I’m struggling to get my head around the fact we live with a version of capitalism where you can load up a company with huge debt, still pay massive dividends.. then pile that debt into tax payers and it’s totally legal?
Totally f**** up.
It's because the Gov choose to enable it. They *could* tell their wbanker mates that it's tough and they've lost their not hard earned dosh. But of course won't as they want a job onnthe board of those wbanks in 6 months time.
Well, the inevitable drip, drip, drip begins.
The Tory activist (initial reports said she was an ex campaign manager of his but that's not important) that lent him the £6.5k has spoken to the BBC...
For the record, she did let the Tory Party know what happened.
Edit: The plot thickens, she said it's another party member that actually lent him the money. How many hours/days till s/he is in the news.
The party has let me down. I have said; my faith in the party is like my faith in God... they've let me down.
"I watch people go for a walk in this quiet area. Do I want them to go out and vote for a man who gets himself locked up and needs money to get him out? No."
Ok, compares the Tory party to God but I suppose I can get on board with the walkers bit....
A few squeaky bums in the Tory party tonight.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68851004
tjagain
Full Member
Why do Tories behave like this?Emotional cripples from going to private schools. Even worse if you are a scholarshio pupil.
They can end up with no idea how a real relationship works. Plenty of examples. Johnson for one.
I made a guess up the page but I'm no expert. I think a psychological type would have a good idea why a particularly organisation attracts a certain demographic (I'm not talking their sexuality to be clear!) but who knows?
Sunak is now going after folk signed off work sick. Whats that i hear? The bottom of the barrel being scrsped
Edit: beaten to it
tjagain
Full Member
Sunak is now going after folk signed off work sick. Whats that i hear? The bottom of the barrel being scrspedEdit: beaten to it
Of course, the long term sick on ESA and/ or PIP etc are not signed off by GP's**... but of course he knows that. Anyway, he was lucky to get the smoking ban through, to shake up welfare reform (again) will take years, even decades. He'll be long gone.
** It's outsourced by the DWP to private companies (shocker) that carry out regular assessments. My friend has MS and knows the process only too well.
It’s outsourced by the DWP to private companies (shocker) that carry out regular assessments. My friend has MS and knows the process only too well.
Not in Scotland. Taken back in hpuse so no one is incentivised to pass folk as fit for work. A pal of mine with MS and related dementia was passed as fit for work under the previous setup. But of course won an appeal
Not in Scotland. Taken back in hpuse so no one is incentivised to pass folk as fit for work. A pal of mine with MS and related dementia was passed as fit for work under the previous setup. But of course won an appeal
It occurred to me I should have mentioned that, it's a far more humane process north of the border. 👍
My last post of the night and another bit of low level Tory sleaze arrived just in time! 😂 Not totally new news but drip, drip...
From the Beeb.
Steve Barclay asked if incinerator plans could be blocked
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay personally intervened to ask for advice on whether ministers could stop incinerators being licensed across England, including a controversial project in his constituency, the BBC understands.
Mr Barclay made an urgent request to government lawyers the day after planning permission was granted to build the waste plant at Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.
It is understood that MVV Environment, the company behind the plant at Wisbech, has now threatened the government with legal action after a temporary ban on permits was put in place.
Sunak is now going after folk signed off work sick. Whats that i hear? The bottom of the barrel being scraped
Same old Tories. Punching down, as always. Just the latest group to be selected for malicious and vindictive scapegoating.
Never in a million years would it cross his mind to ask the question why so many people are suffering with mental health issues?
You are not going to start or win many culture wars if you go out try to fix all the problems like an actual government should be doing. Their job is to continue to get elected, not make things better for the masses.
As useless as Starmers government is going to be I don't think he is a culture war type so be great to get a rest from that at least.
Never in a million years would it cross his mind to ask the question why so many people are suffering with mental health issues?
Cos they've not tried hard enough. If only they could just feel a bit happier with their lot in life, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and do an honest day's work instead of sitting around on benefits watching their big flat screen TV, they'd feel much better.
Workshy gits. Probably woke.
☹️
It plays well to their rapidly narrowing core vote.
Who also don't work - having retired at 55 on gold-plated defined benefit pensions and own their own homes 100% having paid three bob and a pickled egg for them. And spend their time pootling around golf clubs and garden centres in their SUVs pointing out all the wokes, immigrants and scroungers from the comfort of their heated leather seats.
This is starting to resemble the fag end of John Majors government more and more by the day. In fact it’s far worse!
Way worse binners. Way, way worse. Moral vacuums the lot of them. Sunak's latest initiative to punish the vulnerable sits very well with the recent story where carers who may have made a mistake on a form or shock horror, earned a couple of quid over the threshold are now being pursued for tens of thousands! My complete and utter contempt for tories extends on a daily basis.
Sunak is now going after folk signed off work sick. Whats that i hear? The bottom of the barrel being scrsped
Edit: beaten to it
It's just a distraction technique. Mind you would you want a non GP assessing your fitness to work? I love their quote a qualified health professional? Err you mean a GP? Oh no I get you? Someone who is more interested in you working, rather than you well being. Company appointed by the Tory party? Funded by the tax payer. Follow the money trail me thinks. It's not going to end well is it?
BR
JeZ
Nothing shouts tin-eared vote winner than a cynical clamp-down on sick-notes.
They *could* tell their wbanker mates that it’s tough and they’ve lost their not hard earned dosh
Not quite. the company that extracted the dividends (Macquarie) got out in time before the pooh hit the water supply, leaving two large pension funds (Canada and USS) as the main shareholders holding the ticking time bomb. It was a failure of regulation, whet OFWAT allowed the debt to accumulate. At last my taps are working this morning.
You might have guessed it was that old ghoul Ian Duncan Smith that’s behind this
leaving two large pension funds (Canada and USS) as the main shareholders holding the ticking time bomb.
Those funds knew about the debt and then kept adding to it. I would assume they a)thought the low interest rates would probably continue and b)thought even if it didnt the taxpayer would bail them out.
If they get bailed out then there is no incentive for similar companies to be competent in future and therefore no pressure on Macquarie and co to be concerned about their chance of selling the corpses on.
It was a failure of regulation, whet OFWAT allowed the debt to accumulate
It was a failure of the businesses to be run for anything other than short term profit. Since regulating that sort of behaviour is tricky unless you are basically running the firm its why its a bad idea to sell off vital assets.
I can’t bloody stand the horrible patronising tone he adopts when he’s doing anything like this. As if he’s talking to a group of toddlers, the condescending little cockwomble
And there we have it….
apparently, just like homelessness, mental health problems are now ‘a lifestyle choice’ 🙄
At what point in the last 10 years has the government actually governed? It has just felt like a procession of spin, diversion , devision, name calling, corruption etc, all the while the country literally falls apart. This sh!t show needs to go, then we can all breath, and get ready for Tory Lite,..... and Trump.
They enacted probably the most significant policy of recent times - Brexit.
"Way worse binners. Way, way worse. Moral vacuums the lot of them. Sunak’s latest initiative to punish the vulnerable..."
Exactly the same as the end of the Major years. Just waiting for some Draconian sentencing proposals for muggers, a suggestion that farmers can shoot trespassers, and maybe suggesting giving bobbies on the beat the right to administer corporal punishment to yobs and football hooligans. Then we'll have the full grim set...
https://www.thesocialreview.co.uk/2023/09/03/resisting-attacks-on-benefit-claimants/
On Thames Water (though probably for another thread):
It is a failure of regulation as well as business management. But also of the regulated monopoly model - it's a whole system failure rather than one entity. Worth noting that Ofwat regulation penetrates all areas of the business, with targets, audits and performance commitments and penalties on an annual basis across the entirety of their operations. It also encompasses a level of complexity that cannot be captured in quippy headlines. Every 5 years, Ofwat go over every water company's detailed business plans, and set the limits on investment and spending, and particularly on what can be recovered via customer bills. But because they require private investment, they also have to make them attractive enough for investment (i.e. a level of profit). Ofwat let various investors across numerous companies take those dividends. What has also developed is a fairly antagonistic relationship between regulator and some water companies, which has made business plans not achievable without further investment or debt. Obviously Ofwat would prefer investors cough up, but recent history shows that doesn't happen.
Anyway, I could rant on, but the whole sector model isn't really fit for purpose, if it ever was. BUT - nationalisation isn't a fix in itself. It's sustainable investment, good management and regulation - none of which are really happening in the right way at the moment.
Always worth re-stating whenever the water industry comes up - England and Wales are the only developed nations with a fully privatised water industry; even the American's have realised that's not a good idea
WTAF. Just got a letter and survey from Rish in the post today. The letter is about how well the Government is doing...must be some kind of parallel universe...and the survey is full of Mom and Apple pie questions.
Its desperate stuff. Not using Conservative branding so amazingly they must feel that Rish with the lowest approval rating since records began has more credibility then the Party.
WTAF. Just got a letter and survey from Rish in the post today. The letter is about how well the Government is doing…must be some kind of parallel universe…and the survey is full of Mom and Apple pie questions.
Its desperate stuff. Not using Conservative branding so amazingly they must feel that Rish with the lowest approval rating since records began has more credibility then the Party.
I never get anything like that through my door. I live in a traditionally labour ward in a nailed on Labour constituency. I was so surprised that i got a pamphlet from an independent candidate for my ward that i actually read it yesterday
Me too, through the door and straight to the recycling.
Place a "**** the tories" sticker on your door and you won't be bothered by them
EU Youth mobility scheme rejected, FFS...
Oh I had a campaign newspaper type thing too - big red banner saying "HIGH PEAK FUTURE!" and all about the forthcoming Police & Crime Commissioner election. You have to look very closely to see it's a Conservative thing. There's some very very small text saying it's on behalf of Robert Largan MP and it's only on the back page that there's a comparison thing that basically says that if a Labour PCC is elected we'll be murdered in our beds the next day but if a Conservative PCC is in place, the streets will be paved with gold and "bobbies on the beat".
Very misleading.
However it's good for shoving into wet cycling shoes so I'll keep hold of it for now.
EU Youth mobility scheme rejected, FFS…
Jesus ****ing christ.....why?, what ****ing reason can they give?.
Right, I'm making a promise, if a tory turns up at my door during their electioneering and I can get there before they run away then they'll be getting whacked with my walking stick.
****'em....****'em...****'em.....**** every single last one of them standing
Jesus * christ…..why?, what * reason can they give?.
The jist is that they don't want freedom of movement for ALL European youths, just the ones they select.
It's almost like they have an issue with those pesky eastern Europeans, Turks, slavics...
All tories are ****s.
And spend their time pootling around golf clubs and garden centres in their SUVs pointing out all the wokes, immigrants and scroungers from the comfort of their heated leather seats.
Oi! I waited until i was 60 to retire and neither play golf or have an SUV.
Get back to work oik🙄😜🤣😇.
Nationalist Grandad? 😘
EU youth mobility scheme - in the interests of balance and accuracy, Labour are also against this.
As for tj - you have not refuted that part of the charge which referred to you pootling around garden centres; no doubt inspecting and commenting on the begonias.
Guilty as charged.