trigger_andy

In the O&G Service industry here in Norway its law that we have the right to strike every second year if wage and condition negotiations are not agreed. Last year was the year where the Unions negotiate but are not allowed to strike and we still got 3% on our wages. This year the Unions can bark as well as bite so will go for significant improvements. Im glad there is so many industries standing up for themselves here in the UK. Wages have stagnated for far to long and inflation is stripping them even further. There needs to be a huge step change and the only way to force that through is industrial action and with the backing of the population.

I know your initial point was not directed at me but surely your earnings and how you spend your money does change your class? There is a number of generally accepted key indicators that define your social class, this has nothing to do with how you conduct yourself. Fore example you could be a cleaner or Arb worker on minimum wage and be a lovely person who is a great father/mother, role model and does volunteering on the weekends, none of that will change the fact this person is working class as the key indicators define that class. The same goes for someone who is middle or upper class, they might be total arseholes and abuse their family and employees but being a horrid person does not define their social class either, the key indicators do. For example, Rishi Sunak is clearly Upper to Elite Class. How do we know or define this? Clearly its not according to his personality or how nice a person he is. We can hardly say that he's a despicable POS therefore he must be working class can we? Wages are being eroded and inflated away in the UK, the only way to mitigate this is through strike action. I am in the very fortunate position to be employed in Norway where Unions and strike action are not seen in a negative light as they are in the UK. There is far to many jealous people in the UK who would rather see the Train Drivers lose their £60k a year instead of using this as a benchmark to better increase their wages.

Your confusing social classes with personality traits.

Yes, its all about money. They may be asset rich put cash poor but if they sell their estates for they will have a lot of money. They have the money, its just all tied up and generally done so to avoid paying tax. You're taxed on your earnings, if you dont earn money (on paper) you dont pay tax. That how they are rich. Only the plebs pay tax. When I go I want to go like my Grandfather soundly sleeping, not like his passengers screaming as they drove off the bridge.

I dont believe I am looking at this through O&G tinted glasses though. I feel its irrelevant in this instance. The Cambridge definition does not exclude a £60k wage as a working class one as far as I can tell. 1, belonging to a social group that consists of people who earn less than other groups, -£60k is still less than other groups though, for example O&G, Banking, Insurance, NHS Diversity and Inclusion Officers. 2, often being paid only for the hours or days that they work, and who usually do physical work rather than work for which you need an advanced education”- As Eggs mentioned, there is plenty out there on £200-£300 a day who are paid for physical labour and the hours that they work. £250 a day for 24 days a month and 12 months a year is £72,000 a year. Taking some holidays and you'll still be over £60k a year. My own Brother who is in the building trade and basically does odd-jobbing these days has made over £75k so far this year. £60k is not a great wage in the traditional nuclear family setting is it? With a single income from either spouse, you'll live an ok working class lifestyle off of that. You'll not be able to afford to buy much of a house on that wage. You certainly will not be able to afford more than one average holiday a year. You not afford any of the indicators that mark a family as middle class thats for sure. Even if both partners earn £60k a year you might find yourself on the bottom rung of middle class but I dont you'll be taking two exotic holidays a year, have two new vehicles, have a large detached house with grounds, or send your children to private school. People have gotten far to used to living on £120 a day and thinking thats a good wage. Thats laborer money. Even my 19 year old is getting over £10 an hour working at KFC ffs. Now thats a working class job.

£60k is very much a working class wage though. We have just grown far to used to living on slave wages. If you take the traditional mortgage being three times your salary £60k does not even buy you an ex-council house these days. With the cost of running a car, utilities, food etc £60k will not afford you anything over a very basic working class lifestyle. Long gone are the days that an average working class man could support his family on a single wage. To think people these days thinks £30k is a good wage would be laughable if it was not so sad.

I have the same issue, I think I need to dig up my Hallway and get a membrane and insulation down.

But how could he copy & paste THE LAW OF THE LAND!!!!?

Firelighters are great, but then I like most things the Devil tempts us with.

I chuck a firefighter in. Then literally throw some kindling or processing chips on top then dump a few slender logs in and have never had a problem. I’m lighting at least one stove a day, generally two and don’t have the inclination to go all arty-farty with it. Pollution? Give over! 🤣🤣🤣

Give him a chance. He’s still trying to think of something.

Who'd have thought paying people to sit on their arse for two years, bounce back loan scandals and 30B spent on a ridiculous app would have consequences? Unfortunately it wont just be the people who where full on-board with with the Covid nonsense that will bear the brunt of this.

Hmm, looking back over the comments and unfortunately you are correct. 🤣 I got it wrong and apologise.

No, for the reasons I listed above. 🙄 Primarily the huge disparity between supply and demand with demand significantly outweighing supply. What will be eroded is the value of my mortgage. The higher the inflation the lower the purchasing power of our currency meaning that my £200,000 mortgage is worth less and less making it easier to pay off.

That makes no sense at all but ok. 🤣🤣🤣

How so?

Because demand for housing far out strips supply by a huge factor. So much so that there will still be a mass of buyers who will not only weather this coming storm but will hardly even notice it and will still pay record prices. The low end of the market might suffer a bit but I envision the worst that will happen is they sell for their asking price and not significantly over like we see today. I believe the BoE is doing away with stress testing Mortgage Applicants. Couple this with 30 year plus or even multi-generational Mortgages and potentially prices will even increase and not fall at all. Also, the “rich” are getting richer and the poor poorer. Buy-to-let still seems to be a huge cash generator. Couple that with an ever increasing asset value that’s of a limited quantity I think this segment will increase significantly as will rents. If you can afford it buying a place to rent out will be a cracking Pension Pot.

I see Mark J’s favourite wank posterboi Steptoe has put his head above the parapet again with another blinder. This time he is against sending weapons to Ukraine as Russians are dying.🤣🙄 Im interested in how Markie Marx will defend this one.

Feel free to reduce that burden. 🙄

Those less fortunate than you Eggs have an endless stream of “benefits” thrown at them. If they can’t make this windfall work then they are an abject failure at life and any dependents need to be taken into care, dependants are not a cash cow. We’d soon see a real step change in attitude then.

100% Plenty time to whine and winge but soon disappear when it’s time to put the graft in to actually provide for their families. Always complaining, always asking for yet another hand out. Eggs will be along soon enough to be their shining White Knight no doubt. 🙄

Quite right! I think this winter will be the first time we’ll see genuine shortages across the board for energy and food. With the huge increases in the cost of diesel and fertiliser I imagine crops will be smaller but more expensive than previous.

Chest infection from all the mask wearing?

This is a literal fact. I wasted my school years and made up for it the hard way with two apprenticeships back to back. Car Mechanic and Mechanical Engineering. Still, it just shows you that if anyone wishes to turn their life around it’s never to late, and then you can spend the rest of your life back paying tax.

I’ve already mentioned that the vulnerable are an exception or did you miss that? 🙄