Apparently, if a person tells a medic they are having 'suicidal thoughts', it does wonders for their benefit claims....who wants to employ a person with severe mental illness?
And it's a lot easier to get away with than a physical illness.
It's too easy - people should be challenged more.
Back in the day, I wanted to take a week's holiday to Portugal but had no leave left. Went to the docs and told him I'd done my back in carrying a fridge up some stairs. He didn't examine me but asked how much time off I needed. I said a week should do it. "I'll give you two in case it flares up again" My week's hoiday became a fortnight. Plus I was able to explain my tan by saying I'd been on a sunbed because of my bad back. It was that easy.
GPs don't want the hassle of challenging someone. I would imagine it will be a new breed of doctor who examines people for their PIP claims though. I think it might be a case of going from one extreme to the other, and PIP claiments could be in for a tough ride.
Syl said
Apr 1 12:59 PM, 2025
I fear that genuine claimants, the ones who don't exaggerate or lie through their teeth, will be the ones who miss out.
Some people know very well how to play the system...we met one a couple of years ago.
This one was newly arrived in the country, could hardly speak English, but managed to tell my OH, who had just forked out thousands for dental work, that he should have said toothache was keeping him awake at night, he couldn't sleep, and was suffering from depression because of it.
This man was having teeth, top and bottom, made and fitted free by the NHS.
Barksdale said
Apr 1 1:27 PM, 2025
Was listening to LBC this morning and they had an economic professor on discussing the potential long term impact of the Trump tariffs. They estimated it would knock 1% off UK growth if they were sustained. The only problem is our expected growth forecast this year is around 1% which would be wiped out, leaving us with a stagnant economy.
The obvious impact of this would be a sustained fall in living standards and cuts to public services for a number of years, if not months. Times are hard now but they will get worse.
I think it's time for us as a country to have some difficult conversations about re-joing the EU. Doing so would boost the UK economy with realistic growth forecasts of between 2-6%. It would also allow closer security arrangements now that the US has gone rogue.
Brexit has been a failure and it is time to cut our losses.
Syl said
Apr 1 1:37 PM, 2025
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are.
We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
Barksdale said
Apr 1 1:39 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
It's definitely in our mutual interests I think (and mine personally if I want to move to Spain or Portugal in the future )
Syl said
Apr 1 2:42 PM, 2025
Barksdale wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
It's definitely in our mutual interests I think (and mine personally if I want to move to Spain or Portugal in the future )
Well, quite.
Maddog said
Apr 1 2:54 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Anonymous said
Apr 1 3:45 PM, 2025
I listen to LBC most days in particular James O Brien whose politics align with my own. Barksdale, thank you for articulating the concerning elements of tariffs better than I ever could! I think the tariffs combined with the eye watering increase of utilities, tv licence etc will mean more cuts in an Autumn budget and as I stated on another thread there is nothing left to cut! I suggested we finally ask the very wealthy to pay just a small increase of tax. Starmer will never try to become too close to the EU, despite our economy being in tatters. He Feels he has to uphold the nations choice over Brexit even if they don't want to uphold it anymore! I honestly despair at what may become of the UK. While all this financial ruin is happening these are now more billionaires in the world than ever b4. Surely this is just a coinsidence. Elon Musk is the richest man in the world worth roughly 16 trillion. So these is that comforting thought to cling on to.
Syl said
Apr 1 6:30 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Magica said
Apr 1 6:54 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Too right Syl
Maddog said
Apr 1 7:56 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
Barksdale said
Apr 1 9:01 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
The one where we were a sovereign nation state but pooled over sovereignty on a few elements such as trade. environmental regulation and parts of economic policy so that we could have access to frictionless trade with a massive market of our immediate neighbours. Or a different relationship?
Times have changed and it is in our interests to change as well rather than being led by emotion. Emotions don't pay the bills.
Syl said
Apr 1 10:33 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
We wouldn't be crawling back, we would be negotiating a deal that would suit us better in this changing world we live in.
jackb said
Apr 1 10:44 PM, 2025
Barksdale wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
The one where we were a sovereign nation state but pooled over sovereignty on a few elements such as trade. environmental regulation and parts of economic policy so that we could have access to frictionless trade with a massive market of our immediate neighbours. Or a different relationship?
Times have changed and it is in our interests to change as well rather than being led by emotion. Emotions don't pay the bills.
And with no way of negotiating anything anywhere near as good as what we had!
Maddog said
Apr 1 11:02 PM, 2025
Barksdale wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
The one where we were a sovereign nation state but pooled over sovereignty on a few elements such as trade. environmental regulation and parts of economic policy so that we could have access to frictionless trade with a massive market of our immediate neighbours. Or a different relationship?
Times have changed and it is in our interests to change as well rather than being led by emotion. Emotions don't pay the bills.
Let me bring up Switzerland again..
They know how to trade and keep a great deal of sovereignty.
Maddog said
Apr 1 11:06 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
I voted for Brexit, I agree, it hasn't worked out as many who voted leave expected it to.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are. We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
We wouldn't be crawling back, we would be negotiating a deal that would suit us better in this changing world we live in.
OK. 🙄
Anonymous said
Apr 1 11:51 PM, 2025
They won't have us back and I don't blame them. They asked us not to leave and we trusted Farage and said "nah its ok, we're better off without you". Hopefully they take pity on us in some form because the UK economy is in tatters. And of course we would be crawling back. We can't afford pride.
Syl said
Apr 2 12:15 AM, 2025
The world has changed for everyone since Brexit.
We had Covid followed by the Ukraine conflict, and that has changed the way brexit affected the UK AND the EU.
I can't see another referendum anytime soon.
Maddog said
Apr 2 1:06 AM, 2025
Anonymous wrote:
They won't have us back and I don't blame them. They asked us not to leave and we trusted Farage and said "nah its ok, we're better off without you". Hopefully they take pity on us in some form because the UK economy is in tatters. And of course we would be crawling back. We can't afford pride.
The EU is pretty wobbly right now..I don't see a single advantage to hitching your wagon to that. I can understand NATO..That does make sense for the UK..
But to allow any decision that impacts British citizens to be made by non British politicians is stupidity..
Maddog said
Apr 2 1:11 AM, 2025
"Europe's struggling economy has economists worried — and senior European Central Bank policymaker Mário Centeno, echoes that view.
"I am very concerned about the European economy," Centeno, who is also governor of the Bank of Portugal, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Friday."
It's too easy - people should be challenged more.
Back in the day, I wanted to take a week's holiday to Portugal but had no leave left. Went to the docs and told him I'd done my back in carrying a fridge up some stairs. He didn't examine me but asked how much time off I needed. I said a week should do it. "I'll give you two in case it flares up again" My week's hoiday became a fortnight. Plus I was able to explain my tan by saying I'd been on a sunbed because of my bad back. It was that easy.
GPs don't want the hassle of challenging someone. I would imagine it will be a new breed of doctor who examines people for their PIP claims though. I think it might be a case of going from one extreme to the other, and PIP claiments could be in for a tough ride.
Some people know very well how to play the system...we met one a couple of years ago.
This one was newly arrived in the country, could hardly speak English, but managed to tell my OH, who had just forked out thousands for dental work, that he should have said toothache was keeping him awake at night, he couldn't sleep, and was suffering from depression because of it.
This man was having teeth, top and bottom, made and fitted free by the NHS.
Was listening to LBC this morning and they had an economic professor on discussing the potential long term impact of the Trump tariffs. They estimated it would knock 1% off UK growth if they were sustained. The only problem is our expected growth forecast this year is around 1% which would be wiped out, leaving us with a stagnant economy.
The obvious impact of this would be a sustained fall in living standards and cuts to public services for a number of years, if not months. Times are hard now but they will get worse.
I think it's time for us as a country to have some difficult conversations about re-joing the EU. Doing so would boost the UK economy with realistic growth forecasts of between 2-6%. It would also allow closer security arrangements now that the US has gone rogue.
Brexit has been a failure and it is time to cut our losses.
We were definitely misled, but more importantly, the world has changed in the last 5 years, not least (as you just said) in knowing who are allies are.
We need the EU now, and they need us too....I think it would be in both our interests if we rejoined.
It's definitely in our mutual interests I think (and mine personally if I want to move to Spain or Portugal in the future
)
Well, quite.
If two entities actually need each other, that need should be sufficient to form a working relationship without all of the baggage of forming a controlling relationship.
Be like Switzerland..
Nah...we are the UK, and mostly proud to be so.
Too right Syl
Doesn't sound like it if you want to go crawling back to that relationship..
The one where we were a sovereign nation state but pooled over sovereignty on a few elements such as trade. environmental regulation and parts of economic policy so that we could have access to frictionless trade with a massive market of our immediate neighbours. Or a different relationship?
Times have changed and it is in our interests to change as well rather than being led by emotion. Emotions don't pay the bills.
We wouldn't be crawling back, we would be negotiating a deal that would suit us better in this changing world we live in.
And with no way of negotiating anything anywhere near as good as what we had!
Let me bring up Switzerland again..
They know how to trade and keep a great deal of sovereignty.
OK. 🙄
We had Covid followed by the Ukraine conflict, and that has changed the way brexit affected the UK AND the EU.
I can't see another referendum anytime soon.
The EU is pretty wobbly right now..I don't see a single advantage to hitching your wagon to that. I can understand NATO..That does make sense for the UK..
But to allow any decision that impacts British citizens to be made by non British politicians is stupidity..
"I am very concerned about the European economy," Centeno, who is also governor of the Bank of Portugal, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Friday."
www.cnbc.com/2025/03/07/ecbs-centeno-very-concerned-about-europes-struggling-economy.html
I don't know why there would be a rush to let these folks have sway on Brits again.
Makes about as much sense as us wanting to be part of the commonwealth..🤷