We almost broke out rule of not discussing politics on Saturday night.
We seemed to be agreeing with each other though. Real life is bollocks. If you want proper escapism watch that UFO film 😀
I’m definitely getting on that
Starmer will continue to lag in the polls while we open up… freedom daaaay!!!
Depending on how next few months go re. covid he could get a boost or continue to lag
Surely that depends on what his position on Freedom Day is? Any idea on that, by the way? If he can’t take a stand on killing off thousands of vulnerable people, where exactly is his red line? Does it take a full-blown holocaust to get him off the fence?
If you want proper escapism watch that UFO film 😀
🤨
Surely that depends on what his position on Freedom Day is?
He's pretty sensible about it
So when he points it out to Johnson September, he'll get called captain hindsight , even though he's right
Surely that depends on what his position on Freedom Day is? Any idea on that, by the way? If he can’t take a stand on killing off thousands of vulnerable people, where exactly is his red line? Does it take a full-blown holocaust to get him off the fence?
To be fair to Starmer he has been across the airwaves saying it's too fast and masks should continue to be worn.
As for vulnerable people, as I understand it covid isn't going away and the best way to protect themselves is to get vaccinated and wear a ffp3 mask. The other mask designs are essentially useless as personal protection but offer protection from the wearer. I haven't heard anyone come up with a realistic plan that can save them from the risk of Covid. The delta variant is rewriting the rule book, the Edinburgh prof was interviewed on C4 news and didn't have an alternative.
Sorry not really on topic but this is one of the funniest Twitter threads I’ve ever read. For once this is truly deserving of a Binners monty python picture.
https://twitter.com/nalpraxis/status/1415688427635417092?s=21
On the plus side, Tony Blair emerged from his dungeon dimension to tell everyone that Boris Johnston was definitely right not to self-isolate, so at least he's restricting himself to supporting the Tories as opposed to outright opposing Labour.
On the plus side, Tony Blair emerged from his dungeon dimension
Cherie presumably ran out of puppies to eat.
Such a relief to be disagreeing with Blair again.
but this is one of the funniest Twitter threads I’ve ever read
can't tell if that's supposed to be satire or not TBH.
How to destroy a political party..
Looks like Kier could do with a few more billionaire puppet masters...
That Steve Bell cartoon sums it up so well. Support for Armrest is waning rapidly. I think even some of the most ardent Armresters on here are deserting the sinking ship, now it's obvious Armrest is a complete and utter failure. He's making Milliband and Kinnock look competent ffs.
I know Binners doesn't realise just how relevant Israel is to this particular political discussion, but the implications towards democracy and privacy are very serious indeed:
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/07/19/pegasus-spyware-imessage-targets-activists/
I wonder what sort of 'activists' this spyware would be used to target?
I think even some of the most ardent Armresters on here are deserting the sinking ship,
Who are they, I haven't noticed any?
And no, Israel is of no importance to the voters however much you would like to dream it was. Puppet masters eh...
Tories potentially offer 3% for NHS workers.
Crucially above what Starmer suggested at a minimum of 2.1%
The man loves own goals. What an absolute baffoon, and I'm not talking about Johnson.
I could see this coming a mile off.
He should have gone for the big guns and slapped a double digit increase on the table. Let the Tories argue about the lies of affording it - but he would have least have captured the sentiment of the nation.
Who are they, I haven’t noticed any?
Well there was definitely a pro Starmer (remember all the leader of a unity government nonsense?) push all the way through the end of Brexit until last year. Those voices have gone quiet if not critical.
And no, Israel is of no importance to the voters however much you would like to dream it was.
It should be, if Starmer was in any way relevant to voters I suppose. He received large amounts of funding (which he tried to keep secret) from people closely linked to pro-Israel/weapons industry lobby groups, and is carrying out a purge of the left who his funders despise, including kicking out Jewish people accused of being anti-Semitic (!).
The issue isn't so much about Israel as about integrity. BTW pointing this out isn't the same as claiming evil Jews control the world.
Tories potentially offer 3% for NHS workers.
I wonder what his position is going to be on the proposed hike in NI to 'pay for' social care? Instead of setting the agenda by addressing the reality of public spending and the funding of public services, he'll spend the rest of his dwindling time as leader arguing about percentage points on NI and income tax and prattling on about tackling the national debt whilst the voters look on completely confused as to whether he's for or against improving social care.
You missed out snob
Surely that’s implicit?
Who are they, I haven’t noticed any?
Very funny. 😀
And no, Israel is of no importance to the voters however much you would like to dream it was.
Sticking your fingers in your ears and just singing 'la la la' loudly, doesn't make it any less real. I'll forgive your ignorance regarding just how globally important Israel actually is (several aspects of your life are influenced by Israeli innovations and technology), but it's a good idea to inform and educate yourself. Israel is of massive inmportance to he Labour leadership; this is why Starmer pledged allegiance to Zionism, and why he will not be at all critical of the actions of the Israeli regime. Israel relies on the support and validation of the West, in order to survive. So ties with any political party that potentially could be in power in the UK, are vital.
Israel might not be important to many voters, but it sure as hell is important to Labour. Why, they've even gone and employed an ex-Israeli spy, to manage their social media:
Israel is also very important to the tories, for balance:
IE; Israel is important. Dismissing that fact just because you don't want to ackknowledge it, just proves your own blinkered delusion.
Puppet masters eh…
Yes, puppet masters. And?
Un-f******-believable! Who lets cash reserves run down to one month's payroll? Either Starmer's incompetence is way beyond what anyone imagined, or it's deliberate. Worst labour leader in history?
https://twitter.com/siennamarla/status/1417420588021436428?s=20
I wonder what his position is going to be on the proposed hike in NI to ‘pay for’ social care?
For sure.
There plenty of lines of attack here but he will mess it up completely.
Worst labour leader in history?
Reminds of Robert De Niro's speech in Casino when he catches the incompetent slot manager.
"Listen, if you didn't know you were being scammed you're too ****in' dumb to keep this job, if you did know, you were in on it. Either way, YOU'RE OUT! Get out. Go on, let's go."
Didn't Keith hand over a big chunk of LP funds without being asked to do so to the owners of the JC? Can he ask for it back?
So your response to
And no, Israel is of no importance to the voters however much you would like to dream it was.
Is
Sticking your fingers in your ears and just singing ‘la la la’ loudly, doesn’t make it any less real. I’ll forgive your ignorance regarding just how globally important Israel actually is (several aspects of your life are influenced by Israeli innovations and technology), but it’s a good idea to inform and educate yourself. Israel is of massive inmportance to he Labour leadership; this is why Starmer pledged allegiance to Zionism, and why he will not be at all critical of the actions of the Israeli regime. Israel relies on the support and validation of the West, in order to survive. So ties with any political party that potentially could be in power in the UK, are vital.
I am talking about the importance of Israel to the voters, it has nothing to do with me informing and educating myself thanks. I know rather a LOT about Israel thanks.
To the point I was actually making just go and talk to some voters and ask them how much of a bearing a parties stance/actions on Israel will have on their voting intentions. It will be about number 1,000 on the list of things they care about.
Puppet masters eh.
I am talking about the importance of Israel to the voters, it has nothing to do with me informing and educating myself thanks. I know rather a LOT about Israel thanks.
It's of very high importance to both Labour and the tories, and it will be of importance to a lot of voters; not least the nearly 3 million British Muslims who Starmer seems willing to alienate, as well as millions of other British people, by not condemning the Israeli apartheid towards Palestinians and Arabs. 3 million; that's a lot of votes. More than enough to swing an election. You just want to dismiss this, as you don't want to acknowledge facts. Because it's not convenient for your own (very poor) arguments. YOU might not think it's important, but it is. If you did, as you claim, know 'rather a LOT about Israel', you would actually know this...
Puppet masters eh
Yeah; puppet masters. And?
I've never known investors invest without expecting a return. That's why he always has that hunted look, he's not his own man.
For sure.
There plenty of lines of attack here but he will mess it up completely.
Social care needs to be paid for, what is alternative plan to pay for it?
does he have to wait for conference before he can put a new policy on the table?
Yeah; puppet masters. And?
I’ve never known investors invest without expecting a return. That’s why he always has that hunted look, he’s not his own man.
Keep the tropes coming
not least the nearly 3 million British Muslims who Starmer seems willing to alienate,
But the British Muslim population is not a single amorphous blob, there is a spectrum of views
The Israel/ Palestine issue is an intractable mess with no side sitting on the moral high ground. If they did it would be a lot simpler. The region's large powers are using it as the means of battling out and the nuances are lost in picking a side.
Social care needs to be paid for, what is alternative plan to pay for it?
That will be the challenge for Labour choosing which of many options is better than the choice of a regressive tax which will have the low paid contributing extra whilst wealthy pensioners who benefit the most will not. It hits the workers and not those benefiting from investments.
The last Labour manifesto stated funding would be from general taxation
As far as I can find out NI is part of general taxation
So Starmer might not have too many opportunities with this other than arguing it's our policy implemented badly....
The last Labour manifesto stated funding would be from general taxation
Really? Because it says "We’ll ask those who earn more than £80,000 a year to pay a little more income tax, while freezing National Insurance and income tax rates for everyone else".
Social care needs to be paid for
Depends what you mean by 'paid for'. We don't need to raise taxes to find the money, because that's not how govt finances work. We do however need to tax back the extra expenditure to control inflation, and that should be done in a progressive fashion where those who are most able and benefit the most pay more. Increasing NI is the worst of all worlds and Starmer should be shouting it from the rooftops. He won't though, he'll waffle on about responsible fiscal policy and leave everyone wondering what his actual opinion is, leaving Boris to be the champion of those who require care in old age.
While it's easy to try and smear people as using anti-semitic tropes, SKS did receive £50k from an executive committee member of BICOM, a pro-Israel lobby group which is closely tied to Conservative Friends of Israel. And he kept it secret until after he won the leadership election using a shady loophole in campaign finance rules.
But yes, he has other puppet masters too that aren't Israel lobbyists, mostly rich right-wing Blairites. He is an establishment man through and through, and he's doing his job perfectly.
lol.
You’ll note that the total donations from these eight wealthy individual supporters came to an astonishing £455,000. The financial backing Keir received from the organised labour movement paled into insignificance by comparison. UNISON contributed £31,400, while the rightwing unions Community and USDAW each donated £25,000, which came to a total of £81,400. By contrast, Rebecca Long-Bailey received £218,500 in donations from Unite and £52,700 from the CWU, which came to a total of £271,200. Her other major source of financial backing was Momentum. No wealthy businessmen rallied to her campaign.
It was also significant that Rebecca accepted all her donations as soon as they were received, whereas in the case of Keir’s major donations there was almost a month’s gap between receiving and accepting the money. For example, the £100,000 donation from Waheed Alli is listed as received on 24 February but was only accepted on 23 March and wasn’t registered until 9 April, before finally being published on 14 April. By which time, of course, the leadership election was long over and the information could have no effect on the result.
It is obvious that Keir and his advisers exploited parliamentary rules so that Labour Party members were prevented from knowing that his campaign was largely bankrolled by multi-millionaires with a history of opposing Corbyn from the right, and in some cases of backing political parties that stood against Labour.
https://medium.com/@pitt_bob/who-funded-keir-starmers-campaign-170a42b43fc0
But the British Muslim population is not a single amorphous blob, there is a spectrum of views
Sure, but at the 2017 general election, 85% of British Muslims voted Labour. So that's around 2.5 million voters. If Starmer loses a significant percentage of that support, as polls suggest due to increasing dissatisfaction with Starmer amongst British Muslims, he will lose a significant number of voters. Events in Palestine affect British Muslims. Ergo, they might have strong opinions regarding Israel, and if Starmer sides with Israel uncritically, as he has done, then he will lose the support of a lot of voters.
Keep the tropes coming
What 'tropes'? Please explain.
While it’s easy to try and smear people as using anti-semitic tropes
It's cowardly and weak. Pathetic.
puppet masters, eh
A bit of explication wouldn't go amiss here.
According to Alexei Sayle "the reason Keir Starmer looks like a Thunderbird puppet is because somebody's pulling his strings"
Mind you Alexei Sayle is both left-wing and Jewish, and everyone knows that left-wing Jews tend to be anti-Semitic.
puppet masters, eh
Who's a pretty boy then?
A bit of explication wouldn’t go amiss here.
I wouldn't hold your breath.
Mind you Alexei Sayle is both left-wing and Jewish, and everyone knows that left-wing Jews tend to be anti-Semitic
Noam Chomsky and Jon Lansman - both in the former group too.
Social care needs to be paid for, what is alternative plan to pay for it?
All Government funding is new money creation. The government / BoE are currency issuers. We are currency users.
Understand that.
We don't 'pay' for anything with taxation.
Money spent in the public sector by the government is matched (unnecessarily) by issuing bonds to the private sector. The money they use to buy the bonds is issued from the BoE originally.
This is the debt we hear people going on and on about. It's not a debt it's a record of government spending of money in circulation.
Q\E is also the new digital money that is used to buy back the bonds. Again issued GBP from the BoE.
There is no such thing as a debt, or constraint in spending when you are the currency issuer. The constraints as Daz points out are resources and labour.
Taxation is a way of removing money from circulation at a central government level.
Both political parties obfuscate the way spending and taxation work. They like to talk in terms of how do we pay for it - it's nonsense.
The Pandemic was a good example of how it was nonsense. Why do you have a debt that needs repayong when you are the sole issuer of your own currency?
It's bollocks.
iNews: Labour finances: Redundancies show that by inspiring nobody, Keir Starmer is plunging the party into crisis.
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/labour-finances-keir-starmer-party-redundancies-crisis-1112346
Typical nail on the head comments by Andrew Fisher.
Shit he might have to go now
Why wasn't there a labour frontbencher on newsnight last night?
They could have gone for the comedy line of "I agree with Dom, Boris has to go"
Instead nothing
Not necessarily. For some a slimmed down party, centralisation of control by the PLP, ad industry employed rather than rely on campaigning (most likely leftwing) members, reduced role for unions, greater role for private sponsorship, a safe space for well-financed self-appointed rightwing MPs. Don't forget the odd bods who finance him also finance tories, they'll be happy with that outcome. Rone we would benefit from regularly re-posting your summary on public finance, the LP has rejected MMT for NMMT.
Also, Leon Trotsky, Naomi Klein, Tony Greenstein, Jackie Walker, Ygael Gluckstein, Michael Kidron, vile anti-semites the lot of them.
