Things Noticeable this week

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by Devius

A Labour government would seek to create four new UK-wide bank holidays, Jeremy Corbyn says.

The holidays would be on each nation's patron saint day - St David's Day on 1 March, St Patrick's Day on 17 March, St George's Day on 23 April and St Andrew's Day on 30 November.

Mr Corbyn believes the move will "celebrate the national cultures of our proud nations".

Labour says the UK has fewer bank holidays than other G20 countries.

Normally, England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year, Scotland nine, and Northern Ireland 10.

Labour says the average for G20 countries is 12.

Under the policy, the devolved administrations would have the final say on whether to approve the extra bank holidays.

Creating bank holidays is a devolved power in Scotland.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39682388

That's just electioneering and is pretty impractical, we already have an imbalance on the current 8 bank holidays as 5 are in the first 5 months and the only others are 1 in late August and Christmas Day & Boxing Day.
His idea would be 8 in the first 5 months and an extra day in November.
A more sensible idea would be maybe an extra 2 or 3 days maybe late July and around October.
What dates they fall on is irrelevant as none of our current bank holidays have any national relevance although 4 of them have a Christian basis.

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Early May bank holiday
Spring bank holiday
Summer bank holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

What next Jeremy, will you promise us better weather under Labour

[Pinkpapercut]

Don't worry about Corbyn's proposed National Saint's Day Bank Holidays. On the distant possibility that the Corbynista Labour Party gets elected he won't go ahead with them as he and his chums in reality consider them too nationalistic and far too culturally insensitive.

He'll then institute a new list of Bank Holidays to reward his core electoral bases...

Karl Marx's Birthday
Leon Trotsky's Birthday
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Adha

[vinceprince]

Originally Posted by Wendigo

That's just electioneering and is pretty impractical, we already have an imbalance on the current 8 bank holidays as 5 are in the first 5 months and the only others are 1 in late August and Christmas Day & Boxing Day.
His idea would be 8 in the first 5 months and an extra day in November.
A more sensible idea would be maybe an extra 2 or 3 days maybe late July and around October.
What dates they fall on is irrelevant as none of our current bank holidays have any national relevance although 4 of them have a Christian basis.

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Early May bank holiday
Spring bank holiday
Summer bank holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

What next Jeremy, will you promise us better weather under Labour

Just another reason for businesses to hire people as 'self-employed' rather than 'employed'. And will make the cost of Government employees more expensive so will just increase Gov't debt.

I elected to work on a self-employed basis for the small business I work in, I take home a lot more than as 'employed' as my boss doesn't have to pay so much in taxes or holiday entitlement etc. Also no chance of the HMRC fucking up my pay slip which happened a lot when I was on PAYE. And I pay the bastards a lot less in tax and NI. Suits me fine.

[Mal Hombre]

Originally Posted by vinceprince

And I pay the bastards a lot less in tax and NI. Suits me fine.

Yes,Funny how that was never mentioned when the self employed were whining about a small increase in Their NI payments..

[vinceprince]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

Yes,Funny how that was never mentioned when the self employed were whining about a small increase in Their NI payments..

I think we did but also mentioned we don't get sick pay, maternity/paternity pay, paid holidays, employment protection, or unemployment benefits.

But we do pay taxes that help pay for everyone else's sick pay, maternity/paternity pay and unemployment benefits.

The government has actually massively increased NI for lower paid self-employed self-employed by abolishing class 2, as they have to pay for much more expensive class 3 now to qualify for a pension.

Yet they tell them they will be better off and disguise it as a tax cut?
But they are totally being shafted if they want to qualify for a state pension.

[rupertramjet]

Whilst sympathetic, I have always worked in an employed status. Strangely, I have never had a problem with PAYE or national insurance, and when I have, it has always been the fault of the Paymaster, not HMRC, they set the code at the beginning of the year, if you have extra claims you make them each April, get a rebate and a change of code to adapt to the new circumstances. I used to get an allowance for uniforms, which never came close to what I spent! I claimed it back on tax and got a percentage returned.

It seems to me that the self employed want their cake and eat it. Lower tax, lower NI, but the full benefits? I accept no holiday entitlement, no unemployment benefit, but part of what the government are trying to do redresses that, as for pensions, yes everyone should have a state pension, but should they not have to contribute to it like the rest of us?

[haroldeye]

You could also have claimed the difference between what you were paid per mile for business travel and what the HMRC allows. Public Transport Rate of 25p per mile, HMRC rate of 45p per mile. Should have listened to your watchkeepers Rupert.

Having been employed, self employed and a reservist over the past 43 years I would love the Forces terms and conditions as found after Maggie gave them the huge pay rises in 1980/81 and forgot to amend Pension 75.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by rupertramjet

I used to get an allowance for uniforms, which never came close to what I spent!...

Hääh? How many uniforms did you have?

[vinceprince]

Originally Posted by rupertramjet

It seems to me that the self employed want their cake and eat it. Lower tax, lower NI, but the full benefits? I accept no holiday entitlement, no unemployment benefit, but part of what the government are trying to do redresses that, as for pensions, yes everyone should have a state pension, but should they not have to contribute to it like the rest of us?

I just want the Gov't to be honest about it so then I can make a rational decision as to be 'employed' or 'self-employed'.

If your going to increase tax, just tell us on who and how much so we know who to vote for and how to arrange our affairs. But they don't, they say they won't and then even when they have increased it - as in the switch from class 2 to class 3 they lie about it and trumpet it as a 'tax cut'.

Many people (especially older workers) after the financial crisis didn't have a choice like me of employment or self-employment, it was either self-employment or unemployment/benefit dependency which would be a lot more expensive for the state.

[diamelsx]

CNN anchor talking about her time at Fox and dealing with Roger Ailes...