£20.00, that focuses the mind, after all that has happened, a new means test has to be introduced, not this cross the board shite. 
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This thread isn’t about Universal Credit but I felt that I had to respond, although I would ask readers to please read the note at the end of this post.
I have to disagree with @Baz46 , for a few good reasons.
There seems to be an impliication that Universal Credit is unfit for purpose since it doesn’t in some peoples’ opinion give people enough money to live on.
As is correctly pointed out, UC is paid to working people on low wages too as a kind of “boost” to earnings and around 6 million people are on it.
Giving a huge chunk of those people an extra £20/week on a temporary basis whether they needed it or not was already very generous IMHO.
Then there’s the new £500 million support scheme which has already been launched purposely to aid the most vulnerable in our society that might really need helping.
Anybody vulnerable and in need can apply, so the loss of this temporary £20 uplift for the most vulnerable that could need more help is already being catered for.
This means that the vulnerable in our society that some people are arguing need an extra £20/week are already being protected.
We’re all going to be affected by increasing energy costs, just like we have all been affected in some way by problems caused by covid.
But nobody gave me £20 a week to help with that and neither did a majority of people get given an extra £20/week either - and as I’ve pointed out, suggesting that it is necessary is in effect suggesting that UC is not fit for purpose and I just do not believe that.
While I am absolutely in favour of looking after the most vulnerable in our society, I am against doling out cash willy-nilly to large numbers of people whether they really need that cash or not.
Prioritising funding for those genuinely in need is IMHO the best option.
I fully accept that people will have differing opinions on the subject of Universal Credit and removal of the temporary uplift but I’m going to ask visitors to this thread to please respect the thread topic and to post only comments related to that.
If anybody really wants to discuss UC further I politely request that they start their own thread to do so.
Thank you.
Hi
The UK still leads the World?
Well that depends on your news source.
Guido Fawkes is a rabid right wing free market source, it is about as relevant as the Socialist Worker on the other side.
It matters not what we think, it was what the big investors think, the ones we borrow money from.
Boris claimed we are the worlds number one for foreign investment, we are not even in the top ten.
The pandemic has changed things, the world economy is no longer about Free Trade and Market Forces, it is about shortening supply chains and protecting vital industries to reduce reliance on others.
The just in time economic model is finished.
The USA and EU are leading this change.
The Chinese and Russians are sitting back and laughing, playing the long game.
The French are sitting pretty as well.
We have two very expensive aircraft carriers, we cannot afford the planes to go on them and the anti arial destroyers we have are out of service because they cannot operate in warm waters.
It is time to get real.
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I could launch into a lengthy response, but instead I will just say this:
Recent analysis by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development confirmed the UK’s leading place in the world as an FDI destination, with the total inward FDI stock increasing from $2.1 trillion in 2019 to $2.2 trillion in 2020. This was second highest in the world after the US. 22 Jun 2021
Not bad for a place that @swimfeeders says isn’t even in the top ten.
Are we perfect?
Obviously not, but who is?
It is indeed time to get real.
It is time to accept that as the world’s 21st largest country by population and yet 6th largest in terms of wealth and by GDP that the UK is not as insignificant as some people seem to think.
It is time to look forwards and to change & adapt in order to make the most of new opportunities, not to worry about the past or what anybody else thinks about us or what anybody else is doing.
If we do not make the most of these opportunities we will only have ourselves to blame.
As I say in a post above; “We as a country need to get our priorities right and decide what we want.”
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How much of that Wealth is actually UK Based.
…curious, but hard to track down with so much data conflicting…
I am pretty good at searching, but these multi answers I keep seeing are confusing.
.govenment sources,should have seen that reason… 
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This was an easy one though…
https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-
as it is not a government web page…
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And this one has led me to get out a shotgun…joking
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth
I should have known my time in the Civil Services was the wrong area of employment…
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But the same is true of any major economy because they all see outside investment into their countries.
Investors go to where they think they will make money, and the recent huge Morrisons sale suggests that the UK is seen as a very attractive place to invest in.
Should not have sold off the oil for a start…going back the country that hung on to theres has all its populations pensions sorted now…
Rather a good feeling for people, dont you think
Norway of course…prime example of looking ahead.
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Hi
Not so.
They can raid the pension funds and make the taxpayer pay for it.
They will not be the first or last to do this.
Other Countries protect their Taxpayers, the UK does not.
It is a failed economic model you are supporting.
The costs are borne by ordinary workers, whose standard of living is sinking fast.
I guess as my knowledge of running a country is very limited what I see is quite different.
East London soon changed…Elephant & Castle I know of very well. Was pretty rough in places for sure… but now it’s marketed as upmarket with house prices at the route and then a knock on effect happens. Could I afford to buy my first house again.
Never in a million years…
Looking at just figures is just fooling people…Life has changed for the worse for millions… in my view.
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Come now, even our own governments of different flavours have raided pension pots for decades!
As for your “failed economic model” you might be right but you’re missing the point.
The UK is at least now trying to modify that economic model and while to some it might not be enough, it is at least a start.
Productivity in the UK has been in decline for many years and it will take readjustment as I say in earlier posts for that to improve noticably.
Crying “woe is me” and the wringing of hands isn’t exactly helpful and certainly won’t improve productivity and so our quality of life, but actions will.
And if the actions taken now don’t work, then it will be time to try something else until our standard of living rises again.
So how would you improve productivity in the company you work for that would raise your standard of living ?
See Post #10.
Eh … ?
I asked how you would improve productivity in the company you work for that would raise your standard of living.
How I personally would raise productivity is of little relevance to the national need to raise productivity.
Perhaps though by doing what I suggest in that quote in your post together with initiatives like the one I link below though we will start to see our national productivity rise.
You said …
Productivity in the UK has been in decline for many years and it will take readjustment as I say in earlier posts for that to improve noticably.
Crying “woe is me ” and the wringing of hands isn’t exactly helpful and certainly won’t improve productivity and so our quality of life, but actions will.
And if the actions taken now don’t work, then it will be time to try something else until our standard of living rises again.
So you aren’t prepared to do anything then and make a difference yourself ?
Again: How I personally would raise productivity is of little relevance to the national need to raise productivity.
One drop in an ocean will not raise sea levels globally.
Now if you really want to persist in a debate about productivity please start a thread about it.
So you won’t do what you advise others to do then ? How about spending less time on the internet and more time doing what you get paid for - that would help productivity in the company you work for.
Brilliant Zaphod, keep crying “woe is me” and wringing your hands then 
I said:
Now please take your arguments elsewhere instead of purposely taking this thread off-topic.