I deplore Jim Ratcliffe's words. (owner of Man U)

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Blimey!

Please don’t be put off posting what you think Grandmabatty.

Blimey. We have truly ended up down the rabbit hole.

CariadAgain

AGAA4

Oreo

CariadAgain I work in a care home.If people out of work think they are above that kind of work and would prefer to stay at home with their feet up, fine, but the government shouldn’t be paying out a penny in benefits to them.

Not everyone can do care home work for various reasons and some people should definitely not be care home workers.
Some of the dreadful happenings in care homes means that they need to be even more careful who they take on.

Very true.

It is my personal opinion that people who are used to bringing up babies and/or being a carer in their own personal life have already demonstrated they're willingness (well preparedness at least) to do some of the grottier type of tasks.

Hence ruling myself out from that - though I'd never be nasty to them and, in fact, more likely to be told off for sitting chatting to them or helping them to break free from any unreasonable care home rules. Yep....my own personality being a questioning one would equal I'd be there querying on their behalf "Why cant they be given what they want at mealtimes? Why are they expected to have mealtimes when you want - rather than when they want?". Once a questioner - always a questioner.

But yep...I think we've all read of some people who really should not work in that sort of environment - because they are "taking it out" on people who don't deserve it/can't defend themselves. Now what was that drug again from 2020 or so - Midozalam? I rest my case....

CariadAgain 😁 there’s quite a bit of sitting and talking to our residents involved, and meals are tasty and nutritious.There are care homes and care homes tho it’s true.A good home will soon find out anyone who can’t do the job properly or was unpleasant. Not everyone is cut out to do it it’s true, you need to be fit, patient, able to work quickly, not be afraid of illness or death and have an interest in people and a kindly nature.

Their endgame is a Digital ID that decides what you can buy, where you can travel, even if you’re allowed to speak? Every click, payment & heartbeat logged, scored & approved or denied, by an algorithm no one voted for. Over 3 million have said NO but still they forge ahead ...

To be fair to that post, this ties in with the last Book of the Bible. Revelation chpt 13 v 17

What I meant to add was that nobody should turn their noses up at any kind of job until they’ve found out what’s involved.
They may surprise themselves by enjoying it.

AGAA4

I have to add that I admire care home workers greatly. Those who really do care for the people who need them.
They should be paid a lot more for what they do.

It all depends on the home and the levels of care and experience, my own care home pays quite well but there are big differences around.

Nine million on benefits. You do know that figure, if correct, will include some of us?
Pensioners.
In some studies, pensions are categorised as benefits.

Revelation 13:17 (KJV/NIV/ESV) states that
"no one can buy or sell unless they have the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name (666). This verse describes a severe economic restriction imposed on those refusing to worship the beast's image."

This is for those of us who don't have the bible committed t.o memory.
The UN's replacement migration" concept, introduced in a 2000 report, is a demographic analysis, not a policy, that calculates necessary immigration levels to offset population decline and aging in developed countries. It found that while, theoretically, migration can stabilize working-age populations, it is generally considered an unrealistic, temporary solution.

The last line of this overview is important, the UN did not consider migration to be a realistic or permanent solution to offset population decline!

Casdon

Please don’t be put off posting what you think Grandmabatty.

Tho it would be nicer not to insult posters who she has never met and knows nothing about.
Especially calling posters pseudo Christians!
I think Grandmabatty needs to realise that everyone has different views and threatening to leave the forum doesn’t get you anywhere. Stay and put your case without insults is much the better course.

Maremia

Nine million on benefits. You do know that figure, if correct, will include some of us?
Pensioners.
In some studies, pensions are categorised as benefits.

I think the figure was for people of working age ( under pension age.)

Oreo

What I meant to add was that nobody should turn their noses up at any kind of job until they’ve found out what’s involved.
They may surprise themselves by enjoying it.

I know some young people, who after leaving school, were never quite sure what job to do.

There were always jobs available around here in care.
They took the jobs.
Found to their surprsie that they enjoyed it.
Then went into nursing.

I think it’s pretty obvious that we all have different views Oreo, and I don’t think anybody should feel they shouldn’t say what they think, as long as it’s generic and not targeted at an individual poster.

Thank you Oreo

Now, if Ratcliffe had stayed in the UK, and paid his legal taxes, after getting 'benefits' from us, (what was it 1 million pounds?) instead of becoming an immigrant himself then his comments would not be considered hypocritical.

Maremia

Nine million on benefits. You do know that figure, if correct, will include some of us?
Pensioners.
In some studies, pensions are categorised as benefits.

I was feeling puzzled as to why such a high figure was being quoted.

That explains it - ie they've been adding in State Pension recipients and trying to make out we are "benefit claimants". I swear that one of these fine days the next person that tries to call me a "benefit claimant" when I'm not is going to get thrown into the middle of next week by me. I know I know the government keeps calling State Pension "benefit" - but it really really isn't and their terminology is more than a little aggravating (ie trying to make out we are on benefits when we aren't at all - but they've trying to wrongly attach that word to our State Pensions).

All that stuff about "You're paying for the generation and not for yourself personally - and the generation after you are the ones that will be paying for you" brings on a strong desire to swat the little that has just come out with that made-up justification for things right across the face - ie it annoys me so much that the government is trying to play with words and give themselves an excuse if they want it to have a go at my State Pension I have paid in my money to have.

Correction ".....paying for the generation before you".

Casdon

I think it’s pretty obvious that we all have different views Oreo, and I don’t think anybody should feel they shouldn’t say what they think, as long as it’s generic and not targeted at an individual poster.

Say what they think without breaking guidelines.

Yes, of course Oreo.

The attached document gives full information regarding those who receive benefits, it's worth a look as the situation is quite complex but it's relatively up to date.
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-august-2025/benefit-combinations-official-statistics-to-february-2025

"You're paying for the generation and not for yourself personally - and the generation after you are the ones that will be paying for you"
Actually this is completely true. The amount we pay in National Insurance is spent just like the money that comes in from taxation ie it is not put aside to pay pensions. The money I am currently receiving for my state pension comes directly for current taxation/NI contributions. Not the best explanation but hopefully reasonably coherent.

Grandmabatty- so unless we welcome people from other countries (and I assume that includes those illegally arriving by boat) we are to be labelled “racist and wanting to live in an all white enclave with others who look the same as they do”

You say you want an intelligent conversation about immigration. Labelling those that are concerned about the level of immigration as racist is no way to go about it

foxie48

"You're paying for the generation and not for yourself personally - and the generation after you are the ones that will be paying for you"
Actually this is completely true. The amount we pay in National Insurance is spent just like the money that comes in from taxation ie it is not put aside to pay pensions. The money I am currently receiving for my state pension comes directly for current taxation/NI contributions. Not the best explanation but hopefully reasonably coherent.

That's the wording I'd read....to which my response is "Words....just words. Now I wonder where our money actually comes from - and I guess it's all one big pot that everything goes into and everything comes out of basically".

I just see those Government words as a way some future government somewhere along the line can try pulling a "Well it was all a Ponzi scheme anyway suckers. We'd just lined up an excuse to pull out of the bag if we tried not to give people their pensions they've 'bought and paid for' personally at some point. Cynic - moi?

foxie48

"You're paying for the generation and not for yourself personally - and the generation after you are the ones that will be paying for you"
Actually this is completely true. The amount we pay in National Insurance is spent just like the money that comes in from taxation ie it is not put aside to pay pensions. The money I am currently receiving for my state pension comes directly for current taxation/NI contributions. Not the best explanation but hopefully reasonably coherent.

Yes, it's true, but the fact still remains that most people in receipt of a state pension have contributed to the system that pays it out - many between the ages of around 16-66, so 50 years. I accept that current contributions are paying for current pensions, but so what? Those getting pensions now paid for those of previous generations, and also for the education and health of those now paying in their turn - that's how our system works.

When someone smugly points it out, as though they are part of an elite cognoscente, however, it is extremely irritating. Most of us know, but it doesn't diminish our right to claim our pensions - we paid the pensions of others on the understanding that a future generation would pay for ours, and many of us have also paid significant amounts of tax of top of NI contributions. Technically, pensions are benefits, but as they are linked to contributions and taxed they are not the same as others. Given the resistance many pensioners have to being called benefit claimants, it would make sense to give them another name (how about 'pensions'?) but my guess is that keeping the name is so that they can be means-tested in future. If that happens, there will be little incentive to pay into occupational pensions, so maybe it won't happen in the near future, but I'd put money on it being somewhere on the horizon.

I agree with Ratcliffe that there are too many people on benefits, but a lot of that is because wages are too low for people to live on. That is the scandal - taxpayers support businesses who don't pay staff enough to live on, so they need benefits to survive.

His comments on immigration were racist, as well as being inaccurate. I can't believe he didn't know for certain that they were offensive.