has just set the current high tide mark , others will build on that as they undermine the very fabric of democracy.

John, I suspect they, whoever "they" might be have plenty of ideas relative to those baby boomers who have managed to build a reasonably comfortable life for themselves by whichever means was available to them... I watched a TV prog where a Conservative political pundit identified pensioners who might fit into the above category as larger in number and better off than those still in work, and by some margin...?
I suspect the squeezed middle being identified as baby boomers has been known of by governments and businesses of all types for quite some time...?

Best way to rob a pensioner... err legally.... I suspect a few variations might apply...?

Business is just business is it not...?

Lots of fake news too...?

I have to smile when baby boomers are held out as to have never had it so good and much better placed than the following . generations When in reality much of the supposed wealth is usually attribute to their one major asset their house, with many being asset rich and cash poor.

The reason why their supposed wealth (house value) has grown is because of pent up demand caused by massive migration and increase in UK population within a short period of time and the complete lack of house building, both controlled by the government or their agencies eg planning control. Basic economics of supply and demand on prices, levers that are controlled by respective governments.

The massive increase in house prices is having a dramatic impact on the mortgage costs and the family finances for the following generations reducing their cash resources and savings. Increased house prices raises rents and requires even greater subsidy in housing allowances etc., which all has to be funded by raised taxes, a vicious circle creating funding issues across the board.

Its amazing with a smaller population and a bankrupt economy following WW2 what the UK achieved eg

''The UK government proposed to address the need for an anticipated 200,000 shortfall in post-war housing stock by building 500,000 prefabricated houses, with a planned life of up to 10 years, within five years of the end of the Second World War. Over 1.2 million new homes were built between 1946 and 1951, with four out of the five houses being council houses built by the local councils to be rented by families. 156,623 prefabricated houses, known as prefabs, were built in some areas as a quick solution to the housing shortage. Housebuilding in England and Wales fell from an average of 1.9% growth per year between 1856 and 1939 to 1.2% between 1947 and 2019.

So in my very simple mind I hope the government builds a million new houses a year, thereby reduces the pent up demand and therefore the resultant house prices fall thereby reducing the perceived wealth of the baby boomers and reduce the cost of house ownership/renting for the younger generation, allowing them to have more cash at their disposal.

A very simple levelling up exercise and creates jobs for electricians, builders, plumbers etc.

A simple solution all within the control of the relevant government. But it wouldn't suit them as tax receipts would fall from the baby boomers and subsequent generations as the value of inheritances would fall and the resultant tax raised.

Don't disagree with what you say John.

I watch the foreign ownership of UK business with concern because the thing you do export is the decision making process which may often contain an unacknowledged bias. I do not mean this in a rude way in this example, actually I quite admire this example. Look at the car world, VW retaining manufacturing in Germany, where will they close plants? How does the strong German ownership (banks) a strong workforce council, good cultural alignment and the strength of the brand adjust a given decision? However it means external factories will be put at the front of the firing queue in tough times. Given we have a number of car transplants (Toyota, Nissan, where did Honda go?) it becomes a risk? (sorry that was written in a few separate sessions so may be messy)

Just as well the boys making cars up north are good at what they do!

I have no idea what we still own abroad and how this stands.

Running government of any political persuasion in this rapidly changing world whilst trying to keep the books balanced and the populace happy is a thankless and almost impossible task. I don't understand why anyone would want to be a politician except for power, control and self importance, but I am happy that there are politicians in our democracies as the alternative does not appeal to me at all.