RentingForever

I wonder how much this is tied in with the plans to make community punishment for offenders more of a punishment by restricting access to pubs, football matches etc? After all, how are pubs, stadia etc going to know you're under a restriction unless some kind of ID is involved and they have to check everyone's?

Given how incompetent our State is at running anything do we really want a one-ID-to-rule-them-all where you can be denied everything (and even deported?) because some bureaucrat ticked the wrong box on a form?

Wouldn't be surprised if some numpty civil servant signed a guaranteed multi-year contract with the hotels leaving them empty but fully paid-for for many months to come.

If my home town is anything to go by, there's no bare flesh left untattooed out there!

Wealth has shifted massively from salaries to assets. That's where they need to focus, not raising income tax. Even equalising rates for income vs capital taxes would help.

VPN is a standard tool in internet security packages. McAfee is always asking me if I want to turn it on for safer internet browsing (I generally don't as some sites I use don't work well with VPN on). Even Microsoft Windows has a VPN built into its basic set of security tools. It's pervasive, easy, and recommended. I can't see any government trying to control it without a massive outcry. Which rather blows a hole in this Act.

Only place I know that has a branch of The Ivy directly opposite a Poundland.

Hotel schmotel. I'll tell you what you want, what you really really want - a share in the Spice Girls bus, now an airbnb. https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/25263094.spice-bus-restored-isle-wight-wannabe-owners-sought/

Could this be due to everyone's water bills suddenly going up 50% or more?

Was a while ago. I think I assumed 3% pa.

I looked into this and did a bit of modelling on how many years you'd have to live post-retirement to justify the much lower rate you get for an inflation-linked annuity compared to a level annuity. It turned out to be something ridiculous, like having to live to 95 to come out even. Trouble is you're up against a whole industry of actuaries maximising the odds of them profiting more than you.

A big chunk of us left work in our 50s, accessing an early pension to enable us to be carers for our parents. Why? Because successive governments have allowed the NHS and care systems to become absolute sh*tshows and we have to step in. Fix that and you might tempt us back to work. For the moment though we're actually each saving the government upwards of £100k per year in care home fees, not losing them money.

I think the assumption (and in fact the practice for most) is that you use up your housing equity for that until you have none left and the state steps in.

His ninth!