rich families can still afford to have kids. Makes you think.
They only want the right sort of people breeding though. Hence Boris trying to single-handedly populate the entire country, one filly at time. WUFF!!!
And less of this sort of thing...
Id like to add that having twins is just ridiculously expensive and not something you can control
When we found out we were pregnant with our 3rd it was a tough decision about what we should do, but we figured we'd be alright as our elder 2 kids weoukd both be in school full time
When found out it was twins it was a nightmare!
Finding a grand a month for childcare alone, even if both working is one thing but £2k!
No longer became viable for us both to work, and of course at this time government brought in 2 child benefit cap....
We have an ageing population, having kids is cripplingly expensive, government incentiveises you not to have more & also demonises immigrants as a political tool
And we have a labour shortage and an ever widening productivity gap...... Bonkers populism
"Liz seems to think that her priority at the moment is protecting corporate profits and dividends to shareholders"
Remember a couple of years back when I started a thread titled: "Corporate Socialism" when the bail out of corporations started?
The STW consensus at the time was that I was talking bollox. We know that many billions of public money was dished out.
Money now either sitting in the Cayman Islands or fuelling inflation as the shareholders open the bubbly.
I’m no fan of Nicola Sturgeon, although I do admire how skillfull she is at getting her message across - if only Corbyn had had some of what she has.
However, this from the Guardian is great 😀:
She was speaking in a Q&A with the broadcaster Iain Dale, and responding to a question about Truss dismissing Strugeon recently as an “attention seeker”. The comment attracted considerable controversy, partly because it was a slur against an elected head of government, and partly because Truss is not exactly publicity shy herself.
Sturgeon said when she initially heard about the comment, she thought “it was made up, it was a spoof.” Then she said she met Truss at the Cop26 summit last year, shortly after being interviewed by Vogue. Sturgeon went on:
That was the main thing she wanted to talk to me about, she wanted to know how she could get into Vogue - and she calls me an attention-seeker. I said to her they came and asked me.
I didn’t really mean to do this, but I said to her it hadn’t actually been my first time in Vogue, it had been my second time.
It looked a little bit as if she’d swallowed a wasp.
I’m sure she’ll be in Vogue before too long.
I remember it because there we were at the world’s biggest climate change conference in Glasgow, world leaders about to arrive
That was the main topic of conversation she was interested in pursuing. And once we’d exhausted that it kind of dried up.
I’m sure we’ll have many more conversations about many more substantive things.
Asked about her dealings with previous Tory leaders, Sturgeon said:I think perhaps uncharitably I described my conversations with Theresa May when she was prime minister, as being soul destroying. I look back somewhat fondly now on that.
At least May took the job of being prime minister seriously, Sturgeon said. By comparison, dealings with Boris Johnson were “one long bluster”, she said.You know, he was a third prime minister I’ve dealt with as first minister. It was literally like nothing I’ve ever dealt with before in terms of any senior politician.
You know, I’m going to be blunt here, he was a disgrace to the office of prime minister.
"No longer became viable for us both to work, and of course at this time government brought in 2 child benefit cap…."
Well I guess the government will say that's your fault for having twins.
The cost of living crisis will act like a contraception over the next couple of years.
Expect the birth rate to decline even further.
Well I guess the government will say that’s your fault for having twins.
And some people on here it would seem. As if anyone plans to have twins. TBH the barely disguised lack of sympathy for struggling parents is pretty beyond the pale. This 'it's you're own fault for having kids in the first place' attitude is vile. Who do these people think are going to be paying their pensions in 30 years time?
Expect the birth rate to decline even further.
It will, and that's a very bad thing for any society.
Please let this be the intro music at the next hustings, or at least have it as the outro music on Newsnight..
Its obvious that she's as vacuous as she seems and that she's actually even more narcissistic and self-regarding than her predecessor.
From Cameron onwards, how is it possible that they keep getting so much worse, every time?
It always staggered me that everyone hadn't seen straight through Johnsons tragic, tired act years ago, but to not see Instagram Liz for what she so obviously is - a preening, vacuous lightweight - is beyond belief
We've all manner of shit heading our way this winter and we've got someone who would be out of her depth on a wet pavement to have to deal with it all
God help us!
how many people can afford an extra £200+ a month to heat their homes this winter?
Pah. Remember the tory voters are the greatest generation* and so can shrug off hardships without noticing. When they were lads they had to smash the ice before they could use the water to make porridge every morning and even then they had to grow the oats every day.
More seriously I am very happy we managed to blackmail/persuade my dad into moving into somewhere smaller which can be heated for a sensible amount rather than our old family home which was a)family sized and b)an absolute arse to keep warm in winter to the extent I could sort of claim the "having to scrape ice of the bedsheets" since it was just freakishly cold although irritatingly didnt carry it through into the summer.
The question and it is a big one is whether they can divert their failings and say "well everyone is having it hard". Given the varying exposure to Russia I think, so long as they dont upset Murdoch and co, they might pull it off. See covid for how St Johnson led us through it without issue**.
*ok so one step removed but they read the commando comics as a kid and so know they could kill fritz with their bare hands.
** definition of "issue" highly variable.
In case anyone isn't already seething about what's going on with energy. These f**** should be put up against a wall.
https://twitter.com/evolvepolitics/status/1557320089690595335?s=20&t=qZzIRcsuW0EyNH5t0dNDug
From Cameron onwards, how is it possible that they keep getting so much worse, every time?
The problem is being good at being elected isnt the same thing as being good at the actual job you are applying for.
I am sure we are all aware of it from either doing interviews or conducting them. Some people are great at selling themselves to an audience whereas others who would be brilliant suck at it.
She seems very, very good at selling to the relevant audience. I guess the question is how restricted the "relevant" audience is and whether once having sold to them she can change her tactics and sell to everyone else in which case she might end up an asset
Sadly though I doubt it.
Personally I wouldnt rate May as worse than Cameron though. He ran away from a pretty much impossible job and left it to her. There were ways she could have done better but ultimately he left her with a mess and ran for the hills. As such I mark him far lower.
She seems very, very good at selling to the relevant audience.
the fact this is true, shows how ****ing low the bar is. seriously. is this as good as it gets?
In case anyone isn’t already seething about what’s going on with energy. These f**** should be put up against a wall.
Anecdotal I know, but the general reaction when ever I raise these issues at work is usually somewhere between indifference and hostility. People seem to see it as an attack on their own wealth, like you're asking that they themselves pay more tax.
We're still at the stage where Mr and Mrs English want to blame everything on welfare, foreigners and Jeremy Corbyn.
the fact this is true, shows how **** low the bar is. seriously. is this as good as it gets?
That you (or me for that matter) doesnt appreciate the tactic doesnt show the bar is low as such.
Just that it is well targeted at those people who matter, at least in the short term, and not the rest of us.
Those people are looking past the crap presentation (as they should)and are liking the message (this is where I diverge from them).
Truss has been good for several years at somehow perfectly nailing the audience (as per her conservative home results). The question is whether this is chance or her being really good at reading the audience that matters in the moment. The latter gives some hope but sadly I do think its a vain hope.
When the 'relevant audience' is lower than a shakes belly then you need to start digging even deeper into the mire.
Er, so, in response to a few comments up there, we didn’t choose to have twins, and 18 months ago we didn’t have a crystal ball. I wish people would think before they speak.
Might be a couple of more woooshes there edward..
Contrary to admonishing you, many of us appreciate your efforts to prop up the population demographic.
Please let this be the intro music at the next hustings, or at least have it as the outro music on Newsnight..
think this is more applicable!
We’re still at the stage where Mr and Mrs English want to blame everything on welfare, foreigners and Jeremy Corbyn.
And will be for a very long time yet.*
It is a huge part of the reason we are where we are in the first place.
*Except the Corbyn bit - it will just be whatever 'other' politician get's up Thick Lizzie's nose at the time.
dazh
Full MemberIn case anyone isn’t already seething about what’s going on with energy. These f**** should be put up against a wall.
WTAF
Even the Times are saying that Liz Truss needs to take a serious change of direction from the oversexed Honey monster, break with his hardline supporters and start taking the job of government seriously the second she's in number ten, given the gathering storm this winter
https://twitter.com/iainmartin1/status/1557468518697803779?s=20&t=ww4xe_Xw0Dq5D0V0AOQllQ
The chances of that happening?
Absolutely zero, I'd say. Probably the very best we can expect from that sock puppet is more of the same, though it'll likely be even worse
She's clearly never had an original thought in her entire life and I expect her to be even more devoid of both ideas and the will to actually DO anything as the clown who went before her.
She's even more in thrall to the ultra-Brexiteer nutjobs than Johnson was, so I expect any 'solutions' will be left entirely to 'The Market' this winter, and we may be about to see the same kind of callous disregard for peoples suffering as we saw from her hero in the 80's
I watched Sunak being interviewed by Nick Robinson on the Beeb last night.
The gap in intelligence between him and Pork Markets is seismic, Robinson didn't manage to lay a glove on him and I have to concede that it was down to Sunak's skill rather than Robinson's shortcomings.
If Sunak were to win, then I could see him calling a snap election. He knows how bad things are going to get and is smart enough to know that calling a GE before we put the heating back on could deliver a victory for the Tories.
He's toughened up over the last few months since his annointment got derailed and I think he would get the better of Starmer.
If you want a Labour government then it's hashtag / pray for Liz I'm afraid.
binners Full Member
Even the Times are saying that Liz Truss needs to take a serious change of direction from the oversexed Honey monster, break with his hardline supporters and start taking the job of government seriously the second she’s in number ten, given the gathering storm this winter
Erm, I assume that you haven't quite figured out why "The Times" wants a change of direction from Johnson?
Iain Martin whose Twitter comment you posted is what you binners refers to as a "nutjob". He is close to Daniel Hannan, nutjob extraordinaire and on the far right of the Tory Party.
Iain Martin is everything you love to hate - a Tory brexiteer who argues that Nigel Farage should be given a peerage:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/johnson-will-need-farage-if-hes-to-see-brexit-through-7jwx29tv8
Of course he wants a change of direction after Johnson - he wants a significant lurch to the right. And he will almost certainly get it, which is why like you he is celebrating the demise of Johnson as PM.
Erm, I assume that you haven’t quite figured out why “The Times” wants a change of direction from Johnson?
Do try to read the whole post, comrade, before your usual knee-jerk. I finished with the comment
She’s even more in thrall to the ultra-Brexiteer nutjobs than Johnson was, so I expect any ‘solutions’ will be left entirely to ‘The Market’ this winter, and we may be about to see the same kind of callous disregard for peoples suffering as we saw from her hero in the 80’s
So yeah, despite not being gifted with your enormous insight and planetesque knowledge and intellect, even someone as dim as me had managed to join the dots
Do feel free to mansplain other complicated things to me though. I really appreciate it. Though I warn you I do struggle with big words so if you could try and keep it down to two silly bills, that'd be great
Fanks comrade
Looking in from the outside I would say that UK politics is screwed whether Truss or Sunak get the job.
Some of the right wing ***** who are blaming Blair and Brown for championing people's rights and the idea that schools teaching gay rights etc will be fined.... Well, welcome to the UK's version of right wing Republicanism.
Welcome to the dark ages.
What a shitshow.
Truss does seem to have 'Gone Native' amongst the (intolerant and racist) Tory members and is now really going full bore for the Culture War shit. I'm assuming this is as she knows its a distraction (as much to herself as anyone else) from the very real problems ahead and plays well with the Daily Heil
It does seem that she's even worse than Johnson for holding no actual beliefs herself and just parroting whatever benefits her the most at any given time.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, the people writing the cheques that Lizzie is presently cashing are the hardline lunatics of the ERG, who are clearly leading her by the nose. God only knows where they're taking us next. Nowhere good, that's for sure.
even someone as dim as me had managed to join the dots
Well if you had managed to join the dots you might not have posted a comment from a right-wing Tory brexiteer who wants Nigel Farage to have a seat in the House of Lords, to back up whatever point you were trying to make.
Edit: Apologies, that is a bit unfair, it is fairly clear what point you were trying to make, ie that "even the Times wants a change of direction". You just hadn't figured what direction Iain Martin wants the next PM to go.
She’s even more in thrall to the ultra-Brexiteer nutjobs than Johnson was, so I expect any ‘solutions’ will be left entirely to ‘The Market’ this winter
Totally - as a Turncoat Remainer, their first line of attack will always be that she isn't a true Brexiteer. Then they'll threaten to stir up anti-Truss sentiment in the newer populist branch of the Tory support. She'll continue to overcompensate as a result - jumping like a spaniel every time they threaten it. If it gets really serious then Farage will re-emerge with a new party and threaten to take the nastier end of her support away. Nothing much has changed on this front in the last 10 years.
It is so predictable it is sad.
What about the 40 hospitals? Dead in the water with a new captain and that.
This new captain thing every year or so means the agenda is super dynamic like. Just keep shuffling the deck until we get a good-en, that's how it works isn't it!
Truss does seem to have ‘Gone Native’ amongst the (intolerant and racist) Tory members and is now really going full bore for the Culture War shit.
The thing is though, they both need to get votes from a certain group of people, and they will say absolutely anything to get them. Just because she's coming out with that sort of thing, doesn't mean she actually believes it or will enact it. Johnson has demonstrated how this works, she's just trying to copy him.
And even more so as it is not an election and there is no manifesto so the winner doesn't even have to pretend to do whatever they have claimed over the last few weeks.
Truss yesterday said she wasn't going to reveal her plans to address the energy cost crisis. Like she's even got a plan ...FFS
As stated above they'll say any old crap to get the votes. They're is no manifesto, I don't even think they've got a To Do list. We're screwed.
Just because she’s coming out with that sort of thing, doesn’t mean she actually believes it or will enact it
Not a chance. She’s sponsored by the nutcases. Boris was too and look what happened to him when he went off script. She will do everything they tell her to do. Which is probably a good thing as it’ll increase her chances of losing the next election.
As stated above they’ll say any old crap to get the votes.
Has it not been this since the day BloFlow announced he was putting his feet up and ignoring the responsibilities he has for the summer?
Iain Martin is everything you love to hate – a Tory brexiteer who argues that Nigel Farage should be given a peerage:
Is that the same Iain Martin that's finally working out that Brexit wasn't the right idea?
https://twitter.com/iainmartin1/status/1534771797517811714?s=20&t=04mfmAkchXFOAZnm-IJU6g
They’re is no manifesto, I don’t even think they’ve got a To Do list. We’re screwed.
Beyond 'I think I should be prime minister' they have absolutely nothing.They are absolutely devoid of ideas, but more importantly, they have no will or desire to do anything.
The Tory party has been now been completely cleared out of anyone who dares to think about even remotely swerving from this mad right-wing, deregulatory, uber-free-market, Brexity philosophy. Everything must be left to 'The Market' to sort out. Government must be completely 'hands off' and allow 'The Market' to take its course and do what it will. If the government is to do anything then it will be to deregulate further to 'free' business
The trouble with this philosophy is that they (rather conveniently) completely ignore the other side of this equation. When you look at the energy and water sectors (as just 2 examples), 'The Market' is meant to offer choices for consumers. But it doesn't. All these 'businesses' are just private monopolies and cartels, so we end up stuck with the worst of both worlds as they ruthlessly exploit their monopoly position to absolutely fleece everyone.
But with the 'Brittania Unchained' lot, you're not allowed to say that, obviously. That would be thought crime.
Whichever one of these clowns gets in, anyone expecting them to actually do anything significant about the looming crisis will be disappointed. They have no intention whatsoever of doing anything at all.
Boris with his feet up now, Zahawi, who's alledgedly the chancellor of the exchequer, on his hols, Raab paddle boarding while Kabul fell... this is the new normal. Absentee government that sits back and leaves absolutely everything to 'The Market'
They absolutely had to do something during Covid or the economy would have collapsed. It was too little too late, obviously, and they bitterly resent having to do it in the first place and they are pretty determined not to repeat the exercise by getting 'The State' involved in any way in the future, no matter how bad things get
Economy shrinking on the official stage now.
Not hard to predict.
All parties calling for growth this or growth that. Lol.
And the BoE are squeezing with their ill thought-out (though deliberate) choice to contract the economy.
A perfect storm of trouble lies ahead unless a government spends/supports.
Labour due to make an announcement of what they would do to fix the economy on Monday.
Don't hold your breath - green bonds and insulation from the sister Tory party. Hope not.
Either way they should go really high and hard on support and provoke the Tories into offering something substantial.
John McDonnell put the covid support packages idea out there just before the Tories nicked it - but it was a good thing.
Go big - no one has anything to lose currently.
World-wide recession on the cards engineered by central banks.
Is that the same Iain Martin that’s finally working out that Brexit wasn’t the right idea?
That is obviously his Twitter account. The "what's not working" in relation to brexit isn't confirmation that he has moved to the left of the Tory Party and now feels that post-johnson the government should also move in that direction. Plenty of Tory brexiteers are critical of how brexit has been handled and still remain right-wing.
Any Tory who says that the government should change direction after Johnson you can be fairly confident isn't thinking in terms of a left-wing direction. All the candidates in the Tory leadership election have, in varying degrees, argued in favour of more right-wing policies, not more left-wing. Likewise if the Times is arguing in favour of a change in direction it won't because they have concluded that Johnson is too right-wing.
Unless something is done about the energy crisis something major is going to happen.
I know a lot of people, who are working full time, who simply will not be able to pay their energy bills if they pay their rent/mortgage and feed themselves.
What happens then? Eviction? Repossession? Bailiffs?
I can see how this government can hold together through the winter.
In my own case, I have a business that is protected from the electricity rises for another 15 months and then I am not sure it will be viable.
Well when your opposition is so damn useless then your current government can do whatever they want.
Labour don't have to be in power to put the pressure on.
Fingers crossed Starmer Island and Household Reeves put the calculators away and realise what they've got to push back on. (Although they didn't try very hard in covid either.)
I don't hold too much hope though.
In my own case, I have a business that is protected from the electricity rises for another 15 months and then I am not sure it will be viable.
This is the elephant in the room. Unless something is done, small businesses will go down like dominoes over the winter.
And at the same time we've two utter morons whose culture war outpourings to their reactionary, rich, southern, white pensioner audience mean they have to promise to put a stop to wind turbines and renewables
This country, post-Brexit, really is a total and complete ****ing madhouse
