Stop voting for fucking Tories

[tabascoboy]

Poor Suella, now reported as trying to use influence to get off a speeding fine/course.

Not quite true
She wanted her civil servants to arrange an anonymous, private one on one speed awareness course for her as points on her licence might have increased her insurance costs.
Strange really as her position as Attorney General at the time came with 24 hour access to a government chauffered car!!!

She must have some serious dirt on Sunak and others, can't think of any reason why she was given back her cabinet post after one ministerial breach of code and is able to keep hold of it no matter what

[C69]

Poor Suella, now reported as trying to use influence to get off a speeding fine/course.

Not quite true
She wanted her civil servants to arrange an anonymous, private one on one speed awareness course for her as points on her licence might have increased her insurance costs.
Strange really as her position as Attorney General at the time came with 24 hour access to a government chauffered car!!!

I paraphrased the info that was available last night.
However wtf was she doing? The amount of sleaze is a real Tsunami of filth. From the interview it looked that Sunak was a tad miffed

[sefton]

How typical, following the local elections and the borough changing from CON to NOC, two "independents" have suddenly decided they're closet Tories and will prop them up to keep control ( gaining nice positions for themselves as a reward). I realise that the council still has to be able to function operationally and fiscally but this is pretty rotten behaviour that once again shows how little we can trust politicians right down to local level.

Instead of debating consensus on an issue by issue basis, all matters likely to simply by rubber-stamped by this "partnership" that the constituency did not vote for.

How is it that elected officials changing their party/independent status doesn't trigger a new election? It's clearly not what their constituents voted for.

Because the constituents have elected the individual not a party slate.

[fishfoodie]

Poor Suella, now reported as trying to use influence to get off a speeding fine/course.

Not quite true
She wanted her civil servants to arrange an anonymous, private one on one speed awareness course for her as points on her licence might have increased her insurance costs.
Strange really as her position as Attorney General at the time came with 24 hour access to a government chauffered car!!!

This is the bit I find interesting; are we waiting for the other shoe to drop ?

I'll bet Rishi knows why she wasn't using her Official car, & maybe if Cruella doesn't STFU & get back in her box, the rest of us will know too ?

[sockwithaticket]

How typical, following the local elections and the borough changing from CON to NOC, two "independents" have suddenly decided they're closet Tories and will prop them up to keep control ( gaining nice positions for themselves as a reward). I realise that the council still has to be able to function operationally and fiscally but this is pretty rotten behaviour that once again shows how little we can trust politicians right down to local level.

Instead of debating consensus on an issue by issue basis, all matters likely to simply by rubber-stamped by this "partnership" that the constituency did not vote for.

How is it that elected officials changing their party/independent status doesn't trigger a new election? It's clearly not what their constituents voted for.

Because the constituents have elected the individual not a party slate.

While they might not have elected someone to back the entirety of a party's platform, the party to which candidates have chosen to belong is an inextricable part of why people cast votes for them.

[sockwithaticket]

How typical, following the local elections and the borough changing from CON to NOC, two "independents" have suddenly decided they're closet Tories and will prop them up to keep control ( gaining nice positions for themselves as a reward). I realise that the council still has to be able to function operationally and fiscally but this is pretty rotten behaviour that once again shows how little we can trust politicians right down to local level.

Instead of debating consensus on an issue by issue basis, all matters likely to simply by rubber-stamped by this "partnership" that the constituency did not vote for.

How is it that elected officials changing their party/independent status doesn't trigger a new election? It's clearly not what their constituents voted for.

Same happens in the HOC. It's difficult and complicated.

You can at least try to recall an MP, afaik there's nothing similar for councillors.

[dpedin]

Thought this was an interesting graph. I am sure the same can be done for the majority of privatised industries. England the only country to privatise its entire water and sewage industry and delegate a key public health item to private companies, of which about 70% are owned outside the UK. Feckin madness!

[salanya]

BBC news just went to Westminster for Home Secretary questions.
Suella Braverman - what a nasty embarrassment.

The Speaker is not insisting on questions being answered, and no political debate is possible with these spoofers.
Pretty shocking state of politics and affairs.

[C69]

In other news Sadiq Khan has just announced he had a minor heart attack at COP 26.
Braverman doesn't have a heart so the same fate will not await her

[I like neeps]

Can only assume this is a joke.

[fishfoodie]

Depressingly accurate

[Blackmac]

Can only assume this is a joke.

I think there was a southern Bavarian state that did this a number of years ago and it proved that the vast majority of drivers are careful enough to negotiate junctions safely without the need of lights. I haven't heard whether they followed through with it.

[Slick]

Can only assume this is a joke.

I think there was a southern Bavarian state that did this a number of years ago and it proved that the vast majority of drivers are careful enough to negotiate junctions safely without the need of lights. I haven't heard whether they followed through with it.

Whenever lights go out at junctions or big roundabouts, traffics always seems to flow much better

[Hal Jordan]

BBC news just went to Westminster for Home Secretary questions.
Suella Braverman - what a nasty embarrassment.

The Speaker is not insisting on questions being answered, and no political debate is possible with these spoofers.
Pretty shocking state of politics and affairs.

Hoyle is completely spineless, fixed only on his peerage after he saw what happened to Speakers who cross the vindictive party.

In other news, bully boy Raab is "stepping down" at the next election. Another Britannia Unchained failure who fucked up everything he was given responsibility for with disastrous consequences, and, in the case of Afghanistan, I have little doubt fatal ones as well.

[Raggs]

Whenever lights go out at junctions or big roundabouts, traffics always seems to flow much better

At first it sort of does. Everyone is aware it's different, and is very aware. The problem is when people get used to it, they start relying on habits rather than being highly aware again.

[GogLais]

Can only assume this is a joke.

I think there was a southern Bavarian state that did this a number of years ago and it proved that the vast majority of drivers are careful enough to negotiate junctions safely without the need of lights. I haven't heard whether they followed through with it.

There is/was a bit of this in Bodmin of all places a few years ago. Took some getting used to, all about eye contact and negotiating your way through it.

[tabascoboy]

In other news, bully boy Raab is "stepping down" at the next election. Another Britannia Unchained failure who fucked up everything he was given responsibility for with disastrous consequences, and, in the case of Afghanistan, I have little doubt fatal ones as well.

In the 'Boris at 10' book, to be fair Raab seems to have got much credit for his deputyship while the fat slug was hospitalized - but then again the PM did set a very low bar. No complaints from staff about his conduct at that particular short time at least

This book is a real eye-opener into the goings on at No 10 during BB's time, much of the clusterfuck is not new revelations necessarily but confirms most suspicions that BB was interested only in the prestige of the position, had no particular detail for plans, policy and ideas but full of pie in the sky ambitions for his personal "legacy"; leadership of people was almost entirely lacking and Cabinet Office staff and SPADS were appointed on a bewildering basis ( some believing they were interviewed for one post and appointed for another far less suitable post); he was too strongly influenced by Princess Nut-Nut and the atmosphere especially towards female staff was often discriminatory or downright toxic.

He would have three meetings in a day and say something completely different on one matter to different people, so very few had an clear directive of what policy actually was. And of course Cummings was allowed if not actually encouraged to run No 10 as his fiefdom to the extent of even being de facto PM at times, manipulating events to oust people he didn't like or rate. Some very capable people resigned because they just couldn't stomach what was happening to them or in general, or pushed out to make way for a favourite or someone Cummings could intimidate and control.

We read of staff at No 10 leaving or joining regularly but the detail behind all this is just one long and massive facepalm. Of course some mind has to be taken that much information is anecdotal and some of those interviewed may have their own skeletons in the closet or agendas, but the book does give credit where due to BB and the other individuals so it's not merely a hatchet job.

I haven't even got to 'Partygate' yet!

Those who insist BB should still be PM should seriously be forced to read this book.

[tabascoboy]

May not be much by itself, but failure to disclose an interest to add to all the other things

[Insane_Homer]

In the 'Boris at 10' book, to be fair Raab seems to have got much credit for his deputyship while the fat slug was hospitalized - but then again the PM did set a very low bar. No complaints from staff about his conduct at that particular short time at least

Amazing that "Didn't do something awful & newsworthy for ~15 mins while in charge" is a career highlight.

[tabascoboy]

In the 'Boris at 10' book, to be fair Raab seems to have got much credit for his deputyship while the fat slug was hospitalized - but then again the PM did set a very low bar. No complaints from staff about his conduct at that particular short time at least

Amazing that "Didn't do something awful & newsworthy for ~15 mins while in charge" is a career highlight.

Indeed, hardly makes up for the Afghanistan debacle!

[JM2K6]

Yeah. Shit bloke who did a very shit job in several high profile appointments and had the brass fucking neck to pretend he was being victimised, while grasping for a special title just for himself. In any normal government he'd have been laughed out of town, but such is the paucity of talent in the far right zombie masquerading as a mainstream political party that he's even seen as one of the more reliable ones. Good riddance.

[Tichtheid]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nts-family


These restrictions, which are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, is just the start. We can expect a full on assault on academics and "Lefty" or "Woke" universities in the next year to 18 months before the next GE.

Watch this space.

[C69]

The Blob picking on Boris agian...

[Happyhooker]

The Blob picking on Boris agian...

Didn't he put it in his diaries?

[Paddington Bear]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nts-family


These restrictions, which are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, is just the start. We can expect a full on assault on academics and "Lefty" or "Woke" universities in the next year to 18 months before the next GE.

Watch this space.

The massive spike in dependent visas being offered to undergrads, out of all proportion to overall numbers Indian or Nigerian, seems a blatantly obvious visa scam, no?

[C69]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nts-family


These restrictions, which are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, is just the start. We can expect a full on assault on academics and "Lefty" or "Woke" universities in the next year to 18 months before the next GE.

Watch this space.

The massive spike in dependent visas being offered to undergrads, out of all proportion to overall numbers Indian or Nigerian, seems a blatantly obvious visa scam, no?

That was Government policy and adverts from the Government were spewed over social media in Nigeria, Indea and China.
A dependents visa actually Govermnment Policy.

What utter morons voted for the Tories and their open door immigration policies?
If they thought the Tories were a party of low immigration that is

[Tichtheid]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nts-family


These restrictions, which are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, is just the start. We can expect a full on assault on academics and "Lefty" or "Woke" universities in the next year to 18 months before the next GE.

Watch this space.

The massive spike in dependent visas being offered to undergrads, out of all proportion to overall numbers Indian or Nigerian, seems a blatantly obvious visa scam, no?

This is a good thread.

[Insane_Homer]

Didn't he put it in his diaries?

Boris Johnson has been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office after his diary showed friends visiting Chequers - the grace and favour home - during the COVID pandemic.

[Paddington Bear]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... nts-family


These restrictions, which are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, is just the start. We can expect a full on assault on academics and "Lefty" or "Woke" universities in the next year to 18 months before the next GE.

Watch this space.

The massive spike in dependent visas being offered to undergrads, out of all proportion to overall numbers Indian or Nigerian, seems a blatantly obvious visa scam, no?

This is a good thread.

Yeah the general principle the thread is getting at is fine, no real disagreement here. My point was more specific and related to the more recent announcement on cutting down spousal visas for undergrads, which really doesn't seem to me to be a controversial thing to do.

[Tichtheid]

Yeah the general principle the thread is getting at is fine, no real disagreement here. My point was more specific and related to the more recent announcement on cutting down spousal visas for undergrads, which really doesn't seem to me to be a controversial thing to do.

Cutting the visa for children and spouses of students will have an impact on international student numbers, and therefore it will impact on fee revenue
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... nt-numbers


From the point of view of someone who does not trust one word this government utters, to me this smacks of being part of the "stop the boats" rhetoric without taking into account any benefit having foreign students bring to the institutions and fellow students, and that is at best.

At worst it's a deliberate attempt to cut foreign student fees as part of an attack on woke academics and universities - they've already gone after the judiciary, the electoral process, the right to protest etc - is it such a stretch to think they wouldn't go after academics and universities?
There are already a myriad of exaggerated stories of cancel culture at universities, this is just another step.

[GogLais]

Didn't he put it in his diaries?

Boris Johnson has been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office after his diary showed friends visiting Chequers - the grace and favour home - during the COVID pandemic.

No idea at all how these things work but would they refer him to the police if they thought he’d been speeding on the way to Chequers?

[Biffer]

Didn't he put it in his diaries?

Boris Johnson has been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office after his diary showed friends visiting Chequers - the grace and favour home - during the COVID pandemic.

No idea at all how these things work but would they refer him to the police if they thought he’d been speeding on the way to Chequers?

Civil servants have a duty to report information relevant to a crime under investigation.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

The Blob picking on Boris agian...

You could have meant this as a Colin "Bomber" Harris style affair seeing Boris takes on Boris for the title of heavyweight champion and undisputed blob of the UK

[dpedin]

No idea at all how these things work but would they refer him to the police if they thought he’d been speeding on the way to Chequers?

Civil servants have a duty to report information relevant to a crime under investigation.

I have no idea why folk are surprised that a documented and well known lier who is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is is caught lying about breaking the law by providing the evidence to the authorities himself! I also have no idea why folk think this is a political stitch up when his lawyers handed over the diaries and civil servants scrutinised them and handed them over to the police with no political interference at all in the process. I also no idea why some think he shouldn't be prosecuted should said evidence prove that our chief lawmaker did in fact break the very laws that he told the country about when standing at the lectern and his own Government passed through Parliament. Finally I have no idea why anyone still tries and defends the racist, misogynistic, free loading, crooked, Russian chum, Blonde Bumblecunt in the face of mountains of evidence that prove all of this and more! Slap the Cnut in jail!

[TheNatalShark]

Whenever lights go out at junctions or big roundabouts, traffics always seems to flow much better

At first it sort of does. Everyone is aware it's different, and is very aware. The problem is when people get used to it, they start relying on habits rather than being highly aware again.

Slick was police that served on London for a bit?

As a pedestrian or cyclist broken lights are nigh impossible to deal with in London mornings, the closer to the city the worse it gets.

Absolute free for all where all the focus is on other cars.

[Slick]

Whenever lights go out at junctions or big roundabouts, traffics always seems to flow much better

At first it sort of does. Everyone is aware it's different, and is very aware. The problem is when people get used to it, they start relying on habits rather than being highly aware again.

Slick was police that served on London for a bit?

As a pedestrian or cyclist broken lights are nigh impossible to deal with in London mornings, the closer to the city the worse it gets.

Absolute free for all where all the focus is on other cars.

Me, police? No, not me. Spent most of my time in London trying to avoid them

[sockwithaticket]

Yeah the general principle the thread is getting at is fine, no real disagreement here. My point was more specific and related to the more recent announcement on cutting down spousal visas for undergrads, which really doesn't seem to me to be a controversial thing to do.

Cutting the visa for children and spouses of students will have an impact on international student numbers, and therefore it will impact on fee revenue
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... nt-numbers


From the point of view of someone who does not trust one word this government utters, to me this smacks of being part of the "stop the boats" rhetoric without taking into account any benefit having foreign students bring to the institutions and fellow students, and that is at best.

At worst it's a deliberate attempt to cut foreign student fees as part of an attack on woke academics and universities - they've already gone after the judiciary, the electoral process, the right to protest etc - is it such a stretch to think they wouldn't go after academics and universities?
There are already a myriad of exaggerated stories of cancel culture at universities, this is just another step.

In the absence of adequate government funding, I understand universities milking international students for all that they're worth, but it's not a model we should be encouraging and the standard to which many of these students are being educated is risible a lot of the time. Particularly at institutions outside of the big names/top 20.

A friend of mine worked for Westminster uni admissions for a bit and their business program was almost exclusively foreign students who had lower equivalent grades than their UK counterparts and were rubber stamped through their English 101 prep courses regardless of whether they were actually up to snuff. They also received a lot more grading leeway and were coached through their degrees to an extent that UK students weren't because they need those students to get their qualification and maintain the rep of the UK as a good place to go for one, lest the stream of cash dry up.

From what he heard and what I've read elsewhere, Westminster was far from the only institution donning the kid gloves for its cash cows.

On the periphery of this is the thorny question of how many universities do we actually need? Should they really exist if a pillar of their survival is to effectively give degrees away in direct exchange for cash, with the only demand being that foreign students go through the motions of acquiring a degree? Might it not be better to contract the number and ensure that they are all elite centres of learning.

[Biffer]

Yeah the general principle the thread is getting at is fine, no real disagreement here. My point was more specific and related to the more recent announcement on cutting down spousal visas for undergrads, which really doesn't seem to me to be a controversial thing to do.

Cutting the visa for children and spouses of students will have an impact on international student numbers, and therefore it will impact on fee revenue
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... nt-numbers


From the point of view of someone who does not trust one word this government utters, to me this smacks of being part of the "stop the boats" rhetoric without taking into account any benefit having foreign students bring to the institutions and fellow students, and that is at best.

At worst it's a deliberate attempt to cut foreign student fees as part of an attack on woke academics and universities - they've already gone after the judiciary, the electoral process, the right to protest etc - is it such a stretch to think they wouldn't go after academics and universities?
There are already a myriad of exaggerated stories of cancel culture at universities, this is just another step.

In the absence of adequate government funding, I understand universities milking international students for all that they're worth, but it's not a model we should be encouraging and the standard to which many of these students are being educated is risible a lot of the time. Particularly at institutions outside of the big names/top 20.

A friend of mine worked for Westminster uni admissions for a bit and their business program was almost exclusively foreign students who had lower equivalent grades than their UK counterparts and were rubber stamped through their English 101 prep courses regardless of whether they were actually up to snuff. They also received a lot more grading leeway and were coached through their degrees to an extent that UK students weren't because they need those students to get their qualification and maintain the rep of the UK as a good place to go for one, lest the stream of cash dry up.

From what he heard and what I've read elsewhere, Westminster was far from the only institution donning the kid gloves for its cash cows.

On the periphery of this is the thorny question of how many universities do we actually need? Should they really exist if a pillar of their survival is to effectively give degrees away in direct exchange for cash, with the only demand being that foreign students go through the motions of acquiring a degree? Might it not be better to contract the number and ensure that they are all elite centres of learning.

The universities in the UK are one of our only world leading sectors. I'd not fuck around with it too much tbh

[Paddington Bear]

Yeah the general principle the thread is getting at is fine, no real disagreement here. My point was more specific and related to the more recent announcement on cutting down spousal visas for undergrads, which really doesn't seem to me to be a controversial thing to do.

Cutting the visa for children and spouses of students will have an impact on international student numbers, and therefore it will impact on fee revenue
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... nt-numbers


From the point of view of someone who does not trust one word this government utters, to me this smacks of being part of the "stop the boats" rhetoric without taking into account any benefit having foreign students bring to the institutions and fellow students, and that is at best.

At worst it's a deliberate attempt to cut foreign student fees as part of an attack on woke academics and universities - they've already gone after the judiciary, the electoral process, the right to protest etc - is it such a stretch to think they wouldn't go after academics and universities?
There are already a myriad of exaggerated stories of cancel culture at universities, this is just another step.

In the absence of adequate government funding, I understand universities milking international students for all that they're worth, but it's not a model we should be encouraging and the standard to which many of these students are being educated is risible a lot of the time. Particularly at institutions outside of the big names/top 20.

A friend of mine worked for Westminster uni admissions for a bit and their business program was almost exclusively foreign students who had lower equivalent grades than their UK counterparts and were rubber stamped through their English 101 prep courses regardless of whether they were actually up to snuff. They also received a lot more grading leeway and were coached through their degrees to an extent that UK students weren't because they need those students to get their qualification and maintain the rep of the UK as a good place to go for one, lest the stream of cash dry up.

From what he heard and what I've read elsewhere, Westminster was far from the only institution donning the kid gloves for its cash cows.

On the periphery of this is the thorny question of how many universities do we actually need? Should they really exist if a pillar of their survival is to effectively give degrees away in direct exchange for cash, with the only demand being that foreign students go through the motions of acquiring a degree? Might it not be better to contract the number and ensure that they are all elite centres of learning.

Pretty much this. I think it's hard to articulate what's going on at unis without having some first hand perspective, the whole thing is such a blatant scam it's unreal. In reality they are selling visas not degrees.

I'm taking a professional course right now which is allegedly top of the market, I've come across multiple people who can't speak English and significant leeway being given to international students, particularly with regard to cheating in assignments, which is absolutely rife. The whole thing is a pisstake that I suspect the university leadership is well aware of.

Circling back a little, Ticht is right that some international students are free money for UKplc and we shouldn't care about their impact on migration numbers. If we can expand numbers at Oxbridge/Imperial etc and eat IIT's lunch then go for it, I'd be the first to be in favour.

It is by no means true to say all international students fit the bill, and increasingly I'd argue it is hard to sustain that even most fall into this category. Let's be entirely honest here, bar a few cases that are likely to be exceptional, if you're bringing dependents over for an undergrad course at a low tier university you are exploiting a glitch in the visa system, nothing more nothing less. If you're bringing dependents you are also no longer free money, as you're very likely to take more out of services than you put in. If we're running net student migration at around 500,000 per year we need to have a discussion about how we house these people/provide other services/whether this is actually sustainable in a country our size.

[Tichtheid]

If we are talking about the "Top 20" unis we are pretty much talking about the Russell Group, they have this to say

The Russell Group’s 24 members are world-class, research-intensive universities. They are unique institutions, each with their own history and ethos, but they share some distinguishing characteristics.

Our universities believe people and ideas are the key to meeting global challenges. Through world-class research and education they are helping to create a dynamic economy, stronger communities and a better future for the UK. They maintain the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with local and national business and the public sector.

Russell Group universities have huge social, economic and cultural impacts locally, across the UK and around the globe:

They produce more than two-thirds of the world-leading research produced in UK universities and support more than 260,000 jobs across the country.
They inject nearly £87 billion into the national economy every year.
In 2018-19, 446,450 undergraduates and 155,655 postgraduates were studying at a Russell Group university.
Our members attract students and staff from around the world and work with major multinational businesses and international organisations:

32% of students are of non-UK nationality, attracted to our universities by the quality, relevance and reputation of research.
Russell Group members also have a strong role and influence within their regional and local communities, collaborate with businesses on joint research projects and supply highly-qualified and highly-motivated graduates to the local workforce.

The Russell Group's 32% non-UK students is much higher (22%) than non-RG universities

Overall there are getting on for 700K foreign students, well over 90% of whom leave by or before the date of expiry of their visas. They are not leaving people behind, their dependents go with them.

The dependents are yet another dead cat thrown on the table, it's not a significant issue and disguises the real motivation behind their policies. Even if you don't think the Tories are attacking the Lefty universities (and my whole point at the beginning of this is that there will be more and more stories about woke academics etc coming to the fore in the next 18 months), it must be obvious that this is just another part of the narrative of blaming foreigners for whatever ills are facing the electorate, Shirley?
It was the Polish, it was the Romanians, it was the EU, it was the small boats and currently it's the children and spouses of students