No doubt when the crunch really comes they’ll bung some MMT bailout money to their chums to subsidise the bills rather than renationalising and make some more promises about a nuclear power plant a year.

From what I heard last night (Labour), this is the only plan in town for either of the two main parties.

“Paul Johnson, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, an economics thinktank, has queried whether Labour’s plan would help greatly with inflation, saying the rate would go up again once the energy subsidy ended.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/16/labour-to-push-energy-price-cap-policy-in-campaign-blitz

Keir Starmer has vowed that his party “wouldn’t let people pay a penny more” on their gas and electricity bills this winter

That is not entirely true, under Labour’s plan people would pay 54% more this winter than they did last winter, and a unspecified extra amount next winter.

Edit: That should be contrasted with the fact that French consumers will be paying 4% more this winter. The question which should be asked is how has the French government made this possible? Apart from using EDF’s UK profits to help subsidize French consumers.

I was listening to some minister yesterday proud of the discount scheme they’re introduced for Universal Credit claimers. No help with energy or food, but you could have a day at Twycross or Tusauds for £3 each.

I heard that. You forgot to mention the discounts on West End Shows.

It’s absolutely gobsmacking just how utterly detached from reality these people are.

Boris is still on holiday and neither Truss or Sunak have anything at all to say on the cost of living crisis on the day that figures come out showing wages fall by the highest figure on record

I see they’re addressing the real issue of the day instead with sone good old-fashioned Brexity English Nationalism and threatening the devolved Scottish parliament

The question which should be asked is how has the French government made this possible?

By having lots of nuclear power stations?

By having lots of nuclear power stations?

It’s a slightly ironic narrative given the disaster that was its part privatization and subsequence collapse in value.

By owning the means of production and distribution? Lots of ways for the government to step in and take the strain. I prefer their way.

By owning the means of production and distribution?

Does France have its own natural gas though? And yes I know I just cited nuclear power as a possible reason, but I’m assuming now that they use more electricity for heating etc because I don’t think they have much gas or oil, but I guess they still need some gas.

No country is cut off from the world. In their case, the government is taking the financial hit on those gas prices (for home users).

I see they’re addressing the real issue of the day instead with sone good old-fashioned Brexity English Nationalism and threatening the devolved Scottish parliament

Ah, what price sovrunty?

It ain’t gonna be too long until someone can actually put a price on that – and it won’t be pretty. The usual suspects (left and right) will chip away at the figures in the calc until it shows a benefit, though – no matter how cock-eyed the maths.

But until then, blame the foreigners, blame Labour, blame the benefits claimants, blame everyone else except the ones selling the man in the street down the river.

With all the recent warm and settled weather I reckon that the number of attempted crossings of the channel will have increased – so that story will get its regular run out in the next week or so – just to keep the Brexity types frothing and thinking England is a great place to live.

“Attempted crossings up 100%* in first fortnight of August”.

*From a handful to two handfuls.

Read recently (Reuters etc) that half of the French nuclear plants are current offline with maintenance issues, and they’re actually buying from us. Yet still, only 4% more. . .

French nuclear plants are suffering in the drought due to a lack of water for cooling.

Read recently (Reuters etc) that half of the French nuclear plants are current offline with maintenance issues, and they’re actually buying from us. Yet still, only 4% more. . .

It’s the summer, so most electrical infrastructure will be having scheduled maintenance if it’s needed.

Presumably they’ll balance the book over the winter when they’ll be exporting again at an even higher price.

Last figures I remember seeing they were importing ~2TWh whereas normally it’s an export of ~20TWh. Makes for a good headline to say they’re importing and subsidizing it, but things will be back to ‘normal’ sooner or later.

Don’t forget that Boris is personally building a new nuclear power station every year, once he’s finished all these new hospitals

they’re actually buying from us.

Define “us”, considering how much of our production is owned by the French government via EDF.

MSP
Full Member

French nuclear plants are suffering in the drought due to a lack of water for cooling.

Wrong issue, and there have been waivers issued to help with that. Others offline with corrosion issues and the like

kelvin
Full Member
Define “us”, considering how much of our production is owned by the French government via EDF.

oh I’m sure the trading will be interesting, but its still having to come via the UK grid one way or another

We would be in the streets prostesting if energy prices increases were as high as the Uk. Simple as that. No government would survive.

We would be in the streets prostesting if energy prices increases were as high as the Uk. Simple as that. No government would survive.

Yes, but the French have known for some time how to balance national pride with pragmatism.

Meanwhile another populist supposed patriot is found to just have been lining his own pockets.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/16/former-australian-prime-minister-scott-morrison-pm-secretly-gave-himself-five-ministerial-roles

The Morrison thing is bonkers, he must have knonw he’d be rumbled, did he get paid mor for each job or was it purely about power?

The Morrison thing is bonkers, he must have knonw he’d be rumbled, did he get paid mor for each job or was it purely about power?

Portfolios included Finance & Health (after the first wave of covid), then ‘Resources’ later – presumably when he realised that could put some kind of brake on the other two.

If the conduct of the Tories English Nationalists re covid contracts is anything to go by, the reward wouldn’t have been in the salary but the kickbacks from the VIP lane or whatever cover name they gave their scheme to line their mates’ pockets.

Whatever, it will take a lot of time, resources and money to get to the very root of it – just like Trump is bargaining on.

Truss woos the workers of the North…

Then Chief Sec to the Treasury Liz Truss said British workers lacked “skill and application” – and implied productivity gap between London and rest of country was “partly a mindset or attitude thing”.

— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) August 16, 2022

What are voters expecting from Truss (compared to Starmer as PM)?

IPSOS

Starmer’s Labour holds double-digit leads over Truss’ Conservatives in being seen as more likely to improve public services (+13pts), reduce waiting times in the NHS (+12), reduce regional inequalities / levelling-up (+12) and offering Britain a fresh start (+10).

Doesn’t look good for Truss when it comes to “levelling-up” in the so called Red Wall seats.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Tory leadership debate is in Perth today – we asked the people in Perth what they think of Sunak and Truss. pic.twitter.com/zmnX69C4Yr

— Yes (@YesScot) August 16, 2022

Truss seems popular in Scotland

Perth Hustings pic.twitter.com/Jhnt5hh6Nn

— Phantom Power (@PhantomPower14) August 16, 2022

This guy on gmb was great

Do you know who Liz Truss is?

Man from Paisley

Yes… Don't vote for her.pic.twitter.com/OX4lei2iBG

— Bylines Scotland (@BylinesScotland) August 16, 2022

Truss and her leaked comments.

FFS what do these people expect out of an under-invested low wage economy?
Blood I think.

Working class will probably says she’s right. All over LBC.

OT: Inflation up again. This after the US Inflation ticked down.

Working class will probably says she’s right. All over LBC.

The pensioners in the membership will lap it up

I love how the right toss China around when it suits them.

“We hate your threat to world stability but keep going because we like your cheap labour and work ethic.”

A good article in todays Guardian as a timely reminder about what Brexit was really all about. To turn the UK into a tax haven for international capital, with a completely deregulated sweatshop attached to it, where a workforce stripped of rights can be readily exploited.

Both Truss and Sunak are evangelists about ‘Freeports’ but I doubt many people realise the full implications of what these actually are. It’s all part of ‘Taking Back Control’ and handing it over to corporations.

Welcome to the freeport, where turbocapitalism tramples over British democracy

Truss: “The UK is a family that I will never, ever allow to break up”. I wonder if that’s what she said to her husband and kids after she had that affair? “You MAY NOT LEAVE ME”. Mark Field should have tried it.

wonder if that’s what she said to her husband and kids after she had that affair? “You MAY NOT LEAVE ME”.

Or her affair with Kwertang or her latest one with a SPAD?

Is it injunctions keeping them off the front pages or are the tabloids just waiting until she’s PM ?

Hope the 52% are still cock-a-hoop about their victory.

OT: Inflation up again. This after the US Inflation ticked down.

Hitting the least well off far harder than the people choosing our PM.

BBC

I get the feeling the tories are a bit rudderless just now and haven’t a clue what they’re trying to do, Liz Truss is just being left unchecked to say what is in her head, which has always been a very bad idea for the tories, the way she is going i honestly think we could see the unthinkable in 2024, which is a tory loss, as she’s alienating almost everyone, and even starting to get into her own supporters, the tory voters are very loyal and pretty religious about the party, but Liz Truss has no charisma, ability and just spouts dangerous stuff, Boris was never the sharpest tool in the box, but he knew how to gain support and win people around, and he was more than happy to become leader and let others do the work, he just wanted to be PM.

If the tory party was an actual business you worked in, and you saw people act like Truss, Shapps, Zahawi, Patel, etc you’d be fearing your colleagues were having breakdowns and try and get them help, in the UK we’ve building a cabinet with them!

the way she is going i honestly think we could see the unthinkable in 2024, which is a tory loss,

Looking at recent history, both parties run out of talent eventually. (Not judging their policies, just the ability to win an election and how much they got done).

Thatcher -> Major -> a whole host of rubbish opposition

Blair -> Brown -> Ed Miliband and finally Corbyn.

Nick Clegg -> I can’t even remember

Cameron -> May -> Boris -> Truss -> I’m expecting an election loss and Nadine Doris as leader of the opposition.

Worst case for Labor almost looks like a win in the election, but with Sunak as opposition because he seems to buck the trend by actually being competent.

Maybe you think it’s talent but I think it is more ideological direction.

You can’t keep extracting out of an economy and its resources and not putting back in no matter how competent.

However, lack of talent defintely follows because the solutions are complex and clueless MPs are the ones being supported.

Hitting the least well off far harder than the people choosing our PM.

Trickle down – the gift that keeps on giving.

Maybe you think it’s talent but I think is more ideological direction.

I’m less and less convinced that economic policy is what differentiates them anyway. I can’t see this going any other way than “sorry there’s no money left” whatever color the tie is in a couple of years time.

Maybe you think it’s talent but I think it is more ideological direction.

Doubt it, i just think the tories are completely inept, at a time when the UK is suffering its worst crisis in a generation, you have Truss soundbites every day, such as ‘profit are not evil’ at a time when energy firms, supermarkets, etc are recording record profits quarter on quarter, in a successful economy you can get away with that, if the people are happy, they don’t really care, same with her latest soundbite about the UK workers needing more graft, said by a woman who hasn’t had a days graft in her life, even worse, she’s linked that whole thing to London being the example and the rest of the country being lazy, bad enough she has been alienating Scotland and Wales, not it’s the rest of England outside of London.

She also honestly believes that just offering tax cuts will win everyone over, the reality is that as nice as tax cuts are, they are useless if you’re not providing long term benefits within the country to support tax cuts, even a lot of the true blue support understand that, and aren’t happy with this approach.

Freeports – loved by foreign business, criminals, corrupt politicians and gullible voters everywhere

Tax cuts?

Tax cuts only help people earning wages.

The whole country is going into a financial meltdown, with the only the people at the top not going to feel it.

The amount of small business that are likely to go under is huge. My own included.