U-turn.. ?

[Scrumpy]

I think Starmer will do a U-turn on the WFP..
He is getting a lot of stick from so many ...
Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire both, columnists for daily papers, were agreeing that it was wrong to attack the pensioners in such a way.. 
I have never heard Maguire , who is a staunch Labour supporter, disagree so strongly, with Starmer.

What do others think.. ?

[klondike]

Not sure he can. If he does he'll need a good excuse or he'll lose so much face. They were adamant that killing off pensioners was  essential to save the economy.

I suppose he could say he had a rummage down the sofa in number 10 and found some of Sunaks lost change.

[Scrumpy]

He might lose face.. But that is better for the Labour Government than losing votes..
... and lose votes he will..
I reckon he will word it as being a 'Peoples Prime-minister' and 'Mistakes were made' and the classic 'Lessons have been learned'..
To ignore it or stay with it will ruin him..

[klondike]

Don't forget the suggestion that they will be dropping the 25% rate reduction for single occupants. That's going to catch a lot of pensioners too. I think they realised that the majority of pensioners with enough marbles left to vote will remember just what a Labour government means and wouldn't be supporting them anyway.

His research said the fuel allowance cut would only kill 4,000 pensioners so maybe he needs to boost that.

https://www.gbnews.com/politics/keir-starmer-winter-fuel-payments-labour-research

[Vlad]

I believe that the Unions, ( the paymasters of the Labour Party ) are telling the guvvermunt to do a U turn
The tail that wags the dog. 

[klondike]

It certainly is getting a lot of adverse comment.
What a way to start off a new government.



There may not be many votes from pensioners but those that do vote for them are likely to have parents who will be losing out and the rest know they will retire one day.

Although it's called Winter Fuel Allowance I always regarded it as just part of the pension. A part that Brown kept separate so it never got the annual percentage uplift. Probably worth twice as much when it was awarded.

I suppose the £10 Christmas bonus comes next

[Vlad]

It certainly is getting a lot of adverse comment.
What a way to start off a new government.



There may not be many votes from pensioners but those that do vote for them are likely to have parents who will be losing out and the rest know they will retire one day.

Although it's called Winter Fuel Allowance I always regarded it as just part of the pension. A part that Brown kept separate so it never got the annual percentage uplift. Probably worth twice as much when it was awarded.

I suppose the £10 Christmas bonus comes next

No doubt about that 

[Cassandra]

Can't see it (reversal). Again he's not a 'jury' Barrister. His breed are more akin to Auditors or Librarians, which is why they make good Socialist/Lib-Dem stock.

As a Prime Minister I see him as completely inflexible, bouyed up by his huge majority, which he doesn't contrast to being only a third of UK voters. Surprising for a man so dedicated to Europe, that he criticised the 52-48 majority to leave it and campaigned relentlessly to have it overthrown?

He is too spiky when criticised too and he could be depressive I believe.

I suspect the ambivalence to his developing 'media psyche', may effect his health medium and long term? One thing that is turning is the shade of his hair and fast too!

Perhaps his father didn't make 'colour-fast' tools, and certainly not in his serial number a fully sanforized article?

[Scrumpy]

He is a Puppet.. Strings pulled by others.. 
Easily replaced..
Too much bad publicity going on.. And much too soon.. He has only just got his feet over the threshold of Number 10..
He now needs to appease the voters for the (cock up)..

[Diasi]

Can't see it (reversal). Again he's not a 'jury' Barrister. His breed are more akin to Auditors or Librarians, which is why they make good Socialist/Lib-Dem stock.

As a Prime Minister I see him as completely inflexible, bouyed up by his huge majority, which he doesn't contrast to being only a third of UK voters. Surprising for a man so dedicated to Europe, that he criticised the 52-48 majority to leave it and campaigned relentlessly to have it overthrown?

He is too spiky when criticised too and he could be depressive I believe.

I suspect the ambivalence to his developing 'media psyche', may effect his health medium and long term? One thing that is turning is the shade of his hair and fast too!

Perhaps his father didn't make 'colour-fast' tools, and certainly not in his serial number a fully sanforized article?

I agree fully, if the law was akin to football Starmer would be Sunday League to your Premier League.

The only law he's practiced afforded him the luxury of being able to spend months of law book & precedent case reading before presenting his case whereas you had to do a lot it of off the cuff as you never knew what 'the other side' were going to try & pull out of the bag.

It's like doing an IUC, you have to be quicker-witted & smarter than the person you're interviewing.

Starmer, I mean, what politician with a brain cell would gift the media with "my Dad was a toolmaker".

The biggest saving grace for Starmer is that he won't have to face Nigel Farage or Zia Yusuf across the despatch box.

I'd volunteer to lose my WFA & single person's 25% council tax discount to see that.

[Cassandra]

I agree fully, if the law was akin to football Starmer would be Sunday League to your Premier League.

The only law he's practiced afforded him the luxury of being able to spend months of law book & precedent case reading before presenting his case whereas you had to do a lot it of off the cuff as you never knew what 'the other side' were going to try & pull out of the bag.

It's like doing an IUC, you have to be quicker-witted & smarter than the person you're interviewing.

The biggest saving grace for Starmer is that he won't have to face Nigel Farage or Zia Yusuf across the despatch box.

I'd volunteer to lose my WFA & single person's 25% council tax discount to see that.

Thanks Phil,

The 'Pen & Quill Brigade' in our practice such as Starmer were often very disappointing in conversation. 'Chambers meetings' were typically always dominated by them. To me they seemed akin to 'Emperor Penguins', huddling together to avert the big freeze, never to fraternalise, for the sake of it. Their wives were a type too, always in charge and inclined to the termagant.

On the 'Criminal walk' there are far more true friendships that last a lifetime and even the seeming bitterest of bench exchanges professionally end there. Life then goes on in the bar afterwards.

[klondike]

I suspect the ambivalence to his developing 'media psyche', may effect his health medium and long term? One thing that is turning is the shade of his hair and fast too!

I'm hoping the shorter term figures in that assessment too. Like next week with any luck. 

[GrannyMac]

😁😁 Enjoyed the video Phil.  😂😂

[muddy]

Don't forget the suggestion that they will be dropping the 25% rate reduction for single occupants. That's going to catch a lot of pensioners too. I think they realised that the majority of pensioners with enough marbles left to vote will remember just what a Labour government means and wouldn't be supporting them anyway.

His research said the fuel allowance cut would only kill 4,000 pensioners so maybe he needs to boost that.

https://www.gbnews.com/politics/keir-starmer-winter-fuel-payments-labour-research

How unfair .
I don't know how single people manage to pay council tax.
The CT on my house ( small bungalow ) is huge .
We don't get much for this bins collected every two weeks ,roads are full of pot holes and have no children at school .
Luckily there are two of us .
Haven't seen a policeman outside of his z cars in this   ' ere '  town for years if ever .

[ansu]

As I told you a fuel allowance for retired people is unknown here in Germany- you only get one when you get an income support. So my question is, do all pensioners need this fuel allowance? I suppose, like in Germany there are a lot of retired people whose pension isn't small at all.  As to Starmer - give him a chance. If his father was a toolmaker he certainly knows what's life like when you don't belong to the "upper class".