Today's discussion about the news

You could turn that around and say that living out in the sticks gives you a lot of positives compared to London (more green space, bigger houses for your money, lower crime, more peace n quiet etc) - and a lot of the stuff you list as London positives are just a train ride away.

As someone who has spent their time working their way gradually from living in Central London to inner London, to London 'burbs and most recently to the sticks, I am definitely happiest where I am now and won't be going back towards town to live.

I read that, but my point is that it is avoidable while keeping access to the good things that London offers.

More to the point, for some reason people find it impossible to realize that the balance of pros and cons is individual and think that anyone who comes to a slightly different decision is therefore plain wrong...

I do think it's a massive issue how London centric our economy is though. But I'm not sure of a good way of fixing it.

This is what I would prefer the current govt. focus their efforts on. Investment in all regions and a genuine attempt to start to create the conditions for stronger local economies and a greater distribution of wealth would benefit far more of the country than the notion that a strong London or SE region radiates economic prosperity across the land.

More jobs, more money and better living standards across all areas would also support better social cohesion. The likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson have far less traction if people have greater financial stability and opportunity, and are less inclined to buy into the "it's all the fault of immigrants" rhetoric that these chancers constantly espouse.

unfortunately it's going to be painful for the ones who will be badly affected

imo it's not simply the saving that matters, but establishing precedent for means testing benefits to pensioners, rather than just handing out taxpayers' money irrespective of need

why give extras (tv license, travel, prescriptions, etc.) to people well able to afford them simply because of age?

ffs i automatically get some myself, it's ludicrous that taxes from people with a tiny fraction of my income/assets are going towards giving me freebies/discounts

there must be old dears who are just over the tax threshold and struggling to feed their cats, but they're helping to fund me

It all depends on how much the means testing costs - for some (many) of those things, it is cheaper to make them universal than to means test.

Government needs to come clean on the true cost of means testing things.

Was any increase budgeted for? How much of that £10bn do you think is unreasonable?

That isn't really the point. Neither party mentioned it during the campaign and both knew it was coming. Doesn't look like either part budgeted for it either.

As much as Stevo and the Telegraph readers will claim otherwise, a pay deal was required and would have either been hammered out badly over many months and cost £8-10Bn, or resolved quickly at a cost of about £10n.

It's okay to be annoyed at both sides, when it comes to the spin about this.

I don't think anyone is arguing otherwise, but feel free to carry on having a conversation with yourself.

Now now, don't be patronising. Re-read my post above and tell me how I don't understand inflation based on that.

No, it wouldn't. So how much of the £10bn would be a "splurge", and how much is reasonable and unavoidable?

Many apologies. Stevo started it. Maybe it's time for a nap. 🤣

Yep, just saw that. Ignore him.

Nobody can put an exact number but its pretty well accepted that a lot of those raises were generous. However that's not the only issue - they got nothing in return in terms of changes to working practices. Which will also cost in the long run and quite frankly was pretty pathetic negotiation.