Current Affairs

[Manoverboard]

I wish I could a afford private health care.

Example, I slipped on the stairs three weeks ago ....

Private Health Care Doesn't normally cover A&E issues although you could pay to go privately

[Ray B]

I wish I could a afford private health care.

Example, I slipped on the stairs three weeks ago leaving me with a painful swollen knee and sciatica down the same leg.


The nice thing living in a Bungalow, no stairs

[Stephen]

I wish I could a afford private health care.

Example, I slipped on the stairs three weeks ago ....

Private Health Care Doesn't normally cover A&E issues although you could pay to go privately

Can I borrow your card

[Kendhni]

The problem with this budget financial statement is that the effects from it will take years to filter down to the ones that need help now.

There is nothing in this statement that will help pensioners, there is nothing that will help the low paid - all it has done is hand the Labour Party a "golden ticket".

Liz Truss and her "yes" people are totally out of touch with the country as a whole - for all his faults I say bring back Boris.

Arguably Johnson and his yes men were also totally out of touch with the country (was said many times by many commentators over the last few years) ... what he was doing was not working and he had no long term strategy ... although I do miss his daily apology briefings.

While Truss would not have been my choice, nor would I have gone down the route of trying to borrow our way out of debt, I am with OnelIfe on this and find it refreshing to see someone with a long term strategy (rather than playing it safe and bumbling along without direction to the next election).

She has less than 2 years to make her strategy work ... I think it is a huge gamble, especially since at the minute she is only appeasing a small minority of the electorate. As I said, interesting times!

[david63]

I don't have a problem with a "long term" strategy when there is also a "short term" strategy to bridge the gap - currently there isn't.

And if this strategy is so wonderful why are the markets reacting in such a negative way?

[Kendhni]

And if this strategy is so wonderful why are the markets reacting in such a negative way?

I am surprised at the markets ... I would have expected todays announcements to already be priced in since they had all been leaked well before today.

PS: I am not convinced it is 'wonderful' strategy ... but it has certainly discarded the last 6 years of tory economics. Maybe Truss just wanted her fair share of shaking the Tory magic money tree forest ... never again will the tories be able to complain about the Labour magic money tree ... at least not with a straight face or any credibility

[towny44]

Can someone please explain how cutting stamp duty is going to help anyone - other than the few who will be buying a house and as far as I can see the few is getting fewer due to the uncertainty with the economy.

It is one that confuse me as well ... it has been suggested that all it will do is push prices of property up. Naturally different areas are different but at the minute the housing market is very busy in our area (usually 10-20% above asking).

On GMB Kevin Maguire quipped that it might be a pay off for their rich tory chums and donors pushing the prices up allowing them to sell second homes.

The NI property market must be stronger than most on the mainland. One of the hottest spots in W Yorkshire was Slaithwaite, up until June properties were selling for way over even a high asking price, now all prices have been reduced and still no takers. So possibly the stamp duty reduction will help to get the market going again which not only helps estate agents, solicitors and removal firms, but also the building and decorating firms, as well as the DIY trade.

[towny44]

I don't have a problem with a "long term" strategy when there is also a "short term" strategy to bridge the gap - currently there isn't.

And if this strategy is so wonderful why are the markets reacting in such a negative way?

David you're old enough to know that the markets always expect the worst, and are quite often wrong. If I had followed most market analysts since I retired, then I would have sold all my AstraZeneca shares and switched to GSK, and what a disaster that would have been.

[Manoverboard]

Stamp Duty reductions will help the relatively lower paid get onto the housing ladder in the rural areas where house prices have rocketed since folk discovered they can work from home in glorious Devon rather than smelly Birmingham.

[Stephen]

Stamp Duty reductions will help the relatively lower paid get onto the housing ladder in the rural areas where house prices have rocketed since folk discovered they can work from home in glorious Devon rather than smelly Birmingham.

I'm with you there......less the work bit.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Work? I'll need to look that up.

[barney]

Stamp Duty reductions will help the relatively lower paid get onto the housing ladder in the rural areas where house prices have rocketed since folk discovered they can work from home in glorious Devon rather than smelly Birmingham.

Go on Rightmove
Put in Instow
Check the prices
Definitely not first time buyer prices

(Cheaper areas are available)

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm gobsmacked by the idea that first time buyers can afford over £400k.

[Stephen]

Me too.

I certainly wouldn’t want the monthly mortgage repayments.

[CaroleF]

I've always thought that unless some sort of cross party team sets about reorganising the NHS there's no hope of it being sorted. As has been said any leader attempting it on their own will commit political suicide. The first thing I would do is to get rid of the managers and put the doctors and nurses in charge. A local consultant my daughter knows said he was happy to do cold cases on a Saturday but the managers wouldn't let him. The NHS was never intended to do all that it now does. There have been advances in medicine that couldn't even have been dreamed of back in 1947.

[oldbluefox]

Couldn't agree more Carole.

[Kendhni]

I've always thought that unless some sort of cross party team sets about reorganising the NHS there's no hope of it being sorted.

I have said many times I would prefer a more collaborative form of government ... but that is not the system we have.

As has been said any leader attempting it on their own will commit political suicide.

Not if people start getting access to their doctors and hospitals in a much more timely manner.

The first thing I would do is to get rid of the managers and put the doctors and nurses in charge.

Getting doctors and nurses to run the NHS would be akin to expecting a cleaner or mechanic to run an entire car dealership ... a small number may be able to do it but the majority will not have the skill set. Also, I am sure doctors/nurses would love the additional responsibility to take on management duties as well as medical duties ... or maybe further reduce the number of doctors/nurses so that they can become managers (as is currently possible and some do). But I do agree, there is a significant admin issue, like most civil service paper pushing departments, the NHS Admin has become a dumping ground for the unemployed and unemployable, dragging the productive element down.

When RQAI rules came in a friend of mine started closing his surgery on Friday afternoons just to do the additional paperwork ... then when additional training requirements came in he closed his surgery on a Wednesday afternoon to accommodate that ... so now he operates 4 days a week because of the operational management burden that has been put on him already. Many other practices are doing similar.

There have been advances in medicine that couldn't even have been dreamed of back in 1947.

And there will be more .. but unless we do something soon we are relegating the next generation to find more than double the money (in todays terms) to fund the NHS ... if we claim we can't afford it today then how are you expecting the next generation to pay twice as much? ... and how does our generation justify doing nothing?

To give an idea of the scale of the cost deficit .... Johnson put a 1.25% tax supplement on the work force (now reversed) just to help fund one small part of the NHS (social care).

[Kendhni]

I watched part of Kwarteng's budget speech last night ... surprising how muted the 'hear, hear's and cheering from the tory benches were ... the party is not onside.

[david63]

I watched part of Kwarteng's budget speech last night ... surprising how muted the 'hear, hear's and cheering from the tory benches were ... the party is not onside.

First of all Truss, et al, did not get the majority of MPs backing her and secondly she only just got a majority of the Tory party to vote for her - she is on very shaky ground.

[david63]

Going back to the NHS - one of the major problems is that there is no real financial management. I doubt that anybody knows how much the NHS needs as the financial policy seems to how much the government of the day wishes to give the NHS.

There was an announcement the other day that there will be another £100 million for social care - does social care need £100 million, or does it need £200 million? Perhaps only needs £50 million - who knows?

[Kendhni]

Going back to the NHS - one of the major problems is that there is no real financial management. I doubt that anybody knows how much the NHS needs as the financial policy seems to how much the government of the day wishes to give the NHS.

There was an announcement the other day that there will be another £100 million for social care - does social care need £100 million, or does it need £200 million? Perhaps only needs £50 million - who knows?

Agreed! Twice a year we see the headline 'Health Service in crisis'.
Another thing to add to that is that per capita the UK is towards the lower end of spending compared to similar countries.

[screwy]

We’ll I’m not clever enough to understand it all so I’m not going to bother, only thing I would like to see is state pension being exempt from tax. Maybe I’m wrong on that too.?

Anyway I’m out of here for 2 weeks. After a restful night at the premier inn little witcome ( gloc ) it’s back on the road to Southampton and Iona. See you all in a fortnight.

Don’t have too much fun without me.

[towny44]

Going back to the NHS - one of the major problems is that there is no real financial management. I doubt that anybody knows how much the NHS needs as the financial policy seems to how much the government of the day wishes to give the NHS.

There was an announcement the other day that there will be another £100 million for social care - does social care need £100 million, or does it need £200 million? Perhaps only needs £50 million - who knows?

Agreed! Twice a year we see the headline 'Health Service in crisis'.
Another thing to add to that is that per capita the UK is towards the lower end of spending compared to similar countries.

I believe one of the main reasons for that is our hard nosed reluctance to pay the asking price for new drugs.

[Manoverboard]

We’ll I’m not clever enough to understand it all so I’m not going to bother, only thing I would like to see is state pension being exempt from tax. Maybe I’m wrong on that too.?

It's only taxed for folks who also get pensions from their previous employers or pension schemes.

[Stephen]

We’ll I’m not clever enough to understand it all so I’m not going to bother, only thing I would like to see is state pension being exempt from tax. Maybe I’m wrong on that too.?

Anyway I’m out of here for 2 weeks. After a restful night at the premier inn little witcome ( gloc ) it’s back on the road to Southampton and Iona. See you all in a fortnight.

Don’t have too much fun without me.

Have a great cruise screwy