Forum Topic

Reasons to be sad: Part 1

1) Being born in Britain where the wealth of Britain's five richest families is now worth more than poorest 20% of the UK's population.2) Lack of affordable housing.3) Taxation benefiting disproportionately the rich.4) Books are not allowed to be sent into prisoners.5) Cameron feigning impassioned adherence to the Christian faith. God, that really is sad!6) The surge in numbers using food banks.7) Massive rises in the cost of the electricty and gas.8) Ealing Hospital being under threat of closure.9) Ealing charging for Garden Waste collection: I now have to get my waste to the dump by bus! 10) And finally: Tony Purton posts!

Ben Owen ● 4357d35 Comments

> The tax rate for those earning over £150,000 has been cut by 5%After it was cynically put up by 10% immediately before the election as a trap for the next administration because the incumbents damn well knew that they were about to lose big time.The only thing that surprises me is that the electorate is dumb enough to keep voting for them.Look at the mess that they have just made of Ealing for example.

Tony Colliver ● 4331d

Council Tax in Wandsworth is not nil but is some 50% lower than Ealing.Wandsworth have largely well-regarded public services and it is no surprise that the former Labour 'stronghold' wards of the borough are now firmly Conservative if services can be delivered at far lower cost.

Nigel Brooks ● 4333d

Ben,From reading your reply, maybe you should say 'I've a difference of opinion' instead 'I am not wrong' (I'm not wrong).Hinduja Brothers are Indian as you rightly state.Taxes, more of those who earn over £150k now pay more tax even though the rate they pay is 5% less. I don't find this a reason to be sad more the other way. This is due to those people not trying to avoid paying taxes due to the rates being ridiculous. My personal view is no one should have to pay half of their earnings to income tax.As for not having your tax reduced, in theory you have as the basic amount before getting taxed has increased.Now you are wrong on Wandsworth residents paying no council tax.... especially as I used to live in Wandsworth. As a rule I pay around the same amount now in Ealing compared to to the amount in Wandsworth.Anyway threads about reasons to be sad aren't my cup of Bovril so I shall keep reading the reasons to the Happy threads. Time to Smile :D

Lee Page ● 4333d

You state that I am wrong, but what you actually mean is that you have a different opinion from me. I charge you as guilty on the count of the majority of the five richest families not being Brtish. You obviously don't know who they are, so I will list them out for you:Duke of Westminster (Wealth: £7.9bn)Owns virtually all of Mayfair.Reuben brothers (£6.9bn)Although born in India they were brought up in London. They began selling scrap metal down the local yard.Hinduja brothers (£6bn)They live on Carlton House Terrace. Turn right if you are walking down the steps from the Duke of York statue and the house is the 3rd or 4th on the right. Cadogan family (£4bn)Earl of Cadogan is the Mr Made in Chelsea. A posh toff, he owns virtually all of Chelsea and Belgravia. He used to be the chairman of the scumbags from SW6 (aka Chelsea Football Club) in the early 80's. Mike Ashley (£3.3bn)Owns Newcastle United football club and Sports Direct. A man who left school at 16 to build his fortune.So, I make that four out of five. I am not wrong.Lack of affordable housingWell, clearly you haven't been reading the papers, listening to the radio, or watching the news because every one knows that there is a lack of affordable housing. Coincindentally, a report published by Shelter today shows that more than 4,000 households in England are at risk of losing their home every week amid high housing costs. High housing costs. Not immigration. As for building, don't bother explaining to me why this government is only building 20,00 homes a year when it promised to build 41,000 homes a year in its manifesto. I am not wrong. Taxation benefiting the rich. The tax rate for those earning over £150,000 has been cut by 5%. My tax rate hasn't been cut, so the richer you are the less tax you pay now than you used to. I am not wrong. The basic rate or higher rate of tax has not been cut. Property is a good example as any, so for those who are able to live in some of the most expensive parts of London happen to pay the least amount in council tax as a percentage of the value of the property. (Wandsworth residents pay nothing, Kensington & Chelsea is minimal: it is hardly surprising that these councils are a Tory stronghold). If property bands were revalued today, the biggest losers would be in Hammersmith and Fulham and in Kensington & Chelsea.I am not wrong.Food Banks doubling, so that's nothing new. Well isn't that sad? As you say, I am not wrong.Electricty and Gas Prices rising. I don't care that we may pay less than other countries for our utilities. What I care about is that there are more and more people in this country who are choosing between eating and heating. Is that not sad?I am not wrong.Ealing Hospital. How lucky we are to have a hospital on our doorstep. Your choice on where you receive your treatment, but aren't you lucky that you have that choice. I was taken to Ealing on a blue light and the care I received there was amazing. I am not wrong.

Ben Owen ● 4333d

It was the walk from Kensal Green tube station to the Island Experiment at Paradise in Kilburn Lane.And I agree about the rubbish everywhere DESPITE the overpowering collections of wheelie bins.The area appeared deserted and uncared for.

Philippa Bond ● 4333d

It's not all doom and gloom but some of the facts here are quite wrong.1) Being born in Britain where the wealth of Britain's five richest families is now worth more than poorest 20% of the UK's population.But the majority of the super wealthy families aren't british - they just come here to spend their money, buy houses (and pay 15% stamp duty) and employ many locals.2) Lack of affordable housing.An ongoing problem exacerbated by the 5m people who came here under the last government without any increase in housebuilding - the last government built less than 1/2 the number of public homes that the one before.3) Taxation benefiting disproportionately the rich.The rich are paying 50% more tax than 10 years ago. 6,000 people earning more than £2m a year in salary now pay more tax than 12.5m people. Our overall tax rates are now amongst the highest in the western world. 6) The surge in numbers using food banks.Food banks have been doubling in number since 2002 so there's nothing new here.7) Massive rises in the cost of the electricty and gas.We pay less for gas and electricity than most other countries in Europe according to EU data.8) Ealing Hospital being under threat of closure.It should be closed - it's one of the worst hospitals in London and struggles to attract or retain good staff. Patients are mor elikely to die in our local hiospitals than others that are within 5 miles of Ealing - and we need more community care not throwing endless money at old buildings that aren't fit for purpose.

Chris Martin ● 4333d

Some friends seem astonished that we don't have wheelie bins in Ealing. Although I have been told that residents can throw lots of household rubbish in these bins I have also been to areas where these unsightly wheelie bins dominate the landscape.For instance, walking from Sudbury Town Station the small front gardens of the houses are absolutely full of wheelie bins, they seem to take up the entire front gardens.It is so much nicer to walk past front gardens with shrubs and a bit of greenery instead!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4333d

Sympathise with you Tom - there are too many ugly wheelie bins in front gardens and too few plants, flowers and shrubs. Also, fancy upvc front doors and windows and ugly dish aeriels and concrete car standings. What happened to simple roses round the front doors?

Gerry Tan ● 4334d

Was this Harrow by any chance? My original hometown ruined by paved drives and wheelie bins!Theres a long road I used to walk down regularly through my childhood which had lovely victorian terraces with the paved tiled paths, porches, stained glass doors and sash windows. Sadly every house has now been converted to flats, very badly, drives paved over with shoddy tarmac, four wheelies bins for each flat, horrible white pvc front doors and windows, and rubbish everywhere. Breaks my heart everytime i go back there!

Tom Clifford ● 4334d

I am still feeling really saddened by my visit several weeks ago to a neighbouring borough.  I walked along a long intimidating street in the evening where all the front gardens appeared to have been concreted over to provide wheelie bin space.There were no people to be seen.  Just front yards 'peopled' by wheelie bins that were much bigger and fatter than me.  Lots of them.  Not just lots of front yards like that but lots of these huge bins in each one. No green space. In fact nothing growing which considering the time of year is very depressing.When I walk along the small street in which I live there are lots of small gardens where it is a joy to see plants and bushes growing.  Most of these are full of perennial plants where little upkeep is required.  I wish that there was more encouragement for people to keep their gardens green and not pave.  You may also need planning permission to pave and you should also consider water run-off and flooding - and freezing in winter.  I think in many cases you just create another sort of maintenance needed and a much less therapeutic and satisfying one than a bit of gardening.

Philippa Bond ● 4334d

>He's already explained why Tom.I suspect not...

Paul James ● 4351d

He's already explained why Tom.

Keith Iddon ● 4351d

It would be interesting to know why Peter wants a non-halal takeaway so desperately..?

Tom Clifford ● 4352d

Gerry, sadly I don't think this is a new fad, according to my friend who has now retired from the NHS, some elderly ladies and men had the most embarrassing tattoos on their bodies! Can you imagine?I think they look ugly at any age, just my personal opinion.

Jean F Fernandez ● 4352d

One thing that makes me sad is to see a perfectly normal and ordinary person who has chosen to cover every visible part of their body with tattoos. Some men choose hideous pictures and words in bright colours - awful. And some women do the same. I wonder what their mothers feel and think of them?

Gerry Tan ● 4352d

Hi Ms Fernandez, I like you, definitely my kind of person from your post.  Used to use this site myself some time ago mainly about the decline of Ealing.  Did eventually manage to sell up and buy in Richmond, took 4 yrs!  Had things to do in Ealing a couple of weeks ago and the High St looked somewhat better; the road I lived in sadly did not.

Lesley Thomas ● 4353d

As I understand it Halal does not mandate stunning before slaughter. Kosher doesShould read:As I understand it Halal does not ban stunning before slaughter. Kosher does

Paul James ● 4355d

>The complete lack of any takeaways that do food that is NOT Halal (where the chicken is killed by letting it bleed)As I understand it Halal does not mandate stunning before slaughter. Kosher does.Regardless, a cut to the neck with a sharp knife (which is the  way I've seen chickens slaughtered) is not distressing to the bird if done right, it passes out very quickly without a struggle.

Paul James ● 4355d

Doesn't really make me sad, more irritated for some reason, but people who have those pathetic 'beards' that are about 1/4 of an inch wide and about an inch and a half long and run from the chin to the bottom. Makes me want to get hold of the bottom bit and rip it off like you would a plaster...

Keith Iddon ● 4355d

Not 'the chin to the bottom' obviously...but the bottom lip.

Keith Iddon ● 4355d

I agree with most of your sadness items Jean.  I'd like to add another sad instance:Sad that Ealing hasn't a shop which offers good salt beef rolls with sliced sweet pickled cucumers and German mustard or chicken and barley soup.

Gerry Tan ● 4355d

People who jump queues.Loud phone conversations on public transport - we really don't need to know their personal business!The filthy habit of some people who spit on the pavement.White van man!Lack of manners, and that goes for young and old.Children sitting on busses and trains when a disabled person is standing if they refuse to give up their seat gracefully.Pushy parents who think their little darlings can do no wrong - like letting children ride scooters in the crowded supermarket ricking knocking people over.Looking forward to a Cumberlland Sausage Toastie in M&S only to find there are none left!The closure of my favourite restaurant!My word, I could write a book on pet hates - must be getting old! ;-)

Jean F Fernandez ● 4355d

Your first should surely be on the "reasons to be happy" thread?Signed, A Lifelong Football Hater  :-)

Tony Colliver ● 4355d

The complete lack of any takeaways that do food that is NOT Halal (where the chicken is killed by letting it bleed).

Peter Mcleod ● 4356d

11) Focusing on the negative.....

Tom Clifford ● 4356d

As much as tax can be fair this seems fair enough Gerry. After all the money returns on long term pensions contributions are usually far higher than the untaxed amount put in,and older people still use vital services (in fact they usually need them more as they get older) that need to be paid for.

Keith Iddon ● 4356d

Yes you're correct Keith, the State Pension is paid gross, but as you rightly point out in the end its the total taxable amount that the Government tax office take into account and tax one accordingly - they get you in the end.

Gerry Tan ● 4356d

Tax isn't paid on a state pension as such Gerry. It is Income Tax and if you are lucky enough to have a combined pension income above the individual tax threshold then you pay tax on monies over that amount. Tax is not paid on private pensions contributions but is gathered when paid out if you are over the threshold.

Keith Iddon ● 4356d

Oh I forgot to include e-cigrettes Graham.

Gerry Tan ● 4356d

1. Totally agree on libraries. One used to be able to request any book at no extra charge. I once requested and got a copy of a book published in the 1890s. Now one often cannot get newly published books even.2. HS23. Betting adverts especially on TV. These are an indirect result of the National Lottery.

Graham Weeks ● 4356d

My sad reasons:1  Susanna Reid quits BBC and goes to ITV.2  HMRC still taking tax off my State Pension payments.3  'Brucie' retired from Strictly Come Dancing.4  The slow decline of libraries.5  Child poverty in Britain.6  Jeremy Clarkson.

Gerry Tan ● 4356d

Decline in prestige of the FA cup , the third round used to be one of the biggest dates in the football calendar.Richard Scudamore Zero hours contracts

David Burke ● 4357d

Membership of the EU and loss of national sovereigntyRadical IslamRedefinition of marriageUnprincipled pragmatic politiciansProliferation of speed bumps and CPZs

Graham Weeks ● 4357d

Footpath and pavement cyclists blaming everyone else for breaking the law.If you want to use your bike on the footpath have the decency to dismount and walk.I'ts called a footpath because it's for feet.

Keith Iddon ● 4357d

Now, this is really sad. Anymore bad newws and views?

Gerry Tan ● 4357d