Cost of living!

[PaulCP]

21 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

Staggering that these people bleat on about the hardship of others when their packages are paid out of the pay packets for those they represent.

And continue to collect their pay whilst their union members who are on strike, if they are lucky, only get a pittance of strike pay.

Lose 10 days pay whilst on strike and 4% extra over the offer they had before they went on strike is needed just to recover the lost pay.
Union leader rely on the ignorance of their members to boost their own ego’s 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Funny how the Unions only pick seemingly “working class” leaders to represent them. They all talk with cockney or strong provincial accents to give the impression that they’re blue collar manual workers, yet they all get paid several times what their typical members earn.

[C8RKH]

It's all a crefully planned and rehearsed show and the media and public lap it up.

[Chillidoggy]

Unions are a business, just like any other.

[MPx]

A new record for me on Tuesday this week - cold plus car charge day meant 121 kWh used in the 24 hours at a cost on my current contract of £28.  Given prices have more than doubled since my last fix...it doesn't bode well for next year post Gvmt bail outs.

[pete]

Just had my new rates for next year. 

[C8RKH]

4 hours ago, Chillidoggy said:

Unions are a business, just like any other.

Yup, but still, you'd think unions would have a better handle on this and the optics.

[Chillidoggy]

21 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

Yup, but still, you'd think unions would have a better handle on this and the optics.

Ref the bosses wages? Why should they, when no-one one seems to bother about it? If you compare the running of a union business which has thousands of members and a large turnover to other companies, you’d expect the CEO to be earning serious money. Ultimately, I suspect it’s up to their own exec to decide payscales.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

The thermometer in our bedroom was showing 10.4C by late midday today. Much to my wife’s relief I sanctioned an hour of heating, but it’s off again now. The log burner is in use every evening though.

[exeterjeep]

33 minutes ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

The thermometer in our bedroom was showing 10.4C by late midday today. Much to my wife’s relief I sanctioned an hour of heating, but it’s off again now. The log burner is in use every evening though.

Ours has not go below 15c in the bedroom, but the lounge can be boiling.

Have put some timed electric heaters in the garage and mobile home to protect the pipes from freezing. By the time we get to Saturday they should be all off again. I'd rather spend a 'small' amount on electricity than sort out a burst/flood.

[Chillidoggy]

I’m at my sons house for a couple of weeks while he’s on holiday. I’ve turned the heating up to 22C.

[exeterjeep]

And helping him empty his freezer.

[RobinB5]

2 hours ago, pete said:

Just had my new rates for next year. 

There's a lot to be said for becoming nocturnal. 

[Rambo]

Think yourselves lucky down South. It has been -9°C all week here. If's been so Baltic so have turned the fridge and deep freeze off and stored all my stuff outside 😉 

Getting ready for tonight's drinks party. Paulaner all tapped and well chilled 🍺

[Chillidoggy]

1 hour ago, Rambo said:

Think yourselves lucky down South. It has been -9°C all week here. If's been so Baltic so have turned the fridge and deep freeze off and stored all my stuff outside 😉 

Getting ready for tonight's drinks party. Paulaner all tapped and well chilled 🍺

Wow. Round here they’d have had that lot away PDQ.

[C8RKH]

2 hours ago, Rambo said:

Think yourselves lucky down South. It has been -9°C all week here. If's been so Baltic so have turned the fridge and deep freeze off and stored all my stuff outside 😉 

Getting ready for tonight's drinks party. Paulaner all tapped and well chilled 🍺

What's everyone else drinking? I'd just be pre-loaded for the party after that lot

 

[C8RKH]

4 hours ago, Chillidoggy said:

Ref the bosses wages? Why should they, when no-one one seems to bother about it? If you compare the running of a union business which has thousands of members and a large turnover to other companies, you’d expect the CEO to be earning serious money. Ultimately, I suspect it’s up to their own exec to decide payscales.

You know what I am driving at, especially when unions are so quick to quote what they believe fat cats get paid versus workers. The RCN head is almost at the salary of eight nurses, and is paid for by the nurses.

Fairy Nuff if they are happy to pay that, but I don't expect to be lectured by her on how hard it is when she has no worries at all on a salary like that, and unlike her members, she does not lose pay when they are out on strike. I wonder if the comrade forfeits her pay, or donates it to the strike fund on strike days? Now that would be a gesture.

Yes, increasingly Unions are about business, and less about the members. Look at how they have moved into providing student accommodation on mass, acquiring wealth, assets and influence that any capitalist would be proud of.

A lot of the strikes today are as much about the unions holding on to their lest realms of power, in the public sector and restricted areas like transport, as they are about the workers.

If a fully qualified nurse is struggling to live on the average salary of £34k (source: Royal College of Nurses) then how the hell do hospital porters (£21k avg), hospital cleaner (£24k) survive? They may not be giving first lime medical care but without them people would be very sick and would die. 

This is politicising essential care as much as it is abut the nurses in my very humble opinion.

However, some simple things to help. NHS to stop ripping off nurses by forcing them to pay to park at work. NHS bringing in pay awards aligned to outcomes and efficiency - the better the outcomes and more efficient, the more to use to pay for staff. 

Etc.

My main issue is that everyone seems to think the NHS should be cash bucket that just constantly gets filled no matter how much leaks out. Bonkers. Absolute bonkers.

[pete]

So bank rate up to 3.5% today and Scottish high earners to pay more tax than their English counterpart 

There should be some proviso added to these rate increases insisting banks pass it on to savers as well as borrowers

[Barrykearley]

What a brilliant idea Scotland has had there. Maybe a vote of if devolution is such a great idea could be held 😂

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, pete said:

So bank rate up to 3.5% today and Scottish high earners to pay more tax than their English counterpart 

There should be some proviso added to these rate increases insisting banks pass it on to savers as well as borrowers

We already did pay more Pete, now it is just EVEN more. It's the tartan tax.

Oh, and already been notified by YBS that they are increasing my savings interest rate. That's Yorkshire for you!

[Rambo]

From my Lotus loving Glesgae mate..

"The SNP is taxing the high earners to pay for the plebs. Michelle big tits scams £100 million. Bonnie Scotland, aye right!"

Too true 🤔

 

[Rambo]

5 hours ago, C8RKH said:

What's everyone else drinking? I'd just be pre-loaded for the party after that lot

 

The wimmin' got rather pished 🤔

 

5 hours ago, C8RKH said:

What's everyone else drinking? I'd just be pre-loaded for the party after that lot

 

The wimmin' got rather pished 🤣

[Kimbers]

What gets me is that it's not just "High Earners" it's Middle Income. Anyone on the higher tax rate (40% in England) and again more on the highest rate. But the high rate is £40k a year so that's Long standing/ in employment Police Officers, Nurses, Truck Drivers etc etc. So the SNP says its just taxing the high earners when its really middle income who are actually coming to terms with high mortgages, costs of living etc with no help from the state already!

11 hours ago, Rambo said:

"The SNP is taxing the high earners to pay for the plebs. Michelle big tits scams £100 million. Bonnie Scotland, aye right!"

 

 

[Rambo]

Taxable income	Scottish tax rate
Personal Allowance	Up to £12,570	0%
Starter rate	£12,571 to £14,732	19%
Basic rate	£14,733 to £25,688	20%
Intermediate rate	£25,689 to £43,662	21%
Higher rate	£43,663 to £150,000	41%
Top rate	over £150,000	46%

England's tax bandings...

Income Tax rates and bands

Band	Taxable income	Tax rate
Personal Allowance	Up to £12,570	0%
Basic rate	£12,571 to £50,270	20%
Higher rate	£50,271 to £150,000	40%
Additional rate	over £150,000	45%

[Rambo]

NB those figures I show above for Scotland don't account for Thursday's increases in the 2 top tiers which are now 42% and 47% 🤔