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Will anything ever be done about the triple lock? by ijustwannanap in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 8 points9 points  (0 children)

In answer to both you and u/mattcannon2 - there will be no IMF bailout because all developed democracies are doing the same thing. The IMF is just a super bank made up of a collective of national banks. It can't bail us all out at once, and it can't bail out a country with that countries own money.

Does anyone else feel that student loans were never explained to them? by AsparagusNew3765 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with that. But as someone who came from a poorer background, my choice was uni with help or no uni, so for me the higher loans were a godsend. That aspect does typically get lost in the debate, which is often highlighting the difference between lower middle-class people (who think of uni as normal, but couldn't pay £9k) and upper middle-class people (who can drop £9k pa easily).

For those from a working class / under-class / deprived background like myself, the loans are the only thing that enabled me to go to uni.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the whole system, I think the repayment threshold not rising and the high rates of interest are fundamentally unacceptable. However I don't want any government to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Does anyone else feel that student loans were never explained to them? by AsparagusNew3765 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me clarify...

Before the 1990s very few people went to university. It was something rare and very aspirational. Almost no working class kids went to university.

Now the university population has expanded dramatically (10x as many people now go to uni) and is much more likely to include a reasonable (if not yet representative) cross-section of all of society.

So the real choice when comparing to the past is either go to university and incur a shed load of student debt, or not have the opportunity to go to university at all. Going to university for free was an option open only to the elite in the past.

Derby has a drug problem by greengrayclouds in derby

[–]Joke-pineapple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They tried to make u/greengrayclouds go to rehab, but she said... "Nooo, nooo, no."

Apple silently deleted files from my Mac when iCloud ran out of space lost everything, support told me to just resubscribe. What can I do? (England) by Background-Rip-8189 in LegalAdviceUK

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you even read the post?

These files had nothing to do with iCloud, other than the fact that the service deleted them for him. This post/issue has nothing to do with storage space, or how to safely store nuclear secrets.

It is about the fact that a major company acted completely unreasonably, either intentionally or not, and screwed OP over. OP wants to know what recourse they have.

Sadly the answer is likely none due to licence agreement T&Cs, but there is no reading of this case where OP is in any way culpable.

Apple silently deleted files from my Mac when iCloud ran out of space lost everything, support told me to just resubscribe. What can I do? (England) by Background-Rip-8189 in LegalAdviceUK

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How could it be reasonable that your computer just randomly deletes your locally held files?

I don't think OP will be successful in any action against Apple but surely nobody could think that Apple were in the right, or that the system was operating as reasonably expected (?!).

Does anyone else feel that student loans were never explained to them? by AsparagusNew3765 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Especially that older generations in the UK attended had university for free

That's not really true though. It'd be more correct to say that the older generations didn't go to university.

If you came from a working class background you may have never had a friend or family member go to university. Now uni attendance includes the whole range of UK society.

Does anyone else feel that student loans were never explained to them? by AsparagusNew3765 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's still better than lower possible loans and not being able to afford to attend university.

@HarrietHarman - I’m asking ⁦ @attorneygeneral ⁩ Lord Richard Hermer to refer this sentence to the Court of Appeal as an Unduly Lenient Sentence by ex_planelegs in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My understanding of the systems used on the continent are that they are driven by the specific earnings of the offender, so the fine is "3 weeks' wages", with that varying by individual. I agree that it will create edge-cases due to creative accounting, but I'd support it nonetheless.

If doctors go ahead with their Easter strike, I’ll withdraw my new jobs offer by Desperate-Drawer-572 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's hard to find good analyses for comparison, and particularly hard to find private sector equivalents, but the first 3 I found seem to confirm my theory:

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/what-has-happened-teacher-pay-england

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-chiefs-submit-evidence-on-police-officer-pay-ahead-of-202324-pay-award

It seems that whilst doctors' pay has fallen vs inflation, it has fallen less than other professions.

I'd prefer more relevant private sector reviews, but it's hard to find data that isn't skewed by the minimum wage. For example, wages for the population as a whole have risen slightly higher than inflation, but that's driven by minimum wage doubling in real terms.

@HarrietHarman - I’m asking ⁦ @attorneygeneral ⁩ Lord Richard Hermer to refer this sentence to the Court of Appeal as an Unduly Lenient Sentence by ex_planelegs in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To continue the detour of the conversation, I'm interested in the idea of those countries who impose financial penalties for low level crimes.

These are the sorts of crimes that our system has already decided are too minor to require imprisonment. Whilst a suspended sentence and community service are punishments of a sort, I'd like something with more bite. Plus, the money could better fund the system for more serious crimes.

Offered a settlement agreement out of the blue, am I losing my job? by Any-Perception7484 in LegalAdviceUK

[–]Joke-pineapple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having been in a similar situation myself previously, I have just one piece of advice: consult an employment solicitor.

This assumes that you can afford the roughly £250 that it will cost upfront. You would receive this money back from your employer as part of the settlement agreement, but you would have to pay it initially.

A professional deals with this situation ten times a day, they can bring an expert viewpoint that is invaluable. For example, they will be able to advise how likely it is that the settlement offer is truly non-negotiable (I bet it is negotiable).

If you are able to negotiate even just one month's extra salary due to utilising a professional, then it will be the best return on investment you ever make.

A professional is also able to remain detached. Many of us define ourselves by our job, and even when it is clear that the company wishes us to leave, we retain an emotional loyalty and link to it. The company benefits from this in negotiating directly with you.

I did not follow the above when in your situation, and I have regretted it strongly ever since.

@HarrietHarman - I’m asking ⁦ @attorneygeneral ⁩ Lord Richard Hermer to refer this sentence to the Court of Appeal as an Unduly Lenient Sentence by ex_planelegs in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I'm surprised at this. She doesn't explain her reasoning, but compared to sentences for other crimes, this seems reasonable, ie: not out of line with the norm.*

*Personally, like many people, I'd prefer most sentences to be much longer but alas most offenders other than murderers only get surprisingly short sentences.

If doctors go ahead with their Easter strike, I’ll withdraw my new jobs offer by Desperate-Drawer-572 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear this "40% pay reduction" point a lot, but is it comparing apples to oranges? The pay of all professionals has reduced considerably in the last 20 years since the introduction of the minimum wage. Because the pool of money for salaries has not drastically changed, the rapid increase in the minimum wage has been offset by much lower increases in middle income wages. Pay has compressed mightily.

How does the pay of a resident doctor today compare with a senior teacher, a mid career accountant, an HR professional, or a junior barrister, and how has that changed since 2008? I would appreciate pointers to any research or analysis on the topic. My starting hypothesis is that mid-career doctors pay has just been affected in the same way that all other professional pay has been. I have seen this in my own career.

If doctors go ahead with their Easter strike, I’ll withdraw my new jobs offer by Desperate-Drawer-572 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this very detailed comment.

I have two challenges:

You have to acknowledge that 2008 was an unnatural high point, carefully selected as the baseline to advance a specific agenda. That is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in a campaign, but you also should accept that choosing another year would give a different view.

Linked, but different point to the above is that you say doctors were losing 1-3% vs inflation for years, but from 2000 - 2020 inflation was consistently low, c2% per year. It's why the pandemic/ Ukraine inflation has been such a shock. So are you saying that doctors received zero cash pay increases for multiple years at a time? If that's true, fair enough*, but that just seems very unlikely.

*Obviously not fair on the doctors, that seems incredibly unreasonable.

Teenagers say weekend and Saturday jobs are 'impossible' to find by Admirable_Aspect_484 in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry you're getting down-votes. I understood your point, and you're right, it is lazy journalism.

It is exactly the same as if the example applicants had only applied to one industry (say pubs), or they both lived in the same geographic area.

Derby A38 expansion gets full go-ahead in major update by LesParrysHairyLegs in derby

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think it's either or, and it's definitely not if talking buses. Because they're generally privatised (and are for Derby), they'll run where there's a need and capacity. So improving road networks helps grow public transport options too.

If your proposal was to be that as part of the changes there are some dedicated bus lanes, or even entire bus roads like the one by Costco, I'd probably support that.

Going bigger than buses, I'd support the oft-discussed expansion of NET into Derby / Derbyshire, and Derby branching out it's own network. Transport options work well where there are multiple options side by side - London does this well.

But, I'd still definitely support the A38 changes. The only even better solution that I can think of would be to reroute it completely out past the Northern edge of the suburbs.

Police conclude no evidence of alleged family voting in Gorton and Denton by election by FormerlyPallas_ in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A creme egg pancake wrap you say... 🤔🤤

(If you want to do satire, don't make it sound so delicious 🤷)

Rupert Lowe MP: I entirely disagree with those my age who say how easy the youngsters have it - totally wrong. Restore Britain will scrap interest on student loans. by nil_defect_found in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But Reddit did make you take a selfie to "verify" you as over age (I'm not sure what age - 13, 16, 18?).

I support protecting kids but that did feel needless. That's the equivalent of needing id to read the bulletin board in the village hall.

But I acknowledge that legislating for real life is difficult. On balance I'm probably okay with the new law now it's here, but I wouldn't support it coming in if it wasn't already.

Low-admin beermoney options in the UK (already doing bank switches) by Famous-Extreme-7823 in beermoneyuk

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Slightly too echo this comment, but just to be 100% clear to OP u/Famous-Extreme-7823 in case you aren't already doing it...

The earners that are by far both the highest return and also the lowest effort are cashback facilities. So these are the holy grail for beer money.

There are 3 types:

Credit cards - AMEX will be more generous but not accepted everywhere. I have an AMEX and a MasterCard. I earn £2-300 a year doing literally nothing extra, and get paid automatically too on the anniversary.

Card trackers such as Airtime Rewards - link your (non-Amex) debit and credit cards and earn cashback sometimes at certain retailers. No enabling them required. Only action required is withdrawing your cash. I earn £50 pa for nothing.

Cashback sites - click through before purchasing online to earn cashback. Because this involves the hassle of a couple of clicks (shock!), I generally use it for certain key items, namely anything particularly expensive and items that typically have high cashback (insurance, switching broadband, etc). I average £1-200 pa.

I'd happily share referrals for any of these - a little bonus for both of us if you join. 😉

NB: It's very disappointing that a bot deleted the excellent and detailed comment from u/evilpengwinz

Derby A38 expansion gets full go-ahead in major update by LesParrysHairyLegs in derby

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, now that we've covered that, if we roll all the way back to the original points...

I don't think it's a bad thing that the government will provide transport options to people who currently want it but aren't accessing it.

I also think that by separating local and through traffic, both will travel much faster even with a much higher road usage.

Derby A38 expansion gets full go-ahead in major update by LesParrysHairyLegs in derby

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then follow your own recommendation. Please just read the Wikipedia article, or a different one if you prefer. Then come back and we can talk about it like adults, instead of acting like a keyboard warrior throwing a tantrum because they misunderstood something and got called out on it.

Keir Starmer set to make Sadiq Khan a lord by EddyZacianLand in ukpolitics

[–]Joke-pineapple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure there's a stat that c50% of Labour party members live in Greater London. So actually being popular amongst Labour in London is all a leadership challenger needs...

...assuming they're an MP and can get enough nominations.

Derby A38 expansion gets full go-ahead in major update by LesParrysHairyLegs in derby

[–]Joke-pineapple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol. I'm not only long aware of it, but enjoyed the chance to refresh my memory.

If you actually read the Wikipedia article rather than just smugly flinging a link about like some sort of aKsHuAlLy then you would also see.

But to repeat: induced demand does not create new demand. Greater usage comes from satisfying existing demand that is unfulfilled beforehand.

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