The full UK State Pension is now worth around £12,548 a year. That's less than half the earnings of someone working full-time on the National Minimum Wage, despite many pensioners paying taxes and National Insurance for 40, 50 or even 60 years.
Yet every time the Treasury needs money, the same voices appear demanding the Triple Lock be scrapped.
Why?
State pension spending is forecast at around £154 billion this year, but that supports over 13 million pensioners, many of whom rely on it as their primary income. Meanwhile, billions continue to disappear into failed projects, government waste, bureaucracy, consultants, quangos and policies that deliver little value to ordinary taxpayers.
The Triple Lock isn't some gold-plated luxury. It exists because politicians allowed the State Pension to fall behind for decades. Even today, a full State Pension is barely above the poverty line and is nowhere near a typical working wage.
If politicians want to save money, start with waste, inefficiency and failed spending programmes.
Leave pensioners alone.
They worked, they paid in, they built this country and they deserve dignity in retirement, not another raid on their income.
@Stonescast85@DaveReado Tis a fine cast.
Nick has fingers firmly on the pulse and progress being made......
You'd be nuts as a @Wealdstone_FC fan not to listen.
i took a 45-minute uber ride home from the airport last night after a brutal, three-day business trip.
i was completely emotionally and physically drained, and my social battery was at absolute zero.
when i got into the car, the driver.. an older guy named kabir.. didn't say the usual "how was your flight?" or turn on the radio.
instead, he just handed me a small, laminated piece of paper attached to the back of his headrest.
it was a literal "ride menu."
it said:
1. *the silent ride* (total quiet, no pressure to talk).
2. *the therapist ride* (if you need to vent about your day, i am listening).
3. *the tourist ride* (i will tell you cool facts about the city).
4. *the radio ride* (we just listen to old jazz and coast).
i smiled, pointed to number 1, and whispered, "silent ride, please. thank you."
he gave me a warm nod in the rearview mirror, adjusted the AC, and drove the entire 45 minutes in absolute, beautiful silence.
it was the most peaceful, therapeutic boundary i’ve experienced all year. i felt my entire nervous system finally reset.
when he dropped me off, i gave him a massive tip and told him, "that menu is a genius business idea. you must get amazing reviews."
He looked back at me and said, "i didn't make the menu to get better tips, dear.
my daughter has severe social anxiety, and she told me that the hardest part of her day is navigating small talk with strangers when her brain is tired.
she told me it feels like running a marathon.
i made the card so that anyone who gets into my car can feel completely safe dropping the mask for a little while."
i walked into my apartment and just sat on my suitcase.
we live in a world that is constantly screaming at us to perform, to network, to be "on," and to over-communicate.
but sometimes, the deepest form of love and respect you can show another human being is just creating a small, safe pocket of silence for them to rest in.
pay attention to the people who give you permission to be quiet. they are rare.
The Somerset Farmhouse of 1 North Street, Williton were approached by a "food influencer" that wanted to charge them £2,000 for a review.
They put out a video of Sally eating a sausage roll instead 😆.
Lets make Sally and the Somerset Farmhouse famous for free.
Cricket really doesn’t help itself.
It’s not rained at Lord’s for about an hour and a half. But instead of playing they took an early lunch - despite wet weather due this pm.
Start at 1pm, then 11 balls later they’re back in cos - shock horror - it’s raining!
#bbccricket
@NonLeagueCrowd@Love_non_league@NonLeagueBall@footybookreview
Where's The Bar?
Volume 4 Issue 7 - Out Now £3.50
As always, on paper and pdf online!
Who'd have thought we get SEVEN issues in volume 4!!! And this is a bumper 40 pages....
SHOP NOW https://t.co/UfKLAkP1zu
Let me categorically Debunk this utter rot. @sainsburys.
I am a poultry Breeder. The hens that lay white eggs (Amberline/White Star) DO NOT have a lower carbon footprint.
Yes they eat a bit less and produce roughly the same amount of eggs as the Brown egg layers (Bovan/Lowman/ISA Brown) but they live shorter lives, are prone to dying suddenly when startled, a flighty and nervous and because they live shorter productive lives (12 -18mnths) vs brown 18/24mnths (both commercial farmed), you have to incubate more which is increased (Electricity/gas costs) and their eggs are not the same quality.
I breed and keep 20+ different breeds, including: ISA Brown hens and White Stars. All my hens are 100% free range, Not a single barn kept bird, I have ISA browns that are 5yrs old and still laying beautiful Brown eggs, I have not seen a White star live beyond 3yrs and certainly none have laid eggs past 18-24mnths.
White stars Lay themselves to death. They are slender birds and because they dont eat a lot, it drains their personal vitality to keep up laying the eggs you want to sell because of the nonsensical lie that they are "More Carbon Neutral"
You want to know about eggs, come talk to someone like me, Don't rely on some hairbrained imagination of a buyer who's trying to squeeze the profit margin for a few extra pennies at our expense and to the poor hens detriment.
Pork loin stuffed with fresh oregano, basil, garlic and tomato, potato and spring onion gatto and tomato and red pepper salsa.
#lovecooking❤️
#teignmouth
The best football memories aren’t TV highlights. They’re moments.
The people you were with.
The feeling in the crowd.
The journey home afterwards.
That’s what live football gives you.
Be there for every chapter of the Stones story. Season tickets on sale.
https://t.co/alDRGdZ3NZ
@EnzioBoldewijn@p_franklin5@WealdstoneFC We can offer nothing more than thanks for your professionalism, leadership and effort over a couple of seasons.
Very best wishes wherever your career now takes you…
Good luck and thanks. 💙
This'll be available in a few weeks' time. Not sure what I'll charge but it won't be a fortune. Hopefully reawaken interest in a long-gone club that considered itself the best in Tameside with the best ground.