Peter Bowden 🇬🇧 => Refugees cost 0.22% of UK GDP
@b31bowden.bsky.social
Proud Brummie. Sceptic, pedant and is frequently sarcastic, but tries to be polite. Retired from Public Service, ex Local Authority Childcare, ex DWP Fraud, ex IPCC Investigator. Assume nothing, Believe nobody. Check everything.
I was going to joke that it isn't compulsory, then remembered that in a few years, it will be!
November 28, 2025 at 4:17 PM
I was going to joke that it isn't compulsory, then remembered that in a few years, it will be!
Didn't they have a similar problem when the Truss budget put their mortgage interest up? I bet that was more than 2.5k.
November 28, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Didn't they have a similar problem when the Truss budget put their mortgage interest up? I bet that was more than 2.5k.
Make it a requirement, the driver will have to pay. like when seat belts became compulsory. Having said that, most current cars already transmit massive amounts of data back to the manufacturers, it wouldn't surprise me if it included location data. Many cars have boxes already for insurance.
November 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Make it a requirement, the driver will have to pay. like when seat belts became compulsory. Having said that, most current cars already transmit massive amounts of data back to the manufacturers, it wouldn't surprise me if it included location data. Many cars have boxes already for insurance.
Maybe he is thinking of what current Americans did to the native Americans way of life?
November 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Maybe he is thinking of what current Americans did to the native Americans way of life?
Ah but pay per mile allows for all sorts of new charges. Motorway premiums, rush hour rates, automatic penalties for speeding.
I'm only joking a little, I genuinely think this is where this will inevitably go.
I'm only joking a little, I genuinely think this is where this will inevitably go.
November 28, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Ah but pay per mile allows for all sorts of new charges. Motorway premiums, rush hour rates, automatic penalties for speeding.
I'm only joking a little, I genuinely think this is where this will inevitably go.
I'm only joking a little, I genuinely think this is where this will inevitably go.
As an EV driver I would prefer it. At least then I get a free tracker in case my car gets stolen. It might even reduce my insurance*.
*it won't.
*it won't.
November 28, 2025 at 2:57 PM
As an EV driver I would prefer it. At least then I get a free tracker in case my car gets stolen. It might even reduce my insurance*.
*it won't.
*it won't.
Um, so are vans and lorries, but we didn't look at that.
November 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Um, so are vans and lorries, but we didn't look at that.
Not what you said? bsky.app/profile/sdsc...
State pension is £230 and a few pence per week. You can claim pension credit if your income is below £230 a week.
The triple lock has done its job.
www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensio...
www.ft.com/content/330c...
The triple lock has done its job.
www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensio...
www.ft.com/content/330c...
November 28, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Not what you said? bsky.app/profile/sdsc...
Its harder for a rich Tory... than to catch the eye of Dan Neidle.
November 28, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Its harder for a rich Tory... than to catch the eye of Dan Neidle.
She probably only read the 1st 3 words of Matthew 19:14.
November 28, 2025 at 11:26 AM
She probably only read the 1st 3 words of Matthew 19:14.
But your happy to accept our State Pension as sufficient because its less than £1 more than an official definition of hardship? Interesting.
November 28, 2025 at 10:03 AM
But your happy to accept our State Pension as sufficient because its less than £1 more than an official definition of hardship? Interesting.
Juries hear 1% of cases. The problem isn't juries. See recent post by @barristersecret.bsky.social on why trials are actually delayed.
November 28, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Juries hear 1% of cases. The problem isn't juries. See recent post by @barristersecret.bsky.social on why trials are actually delayed.
I think its important to have a settling in period for new staff. Day one rights seems excessive when you could discover a new person is utterly unsuitable by 1st week behaviour & be unable to say 'no thanks'. 6 months seems reasonable, or are there concerns about staff being recruited for 5?
November 28, 2025 at 8:48 AM
I think its important to have a settling in period for new staff. Day one rights seems excessive when you could discover a new person is utterly unsuitable by 1st week behaviour & be unable to say 'no thanks'. 6 months seems reasonable, or are there concerns about staff being recruited for 5?
PIP is paid for those in work & out. It is intended to meet the additional costs of disability and is paid, not on the basis of what is ' wrong' with you, but how it affects you. That would be unaffected by (not) working. See if you can spend time with a DWP PIP assessor, it'll be rewarding.
November 28, 2025 at 8:23 AM
PIP is paid for those in work & out. It is intended to meet the additional costs of disability and is paid, not on the basis of what is ' wrong' with you, but how it affects you. That would be unaffected by (not) working. See if you can spend time with a DWP PIP assessor, it'll be rewarding.
Wouldn't a 0.5% mortgage increase costs loads more per annum than the proposed tax? Nobody seemed that worried about high value householders on the occasions it has happened in the past.
November 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Wouldn't a 0.5% mortgage increase costs loads more per annum than the proposed tax? Nobody seemed that worried about high value householders on the occasions it has happened in the past.
Presumably there is evidence of a cohort of non- disabled Labour MPs with 3 children, bicycles & tiny houses?
November 27, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Presumably there is evidence of a cohort of non- disabled Labour MPs with 3 children, bicycles & tiny houses?
People who work & pay tax include the disabled Sandy. Being disabled doesn't mean one doesn't work. Just like Universal Credit claimants are often working families. Our cost of living crisis is largely driven by shockingly low wages for a significant minority of people.
November 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
People who work & pay tax include the disabled Sandy. Being disabled doesn't mean one doesn't work. Just like Universal Credit claimants are often working families. Our cost of living crisis is largely driven by shockingly low wages for a significant minority of people.
You are seriously suggesting that less than £1/month over the threshold to claim a low income benefit means the UK state pension (the lowest in Europe) is adequate? £12k a year? We clearly will have to agree to differ.
November 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
You are seriously suggesting that less than £1/month over the threshold to claim a low income benefit means the UK state pension (the lowest in Europe) is adequate? £12k a year? We clearly will have to agree to differ.
If your only income is the State Pension, you are entitled to claim Pension Credit because the government accepts the pension isn't enough to live on.
Your kids can't afford a house Fraser, not because of pensioners, but because houses have increased massively in value & wages haven't.
Facts matter.
Your kids can't afford a house Fraser, not because of pensioners, but because houses have increased massively in value & wages haven't.
Facts matter.
November 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM
If your only income is the State Pension, you are entitled to claim Pension Credit because the government accepts the pension isn't enough to live on.
Your kids can't afford a house Fraser, not because of pensioners, but because houses have increased massively in value & wages haven't.
Facts matter.
Your kids can't afford a house Fraser, not because of pensioners, but because houses have increased massively in value & wages haven't.
Facts matter.
People and companies behave 'properly' ususally because they are unwilling to suffer the consequences of not doing so. Deregulation, like decriminalisation, removes the consequence.
As an example, driving in the UK is currently so awful largely because of the demise of the (sarky)Traffic Officer IMO
As an example, driving in the UK is currently so awful largely because of the demise of the (sarky)Traffic Officer IMO
November 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
People and companies behave 'properly' ususally because they are unwilling to suffer the consequences of not doing so. Deregulation, like decriminalisation, removes the consequence.
As an example, driving in the UK is currently so awful largely because of the demise of the (sarky)Traffic Officer IMO
As an example, driving in the UK is currently so awful largely because of the demise of the (sarky)Traffic Officer IMO
If journalists are instructed that they can't quote someone who said something newsworthy, isn't that censorship?
Isn't the point of journalists to tell the rest of us what happened, ideally in the words of the people involved - by quoting them?
Isn't the point of journalists to tell the rest of us what happened, ideally in the words of the people involved - by quoting them?
November 27, 2025 at 1:59 PM
If journalists are instructed that they can't quote someone who said something newsworthy, isn't that censorship?
Isn't the point of journalists to tell the rest of us what happened, ideally in the words of the people involved - by quoting them?
Isn't the point of journalists to tell the rest of us what happened, ideally in the words of the people involved - by quoting them?
Who is suggesting the country doesn't want the most disadvantaged children to be helped? Other than well-paid journalists (who appear to begrudge helping out anyone else) of course.
November 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Who is suggesting the country doesn't want the most disadvantaged children to be helped? Other than well-paid journalists (who appear to begrudge helping out anyone else) of course.
It's interesting that none of those measures will appear on the front pages of our newspapers, yet there will be pages on measures affecting a tiny %age of their readers.
November 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
It's interesting that none of those measures will appear on the front pages of our newspapers, yet there will be pages on measures affecting a tiny %age of their readers.
As long as we disincentivise the Goodwin family from having children, it might be money well spent.
November 26, 2025 at 4:09 PM
As long as we disincentivise the Goodwin family from having children, it might be money well spent.