MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Mainstream media in 30p lee's world is the Mansfield Chad.
Don't be too quick to condemn the Tory "Stop The Boats" campaign, says former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Apparently the man who as Home Secretary relaxed the rules so as to make it easier to strip people of their UK citizenships spoke on BBC Radio Four’s The Week in Westminster to say:
"We should allow this Bill to go through and the Government have got 18 months to show whether they really can make it work – I don’t think they can, but let’s see.”
So apparently a policy which has been denounced by the United Nations, and includes among other things the deportation of the victims of slavery, should be given a chance to see if it can really work, although it probably won't.
Things don't appear to be going swimmingly for Rishi Sunak's flagship bigot's policy :
A senior Tory told The Telegraph that the Government faces a range of amendments from this wing of the party, with the ministers potentially needing to win around about 30 MPs - a figure which could call Mr Sunak’s majority into question.
The Tories have a very comfortable majority in the House of Commons but Sunak might struggle to secure a majority for his Stop The Boats policy? I don't think it was supposed to be like that.
And then there is the question, from inside Sunak's own party, as to whether attempting to appeal to bigots and racists has any chance of working:
The Government has acknowledged that there is a chance that the Bill is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), leading to speculation that the Tories may end up fighting the next election on a pledge to withdraw from the convention.
But the MP said this would be a mistake. “That’s not the way to win an election.”
“There’s some people who are drinking the Kool-Aid about making the next election a culture war.
“Forget it. The next election will be about which party is seen to be more competent to handle the economy and the next five years. It’s not going to be decided on a culture war.”
Heard that Patel might be one of those looking to amend the bill to take some of the most dubious* edges of it. Priti Patel thinks it goes too far!
[ *deporting unaccompanied minors without allowing access to the asylum system, even if trafficked... ie the Mo Farah question ]
David Blunkett is just a lefty Anne Widdecombe.
Rishi is never going to really push this bill into law. Its basically jam tomorrow for the frothing loons and undecided (red wall?) voters to vote for them at the election. Then, as usual, the mugs will found out too late that they've been lied to again and it'll fail because of some reason. This is the Tory playbook. Chuck in a cheeky tax cut just prior to the election too.
frothing loons and undecided (red wall?) voters to vote for them at the election.
I think 'red wall' voters have probably decided to vote in the way that caused someone to describe them as a "red wall".
https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-red-wall-voting-intention-23-january-2023/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/12/rishi-sunak-has-electricity-grid-upgraded-to-heat-his-private-pool/blockquote >
From Twitter:
Let them Heat Lake...
"Let them Heat Lake…"
priceless. [for him no doubt]
Even some Tory MPs accept that there is no justification for hanging on to stolen property acquired when Greece was under foreign occupation.
We share their treasures with the world, and the world comes to the UK to see them.
That has to be the worse excuse. The idea that Greece won't share her treasures with the world and let people come to see them is of course absurd.
Rishi mate, If you go on a Greek holiday this year, don't be surprised if the waiter takes a piss in your salad.
That has to be the worse excuse. The idea that Greece won’t share her treasures with the world and let people come to see them is of course absurd.
Q: Why are there pyramids in both Egypt and South America?
A: Because they were too heavy to carry back to the British museum. Boom boom!
Deltapoll, which tends to be more generous to the Tories than most pollsters, has just released its latest poll which was taken over the last 4 days, it gives Labour a 23% lead over the Tories.
https://twitter.com/DeltapollUK/status/1635226204155576320
With the disastrous handling of the Gary Lineker tweet, and growing opposition from Tory MPs, I don't think the "Stop The Boats" campaign is quite panning out as Rishi Sunak might have hoped.
With the disastrous handling of the Gary Lineker tweet, and growing opposition from Tory MPs, I don’t think the “Stop The Boats” campaign is quite panning out as Rishi Sunak might have hoped.
I really, really hope so.👍
Little Rishi really is desperate to look the hard man and not the school prefect, isn’t he, bless him?
Less immigrants, more guns and helicopters and explodey things! Ggggrrrrrr
https://twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1635252482254200837?s=46&t=1lK7Dw1b6RqGJyvufO-trQ
… and flags! Lots more flags!! AND CAPITAL LETTERS IN BOLD TYPE!!!
Not so sure if this'll be a vote winner for Rishi McBoatface either.
Predictably, the DUP have said they reject sunak's 'windsor agreement'.
Democratic party? Only when it works in their favour.
So where does that leave us?
Well, the deal can still be voted through, as it is not dependent on DUP support in the House of Commons, but DUP sign-up is key to their re-engagement with the Stormont Parliament, which in turn is a central plank of the Good Friday Agreement.
The central problem (apart from Brexit itself) is that the DUP no longer has a majority at Stormont and is looking for reasons to chuck its toys out of the pram and not have to work with a Sinn Fein majority. Unfortunately, dissolving the assembly and holding fresh elections will not fix this, as the DUP will still win a similar number of seats, and won't want to power-share as a minority party.
Indeed. The DUP will continue to shit the bed because they can't get their tiny little minds around the fact that demographics and their own behavoir has now brought to an end what they considered their god-given right to executive power.
Government in Norn Ireland cannot resume until they grow up a bit and acknowledge that that's how democracy works
I wouldn't hold your breath
As for Rishi's deal, labour will support it, so for the first time in a very long time when it comes to Brexit, the country isn't being held to ransom by a small coterie of absolute headbangers in the DUP/ERG. Expect roars of impotent rage from the usual suspects and lots of talk of traitors and betrayal
Both martinhutch and binners have covered what my response to molgrips would have been.
DUP influence and support is declining so all they can do is attempt to block whilst claiming they are being constructive.
Donaldson and his fellow travellers couldn't spell democratic or constructive or collaborate; as for behaving democratically, constructively or collaboratively...
They have failed to understand and accept that the majority in NI don't want what they're offering.
They are delivering their own demise.
Predictably, the DUP have said they reject sunak’s ‘windsor agreement’.
Anyone actually care? I know I don't. 🤷♂️
Anyone actually care? I know I don’t
There's a few thousand bereaved and injured folk who probably aren't keen to have Northern Irish issues potentially escalate back to what they were on the 70s/80s due to idiots ignoring the importance of the GFA 🤷♂️
The thing is, defence spending itself isn't automatically a bad idea- we've seen that in teh last few years I think. It's just, it tends to be spent on vanity projects, flag-shagging delusions of power, polaris replacement replacements, and budgetary black holes, while the basics are cut to the bone. Spending money on the basics creates more jobs and is easier to keep that money in teh UK economy, but it doesn't let you cosplay on an aircraft carrier and it's not as good for landing that post-goverment job at BAE
Also the DUP will continue to boycott Stormont to the detriment of the population there
With the Beeb reporting av incomes down by £11000 since 2008, mortgages and rents up, biggest drop in standard of living in the next two years in recorded history, predicted rising immigration, the possibility of the blonde bloater being let off the hook and presenting a challenge, shit pumped everywhere, it doesn't look all that promising for fishy Rishi.
They have failed to understand and accept that the majority in NI don’t want what they’re offering.
They have been very successful in delivering for themselves what the majority in NI don’t want.
Don’t underestimate their goal led politics… or what their obstinance has delivered for them, no matter how NI votes.
Reform UK are rasing their heads, the political giant, Ann Widdecombe, has announced they are not going to stand any candidates down this time.
That's the nail in the Tory coffin.
The ERG (loons) have said that parts of the windsor agreement are '...practically useless'.
That, combined with the DUP's rejection, forces sunak into taking a decision he probably hoped wouldn't be necessary - ignore them and push on or offer some sort of compromise.
Can't imagine that either fill him with joy.
so for the first time in a very long time when it comes to Brexit, the country isn’t being held to ransom by a small coterie of absolute headbangers in the DUP/ERG.
Not for this vote maybe, but Rish! might be in for a rough ride on the next vote where he doesn't have support from the opposition...
“The thing is, defence spending itself isn’t automatically a bad idea- we’ve seen that in teh last few years I think. It’s just, it tends to be spent on vanity projects, ….but it doesn’t let you cosplay on an aircraft carrier”
The new QE class aircraft carriers were procured under the last Labour govt - albeit in full knowledge there wouldn’t be any planes to fly off them after they entered service.
If the carriers are a “vanity project” (look how much the world has changed in the last 13 months…) then the pursuit of vanity can only be lodged at the door of the then Labour government.
look how much the world has changed in the last 13 months
I've looked and seen that in the last 13 months Russia apparently can't comprehensively defeat its much smaller and weaker nextdoor neighbour.
The only thing that has changed imo is my perception of how powerful militarily Russia is - a lot less than I thought.
What does tell us about whether aircraft carriers are vanity projects or not?
What areas of the world does the UK have to reach to defend the British Isles that can't be reached from UK bases?
Aircraft carriers are not needed by any country in the world to defend itself from attack. They are used to project an image of power with a global reach, and wage aggressive wars in far off distance lands.
those sunlit uplands looking a long long way away
I thought we'd been assured that inflation would be back down to 'only' 9.9%
More importantly, food inflation (which obviously impacts the poorest the hardest) is presently 18% and rising
I'm sure Rishi will take credit for the rise in inflation in the same way he's been doing for the recent fall.
Truss voting against NI deal too 🙄
kimbers
Full Member
Truss voting against NI deal too 🙄
I think most of the country would agree that whatever Truss says or does, everyone else should always do the polar opposite!
I’m sure both Johnson and Truss have clear plans for an alternative for NI, and aren’t just stirring it up for Sunak & Hunt and trying to look like heroes to the party members who elected them both and rejected both the current inhabitants of Downing Street.
Can anyone think of a reason why Rishi Sunak would decide to publish his tax returns at this exact moment?
*scratches head*
Seems a really inconvenient moment with all the other stuff happening in the HOC.
Weird choice anyway. If there's dirt in it, probably in time for the morning editions, and would do his 'friend' Boris a favour by knocking him off the front pages.
Now, if Sunak has paid over £1m in tax over the last 3 years... Imagine how much he should have paid if he was one of us Plebs unable to pay expensive accountants to duck and dive taxes?😉
I wish I could pay my PAYE taxes at the rate the Prime Minister is paying his taxation. Don't we all wish for a 20% tax rate on all income? A few years ago my tax rate was 51%. I think this will backfire on him as neither him nor his wife appear to be paying their dues. I would, however, imagine the paltry PM salary is PAYE.
I’m just waiting for him to try and justify it by commenting on the amount of VAT he has to pay on the cost of heating his swimming pool
I need to marry an extremely rich heiress whose father has a crap IT services company. And likes pubs and football.
An expert was on tv simply stated that the tax system in the UK favours the highly wealthy as much of their money is in capital gains?
Sounds depressingly plausible.
Either way, every time he says his much he is helping people I just want to bend down and flick him in the eye.
Had to have a conversion today with my lad to tell him that I won't be able to help him (and by extension my grandson) very much financially for a good few months for "reasons". He never asks for help, he hates it but I know he needs the help.
He and his partner are both working full time but struggling. It's shit.
Earlier today he had to pay £50 to see a dentist as he can't get seen on the NHS anywhere. Infected gum where a wisdom tooth is booming through. Going to be another £250 of the infection doesn't clear up and out needs removing. He just hasn't got the money for that so I'll just have to find the money to help.
Just to be crystal clear- I know bloody well that we are *still* in a far better position than millions of other poor bloody sods out there!
pretty sure this is an outlier but !
I'm not sure it is. A post-budget Survation poll suggests that voters weren't hugely impressed with the budget.
https://www.survation.com/post-budget-polling-shows-conservatives-failing-to-turn-fortunes-around/
Yesterday's announcement of an increase in inflation won't help the Tories either, even if it is likely to be temporary.
I’m not sure it is. A post-budget Survation poll suggests that voters weren’t hugely impressed with the budget.
Giving a massive tax break to the very richest in the country, while everyone else sees their real incomes fall, isn't a vote-winner after all?
Who knew?
The only folk only paying 22% tax on income are those with a high percentage of unearned income or those working part-time on the minimum wage – the rest are paying far, far more.
The only thing I will say in defence of the low CGT rate is that it's levied on the numerical increase without any allowance for inflation.
If your 100k asset is worth 110k after a year, you haven't actually made anything at all in real terms with inflation at 10%. So taxing the 10k on the basis that it's a "gain" is manifestly unfair.
(taxing wealth on the other hand would be eminently reasonable).
There used to be indexation relief for CGT, which made the calculations a pain in the neck if you'd bought and sold a particular share multiple times over a number of years. but was at least rational.
It's no more unfair than paying more taxes through fiscal drag.
So taxing the 10k on the basis that it’s a “gain” is manifestly unfair.
If you manage to get a cost of living increase to match inflation and keep your real income the same (unlikely for most people) you still get taxed based on the whole of your income, and the “extra” wage will be taxed at the highest rate applicable, leaving you worse off in real terms. Cry no tears for people being taxed on (some of) their inflating asset prices.
Rishi Sunak saved £300,000 in tax thanks to cut he voted for in 2016
PM’s tax bill would have been higher had Tories not cut top capital gains rate
If your 100k asset is worth 110k after a year, you haven’t actually made anything at all in real terms with inflation at 10%. So taxing the 10k on the basis that it’s a “gain” is manifestly unfair.
It's only taxed if you realise the gain, not because your asset has risen in value.
He's 'realised' a lot of gains.
He’s ‘realised’ a lot of gains.
Good that he's taken a view of our economic prospects and has decided to dump loads of stock, regardless of CGT.
So Sunak's taking his culture war to Banksy. He really has his finger on the pulse!
After ten+ years of cuts, the police haven’t got the manpower to investigate rape cases and now they’re going to spend their time handing out fines for vandalism, are they?
Yet more government by Daily Mail headline
From the Guardian article… it’s like a tick list for gammons. Another one to file with the 40 new hospitals and Rwanda flights in the ‘things that will never actually happen’ section…
Victims of crimes will also be given a say over the type of punishment that offenders should face, as will communities, under an “immediate justice” scheme to be unveiled by Rishi Sunak on Monday.
In an attempt to show that “justice is being done”, offenders will be made to wear jumpsuits or hi-vis jackets and work under supervision. Cleaning up graffiti, litter-picking or washing police cars have all been given as possible punishments
The tories hate normal people laughing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65079772
Grand scale hypocrisy from pill head and nose powder connoisseur Gove.
Hypocrisy maybe, but I agree with banning the sale of laughing gas. On the other hand I'd legalise cannabis.
@Edukator That’s a whole different can of worms.
I can’t really comment much about laughing gas, despite seeing the empty canisters everywhere in some parts of Stockholm (and people buying it for their culinary cream foamers…), but cannabis has a production tail that is really bad for the people at the end.
That said, I’d agree that legalising it via sale of known-good, legally produced cannabis from registered businesses would be a general positive. But it would require the government to accept it as a legal drug (never gonna happen), tax it appropriately (I.e. not massively) and to have the resources to find and prosecute illegal production, import or distribution, something that the police are woefully I’ll equipped for now.
Interesting how when they get advisory decisions about, say, brexit, or MP wages, those must be followed. But when they ask for advice about drugs, they can do the opposite.
It's already illegal to supply, of course, with the exact right legislation in place to tackle any abuse problem at the dealing and supply end. It's just that this legislation isn't used much, partly because of resourcing but mostly because of the levels of harm- do you want your drug squad chasing down NOS dealers or crack dealers? That decision's already been made, at government level and at local level.
This is entirely about criminalising possession, which means it's essentially about criminalising urban-dwelling young males between 18 and 25 with lower than average levels of education and earnings. I bet you one million pounds that most arrests from this are of black inner city kids, and one hundred million pounds that most searches are the same.
Gove- yes gove the cokehead- openly admits it's not about public safety, or about drug harms, or about actually stopping drug abusing behaviour. It's about littering. Bloody littering! Which oh yes is also illegal already but not really enforced because of the exact same thing as above. And dropping the spent cans in a park can't trigger the new possession offence anyway as they're empty!
Sure laughing gas can be harmful, in extreme cases. Abuse should be discouraged, sanely. But there is absolute no possibility that it's as harmful as a criminal record. Laughing gas might be a gateway drug, probably not but it's possible, and it might be a fair indicator of other criminality. But there's no possibility that it's as much of a gateway as a criminal record for possession. It might be an overall harm to society, but not as much as putting more stress on the justice system for no gain, never mind the other harms.
It's theatre, obviously, but it's also pure tory maliciousness. They can find theatre that doesn't "coincidentally" ruin people's lives for no gain whatsoever, but given the choice, that's what they want to do.
Luckily it'll not actually be used much, because again, not enough police and it's a low level offence. Oh except that it's an ideal low level offence for harrasing kids of the officer's choosing and making fishing trip stops and searches with no probably cause other than "you are young". But I'm sure there's no danger of the <checks notes> still institutionally racist Met doing anything bad with that.
Quick another set of laws for er stuff we have laws for already.
Can’t we just appoint the street judges and dispense instant justice 🙂
More primary colours, AND CAPITAL LETTERS IN BIG BLOCKY FONTS
They've even underlined all the rufty tufty words in red to let you know how serious they are
https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1640248287155322883?s=20
Hypocrisy maybe, but I agree with banning the sale of laughing gas. On the other hand I’d legalise cannabis.
IMHO there’s a market for a state controlled happy ‘drug’, the only way you’ll ‘win’ the war on drugs is to change the nature of the game.
Good old JD vintage ‘77 and still valid today 🙂
IMHO there’s a market for a state controlled happy ‘drug’, the only way you’ll ‘win’ the war on drugs is to change the nature of the game
I agree partly. Society couldnt cope with too wide a variety of substances (socially, in terms of healthcare, policing and so on). But there should be some options for folk who want to get happy/off their face and don't like or have issues with alcohol.
I think characterising dealing with illegal drugs as a war may be part of the problem though.
Reads better without any of the block capital words.
Introducing for perpetrators, illegal drugs in anti social behaviour hotspots.
Litter, graffiti and fly tipping for the public, to report antisocial behaviour.
I think characterising dealing with illegal drugs as a war may be part of the problem though.
Just another way of dividing and conquering.
As noted. There is a demographic being targeted here. Young males, oddly enough, not those being sent to Harrow or Eton.
Tougher punishment? In what way and will magistrates take much, if any notice, when sentencing?
Cracking down? How? Where are the resources and how will results be made visible?
Increasing police and uniformed officer presence?
Have the police signed upto this? Have they even been consulted? When will the additional numbers required to deliver this be available for deployment?
Launching a new tool? Only for it to be ignored.
As for tools, the gov is full of them.
Higher fines? Over to the magistrates, again.
If it wasn't for the fact sunak is a non-smoking teetotaller, I would have said this was written on the back of a fag packet down the pub at the end of a long night.
Hopefully the digital tool to report antisocial behaviour will be overloaded with reports at the next tory party conference.
Sunak'll have sometimes eye out with all those gesticulations one day.
It's like some low impact martial art I've never heard of.😁
...and in a surprise no-one expected:
Laughing gas: Experts warn nitrous oxide ban will not stop use
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65085987