How is the Tory government doing?

Another own goal on the way folks.

With Boris trying to position himself as an environmental campaigner ahead of the forthcoming summit, there's been a bit of a kerfuffle about the Environment Bill that the government are trying to push through.

Basically an amendment to try to stop pumping raw sewage into our rivers - and incredibly, companies did this over 400 thousand times last year which is why we've got the dirtiest rivers in Europe - was voted down by the government.

Obviously folk were outraged by this and so the Tories turned to Twatter etc en masse to defend the governments blatant disregard for our environment - and Boris's hypocrisy - Backstory here.

Unsurprisingly, all the Tories involved with defending the governments' pro-shit stance on social media came out with almost identical statements - Here.

Sure enough, Tory MPs faced a huge backlash from their own constituents and would you believe it? - a few hours ago DEFRA announced this.

Yet another example of headless chickens heading off in the wrong direction and doing a big fat U-turn when they realised it undermined their popularity which - let's be honest - is the only thing they care about.

No doubt Sunak will be handing money out like sweeties to shore up their support in today's budget - despite that driving up inflation and prices at a time where our national borrowing is at the greatest peacetime level in our nation's history.

Have just emailed my local MP to ask how she voted re the sewage issue, and whether she wears a mask in the HoC.....

As expected it's a budget aimed at an unsuspecting electorate.

For context, the Consumer Price Index is forecast to rise by 4% withing a year and inflation - already at 3.1% - is also on the rise.

So simply to keep the "real cost of living" where it is - let alone to get it back to where it was when the Tories took over - we're looking at 4 to 4.5% wage rises across the board.

Sunak's showboating for the crowd - including targetting the prosecco, fruit ciders and beer vote amongst others - masked a much deeper issue and yet still fell short of what is required.

It came across as "splashing the cash". But in the scheme of things it was like putting lipstick on a pig and calling it sexy.

In amongst it all there were some good things, especially for the big housebuilders and landowners but equally there were some glaring omissions that will impact heavily on working families and especially those in need of extra support at a time of steadily rising costs.

Having had a little more time to reflect on the budget and it's broader implications, for me it's a mixed bag affecting people in different circumstances in different ways.

Millions of  people will be worse off according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies but it's not as simple as that.

Despite the showboating rhetoric about no new taxes....in September Sunak announced
that all employees, employers and the self-employed will pay an additional 1.25% in National Insurance contributions.
Technically, he wasn't actually lying - as he'd already announced it so it's not "new"

For me personally i.e. a pensioner I know and accept that my State Pension and my savings will be outstripped by price rises and inflation lag (which the OBR were quick to say is more likely to be 5% and rising after Sunak claimed it would peak at 4%) but I like beer and with the reduction in tax partially offsetting the increase in transport and ingredients costs theoretically the price shouldn't rocket in the foreseeable future so I'm happy with that. But the below inflation 3.1% "increase" in the State Pension will be immediately eaten up by increased Council Tax, rising fuel costs, and general price increases due to inflation.

The "super rich" were unaffected - so no wealth tax and nothing to get after the tax dodgers.

People on low incomes were given a few crumbs with which to offset the trouble ahead.
But Sunak had already said that the lower tax threshold will be frozen for 5 years from April 2021 - which as we head into the "higher wage/higher prices" economy will push more and more lower income earners into paying tax.

Middle income earners were slammed though with increased NI and prices rising at the fastest rate in 30 years.

And I'm still wondering how reducing the tax on internal flights fits with their agenda for climate change? Surely that would encourage folk to fly more if the saving is passed on to the customers? Why aren't they looking at greener alternatives like a decent rail network that compares with our European neighbours?

If borrowing is finally going to be cut back from it's current all time high in the next few years as Sunak claims it will there is only one way to pay for it all - increased GDP - so Britain is going to have to start working smarter and harder and moreover, resolve all the supply chain issues and skills shortages pronto.

One thing that did cross the line though was Sunak gleefully suggesting that public sector workers including the NHS would get a pay rise next year. No they won't. What is actually happening is that the pay freeze will be lifted - so they will be legally allowed to negotiate - but as Mr Frosty Brexit found out negotiation doesn't necessarily mean they'll get it. And if they do, will it even cover the rise in the cost of living?

Perhaps the only slightly amusing thing in the whole budget was Sunak saying that this government was going to get economy back into the healthy shape it was in 2010.

Didn't his script writers bother to tell him that the economy in 2010 was built on 13 years of Labour government?

So much to talk about today:

Boris "running scared" as he dodges the Tory sleaze debate.

Raab defending Geoffrey Cox spending months and earning >£1million working as a consultant in the British Virgin Islands - advising them on how to respond to the British government's concern re corruption/tax evasion etc (i.e. against the British taxpayer!) Hardly working for his constituents is it?

But the story that interested me most was the one about the Tories threatening to deny funding in constituencies where the MP rebels against the Tory Whip.

Withdrawing the whip is a reasonable action if an MP votes against his own party, but threatening to make his constituents suffer is straight out of the Stalinist playbook.

A press conference has been scheduled at 16:30 today. I wonder what it could be?

karlypants wrote:A press conference has been scheduled at 16:30 today. I wonder what it could be?

A red herring methinks....

"Boris Johnson will give a press conference at 4.30pm today after dashing back to the COP26 climate summit.
The Prime Minister boarded a train from London to Glasgow this morning after he was slammed for taking a domestic flight back from the global gathering last week.
Mr Johnson will issue a desperate plea to negotiators to "pull out the stops" for real progress as the two-week summit closes this Friday or Saturday.
It came as the UK government announced a target for all new UK HGVs to be zero-emissions by 2040 - 10 years after the date for cars and vans.
But Shadow Business Secretary Ed Miliband said there had already been a “devastating reality check” - after a draft COP agreement warned far more needs to be done to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.
Mr Miliband also suggested the Prime Minister was visiting Glasgow to distract from a growing sleaze scandal in Westminster.
Mr Johnson is thought to have axed a planned Chequers away day for Cabinet ministers tomorrow - and last night, Tory vice chair Andrew Bowie quit his role amid reports he was unable to support the government publicly over sleaze."

NHS waiting lists are at the highest level since records began, over 300 thousand people have been waiting over a year for operations and ambulance drivers are saying more lives are at risk due to lengthening waiting times for emergency services.
In part, it's a result of Covid, in part it's a result of Brexit and in part it's a result of this government's decisions, but whatever you choose to blame, it's another indicator of the continuing decline in standards of living.
Sad news indeed, especially when accompanied by the news that the country has slipped behind the economic growth targets that Sunak is banking on.

In the budget, Sunak made financial provision for the NHS to address the backlog but the obvious problem is that we need more doctors, nurses and carers on the ground to make the reduction in waiting times - having the money to recruit them is great but we do not have a sufficient number of trained British people not already working in the NHS to recruit.

And the issue will be further exacerbated by staff refusing to be jabbed leaving the system - today is the deadline in the care sector which is inextricably linked to freeing up hospital beds and reducing intake.

At what point will the immigration regulations be revisited?

Couldn't find a thread on here specifically about climate change and COP 26, so am posting here an approximation of a comment that I just came across about the way the talks are going. 

It goes something like:-

 "Am trying to stay positive and look on the bright side by telling myself that my grandchildren will only have to drive as far as Chorley for a day at the seaside...."

COP26 is a complete and utter waste of time and money. 

Especially as it gave wee nippy an opportunity to flaunt around taking selfies and trying to pretend she gives a crap about the environment. 

If she did she'd be out picking up all the needles in her own constituency. 

As for Sharma pretending to cry... What a wanker.

okocha wrote:Couldn't find a thread on here specifically about climate change and COP 26, so am posting here an approximation of a comment that I just came across about the way the talks are going. 

It goes something like:-

 "Am trying to stay positive and look on the bright side by telling myself that my grandchildren will only have to drive as far as Chorley for a day at the seaside...."

If you couldn’t find a Climate Change thread Oko, why didn’t you start one?

He just likes to moan!

He has such a tough life living in Wokeville.

Yougov poll yesterday puts the Tory's 2 points clear of hapless labour. 

You have to laugh.

Embarrassing to watch Tory ministers commenting on the number 10 festive gatherings last year. ‘All guidance was followed’ which would only be true if there wasn’t a gathering. 

As ludicrous as they are we’ve entered a dangerous era under this government, they have no qualms openly lying on a regular basis and seemingly suffer no consequences.

Bunch of charlatans.

Gov wanting to water down human rights laws and allow ministers to overturn legal rulings (front page of today’s Times). 

No wonder they wanted to get out of the EU, much easier to tear up our democracy now.

T.R.O.Y. wrote:Gov wanting to water down human rights laws and allow ministers to overturn legal rulings (front page of today’s Times). 

No wonder they wanted to get out of the EU, much easier to tear up our democracy now.

Nothing of the sort

What the article talks about is Judicial Reviews only - and may I say I did voice my fears on here about the use by Maughan and others, to abuse (my word) the use of Judicial Reviews for political purposes and not the intended one of seeing that the administration of a law has been enacted correctly.

I did warn that such a blatant and deliberate course of action by Maughan et al, in my opinion would ultimately require a response from a government to put an end to it.

It seemed an obvious consequence to me flowing from the clear abuse of JR's in this way to attempt to change ministerial decisions by the judiciary.

"The proper constitutional relationship of the executive with the courts is that the courts will respect all acts of the executive within its lawful province, and that the executive will respect all decisions of the courts as to what its lawful province is".

I've explained the Separation of Powers in this country before and again provide a link to how it works -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers_in_the_United_Kingdom

T.R.O.Y. wrote:
As ludicrous as they are we’ve entered a dangerous era under this government, they have no qualms openly lying on a regular basis and seemingly suffer no consequences.

Openly lying without consequences has become normalised in the UK now.

With a complicit media and the absence of a credible opposition willing to up the ante there's no reason why these clowns shouldn't continue for years to come.

The populist public don't trust Labour or the media so they tend to believe what they want to believe and it's gotten to the point where Boris and his cronies could do almost anything and still be thought of as "naughty" rather than dishonorable and untrustworthy. Frankly Starmer's rational and honourable approach will not work these days.

To have any chance of removing them, the opposition requires a charismatic populist leader who is willing to hit the Tories hard on subjects that gel with the populist/nationalist psyche - and be willing to be as equally dishonourable in the fight - and that's not Starmer.

Taint the Tories with touchstone populist subjects such as child abuse, a lack of patriotism, selling out their supporters etc - it's a sad state of affairs but only by fighting hard and dirty with strong punchy messaging that will grab the headlines will they be removed - not sniping from the sidelines.

Right now, the Tories make the headlines and control the narrative whilst the opposition is merely commenting on them. That needs to change which means that they need far more aggressive messaging e.g. their attack on democracy needs to be strongly messaged as an attack on Britain and British values e.g. "greatest threat to our country since the Luftwaffe".

I would stop short of saying "how many more children like Arthur will die before the government changes it's social policies?" but the opposition needs to move the narrative much closer to that line to control the situation - and that means doing the research, getting the evidence, lining up the legals and then pouncing i.e. pretty much what Trump, the Tories and the Leave campaign did.
Because sadly, that's what our populist society responds to.

‘Nothing of the sort’ 

Out of interest, which of the 4 JR’s raised by Maugham this year was an abuse of the system Sluffy?

wanderlust wrote:
Openly lying without consequences has become normalised in the UK now.

With a complicit media and the absence of a credible opposition willing to up the ante there's no reason why these clowns shouldn't continue for years to come.

The populist public don't trust Labour or the media so they tend to believe what they want to believe and it's gotten to the point where Boris and his cronies could do almost anything and still be thought of as "naughty" rather than dishonorable and untrustworthy. Frankly Starmer's rational and honourable approach will not work these days.

To have any chance of removing them, the opposition requires a charismatic populist leader who is willing to hit the Tories hard on subjects that gel with the populist/nationalist psyche - and be willing to be as equally dishonourable in the fight - and that's not Starmer.

Taint the Tories with touchstone populist subjects such as child abuse, a lack of patriotism, selling out their supporters etc - it's a sad state of affairs but only by fighting hard and dirty with strong punchy messaging that will grab the headlines will they be removed - not sniping from the sidelines.

Right now, the Tories make the headlines and control the narrative whilst the opposition is merely commenting on them. That needs to change which means that they need far more aggressive messaging e.g. their attack on democracy needs to be strongly messaged as an attack on Britain and British values e.g. "greatest threat to our country since the Luftwaffe".

I would stop short of saying "how many more children like Arthur will die before the government changes it's social policies?" but the opposition needs to move the narrative much closer to that line to control the situation - and that means doing the research, getting the evidence, lining up the legals and then pouncing i.e. pretty much what Trump, the Tories and the Leave campaign did.
Because sadly, that's what our populist society responds to.

Broadly agree, Labour messaging has been useless throughout Starmer’s time. It does look like the sleaze messaging is cutting through though, largely because it’s difficult to shake given the number of stories coming to light and how poor Boris’s handling of it has been. 

Having said that, Labour are still behind in most polls I’ve seen. Short of a progressive alliance with SNP/Lib Dems/Green I don’t really see a route back for Labour.