Stop voting for fucking Tories

[_Os_]

Galloway being elected is a problem for people with values anywhere you'd hope.

Fairly obvious the real issue some have with Galloway is that a lot of people agree with him.

Galloway has values, for example he campaigned against Scottish independence and then campaigned for Brexit. Part of his values is being a pro-Union Brexiter. If their were more MPs in the Commons from minor parties like the BNP and UKIP who had those values pre-2016, then maybe a lot of (ongoing) trouble could've been avoided. FPTP meant the likes of BNP and UKIP contested huge numbers of seats over many GEs and byelections receiving large amounts of votes but winning not much. Then because FPTP heavily punishes small parties (something the Tories will learn if they keep sinking, Lib Dem polling levels means a Lib Dem level result) whilst heavily rewarding larger parties, the Tories had to absorb BNP and UKIP positions which had never really been debated and exposed to scrutiny but were becoming popular or risk losing ground and being punished by FPTP.

The bad man getting elected seems preferable than one of the main parties in a two party system going insane.

Nah, his values are whatever are handy for his own self furtherance. The Scottish independence one is a case in point. He bangs on about the right for self determination for people all over the world, particularly parts of the old British Empire, but there’s one group he says shouldn’t get that opportunity and it’s his own country, because he loves sucking on the Westminster teat (and knows he’d get nowhere in Scotland).

Just looks like the standard Brexiter sovereignty position? "SOVEREIGNTY ABOVE ALL ELSE (but not for Celts)"?

His admiration of Saddam Hussein looks genuine, his own values being a UK version of Hussein's Baath Party. A smooth talking Stalinist who has incorporated nationalist and religious elements (a Communist shouldn't be religious if they were strict about it, but he he claims to be Catholic and is comfortable with Islam). It's why he's always popping up on the right and supporting the Tories or UKIP and was asked by Tice to become a Reform candidate, but also has some Muslim support. It looks all over the place but he's consistently in the same positions, always extreme and very predictable. In UK domestic politics he's quite far right and internationally he's a tankie. Money isn't the only explanation, there's money in taking the opposite positions he does too (the opposite positions are basically New Labour).

[Biffer]

Fairly obvious the real issue some have with Galloway is that a lot of people agree with him.

Galloway has values, for example he campaigned against Scottish independence and then campaigned for Brexit. Part of his values is being a pro-Union Brexiter. If their were more MPs in the Commons from minor parties like the BNP and UKIP who had those values pre-2016, then maybe a lot of (ongoing) trouble could've been avoided. FPTP meant the likes of BNP and UKIP contested huge numbers of seats over many GEs and byelections receiving large amounts of votes but winning not much. Then because FPTP heavily punishes small parties (something the Tories will learn if they keep sinking, Lib Dem polling levels means a Lib Dem level result) whilst heavily rewarding larger parties, the Tories had to absorb BNP and UKIP positions which had never really been debated and exposed to scrutiny but were becoming popular or risk losing ground and being punished by FPTP.

The bad man getting elected seems preferable than one of the main parties in a two party system going insane.

Nah, his values are whatever are handy for his own self furtherance. The Scottish independence one is a case in point. He bangs on about the right for self determination for people all over the world, particularly parts of the old British Empire, but there’s one group he says shouldn’t get that opportunity and it’s his own country, because he loves sucking on the Westminster teat (and knows he’d get nowhere in Scotland).

Just looks like the standard Brexiter sovereignty position? "SOVEREIGNTY ABOVE ALL ELSE (but not for Celts)"?

His admiration of Saddam Hussein looks genuine, his own values being a UK version of Hussein's Baath Party. A smooth talking Stalinist who has incorporated nationalist and religious elements (a Communist shouldn't be religious if they were strict about it, but he he claims to be Catholic and is comfortable with Islam). It's why he's always popping up on the right and supporting the Tories or UKIP and was asked by Tice to become a Reform candidate, but also has some Muslim support. It looks all over the place but he's consistently in the same positions, always extreme and very predictable. In UK domestic politics he's quite far right and internationally he's a tankie. Money isn't the only explanation, there's money in taking the opposite positions he does too (the opposite positions are basically New Labour).

Point to to other Brexiters who are in favour of a United Ireland.

[Jockaline]

Perhaps we could all agree that Galloway's elastic beliefs allow him to be electable under many different circumstances, but once elected he is less than worthless as a constituency MP?

A useful protest vote to shine a light on the countries view on the horror going on in Palestine, the constituency can replace him in less than a year, and I'm sure will do.

[_Os_]

Nah, his values are whatever are handy for his own self furtherance. The Scottish independence one is a case in point. He bangs on about the right for self determination for people all over the world, particularly parts of the old British Empire, but there’s one group he says shouldn’t get that opportunity and it’s his own country, because he loves sucking on the Westminster teat (and knows he’d get nowhere in Scotland).

Just looks like the standard Brexiter sovereignty position? "SOVEREIGNTY ABOVE ALL ELSE (but not for Celts)"?

His admiration of Saddam Hussein looks genuine, his own values being a UK version of Hussein's Baath Party. A smooth talking Stalinist who has incorporated nationalist and religious elements (a Communist shouldn't be religious if they were strict about it, but he he claims to be Catholic and is comfortable with Islam). It's why he's always popping up on the right and supporting the Tories or UKIP and was asked by Tice to become a Reform candidate, but also has some Muslim support. It looks all over the place but he's consistently in the same positions, always extreme and very predictable. In UK domestic politics he's quite far right and internationally he's a tankie. Money isn't the only explanation, there's money in taking the opposite positions he does too (the opposite positions are basically New Labour).

Point to to other Brexiters who are in favour of a United Ireland.

1. The 2015 pro-Leave book "Change or Go" (a massive telephone directory like book, multiple authors including Matthew Elliott and Mark Littlewood), mentioned NI very few times (less mentions than Mr.Bean the TV character). The Brexit big brains had no real views on NI pre-2016, they literally knew fuck all about NI or Ireland, other than maybe Gove who opposed the GFA at one point. Karen Bradley was Northern Ireland secretary in 2018 and admitted she didn't know that Irish nationalists didn't vote for Unionist parties. The Tory level of understanding about Ni was below that of a moron.
2. Cummings saying "fuck Northern Ireland" when he got frustrated with all the realities May tried to navigate.
3. Telegraph publishing anti-Ni attacks, that basically NI is a burden to the UK and for Brexit NI should be got rid of: "millstone round the neck of the rest of the UK", "Accepting customs checks at the Irish Sea would allow the EU negotiations to be successfully concluded and remains the best solution, but if the DUP continues to block this obvious remedy, then a referendum on Irish unity will be the best way forward for everyone, in Northern Ireland, the republic and the rest of the UK.". Article here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... ay-brexit/
4. All the polling which showed Brexiters would be happy to end the union (united Ireland and an independent Scotland) to get Brexit done.
5. Galloway's fellow tankies, probably Corbyn.

[Biffer]

Just looks like the standard Brexiter sovereignty position? "SOVEREIGNTY ABOVE ALL ELSE (but not for Celts)"?

His admiration of Saddam Hussein looks genuine, his own values being a UK version of Hussein's Baath Party. A smooth talking Stalinist who has incorporated nationalist and religious elements (a Communist shouldn't be religious if they were strict about it, but he he claims to be Catholic and is comfortable with Islam). It's why he's always popping up on the right and supporting the Tories or UKIP and was asked by Tice to become a Reform candidate, but also has some Muslim support. It looks all over the place but he's consistently in the same positions, always extreme and very predictable. In UK domestic politics he's quite far right and internationally he's a tankie. Money isn't the only explanation, there's money in taking the opposite positions he does too (the opposite positions are basically New Labour).

Point to to other Brexiters who are in favour of a United Ireland.

1. The 2015 pro-Leave book "Change or Go" (a massive telephone directory like book, multiple authors including Matthew Elliott and Mark Littlewood), mentioned NI very few times (less mentions than Mr.Bean the TV character). The Brexit big brains had no real views on NI pre-2016, they literally knew fuck all about NI or Ireland, other than maybe Gove who opposed the GFA at one point. Karen Bradley was Northern Ireland secretary in 2018 and admitted she didn't know that Irish nationalists didn't vote for Unionist parties. The Tory level of understanding about Ni was below that of a moron.
2. Cummings saying "fuck Northern Ireland" when he got frustrated with all the realities May tried to navigate.
3. Telegraph publishing anti-Ni attacks, that basically NI is a burden to the UK and for Brexit NI should be got rid of: "millstone round the neck of the rest of the UK", "Accepting customs checks at the Irish Sea would allow the EU negotiations to be successfully concluded and remains the best solution, but if the DUP continues to block this obvious remedy, then a referendum on Irish unity will be the best way forward for everyone, in Northern Ireland, the republic and the rest of the UK.". Article here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... ay-brexit/
4. All the polling which showed Brexiters would be happy to end the union (united Ireland and an independent Scotland) to get Brexit done.
5. Galloway's fellow tankies, probably Corbyn.

All those points are, are folk who are completely ignorant not understanding the problems they were causing. Fuck NI doesn’t mean he wants a United ireland, it means he thinks NI is unimportant and should shut the fuck up and take what it’s given. The telegraph article is the same, shut up you parochial little twats and eat your biscuits.

People not caring about it is very different from actively campaigning for it. You’re really stretching here and are demonstrating how little you know about Galloway.

Additionally you’re adopting a very south east of England attitude in the way you’re really lacking any understanding of broader politics of the regions and nations of the UK. Probably not your fault, tbf.

[Tichtheid]

On the other hand ,Professor Michael Dougan M.A. (Cantab), Ph.D (Cantab)
Professor of European Law and Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law
(full title copied from the Liverpool Uni site)

He made YouTube videos on the complexity of Brexit and especially NI in the run up to the vote, I don't know much about him personally, but he has a Nordie accent.

I think he was one of the experts that we'd all apparently had too much of.

[_Os_]

Point to to other Brexiters who are in favour of a United Ireland.

1. The 2015 pro-Leave book "Change or Go" (a massive telephone directory like book, multiple authors including Matthew Elliott and Mark Littlewood), mentioned NI very few times (less mentions than Mr.Bean the TV character). The Brexit big brains had no real views on NI pre-2016, they literally knew fuck all about NI or Ireland, other than maybe Gove who opposed the GFA at one point. Karen Bradley was Northern Ireland secretary in 2018 and admitted she didn't know that Irish nationalists didn't vote for Unionist parties. The Tory level of understanding about Ni was below that of a moron.
2. Cummings saying "fuck Northern Ireland" when he got frustrated with all the realities May tried to navigate.
3. Telegraph publishing anti-Ni attacks, that basically NI is a burden to the UK and for Brexit NI should be got rid of: "millstone round the neck of the rest of the UK", "Accepting customs checks at the Irish Sea would allow the EU negotiations to be successfully concluded and remains the best solution, but if the DUP continues to block this obvious remedy, then a referendum on Irish unity will be the best way forward for everyone, in Northern Ireland, the republic and the rest of the UK.". Article here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... ay-brexit/
4. All the polling which showed Brexiters would be happy to end the union (united Ireland and an independent Scotland) to get Brexit done.
5. Galloway's fellow tankies, probably Corbyn.

All those points are, are folk who are completely ignorant not understanding the problems they were causing. Fuck NI doesn’t mean he wants a United ireland, it means he thinks NI is unimportant and should shut the fuck up and take what it’s given. The telegraph article is the same, shut up you parochial little twats and eat your biscuits.

People not caring about it is very different from actively campaigning for it. You’re really stretching here and are demonstrating how little you know about Galloway.

Additionally you’re adopting a very south east of England attitude in the way you’re really lacking any understanding of broader politics of the regions and nations of the UK. Probably not your fault, tbf.

Yes they don't care about NI, but once it started causing them issues many Tory Brexiters switched to being happy for a united Ireland becoming more real if it meant Brexit. Which is what the Johnson outcome did. A lot of Brexiters weren't determined to keep NI in the Union at all, it was usually Remainers like May trying to make it all work and not harm the Union.

No comment that Corbyn probably has the same position as Galloway? It's quite common on the far left Labour fringe to either not think Brexit matters or to support it, and to either soft support a united Ireland or openly advocate for it. In the media Novara is in that space.

I've lived in NI. I would put my Ireland/NI knowledge far above the GB norm (most people in GB have never even visited the place). Scotland and Northern England would be the parts of the UK I know least about and don't comment all that much on, but not NI.

[Tichtheid]

It's quite common on the far left Labour fringe to either not think Brexit matters or to support it,

It was common on the "Indy Left" to support Brexit in Scotland, it was an issue that was seen as either separate from or a part of Scottish independence among many and their argument went along the lines of the EU being a "Capitalist Club".

It was never a coherent argument once you started asking questions.

[Biffer]

1. The 2015 pro-Leave book "Change or Go" (a massive telephone directory like book, multiple authors including Matthew Elliott and Mark Littlewood), mentioned NI very few times (less mentions than Mr.Bean the TV character). The Brexit big brains had no real views on NI pre-2016, they literally knew fuck all about NI or Ireland, other than maybe Gove who opposed the GFA at one point. Karen Bradley was Northern Ireland secretary in 2018 and admitted she didn't know that Irish nationalists didn't vote for Unionist parties. The Tory level of understanding about Ni was below that of a moron.
2. Cummings saying "fuck Northern Ireland" when he got frustrated with all the realities May tried to navigate.
3. Telegraph publishing anti-Ni attacks, that basically NI is a burden to the UK and for Brexit NI should be got rid of: "millstone round the neck of the rest of the UK", "Accepting customs checks at the Irish Sea would allow the EU negotiations to be successfully concluded and remains the best solution, but if the DUP continues to block this obvious remedy, then a referendum on Irish unity will be the best way forward for everyone, in Northern Ireland, the republic and the rest of the UK.". Article here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... ay-brexit/
4. All the polling which showed Brexiters would be happy to end the union (united Ireland and an independent Scotland) to get Brexit done.
5. Galloway's fellow tankies, probably Corbyn.

All those points are, are folk who are completely ignorant not understanding the problems they were causing. Fuck NI doesn’t mean he wants a United ireland, it means he thinks NI is unimportant and should shut the fuck up and take what it’s given. The telegraph article is the same, shut up you parochial little twats and eat your biscuits.

People not caring about it is very different from actively campaigning for it. You’re really stretching here and are demonstrating how little you know about Galloway.

Additionally you’re adopting a very south east of England attitude in the way you’re really lacking any understanding of broader politics of the regions and nations of the UK. Probably not your fault, tbf.

Yes they don't care about NI, but once it started causing them issues many Tory Brexiters switched to being happy for a united Ireland becoming more real if it meant Brexit. Which is what the Johnson outcome did. A lot of Brexiters weren't determined to keep NI in the Union at all, it was usually Remainers like May trying to make it all work and not harm the Union.

No comment that Corbyn probably has the same position as Galloway? It's quite common on the far left Labour fringe to either not think Brexit matters or to support it, and to either soft support a united Ireland or openly advocate for it. In the media Novara is in that space.

I've lived in NI. I would put my Ireland/NI knowledge far above the GB norm (most people in GB have never even visited the place). Scotland and Northern England would be the parts of the UK I know least about and don't comment all that much on, but not NI.

Galloway is ardently pro Irish reunification. Not ambivalent. That’s not a standard Brexit position.

[_Os_]

It was common on the "Indy Left" to support Brexit in Scotland, it was an issue that was seen as either separate from or a part of Scottish independence among many and their argument went along the lines of the EU being a "Capitalist Club".

It was never a coherent argument once you started asking questions.

Interesting, it seems they've retained some thinking from the Labour left on the topic, just with support for Scottish independence added. The cold Cuba socialism in one country option but even more isolated.

Galloway is ardently pro Irish reunification. Not ambivalent. That’s not a standard Brexit position.

Corbyn has never supported Scottish independence. Is a Bennite on Europe and favourable towards Brexit, but was forced into all sorts of positions due to the vast majority of his party being against it. He was meeting regularly with Adams, IRA men and Sinn Fein men, throughout the 1980s even immediately after IRA bombings.

Is this something Galloway has even flip flopped on? Has he always been Euro sceptic/anti-EU, always anti-Scottish independence, always pro-united Ireland? If he's never changed his positions then it's just the standard Labour hard left position, of wanting a cold Cuba with Wales/Scotland forced to participate with England in that undertaking. The only difference they have with the Tory sovereignty fans, is as you say the Tories are ambivalent about NI. They all agree Scotland can never escape.

[Paddington Bear]

It’s not a coincidence that the British far left join parties/organisations that describe themselves as ‘of Great Britain’. Nor that Labour don’t run candidates in NI, and until a court case didn’t allow membership from NI. Wilson I’m fairly certain in government or just before a spell in government stated Labour’s policy was a united Ireland.

What happens in Britain itself is a separate story, and the Labour movement has tended to emphasise industrial solidarity between different parts of the island, as well as see independence as a divide and rule policy. See a socialist song like ‘Pound a Week Rise’ - ‘come all you colliers… from Scotland to South Wales, from Teesdale to Tyne’. Labour have been a strong unionist party since the start, it’s just the internet narrative of a unionist is a Tory or tory adjacent character, even if it is exceptionally ahistorical.

The SNP of course have their origins in strict Calvinist dogma and anti-Catholicism, Plaid are a rural farmer’s party. Both’s conversion to left wing politics is in pursuit of where votes might be, it isn’t too long ago the SNP were the ‘Tartan Tories’.

[Tichtheid]

It’s not a coincidence that the British far left join parties/organisations that describe themselves as ‘of Great Britain’. Nor that Labour don’t run candidates in NI, and until a court case didn’t allow membership from NI. Wilson I’m fairly certain in government or just before a spell in government stated Labour’s policy was a united Ireland.

What happens in Britain itself is a separate story, and the Labour movement has tended to emphasise industrial solidarity between different parts of the island, as well as see independence as a divide and rule policy. See a socialist song like ‘Pound a Week Rise’ - ‘come all you colliers… from Scotland to South Wales, from Teesdale to Tyne’. Labour have been a strong unionist party since the start, it’s just the internet narrative of a unionist is a Tory or tory adjacent character, even if it is exceptionally ahistorical.

The SNP of course have their origins in strict Calvinist dogma and anti-Catholicism, Plaid are a rural farmer’s party. Both’s conversion to left wing politics is in pursuit of where votes might be, it isn’t too long ago the SNP were the ‘Tartan Tories’.

It’s true that there is a theme that goes, “the miner in East Lothian has more in common with the miner in South Wales than he does the banker living in the Grange in Edinburgh”, but there is also another indy theme best characterised by a James Connolly quote,
If you remove the English army to-morrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain.

England would still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs.

[I like neeps]

The loss on GBNews is outrageous. I appreciate that TalkTV and GBNews are as much their ownership buying influence of the Tory party than any commercial aims. But still, they can't be getting value for money there.

[tabascoboy]

The loss on GBNews is outrageous. I appreciate that TalkTV and GBNews are as much their ownership buying influence of the Tory party than any commercial aims. But still, they can't be getting value for money there.

Would be terrible if GBNews went belly-up...for the Tories - who would they be able to grift for then?

[sockwithaticket]

Obviously it's backed a to provide an unadulterated right wing propaganda outlet. I'm not really sure what their metrics for success are, would it be something as concrete as delivering elections or something more nebulous like moving the Overton window?

[sturginho]

The loss on GBNews is outrageous. I appreciate that TalkTV and GBNews are as much their ownership buying influence of the Tory party than any commercial aims. But still, they can't be getting value for money there.

666 likes for that tweet can't be coincidence

[fishfoodie]

If you find yourself wavering before polling day, or just want to get in your 15 mins of hate, this guy does a comprehensive tear down of the horrendous economic policies & the sorry state of all the UKs data. Economics is hard to do a video about, but the charts he's lined up are devastating.

[dpedin]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

[geordie_6]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

For a Tory?

[sturginho]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

Also the irony of a Tory minister complaining that others don't live up to the Nolan principles

[Biffer]

Jeremy Cunt putting a budget out that is quite obviously a spoiling budget for the next government.

[SaintK]

Jeremy Cunt putting a budget out that is quite obviously a spoiling budget for the next government.

He is snivelling piece of shit
Someone on the front bench needs to tell hin to stop with the "jokes" they are truly pathetic!!!

[I like neeps]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

The Tax Payers Alliance are going to be furious when they hear about this.

[Biffer]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

[inactionman]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

There's not a great deal admirable in that.

fecking around with government for political theatre. Plus ça change.

[Slick]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

There's not a great deal admirable in that.

fecking around with government for political theatre. Plus ça change.

Well, they had to do something after the MSP who is head of their "Rebuttal Unit" demanded they should all leave Westminster then 48 hours later rebutted himself and said they should all stay and it was madness to suggest otherwise. A day in the life of Scottish politics.

[sturginho]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

There's not a great deal admirable in that.

fecking around with government for political theatre. Plus ça change.

Well, they had to do something after the MSP who is head of their "Rebuttal Unit" demanded they should all leave Westminster then 48 hours later rebutted himself and said they should all stay and it was madness to suggest otherwise. A day in the life of Scottish politics.

top rebutting!

[inactionman]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

There's not a great deal admirable in that.

fecking around with government for political theatre. Plus ça change.

Well, they had to do something after the MSP who is head of their "Rebuttal Unit" demanded they should all leave Westminster then 48 hours later rebutted himself and said they should all stay and it was madness to suggest otherwise. A day in the life of Scottish politics.

He clearly needs a good rebutt.

[SaintK]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

Two at a time, like London buses!

A Conservative peer has apologised and paid damages to a doctoral student after wrongly saying an octopus soft toy used as her University Challenge team’s mascot was chosen as an antisemitic symbol.
The former MEP Jacqueline Foster had already apologised publicly and privately to Melika Gorgianeh, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Oxford University, following comments made after the episode of the BBC Two quizshow was broadcast in November.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/ ... allenge

[dpedin]

Turns out the headline is wrong - as it says later in the article we the taxpayer have ended up paying for this. Surely this is a resigning matter given she is actually Minister for State for Science, Innovation and Technology?

PS Her husband is also CEO I think of company, Stronghold Global, that benefitted greatly from PPE contracts during the pandemic. Suely they must have gouged enough profits for that to cover some measly damages claim?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68486206

Two at a time, like London buses!

A Conservative peer has apologised and paid damages to a doctoral student after wrongly saying an octopus soft toy used as her University Challenge team’s mascot was chosen as an antisemitic symbol.
The former MEP Jacqueline Foster had already apologised publicly and privately to Melika Gorgianeh, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Oxford University, following comments made after the episode of the BBC Two quizshow was broadcast in November.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/ ... allenge

No doubt paid through expenses as well. They are really a bunch a cnuts!

[fishfoodie]

Clearing the decks before the GE gets called, & must use up those expenses !

[Biffer]

SNP have forced a division on the budget motion

Labpour are abstaining so are staying put, but they've forced all the Tories to get off their fat arses and walk through the lobby.

Pretty sure their justification for this will be that if tradition etc isn't being applied to the SNP after their opposition day, they don't see why they should respect it for anyone else.On a larger scale it points out the utter absurdity of the way the UK is governed.

There's not a great deal admirable in that.

fecking around with government for political theatre. Plus ça change.

When they've try
ied not to do that, the other parties just do it anyway and they end up with the shitty end of the stick.

[sockwithaticket]

Good speech from Starmer.

[Slick]

Good speech from Starmer.

Yes, watched it live and thought the same. There was a fair bit of squirming on the Tory benches and Rishi took a sudden interest in his iPad

[sockwithaticket]

Good speech from Starmer.

Yes, watched it live and thought the same. There was a fair bit of squirming on the Tory benches and Rishi took a sudden interest in his iPad

They're all fully aware that there was nothing said that they could credibly dispute.

[I like neeps]

What a bizarre attack line, Labour aren't going to reduce taxes. I'd be surprised if they don't continue to grow as we have more councils go bust and more demand from the oldies and unhealthies on the NHS. Oh, and the water companies going bust and schools still falling down.

Time for a party to be honest. Taxes are going to have to rise for things to be fixed. Or, moving to European/Australian healthcare.

[fishfoodie]

What a bizarre attack line, Labour aren't going to reduce taxes. I'd be surprised if they don't continue to grow as we have more councils go bust and more demand from the oldies and unhealthies on the NHS. Oh, and the water companies going bust and schools still falling down.

Time for a party to be honest. Taxes are going to have to rise for things to be fixed. Or, moving to European/Australian healthcare.

.... and that's why that video I linked above is so important; it shows the box that any new Government is in, because of how totally the Tories have fucked the UK economy !

- It's okay, we'll just borrow more.
> Sorry, the Tories doubled the National debt, & now interest rates are multiples larger

- It's okay, we'll just grow the economy & get more taxes without raising tax rates
> Are you on drugs ????, how ?, where ?, did you miss the Brexit thing ?

- It's okay, we're building a knowledge economy, & we've the best Universities in the world, so we'll be kings of AI, & Genetic Engineering, & Blockchain .....
> See last answer (Oh, & have you not noticed the destruction of the Education system ?)

If Labour get three terms they might be able to get back to 2007 levels of economic health.

[_Os_]

Hunt says £242m of Levelling Up funding is going into ... Canary Wharf and Barking Riverside. Apparently 8000 homes will be built.

I can't be the only one thinking this is very suspicious? There's some media focus on Levelling Up money now literally being pumped into Canary Wharf. But the claim of 8000 homes doesn't look at all possible for that amount of money, it would need multiples more.

It makes me wonder why Canary Wharf? It's privately owned by the Canary Wharf Group (which is in turn owned by the Qatar government and a US property group), this is why it's notoriously difficult to film or protest there, it's private property. Canary Wharf is basically the model for the Tory free ports, which are predictably turning out to be corrupt cesspits. Commercial property isn't exactly going through a bull run, legitimate to wonder how viable the old Canary Wharf business model is. Which is probably why the Canary Wharf Group setup its Vertus subsidiary in around 2019/2020, a built to rent property group (they do not sell what they build) that is developing in Canary Wharf. The Canary Wharf Group/Vertus business model is that only they get to own and everyone else rents.

I could be wrong, but my hunch is that Levelling Up funding could be being pumped into Vertus housing projects. The Tories are deeply ideologically committed to Canary Wharf continuing to exist as a private entity. But if the business model becomes renting to people who cannot just "move somewhere else" given the realities of the London/South East property and rental market, and the landlord doesn't just own the dwelling but the entire neighbourhood, and the landlord owns about £5bn of property across London and has no intention of selling any of it, and this is all supported by extracting rent from people with limited options. Then the business model is neo-feudalism.

The story of privatisation in the UK ... Tories setup Canary Wharf as a private entity, this entity ends up being state owned just not by the UK state, the private/foreign government owned entity at the very least sees potential risks in their business model, so the private/foreign government owned entity starts squeezing normal people living in the UK for additional rent (when the original point of all this was supposed to be about generating investment), this scheme also potentially being supported through UK public funds.

[I like neeps]

What a bizarre attack line, Labour aren't going to reduce taxes. I'd be surprised if they don't continue to grow as we have more councils go bust and more demand from the oldies and unhealthies on the NHS. Oh, and the water companies going bust and schools still falling down.

Time for a party to be honest. Taxes are going to have to rise for things to be fixed. Or, moving to European/Australian healthcare.

.... and that's why that video I linked above is so important; it shows the box that any new Government is in, because of how totally the Tories have fucked the UK economy !

- It's okay, we'll just borrow more.
> Sorry, the Tories doubled the National debt, & now interest rates are multiples larger

- It's okay, we'll just grow the economy & get more taxes without raising tax rates
> Are you on drugs ????, how ?, where ?, did you miss the Brexit thing ?

- It's okay, we're building a knowledge economy, & we've the best Universities in the world, so we'll be kings of AI, & Genetic Engineering, & Blockchain .....
> See last answer (Oh, & have you not noticed the destruction of the Education system ?)

If Labour get three terms they might be able to get back to 2007 levels of economic health.

They also need to increase defence spending most likely too.

I could not agree nore that the Conservative government has been a disaster and have thought so since 2015. Austerity has completely gutted the UK, and QE has ballooned inequality in favour of their voters (the asset owners).

And it's why it's so important Labour are honest. As you have laid out, continued decline and tax rises are inevitable. Labour need to start being honest about that because the second they get into power and things don't improve, or when they do inevitably rise taxes, and the Tory press get their claws in... It doesn't end well. For them, but mostly for us the UK public.

The problem is Rachael Reeves is going around and saying "there's no magic money tree" and Darren Jones is saying "the Tories have maxed out the credit card". It's totally self defeating as (a) it's wrong and (b) to continue to blame them in govt you probably can do for maybe a year or so but won't last forever because the press aren't in on it and you'll have Farage/Badenoch screeching in the press daily.

And yes the Tories blamed Labour, successfully, for the GFC for years but that's because the press wanted austerity because they ideologically want a smaller state. What they don't realise is paying for underfunding is more expensive than paying for things to work. A good example will be Birmingham council cutting adult and children's social care because they're bust. That's great, but the adults clogging the NHS and children without prospects being in the jail or economically inactive is more expensive.

[dpedin]

Hunt says £242m of Levelling Up funding is going into ... Canary Wharf and Barking Riverside. Apparently 8000 homes will be built.

I can't be the only one thinking this is very suspicious? There's some media focus on Levelling Up money now literally being pumped into Canary Wharf. But the claim of 8000 homes doesn't look at all possible for that amount of money, it would need multiples more.

It makes me wonder why Canary Wharf? It's privately owned by the Canary Wharf Group (which is in turn owned by the Qatar government and a US property group), this is why it's notoriously difficult to film or protest there, it's private property. Canary Wharf is basically the model for the Tory free ports, which are predictably turning out to be corrupt cesspits. Commercial property isn't exactly going through a bull run, legitimate to wonder how viable the old Canary Wharf business model is. Which is probably why the Canary Wharf Group setup its Vertus subsidiary in around 2019/2020, a built to rent property group (they do not sell what they build) that is developing in Canary Wharf. The Canary Wharf Group/Vertus business model is that only they get to own and everyone else rents.

I could be wrong, but my hunch is that Levelling Up funding could be being pumped into Vertus housing projects. The Tories are deeply ideologically committed to Canary Wharf continuing to exist as a private entity. But if the business model becomes renting to people who cannot just "move somewhere else" given the realities of the London/South East property and rental market, and the landlord doesn't just own the dwelling but the entire neighbourhood, and the landlord owns about £5bn of property across London and has no intention of selling any of it, and this is all supported by extracting rent from people with limited options. Then the business model is neo-feudalism.

The story of privatisation in the UK ... Tories setup Canary Wharf as a private entity, this entity ends up being state owned just not by the UK state, the private/foreign government owned entity at the very least sees potential risks in their business model, so the private/foreign government owned entity starts squeezing normal people living in the UK for additional rent (when the original point of all this was supposed to be about generating investment), this scheme also potentially being supported through UK public funds.

I didnt know this detail about Canary Wharf - very interesting! I dont disagree with your rational why Hunt is pumping money into it and agree entirely with your projected end point. It is in effect an early model of the 'Sovereign Individual' ideology in action!