An interesting shot of welfare expenditure by GDP. For those who think the UK pays too much welfare, we pay the 4th lowest amount in the list.
Look at the source: DWP, Eurostat (ESSPROS.) You can't just slot the DWP figure for the UK into a list based on ESSPROS database, see below, We would actually be near the top based on ESSPROS: For context the last easy to access ESSPROS data I can find for the UK was when we were still in the EU seeing as it is a EU commission reporting body. So in 2015 ESSPROS had the UK figure at 28.4% which the ONS used as their figure. The DWP announced figure? 11% (For info France was 32% so pretty close) So the DWP figure at 11% in 2015 is remarkably similar to this week's published figure of 10.8% Not much change there although I would say looking more at a % based on a GDP per capita 2015 to 2025 comparison would show a much bigger difference. With such a difference between all these number then you have to wonder surely how they are comparing in order to present a like for like comparison. A vast amount of uk welfare is spent on housing! EU countries spend a vast amount more on youth unemployment.......something we in the UK have hidden away by pushing 50% of youth into Uni on student loans that they will never pay back and in the next decade we will see a huge uptick in the amount the government writes off as these 30 year loans expire! At the moment it is pretty low at 50m per year or so but then in 1995 there were less going to university and the fees/loans was in its infancy. In 10 year's time we will see a massive increase in government write offs and it will continue increasing year on year but hey ho. don't need to be paying welfare to out of work youth and our unemplyment figures look great and the best youth unemployment going. Happy days.
Elsewhere? Maybe, maybe not. What an absolute **** the orange arsehole is, come on karma strike the dirtbox down. please log in to view this image
This guy is claiming that Israel is harvesting body organs from dead Palestinians, without consent. Disturbing if true.
Labour have announced that 16 & 17 years olds will be able to vote in the next General Election in 2029. They estimate this will add roughly 1.5 million people to the electorate.
Good. It is their future and parties need to be incentivised to look to the future. Also, kids are clever enough to see global warming is a genuone threat. Unlike the old nincompoops who have caused it!
I see Diane Abbott is getting it again over her completely logical comment that racism based on skin colour is different to other forms in that you can always see it and will always be looked at. The people crying this as anti-semitic make me absolutely sick. Clearly, a jew in full religious clothing stands out, but there are very many famous jews you only realise are jews when they tell you. I have never had to be told someone was black. If you can’t understand that distinction you don’t deserve to vote, breed or buy your own shopping.
Just wondering if there will be anyone left to expel ! I have a feeling that someone will fancy their chances soon and that there will be a move against Starmer. Not convinced he is going to serve his time out. Richard Burgon , anyone ? Giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote is probably overdue and I think it will make people look at politics afresh. This is great news for people interested in environmental issues and perhaps the perfect antidote to the OAPs voting us out of Europe.
Only a handful of which will vote for Farage. Good news for the Greens but I think it will do alot to thwart Farago.
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/...hildren-policy-is-a-sign-of-pure-desperation/ Labour’s only interest here is in gaining partisan advantage. As the National Centre for Social Research spells out, ‘age has become the biggest demographic divide in British politics, with younger people being more likely to vote Labour’. That is literally all there is to it. This votes-for-children policy is a nakedly cynical ploy to improve Labour’s (currently very poor) odds at the next election.
I agree with you - also I am also a bit concerned with 16/7 year olds voting. I agree it is their future, but how many are emotionally mature (when let's face it most 'adults' aren't), to vote with what they believe in, rather than what their parents or peers do? Also, they are more likely to be down the FB/Twatter rabbit hole than older people.
I've seen this argument about them being led by social media but you have the exact same with literally every other demographic but with different media. Older generations will be just as influenced by the media they consume, *cough* daily mail.
Have you seen what old people post of Facebook. They are fully lead around by the nose on there. Some ridiculous stuff. And far more likely to not even suspect fake stuff and scams because they come from a time when they weren’t a thing
Can’t buy a lottery ticket or scratch cards, purchase alcohol or cigarettes or even get married without parents consent ……..if they can legally vote? Then surely they can do the others?
