Starmer - Same same, but different...

I don’t agree with removing the winter fuel allowance. I think it should be tapered and linked to tax brackets. Where no one in the 40% and above tax bracket receives it.

 

you are aware that train drivers work for private companies? What actually cost us loads of money was the Tories funding the private companies to replace lost revenues during strikes. The Tories have admitted they spent much more on this than it would have cost to settle the dispute

 

That would be fair.

 

The truth about gifts is this. They are not without strings. They are supplied by business or individuals hoping to gain favour or influence policy.

There’s no debate about that. Some are blatant like Heathrow sending out hampers to MPs with a note saying hope you support the expansion. Many less so.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch or dress. They are supplied by people or organisations that want or expect quid pro quo. No one should be naive enough to believe differently.

One of the Labour rights issues with Corbyn was that he clamped down on the freebies and made them take their noses out of the trough.

if you campaign as a vehicle for change and part of that change is a rejection of corruption and cronyism then you have to be cleaner than clean. That’s the point.

 

They haven’t given in to demands. They’ve sat like adults and negotiated a resolution.

You clearly have an axe to grind about train drivers pay.

I don’t know why. What do you do for a living? Could you not apply to be a train driver if you think it’s so grossly overpaid?

 

Obviously all political parties get money from donors for the running of the party etc which is fine but when individuals are recieving perks and gifts from other individuals it becomes something totally different and they're on very dodgy ground ' this practice should be banned' it appears that so long as they declare it its all fine and dandy' not in my book' theres an old saying " theres no such thing as a free lunch" and make no mistake' if this was Johnson or Sunak Starmer would have been on em like a terrier on a rat.

 

Yes but Johnson made up for it with the 45 new hospitals!

 

The climbdown.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...thes-gifts-from-donors?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

Funnily enough I did apply but then covid came along and all applications were put on hold and eventually you had to re apply to be considered. I never bothered, i do ok and im happy in my job and life thanks, but if your on 52k a year on a 37 hour week with sick pay holidays and pension etc I'd say your on a good crack. I could think of other workers who probably deserve a rise.

 

You could say there all the same then.

 

You're right, nearly all workers deserve a payrise. But that's not gained by complaining or wanting it removed from train drivers.

They have a strong union that represents them. Any group of workers not in a union and with no collective bargaining power needs to form one. IIRC unions are only too happy to advise on this process (see recent Amazon, which failed but will surely succeed at some point in the relatively near future).

 

Slightly surprised at Rayner. Clearly her head has been turned. Too long hanging around with soulless corporate centrists.

 

Corbyn wouldn't have had that problem
..I'm not making any excuses for him but hopefully his government will be better than yet more Tory rule. Positives for me have been clamping down firmly on the far right " demos" and settling the junior doctors strike Winter fuel allowance was a bit of an own goal imo.