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Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

Gutter Boy said:
Those in the country where power has returned to an elected national parliament from an unelected supranational bureaucracy.
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Maybe you won't change your mind (like others have ;)). I don't want to reopen the Brexit debate again but I stilI find the dark rhetoric of 'reverse' colonisation that you employ curious considering your other ideological beliefs. Ignoring those you are almost the archetype character in O'Toole's dissection of the whole thing. Anyway, let's not open old wounds. The UK will rejoin eventually.
 
Rorschach said:
Maybe you won't change your mind (like others have ;)). I don't want to reopen the Brexit debate again but I stilI find the dark rhetoric of 'reverse' colonisation that you employ curious considering your other ideological beliefs. Ignoring those you are almost the archetype character in O'Toole's dissection of the whole thing. Anyway, let's not open old wounds. The UK will rejoin eventually.
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Anarchists generally believe in localism, and opposing any excessive state, supranational and corporate power. The Green party was the strongest anti-EU party around until fairly recently. Up until 2014 they were still campaigning for a referendum to leave. It was actually Lib-Dem entryism around 2015 (the coalition kick-back) that turned it from anti to pro EU. Just because recent leaders have been pro-EU, a lot of the grassroots Left has always been anti-EU - in the Green party and Labour (Corbyn etc).
 
Gutter Boy said:
Anarchists generally believe in localism, and opposing any excessive state, supranational and corporate power. The Green party was the strongest anti-EU party around until fairly recently. Up until 2014 they were still campaigning for a referendum to leave. It was actually Lib-Dem entryism around 2015 (the coalition kick-back) that turned it from anti to pro EU. Just because recent leaders have been pro-EU, a lot of the grassroots Left has always been anti-EU - in the Green party and Labour (Corbyn etc).
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Just goes to show that whether left or right there are plenty of fools around!
 
Gutter Boy said:
Anarchists generally believe in localism, and opposing any excessive state, supranational and corporate power. The Green party was the strongest anti-EU party around until fairly recently. Up until 2014 they were still campaigning for a referendum to leave. It was actually Lib-Dem entryism around 2015 (the coalition kick-back) that turned it from anti to pro EU. Just because recent leaders have been pro-EU, a lot of the grassroots Left has always been anti-EU - in the Green party and Labour (Corbyn etc).
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And they changed their minds as John Maynard Keynes did when presented with more facts ;)

I am all for localism and the self-sufficiency of a country, and indeed personal self-sufficiency. In fact, it is one of my core beliefs that most people are learning pointless skills that will be all but irrelevant in not too distant future. And on here, I'm sure I have often spoken to this very point around the unsustainability of our current system, the brittleness of our built environment, and our need to adapt to what is coming. Where we diverge is that I also believe there are supranational issues that must be the remit of supranational bodies, and I am willing to give up a small measure of sovereignty to support this role. So I feel that you are looking through the letter box and can only see a portion of the solutions available to us. Events are unfolding at a pace and size that require regional and indeed global cooperation and the EU for all its flaws is the tool we have. So to me, your description of localism is closer to the definition of isolationism, and that is a road you don't want to go down IMHO. Think globally, act locally as they say.
 
SpurMeUp said:
They are the worst of both worlds at the moment. High spending high taxation 'Conservatives' without any of the social measures to reinvest in society.

Appx 5m pensioners are millionaires. Yet the Challancor today increased the pension pay accross the board. Costing 30b a year. Which is a staggering amount. The state pension is going up, fine for pensioners on the poverty line. But for millionaire pensioners, really? This is where most of goverments spending is going. For context, the NI cuts for business only cost 9b a year. A measure which is designed to create more work and growth. In the past Conservatives were about stimulating business and lowering spending. And they were competent at this kinda stuff. No more it seems. Brexit has delivered us the most incompetent bunch of no hoper politicians. All of the talent was hounded out, and to be frank our governments have been scraping the talent barrel ever since.

This government is extending the nations debt, despite what the challancor said. Debt will soon be at 100% of GDP, and not start to reduce for another 5 years by which time it will be someone elses problem. If you are going to borrow and spend, at least have something to show for it!
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I don't know how they're funded in Europe but the UK pension is one of the lowest. Fairly sure retirement ages are a lot younger in Europe as well. Very difficult to change given that people are paying NI contributions towards a flat rated state pension - would be changing the goalposts later (not unknown for any govt) but would cause uproar and pensioners vote en mass.
 
P.D. said:
I don't know how they're funded in Europe but the UK pension is one of the lowest. Fairly sure retirement ages are a lot younger in Europe as well. Very difficult to change given that people are paying NI contributions towards a flat rated state pension - would be changing the goalposts later (not unknown for any govt) but would cause uproar and pensioners vote en mass.
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Whoever is elected next will likely address the Tripple Lock. Pensions going up 10% for all, when many don't even need it, is crazy. Paying millionaire pensioners inflation increases in the pension can't continue. Unless you want to lose money from someone else. We are simply not rich enough to increase pensions by 30b a year. So whether its Labour or the Conservates the Tripple Lock should be addressed. The Tories have kicked the can down the road, because they probably won't be in power.
 
SpurMeUp said:
Whoever is elected next will likely address the Tripple Lock. Pensions going up 10% for all, when many don't even need it, is crazy. Paying millionaire pensioners inflation increases in the pension can't continue. Unless you want to lose money from someone else. We are simply not rich enough to increase pensions by 30b a year. So whether its Labour or the Conservates the Tripple Lock should be addressed. The Tories have kicked the can down the road, because they probably won't be in power.
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Where is your figure of 30bn a year from? Official figures are £124.3bn and the next increase is 8.5%. Again how do you define millionaire pensioners, what about 2 people on similar salaries. One is a loner who doesn't go out much with no kids and chose to save and have a larger house whilst the other had children and spent a lot on holidays so has a small flat instead. Both paid the same level of NI contributions, how do you differentiate? If you do is that even fair?
 
P.D. said:
Where is your figure of 30bn a year from? Official figures are £124.3bn and the next increase is 8.5%. Again how do you define millionaire pensioners, what about 2 people on similar salaries. One is a loner who doesn't go out much with no kids and chose to save and have a larger house whilst the other had children and spent a lot on holidays so has a small flat instead. Both paid the same level of NI contributions, how do you differentiate? If you do is that even fair?
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I think the 30b is the extra it will cost down the line if the tripple lock is not addressed.
 
P.D. said:
And your plans to means test it?
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I dont have plans. But can’t be that hard to focus pension increases on those that need it most. Housing benefit is means tested isn’t it. You can always look that up if you’re gagging for a model.

It’s known in political circles that the triple lock needs updating. But no one’s been brave enough to address it. Now however there isn’t the cash available to kick it down the road any longer.
 
SpurMeUp said:
I dont have plans. But can’t be that hard to focus pension increases on those that need it most. Housing benefit is means tested isn’t it. You can always look that up if you’re gagging for a model.

It’s known in political circles that the triple lock needs updating. But no one’s been brave enough to address it. Now however there isn’t the cash available to kick it down the road any longer.
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Clearly people like that do need it but there's also millions of people making retirement plans expecting a state pension with decent increases. I know people putting things off now with a view that they'll have more money in retirement, I don't think it's fair to penalise those people. What we should be asking is why our state pension is so much lower than those in Europe.

Lets face it no one is going to change anything that will tinkle off a large voting block.
 
Jesus, Almost half the people in A&E wait more than 4 hours! That is shocking... and quite terrible tbh
 
I'll be chatting with Ed Balls tonight.

The only question I can come up with is "Have you learned how to use Twitter yet?"

Any other suggestions?
 
Turns out, according to Hanrooster, they were not following the science but were guided by it.

I must have misheard them hundreds of times during the pandemic. Silly me.
 
This clam has no shame !!!
I literally hate every single self-serving politician

Former Health Secretary Matt Hanrooster has denied lying to colleagues during the pandemic and criticised a "toxic culture" in government.
Addressing the Covid inquiry, Mr Hanrooster called Dominic Cummings, one of his harshest critics, a "malign actor".
He also said he had to "wake up Whitehall" to the Covid threat and that a lockdown should have been enacted three weeks earlier than it was.
During the inquiry, Mr Hanrooster has been accused of being untruthful.
Helen MacNamara, a senior civil servant during the pandemic, said he would say things that would turn out not to be the case.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser, said Mr Hanrooster had "a habit of saying things which he didn't have a basis for".
In his evidence, Mr Hanrooster said there was no "evidence whatsoever" that he lied during the pandemic.
The Mid-Suffolk MP was health secretary between 2018 until June 2021 when he was forced to resign after breaching Covid guidance.
He was suspended as a Conservative MP, after appearing on ITV's "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" in 2022 and later said he would not stand for re-election as an MP.
 
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