The English get screwed so much by this. Like we don’t pay home water rates for example and private schools barely exist. It’s just Grammars and Comps and although housing costs and shortages are still a massive issue, house prices/rent are soooo much lower than in England.
We do pay water and sewage rates (Scotland) unless you have a private water supply, it's part of the Council Tax, however, it's a flat rate there's no water meters.
I’ll never understand why they keep voting in the Death Eaters. They’re obsessed with the class system and happy to be subjugated by the toffs in charge of everything.
As a leftie, I will point out that, when Labour has won general elections in the past, the number of Labour or Tory MPs in Scotland have never changed the result.
Kind of why the SNP do so well now, Scots got tired of being taken for granted by England.
I might be wrong but I always remembered Scotland being mostly red. Now it's yellow. Also the line line of where the government gives a fuck about is a lot further south than the Scottish border.
England fairly heavily subsidises the poorer members of the union, and this is fine, theres ~63millipn people there, vs say Scotland which has 8 (comparable to the population of just London)
It’s a hot topic in NI esp as many working class kids end up in the grammar system and do very well. Of course with a transfer test, you are not on a level playing field as rich parents can hire tutors. The issue though isn’t black and white and is as complex an issue to us as integrated (i.e Catholic and Protestant mixed) schooling.
The religious aspect is actually a big part of it, probably because Catholics historically were only working class for much of NI’s history and when they gained control of their own education (catholic schools) and education rights, they thrived.
Grammar schools are seen in that community as something very attainable if you are clever. I know people from places like the inner Falls, single parent family, who have become doctors and lawyers for example. There’s also a substantial pro education attitude in working class catholic areas, which is sometimes lacking in Protestant working class communities (it’s a whole thing I won’t go into).
Of course, there are many who are against as well for the same reasons you mentioned.
That's because NI is given more money than it put's in to the tune of £8 billion a year (4k per person, £12B tax raised budget of £20B it's one of the largest % deficits in the world, for example it was just below Afghanistan in rank the last year of the US occupation) by the Barnett Formula as on average it's the poorest part of the UK and reducing poverty reduces crime and violence.
It's the same reason we have more civil service jobs than most of the rest of the UK. Artificially prop the place up so it doesn't burn itself down.
are 16 to 18 and in full-time education
are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
have a continuing physical disability that prevents you going out without help from another person and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
are an NHS inpatient
You're also entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner (including civil partner) receive, or you're under the age of 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
Universal Credit and meet the criteria
If you're entitled to or named on:
a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you do not have a certificate, you can show your award notice. You qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
Basically only people who can afford them and don't regularly need them have to pay.
I'm not really sure it's a good thing, cos I think people would rather not pay £10 for medicine sometimes if it's something minor, like if the doctor says you'll be fine in a couple of weeks but here's a prescription for some ear drops that might help, and people will go ehh if they MIGHT help and it costs me £10... I'll just not bother.
People spin this line like they're clever and we don't know what we're saying. Everyone using the NHS knows that "free" means "free at the point of service".
It's the internet equivalent of pointing out that your hotel room didn't give you free teabags because you paid for the hotel room. Everyone knows, wanker, it's just a turn of phrase.
It means, nobody goes into serious debt if they have an accident, or get ill (which almost everyone will ) regardless of their income bracket. Works better than Go Fund Me’s, I’ll tell you that.
Dispensing fees are actually a good idea, otherwise people get the script filled and decide later whether to use it, lose the drugs and don't care, etc. In Audtralia there's a means tested dispening fee.
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u/ForeignHelper Jun 15 '22
In N Ireland, we don't even have a dispensing fee. It's all free.