Where is the UK going?

[Mr. Dazzle]

I have a suspicion that not all of you chaps are taking this entirely seriously...

OK.

65.

67 if you were born after 1960.

[Pirahna]

We're just waiting for the boomers to stop leeching off the rest of society, hopefully people will be able to afford homes after they have gone

It's supply and demand, there's not enough houses so the price goes up. Fuck all to do with "boomers", build more houses than the country needs and the price goes down.

[Mr. Dazzle]

We're just waiting for the boomers to stop leeching off the rest of society, hopefully people will be able to afford homes after they have gone

It's supply and demand, there's not enough houses so the price goes up. Fuck all to do with "boomers", build more houses than the country needs and the price goes down.

I think they're referring to the fact the two biggest expenses to the government are social security and the NHS, which older folks are the majority uses of.

'course, Gen X and millennials don't age

[KungFooBob]

Gen X is the best alphabetical generation.

1. Cos X-Men are cool
2. X-Wings are cool
3. I'm cool cos I'm Gen-X.
4. X-Bomber is cool cos Brian May did the UK theme tune for Starfleet.
5. Project-X was the best Amiga shoot-em-up.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It's down to the lake I fear

[cheb]

But naming yourself after a band is a bit naff.

[Cousin Jack]

We're just waiting for the boomers to stop leeching off the rest of society, hopefully people will be able to afford homes after they have gone

It's supply and demand, there's not enough houses so the price goes up. Fuck all to do with "boomers", build more houses than the country needs and the price goes down.

And who is going to build houses to depress the market? Some house builders have questionable intelligence, but they are not THAT stupid.

The only way your way will work is for Council/Govt to build houses in massive quantities. And middle England will not be happy with their negative equity.

[Cousin Jack]

We're just waiting for the boomers to stop leeching off the rest of society, hopefully people will be able to afford homes after they have gone

It's supply and demand, there's not enough houses so the price goes up. Fuck all to do with "boomers", build more houses than the country needs and the price goes down.

Some of the big housebuilding have made stupid decisions but they are not THAT stupid. The only way it will happen is a massive programme of Council/Govt housing.

Middle England will love the negative equity that will being.

[Mr Moofo]

The only way your way will work is for Council/Govt to build houses in massive quantities. And middle England will not be happy with their negative equity.

The Right to Buy concept was essentially flawed. Take local authority housing stock and sell it off to long term renters at a bargain price . And into that borrowing money was cheap ...
And so all local authority houses disappeared. So they had to build more - that ultimately could be bought by tenants under the market rate.

1) We have a lazy, over entitled sector of the population who would rather claim maximum benefits than do something positive

Yeah, but my plan for compulsory televised death matches for the over 60s still hasn't gained traction

But you will remove most of the taxpayers from the workforce. Who will pay for Generation Xs quiet quitting and mental health support?
The over 60s death-match could be a winner if we start with those in the House of Lords

[Count Steer]

2.
Antiquated FPTP voting system, which encourages tribalism and gives one party complete control of affairs on a minor percentage of the vote. This leads to an antagonistic style of politics, which only favours those in power.

Yeah but - FPTP or an essentially two party system? Part of the issue is that the conservatives have about 40,000 members - and are running the country!
Proportional representation is a system that could work well if every on negotiates and compromises - but it rarely woks well because of the small extremist parties that get a look in.
Because of PR it took the Belgians 18 months to get a viable government, The Germans are in a little bit of a clusterfuck because of the unholy alliances they have, and Israeli government ultra right wing places are to pacify two members who keep Bibi from losing power and being prosecuted for corruption

It's a fair point about the disproportionately that small elected groups can have in PR based assemblies. However, our FPTP system has been similarly distorted by unelected groups.

Recently they've been dragged around by the balls by populist, one policy bandwagon outfits, but there have been donors (inc Unions), big business lobbyists etc all shaping policy for years. (The Lords isn't a very democratic body either).

It's less of a problem when both main parties are battling over the middle ground so the lurches left and right are smaller when governments change.

So yes, there can be issues with PR but that doesn't make our system fit for purpose. There must be a better way that crimps undue influence of small elected groups and reduces the opportunity to buy influence.

PS Belgium continued to function. (It's amazing it ever does given it appears to be half France, half Nederlands with a German chunk in one corner. I suspect the fact that they've perfected the art of compromise is why the European Parliament is there).

[Mr Moofo]

2.
Antiquated FPTP voting system, which encourages tribalism and gives one party complete control of affairs on a minor percentage of the vote. This leads to an antagonistic style of politics, which only favours those in power.

Yeah but - FPTP or an essentially two party system? Part of the issue is that the conservatives have about 40,000 members - and are running the country!
Proportional representation is a system that could work well if every on negotiates and compromises - but it rarely woks well because of the small extremist parties that get a look in.
Because of PR it took the Belgians 18 months to get a viable government, The Germans are in a little bit of a clusterfuck because of the unholy alliances they have, and Israeli government ultra right wing places are to pacify two members who keep Bibi from losing power and being prosecuted for corruption

It's a fair point about the disproportionately that small elected groups can have in PR based assemblies. However, our FPTP system has been similarly distorted by unelected groups.

Recently they've been dragged around by the balls by populist, one policy bandwagon outfits, but there have been donors (inc Unions), big business lobbyists etc all shaping policy for years. (The Lords isn't a very democratic body either).

It's less of a problem when both main parties are battling over the middle ground so the lurches left and right are smaller when governments change.

So yes, there can be issues with PR but that doesn't make our system fit for purpose. There must be a better way that crimps undue influence of small elected groups and reduces the opportunity to buy influence.

PS Belgium continued to function. (It's amazing it ever does given it appears to be half France, half Nederlands with a German chunk in one corner. I suspect the fact that they've perfected the art of compromise is why the European Parliament is there).

I misquoted Tory party membership - it's 172k - but still a tiny amount of the electorate
As for the European Parliament being in Belgium - politically it could only go there, and Luxembourg without causing a massive war in Europe again.

[cheb]

Yeah but - FPTP or an essentially two party system? Part of the issue is that the conservatives have about 40,000 members - and are running the country!
Proportional representation is a system that could work well if every on negotiates and compromises - but it rarely woks well because of the small extremist parties that get a look in.
Because of PR it took the Belgians 18 months to get a viable government, The Germans are in a little bit of a clusterfuck because of the unholy alliances they have, and Israeli government ultra right wing places are to pacify two members who keep Bibi from losing power and being prosecuted for corruption

It's a fair point about the disproportionately that small elected groups can have in PR based assemblies. However, our FPTP system has been similarly distorted by unelected groups.

Recently they've been dragged around by the balls by populist, one policy bandwagon outfits, but there have been donors (inc Unions), big business lobbyists etc all shaping policy for years. (The Lords isn't a very democratic body either).

It's less of a problem when both main parties are battling over the middle ground so the lurches left and right are smaller when governments change.

So yes, there can be issues with PR but that doesn't make our system fit for purpose. There must be a better way that crimps undue influence of small elected groups and reduces the opportunity to buy influence.

PS Belgium continued to function. (It's amazing it ever does given it appears to be half France, half Nederlands with a German chunk in one corner. I suspect the fact that they've perfected the art of compromise is why the European Parliament is there).

I misquoted Tory party membership - it's 172k - but still a tiny amount of the electorate
As for the European Parliament being in Belgium - politically it could only go there, and Luxembourg without causing a massive war in Europe again.

And it had to Belgium, Luxembourg isn't physically large enough to house all those Eurocrats and camp followers.

[Mr. Dazzle]

But you will remove most of the taxpayers from the workforce. Who will pay for Generation Xs quiet quitting and mental health support?

Really? I'd have guessed that the biggest contribution to income tax comes from the 40-55 sort of age bracket? But that is just a guess, so I'll look it up.

I'll compromise and raise the cut off to 70

[MingtheMerciless]

Down the pan.

[KungFooBob]

Down the pan.

To hell in a hand cart.

[irie]

...
PS Belgium continued to function. (It's amazing it ever does given it appears to be half France, half Nederlands with a German chunk in one corner. I suspect the fact that they've perfected the art of compromise is why the European Parliament is there).

Belgium is an interesting potpourri of assemblies/parliaments, apparently being the method adopted to prevent the different communities fighting each other.

https://european-union.europa.eu/princi ... belgium_en

Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy in which the king is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government in a multi-party system.

Decision-making powers are not centralised, but divided between 3 levels of government: the federal government, 3 language-based communities (Flemish, French and German-speaking) and 3 regions (Flanders, Brussels Capital and Wallonia).

Legally they all are equal, but have powers and responsibilities for different fields.

[Cousin Jack]

One very real problem is that we are all living too long, particularly in poor health and using up huge resources for medical care. TV death matches has been suggested, but a far simpler partial solution has been offered but turned down repeatedly by governments.

Assisted suicide for those who want it. I am in favour of it, I have no wish to spend the last few years of my life with no quality of life, no hope, and a burden to others. Pass me the cyanide capsule please.

[irie]

One very real problem is that we are all living too long, particularly in poor health and using up huge resources for medical care. TV death matches has been suggested, but a far simpler partial solution has been offered but turned down repeatedly by governments.

Assisted suicide for those who want it. I am in favour of it, I have no wish to spend the last few years of my life with no quality of life, no hope, and a burden to others. Pass me the cyanide capsule please.

Off you go then, there are other ways than cyanide so nothing stopping you.

[mangocrazy]

What do we say to the God of Death?

Not today.

[cheb]

Up shit creek without a paddle.