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> 'A week is a long time in politics', First Gove is removed and now there doubt hangs over the Bedroom Tax
Ruwan Uduwerage-...
post Jul 17 2014, 08:32 AM
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Dear Forum Members,

The Mirror last night reported:

"Nick Clegg will set the Lib Dems on a major collision course with the Tories over his plea to axe the hated Bedroom Tax.

The Deputy PM has finally agreed the crippling penalties are battering the poorest in society and will push for change before next year’s general election.

But if Mr Clegg cannot persuade his heartless Coalition partners the Bedroom Tax is a disastrous flop before Britain goes to the polls, he will make ditching it a Lib Dem manifesto pledge"

Doing the right thing, even if it is a bit late is not hypocrisy as Rachel Reeves, the shadow welfare secretary states, it is simply doing what is right.

The reality is that governments of all flavours are generally not very good at admitting when they have something wrong. The LibDem Leader Nick Clegg is demonstrating that although his Party is in Government it is not hardwired into an immovable establishment viewpoint and has the ability to admit through action when it has got things wrong.

The Tories nationally and certainly here in West Berkshire even when they so disastrously get things wrong may follow Maggie and belligerently state "The lady's not for turning," and let us face it we have experienced a catalogue of awful policies from our own district council, but at least the Liberal Democrats are demonstrating that they do listen and will change.

Overall, I have to commend Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander for doing what is right.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Newbury Town Council - Councillor for Victoria Ward & Deputy Leader
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MontyPython
post Jul 17 2014, 09:08 AM
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QUOTE (Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera @ Jul 17 2014, 09:32 AM) *
Doing the right thing, even if it is a bit late is not hypocrisy it is simply doing what is right.

The reality is that governments of all flavours are generally not very good at admitting when they have something wrong. The LibDem Leader Nick Clegg is demonstrating that although his Party is in Government it is not hardwired into an immovable establishment viewpoint and has the ability to admit through action when it has got things wrong.


NTC aren't very good at it either - have they apologised to Simon yet?

Maybe you should get your house in order before trying to score political points of others!
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Biker1
post Jul 17 2014, 10:53 AM
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Yet again LibDems change tack in a desperate attempt to win a populist vote. (Using the populist media title "Bedroom Tax" (which it isn't)).
It's an old habit that they regularly adopt.
Nearly every LibDem story I hear reinforces my determination to never vote for them again. (And yes I did once!)
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blackdog
post Jul 17 2014, 12:00 PM
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But they aren't really going to 'axe' the bedroom tax are they?

Under the Lib Dem reforms, all disabled people would be permanently exempt from the tax. And as part of a complete overhaul, nobody would have their housing benefit cut unless they can be offered a suitable smaller home.

They propose to make it fairer (obviously a good thing), but they seem to intend to keep the 'bedroom tax'.

And Gove's loss is a shame, one of the few ministers who seems to get anything done, ditched because he upset the unions. Whereas Pickles stays, despite upsetting the Tory faithful. Very odd.

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On the edge
post Jul 17 2014, 03:10 PM
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Wouldn't disagree with any of that.

Just a thought. It seems to me that its going to get a bit nasty as the future unfolds, what with enquiries looming and so forth. I'd want a very safe pair of hands connected to an ideologically pure but effective party heavy as Chief Whip, even better one with real media influence; so certainly in party terms, it ain't a demotion!


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Andy Capp
post Jul 17 2014, 05:12 PM
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Anyone would think we are approaching an election within the next year! I think the 'bedroom tax' as is a particularly pernicious policy.
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Strafin
post Jul 17 2014, 05:14 PM
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Give didn't achieve much because he was so hated. Whether he was right or wrong is irrelevant if nobody does what he wants anyway.
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Turin Machine
post Jul 17 2014, 05:33 PM
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Still not a tax, never has been. Still a grotesque policy though.


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Strafin
post Jul 17 2014, 05:58 PM
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It's a tax in everything but name.
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Turin Machine
post Jul 17 2014, 06:22 PM
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And a cow is a horse in everything but name.


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NWNREADER
post Jul 17 2014, 07:21 PM
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QUOTE (Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera @ Jul 17 2014, 09:32 AM) *
Dear Forum Members,

The Mirror last night reported:

"Nick Clegg will set the Lib Dems on a major collision course with the Tories over his plea to axe the hated Bedroom Tax.

The Deputy PM has finally agreed the crippling penalties are battering the poorest in society and will push for change before next year’s general election.

But if Mr Clegg cannot persuade his heartless Coalition partners the Bedroom Tax is a disastrous flop before Britain goes to the polls, he will make ditching it a Lib Dem manifesto pledge"

Doing the right thing, even if it is a bit late is not hypocrisy as Rachel Reeves, the shadow welfare secretary states, it is simply doing what is right.

The reality is that governments of all flavours are generally not very good at admitting when they have something wrong. The LibDem Leader Nick Clegg is demonstrating that although his Party is in Government it is not hardwired into an immovable establishment viewpoint and has the ability to admit through action when it has got things wrong.

The Tories nationally and certainly here in West Berkshire even when they so disastrously get things wrong may follow Maggie and belligerently state "The lady's not for turning," and let us face it we have experienced a catalogue of awful policies from our own district council, but at least the Liberal Democrats are demonstrating that they do listen and will change.

Overall, I have to commend Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander for doing what is right.

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Newbury Town Council - Councillor for Victoria Ward & Deputy Leader



Moral high ground?

Oh well. What is this 'Bedroom Tax' you mention? Can you explain it for us so I can avoid having to pay it if at all possible?

What have Messrs Clegg and Alexander 'done'?
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Simon Kirby
post Jul 17 2014, 07:57 PM
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The bebroom tax was an unjust measure and I'm pleased that the Lib Dems have realised that. Sometimes a decision looks right at the time, and in politics we can make it hard for politicians to change their minds, but whatever was decided before, the bedroom tax is the wrong thing now.

I have some small insight into the precarious situation of renters, being dependent to a large degree on the goodwill of their landlord for what is, after air, food and water, the next most essential of human necessities, and I find it intolerable that renters have such poor security of tenure - how can a society be fully stable and content when, on a whim, a landlord can evict a tenant without cause. There was a time when politically active council tenants could legitimately be evicted from their homes for criticising their council landlords but the Human Rights Act has made that unlawful and mercifully there are some effective housing charities who enforce that right. Likewise minorities have not always had equal access to housing and that injustice has to a large extent been eliminated by some relatively decent equality legislation, though "foreigners" are still routinely vilified for being allocated public housing and as UKIP encourages Britain to be less and less tolerant that situation looks likely to deteriorate and casual discrimination diffuse into the mainstream Tory agenda.

I would give tenants far greater security of tenure, and I know that's going beyond the current argument, but it's something I've felt strongly about for some time. It's intolerable to make someone's home insecure, so I would make it very difficult indeed to evict a family from their home, and that obviously includes getting rid of the intrusive and demeaning bedroom tax. Yes, I understand that there will be families who can't find the rented housing that they need, and yes I understand that there may be families living in rented housing which by some Orwellian measure is too big for their needs, but the bedroom tax is a divisive way to solve the problem that undermines the dignity of people and it's something only a Tory would be happy with.


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blackdog
post Jul 17 2014, 09:21 PM
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But the Lib Dems don't seem to be proposing to do away with the bedroom 'tax' - just modifying to remove some of the most unjust aspects of it.




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post Jul 17 2014, 09:29 PM
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Pre election grandstanding.


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On the edge
post Jul 17 2014, 09:34 PM
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QUOTE (blackdog @ Jul 17 2014, 10:21 PM) *
But the Lib Dems don't seem to be proposing to do away with the bedroom 'tax' - just modifying to remove some of the most unjust aspects of it.


Again, I'd agree with that. The original implementation of this measure was pretty blunt. In effect, the LibDems have seen what's happened and, as you say, are really just proposing what seems like a pretty valid correction. Say what you like, but for once, it is a politician saying 'we didn't get that right first time, so we'll make a correction'.....exactly what we've been asking our Councillors to do locally!


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On the edge
post Jul 17 2014, 09:36 PM
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QUOTE (Simon Kirby @ Jul 17 2014, 08:57 PM) *
The bebroom tax was an unjust measure and I'm pleased that the Lib Dems have realised that. Sometimes a decision looks right at the time, and in politics we can make it hard for politicians to change their minds, but whatever was decided before, the bedroom tax is the wrong thing now.

I have some small insight into the precarious situation of renters, being dependent to a large degree on the goodwill of their landlord for what is, after air, food and water, the next most essential of human necessities, and I find it intolerable that renters have such poor security of tenure - how can a society be fully stable and content when, on a whim, a landlord can evict a tenant without cause. There was a time when politically active council tenants could legitimately be evicted from their homes for criticising their council landlords but the Human Rights Act has made that unlawful and mercifully there are some effective housing charities who enforce that right. Likewise minorities have not always had equal access to housing and that injustice has to a large extent been eliminated by some relatively decent equality legislation, though "foreigners" are still routinely vilified for being allocated public housing and as UKIP encourages Britain to be less and less tolerant that situation looks likely to deteriorate and casual discrimination diffuse into the mainstream Tory agenda.

I would give tenants far greater security of tenure, and I know that's going beyond the current argument, but it's something I've felt strongly about for some time. It's intolerable to make someone's home insecure, so I would make it very difficult indeed to evict a family from their home, and that obviously includes getting rid of the intrusive and demeaning bedroom tax. Yes, I understand that there will be families who can't find the rented housing that they need, and yes I understand that there may be families living in rented housing which by some Orwellian measure is too big for their needs, but the bedroom tax is a divisive way to solve the problem that undermines the dignity of people and it's something only a Tory would be happy with.


Absolutely! ...and if we really do want to break the 'only way is own' fettish in housing, we have to do this.


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Andy Capp
post Jul 17 2014, 11:14 PM
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Cameron used the argument that it was unfair that privately rented occupants didn't get the same benefit and that low income families were struggling to find homes with enough space, but it seems very unfair that the least capable people are the first to be penalised. Good riddance to the 'Bedroom Tax'.
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Biker1
post Jul 18 2014, 06:47 AM
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QUOTE (NWNREADER @ Jul 17 2014, 08:21 PM) *
Moral high ground?

Oh well. What is this 'Bedroom Tax' you mention? Can you explain it for us so I can avoid having to pay it if at all possible?

What have Messrs Clegg and Alexander 'done'?

Don't know. Perhaps we should ask HMRC, they must be involved if it is a tax. wink.gif
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Andy Capp
post Jul 18 2014, 11:18 AM
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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Jul 18 2014, 07:47 AM) *
Don't know. Perhaps we should ask HMRC, they must be involved if it is a tax. wink.gif

Well you and NWNREADER can be very taxing sometimes, does this mean you work for the HMRC? tongue.gif
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NWNREADER
post Jul 18 2014, 09:26 PM
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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Jul 18 2014, 12:18 PM) *
Well you and NWNREADER can be very taxing sometimes, does this mean you work for the HMRC? tongue.gif


'Fraid not. Feels like I fund them........

Would like a couple of answers, though.......

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