Gandalf_the_Grey

Ancient geezer with eclectic music tastes. Loves singing with others especially acapella. Occasional gardener,folk singer and poet after a long career in IT.

[Gandalf_the_Grey @zpidw1]

@0TulsiGabbard2 He had my support. As a labour Party member I voted for him. His antics against Corbyn and Abbot were despicable. I disagreed with him, but stayed in the Party. When he changed the law so that peaceful protesters were arrested, and continued support for Israel, I quit.

[Martin Lewis @MartinSLewis]

News. The Chancellor's just announced Winter Fuel Payments will no longer be universal to all pensioners, now only pensioners on benefits will get it - in my view that's too narrow a group. Here's my formal statement to @RachelReevesMP ...
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The targeting of Winter Fuel Payments is too narrow with the winter we have coming. Pensioners were already due to get less as this will be the first time since winter 2022 they haven’t got the up to £300 extra winter fuel cost of living top-up.

The Energy Price Cap is likely to rise 10% this October and stay high across the winter, leaving most energy bills nearly double those pre-crisis, at levels unaffordable for millions.

Many pensioners eke out the £100 to £300 Winter Fuel Payments to allow them to keep some heating on through the cold months. While there's an argument for ending its universality due to tight national finances, it's being squeezed to too narrow a group – just those on benefits and Pension Credit.

Yet again, those just above the thresholds will be hardest hit. This is often justified as there's a 'lack of household income data' to allow other targeting. However, there's a usable precedent from the emergency energy crisis measures announced in April 2022, which I'd urge the Government to look at.

Then, a payment was made to homes in council tax bands A to D – as an imperfect but workable proxy for lower household incomes. That'd allow an additional group of lower to middle-income pensioners to keep the payments and mitigate bill shocks. Councils' discretionary funds could also be funded as in April 2022, for the limited numbers who still need help but don't qualify.

Plus, with this announcement, the Government has a huge moral imperative to ensure the 800,000 people eligible for Pension Credit who don't get it, are informed, educated and helped through the process. It is planning an awareness-raising campaign, but it needs to ensure that reaches every corner – and if possible proactively and personally contact people.

Pension Credit is a crucial gateway benefit, giving access to a host of other entitlements, and now with the link to the Winter Fuel Payment, it makes it even more important to ensure fewer miss out."

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

As the independent candidate for Islington North, I will never take donations from private healthcare.

As your MP, I will always defend a fully public, fully funded NHS.

[Kevin Schofield @KevinASchofield]

NEW: The Tories have been forced to delete a Labour attack video about crime in London after it featured a scene showing chaos at Penn Station in ... er New York.

[John Cleese @JohnCleese]

What a disaster overtook this country when we lost John Smith

[Alex Coutts @AlexCoutts11]

@JonathanPieNews @IrishMa88348067 That will be the same Patel who in government on 2014 brought in a law making it almost impossible for people to clear their names or get compensation for being victims of injustice.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

The NHS is by no means perfect, but no one in the UK has ever been declared bankrupt because of medical bills.

Yet.

We must never take our NHS for granted - please RT if you agree.

[Alan Shirley @ralanshirley]

As a NHS doctor who trained as a GP at the same time as you, but spent the 30 years since in general practice not politics, it makes me sad and angry to see the unethical and unforgivable damage your party has done to the NHS over the last 13 years

[Gandalf_the_Grey @zpidw1]

@benonwine Not if hell froze over.

[Bobby McDonagh @BobbyMcDonagh1]

@christopherhope @lewis_goodall A “Common Sense Group” with no common sense. A “Star Chamber” with no stars. A “Research Group” which has done no research. George Orwell is alive and well

[Dave Sumner Smith @davesumnersmith]

Rather than pouring ANOTHER £15 million into the unlawful, failed Rwanda expulsion scheme, why doesn't @RishiSunak hire another 300 staff to process asylum applications more rapidly?

[Prem Sikka @premnsikka]

Orwellian Surveillance:

UK Govt getting powers to monitor bank accounts of 22.4m people.

No court order needed, you won't be told.

Govt says this is to prevent benefit fraud.

The same won't apply to tax dodgers, bankers, money launderers, politicians.
https://t.co/wTGPkk5esy

[Gandalf_the_Grey @zpidw1]

@premnsikka Despicable

[Professor Kishan Devani BEM @Kishan_Devani]

RT if you agree with #ToryPeer @SayeedaWarsi that this #ToryGovt are setting our country alight by dividing communities across our country!

We need a #GeneralElectionNow.

[Sayeeda Warsi @SayeedaWarsi]

To Hamas I say End the violence and Let them Go
To Israel I say End the Occupation and Let them Live
#CeasefireNow
My intervention on the 🇮🇱🇵🇸 debate ⁦@UKHouseofLords⁩

[Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 NICE 爷爷 @MichaelRosenYes]

@Dr2NisreenAlwan When my parents were growing up, the streets where they lived were full of people speaking languages other than English. Was that wrong? Was Oswald Mosley right to harass them? Let's ask Mr Hunt.

[Layla Moran 🔶🕊️ @LaylaMoran]

The most harrowing thing I learned today is in 24hrs the power for generators in Gaza hospitals will run out and incubators with premature babies will stop working.

Gov says it is debatable if this breaches Intl law. I don’t need a lawyer to tell me this is just wrong.

[dave lawrence 🐟🐟🐠 @dave43law]

@Peston Reality is that as time passes the 'defence' excuse for Israel becomes harder.
The deaths of over 5000 civilians, more than 1000 women and 2000 children removes that alleged credibility.
Sunak showed he is politically inept when he told Israel 'we want you to win'

[Dr Dan Goyal @danielgoyal]

If Israeli’s have the right to reclaim land due to “ancient” ties to the land, then can Native Americans and Aborigines have their lands back too?