Uk strikes

I dont really understand the whole issue :oops::oops:

but a friend wrote this on fb that seemed to make sense but obviously its just his opinion.

the strikes today are a waste of time and just further screwing up the country.

Private Sector workers would have to contribute 15-40% of their annual income (depending on their age) into a pension to get the same pension income as a public sector worker and Private Sector workers face bigger poverty in retirement.

The current pension system is unsustainable, we have an ageing population, a massive deficit and we are all living longer, the maths just doesn't add up no matter which political offilation you have. SO DEAL WITH IT...I know its crap, sorry.
 
Part of me agrees with that but it's not worth the paper its written on if the bankers aren't sorted. If this doesn't happen then I'm all for chaos.

We can talk about big society defecit reduction and all that brainwashed crap when the real issues are sorted.
 
MARKB said:
Do you think the bankers were to blame?
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As I understand it, it was down to reckless lending and borrowing. If that's the case, I'd blame bankers and people who irresponsibly overstretched themselves (so they could have a new car or an extenstion.. blah blah blah). In any case, once banks that were propped up by public money started turning a profit again, the money should have been paid back to us rather than going on bonuses!

kimajy said:
Agree. There is a generation which has "taken" for themselves, and for the next 2 generations too. The degree of consumption which has taken place in the hands of so few, all on borrowed money, is a scandal. In many cases it is those same people who now own the income-generating assets which will shield them from the worst of the pain. Hmmmmmmmmmm !!! Greedy feckers - you know who you are :lol:
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I agree with this. Ultimately, we can't keep getting wealthier and wealthier. People are going to need to stop worshipping at the altars of capitalism, consumerism, etc. My standard of living is going to take a dive, but the Buddhist stuff I've been reading has prepared me for it. I'll be looking for more quality from life with less money. 8)
 
djchewie said:
be haapy with what you got in life. money causes no end of arguements. :lol:
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There's so much in life that's not terribly expensive. I'm quite into my dumbbells at the moment (cheaper than joining a gym!), gonna be doing more reading (books are good value, esp if you're a slow reader) and I don't buy x-box games until they're £10 - 15. There's good walking round here (in the summer anyway), music that can be streamed free legally online, decent stuff on freeview... who needs huge wads of cash?
 
Johnny Vodka said:
There's so much in life that's not terribly expensive. I'm quite into my dumbbells at the moment (cheaper than joining a gym!), gonna be doing more reading (books are good value, esp if you're a slow reader) and I don't buy x-box games until they're £10 - 15. There's good walking round here (in the summer anyway), music that can be streamed free legally online, decent stuff on freeview... who needs huge wads of cash?
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Simple life is a happier one that's for sure. But trust me, even with simple tastes you'd struggle to live on the State Pension in UK especially if you don't have your own paid-up home.

Who needs huge wads of cash ? Anyone trying to fund bringing up a family without 2 people working (and some with). I think you can make your own choices about shunning material goods. But that's an enlightenment brought about by your age and experience out of choice.

Bring kids into the equation most people want to do their best for them. That means in part trying to educate them away from materialism - all for that. But ultimately there's a happy medium for them to survive comfortably in this country, be able to travel and see other cultures with you etc. and generally have good opportunities.

All this comes at a heck of a price when you're paying for 4 or 5 rather than for 1 ! However, I don't have kids and whilst I sympathise with peoples' feelings please stop asking me to foot the bill pro-rata with endless government hand-outs for other peoples' children !!! If I had a wife and kids to support I'd also feel the need to be making multiples of what I am now :!: And having lived abroad more than I've lived here I would definitely leave Britain. Soon as the Mrs' pregnancy was confirmed :lol:.
 
Johnny.. even from Australia i've gathered that the majority of 'strikers' weren't exactly out on the streets picketing or protesting but treating it as a day off (see Phil's contribution to this thread for evidence).

I don't have any empathy for public sector workers in this case. If they were that bothered about it then they should use their strike day to prove a point and make a stand. Not go xmas shopping or sit in the house drinking tea.

I was working self employed, Site Engineer in contruction, and after the recession hit the average wage for my line of work dropped around 35%. Thats for those who managed to find work, which would be a week here and a week there. No steady income which is why I and so many other's in construction ended up doing something else.

Now i know public sector people have lost their jobs too but why should they be immune to job cuts? and for those who kept their jobs i didnt see any of them getting a 35% pay reduction.
 
Robder said:
Chewie on the wind up again. :rolleyes: :lol:

Ferchrissakes... people on the ground (home owners, private & public sector workers earning an honest crust) shouldn't be held responsible for sh1t decisions made by dodgy politicians and bankers.

But those people have every right to be angry about pension cuts. As do people that sympathise with their cause.

And NO I'm not about to become a friggin' spokesperson on the subject. If you don't agree with the protests I really couldn't give a monkeys. :lol:
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oh those poor public servants. like petulent children who have been told theres no longer dessert after dinner, because the parents just cant afford it. the situation is what is is, adapt or get left behind, instead of finding some bowerhatted bogeyman to blame. each and every one of us are complicit in this mess. unless of course you live in a remote location and live off the land, with no need to access credit or any other financial service.

lets not forget its not only the chief execs, mps, and bankers who'll enjoy a golden retirement. the union bosses stoking up the anger arent exactly going to be slumming it either. do u think they really give a toss, so long as their members pay ther subs?
 
djchewie said:
oh those poor public servants. like petulent children who have been told theres no longer dessert after dinner, because the parents just cant afford it. the situation is what is is, adapt or get left behind, instead of finding some bowerhatted bogeyman to blame. each and every one of us are complicit in this mess. unless of course you live in a remote location and live off the land, with no need to access credit or any other financial service.

lets not forget its not only the chief execs, mps, and bankers who'll enjoy a golden retirement. the union bosses stoking up the anger arent exactly going to be slumming it either. do u think they really give a toss, so long as their members pay ther subs?
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ok fine, but why then do this latest line of measures unfairly and disproportionately punish those on lowest incomes and with least wealth?
 
Johnny Vodka said:
Why not get angry at the govt, the fat cats and the people who caused the crash rather than public sector workers standing up for their rights?

Confirmation of more wealth drain to the top: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/30/austerity-biggest-fall-family-income
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I'm not getting angry with the public sector workers for standing up for themselves.

I'm angry at your derogatory comments about the private sector.

And what really shocked me yesterday is that I heard lots of public sector workers repeating the same line as you ie: "T Private Sector should stand up for itself against about job losses and pension cuts".

To whom, we're self sufficient. If the economy is slow and money is scarce YOU HAVE TO CUT BACK!!!! - There is no one to blame or protest to.

If you are successful in your protests and the pensions are safeguarded, guess where the tax revenues will come from to subsidise it?

Yes, that's right, the private sector - or increased borrowing.

So protest as much as you want, it's your right and perogative. But don't be under any illusion of superiority over those in the private sector who don't have the luxury of an alternative and who have to accept cut backs after cutbacks over the past three years.
 
djchewie said:
oh those poor public servants. like petulent children who have been told theres no longer dessert after dinner, because the parents just cant afford it. the situation is what is is, adapt or get left behind, instead of finding some bowerhatted bogeyman to blame. each and every one of us are complicit in this mess. unless of course you live in a remote location and live off the land, with no need to access credit or any other financial service.

lets not forget its not only the chief execs, mps, and bankers who'll enjoy a golden retirement. the union bosses stoking up the anger arent exactly going to be slumming it either. do u think they really give a toss, so long as their members pay ther subs?
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There's a wealth imbalance, and it needs sorting.

Many people are earning millions of £££ for trading in bonds. (WHY does anyone need any more than four times the national average wage?)

Public servants aren't worth talking about. Let them get justifiably cross - it's totally their prerogative.
 
TBH, I'm more bothered about the low/no wage rises over the next few years than I am pensions. The strike, as long as with movements like Occupy, I see as more a general giving the finger to the government, the fat cats and the deliberate wealth drain from poor to rich. Good luck to anyone with the courage to stand up to the bastards.
 
Johnny Vodka said:
TBH, I'm more bothered about the low/no wage rises over the next few years than I am pensions. The strike, as long as with movements like Occupy, I see as more a general giving the finger to the government, the fat cats and the deliberate wealth drain from poor to rich. Good luck to anyone with the courage to stand up to the bastards.
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Innit.
 
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