This country is heading for a civil service pension meltdown. By 'civil service' I include teachers, police, firemen, etc. All those working now have seen colleagues in recent years retiring on very generous pensions, in some cases early retirement with a pay-off as well. So now everybody wants a slice of that superannuation cake. The mentality is "Well they got £x so that's what I want". Except the country can't afford it. In fact, the county couldn't afford the generous pensions that it paid, and continues to pay, over the last 15-20 years. It has to stop. It's unfortunate but those that are working in the public sector now are paying for the pensions of their retired colleagues and will get a fraction of what has been paid in the past.
Even a millionaire has to work for it at some point. You've just proved the anti-strikers point there Leon. To you being a millionaire is living in the clouds. Step down the ladder a bit to people doing bottom of the pile jobs like childcare, homecare, nursing home workers etc. who have seriously tough jobs and get peanuts compared to you. They think you're living in the clouds on your salaries and rightly so, you are compared to them.
I agree with all of that apart from, the bold bit. This country can afford it, its awash with money up at the top.
I disagree we do no manufacturing now to bring money in and Blair/Brown and the twats spent every penny of the countries savings giving lazy dole dossers lavish lifestyles.
The top 2% may be awash but when you divide that money by the number of public service workers it'll probably mean an extra 27p* per week in their pension. We still have too many public sector workers. *quick mental calculation
From 1979 this country began to de-industrialize as capital moved overseas and the business of this country gravitated towards banking/insurance/derivatives and hedge-funds. The process is known as Globalisation.
Here's a challenge then. Get a chair for a 5 year old, the sort they have in schools, and try for just 1 day to sit on it in your office at work. Do it on Friday, so I can use your season pass on Saturday when you can't walk.
Yes I do. However much it winds people up, the fact is the overall amount paid to ex-MP's is trivial when compared to the total of Government spending. But I agree, pension sacrifice should start at the top and be a clear statement for others to follow.
Then your friend should be sacked. And you should be giving us the name of this parasite who is drawing a salary for nothing at the expense of all of us. Did he teach your kids? Would you want him too?
Correct Stan. It makes me smile when I hear that Thatcher destroyed manufacturing jobs in this country. Here's what happened: Our country was destroyed by the war. We might have claimed moral victory (and we should all be proud we did) but financially it ruined us. The debt of the war plus the loss of the colonies in the years after broke us. Much of our raw materials for manufacturing were sourced on the cheap from the colonies of the Empire so we could compete on the world stage. As soon as we had to pay the market price then we priced ourselves out - goods were too expensive. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan could make goods at a fraction of our cost. We devalued in the 60's to try and make us competitive, we had oil revenue starting from the 70's and of course we had the huge privatisations of the 80's. All these events have postponed the inevitable fall in living standards that we will witness over the next decade. And of course now our living standards are paid for by Government debt. Record debt. We've lived beyond our means for 70 years or so. But of course it's all the fault of THAT woman.
The problem here is that the Teachers Pension Scheme has over £43 BILLION surplus !! That money has been paid in by both teachers & their employers, however the current government actually wants to use some of that money for other purposes & that is the only reason that they are wanting to change the scheme !!
I feel sorry for my generation, we're going to be the ones hit the most in the future. I'm 22 and work full time in the timber trade. Important things such as buying a house, pensions & saving is nigh on impossible, especially with the cost of living been so high now my wages cover essentials leaving very little to put into savings Would there be any point in having a pension for our generation? We'll work until we're dead at this rate
I was thinking more of the actual binman, as I said. The realities of retired income isn't overwhelming when you consider the hard nature of their jobs, in all weather's, which leads to many having to quit early for health reasons or just because collection levels are reduced. My point is that any financial or arduous argument for long-lasting teachers is pretty weak.
But you agree your "friend" is a parasite though? Or do you feel it is right that he draws a big salary whilst laughing at the fact that he does no work? What do you do? Would you like it if you had a colleague or employee who did no work but drew the same money as you?
My eldest son is about your age and I really feel for your generation. Your paying the price of years of successive Governments burying their heads in the sand
In that respect most of you are lucky that you have at least something! I'm just grateful to have a job to let me get by day to day
Firstly, I mentioned some who might be described as baby-boomers, but I have not limited my focus to them; perhaps you would be good enough to highlight where you think I have generalised, as I don't believe I have. Secondly,I have lived and worked among teachers, family and friends, who have taught throughout the spectrum of education. I have done this in the UK and abroad, over a forty year period. I once considered teaching myself and entered the process (at the age of 38) but moved away from it for something else. So, I formed an opinion, an educated one at that, based on an education given to me by teachers, that taught me that to have an opinion on something it is not necessary to be that thing. Reading and using life skills to observe are valuable tools. Your post of 7:13 sure acts as a tool to make some broadbrush observations, but you know that, don't you.
