What Is Happening To Our Country?

[badgerx16]

22 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Cross-party legislation coming in to tackle reckless cyclist behaviour which harms or kills others (recognising this is a small minority of cyclists)  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0w8g18x9no

Good, but emphasising that out of 1600 road fatalities in the UK last year, only 4 were caused by cyclists.

[ecuk268]

1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

Good, but emphasising that out of 1600 road fatalities in the UK last year, only 4 were caused by cyclists.

Considering that in 1970 fatalities were around 7500, it shows how much safer roads and vehicles have become. 

Also a lot more traffic now, around 33 million vehicles compared with around 22 million 30 years ago.

[sadoldgit]

Good news on vets prices.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c985617r7ejo.amp

[AlexLaw76]

Reform have done well overnight

[Saint86]

Starmer is going to come in for some flack for that Runcorn loss - Labour missed out by 6seats. Farage went there multiple times to support the Reform candidate, whereas Starmer stayed away (seemingly afraid to be attached to a loss)... but with only 6 seats in it he's got nowhere to hide retrospectively - how can he be afraid to go there and support his candidate when he's only months into a landmark super majority government?!?!

[rallyboy]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Reform have done well overnight

Indeed they have, and  now that they have some power it will be interesting to see what they can achieve with their extensive raft of well-considered policies.

They've done lots of talking, now we'll see what they're really made of.

[egg]

24 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Indeed they have, and  now that they have some power it will be interesting to see what they can achieve with their extensive raft of well-considered policies.

They've done lots of talking, now we'll see what they're really made of.

Indeed. I've seen plenty of posts this morning from NHS needing, benefit supported, Trump haters, saying how great Reform are, and how we need them. I'm a man for democracy, but people really don't know what they're voting for. 

[Gloucester Saint]

17 minutes ago, egg said:

Indeed. I've seen plenty of posts this morning from NHS needing, benefit supported, Trump haters, saying how great Reform are, and how we need them. I'm a man for democracy, but people really don't know what they're voting for. 

One look at where Reform’s funding comes from tells anyone with an IQ in double digits that those are the people Reform is going to shit all over.

As Rallyboy says, it’s an opportunity for Reform to prove their worth at a local and regional level.

Andrea Jenkyns promising DOGE forLincolnshire and already stomped off a Sky News interview with her nappy around her ankles. Quite possibly the most unpleasant human being in British politics but given Lincolnshire’s leading role in Brexit they absolutely deserve each other. Cue the whining on social media when their remaining public services disappear. But too dense to watch the News and what is happening in the US https://news.sky.com/video/reform-mayor-andrea-jenkyns-pushes-journalists-mic-away-13359666

Edited Friday at 08:03 by Gloucester Saint

[hypochondriac]

17 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

One look at where Reform’s funding comes from tells anyone with an IQ in double digits that those are the people Reform is going to shit all over.

As Rallyboy says, it’s an opportunity for Reform to prove their worth at a local and regional level.

Andrea Jenkyns promising DOGE forLincolnshire and already stomped off a Sky News interview with her nappy around her ankles. Quite possibly the most unpleasant human being in British politics but given Lincolnshire’s leading role in Brexit they absolutely deserve each other. Cue the whining on social media when their remaining public services disappear. But too dense to watch the News and what is happening in the US https://news.sky.com/video/reform-mayor-andrea-jenkyns-pushes-journalists-mic-away-13359666

There was a good article this week in I think the Telegraph about bankrupt local authorities who have been given obligations for things they must spend their budget on with very little room to manoeuvre for anything else. Essentially local authorities are powerless to do anything much at all so I doubt there will be any demonstration or proving worth for any of the parties in power on a local level. 

[Gloucester Saint]

12 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

There was a good article this week in I think the Telegraph about bankrupt local authorities who have been given obligations for things they must spend their budget on with very little room to manoeuvre for anything else. Essentially local authorities are powerless to do anything much at all so I doubt there will be any demonstration or proving worth for any of the parties in power on a local level. 

True, although it didn’t stop the local Reform candidate for Gloucestershire making all kinds of lavish claims and how they’d slash spending. Behaviourally it might be interesting. 

Jenkyns in her Mayor role in Lincs will have to work with Tory councils in the districts - which could be interesting after the acceptance she just gave! 

Edited Friday at 08:33 by Gloucester Saint

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Indeed. I've seen plenty of posts this morning from NHS needing, benefit supported, Trump haters, saying how great Reform are, and how we need them. I'm a man for democracy, but people really don't know what they're voting for. 

They do

Vote Reform for racism

Vote Tory for self serving, right wing scum who hate everyone apart from their rich mates

Vote Labour - lovely people who really care deeply about every individual person 

[egg]

19 minutes ago, Turkish said:

They do

Vote Reform for racism

Vote Tory for self serving, right wing scum who hate everyone apart from their rich mates

Vote Labour - lovely people who really care deeply about every individual person 

Ha!! What do Lib Dem voters vote for? 

[badgerx16]

41 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

There was a good article this week in I think the Telegraph about bankrupt local authorities who have been given obligations for things they must spend their budget on with very little room to manoeuvre for anything else. Essentially local authorities are powerless to do anything much at all so I doubt there will be any demonstration or proving worth for any of the parties in power on a local level. 

Local councils have very little flexibility in what they do, or how their money is spent, and for most austerity has reduced their financial activity to pretty much solely those matters that are statutory and ring-fenced. You can judge how much they actually do by seeing how often a full Council meeting is held., for some it is once a year, at budget approval. Most Councils run on a Cabinet basis, with a small number of members running things, which means that those councillors not in the Cabinet have very little input.

Elected Mayors of municipalities have more devolved powers and do have some degree of autonomy over transport, economic development, and local health services.

[Turkish]

5 minutes ago, egg said:

Ha!! What do Lib Dem voters vote for? 

does anyone vote for them?

[egg]

4 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Local councils have very little flexibility in what they do, or how their money is spent, and for most austerity has reduced their financial activity to pretty much solely those matters that are statutory and ring-fenced. You can judge how much they actually do by seeing how often a full Council meeting is held., for some it is once a year, at budget approval. Most Councils run on a Cabinet basis, with a small number of members running things, which means that those councillors not in the Cabinet have very little input.

Elected Mayors of municipalities have more devolved powers and do have some degree of autonomy over transport, economic development, and local health services.

Yep, and situations and decisions are imposed upon them that cause further financial woes, ie tribunal decisions obliging them to find expensive school placements, accomodating looked after children, social care, asylum seekers, etc. They have zero room for manoeuvre, and really their decision making is where to avoid/cut spending. Sad state of affairs. 

[ecuk268]

7 minutes ago, Turkish said:

does anyone vote for them?

3.5 million at the last election giving them 72 MPs.

[egg]

3 minutes ago, Turkish said:

does anyone vote for them?

72 seats suggests they're pretty popular. I don't know what a typical lib dem voter looks like, but I reckon that they'd do better if people didn't think they have to try to back the winner rather than voting for what they agree with/want. 

[hypochondriac]

20 minutes ago, egg said:

Yep, and situations and decisions are imposed upon them that cause further financial woes, ie tribunal decisions obliging them to find expensive school placements, accomodating looked after children, social care, asylum seekers, etc. They have zero room for manoeuvre, and really their decision making is where to avoid/cut spending. Sad state of affairs. 

I think I saw that Hampshire County Council is spending something like 7 million a year on taxis for just over 100 children which is the most in the country. About three areas I think Social care, SEND and one other took up about 80% of their overall budget and they are mandatory so they can make decisions on about 10-20% of the overall budget. 

[Turkish]

59 minutes ago, ecuk268 said:

3.5 million at the last election giving them 72 MPs.

 

58 minutes ago, egg said:

72 seats suggests they're pretty popular. I don't know what a typical lib dem voter looks like, but I reckon that they'd do better if people didn't think they have to try to back the winner rather than voting for what they agree with/want. 

i was being facetious, but Lib dems seems to be very strange where they have a lot of voters but no one knows anyone who is one. Apart from SOGs mate of course. 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

does anyone vote for them?

Me and my wife. Parents tend to plus some family members who were Conservatives pre-Brexit. 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 hour ago, egg said:

72 seats suggests they're pretty popular. I don't know what a typical lib dem voter looks like, but I reckon that they'd do better if people didn't think they have to try to back the winner rather than voting for what they agree with/want. 

Probably someone economically a smidgen left of centre but disliking the Labour left approach and probably less of a collectivist e.g. big trade unions. Pro business overall but not believing public or private sectors can do everything. Pro-European and a more pragmatic approach to immigration. 

Edited Friday at 10:37 by Gloucester Saint

[Holmes_and_Watson]

6 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Me and my wife. Parents tend to plus some family members who were Conservatives pre-Brexit. 

🙂

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Ha!! What do Lib Dem voters vote for? 

Warm beer?

[Gloucester Saint]

20 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Warm beer?

Ambient or lightly chilled. Fully chilled murders the flavour.

Although in the case of Carling, that is probably a good thing. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

4 hours ago, Saint86 said:

Starmer stayed away (seemingly afraid to be attached to a loss)... but with only 6 seats in it he's got nowhere to hide retrospectively - how can he be afraid to go there and support his candidate

That’s why it was close.

Forget about 6, had Starmer  campaigned Reform would have had a 6,000 majority…

[Jeremy Corbyn]

Starmer must be fuming with that MP for punching that guy.  Labour's approach has been to hammer out unpopular but "necessary" policy in the first year before slowly introducing more positive and popular policies for the next few years.  Last think they wanted was a bi-election in year one and now and "popular" policies are going to look reactionary.

Think we might see a re-shuffle soon.

[Weston Super Saint]

5 minutes ago, Jeremy Corbyn said:

 

Think we might see a re-shuffle soon.

Another one? So soon?

[Jeremy Corbyn]

13 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Another one? So soon?

Have they had one? I know it was spoken about but I didn't think it actually happened?  All the big players are still there as far as I can tell.

[Sarnia Cherie]

5 hours ago, Saint86 said:

Starmer is going to come in for some flack for that Runcorn loss - Labour missed out by 6seats. Farage went there multiple times to support the Reform candidate, whereas Starmer stayed away (seemingly afraid to be attached to a loss)... but with only 6 seats in it he's got nowhere to hide retrospectively - how can he be afraid to go there and support his candidate when he's only months into a landmark super majority government?!?!

Starmer has the record for the least days in the UK of any PM in his first term. Trump is rumoured to be having a colonoscopy soon. Maybe Starmer is up there.

[Sarnia Cherie]

25 minutes ago, Jeremy Corbyn said:

Starmer must be fuming with that MP for punching that guy.  Labour's approach has been to hammer out unpopular but "necessary" policy in the first year before slowly introducing more positive and popular policies for the next few years.  Last think they wanted was a bi-election in year one and now and "popular" policies are going to look reactionary.

Think we might see a re-shuffle soon.

It's like re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

[tdmickey3]

1 hour ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

That’s why it was close.

Forget about 6, had Starmer  campaigned Reform would have had a 6,000 majority…

Thanks Nigel

[tdmickey3]

1 hour ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

Starmer has the record for the least days in the UK of any PM in his first term. Trump is rumoured to be having a colonoscopy soon. Maybe Starmer is up there.

🙄

Must be a reform voter coming out with this type of juvenile nonsense 

[Lord Duckhunter]

2 hours ago, Jeremy Corbyn said:

Last think they wanted was a bi-election in year one

There will be another one soon 

[badgerx16]

Is a "bi-election" specifically for swing voters ?

[Turkish]

Just now, badgerx16 said:

Is a "bi-election" specifically for swing voters ?

Labour seem to have more swings than Tiger Woods 

[sadoldgit]

Mixed news. Great to see the Tories finally lose control of Kent CC. On the down side it is now going to be run by a bunch of Faragist henchmen and women. Still, if it means that the odious Badenoch’s days are numbered  as Tory leader that is one cloud with a silver lining. Unless she is replaced by Jenrick of course.

 

 

[ChrisPY]

30 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

Mixed news. Great to see the Tories finally lose control of Kent CC. On the down side it is now going to be run by a bunch of Faragist henchmen and women. Still, if it means that the odious Badenoch’s days are numbered  as Tory leader that is one cloud with a silver lining. Unless she is replaced by Jenrick of course.

 

 

Who would you like to see lead the Conservatives?

[Sarnia Cherie]

2 hours ago, tdmickey3 said:

🙄

Must be a reform voter coming out with this type of juvenile nonsense 

Neither a Reform voter or a juvenile. 

[Gloucester Saint]

3 hours ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

Starmer has the record for the least days in the UK of any PM in his first term. Trump is rumoured to be having a colonoscopy soon. Maybe Starmer is up there.

I don’t vote Labour but he’s had a pretty full plate on foreign affairs - Ukraine, which has escalated since the GE, Trump, Vance et al and NATO, trying to sort out the pathetic mess left behind by Johnson and Frost on our relationship with the EU leaving a 6% hole in our economy.

Trump’s tariff tantrums impact by another 0.8% GDP but the hard Brexit is the priority to fix with the new German Chancellor and others. Working more closely with France as adults will also help with curbing illegal migration, which the ERG were unable to do.

Reeves is a clusterfuck but I don’t think Starmer has done that badly and if you’re being objective, there’s some good early performances there eg Streeting sorting out another horrific mess from Lansley. Jeremy Hunt agrees with what he’s doing. 

[Winnersaint]

5 hours ago, Turkish said:

 

i was being facetious, but Lib dems seems to be very strange where they have a lot of voters but no one knows anyone who is one. Apart from SOGs mate of course. 

i voted for them, tactical vote. Only real chance of a change from blue in Wokingham. 

[AlexLaw76]

I wonder (hope) today’s poor showing for Labour brings about change, and Crazy Ed Milliband is moved aside (no chance though, I suspect)

Edited Friday at 16:12 by AlexLaw76

[RedArmy]

3 hours ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

Starmer has the record for the least days in the UK of any PM in his first term. Trump is rumoured to be having a colonoscopy soon. Maybe Starmer is up there.

Wouldn’t be  the only arse Starmer has been up if the rumours are true. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, ChrisPY said:

Who would you like to see lead the Conservatives?

 

[Gloucester Saint]

53 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I wonder (hope) today’s poor showing for Labour brings about change, and Crazy Ed Milliband is moved aside (no chance though, I suspect)

I wouldn’t be so sure, kites flown in the DT and Mail yesterday hinting Ed Miliband was on his bike in the near future.

[Gloucester Saint]

21 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

 

Serves the Tories right for their membership for a quid swizz, they’ve got infiltrated and unlike Momentum and Labour, still not cleared the stables out with the ERG crazy gang still leading them. Won’t win another election taking Reform on and RIP if they have a pact. 

Edited Friday at 16:54 by Gloucester Saint

[Gloucester Saint]

1 hour ago, Winnersaint said:

i voted for them, tactical vote. Only real chance of a change from blue in Wokingham. 

Fair enough. You’d think it would encourage the Tories back to the centre ground but you just know it won’t after Boris’s purge of the One Nation group. Supporting Reform is still supporting Trump’s agenda though, let’s be clear about that.

Despite the farmers (you’d think they had learned from Brexit wouldn’t you?) GCC very much yellow. No formal majority but with the Greens it will be. Used to be blue as a blue arsed fly here https://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=14&RPID=182116020

Edited Friday at 17:33 by Gloucester Saint

[whelk]

7 hours ago, Turkish said:

does anyone vote for them?

I look to vote for the best bungee jumper. Tells you a lot.

[whelk]

Life is shit for a lot of people and even more so if lower educated working class. Unfortunately reality is no politicians have the answer, global economy and technology has fucked the aspirations of many

[Gloucester Saint]

Farage is copying the Trump playbook closely by attacking EDI. Will please the boomers who turned out for them yesterday but it won’t help Reform at national elections where ethnic minorities, the physically disabled and neurodiverse and more women tend to vote than local elections. Sciences, especially climate science, and R&D in general in all sectors will be next in the populist sights.

Even tactically, if you voted Reform, the fact is that you voted Trump policy-wise.

Edited Friday at 17:35 by Gloucester Saint

[hypochondriac]

16 minutes ago, whelk said:

Life is shit for a lot of people and even more so if lower educated working class. Unfortunately reality is no politicians have the answer, global economy and technology has fucked the aspirations of many

Hard to disagree with any of that no matter where you sit on the political spectrum.