TorquayFan

Good morning Avin Laff - I understand your own position completely and I am not criticising your wanting to receive your OAP to facilitate "the idea of frivolity" but it is the Govts. task to look out for the wider good is it not? Therefore, IMHO, payment of the OAP should be means tested, as for some, a little more spread around would help with real unmet needs for say, food, health, rent etc. As Da La posted earlier, cancelling the 'triple lock' would certainly NOT be a vote winner. Tories and Labour know this 100% but instead of being realistic and working together on the obvious need to cut back, they are flirting with the Voters. On the other point, surely means testing of OAP would be digestible for many Labour voters?

Somo - Korat is a big place but IMO these days it's quiet for Falang fun. Leosor is central close to the Monkey Bar where Falang meet with some other bars in walking distance. Srivichai is cheaper and in the same area. Enjoy

Avin Laff - "Why pay for something you're not going to get? As I suggested before, you did get it! BUT in the form of maybe roads, schools, Hospitals etc. ad nauseam. It's just another Tax used to pay current stuff. But why give OAP to those amply provided already? Ah 'Boots and Laces' - erstwhile I knew Steve Cooper, many Fans all time favourite . . . . GN

C Smith - can you not read? . . . (BTW the empassioned question of OAP increases to UK Pensioners in Thailand is not relevant here. Thanks) Whilst I sympathise with your cause it's bl**dy ignorant to paste that carp on this thread when asked not too. Don't you have another thread to go to ? Ah, but I see a link! Maybe IF we didn't pay OAP to Folks with 'sufficient' wealth and income in retirement, we could afford to help your half million.

Avin Laff If OA Pensioner has made NI contributions as required then I suppose the OA Pension does become an entitlement. However, as the NIC simply goes into the National tax take, rather than being set aside/invested to pay your pension, in fact it's been long spent elsewhere maybe to your benefit in other ways. Better IMO to treat OAP as a benefit that could be withheld when the benefit is not needed and allocated to those in penury. Just makes sense to me. Your second proposal is novel but we would then have to have separate Income tax/NI rates for those in or out of 'self-funding' - sounds very complicated. ATB

Avin Laff 1. OAP is not means tested for the purpose of disallowing payment to those with 'sufficient' wealth or income. Why not Save that money and pay it to those who need it much more? 2. Yes the more you pay in the more you get, but that's not means testing! 3. I realise many OAP including myself are Taxpayers !! DaLa - precisely ! My first sentence was "With an election coming shortly, it's MO that neither the incumbent Tories nor the aspiring Labour Party are free to take the right action". ATB

George thanks. An interesting history and one would expect 'UNISON' to follow that line. But this, "we need to at least keep the ‘triple lock’ to protect future generations as well as current pensioners" is a wholly self-serving Unison assumption. Noob - you are spot on. The State OAP should be means tested of course, like many other Benefits . . . . some OAP's have so much wealth and income they just do not need the State Pension. Why tax and disincentivise Yougsters to pay it?

Rampant your first reply is frankly, brainless. BTW I am an OAP myself. Do you realise that your NI contributions paid in over the years have already been spent - did you never benefit from a school, a Hospital or a road etc. ? OA Pensions too are paid each year from the Govt's current tax take and borrowings. Your contributions are not sitting in a Rampant Rabbit bucket - it's not like a Private Pension Scheme where monies are paid into an investment on your behalf. You say, "these youngsters all want something for nothing". So I ask if the Pensioners are right to grumble now, many of them sitting in properties the Youngsters will never be able to aspire to. Re. your 2nd, "The govt should really have invested the pension money, instead its just another pot of money for them to use now". Precisely. You do get it. But if that had NOT been the case, they would have been compelled to INCREASE your other taxes over the years. How can you expect those working now and paying higher than ever taxes, take on a higher burden still, to indulge you now when they will be taking an OAP at a higher age than we (?) did . . . . .

With an election coming shortly, it's MO that neither the incumbent Tories nor the aspiring Labour Party are free to take the right action. The 'triple lock' has served it's purpose - through it's existence TR has done much to improve the lot of UK OAP's, with a 10% increase last year and 8% to come next month. Changing demographics make continuance of TR unwise. The UK needs to look after it's working population FIRST or there'll be nothing more for anyone else. Pensioners should accept the Govt. increasing pensions by RPI movements only, that in itself is a 'gold-plated' position. If average wage increases exceed RPI, Pensioners can be reassured that the increasing tax take would be making their position more secure. Democracy can often be undermined by the need to get votes - we all need to see the wider picture. (BTW the empassioned question of OAP increases to UK Pensioners in Thailand is not relevant here. Thanks)

JGW. I'm sure there are many decent Russians in Thailand and some are not unreasonably, wishing to escape patriotic military loyalties at home. I also get the feeling that there are many other Russians of a different kind. This comment of yours, "Supporters of democracy and Navalny they are not". How would you know that? An unfounded assumption ? Russians are prominent in Phuket and Pattaya with sordid looking Russian clubs here and there and it feels to me like an established network of gangsters rather than something else. Just MHO but given the terrible crimes and destruction Russia has wreaked in Ukraine, I think some bashing here is the least of Russians problems. You will create some debate but you have said nothing.

Repeating words from another thread, "a whinge prone, grievance and compensation culture has developed in the UK". Re. WASPI's, it's hard to believe that anybody would not have become aware of this pending change, given the 15 years prior notice. I remember the outrage at the time with most people shrugging their shoulders and moving on . . . of course, anyone can claim they weren't told properly of the change so they must be compensated - ha ha! If these women were not aware at all, then, other than in exceptional circumstances, their 'contributory negligence' to the situation would be, Umm, about 100% It'll be interesting to see how our lily-livered Governments proceed - for now, it'll be heads below the parapet for sure! Explained neatly in the DT - ""It was 1995 when the Pensions Act was passed and 1950s-born women were put on notice that their state pension age would rise from 60 to 65. The timeline was set and it would not be until 15 years later in 2010 that the changes would even start to come into force. The law change was widely covered in the media when announced and millions were fully aware and made appropriate changes to their own retirement plans."" Come on Ladies - pull the other one!

Thank you Chomper. So the measure of 'absolute poverty' is broadly, having less than 60% of average income. The UK Government has made a rod for it's own back - the word 'absolute' should be 'relative'. I would have thought 'absolute' poverty needs to be absolute - say nowhere to live, no food to eat, no healthcare etc. It's good to try and measure relative poverty but in the whinge prone, grievance and compensation culture that has developed in the UK, 'this one will run and run'. Coming back to it, single Parents should be aware that the State will not be able to keep them out of even relative poverty and as far as it is possible in real life, to stay out of situations where such relative 'penury' is likely, if not inevitable. I am very happy for the young Lady that she has Family to help her through.

A sweeping statement Skip with little relevance to the thread. As to the definition of 'absolute poverty' - just listened to a Lady with a 17 month old child bemoaning that with child benefit and a p/t job, her rent and council tax squeeze her budget for food etc. She bemoans not being able to repair her dishwasher, buy alcohol and have a social life. Without knowing the background, it anyway seems to me beyond reasonable expectations to hope to support a child on a p/t job and she is fortunate in being able to move in with her Parents if she has to. I am not unsympathetic, but is this really 'absolute poverty' ?

thaibeachlover - I agree that the level of damages awarded in the US Courts is EXCESSIVE but that's the way it is - it's not just tailored for Trump and he is not being persecuted at all. It's simple - he has broken the Law, (countless times). There's 6 months to go and it's my opinion Trump's descent into 'looneytunes' territory will lose him all but his most ardent supporters. Have a look at Trump's Dayton speech - he's really lost it! Of course Joe Biden is too old to stand again but he is the much lesser of two evils.

Trump has had 'insurmountable' difficulties with the further $464 million required by the New York judgement. The Court are firmly bound to recover the $464 million from his assets, but such recovery will be at 'fire sale' values and insofaras these assets are not unencumbered by mortgages. Given that the penalties in the NY case were to punish DT's frauds by overvaluation of assets, this does not augur well for DT. Will he be ruined? Is he in fact, a 'Billionaire' at all - the NY case suggests his financial status is not what he or his lawyers claim. Trump's credibility disappears in a vortex as this goes on, real time, with $80 million of interest being added to his woes daily. Surely his Election hopes are doomed . . . . ? Worth noting too that Trump's demeanour in recent speeches is looking distinctly more odd than usual.

I guess this is typical of what we have to look forward to IF Trump gets in ! Shocking . . .

As I read it the matter has been referred to Immigration by the Police, for a decision on his visa, which has not been cancelled yet . . . If Immigration do decide to cancel his Visa, good riddance.

Thanks for the heads up'. I'll watch out for that . . . .

Neeranam - "Who has benefitted ? Who has destroyed over 75% of Gazan houses? Who has killed tens of thousands of enemies? It is a coincidence that the most advanced army in the region's defence system didn't work." IMO suggestions that Israel sacrificed 1,200 of it's own people are very unlikely to be true. Even the best Army can't protect 100% of the time.

Ezzra yes I get that.

flyingtiger - maybe so - in your case too. Do you have any thoughts on the subject? NickCarter - an interesting theory - any evidence for that. In my case you might be reassured that I'm anti Yemen and China and some other Countries too. NotE - thanks and I'll have a look at that. Save the frogs - yes spot on. Hopefully Netanyahu's time will soon be up! Retarius - good point but I don't think it's logical to excuse Mr Ali's idiocy because he is not the only one prone . . . . . ezzra - yes anti-semitism does exist and it's deplorable. However, making anti-Israel comment can be valid and is NOT anti-semitic per se. Thanks for replies . . .

In the UK, Labour's by-election candidate, Mr Azhar Ali, is in deep disgrace after ridiculous comments about Israel having somehow facilitated the Hamas attacks of October 7th, so as to lay the grounds for a response of the sort we are now seeing in Gaza. Azhar Ali is undoubtedly stupid, insensitive, and totally unsuitable to stand as an MP but he has immediately been portrayed as anti-semitic, which IMO, may or may not be true, though he is obviously anti-Israel ! Generally I suggest, that it is possible to be anti-Israel WITHOUT being anti-semitic. In fact, over many years, many Countries have been anti-Israel on subjects such as the 'two state solution' and the settlements in the West Bank. And that's fine, to that extent I too am definitely anti- Israel. And not one iota anti-semitic. Anti-Israel opinions are widely merged with anti-semitism and that IMO is an extremely dangerous distortion. It inhibits the ability to criticise Israel as motives being routinely misconstrued and discredited. Has this anomaly empowered Israel unreasonably and are we now seeing the result? A 2 state solution has long been mooted. All support from the USA and others to Israel should in future be linked to pursuance of the two state solution. Otherwise, there will never be any chance of these horrors ever diminishing . . . .

Sad thread and comments IMO

Unusually - at 76 now, I still miss the buzz of work, (I was lucky to have some good jobs). I ride the bike to the coast 3 times a week, clean the rubbish from a long river bridge, coffee with friends on arrival and ride back. Its only a 30 km trip but I'm tired for the day after that. Missis sells at Market sometimes so I might be on driving duties. Read the news on line. Post on Forums including Scancell cancer vaccines where I have a big investment.. Enjoy TV greatly, currently Poldark and Death in Paradise the evening fare. Afternoons it's The Bill, MotD, Pointless or sometimes a film. I see you can access National Theatre productions on line so I'll subscribe to that. Once or twice a week a swim in a quiet hotel pool. A couple of nights out a week with the Missis at Restaurants or visiting Friends and the occasional karaoke party, otherwise a nightly sojourn to the 'Pub' for 2 beers and Falang chat. I read the occasional book and just completed a devilish jigsaw that took me 3 months, (zebra and wildebeeste at a watering hole). It's a 1000 pieces and if anyone wants it I'll post it to you FOC. Visit friends and stay a few days in the west, north and Isaan as often as possible. With a 3 month trip to the UK each year AND I'm still bored - I'm working on it !

Woof 999 and Charles H - what you see from me is a discussion about Bander's interesting project. Thanks for your boorish replies. I happen not to know what a Tesla Power Wall is so thanks for your help.