Politics

[BobyBrno]

32 minutes ago, Nowack said:

I don't think anyone has compared us to Japan, or should have anyway. It has been on its own crazy fiscal cycle since Hiroshima. 

We are constantly being compared to other G7 countries. Japan is one of them. I used them as an example as they have the greatest debt in the G7. 
What’s more important is a countries ability to pay their debt and the cost. 
 

[Wanderlust]

It's interesting that the Tories have always poured scorn on borrowing. Whenever Labour came up with a plan for social reform in manifesto after manifesto - and as they have again at the recent conference (albeit short in some areas) the first thing that the Tories and Tory media started spouting was "how are they going to pay for it?/where is the money coming from?" - and yet when in power the Tories have taken borrowing to a new level.

Whilst I accept that there was a huge cost for Covid - made considerably worse by the disastrous mismanagement of procurement - they have failed to deliver on the electoral promises made and pretty much everything they have done has generally served to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Failures to deliver on housing, transport, levelling up and the promised Brexit trade agreements are now front and centre.

It was interesting to see that the manifesto pledges that emerged from the Labour conference included things like rooting out corruption in procurement, sacking off nondom status and a raft of reforms to redirect our money to where it is needed including finally moving towards energy autonomy instead of doshing out contracts to foreign and offshore companies as the Tories have.

Far from perfect and there are questions over how achievable the objectives are, but there's a lot to be admired in the emergent Labour manifesto the key points of which currently seem to be:

DO THE MATH: Labour will train more primary teachers in maths and train ‘maths champions’ in nurseries, liven up maths lessons with real-world examples (Labour website)
1.5m HOMES: Keir Starmer’s main speech pledged 1.5 million homes over the next parliament (seemingly matching the old Tory 300,000-a-year pledge), a generation of ‘new towns’, hand mayors greater housing and planning powers, fast-track brownfield developments and a “blitz” of reforms to accelerate planning decisions. (Labour website)
POLICING GUARANTEE: Starmer pledged to guarantee police patrols in town centres, and repeat offenders also risk being banned from them under new powers. (Labour website)
STINKING RICH: Labour will empower regulators to ban bonuses to water chiefs whose firms pump excess sewage into rivers, and strengthen fines and powers to prosecute their leaders. (Labour website)
YOUTH CRIME PREVENTION: A new Young Futures scheme worth up to £100m will provide support to young people at risk of being drawn into violent crime. (Labour website)
ROADMAP FOR CAR FIRMS: A new “auto strategy” has been published, promising planning priority for new battery factories , 10-year research funding cycles, reliable electric car charging everywhere and critical mineral trade partnerships. (Labour website)
R&D CERTAINTY: Peter Kyle promised 10-year research and development funding settlements to support innovation with more “certainty” and “long-term partnerships” than under the Tories. (Research Professional News)
CORRUPTION AND CONSULTANCY CLAMPDOWN: A commissioner will be appointed to recover covid fraud, Labour will “aim to” halve consultancy spending in five years, and ministerial private jet use will be cut back, Reeves announced. (Labour website)
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE ACT: Ed Miliband has pledged an energy independence act, to “break Britain’s dependency on fossil fuel dictators”. (Mirror)
REWIRE BRITAIN: Labour says the queue for grid connections is “out of control” and it will remove the barriers to facilitate the largest upgrade to our national clean energy infrastructure in a generation, open up new grid construction to competitive tendering, and get GB Energy, Labour’s new publicly-owned energy company, to work in coordinating the transmission operators. (Labour website)
ANTI-HARASSMENT DUTY: Deputy leader Angela Rayner said in her women’s conference speech employers will face a new duty to take reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment (Labour website)
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:  Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said police willl “relentlessly pursue” those who pose threat to women through a new perpetrator programme (Labour website)
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Rayner pledged Labour would deliver the biggest boost to affordable housing for a generation, unlocking government grants to deliver new homes by making the Affordable Housing Programme more flexible. The party said it would stop developers “wriggling out” of responsibilities (Labour website)
NEW TOWNS: Labour reportedly wants to build new towns next to existing rail connections, considering building between London, Oxford and Cambridge.
GREENBELT REVIEW: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested Labour will review greenbelt building rules. (Sunday Times)
£1.5bn TO CLEAR NHS BACKLOG: An estimated £1.5bn will be set aside to clear backlog through funding extra overtime and equipment, funded by scrapping non-dom status. (Sunday Mirror/People)
NHS TECH CASH: A new  £171m annual ‘Fit For The Future Fund’ will help replace outdated NHS equipment, helping cut waiting lists by equipment like CT and MRI scanners. (Labour website)
TRAINING COLLEGES: A revamped apprenticeship levy would fund specialist training colleges that equip workers for local industries, particularly in renewables, nuclear, engineering, computing and modern toolmaking. (The Observer.
MAINTENANCE GRANTS: Labour is “exploring” reviving maintenance grants for poorer students funded by higher interest rates on higher earners (The Telegraph)
DENTAL PLAN WITH TEETH: Labour will fund NHS dentists to offer 700,000 more urgent appointments, incentivise dentists to work in the most in-need areas, reform the NHS dental contract and start supervised toothbrushing for young children in schools in areas with most dental problems. (Labour website)

Bit of a mixed bag IMO but there are some things that I like and I think energy independence is crucial.

 

 

[Spider]

Doublethink alive and well 39 years on

[mickbrown]

This bother in Israel couldn’t have come at a better time for  that sack of shite Johnson

[Farrelli]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67099155
 

DUP are the whipping boys of brexit. “We think power sharing is essential for NI” and we have shown that by refusing to power share for the last 15 months. Absolute numpties😀

[mickbrown]

 
 

[Farrelli]

Bone was a Boris apologist, now we know why.

[Not in Crawley]

Dem Bones...

His ex-wife looks happy after a lifetime being exposed to little bones.

[Farrelli]

12 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

Dem Bones...

His ex-wife looks happy after a lifetime being exposed to little bones.

Obvious caption is mrs bones saying “you are sending him home for six weeks? Shit”

[Mounts Kipper]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67105143

Has the penny finally dropped. 

 

[Farrelli]

1 minute ago, Mounts Kipper said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67105143

Has the penny finally dropped. 

 

It hasn’t with you. The bloke is offering to remove some of the blocks that you voted for with our nearest trading partners. 

[Mounts Kipper]

4 minutes ago, Farrelli said:

It hasn’t with you. The bloke is offering to remove some of the blocks that you voted for with our nearest trading partners. 

I was well aware they would play hardball over trade, I also was of the opinion it would not be for ever and that commons sense would ultimately prevail and that the situation would eventually ease when the EU countries began to feel the pain... that is how its panning out.    

[Farrelli]

1 minute ago, Mounts Kipper said:

I was well aware they would play hardball over trade, I also was of the opinion it would not be for ever and that commons sense would ultimately prevail and that the situation would eventually ease when the EU countries began to feel the pain... that is how its panning out.    

You voted for that pain 😀 

[Spider]

He’s an astute fellow

”

I don't think [the] United Kingdom is benefiting from Brexit," he told BBC News.

 

”

[Farrelli]

14 minutes ago, Spider said:

He’s an astute fellow

”

I don't think [the] United Kingdom is benefiting from Brexit," he told BBC News.

 

”

Aye, the penny has dropped with him that we need to work together. Be great if we had some politicians like that.

[Casino]

Im sure one or two on here were fans of that right wing anti EU polish pm

Well, hes been booted out, which is good news

[Mounts Kipper]

1 hour ago, Farrelli said:

You voted for that pain 😀 

You have have courage of conviction and my view was we were better out so the answer is yes to short term pain. 

[tomski]

1 hour ago, Mounts Kipper said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67105143

Has the penny finally dropped. 

 

Just reading them numbers dropping like they have, I admire you to sticking to your guns as it’s hard to argue it. Fair play.

[Mounts Kipper]

20 minutes ago, Casino said:

Im sure one or two on here were fans of that right wing anti EU polish pm

Well, hes been booted out, which is good news

A nice 36 billion EU bribe for the poles to vote for Tusk, even then Tusk still has less votes than the party they have taken over from. 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Mounts Kipper

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, Mounts Kipper said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67105143

Has the penny finally dropped. 

 

It's great that they eventually want to do something, that article does show that it's not been great for either side - and lets not forget, David Davis and the like said there would be absolutely no downside, now we have people saying they always knew there would be a downside. If you think that we won't have to concede anything, and that the EU will concede everything, then I reckon you might be a bit off the mark. Reading that article just shows how utterly shit it's been, for both sides.

Anyway, if we can get back to an easy hassle free trading relationship, then like most, I'm all for it......I'll not be holding my breath that either the UK or the EU have the ability to get anything sorted quickly though

[MickyD]

[kent_white]

On 14/10/2023 at 09:43, Wanderlust said:

 

DO THE MATH: Labour will train more primary teachers in maths and train ‘maths champions’ in nurseries, liven up maths lessons with real-world examples (Labour website)
1.5m HOMES: Keir Starmer’s main speech pledged 1.5 million homes over the next parliament (seemingly matching the old Tory 300,000-a-year pledge), a generation of ‘new towns’, hand mayors greater housing and planning powers, fast-track brownfield developments and a “blitz” of reforms to accelerate planning decisions. (Labour website)
POLICING GUARANTEE: Starmer pledged to guarantee police patrols in town centres, and repeat offenders also risk being banned from them under new powers. (Labour website)
STINKING RICH: Labour will empower regulators to ban bonuses to water chiefs whose firms pump excess sewage into rivers, and strengthen fines and powers to prosecute their leaders. (Labour website)
YOUTH CRIME PREVENTION: A new Young Futures scheme worth up to £100m will provide support to young people at risk of being drawn into violent crime. (Labour website)
ROADMAP FOR CAR FIRMS: A new “auto strategy” has been published, promising planning priority for new battery factories , 10-year research funding cycles, reliable electric car charging everywhere and critical mineral trade partnerships. (Labour website)
R&D CERTAINTY: Peter Kyle promised 10-year research and development funding settlements to support innovation with more “certainty” and “long-term partnerships” than under the Tories. (Research Professional News)
CORRUPTION AND CONSULTANCY CLAMPDOWN: A commissioner will be appointed to recover covid fraud, Labour will “aim to” halve consultancy spending in five years, and ministerial private jet use will be cut back, Reeves announced. (Labour website)
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE ACT: Ed Miliband has pledged an energy independence act, to “break Britain’s dependency on fossil fuel dictators”. (Mirror)
REWIRE BRITAIN: Labour says the queue for grid connections is “out of control” and it will remove the barriers to facilitate the largest upgrade to our national clean energy infrastructure in a generation, open up new grid construction to competitive tendering, and get GB Energy, Labour’s new publicly-owned energy company, to work in coordinating the transmission operators. (Labour website)
ANTI-HARASSMENT DUTY: Deputy leader Angela Rayner said in her women’s conference speech employers will face a new duty to take reasonable steps to stop sexual harassment (Labour website)
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:  Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said police willl “relentlessly pursue” those who pose threat to women through a new perpetrator programme (Labour website)
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Rayner pledged Labour would deliver the biggest boost to affordable housing for a generation, unlocking government grants to deliver new homes by making the Affordable Housing Programme more flexible. The party said it would stop developers “wriggling out” of responsibilities (Labour website)
NEW TOWNS: Labour reportedly wants to build new towns next to existing rail connections, considering building between London, Oxford and Cambridge.
GREENBELT REVIEW: Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested Labour will review greenbelt building rules. (Sunday Times)
£1.5bn TO CLEAR NHS BACKLOG: An estimated £1.5bn will be set aside to clear backlog through funding extra overtime and equipment, funded by scrapping non-dom status. (Sunday Mirror/People)
NHS TECH CASH: A new  £171m annual ‘Fit For The Future Fund’ will help replace outdated NHS equipment, helping cut waiting lists by equipment like CT and MRI scanners. (Labour website)
TRAINING COLLEGES: A revamped apprenticeship levy would fund specialist training colleges that equip workers for local industries, particularly in renewables, nuclear, engineering, computing and modern toolmaking. (The Observer.
MAINTENANCE GRANTS: Labour is “exploring” reviving maintenance grants for poorer students funded by higher interest rates on higher earners (The Telegraph)
DENTAL PLAN WITH TEETH: Labour will fund NHS dentists to offer 700,000 more urgent appointments, incentivise dentists to work in the most in-need areas, reform the NHS dental contract and start supervised toothbrushing for young children in schools in areas with most dental problems. (Labour website)

Bit of a mixed bag IMO but there are some things that I like and I think energy independence is crucial.

 

 

Yeah, but where are their actual policies? 😁

[Casino]

4 hours ago, mickbrown said:

 
 

[Mounts Kipper]

1 hour ago, Sweep said:

It's great that they eventually want to do something, that article does show that it's not been great for either side - and lets not forget, David Davis and the like said there would be absolutely no downside, now we have people saying they always knew there would be a downside. If you think that we won't have to concede anything, and that the EU will concede everything, then I reckon you might be a bit off the mark. Reading that article just shows how utterly shit it's been, for both sides.

Anyway, if we can get back to an easy hassle free trading relationship, then like most, I'm all for it......I'll not be holding my breath that either the UK or the EU have the ability to get anything sorted quickly though

Just a common sense approach will sort out many of the issues,  it was always going to take the Germans suffering to get to this point. 

[Spider]

Have we got a trade deal or something?

Whats all the excitement about?

Ill be on the blower to our former customers in Europe tomorrow to give them the good news.