@vulpine2020@ArchieHall@tomhfh Exactly, we're deficit spending while actively increasing welfare/pensions and expecting to maintain services all while keeping tax the same. It doesn't work like that!
@JacobMalhotra@ArchieHall Also, I don't doubt that Farage and co. are Thatcherites, but their voters certainly aren't, and the voters decide in the end.
@JacobMalhotra@ArchieHall Any serious reform of the welfare state will need to include health and pensions, none of which Reform will touch as their older voters rely on these services. I agree working-age welfare is an issue, but it is nowhere near the mountain of pension and health.
@MikeDiplockre They realise that Reform is not a right wing party in what matters. They’re left wing economically and continuously advocate for more state intervention.
@JacobMalhotra@ArchieHall Additionally, Reform has shown no sign of going in this direction - see their promise on triple lock, winter fuel, 2 child cap, state intervention etc.
@JacobMalhotra@ArchieHall Do you think Reform’s voters will accept this? As they are most likely to be on benefits and in social housing. They are the recipients of most of the largeisse Reform claims to want to destroy.
@ArchieHall Primarily because the beneficiaries of these are concentrated and organised as activist groups, whereas the costs are diffused across the taxpayer population who are not. We got to today’s tax burden records because of this.
@ArchieHall I disagree. People might think taxes are too high but they are nowhere near accepting of the tradeoffs that come with a smaller state, e.g lower welfare, pensions and services.
My night with the young gay Tories, by Alex Taylor
I spent a night with Birmingham’s Young Conservatives and this is what I discovered.
The Conservative Party is not dying but metamorphosing into something previously inconceivable: a Right-wing, queer social club. A Tory source recently informed The Independent that ‘Kemi is urging people to be patient behind the scenes’ and I get the impression that the Young Conservatives think they’re buying the dip.
But I didn’t see anything that convinced me this is indeed a ‘safe bet’.
Read more below ⬇️
https://t.co/mkrbpGdeHs
@Bellhookschild It's a function of not being able to participate in standard outlets (drink, drugs, nightlife) and having lots of disposable income imo, so boy racing becomes the most accessible thing.
Home ownership (where that income would've otherwise gone) is largely out of reach too.
@theashrb It's based on a list of occupations, a lot of which I personally don't agree with, but they keep these jobs on there so sponsors can bring people over. Gambling shops are also on the list FYI.
@kevinf567@AscendedYield Pensioners **already have** the best access to the services the public should receive - they can beat the 8 AM GP rush, they can receive passported benefits too. I'm all for tax cuts, but these need to be targeted to the right places, not creating additional tax distortions.