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๐Ÿ’‚โ€โ™‚๏ธ UK ๐Ÿ’‚โ€โ™‚๏ธ Poll tax and other fun things

placebonaut

placebonaut

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Feb 7, 2026
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placebonaut said:
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Wasn't old enough to ever see one of those, but I did recently unearth an old ES40 booklet, which was its successor. Can't find it now, sadly.

I remember everybody on the music scene in the eighties and nineties was signing on, and a blind eye was largely turned. Even the Tories turned it into the 'Enterprise Allowance Scheme', which was just formalising the practice.

The music scene thrived, and many performers paid back tenfold what they took in benefits through tax revenues.

Now? Nothing like that, and we only see the likes of that guy from the 1975, fat Adele and that godawful public school Charli woman. All either alumni from stage school, subsidised by affluent parents, or both.
 
Perkins : Reborn said:
I remember everybody on the music scene in the eighties and nineties was signing on, and a blind eye was largely turned. Even the Tories turned it into the 'Enterprise Allowance Scheme', which was just formalising the practice.

The music scene thrived, and many performers paid back tenfold what they took in benefits through tax revenues.
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Yep, probably the most famous example being Noel Gallagher, who was signing on whilst living in a well known and quite prestigious apartment block on Whitworth Street in the city centre, and working hard on his music at the same time. (I doubt if you could get housing benefit to pay for a nice city centre apartment these days, probably not even a crummy one?)

And of course the famous reggae band who took their name from the form they'd been stuck signing on with for some time, before their music started taking off, IIRC.
 
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placebonaut said:
Is that the apartment block that someone from the Inspiral Carpets was also living in?
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Dunno, there's a lot of mentions of the Inspiral Carpets in Noel's wiki page, but it just says the following about India House, which is actually on Whitworth Street, not Princess street as I wrongly stated earlier:

"Noel Gallagher lived in flat 47 in 1989โ€“1993 and says "India House is literally ground zero in the story of my musical life." Gallagher wrote "Live Forever" and songs for the first two Oasis albums Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? while in residence.[8][9][10] Ian Brown, the lead singer of The Stone Roses, was another famous resident.[11]"
 
Bleaney said:
Dunno, there's a lot of mentions of the Inspiral Carpets in Noel's wiki page, but it just says the following about India House, which is actually on Whitworth Street, not Princess street as I wrongly stated earlier:

"Noel Gallagher lived in flat 47 in 1989โ€“1993 and says "India House is literally ground zero in the story of my musical life." Gallagher wrote "Live Forever" and songs for the first two Oasis albums Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? while in residence.[8][9][10] Ian Brown, the lead singer of The Stone Roses, was another famous resident.[11]"
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yeah he was a roadie for them in his spare time and 1 of the band lived in that block of flats.

They're touring this year, thinking about going to see them
 
Bleaney said:
Yep, probably the most famous example being Noel Gallagher, who was signing on whilst living in a well known and quite prestigious apartment block on Whitworth Street in the city centre, and working hard on his music at the same time. (I doubt if you could get housing benefit to pay for a nice city centre apartment these days, probably not even a crummy one?)

And of course the famous reggae band who took their name from the form they'd been stuck signing on with for some time, before their music started taking off, IIRC.
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No affordable city centre residences whatsoever. Unless your names are Tarquin and Hermione and you're at a loss because your trust fund doesn't quite stretch to a penthouse.

I no longer feel this is my city.
 
Even Jocky Wilson took up practising darts in his bedroom while he was on the dole.
 
When the Sovjet Union fell, so did the credibility dwindle of socialism in social democrat states.
 
Chaurus said:
When the Sovjet Union fell, so did the credibility dwindle of socialism in social democrat states.
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Theres a big difference in authoritarian socialism and democratic socialism tho - britain from 1945-79 was socialist and its the only time in british history that living standards went up, people got free healthcare etc - socialism created everything good in the UK.
 
placebonaut said:
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People on unemplyment beneits have to "sign on" EVERY week now?
I was on that for a couple months back right after I graduated high school, had to drop out of University and didn't have a job yet and it was once every two weeks. During which you would be looked at and spoken to by the staff as though you were scum of the earth, piece of shit, waste of oxygen. And then get laughably little money.

Where is the 2 drink maxiumum thing mentioned? How would they even monitor that?

What is poll tax?
As a drain on the country, I have to admit I've literally never paid a penny of tax in my life, so don't understand half of what the various taxes are.
 
Ahhhh the Poll Tax, what a great idea.

Maggies' parting gift to her adoring citizens.

The memories of that celebratory day in London we attended leaves me all misty eyed nostalgia...what fun
 
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