UK XI: I Want To Ride My Diecycle

[Protocol Penguin]

Let's be clear: Sunak promising to cut taxes wasn't to benefit the electorate that he was begging to keep him in power. It was the means with which to end state benefits and pensions in the long-term.

Yes, we must never forget that.

I mean, this week we heard that Truss planned to abolish NHS cancer treatments – it’s in the Tory psyche to actively want policies like that enacted. They’re amoral sociopaths who want the welfare state demolished as cruelly as possible. I remember student Tories would talk all kinds of crap about scrapping the NHS, ending state schools and so on. It’s just their core beliefs.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Yes, we must never forget that.

I mean, this week we heard that Truss planned to abolish NHS cancer treatments – it’s in the Tory psyche to actively want policies like that enacted. They’re amoral sociopaths who want the welfare state demolished as cruelly as possible. I remember student Tories would talk all kinds of crap about scrapping the NHS, ending state schools and so on. It’s just their core beliefs.

Facts.

That why it's sickening to see people on here advocate for Labour-edition austerity. Disgraceful.

[fishbowlhead]

Be all of that as it may, it is ****ing awful optics when kids are starving in the world's sixth richest economy because the two-child benefit cap still exists.

I'm going to keep saying it because it is true: the money to change sh1t like that and quickly make other positive short-term changes is there.

There’s more than enough spare cash to do all of this without cutting support to Ukraine, but none of it is managed properly, and still won’t be by stopping support to Ukraine.

[Nu-Eclipse]

There’s more than enough spare cash to do all of this without cutting support to Ukraine, but none of it is managed properly, and still won’t be by stopping support to Ukraine.

Dude, just stop. It is STILL a ****ing terrible look when kids are starving and people are struggling to make ends meet here no matter how you or others try to justify it.

I said what I said. The money is there and people on here need to stop ****ing acting like it isn't.

[fishbowlhead]

Yes, we must never forget that.

I mean, this week we heard that Truss planned to abolish NHS cancer treatments – it’s in the Tory psyche to actively want policies like that enacted. They’re amoral sociopaths who want the welfare state demolished as cruelly as possible. I remember student Tories would talk all kinds of crap about scrapping the NHS, ending state schools and so on. It’s just their core beliefs.

Truss is a Hugo Boss trench coat away from starting the 4th reich given half a chance, and would go along with anything and everything you put infront of her for some shiny shiny pennies.

[fishbowlhead]

Dude, just stop. It is STILL a ****ing terrible look when kids are starving and people are struggling to make ends meet here no matter how you or others try to justify it.

I said what I said. The money is there and people on here need to stop ****ing acting like it isn't.

I didn’t say it wasn’t? Did I?

[Anpanman]

I see Labour also want to introduce a 4 day working week for employees, ontop of day1 same rights as long term employees & a right to work from home.

Na, your ok, think I’ll just invest in more automation instead of jobs for people that need wages, but thanks anyway Labour.

Aye, saw this as well and my jaw dropped, as egparadigm said it's about condensing the hours down but I think the press went for the sensationalist angle when in fact there isn't much into it.

Employees will have the legal right to ask for it, just like family friendly hours but employers quite sensibly can refuse it.
I can legally ask my boss for £1m quid a week and he has the right to refuse it.

In the end it will work ok in some industries and jobs and won't with others. I'd quite like it but it won't be happening for me.

[gunrock]

Watching and reading about the UK from the relative comfort and safety of Europe make me both thankful and despairing at the same time.

[egparadigm]

Be all of that as it may, it is ****ing awful optics when kids are starving in the world's sixth richest economy because the two-child benefit cap still exists.

Speaking as a former welfare-rights adviser I sure wish the media would stop calling the Two Child Limit the Two Child Benefit Cap. The Benefit Cap is an entirely different, if no less damaging, policy.

[fishbowlhead]

Watching and reading about the UK from the relative comfort and safety of Europe make me both thankful and despairing at the same time.

Relative comfort of Scandinavia

[fishbowlhead]

Aye, saw this as well and my jaw dropped, as egparadigm said it's about condensing the hours down but I think the press went for the sensationalist angle when in fact there isn't much into it.

Employees will have the legal right to ask for it, just like family friendly hours but employers quite sensibly can refuse it.
I can legally ask my boss for £1m quid a week and he has the right to refuse it.

In the end it will work ok in some industries and jobs and won't with others. I'd quite like it but it won't be happening for me.

Year I read 2 articles that made it sound just a fact that employees can demand this, then some more later in the day with more factual quotes that it will really be at an employers discretion.

[egparadigm]

Aye, saw this as well and my jaw dropped, as egparadigm said it's about condensing the hours down but I think the press went for the sensationalist angle when in fact there isn't much into it.

Employees will have the legal right to ask for it, just like family friendly hours but employers quite sensibly can refuse it.
I can legally ask my boss for £1m quid a week and he has the right to refuse it.

In the end it will work ok in some industries and jobs and won't with others. I'd quite like it but it won't be happening for me.

Although I’m all for workers right I definitely think employers should be able to decline things like homeworking and condensed hours requests. It wouldn’t make sense, for example, for people on the front line of public services or in small charities, with an emphasis on face to face and areas of deprivation, to be able to wfh at random hours. If it’s a big employer with loads of capacity, it could be fine or even beneficial to the work.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Although I’m all for workers right I definitely think employers should be able to decline things like homeworking and condensed hours requests. It wouldn’t make sense, for example, for people on the front line of public services or in small charities, with an emphasis on face to face and areas of deprivation, to be able to wfh at random hours. If it’s a big employer with loads of capacity, it could be fine or even beneficial to the work.

If you work in Local Government or in certain public sector areas, these things are already standard. Lots of local council and civil service workers have moved to hotdesking and homeworking anyway.

Look, nobody is saying that homeworking and/or flexible hours can be or even should be a thing in ALL sectors of the workforce.

It also shouldn't be the case that it is ONLY 5 days a week plus and 40 hours a week plus in office with all the considerable expenses (lunch, travel, etc.) that come with it, not to mention the physical and/or mental stress that can come on top of that.

It has long been shown that there is no drop off in productivity with homeworking and/or flexible hours. If anything, those things have clearly been shown to improve. It's time to embrace this and accept that we're not going back to the old ways.

[egparadigm]

I’ve worked for charities closely alongside/funded by local councils. That’s exactly why I’m sceptical about home-working in public services. It’s not productivity I have an issue with, it’s often vulnerable people being unable to access services that don’t meet their needs. For example, if language is a barrier you’re less able to engage in debt advice and put advice into action.

Here in Bristol the Citizens Advice has gone entirely telephone based and it’s a disaster, many clients unable to access advice. It might work for the service, but it doesn’t work for clients.

[Nu-Eclipse]

*snip*

I work in Local Government and have spent the majority of working life in the public sector.

With the greatest of respect, I've seen with my own eyes that homeworking and flexible hours definitely do work for employers, employees and clients when done properly. Without wanting to be condescending about it, it sounds very much like Bristol CAB don't have it properly worked out to make it effective enough. It sounds like an exception and not the rule.

Again, I'm not saying that all industries in the workforce can do it when they clearly cannot or should not. But I'm not changing my stance on it. Better service quality can be provided for clients when the people tasked with providing the services aren't ball-and-chained to their offices day in and day out.