A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?
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by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
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Trump Appoints Lockdown Sceptic Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health Thu Nov 28, 2024 15:10 | Will Jones
Donald Trump has appointed Jay Bhattacharya, a prominent lockdown sceptic and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, to lead the National Institutes of Health.
The post Trump Appoints Lockdown Sceptic Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Is There a Right to Die? Thu Nov 28, 2024 13:00 | James Alexander
Is there a right to die? As the Assisted Dying Bill vote looms, Prof James Alexander ponders the issues, asking if the whole debate would change if we think of it in terms of duties instead of rights.
The post Is There a Right to Die? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures Thu Nov 28, 2024 11:19 | Will Jones
Net migration?hit a record high of nearly one million in 2023, 170,000 more than previously thought, in an extraordinary indictment of the Tories' post-Brexit record on 'cutting immigration'. No wonder the NHS is overrun.
The post Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restriction... Thu Nov 28, 2024 09:00 | Chris Morrison
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The post Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restrictions in the Next Five Years appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
For Britain?s Thought Police the Allison Pearson Fiasco Achieved its Purpose: Turning Up the Fear Thu Nov 28, 2024 07:00 | Steven Tucker
For Britain's Thought Police the Allison Pearson fiasco achieved its purpose, says Steven Tucker: increasing people's fear to speak their mind. The investigation was dropped, but the threat still hangs over us all.
The post For Britain’s Thought Police the Allison Pearson Fiasco Achieved its Purpose: Turning Up the Fear appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
national |
anti-capitalism |
opinion/analysis
Tuesday October 14, 2014 22:34
by fred
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Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3On education:
Apparently since the hire freeze there has been quite a few retirements as expected of teachers and at the same time the population is growing so these 'new' jobs will just replace the retirements and keep up with growth. If there was extra teachers in the system then the pupil to teacher ratio would fall but many have pointed out it will remain unchanged.
On Taxation the real gain is for those on higher wages. The low paid while gaining a little -about € 100 a year, will of course lose up to €400 - 500 on Water Charges. Those in the middle income 30k to 70k gain roughly what they lose on water charges.
The reduction of the higher tax rate from 41% to 40% was unnecessary as more could have been done to increase the absolute amount for lower paid. The government have been clever enough to increase the USC from 7% to 8% on that portion of salary over 70k. People will have heard Noonan saying he capped the benefit at 70k and this is because the 1% reduction in the higher tax rate is basically swapped back in with this increased USC rate, once you go above 70k.
The key reason for the middle income earners were given most of the benefits is because they are more likely to be FG voters than people on say less than 30k. People on less than 30k to zero are more likely to be Labour, Socalist Party or People Before Profit voters. SF probably straddles both groups.
So if the Noonan had given more to the low pay, then Labour would have had something to crow about and pick up votes on it. Now why would FG hand out money to benefit Labour rather than themselves ?
Water Charges
The government clearly hopes these small concessions can dampen the flames of discontent. From their point of view they don't have to make everyone happen but to just reduce the temperature a little. They will have every intention no matter what they promise to remove all these token concessions in a few years because this is exactly what happened with the Bin Tax waivers and tax credits.
New Investments etc
Clearly the Knowledge Box is another blatant loop hole to replace the 'double Irish'. The government and their lackeys in the Right wing press say that the EU will be examining it, but it just means they will be taking more care to cleverly make it all legal but it will still be providing you can be sure 90% of the giveaway the double Irish was doing before.
Housing
The &euro 2.5 billion for social housing sounds like they care. They don't. This is purely a gift to the land bankers and building industry and while the money will probably generate a good few jobs and put money back in the economy, it is a very thin cover for those groups. What we have not heard is how much these social houses will be sold or rented for? The details are missing completely.
an alternative take on budget 2015
http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2014/10/14/whats-in-bu...2015/
Just as FG/Lab don't take the plight of ordinary people seriously it's hard to take this budget seriously either.
Fred (spelled with small f) has done us a service by putting the budget in a nutshell. I particularly liked the comment about not even the price of a tin of cat food for a single pensioner's pet. The extra 47 euro for single lads and girls on the dole means nothing for the Christmas holiday. They'd get at least a warm smile from the SVP people.