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In less shocking news I see Labour are now considering cutting more money from the semi-bullshit GBenergy project.
Poor old Ed - he will have a fiver left to transform the energy infrastructure in the UK by the time these idiots have done.
What a time to be in the UK.
The UK government is reportedly weighing up the possibility of cutting planned funding for GB Energy, the state-owned company set up by Labour to drive renewable energy and cut household bills, in June’s spending review.
Because that ^^ doesn't specify which government is considering the cuts if you weren't aware you could be forgiven for thinking that there had been another general election and the Tories had won this time.
Taken in isolation that news report wouldn't be particularly shocking but when taken it the context of all the other economic priorities of this current government it really is a Tory government in everything but name, just more Cameron Tory than Badenoch Tory.
I guess that Morgan McSweeney's thinking is that the only serious electoral threat comes from a hard-right Tory party or Reform UK so offering a slightly watered down version of the two is the best course to follow. After all keeping Labour in power is what motivates McSweeney, not challenging the status quo or changing the lives of ordinary working people.
This report only speaks of "weighing up the possibility of cutting planned funding" so no decision has been made. I expect that this, as much of Starmer's doom and gloom strategy, might be an exercise in expectation management.
And probably to placate criticism of Labour free-spending on renewables and climate change issues from Reform UK and a hard-right Tory party.
chimes in with earlier discussion on arms expenditure
Since its foundation in 2012, Tell Mama has been wholly funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to run its reporting service, which received almost 11,000 reports in 2023-4, and support victims of Islamophia
So an organisation which was set up during the time of a Tory government to deal with serious cases of racism, and was wholly funded by a Tory government, is now having the plug pulled on it within 9 months of a "Labour" government taking power.
And the police call their work "invaluable", so much for Starmer's commitment to law and order and supporting the police.
Police sources raised alarm over the potential impact of the cut, saying information provided by Tell Mama under a data sharing agreement signed in 2015 has been “invaluable” for monitoring indicators of rising tensions and responding to potential threats.
So much too for Starmer recognising the growing threat from the far-right.
Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of Tell Mama, said its resources were being cut while “the far right and populists across Europe are growing significantly”.
Any Starmer supporters on here fancy having a go at defending this? There was a half-arsed attempt recently to defend slashing the International Aid budget by 40% but is it all getting a bit too difficult now and remaining silent feels like a simpler option?
I was in the pub yesterday, watching the rugby and people were speaking of little else. I suppose it’s just what happens when you’ve nothing major going on in the world, but still, that so many people are talking about funding for Islamaphobia charities it must be a real problem for the government.
On a serious note, my wife has worked in the charity sector most of her life and all of them have targeted fundraising positions because very few charities receive any government money at all and are entirely self-funded. For a charity to be entirely government funded, like this one has been since 2012, is really, really unusual. It’s the exception rather than the rule
I was in the pub yesterday, watching the rugby and people were speaking of little else.
Try speaking to people on the receiving end.
Of the rugby?
For a charity to be entirely government funded, like this one has been since 2012, is really, really unusual. It’s the exception rather than the rule
Is that the best that you can come up with........ it's "really, really unusual" ?
The fact that it is really, really usual, didn't stop Tory governments from fully funding a charity set up to help the victims of racism.
Is that the official 'Labour" government reason given for pulling the plug ........ it was really, really unusual?
So nothing to do with Labour trying to establish stronger anti-woke credentials in a gutter raking exercise then?
I’m just telling you how pretty much all charities are funded and that’s not by central government. I’d say that if they’ve been fully funded for 13 years without having to raise any money themselves then that’s pretty much unheard of.
If a donkey sanctuary in Devon can raise millions to fund itself from people who like donkeys, then surely people with an interest and who benefit from this charities work can do what every other charity has to do too?
I know that the tinfoil-helmet brigade see sinister agendas everywhere, but I’d suggest that at a time of limited funding, this is just bringing this particular charity into line with any other.
You could raise some funds for them yourself Ernesto if you feel that strongly about it? Maybe you could have a cake sale or do a sponsored event like spending 24 hours doing laps around the Houses of Parliament on a spacehopper?
If a charity is goverment funded, then it is not a charity, it's a pubic service/social benefit like any other.
You could raise some funds for them yourself Ernesto if you feel that strongly about it?
Wow, a classic Tory retort. Tories usually come out with bollocks like when it is pointed out to them the need to spend money on socially vital/community issues.
We are not talking about "donkeys" we are talking about human beings and their indisputable right to live free from the fear of street based hate crimes in their communities.
Did you see this paragraph? :
Police sources raised alarm over the probable impact of the cut, saying information provided by Tell Mama under a data sharing agreement signed in 2015 has been “invaluable” for monitoring indicators of rising tensions and responding to potential threats.
How much money will be saved by making the work of the police harder and allowing more criminality to go unchecked, have you got some figures? Since "saving" money now seems to be your justification for pulling the plug.
Wow, comparing the services provided by Tell Mama to a donkey sanctuary? That's an opinion, I guess.
I hate to tell you but many people like donkeys but hate brown people. Or perhaps you're aware already.
I guess we should all just be happy that the Community Security Trust's funding is safe so we can keep track of anti-semitism.
I'm sure you'll be able to explain to us all why anti-semitism is more important than islamaphobia.
a charity is goverment funded, then it is not a charity, it's a pubic service/social benefit like any other.
Which is basically what I’ve been trying to explain. Ask any other ‘charity’ where they get there funding from? It isn’t from central government, that’s for sure.
We are not talking about "donkeys" we are talking about human beings and their indisputable right to live free from the fear of street based hate crimes in their communities
In which case, raising funds for such a noble cause shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Maybe ask the donkey sanctuary how they do it? Actually, Mrs Binners bought some novelty socks with donkeys on them. She likes things like that. They do fridge magnets too and donkey cuddly toys. Oh… the cafe was nice too, if a bit overpriced
I hate to tell you but many people like donkeys but hate brown people. Or perhaps you're aware already.
What If i don't like white people, but I do like brown Donkeys? if I don't have any choice over what my tax contributions go toward, then it's hardly a charity now, is it.
Actually, Mrs Binners bought some novelty socks with donkeys on them. She likes things like that. They do fridge magnets too and donkey cuddly toys. Oh… the cafe was nice too, if a bit overpriced
The fear of street based hate crimes which minorities live with, especially easily identifiable targets such as women wearing hijabs, is very real, and not least after the race riots of a few months ago.
But why don't you treat it as some sort of joke and post hilarious photos of donkeys?
I am sure that Nigel Farage would approve of your contempt and join with you in laughing at all this woke nonsense.
Actually, Mrs Binners bought some novelty socks with donkeys on them. She likes things like that. They do fridge magnets too and donkey cuddly toys. Oh… the cafe was nice too, if a bit overpriced
The fear of street based hate crimes which minorities live with, especially easily identifiable targets such as women wearing hijabs, is very real, and not least after the race riots of a few months ago.
But why don't you treat it as some sort of joke and post hilarious photos of donkeys?
I am sure that Nigel Farage would approve of your contempt and join with you in laughing at all this woke nonsense.
Call it what it is (or isn't) then, it's either a tax payer funded public service or a charity, it can't be both.
Tell Mama wasn't supporting brown people or dealing with general racism, it was targeted on Islamaphobia, not exactly promoting cultural or religious harmony.
Ironic once again for the lefty echo chamber here holding the Torys up as the benchmark for promoting racial tolerance over the last decade given Johnson et al managed to set back societal inclusion 20 years and made it OK to be publicaly racist and bigoted again.
I assumed that the "fully funded" sentence was ambiguous and meant that Tell Mama's costs for running the phone line were covered, not necessarily that all funding for everything came from the state. If it's all state-funded then that's not much of a charity and more of a contractor.
I guess we should all just be happy that the Community Security Trust's funding is safe so we can keep track of anti-semitism.
don't think the CST tracks anti-semitism in Norway m8
Ironic once again for the lefty echo chamber here holding the Torys up as the benchmark for promoting racial tolerance over the last decade given Johnson et al managed to set back societal inclusion 20 years and made it OK to be publicaly racist and bigoted again.
I know it can't be easy to defend Starmer as he tries to find common ground with Reform but do you really have to come out with such disingenuous nonsense?
You know full well that it has nothing to do with "holding up the Tories as benchmark for promoting racial tolerance" and everything to do with pointing out that even the last Tory government recognised the value provided by Tell Mama, as indeed the police currently do.
A reminder again of the "lefty" police attitude over the issue :
Police sources raised alarm over the probable impact of the cut, saying information provided by Tell Mama under a data sharing agreement signed in 2015 has been “invaluable” for monitoring indicators of rising tensions and responding to potential threats.
Call it what it is (or isn't) then, it's either a tax payer funded public service or a charity, it can't be both.
Of course it can be. Just the same way that something outsourced to capita is still a public service but being delivered by a private company.
Figures are a bit old but in 2020/21 30% of incomefor charities across the board came from the public sector.
As of this year public sector procurement has been told to maximise use of charities. Note thats procurement and so doesnt cover the separate grants approach.
There has been debates about the use of the third sector for public services for several years now especially the risk if they grow overdependent on that cash flow. Its odd that it seems to be news to many. This should be something anyone with a basic understanding of public services should be well aware off
I know it can't be easy to defend Starmer as he tries to find common ground with Reform but do you really have to come out with such disingenuous nonsense?
Its rather telling that stumpyjob is so ideologically pure that they cant accept that sometimes even arseholes manage to do the right thing. Still its everyone else in an echo chamber and not the true believers in St Starmer.
I didn't mention Starmer in my post merely pointing out the irony trying to suggest the Torys valued a state funded contractor, sorry charity, given the damage they deliberately did to our society to grab a few votes.
As for claming the current government and Reform are in anyway equivalent is pure hyperbole.
stumpyjob
That's mature, are we resorting to name calling now?
As for idealogical purity your, and other posters, obsession with Starmer is hardly objective. Anyway I'll leave you to your little echo chamber.
Call it what it is (or isn't) then, it's either a tax payer funded public service or acharity, it can't be both
How to be wrong on technicalities.
Tax-payer funded? The government doesn't need your money and you don't create it either.
Charities can access money from central government. Which is simply government money.
Why oh why are the right-wing Labour shills so exhausting at defending every single stupid Labour move.
Usually with a load of nonsense too.
As for claming the current government and Reform are in anyway equivalent is pure hyperbole.
So you don't fancy easing off the disingenuous nonsense then.
the irony trying to suggest the Torys valued a state funded contractor, sorry charity,
Absolutely it is ironic. The whole Labour government austerity programme is ironic.
We are actually in a situation where the international aid budget cut under athe current "Labour" government will be 40% less than it was under the last Tory government. How ironic is that when you consider that it was the last Labour government which boosted the international aid budget to a never before 0.7% GDP level?
And that's the Reform territory/common ground that the current "Labour" government is aiming for. Keir Starmer is attempting to park his tanks on Nigel Farage's lawn.
It will help Starmer about as much as it helped Rishi Sunak.**
Edit : ** And that's ignoring the moral considerations of attempting to chase the culture war votes.
Call it what it is (or isn't) then, it's either a tax payer funded public service or a charity, it can't be both.
Of course it can be. Just the same way that something outsourced to capita is still a public service but being delivered by a private company.
So Capita is a charity according to you? who knew? 🤣
Call it what it is (or isn't) then, it's either a tax payer funded public service or acharity, it can't be both
How to be wrong on technicalities.
Charities can access money from central government. Which is simply government money.
If they they can, then they shouldn't be able to, especially organisations with religious ties, religion has no place in modern society, IMO, I don't care if you are Christian, Muslim, Jew or Pastafarien, you can get in the sea.
That kind of nonsense would be the first thing on the chopping block if I were a government looking to save money.
Just look at the christian church in the uk, they are basically just a bunch of nonces who don't pay any tax.
So Capita is a charity according to you? who knew? 🤣
You even quoted dissonance and yet apparently still somehow failed to understand the quote.
"capita is still a public service but being delivered by a private company"
No mention of it being a charity.
I see the usual suspects from extreme left on here, are still shouting down anyone on here who dares to have an opinion more balanced than that of the Khmer Rouge.
Finger on the pulse about the issues at the forefront of the nations concerns with this one comrades…
The latest piece of anti-labour fear mongering to be proven completely wrong is the impact of the private school VAT changes on state school applications.
The fear mongerers claimed the numbers switching from private to state would overwhelm state schools. Whereas in reality most councils have not really noticed any change at all.
Maybe you'd like to talk less about Donkey sanctuaries and more about the Community Security Trust, given that Tell Mama is the Islamaphobia equivalent of the CST (which deals with anti-semitism).
Looks like Tell Mama has gotten just over 6 million since 2011. In total.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-03-18/HL3322/
The CST is getting over 14-18 million each year:
I can see why people would much rather talk about donkeys but seriously, how are we supposed to read this as anything other than pandering to Reform voters?
Pandering to Reform voters?
If you got together every Reform voter in the country and asked them all what they thought about the government cutting funding to ‘Tell Mama’ I can just imagine the look of collective bemusement staring back at you.
They would have no idea what on earth you were on about. Not one of them.
I see the usual suspects from extreme left on here,
Fascinating given how Binners is doing his normal shitting all over the thread with hilarious photos to make up for lack of argument and you are coming out with balanced arguments like "they are basically just a bunch of nonces who don't pay any tax."
The most fascinating bit about the recent comments is just how clueless many people are about how charities actually work and their interaction with the public services.
Finger on the pulse about the issues at the forefront of the nations concerns with this one comrades…
Immigration innit? And people like you and Nigel knows it. Do you remember the time binners when you barred yourself from your local pub the Rose and Crown in Ramsbottom after calling everyone in the pub "bigots"?
Isn't it now time you went back to the Rose and Crown apologised and told them that you have had a 'Road to Damascus' experience and you now understand their concerns?
Men of the people like Farage and Trump, and you binners, understand what is at the "forefront of the nation's concerns". Obviously it might not be at the forefront of the Muslim community's concerns but who cares, apart the usual leftie woke snowflakes?
They would have no idea what on earth you were on about. Not one of them.
When you say, 'We stopped giving money to Muslims' I think even the densest of Reform voters will understand and appreciate it.
If they notice it at all, which they won’t, obviously. They’re busy having a massive handbag session with each other (which is frankly hilarious), the subtext to which seems to be whether they should welcome Tommy Robinson or not
Be honest… other than our resident PFJ members, how many people do you reckon have ever heard of ‘Tell Mama’? Even after the article buried on page 15 of the Guardian?
Like I said… finger on the pulse guys
Be honest… other than our resident PFJ members, how many people do you reckon have ever heard of ‘Tell Mama’? Even after the article buried somewhere in the midst of the Guardian
So what's your explanation for the 0.8 million Tell Mama has been getting annually being removed while the CST's 14 million remains in place?
Your first explanation was that it's unusual for the government to fund a charity but this doesn't seem to be an issue for the CST.
Then you went on a hilarious donkey posting spree.
Now you're saying no one will even notice so it doesn't matter (while still hilariously posting pictures of donkeys).
If it doesn't matter and no one will notice, why was it done? And why was the funding to the CST not cut if it's a question of saving money?
So what's your explanation for the 0.8 million Tell Mama has been getting annually being removed while the CST's 14 million remains in place?
Like the other 99.9999% of the population I had never heard of ‘Tell Mama’ before this thread. I’ve also never heard of CST either and have no idea who they are or what they do. Apparently I should be very angry about it though, for some reason
The latest piece of anti-labour fear mongering to be proven completely wrong is the impact of the private school VAT changes on state school applications.
The fear mongerers claimed the numbers switching from private to state would overwhelm state schools. Whereas in reality most councils have not really noticed any change at all.
That was likely to be the case last July according to the IFS, hardly the "latest piece".
3-7% move Treasury wins, 10% move no tax gained, however population decline, blah, blah
If you want the latest piece of anti-labour fear mongering that matters,
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Britain's jobs market cooled in February as the pace of hiring slowed and starting salaries rose by the least in four years, according to a survey on Monday that underscores firms' concerns about higher employment costs and a soft economy. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-employers-slow-hiring-pay-growth-cools-survey-shows-2025-03-10/
Be honest… other than our resident PFJ members, how many people do you reckon have ever heard of ‘Tell Mama’?
So there you have it, the justification for pulling the plug on Tell Mama is that most people (including I suspect you binners) haven't heard of it!!
If only the last Tory government had used those sorts of excuses to justify their policies they would have presumably received much more support from you binners. They obviously missed a trick!
But as it is you binners opposed absolutely all Tory government policies whilst you now you fully support every single "Labour" government policy. Which is weird when you consider that many people are struggling to see much difference between the two and that it presumably means that the current UK government is the first one in history to be right about everything.
so the exodus to state schools doesn't seem to be happening
sorry see this was posted above
will the NI increase cause more of an impact?
Like the other 99.9999% of the population I had never heard of ‘Tell Mama’ before this thread. I’ve also never heard of CST either and have no idea who they are or what they do. Apparently I should be very angry about it though, for some reason
So in your opinion anything you haven't heard of is not really relevant. I hadn't heard of Tell Mama or the CST either. A quick bit of googling told me they both provide important services to the country. And to be clear, it's the police who are saying they provide important services.
I'm sure there are lots of very important things going on every day that neither one of us has heard of. As a white relatively well off man I'm sure there many public bodies, charities, NGOs, and many other types of organisations I've never had to even think about.
Doesn't mean I just assume none of them matter.
so the exodus to state schools doesn't seem to be happening
It was never going to.
and even that doom mongering was hedged
Appointments to permanent jobs declined for the 29th month in a row, but the drop in hiring was smaller than in January."While it is still a wait and see approach to hiring ... the softer decline could be an indication that expectations of further interest rate cuts and better than expected recent economic data are starting to release some of the pressures on business," Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG, which sponsors the survey, said