Politics

[Monkeys Fist 41280]

52 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

And when the usual suspects complain about the rich leaving etc etc fuckin bombard them with stuff like this. What’s gone on in the last 14 years wasn’t so much ideological as much as opportunistic…a massive transfer of public money into the back pockets of a tiny few. That fuckin wanker Sunak given his background unsurprisingly being a major instigator of it and just waving it all through when he got the top job. He and others involved should be fuckin properly investigated. And if it gets awkward for Starmer so fuckin what? 
 

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/09/tory-covid-contracts-worth-15bn-had-corruption-red-flags-study-finds

Aye. 
 

I was reading about the Covid inquiry today, lots of testimony from NHS staff, patients and relatives of victims. 
 

All very good stuff, but the real inquiry should be in to how many BILLIONS of pounds were backhanded directly in the pockets of Tory donors/cronies/mates. 
 

To me, it’s the biggest UK crime so far this century and there doesn’t seem to be any great hurry to prosecute the cunts who perpetrated it. 

[Gemmill 42490]

Labour has said it's gonna set up a covid fraud commission (or some other name) to get back as much of the cash as they can. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/22/reeves-to-appoint-covid-corruption-tsar-to-claw-back-billions-of-waste?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

 

[Monkeys Fist 41280]

2 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

Labour has said it's gonna set up a covid fraud commission (or some other name) to get back as much of the cash as they can. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/22/reeves-to-appoint-covid-corruption-tsar-to-claw-back-billions-of-waste?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

 

I’d seen that, and it’d be nice to recoup even a small portion of the money, but honestly, I want to see prison sentences for those involved. 
 

Proper ones, since financial crimes does seem to draw longer sentences than violent crimes under our justice system. 

[NJS 4240]

32 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

Labour has said it's gonna set up a covid fraud commission (or some other name) to get back as much of the cash as they can. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/22/reeves-to-appoint-covid-corruption-tsar-to-claw-back-billions-of-waste?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

 

Doesn't include test and trace or covid loans to businesses. 

 

Nobody will be jailed and no substantial amounts of money will be recovered as it will have been laundered to fuck. Token effort. 

 

I reckon they'll also "threaten" water company execs with financial penalties and maybe even jail for dumping shit. Again it won't happen and the shit will still flow. 

 

 

 

 

[RobinRobin 10659]

8 hours ago, Gemmill said:

Starmer is looking older already. His hair is turning white. 

It happens 

[Craig 6556]

Government won the vote: 348 - 228

 

74 abstained.

[Gemmill 42490]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/sep/10/labour-winter-fuel-payments-means-testing-vote-keir-starmer-tuc-conservatives-uk-politics-latest-updates?page=with:block-66e050618f089d7307cf7e7c#block-66e050618f089d7307cf7e7c

 

Details of what's being done to increase the uptake of pension credit to ensure everyone eligible gets the WFA. 

[Renton 20367]

12 hours ago, RobinRobin said:

It happens 

 

It does.

 

 

Edited September 10 by Renton

[Gemmill 42490]

Don't tell me your brand new chest hair has grown in white?! 

[The Fish 10408]

My beard is doing it's damndest to show my support for Newcastle. Genuine fucking badger stripes, two down the side, one down the middle.  

[PaddockLad 16477]

2 hours ago, The Fish said:

My beard is doing it's damndest to show my support for Newcastle. Genuine fucking badger stripes, two down the side, one down the middle.  

 

 

[Howmanheyman 31457]

2 hours ago, The Fish said:

My beard is doing it's damndest to show my support for Newcastle. Genuine fucking badger stripes, two down the side, one down the middle.  

 

Bravado.....err......comedy.......errr..... mean Pepe le Pew Dave. 

 

[Toonpack 8649]

Could be worse

 

[ewerk 29430]

3 hours ago, The Fish said:

My beard is doing it's damndest to show my support for Newcastle. Genuine fucking badger stripes, two down the side, one down the middle.  

Still looking sexy Dave.

 

 

[PaddockLad 16477]

 

[Renton 20367]

So my understanding is the state pension is rising £400 this year because of the triple lock. If you take WFA away from this, that leaves £150? Which should cover inflation on food etc if the figures are to be believed (accommodation is another issue, affecting many people).  If pensioners really are no worse off, then what is the big issue here?

 

I just can't help thinking that in general, the pensioners have done very well from the tory government over the last 15 years, hence why they are the only group who vote tory. Every other demographic has been hit harder, including children. AND there is the matter we know we will not get the same pension provision in our own later years. 

There's always exceptions and people who fall through the net, and I have genuine sympathies for these people. But honestly I am not sure an untested fixed payment for heating is the correct use of resources. 

 

 

[The Fish 10408]

12 hours ago, ewerk said:

Still looking sexy Dave.

 

 

He looks like David Cross.

[ewerk 29430]

I shared a table with him at the Everton match last season. Nice lad, for a yank.

[ewerk 29430]

6 minutes ago, Renton said:

So my understanding is the state pension is rising £400 this year because of the triple lock. If you take WFA away from this, that leaves £150? Which should cover inflation on food etc if the figures are to be believed (accommodation is another issue, affecting many people).  If pensioners really are no worse off, then what is the big issue here?

 

I just can't help thinking that in general, the pensioners have done very well from the tory government over the last 15 years, hence why they are the only group who vote tory. Every other demographic has been hit harder, including children. AND there is the matter we know we will not get the same pension provision in our own later years. 

There's always exceptions and people who fall through the net, and I have genuine sympathies for these people. But honestly I am not sure an untested fixed payment for heating is the correct use of resources. 

 

 

 

I'm fine with the principle. The thing is whether there's a fairer way to administer the cuts, I haven't looked into it so don't know how valid the arguments are.

[Renton 20367]

There are some very unfair cut offs involved here certainly, as it's a hard threshold. I remember having a similar issue on stamp duty a few years back which distorted my house value. But if you introduce more subtle methods, such as sliding scales, the bureaocracy involved will negate about 50% of the gains. Maybe they could implement it more simply on whether you're a home owner or not, as being mortgage free is huge, I don't know.  

[Kid Dynamite 6815]

They'd have been better off just sneaking it into the budget later this year and burying it amongst everything else. The whole thing has been a bit of an own goal for Labour

[Gemmill 42490]

2 minutes ago, Kid Dynamite said:

They'd have been better off just sneaking it into the budget later this year and burying it amongst everything else. The whole thing has been a bit of an own goal for Labour

 

The problem with putting it in the budget is how late in the day that is. It would be springing it on pensioners with about a month til they expected to receive it. 

[Renton 20367]

Just now, Kid Dynamite said:

They'd have been better off just sneaking it into the budget later this year and burying it amongst everything else. The whole thing has been a bit of an own goal for Labour

 

I think the politics was to deliberately highlight it as "the tories have left the country fucked requiring urgent action now" messaging. Also for Reeves to do her iron woman impresion solely to piss off NJS. Whether this was the correct approach or not I don't know, but it will be forgtten about before the next GE when I am sure there will be much bigger things to worry about. 

[Renton 20367]

2 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

 

The problem with putting it in the budget is how late in the day that is. It would be springing it on pensioners with about a month til they expected to receive it. 

 

This too. So the pensioners don't blow it on their next holiday or Whetherspoons senior specials. 

[PaddockLad 16477]

37 minutes ago, Renton said:

So my understanding is the state pension is rising £400 this year because of the triple lock. If you take WFA away from this, that leaves £150? Which should cover inflation on food etc if the figures are to be believed (accommodation is another issue, affecting many people).  If pensioners really are no worse off, then what is the big issue here?

 

I just can't help thinking that in general, the pensioners have done very well from the tory government over the last 15 years, hence why they are the only group who vote tory. Every other demographic has been hit harder, including children. AND there is the matter we know we will not get the same pension provision in our own later years. 

There's always exceptions and people who fall through the net, and I have genuine sympathies for these people. But honestly I am not sure an untested fixed payment for heating is the correct use of resources. 

 

 

It’s the ammunition it’s giving their opponents that is the thing for me, completely avoidable. Do you remember when they stopped school milk? I do. Thatcher is still known as the milk snatcher 50 years on