UK Government Thread

Everything they do seems miscalculated, irresponsible and needless

This +loads

Labour certainly aren’t without fault!

But…

No fault eviction legislation, decisive action assistant rioters, long term strategy for the NHS, minimum wage increase, house building strategy, ban on new North Sea oil drilling, actively engaging with the EU, security pact with Germany, most strikes ended with ongoing talks with nurses union to end theirs, total lack of the tofu culture wars… Theres nuance behind much of that of course but it’s a damned decent start imo.

It’s not sexy maybe, doesn’t make for emotive headlines but it’s still important.

The sensible answer is view access to the internet as a standard utility and nationalise it.

When I last canvassed, the two things in order of most unpopular on the doorstep (West Yorkshire) was Corbyn, and then Govt owned Broadband.

I foresee further inflation.

If anything inflation in the short term will go down, Oil has never been cheaper than it is now, and at over a million barrels of over production, and the possibility of wider regional war in the middle east, it’s predicted to go down again over the next coupe of years .

But…

The problem isn’t what Labour are doing (or not doint), it’s how they’re communicating it and the effect that’s going to have on their re-election chances. Starmer and Reeves seem to be revelling in being massively unpopular. They probably think that shows they are doing a good job of governing, but running a technocratically efficient and serious administration isn’t going to get them elected again, and with that they will lose the opportunity to implement the sort of lasting change they claim to want. Much like the Blair govt, the Starmer govt is going to be an enormous missed opportunity, and it’s going to tee up a dystopian future tory-reform govt who will turn the UK into a reactionary culture-war hellscape.

If anything inflation in the short term will go down

Deflation is a real and present danger. Plummeting oil prices, low economic confidence in the general public and businesses, and higher taxes and negative comms from govt all point towards prices going down, and that doesn’t even consider international factors such as Trump, Ukraine and the middle east. If that happens people will stop spending and that could create a negative feedback. I wouldn’t be surprised in a couple of years if we’re back to emergency cuts in interest rates and another economic crisis.

Deflation is a real and present danger.

No it isn’t. Willing to take that one pint bet yet?

Willing to take that one pint bet yet?

No because the BoE will slash interest rates to zero again before they allow inflation to go negative. Always happy to buy you a pint though, I must get down your way sometime. 🙂

before they allow inflation to go negative.

Haven’t shop prices been in deflation since August?

Haven’t shop prices been in deflation since August?

Dunno but the headline rate is currently still positive, although reducing rapidly and more than anyone forecasted. Plummeting prices is a (temporary) good thing for consumers, not so good for govt and the economy in the long run though.

Plummeting prices is a (temporary) good thing for consumers

Not if they are reluctant to buy something which might be cheaper in a month’s time. And presumably worrying for retailers. It would appear that current retail price deflation is due to consumers being skint (rather than reduced production costs) so retailers are trying to entice sales by offering bargains. It could backfire if consumers wait for better bargains

Edit:

https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/uk-shop-prices-enter-deflation-for-first-time-since-2021/2024082777285

UK economy set to grow faster than expected this year

Up from 0.8 to 1.1.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yge6knpzdo

No fault eviction legislation, decisive action assistant rioters, long term strategy for the NHS, minimum wage increase, house building strategy, ban on new North Sea oil drilling, actively engaging with the EU, security pact with Germany, most strikes ended with ongoing talks with nurses union to end theirs, total lack of the tofu culture wars… Theres nuance behind much of that of course but it’s a damned decent start imo.

It would be if they’d actually done any of it!

The winter fuel payment fiasco is in (my mum’s had her letter), done and a proper mess. Example: an estimated 35% of those eligible for the pension credit qualifier don’t claim it and so won’t get the WFP. Scotland isn’t bringing this in for another twelve months

Free football tickets, done

Free suits and specs, done

No fault eviction legislation.

The one announced 18 months ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65612842 that still hasn’t happened. It only got an airing under Labour in September

Decisive action against (I’m guessing 🙂 ) rioters.

Yep, but at the same time capping the number of Crown Court sitting days to 105000 (reduction from the uncapped 107700 days last year). Victims of assault/sexual assault, etc waiting even longer for their case to be heard so that they can move on in life

long term strategy for the NHS

“A new 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS is under way.” https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/

minimum wage increase

Next year

ban on new North Sea oil drilling,

Licensing process began a year ago. Companies aren’t going to give up on the costly bidding process without an expensive legal battle (admin, prep, surveys, bidding fees, etc.)

ongoing talks with nurses

Ongoing

You get the picture 😉

Plummeting prices? I need to shop where you lot shop. Oh… you mean the flailing fast fashion in industry…? That race to the bottom bubble has popped. If my food shop is ever cheaper, then I’ll cheer.

Mine’s a half Dazh, or 2/3s… I can’t keep pace with others otherwise…. lightweight (and also too keen on the stronger beers). Anytime. Could do a matchy matchy bike ride as well… just been fixing the dropper in my SodaMAX.

timba, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Give the poor sods a chance, this is a marathon not a sprint. Government will always be ongoing and they are attempting to do a 3 point turn… in a super tanker… with a buggered engine… in the middle of a hurricane… and the last captain/s were medivaced by helicopter due to substance abuse. Or something. 🙂 

Could do a matchy matchy bike ride as well… just been fixing the dropper in my SodaMAX.

Two SodaMAX’s out in the wild in the same place? Has that ever happened before? ?

Plummeting prices? I need to shop where you lot shop. Oh… you mean the flailing fast fashion in industry…?

Daz said “plummeting oil prices”. You could try shopping in a petrol station for that.

And no, not just the fashion industry, overall the retail industry is currently experiencing deflation for the first time since 2021 :

“Shop prices in deflation for first time in almost three years”

https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/shop-prices-in-deflation-for-first-time-in-almost-three-years/

And the headline inflation rate in currently 1.7% so below the Bank of England “above 2%” target and therefore a reason to be concerned. Inflation dropped by half a percent in the last so it hasn’t stabilised yet.

timba, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

🙂 🙂

5th July would have been a good time to start, having chosen his hiking boots during the previous four years

🙂 🙂

Yep, but at the same time capping the number of Crown Court sitting days to 105000 (reduction from the uncapped 107700 days last year). Victims of assault/sexual assault, etc waiting even longer for their case to be heard so that they can move on in life

There’s been caps before – the cap was lifted two or three years ago, was 82k back in 2019/20 before it was lifted. Given the direction court backlogs have headed since, I’m not sure the number of sitting days is the chief issue.

Daz said “plummeting oil prices”. You could try shopping in a petrol station for that.

And? Ignoring all the posts since then, including your own, for what reason? Food prices haven’t come down. Still a few things filtering through that’ll push them up further still, sadly [don’t mention Brexit]. Fashion retailers are struggling, for sure. Especially those used to selling cheap and disposable… people will wear what they have. More hard times ahead for everyone working in retail.

Budget looks damn good to me… investing in the right things… starting to shift the tax burden in the right ways… some good details for carers, and those struggling on Universal Credit… and something useful for pubs [ see you there ].

Ignoring all the posts since then, including your own, for what reason? Food prices haven’t come down.

What are you talking about? No one has ignored any posts, and no one has claimed that food prices have come down. I think you must be imagining stuff.

The British Retail Consortium article points out that there is retail price deflation. But feel free to challenge them and provide your own figures to prove them wrong.

I think you must be imagining stuff.

No, just being an idiot and engaging with your tiresome professional thread filling nonsense. Sorry. Thanks for reminding me not to.

– deleted –

Move to the Budget thread … I delete.

There’s been caps before – the cap was lifted two or three years ago, was 82k back in 2019/20 before it was lifted. Given the direction court backlogs have headed since, I’m not sure the number of sitting days is the chief issue.

Agreed, but how does capping the number of sitting days reduce the backlog?

Capless is just that, not a cap and collar, so it self-regulates. Spare capacity? More courts sitting. Less capacity, fewer courts

Capping the number of days OTOH leads to empty courts and unnecessary admin days for people who could be dealing with the backlog

If this the current thread or it’s Starmer the go to thread now?lol

Anyway…

“Covid corruption commissioner starts fraud probe”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg6r7zk47eo

I hope it’s backed up with some prosecutions but I might be hopelessly optimistic there.

There will only be convictions if there is sufficient evidence to guarantee a successful prosecution, and I suspect what seems obvious to us might be harder to prove to the legal standard, sadly.

But God I hope some of them are properly held to account.

The most it will do is cause some embarrassment to a handful of the worst perps. I cannot see any verdict or result that downgrades their wealth one iota. And let’s face it, that’s all they care about.

Four years is a long time in which to delete emails, delete WhatsApp chats and ‘lose’ phones.

Mild censure is the worst any of them can expect. Prison time is a fantasy.

Yep this is the real two tier policing, immorality for thew rich and powerful is encouraged and rewarded or at best rarely legally enforced, while poverty is criminalised.

Can I just confirm that you’re having a pop at the Labour government for attempting to recoup the 8.7 billion handed out by the Tories to their mates in dodgy PPE contracts? Before they’ve even started?

You have all the paranoia of a conspiracy theorist binners. I cannot see anyone having a pop at the Labour government for attempting to recoup the 8.7 billion.

All I can see is the suggestion that anyone found to have behaved in a corrupt or unacceptable manner is unlikely to be properly punished, for example receive a prison sentence.

Which is a perfectly reasonable observation. What do think will happen binners?

You have all the paranoia of a conspiracy theorist binners

Eh? I’m not the one here who’s suggesting the outcome of this investigation is a foregone conclusion, am I?

There doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of point in speculating on it really, does there? Seeing as they’ve only just started. I’m sure they’d have started the investigation much earlier if they hadn’t have had to go through the hassle of getting elected first.

I can’t see why they wouldn’t prosecute the Michelle Mone’s or Matt Hancocks pub landlord/PPE supplier though? Though I’m pretty certain that the right wing media would immediately label them Stalinist show trials or some other such guff

The Mail is already complaining that the Labour govt are starting inquiries. They’ve complained that this Labour govt have started 61, ignoring the fact that the previous Tory government had 67 enquiries into plastic cutlery alone…Thank God for saving us from the horror of plastic sporks.

In the wrong hands, they could have somebodies eye out

“South Western Railway to become first train operator nationalised under Labour”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/03/south-western-railway-to-become-first-train-operator-nationalised-under-labour

Oooooh I forgot they were renationalising the railways 🙂

I very much want the people who profited from supplying sub-standard PPE (or no PPE at all) to face justice. I’d love to see some of them serve prison time for what they did. I’d like to see them in the stocks outside the Tower.

But with the kind of connections they have? With four years to have deleted emails, lost phones etc?

It’s not even that I think we shouldn’t try. It is just that slippery, well-connected scammers with four years head start on any investigation are going to be very difficult to bring to book.

I think the problem with prosecutions would be the fast track VIP lane was legislation passed by parliament. It was later ruled unlawful (I think through a challenge by the good law project). But while it was in place I am not sure anyone could be prosecuted for using their “connections” unless it is provable that money directly passed hands to access the fast lane. The corruption was legalised by an act of parliament.

Maybe some money can be returned through the specifics of the contracts and the failure to supply, but that would be largely about contract law rather than criminality IMO (I am not a lawyer).

Which brings me back to my previous comment

Yep this is the real two tier policing, immorality for thew rich and powerful is encouraged and rewarded or at best rarely legally enforced, while poverty is criminalised.

Another point is the way the corruption is paid for is usually separate transactions “I give you access for valuable government contracts, you book me to speak at your corporate do next year for 150k” drawing a direct line between those transactions is extremely difficult.

Inquiry cost at £10million +
Years before the report is released.

A few down the bottom of the chain hung out to dry

Countless repeats of the phrase “ we will learn lessons from this”

Gregg Wallace linked in somehow

Have I missed anything ?

Have I missed anything ?

What tyres for riding roughshod over public enquiries?