politics but couldn’t find the drop down menu.
So how are things going so far? I’m not sure and remain a kind of non decider but I am wondering if the UK is in for a mass of trouble? Seems like it has already started with the gilts/bond and inheritance tax… I do not know. Have to admit the whole of Europe is in the same mess!
No idea! I don’t live in UK so no more idea than anyone else who relies on media rather than direct knowledge.
I moved it for you… Hope you don’t mind.
I think the mainstream media are giving them a hard time, but friends and family I speak to back home all realise that it’ll take longer than 6 months to see any results.
It’s hard to imagine how you could be more hated than Johnson, Truss and Sunak combined; but Comrade Stamlin’s politburo has managed it right out of the gate.
If you want to be taken seriously, you’ll need to write like an adult.
Jesus! How far to the right are your politics when you can describe Starmer in those terms? If Starmer turned left in his motor car he’d probably suffer a nose bleed.
Well Truss has taken out an injunction on Starmer saying she didnt crash the economy, Hard to believe but thats the crap people have to put up with. Meanwhile isnt Sarkozy back in the dock on more charges.
Sorry, but going by the thread title, I though this was a new political humour thread.
Me too when I saw your Stamlin comment.
I’m disappointed but not overly surprised at what’s changed (or rather what hasn’t changed) in the first six months of a Labour government. I think that Starmer and co have quickly realised that being in opposition is a million miles away from actually running the country and are struggling to get to grips with the mess they’ve got to deal with.
The hasty decisions over the WFA, IHT for farmers and the employers NI hike means they’re already unpopular with many voters so they’re off to a bad start.
I would be in a bit more praise if I saw food bank numbers reducing.
I think the opposite - if it was all about being popular with voters they would have taken no difficult decisions but just let things slide on the way they were going.
Labour have been rubbish at explaining what they are doing, and why - but at least they are trying to make changes for the long term and tackle the UK’s many problems even if that means they have to take some flak from the Tory press and the multitude of armchair critics (see above) in the meantime.
Six months is not long enough to see improvements coming through. The last lot had 14 years and still stuffed it up.
Again - which brand of magic wand do you recommend to achieve that on such a short timescale? 
This 
exactly.
I’m getting increasingly annoyed by lack of understanding by many people that change takes time. It doesn’t help that the right wing UK media have a loud voice & are whipping people up with misinformation.
Yes, Labour made some stupid mistakes involving gifts etc. but I suspect that will have taught them a lesson & they won’t fall into that one again. Unpopular though they are the changes to WFA & farmer’s IHT needed to happen.
I’ll start to judge them on how things are after 3 years in government.
If you’re going to make “unpopular” changes at least make sure there’s a real financial gain to the Treasury and not a hit to the economy.
I guess that stopping those with too much money already from buying agricultural land to avoid paying IHT would be seen as a gain?
The changes should also stop/slow down the upwardly spiralling price of agricultural land & encourage people to actually farm it instead of banking it.
It seems entirely fair to me that just the agricultural community are exempt from Inheritance Tax - whereas everyone else is liable to it if estates are of appropriate value.
Some have also suggested that the proposed scheme of farmers paying half the rate that everyone else should pay is excessively harsh on farmers.
But you must be a follower of populists like Johnson. Putting right the weak policies put in place to buy votes will take time. I’m impressed that Labour have shown that they’re prepared to do what it takes. Inventing childish names suggests an understanding of economics isn’t your strong point.
I know it’s become the norm to like politicians who promise the unachievable but unfortunately real life is not that easy. The Tories bought votes with promises that never stood a chance of becoming reality. Johnson was a perfect example of the damage that a popular Prime Minister can do. Being popular is not important at the moment although it will be in the run up to the next general election. Let’s at least see what happens in this term of Parliament, real data is what will matter not a populist revolution fed on mistruths and scare tactics by the British press.
Historically they were not exempt. It was removed by a Tory government In (AFAIR) 1984.
Yes, it’s half the rate & payable over 10 years, so they still have a good deal.
Careful inheritance management would ensure that family farms get handed to the younger generation in good time. This should encourage them to remain in farming rather than leaving it because their parents won’t give up the reins.
It’s also in the interests of future farmers to stop the inflation in land prices caused by people like Clarkson buying farmland as an IHT tax dodge.
OK if you are a current farmer whose children don’t want to take over the family farm and you plan to retire to the Caribbean you will be worse off, but most farming families won’t pay the extra IHT.
Many British farms are not peasant small holdings but industrial enterprises.