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Post by LDCaerdydd on Oct 18, 2023 13:25:35 GMT
]Also, getting a smartphone can mean you have a two year or longer contract to actually pay for the phone. If you become unemployed or otherwise lose income during that time, you can't just stop paying for it. This is part of financial literacy. If you take out a two year phone contact at say £45pcm - in your contract will be a clause saying the provider can (and inevitably will) increase your contract by CPI+2% per year meaning your contact could easily end up costing £55 after 12-18 months or so in normal times, as we all know rates are a lot higher now. If you buy a phone outright on day 1* and then take out a contact for minutes and data etc for £10pcm and your your mate does the opposite and buys a traditional bundle their phone contract will go up and you will be saving a lot. * There are numerous ways you can get a phone interest free over a 12/18/24 month period. If you are struggling money wise then I have no objection to someone spending say £10pcm on minutes/data, I do object someone spending £45/£50pcm on a phone contract because a) it's wasteful and b) shows a massive amount of financial illiteracy. This has been true for years but never more so than over the last 12-15 months when inflation really started to jump up. Two lessons for everyone here: 1. Don't buy a phone and minutes/data from the same company 2. If you are spreading the cost of the hardware (handset) over X months you should aim to still be using it in X+6 months as a minimum. I bought an all singing all dancing iPhone 11 Pro in Jan 2020, I'm still using it in October 2023. I'll probably replace it next autumn/NY 2025 (depending on how a possible house move goes) battery capacity is down to 76% and I use it a lot every day. That phone was bought interest free with payments spread over 24 months - inflation didn't come in to this, if I'd bought a traditional contract it would have cost me a lot more. My data plan has been £10pcm for at least five years now and it's a rolling contract (unlimited texts, minutes and 20gb of data). I went for a then almost top of the range model because I could afford it, if I couldn't I would have got a smaller and older version. Sorry to hijack this and go all Martin Lewis on you all. |
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Post by manchesterman on Oct 18, 2023 14:12:57 GMT
Almost all functions of the DWP/Job Centre are online and 99% of job applications are online. This is why having a smartphone or laptop is essential (and in response to 'they can always go to the library', the Tories have shut most of them down) And indeed, everyone knows that the reason for the global economic crash was that there were too many libraries in Wolverhampton !
Copyright; Alexei Sayle
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Post by manchesterman on Oct 18, 2023 15:12:21 GMT
I think you'd be surprised how many voters would actually agree with him. The professionally offended weren't going to vote Conservative anyway. I suspect support for this sort of thing peaked a decade or so ago - since then, financial hardship has spread to more than just "the undeserving". And many boomers may still be staggeringly ignorant about how essential an online connection is to the majority these days, but most of those younger won't be. I think we can acknowledge GKRs point that "some of the electorate" will agree with him, albeit they are very much a fringe mob [glued to GB News every night frothing at the mouth about 'foreigners' etc] but these types were already likely to vote Tory (or Reform etc) anyway. I think that Tory HQ will probably want to distance themselves from his crass comments however, as they will surely see that such comments will come across very badly to "swing voters" which they will surely be targetting in this by-election.
However, as 30p Lee is deputy chair of the Party, I cant absolutely guarantee that they will take that line anymore!! Indeed, Anderson may well view this sort of character as a potential protege!
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mrtoad
Labour
He is a toad. Who knows what a toad thinks?
Posts: 424
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Post by mrtoad on Oct 18, 2023 15:29:00 GMT
Quick question about the electoral history of the seat. The 1987 result in SE Staffordshire is weird looking and I remember at the time there was speculation that the count had been bungled and it hadn't really deviated from the national pattern as it appears from the declared results. Has anyone ever got to the bottom of this and if it was mis-declared, are there any reputable theories about what the actual numbers of votes cast were?
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Harry Hayfield
Green
Cavalier Gentleman (as in 17th century Cavalier)
Posts: 2,922 
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Post by Harry Hayfield on Oct 18, 2023 17:40:02 GMT
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Harry Hayfield
Green
Cavalier Gentleman (as in 17th century Cavalier)
Posts: 2,922
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Post by Harry Hayfield on Oct 18, 2023 17:47:13 GMT
Quick question about the electoral history of the seat. The 1987 result in SE Staffordshire is weird looking and I remember at the time there was speculation that the count had been bungled and it hadn't really deviated from the national pattern as it appears from the declared results. Has anyone ever got to the bottom of this and if it was mis-declared, are there any reputable theories about what the actual numbers of votes cast were? Wikipedia says that the result was: Con 25,115 (47% -3%), Alliance 14,230 (27% +6%), Lab 13,874 (26% -2%). The results across the whole of Stafffordshire was: Con 271,589 (45% unchanged), Lab 205,572 (34% +1%), Alliance 127,594 (21% -1%) The results across the West Midlands were: Con 46% (+1%), Lab 33% (+2%), Alliance 21% (-2%) |
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Post by mattb on Oct 18, 2023 18:23:37 GMT
Quick question about the electoral history of the seat. The 1987 result in SE Staffordshire is weird looking and I remember at the time there was speculation that the count had been bungled and it hadn't really deviated from the national pattern as it appears from the declared results. Has anyone ever got to the bottom of this and if it was mis-declared, are there any reputable theories about what the actual numbers of votes cast were? IIRC it was the result as published made it the only seat in the country where Alliance moved up to second and Labour down to third in 1987 vs 1983. |
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Chris from Brum
Lib Dem
What I need is a strong drink and a peer group.
Posts: 9,748
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Post by Chris from Brum on Oct 19, 2023 8:33:46 GMT
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2023 8:40:17 GMT
I think you'd be surprised how many voters would actually agree with him. The professionally offended weren't going to vote Conservative anyway. I don't know, your candidate seems 'professionally offended' by people having TVs or smartphones. Top comment. The guy would have been horrified to learn that my dad had a TV license when he was on the dole. |
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Post by finsobruce on Oct 19, 2023 9:10:36 GMT
I don't know, your candidate seems 'professionally offended' by people having TVs or smartphones. Top comment. The guy would have been horrified to learn that my dad had a TV license when he was on the dole. Well so long as he didn't have a tv as well, that would probably be alright. |
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Tony Otim
Green
Suffering from Brexistential Despair
Posts: 11,908
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Post by Tony Otim on Oct 19, 2023 9:15:16 GMT
I suppose I'm old-fashioned but no, I don't tell someone to "fuck off" when they ask for help even when I think their choices are foolish or even selfish. If they need a discussion on their spending choices I give that, and there are agencies that can do the same. Similarly if I could cash the times a conversation started with the words 'you'll think I've been foolish' I would be quite a wealthy man yet I never answered 'you bet'. The purposes of being an elected representative are various but one of them is not to cast moral judgements or tell someone that they've been stupid. It's to take that person from where they now are - asking for help - and suggest the next steps. This man clearly isn't right for the role of a modern MP where casework is pretty heavy (or he needs to employ decent people to do it and keep well away from the task). I believe that the child should be taken away until the parents get their act together (if it comes to excessive spending) and that the state should probably help the parents develop healthier spending habits. I understand that it might sound harsh, but it is for the health and well-being of the child. I realise that this post should be taken as a rant rather than a serious suggestion, but you are proposing a solution that is hugely more expensive than the problem, using a scarce resource (care placements) for children who don't really need them with obvious implications for those who do, whilst criticising the financial planning and prioritising of others... |
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Post by MeirionGwril on Oct 19, 2023 9:24:00 GMT
Apologies if already posted, but is Tamworth counting tonight?
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Oct 19, 2023 9:41:05 GMT
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Clark
Forum Regular
Posts: 744
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Post by Clark on Oct 19, 2023 9:57:21 GMT
Apologies if already posted, but is Tamworth counting tonight? There's a by-election Special on BBC1 at 12am so both must be counting tonight |
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iain
Lib Dem
Posts: 11,441
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Post by iain on Oct 19, 2023 20:59:31 GMT
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Post by andrewteale on Oct 19, 2023 21:44:53 GMT
Fixed. I can't believe I wrote that. I also can't make up my mind whether Chris Grayling or Chris Pincher had the worse political career. |
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Post by edgbaston on Oct 19, 2023 22:25:28 GMT
I’ve been doing GOTV in Tamworth all day, I am aware I may be caught up in the partisan optimism and have had a pint, but am very confident of a good Labour victory. I was talking to 1996 victor Brian Jenkins and he was too interestingly.
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Post by kvasir on Oct 19, 2023 22:32:55 GMT
I’ve been doing GOTV in Tamworth all day, I am aware I may be caught up in the partisan optimism and have had a pint, but am very confident of a good Labour victory. I was talking to 1996 victor Brian Jenkins and he was too interestingly. Enjoy the pint. I remember being in this exact situation. My night ended badly. But I am optimistic that yours will end far better. |
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stb12
Top Poster
Posts: 8,384
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Post by stb12 on Oct 19, 2023 22:39:46 GMT
I’ve been doing GOTV in Tamworth all day, I am aware I may be caught up in the partisan optimism and have had a pint, but am very confident of a good Labour victory. I was talking to 1996 victor Brian Jenkins and he was too interestingly. Senior Labour figure declares victory very early |
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Post by manchesterman on Oct 19, 2023 23:26:59 GMT
The presenter on Sky News has just described Tamworth as a Red Wall seat.
I have no words..
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