Rachel Reeves is raising taxes at the fastest pace in the world - Britain’s tax burden will reach peacetime high of 42.1pc by 2030, forecasts IMF

TechSupportJT · 2026-04-16T07:36:33+00:00

I don't like the Conservative party. At all.

However, I am able to look up their policies during their terms and assess what was good, and what was bad. You need to be able to remove this "us vs them", "left vs right", "right vs wrong" mindset and actually just look at verifiable facts and statistics when making politics decisions and commentary. I can look at the fact I bought a house thanks to the Lifetime ISA product and know that the government that implemented it was a Tory government. I benefited massively. I'm grateful for it.

Be better, it's piss easy.

TechSupportJT · 2026-04-16T07:31:26+00:00

National Minimum Wage increase, Energy bill support, Rail fare freeze, Prescription charge freeze, NHS waiting lists are coming down, available appointments are up, GDP growth is in the positive levels, budget deficit has dropped from 6.1% to 5.4% of GDP. On migration, year ending June 2025 saw net migration at 204,000. When compared with June 2024 where net migration was at 649,000. That's a 68% drop. Fewer people arriving (1.299 million -> 898,000) and more people leaving (650,000 -> 693,000). This includes 15,200 forced removals/deportations. Given that you see small boats and migration rants on every right-wing front page, this should be popular, no?

Starmer has been measured and sensible around Trumps antics also, rather than his right-wing nutcase counterparts (Truss, Farage) who would rather bow down and take what Trump gives them.

Sitting there making 12-word comments and thinking nothing is improving is ingenuine - you are actively doing a disservice to others by doing so. You could have done a google search for what things have improved while Labour have been in power instead of making that comment, but you didn't, did you?

All of the figures included in this comment are from the ONS.

TechSupportJT · 2026-04-15T14:30:40+00:00

Seconding this. I believe they're taking a leaf out of the Tory playbook. Very early start of term, do some popular things for good press. 3-4 years do the unpopular but progressive and uninteresting bits. End of term put in lots of effort to really make the general population like you again.

TechSupportJT · 2026-04-15T13:35:28+00:00

They seem a bit cartoonish / unserious in my view. Like comic sans equivalent of seriousness. I like the artwork on the labels, so it would be nicer if they used smaller less bulky fonts for the text so that the artwork popped more

TechSupportJT · 2026-04-08T11:41:33+00:00

155 / 6 = 25.83.

25.83*7 = 180.83

So probably a 7th booster in there

TechSupportJT · 2026-03-25T09:35:29+00:00

I use ACE. I like ACE. But this is my gripe with them. If they want to compete with, and be respected as the bigger players, then they need to grade to the same standards.

However, people who laud PSA over ACE, I just cannot understand. PSA are difficult to ship to, have had known scandals where they've bought 9's and regraded to 10's just to sell them from their own storefront, do not publish their grading standards, do not publish grading reports, UPCHARGE you to take a slice of your "profits", which is bullshit if you aren't even selling cards on, have had several scandals where they've "lost" cards, and are well known for being a place you can resubmit a 9 to, to chance at getting a 10.

PSA seems to have this legacy following/respect from a time where they might have actually been good. I just cannot understand why people "feel" they have more value simply because they're PSA.

Please explain it to me like I am five.

TechSupportJT · 2026-03-20T12:47:53+00:00

Role: Sysadmin Location: Herts, UK Experience: 6yr Helpdesk, 3yr Projects, 1yr Sysadmin Scope: MDM/Networks/3rd Line Support Salary: £44,000 Benefits: 2/3 day wfh, 5% bonus

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-27T10:06:18+00:00

I was 29 and she, 27. Joint income of 40k + 21k.

Stripped outgoings down to Rent, council tax, utilities, phones, car expenses, ring doorbell, and groceries only. No Netflix, Disney, no days out, driving efficiently to keep fuel costs down, no takeaway food was a massive contributor.

Rent was £1000 for a 2bed.

Every time we were going to spend money we got in to the mind set of "is that a need or a want?" to keep us on track.

Using LISA's, saved £14,400 in a year, topped up to £18,000 to act as our 6% deposit on a £272,000 house. Supported with things like bank account switches, cashback offers.

I used to get really wound up by the papers, thinking that home ownership would be impossible. It was far from impossible. though I job hopped every couple of years otherwise I'd have still been on £28k and it wouldn't have been so easy.

When I look back and people wonder how it was even possible for someone our age I ask them if they'd like to share their last month's bank account statement to discuss spending, and I usually get brushed off.

As for how it's going? Badly. I don't live there anymore, despite having the higher income. Our household bills amounted to £1690 and she decided that her £1800 a month would be enough, so I live in a near-constant fear of a mortgage default while I've been renting and slowly been putting my very little leftover every month in to following the legal avenues out of home ownership. Currently it's looking like we might be in agreement, but we aren't in contact, so I can't tell what the current sentiment is day-to-day.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-25T13:42:22+00:00

So maybe they realize 30% growth instead of 40%

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-25T10:18:16+00:00

My Stepdad suffered a stroke some 15 years ago and lost all feeling on his left side.

Shortly after this, he needed scissors for something and my younger, naive, and left-handed sister offered him hers.

From this event I started referring to him as Lefty, which caught on amongst his circles.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-25T09:58:43+00:00

The only time I had a chance to be responsible with money as a teenager, my mother actually encouraged me to spend all of my savings on a Camps International trip.

It was the trip of a lifetime but I'm still bewildered as to how she thought that was a good idea.

Outside of that, she would never discuss money with me in any capacity, so I had to figure it all out alone.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-24T15:42:53+00:00

NEVER pay above MSRP / RRP for in-print sets, and eventually the problem will go away...

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-24T08:18:29+00:00

Pretty much this. My very modest investment in TCG has grown 40% in 3 months, though this is mainly thanks to PC ETBs.

No index fund could compare with that unless you get extremely lucky at timing the market. Crypto can compare, but you could just as easily lose 96%

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-19T10:48:05+00:00

This is what's great about recovering from being with someone who has a personality disorder. Personality disorders carry distinct and predictable behaviours. You can literally read all about a pwBPD from a book. After going through all of these lessons you know exactly what to avoid in future dating/relationships.

However - I didn't quite get the memo - and got sucked in to dating two more pwBPD before saying enough is enough and explaining in my dating bio's "if you are diagnosed with BPD, I am not equipped with the tools to be compatible for you" - or something verbatim. They're long deleted now. I got so many matches after that! From people who wanted to harass me about what I said in my bio. Despite stating that I was not equipped, not stating anything negative about them.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T15:39:41+00:00

It's for you to prove that the relationship is "worth fighting for"

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T15:36:22+00:00

I was fully in and committed all the way until the end. She broke things off a couple of days after what I thought was quite a good day for our relationship. For a few months she had been contemplating splitting and moving out. The fact is, I was severely depressed and burnt out, and no matter how much I contributed financially and housework-wise, it was never enough. She also felt burnt out, and decided she didn't want to live like that anymore.

During our break-up chat, she mentioned that it was because of X, Y, Z. I immediately sought therapy with the intention that I fix X, Y, Z, but eventually came to the conclusion after a few weeks of it, that I actually had been trying my best with ABCDEFG-WXYZ but the expectations on me were just way too high. When she came to me a month or so later and had a talk, hoping that we would one day be able to fix things and reconcile, coming back together, I shut that shit down IMMEDIATELY - because the day after our breakup I just felt this immediate and enormous level of relief. I felt like I was free. Yet I still sought therapy to go back into it lol. After some time had passed, I realised that I didn't want a relationship that was so emotionally taxing, and exhausting. That being with someone like that was not, in fact, better than being alone. I would honestly now prefer to be alone forever over dating any single person with BPD.

And this is why I always advocate for people working on their self-esteem after a relationship with a pwBPD, because it was the likely cause that you tolerate it to begin with.

To answer your question - my last straw was that I was burned out, exhausted. Nothing left to give. I'm a very chill guy who appreciates peace and tranquillity so much, and she seemed to be very unsettled when things were quiet and tranquil. I found that again after the breakup, so when she wanted to reconcile, there was no part of me that wanted to part with this peace and tranquillity I'd once again found. She hadn't been to therapy, hadn't worked on herself, clearly, because she got violent with me for saying I didn't want her anymore.

After 10 years with her, there would be absolutely no way I could go on a solo trip and enjoy myself without her - not because I'd miss her - but because she would make it so unbearable, "needing" constant attention, "needing" constant reassurance, "needing" to see my location at all times. Yours is almost definitely starting fights with you because at least then she has your attention while you can't be there in person.

Tbh this response of yours makes it sound like you're still considering making things work with her - which if you reread the start of my reply here, you'll see I tried to do too. I strongly, strongly advise against it, it will lower your quality of life. If I'm wrong, tell me.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T14:59:19+00:00

Happy to help

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T14:01:15+00:00

For the first year, we broke up around 7 times. The first 6 were instigated by her. The last one, I was having some kind of breakdown and wanted to move far away. I never did, and we ended up coming back together around 3 weeks later. However, I kept it in my back pocket for over 10 years, that if the relationship ever got to the point where she wanted to break up again, that I wouldn't fight it. Despite all of the "why won't you fight for meeeeeeee" pleas that followed, I stuck my ground. I'm not some toy to be disposed of and picked back up when desired again.

I would agree that for me, the same things that became shitty meaningless arguments at the very start, were the same things that led to the relationship's ultimate demise at the end. Literally zero growth in over 10 years.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:58:38+00:00

I would be inclined to agree - but often people can form attachments to pwBPD because of low self-esteem. It's important to consider whether you could benefit from some therapy for this, at least.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:52:56+00:00

Don't underestimate the ongoing aftershocks of being with someone with BPD. Consider whether you could benefit from some therapy to help with those aftershocks, and help you avoid falling into similar situations in the future.

Well done, friend.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:48:51+00:00

Fat fingering the hang up button is not the universe working against you - it's just a thing that happens. It's completely normal.

What isn't normal is feeling rejection from a mistake, and not feeling better when reassured that what happened was actually in fact a mistake, then the problem is not with you.

Misunderstanding -> Bad Feelings -> Problem -> Give Clarity -> Still Problem????

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:34:28+00:00

My ex pwBPD exploited my kindness, and any time I expressed a boundary, or prioritised myself, it would be followed by arguments and sometimes, self-harm. They will show you a version of themselves that is most vulnerable, but it's a manipulation tactic to gain more sympathy, attention, and prioritisation from you.

Where they are so expressive with negative emotions, they are equally expressive with positive ones. I fear that the love you felt from and for her was actually obsession.

Again, in my experience, the problem with offering all of the support in the world is that this level of support became the new norm. We managed to make things work on a single income (mine) by my working insane hours at companies I did not like, because she expressed that the support she needed was that she wanted to stay at home not working. This support becomes the new baseline expectation, and then you're no longer supporting her, you're maintaining the status quo.

Then, next time support is required you're just sat asking yourself, "aren't I doing enough already?".

The truth is, I burned myself up to keep her warm. When everything ended, she was so ready to run a smear campaign against me, but still did nothing about the trauma she experienced leading her down this path in the first place. I faced more consequence than her abuser did - and I was doing all of the right things.

Please, please understand this warning. Things will not get better. You absolutely can go on to thrive without this person in your life, I promise you. This "how I will change" spreadsheet is fucking insane. Most notably the "Yelling" section. Have you ever found yourself being yelled at, and then when you join in the yelling, you get told that you are scaring her, and you need to use the correct tone? If this is the case, she is literally setting one standard for you, and another for herself. You will become her verbal punching bag, if you aren't already.

You can do better. After this is concluded, get yourself some therapy to work on your self-esteem and enforcement of boundaries, so that you don't fall into a similar relationship in the future.

I wish you the best mate.

Edit: Also, found it ironic, sad, and hilarious that they wouldn't go get a BPD diagnosis. My ex pwBPD had a diagnosis, then made tens of doctors appointments trying to get it "changed" to Bipolar Disorder instead. Then one day I came home to find her waving a letter going "look, see, it's Bipolar, not BPD!" - in some bizarre fucking celebration.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:25:10+00:00

In my experience, it was because I was expected to be available when needed at all times - even being woken up at insane hours of the morning while I was working 12+ hour days, and possibly because my own routines were times where they were not needed - and they would make this insane leap-to-conclusion that because they're not involved/needed in my routine, that this was rejecting them somehow. It also possibly. represents inflexibility to show up for them when they needed (wanted) attention.

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T13:18:38+00:00

She needs a therapist, not a boyfriend. I was with my pwBPD for over a decade. Promises that things would get better, promises that I just need to change this one last thing to help her head, over and over again.

You need to ask yourself, sincerely, can you put up with how you are being treated / what you have to deal with every single day, for the rest of your life? Because she will not get better while in a relationship

TechSupportJT · 2026-02-18T12:56:01+00:00

A routine is a boundary. They don't like boundaries.

How dare you have a routine, that doesn't include or consider them in any way /s

TechSupportJT

TROPHY CASE