2015 post UK election discussion

[Pat's Van]

Look how much of a [Poor language removed] Castro turned out to be.

yeah you're Castro, I'll be Che

 

[Toffeelover]

unite with us brother, throw off your shackles, you've nothing to lose but your 700k semi detached and your 3 holidays abroad per year!!

Not bloody likely, I love living in the lap of luxury, in a big house, two beamers outside, and all those fab holidays abroad to sit in the sun and be waited on.

 

[Groucho]

yeah you're Castro, I'll be Che

"GOT Politics Thread 1969 (no 1968 topics thanks)"

 

[Woolly Blue]

I know the difference. I was just asking if that's what you meant when saying gross instead of properly using combined.

OK so they earn 85K gross which is going to be a good bit more net than one person earning 80K.

Single person, earning 85k pays ~23.5 tax, left with 56.6k
Couple, one earning 50k and the other 35k will take home 36.3 + 26.8k = 63.1k

So the difference is ~6.5k, or ~£550 a month.

That single person won't "need" as big a house, and their other bills will be smaller. Yes, the single person on the same gross income as the couple will be worse off, but, when you take into account council tax discount, lower food bills and a smaller mortage, the difference in disposable income isn't as big as you might at first think.

 

[AndyC]

HS2 seems a ridiculous waste of money, it only reduces the train time by 15 minutes or something ridiculous. Trident on the other hand, can be justified, to be honest I think our army in general needs more funding. I think we should be meeting the Nato 2% spending target.

Surely we could not renew Trident and enhance our armed forces sufficiently and save some dosh for other purposes?

 

[bring the ghost on]

How has this thread has spiralled into debates about about whether we should feel sorry for people earning £80,000 a year?

 

[summerisle]

Interesting that the Lib Dem membership has seen a boost in numbers since Clegg announced his resignation.

Crocodile tears

 

[marty mcfly]

Single person, earning 85k pays ~23.5 tax, left with 56.6k
Couple, one earning 50k and the other 35k will take home 36.3 + 26.8k = 63.1k

So the difference is ~6.5k, or ~£550 a month.

That single person won't "need" as big a house, and their other bills will be smaller. Yes, the single person on the same gross income as the couple will be worse off, but, when you take into account council tax discount, lower food bills and a smaller mortage, the difference in disposable income isn't as big as you might at first think.

I said a single person with a family.

 

[The Esk]

How has this thread has spiralled into debates about about whether we should feel sorry for people earning £80,000 a year?

It's in anticipation of the next Tory economic miracle....

 

[marty mcfly]

Surely we could not renew Trident and enhance our armed forces sufficiently and save some dosh for other purposes?

Unfortunately that would make us very reliant on other countries for defence. That might not sound like much now but what if Iran gets nukes or Russia gets a bit punchy.

I'm not sure where I stand on the issue although anyone who wants to do away with Trident should also see themselves as a state of a european union not an individual country. To go alone in today's world with so many enemies both historical from empire days and more recently is risky to say the least.

 

[marty mcfly]

How has this thread has spiralled into debates about about whether we should feel sorry for people earning £80,000 a year?

Inflation is a bitch.

 

[marty mcfly]

Not bloody likely, I love living in the lap of luxury, in a big house, two beamers outside, and all those fab holidays abroad to sit in the sun and be waited on.

Don't forget the caviar and Crystal

 

[AndyC]

Unfortunately that would make us very reliant on other countries for defence. That might not sound like much now but what if Iran gets nukes or Russia gets a bit punchy.

I'm not sure where I stand on the issue although anyone who wants to do away with Trident should also see themselves as a state of a european union not an individual country. To go alone in today's world with so many enemies both historical from empire days and more recently is risky to say the least.

The thing is... whichever bozo launches the first nuke in anger will almost certainly precipitate Armageddon and we all go up in a puff of smoke, and I'm pretty certain we have other nukes than the Trident versions on the subs, so why bother upgrading?

 

[roydo]

The thing is... whichever bozo launches the first nuke in anger will almost certainly precipitate Armageddon and we all go up in a puff of smoke, and I'm pretty certain we have other nukes than the Trident versions on the subs, so why bother upgrading?

NATO/UN Security council sort of stuff.

They makes no sense in a logical, sane world, so until we have that, unfortunately we need them. Which in itself, is insane and illogical.

Employs tons of clever people though.

 

[Pat's Van]

How has this thread has spiralled into debates about about whether we should feel sorry for people earning £80,000 a year?

well, if we take a parallel with the works of antonio gramsci, the humanistic marxist who basically came up with the idea that yes, the working class would one day revolt and denounce capitalism, but not until they have a true intellectual proletariat leader to guide them...

we're sort of saying the same thing here about the middle classes, who don't necessarily require a revolutionary intellectual leader, but perhaps someone who could advise them on finding a more reasonably priced bottle of merlot