Comments on: Happy birthday to the minimum wage?

By: ivan

ivan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:11:11 +0000

There is a simple answer – abolish the minimum wage ans the benefit system as it stands and change to a Negative Income Tax system for everyone. Set the amount to £10,000 and the reduction rate to 50% with no more odd hand outs – If anyone wants more money they work for it.
The only thing no political party would implement such a system because they need a benefit underclass to appear to be doing something for or against.

By: ‘Do as we say, not as we blog’ | And another thing...

‘Do as we say, not as we blog’ | And another thing... — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:36:27 +0000

[...] then we have some wistful musings from Letters From a Tory, clearly annoyed that more Tory MPs aren’t following Christopher Chope’s example by [...]

By: jameshigham

jameshigham — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:53:27 +0000

Labour is like the leaky Leylands in Top Gear – it even came out of the doors. bubbly wallpaper is good too.

By: LFAT

LFAT — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:13:18 +0000

Shaun, I think you’re about ten years too late but it’s still an excellent suggestion.

Julia, agreed. It is a never-ending barrage of noise with little to show for it.

By: JuliaM

JuliaM — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:13:24 +0000

“Watching Labour policy tackling issues is like watching a useless decorator deal with air bubbles under wallpaper, he pushes it down, and pop, there’s another one. “

That’s as accurate an analogy as I’ve ever seen.

By: Shaun Pilkington

Shaun Pilkington — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:05:09 +0000

@LFAT - Arguably it just directly discriminates against the young. It is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of age and yet it is precisely on this ground that the Minimum wage chooses to pay the young less than the old on the basis of age alone. I'd suggest, cheekily, that the doctrine of implied repeal means the later law (anti-discrimination) repeals the inconsistent part of earlier legislation (the Minimum Wage). This would mean that there is no age differential. Someone needs to go to court to test this argument!

By: LFAT

LFAT — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:24:41 +0000

I’ve always wondered whether the lower rate for younger people was a good idea, because it discriminates against older workers who have lost their job for whatever reason and instead is used by the Government to improve their youth unemployment statistics / reduce NEETs.

By: Obsidian

Obsidian — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:13:02 +0000

The 18-21 year olds rate needs removing, as it’s behind Labours desperation to get people into Uni.

After all, it’s a rare employer who’s going to risk £200+ a week on wages, NI contributions and all the associated red tape and training you get with with employing someone, for a school or college leaver.

The minimum wage is a ceiling stopping them from getting work, and rather than tackle this Labour have been hoping to shuffle them off to Uni for a few years, so they can get into debt and really put that BSc into action when they get a low paid filing job…

Watching Labour policy tackling issues is like watching a useless decorator deal with air bubbles under wallpaper, he pushes it down, and pop, there’s another one.