clive

A minimum wage of £15 would end my coffee shop, it would have to close, as would many other businesses. I’ll explain for the economically illiterate. Staff costs are currently half our costs, a £15 minimum wage is actually more than £15 an hour for the company, because you have to add: - 12.07% holiday - Sick pay - Maternity pay if and when required - National insurance - Pension contributions These costs would mean the shop loses money because remember, energy costs are up, rates are up, regulations are up. Now you can pass these costs onto the consumer - that would mean charging a lot more for coffee, people won’t pay it. The likes of Starbucks and Costa can, because they have economies of scale. The independent doesn’t. Now the little socialist will say well this is your fault, if you can’t run a business that can afford to pay its staff properly, but the little socialist has never run a business and does not understand the dynamics. Now I could pay some staff off and fill those hours myself or reduce us to one staff member during certain periods - but this proves the point that a minimum wage costs jobs. There was a time when these jobs were done by kids, perhaps on the weekend, paid a lower wage, no holiday and no silly employment rights. Perhaps they were even paid cash. The dynamic worked and small businesses like this could operate. It was also a great first job. Sadly now it isn’t worth employing entitlement youngsters at this level of pay. So alas, I don’t need the stress, the business would close, a number of jobs would be lost. Economics is about understanding these dynamics, no vibes. The cost of living is not solved through passing on inflation to the business, it is solved by ending high inflation and creating prosperity. This is what socialists don’t understand, they can’t create prosperity, they can only destroy it.

To any disabled people thinking of voting Reform: When they say they’ll protect those who “need” benefits, they mean the people THEY think need it—not who medical professionals say need it. They want to scrap sick notes, human rights, the Equality Act, and the entire safety net.

4/4 Real control requires absolute deterrence: anyone arriving illegally must be removed with 100% certainty. No exceptions. Only then does the smugglers’ business model collapse. Suspend all immigration cooperation with France. Take back control of our border. Prioritise the truly vulnerable - not the young men who can pay £10,000 to traffickers. That is what fairness and compassion actually look like.

🚨 NEW: The ONS says deaths are now expected to outnumber births in the UK every year from 2026

Just throwing this one out there as I was asked this question earlier today. A couple both working with a combined income of £50,000 would pay £11,500 a year in income tax and national insurance, Another couple receiving £50,000 in benefits including Universal Credit, Personal Independent Payment, Housing Benefit, Income Support and Child Benefit would pay no income tax or national insurance, keeping the full £50,000. Should the non-working couple on £50,000 a year pay the same amount of income tax and national insurance as the working couple? Please leave a comment below.