Autumn statement

So isn't a student nurse more like an apprentice than an academic student?

I too agree with mcem.

There will be fewer taking up a career in nursing and we have nurses leaving because they are stressed and overworked because of shortage of nursing staff

Totally agree mcem.

mcem: IMO, you've raised some very good points there.

I find the decision about nursing students difficult to justify.
Most students, with or without loans, have the opportunity to work and earn during university vacations. Given that nursing students are for much of their time on placements in hospitals when not at uni, they won't have that chance.
Also, most students could hold down a weekend or evening job, but as nursing students have to work shifts, they don't have that opportunity either.
From what I've seen they have a fair bit of responsibility on wards and are not there simply as observers.
I bèlieve they earn their bursaries and will be seriously disadvantaged by this change. Many young people who choose a career in nursing don't come from families who can subsidise them financially and rely heavily on their grants to get through.
Seems unlikely that nursing careers will become the prerogative of better-off families so I believe we are indeed looking at a real shortage in future.

What do you think about the fact that student nurses will now have to take a student loan rather than receive a bursary. To my uneducated mind that will make the nursing shortage worse with those qualifying opting to work for agencies rather than the NHS.

Blimey what was all that about? McDonnell with his little red book? Just proves whats really going on in his head doesn't it? I did have to laugh at George Osborne's comment when he said "Oh look its your own dedicated copy too" (or something along those lines). The rest of the Labour Party looked VERY embarrassed.

McDonnell is a fool!!!

Osborne is actually a con artist.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tax-credit-cuts-not-been-6898940

zelo-street.blogspot.com/2015/11/dan-hodges-sees-red.html

About McDonnell's statement.

It certainly was very good of him Durhamjen.

I think it's very good of Osborne to admit he made mistakes and listen to the opposition over the tax credit cuts and cutting police numbers, and change his mind.
Hopefully they can get him to do the same next year and the year after, etc.
If Labour wins in the ideas stakes, it does not matter how.

Still would not like to be a minimum wage single person under 35, having housing benefit cut.

Certainly did POGS though some here are having a go anyway, on the other thread! the little red book 'joke' was puerile.

Good statement from Osborne, very poor response by McDonnell.

I was fascinated watching the Labour benches, at least they didn't all skiddaddle and leave him sitting on his own like they did Corbyn the other day.

When McDonnell pulled out a copy of The Red Book and quoted from Chairman Mao I thought some of them looked on in utter despair. It was another classic . McDonnell has tried to pass it off as a joke, not., if it was then his face would not have been so fixed and most certainly would not have literally thrown the copy of his Red Book over the table to Osborne. What was he thinking, he gave Osborne the opportunity to make him look infantile and remind everybody of his 'political persuasions' that so many on his side and who think he is a genius try and refute, indeed put down anybody who dares to utter the 'big C word'.

It has certainly shut down those who had hoped to be attacking him over tax credits and the police today .

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/11/25/nothing-left-but-start-again-to-build-a-country-in-which-we-all-can-share/

speye.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/bedroom-tax-single-people-mass-evictions-for-disability-csr2-closure-of-all-womens-refuges/

I think this man has the answers about social housing. A long article, and he swears a bit.

Annie, no disagreement from me about the housing crisis. I heard a brief snippet where a landlord in the buy to rent market complained the proposed changes will discourage buy to rent.
I wasn't giving Osborne my full support at all, just an immediate response to the bits I've heard so far.

I am concerned that the bedroom tax remains

I am concerned that housing associations are expected to sell their stock. I need more information on that.

Where will those on minimum wage and zero hours contracts live? They cannot buy, what we have as social housing is now to be sold , perhaps someone has the answer , I don't .

I've only heard snippets of news on the radio this afternoon (busy busy with grandchildren, lucky me).
I plan to watch channel 4 news, usually excellent. I'm relieved that Osborne appears to have listened to the public and the opposition parties about tax credits. The radio commentators were suggesting people will still suffer but not to the £1300 level if he'd gone ahead
i'm delighted he isn't going ahead with further cuts to the police and don't see how he could have done,in the face of what happened in Paris.

My jury is still out on Jeremy but it does seem that the groundswell of public opinion has influenced Osborne at this time.
I don't know enough about the impact on business so far. I suspect the area I live in will be targeted by developers who respond to the plans for more affordable housing. That means we may lose some spaces (part of our park is a golf course waiting to be re-developed as affordable housing). On a more positive note, our area has an ageing demographic and we may begin to attract some younger families.

*the Livingstone problem was one of the right wing press.
Livingstone was attacked for what he said about Kevan Jones, but Jones himself said something similar a couple of years ago. It was the press that stirred it up.*

Agree with Iam64 and Ana.

The Livingstone problem was Livingstone. Two wrongs[if there were two] dont make a right. They make two wrongs.

This Statement rather took the wind out of Labou's sails.

Councils charging- re slightly raised council tax.

An excellent Autumn Statement! the care budget will be helped by local councils being able to charge a bit more ,so no need to worry. No tax credit cuts, hoooray! No police cuts, hooray.

I thought this was a thread about the autumn statement. That fiction will be delivered by Slippery George and no one else. We should not need to rely on the opposition in the first instance we should expect people not to be so blind that they believe the lies that have been told to them. There never was a chance that his "long term turn workers into paupers" plan would do any good for the economy. Cuts without growth was never going to work. I never see anything positive said about the Cons., on here, just a long tirade against the opposition. Look to your own for heavens sake.

Anniebach, like you I am fearful - especially for the care budget.