The Burnham Years - Can the new(ish) broom sweep clean?

[egg]

13 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

As much as stating (as a centrist) that Farage is a racist and a racist....

Calling a shovel a shovel isn't a political stance. It's an objective assessment. 

[Sir Ralph]

6 minutes ago, egg said:

Calling a shovel a shovel isn't a political stance. It's an objective assessment. 

It’s not an objective assessment if you don’t have evidence other than accusations. How is his political stance  racist?

Edited Saturday at 10:24 by Sir Ralph

[Sir Ralph]

12 minutes ago, egg said:

That highlights your misunderstanding - no centrist is bang in the middle, and I'm certainly left of centre on some issues and right of centre on others. I'm left of you though, so in your view I can't possibly be a centrist. 

Your analysis of a centrist is accurate. You regularly fall on one side in debates so my opinion is that your self analysis is inaccurate, even if it may help you to feel your views are justified . Someone like @whelkseems to be more of a centrist as he (maybe a she 😂) falls on both sides. He won’t agree with my stance on matters but I still think he is in the middle ground

Edited Saturday at 10:29 by Sir Ralph

[iansums]

3 hours ago, whelk said:

You really come across as a vey bigoted thick cunt.

Nice

[rallyboy]

Two-tier Burnham and his Britain-hating henchmen have been in charge for a couple of hours now and achieved nothing!! 😡

I'm going to be self-indulgently angry about this and mutter something vague about union paymasters - and because I have the memory of a goldfish and I've been radicalised by Facebook, I shall dramatically declare his time in office as the worst ever!! 

 

[Sir Ralph]

3 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Two-tier Burnham and his Britain-hating henchmen have been in charge for a couple of hours now and achieved nothing!! 😡

I'm going to be self-indulgently angry about this and mutter something vague about union paymasters - and because I have the memory of a goldfish and I've been radicalised by Facebook, I shall dramatically declare his time in office as the worst ever!! 

 

Who said that? Read what’s been said not what you think was said. It might help. Flippin heck one side of this forum have got very excited about protecting AB all because I said that being mayor of Manc is being overstated as his likelihood of being a good pm. Talking of partisan….

Edited Saturday at 10:40 by Sir Ralph

[iansums]

4 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

Who said that? Read what’s been said not what you think was said. It might help. Flippin heck one side of this forum have got very excited about protecting AB all because I said that being mayor of Manc is being overstated as his likelihood of being a good pm. Talking of partisan….

You made one innocuous and reasonable comment and then there was a massive pile on by ‘centrists’, quite funny really 

[Sir Ralph]

4 minutes ago, iansums said:

You made one innocuous and reasonable comment and then there was a massive pile on by ‘centrists’, quite funny really 

I know it’s as if these “centrists” seem to have an agenda. The words “knickers” and “twist” come to mind. 

Edited Saturday at 10:48 by Sir Ralph

[whelk]

10 minutes ago, iansums said:

Nice

Gloucester’s bad influence on me. TBF was probably OTT

[Farmer Saint]

45 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

As much as stating (as a centrist) that Farage is a racist and a racist....

Hmmm, nope. Party Vs personal. Try again, what is the relevance?

[Farmer Saint]

48 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

When has farage been found guilty of racism, facism or corruption? Bearing in mind he has had a lot more scrutiny than Burnham over the years because he was heavily scrutinised by the media as the front man of Brexit.

Brexit was a political decision not an illegal action.

Should have been an illegal action. 

Anyway, I've stolen some AI to help you:

 

Nigel Farage has faced widespread criticism and numerous public allegations concerning racist and antisemitic remarks from his schooldays and political career, though he has denied making direct, malicious racial abuse. [1, 2, 3]

School-Days Allegations (Dulwich College)

• Dozens of former classmates and a teacher alleged that as a teenager at Dulwich College in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Farage voiced admiration for fascist figures like Adolf Hitler and Oswald Mosley. [1, 2]

• Former Jewish classmate Peter Ettedgui and others stated that Farage repeatedly taunted minority students with phrases like "Hitler was right" and "gas them," alongside singing offensive parody songs about gas chambers. [1, 2, 3]

• Other contemporaries alleged he used racial slurs (such as "Paki") and told minority pupils to "go back home". [1, 2]

• Farage's Response: Farage stated he has "never directly racially abused anybody," characterizing his teenage behavior as "playground banter" and "offensive things" said nearly 50 years ago without malice, while dismissing some specific allegations as complete fabrications. [1, 2, 3]

Political Rhetoric and Campaigns

• The "Breaking Point" Poster: During the 2016 EU referendum, Leave.EU unveiled a immigration campaign poster featuring a queue of migrants with the caption "Breaking Point," which critics and political opponents widely condemned as xenophobic and designed to stoke racial anxiety. [1]

• Comments on Immigration and Integration: Farage has faced criticism for remarks warning that high immigration risks turning people into "foreigners in your own country" and claiming that certain areas of London have changed so drastically that they no longer feel English. [1, 2]

• Glasgow Video: He drew heavy condemnation from political rivals in late 2025 for releasing a social media video asserting that one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow not speaking English as a first language represented the "cultural smashing of Glasgow". [1]

 

[Farmer Saint]

And some on corruption:

Nigel Farage has not been convicted of any corruption crimes, but he has repeatedly faced major political scandals, police inquiries, and formal investigations regarding transparency, undisclosed financial gifts, and election spending. 

While Farage frequently dismisses these accusations as "establishment hit jobs", critics and political watchdogs argue that his extensive, opaque financial arrangements contradict his "man of the people" image. 

The primary allegations and official investigations into his financial conduct span several key areas: 

1. The Undeclared Crypto Billionaire Gift & Lobbying Allegations (2026)

Farage became the subject of a major parliamentary investigation regarding a massive personal payout: 

The Allegation: He accepted a £5 million unconditional personal gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire and Reform UK donor Christopher Harborne. Farage initially kept the gift secret, arguing it was intended entirely for his lifetime personal security and did not relate to his parliamentary duties. 

The Potential Conflict: Anti-corruption groups reported Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. They pointed out that Harborne is a major investor in the crypto firm Tether. Meanwhile, Farage heavily promoted the crypto sector and personally lobbied the Governor of the Bank of England in late 2025 regarding stablecoin regulations. 

2. Failure to Disclose Benefits from a Convicted Fraudster (2026)

In mid-2026, media investigations exposed a deep financial relationship between Farage and a convicted criminal: 

 

The Allegation: Farage failed to declare extensive financial support provided by George Cottrell (known as "Posh George"), a Reform associate who served prison time in the US for wire fraud and money laundering. 

 

The Details: Cottrell reportedly funded Farage’s private office staff, drivers, security, and transport, and allowed Farage to live in a luxurious five-storey townhouse near Buckingham Palace prior to his election to Parliament. Under the MPs' code of conduct, any personal benefit over £300 received in the year before election must be declared if it relates to political activity. Following these revelations, the campaign group Led By Donkeys referred Farage to Parliament's ethics watchdog.

The Fallout: Facing intense pressure from these overlapping standards inquiries, Farage abruptly resigned his parliamentary seat in Clacton in July 2026 to force a special by-election, a move critics labeled a gamble to dodge parliamentary scrutiny.

3. Arron Banks Funding Scandal (2019)

During his time as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Farage was accused of hiding large-scale personal funding from a major political donor: 

The Allegation: An investigation revealed that Farage failed to disclose £450,000 worth of lavish gifts from Leave.EU co-founder and insurance tycoon Arron Banks.

The Details: The funding paid for a chauffeur-driven car, rent and bills on a £4.4 million Chelsea home, and promotional trips to the United States. The European Parliament launched an investigation into the matter, as MEPs are strictly required to declare such financial interests. 

4. Electoral Malpractice & "Cash for Peerages" Accusations (2019)

Farage and his parties have drawn scrutiny from law enforcement over how they handled elections: 

The Allegation: During the 2019 General Election, the Metropolitan Police Special Inquiry Team launched an assessment into allegations of electoral fraud. Farage claimed the Conservative Party offered peerages (seats in the House of Lords) to senior Brexit Party figures to pressure them into standing down from contesting Tory seats. While Farage framed this as Tory corruption, the entire episode triggered police complaints regarding unlawful electoral inducements. 

Spending Law Violations: Farage has also faced separate institutional accusations of failing to accurately report local campaign and battle bus expenses during general election runs, leading to regulatory challenges over UK election spending laws.

5. Reform UK Opaque Corporate and Banking Concerns

Unlike traditional democratic political parties, Reform UK was structurally set up as a private limited company, meaning Farage and a small group of directors retain absolute financial control. High-street banks have reportedly raised money laundering concerns with the National Crime Agency (NCA) regarding untraceable funds—including a missing £1 million fundraising vehicle—circulating between Farage, his close associates, and major donors. 

[Sir Ralph]

7 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

And some on corruption:

Nigel Farage has not been convicted of any corruption crimes, but he has repeatedly faced major political scandals, police inquiries, and formal investigations regarding transparency, undisclosed financial gifts, and election spending. 

While Farage frequently dismisses these accusations as "establishment hit jobs", critics and political watchdogs argue that his extensive, opaque financial arrangements contradict his "man of the people" image. 

The primary allegations and official investigations into his financial conduct span several key areas: 

1. The Undeclared Crypto Billionaire Gift & Lobbying Allegations (2026)

Farage became the subject of a major parliamentary investigation regarding a massive personal payout: 

The Allegation: He accepted a £5 million unconditional personal gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire and Reform UK donor Christopher Harborne. Farage initially kept the gift secret, arguing it was intended entirely for his lifetime personal security and did not relate to his parliamentary duties. 

The Potential Conflict: Anti-corruption groups reported Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. They pointed out that Harborne is a major investor in the crypto firm Tether. Meanwhile, Farage heavily promoted the crypto sector and personally lobbied the Governor of the Bank of England in late 2025 regarding stablecoin regulations. 

2. Failure to Disclose Benefits from a Convicted Fraudster (2026)

In mid-2026, media investigations exposed a deep financial relationship between Farage and a convicted criminal: 

 

The Allegation: Farage failed to declare extensive financial support provided by George Cottrell (known as "Posh George"), a Reform associate who served prison time in the US for wire fraud and money laundering. 

 

The Details: Cottrell reportedly funded Farage’s private office staff, drivers, security, and transport, and allowed Farage to live in a luxurious five-storey townhouse near Buckingham Palace prior to his election to Parliament. Under the MPs' code of conduct, any personal benefit over £300 received in the year before election must be declared if it relates to political activity. Following these revelations, the campaign group Led By Donkeys referred Farage to Parliament's ethics watchdog.

The Fallout: Facing intense pressure from these overlapping standards inquiries, Farage abruptly resigned his parliamentary seat in Clacton in July 2026 to force a special by-election, a move critics labeled a gamble to dodge parliamentary scrutiny.

3. Arron Banks Funding Scandal (2019)

During his time as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Farage was accused of hiding large-scale personal funding from a major political donor: 

The Allegation: An investigation revealed that Farage failed to disclose £450,000 worth of lavish gifts from Leave.EU co-founder and insurance tycoon Arron Banks.

The Details: The funding paid for a chauffeur-driven car, rent and bills on a £4.4 million Chelsea home, and promotional trips to the United States. The European Parliament launched an investigation into the matter, as MEPs are strictly required to declare such financial interests. 

4. Electoral Malpractice & "Cash for Peerages" Accusations (2019)

Farage and his parties have drawn scrutiny from law enforcement over how they handled elections: 

The Allegation: During the 2019 General Election, the Metropolitan Police Special Inquiry Team launched an assessment into allegations of electoral fraud. Farage claimed the Conservative Party offered peerages (seats in the House of Lords) to senior Brexit Party figures to pressure them into standing down from contesting Tory seats. While Farage framed this as Tory corruption, the entire episode triggered police complaints regarding unlawful electoral inducements. 

Spending Law Violations: Farage has also faced separate institutional accusations of failing to accurately report local campaign and battle bus expenses during general election runs, leading to regulatory challenges over UK election spending laws.

5. Reform UK Opaque Corporate and Banking Concerns

Unlike traditional democratic political parties, Reform UK was structurally set up as a private limited company, meaning Farage and a small group of directors retain absolute financial control. High-street banks have reportedly raised money laundering concerns with the National Crime Agency (NCA) regarding untraceable funds—including a missing £1 million fundraising vehicle—circulating between Farage, his close associates, and major donors. 

I haven’t read it all but only accusations (likely politically motivated) - anyone can make accusations. If found guilty it’s a different matter. At the moment has he been found guilty of any of the things you said. Simple yes or no

Edited Saturday at 11:03 by Sir Ralph

[Farmer Saint]

9 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

I haven’t read it all but only accusations (likely politically motivated) - anyone can make accusations. If found guilty it’s a different matter. At the moment has he been found guilty of any of the things you said. Simple yes or no

Oh ok, that's fine then. I mean, you can say racist stuff and be a racist without being charged and found guilty of it, you are aware of that aren't you?

As an aside, Hitler was never found guilty of killing Jews, so I presume you don't believe he was responsible for that?

Edited Saturday at 11:08 by Farmer Saint

[Sir Ralph]

7 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Oh ok, that's fine then. I mean, you can say racist stuff and be a racist without being charged and found guilty of it, you are aware of that aren't you?

As an aside, Hitler was never found guilty of killing Jews, so I presume you don't believe he was responsible for that?

I’ll help you - “no”. We wouldn’t want anyone taking a partisan view on here 

 

Edited Saturday at 11:14 by Sir Ralph

[Farmer Saint]

Just now, Sir Ralph said:

I’ll help you - “no”

No you don't think Hitler was responsible for the killing of 6 million Jews.

That's fucking low, even for you.

[Sir Ralph]

30 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

No you don't think Hitler was responsible for the killing of 6 million Jews.

That's fucking low, even for you.

Stop deflecting and trying that. Frankly embarrassing. Hitler was responsible that’s why his henchmen were tried and found guilty of war crimes and genocide. He couldn’t be tried because he committed suicide.

I’ll help you - The answer to the farage question is “no” he isn’t guilty of those things. Don’t be partisan and answer the simple question i posed. If you think allegations alone are sufficient for someone to be guilty argue that but don’t avoid the simple question 

Edited Saturday at 11:43 by Sir Ralph

[Farmer Saint]

12 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

Stop deflecting and trying that. Frankly embarrassing. Hitler was responsible that’s why his henchmen were tried and found guilty of war crimes and genocide

I’ll help you - The answer to the farage question is “no” he isn’t guilty of those things. Don’t be partisan and answer the simple question i posed.

Don't try this shit to get out of what you said - you need to take some time out and think about what you're saying before you post it.

Taking you on your word (which is difficult considering the lies you've spun in here previously to "prove" your point), the "No" answer is not a gotcha because the question is not a genuine reflection of how the World works. That is unless you genuinely believe that people can't be guilty of things without being charged and found guilty of them. You know that is bollocks, surely?

Edited Saturday at 11:46 by Farmer Saint

[tdmickey3]

4 hours ago, whelk said:

You really come across as a vey bigoted thick cunt.

That’s because he is

[Sir Ralph]

17 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Don't try this shit to get out of what you said - you need to take some time out and think about what you're saying before you post it.

Taking you on your word (which is difficult considering the lies you've spun in here previously to "prove" your point), the "No" answer is not a gotcha because the question is not a genuine reflection of how the World works. That is unless you genuinely believe that people can't be guilty of things without being charged and found guilty of them. You know that is bollocks, surely?

my answer no was in reference to farage not hitler. I’ve explicitly said hitler was responsible for the holocaust so stop pretending otherwise. If you want to debate farage so so rather than inventing positions I don’t hold. 
 

The system works along the famous words “innocent till proven guilty”. It’s the foundation of the legal system unless you want to argue something different

[iansums]

20 minutes ago, tdmickey3 said:

That’s because he is

Also nice

[iansums]

1 hour ago, Farmer Saint said:

Should have been an illegal action. 

Anyway, I've stolen some AI to help you:

 

 

Nigel Farage has faced widespread criticism and numerous public allegations concerning racist and antisemitic remarks from his schooldays and political career, though he has denied making direct, malicious racial abuse. [1, 2, 3]

 

School-Days Allegations (Dulwich College)

• Dozens of former classmates and a teacher alleged that as a teenager at Dulwich College in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Farage voiced admiration for fascist figures like Adolf Hitler and Oswald Mosley. [1, 2]

• Former Jewish classmate Peter Ettedgui and others stated that Farage repeatedly taunted minority students with phrases like "Hitler was right" and "gas them," alongside singing offensive parody songs about gas chambers. [1, 2, 3]

• Other contemporaries alleged he used racial slurs (such as "Paki") and told minority pupils to "go back home". [1, 2]

• Farage's Response: Farage stated he has "never directly racially abused anybody," characterizing his teenage behavior as "playground banter" and "offensive things" said nearly 50 years ago without malice, while dismissing some specific allegations as complete fabrications. [1, 2, 3]

 

Political Rhetoric and Campaigns

• The "Breaking Point" Poster: During the 2016 EU referendum, Leave.EU unveiled a immigration campaign poster featuring a queue of migrants with the caption "Breaking Point," which critics and political opponents widely condemned as xenophobic and designed to stoke racial anxiety. [1]

• Comments on Immigration and Integration: Farage has faced criticism for remarks warning that high immigration risks turning people into "foreigners in your own country" and claiming that certain areas of London have changed so drastically that they no longer feel English. [1, 2]

• Glasgow Video: He drew heavy condemnation from political rivals in late 2025 for releasing a social media video asserting that one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow not speaking English as a first language represented the "cultural smashing of Glasgow". [1]

 

Desperate stuff there Farmer.

[Farmer Saint]

50 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

my answer no was in reference to farage not hitler. I’ve explicitly said hitler was responsible for the holocaust so stop pretending otherwise. If you want to debate farage so so rather than inventing positions I don’t hold. 
 

The system works along the famous words “innocent till proven guilty”. It’s the foundation of the legal system unless you want to argue something different

But Hitler was never found guilty, so he can't be responsible, as you have said.

Don't forget not all crimes are prosecuted, due to lack of evidence, unsafe procedural techniques, whether or not the CPS feels it's in the public interest at the time, statute of limitations, death etc etc. Also, people can be found innocent on technicalities even though they are clearly guilty, and others can just get away with it.

Genuine guilt has nothing to do with prosecuted guilt. OJ Simpson is a good example of this, although I presume you think he's innocent (along with Jimmy Saville and a whole host of others).

Edited Saturday at 12:51 by Farmer Saint

[Farmer Saint]

36 minutes ago, iansums said:

Desperate stuff there Farmer.

I don't believe anyone, even genuine Reform voters, can hand on heart sit there and say that Nigel Farage does not display all the hallmarks of a racist. Those that do probably do because they're racist and want to justify it.

Edited Saturday at 12:53 by Farmer Saint

[iansums]

13 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

I don't believe anyone, even genuine Reform voters, can hand on heart sit there and say that Nigel Farage does not display all the hallmarks of a racist. Those that do probably do because they're racist and want to justify it.

Can’t agree with that. Anyway, this has nothing to do with our new PM, not sure why Farage needed to be brought into the discussion. (I know it wasn’t you Farmer)

[Gloucester Saint]

2 hours ago, whelk said:

Gloucester’s bad influence on me. TBF was probably OTT

Oh come on Whelk, we both know that receiving a good ‘cunting’ from you at least once is a quintessential SWF experience 😀

Edited Saturday at 13:22 by Gloucester Saint

[Gloucester Saint]

That being said, me and Whelk have some way to go to reach peak Paul Dacre usage of the word. 

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v39/n11/andrew-o-hagan/who-s-the-real-cunt

Edited Saturday at 13:23 by Gloucester Saint

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

3 hours ago, iansums said:

You made one innocuous and reasonable comment and then there was a massive pile on by ‘centrists’, quite funny really 

Have you conveyed what he posts?

Hardly answers a question when pushed and then pivots. Also condescending when they take a post and tries to say the original poster said x instead of y.

Nothing to do with being left to right but maybe retorting to the poster ?

[aintforever]

4 hours ago, iansums said:

Desperate stuff there Farmer.

All true though. Farage is the worst kind of racist because he’s not stupid and knows exactly what he’s doing. He stokes up division for his own political aims and that makes him more dangerous than the knuckle-dragging fuckwits who hang flags from lampposts.

Edited Saturday at 16:35 by aintforever

[Sarnia Cherie]

On 24/07/2026 at 16:26, Weston Super Saint said:

Surely he's letting the train take the strain?

I read that he was flying each week. 

[Sir Ralph]

3 hours ago, aintforever said:

All true though. Farage is the worst kind of racist because he’s not stupid and knows exactly what he’s doing. He stokes up division for his own political aims and that makes him more dangerous than the knuckle-dragging fuckwits who hang flags from lampposts.

Read anyone that votes for a party I don’t like is a knuckle dragging racist. Another “centrist” 😂

Edited Saturday at 20:09 by Sir Ralph

[Sir Ralph]

5 hours ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Have you conveyed what he posts?

Hardly answers a question when pushed and then pivots. Also condescending when they take a post and tries to say the original poster said x instead of y.

Nothing to do with being left to right but maybe retorting to the poster ?

The word “conveyed” makes no sense. It’s an incorrect use of the word. Also condescending is interesting when I’ve been called a c-bomb multiple times so it’s strange you’ve not mentioned that. 

Notwithstanding that I assume you have read this thread and confused me with someone else. The amount of desperate pivoting and deflecting by your buddies is beyond belief. Answer me this where did I pivot in this thread?

Edited Saturday at 20:02 by Sir Ralph

[Farmer Saint]

1 hour ago, Sir Ralph said:

The word “conveyed” makes no sense. It’s an incorrect use of the word. Also condescending is interesting when I’ve been called a c-bomb multiple times so it’s strange you’ve not mentioned that. 

Notwithstanding that I assume you have read this thread and confused me with someone else. The amount of desperate pivoting and deflecting by your buddies is beyond belief. Answer me this where did I pivot in this thread?

I wonder if @Sir Ralph is intelligent enough to understand the deep, deep irony and hilarious ignorance displayed in the first three sentences in that post.

Edited Saturday at 20:58 by Farmer Saint

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

1 hour ago, Sir Ralph said:

The word “conveyed” makes no sense. It’s an incorrect use of the word. Also condescending is interesting when I’ve been called a c-bomb multiple times so it’s strange you’ve not mentioned that. 

Notwithstanding that I assume you have read this thread and confused me with someone else. The amount of desperate pivoting and deflecting by your buddies is beyond belief. Answer me this where did I pivot in this thread?

Nice pivot buddy.

Must be exhausting dribbling in circles just to stay on your high horse.

[Sir Ralph]

50 minutes ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Nice pivot buddy.

Must be exhausting dribbling in circles just to stay on your high horse.

So you can’t answer the question?

Edited Saturday at 22:31 by Sir Ralph

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

2 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

So you can’t answer the question

Buddy.

I'll get back to you.

[Sir Ralph]

8 minutes ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Buddy.

I'll get back to you.

 

“Hardly answers a question when pushed and then pivots. “
 

I asked a straightforward question where did I pivot - you haven’t answered it 

Edited Saturday at 22:42 by Sir Ralph

[badgerx16]

58 minutes ago, Sir Ralph said:

So you can’t answer the question?

He obviously follows your lead.

[aintforever]

11 hours ago, Sir Ralph said:

Read anyone that votes for a party I don’t like is a knuckle dragging racist. Another “centrist” 😂

Except I never mentioned voting or political parties. 😂

[whelk]

On 24/07/2026 at 23:01, hypochondriac said:

If he's smart (and so far he is much more politically savvy than Starmer) he will call an autumn general election prior to a budget and before he has to make any unpopular decisions. Give him another give year mandate without much detail.

Think they have all learnt from Theresa May what a snap election can do to your majority. Would be a very high risk move. Of course I get the no mandate argument but we need some stability

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, whelk said:

Think they have all learnt from Theresa May what a snap election can do to your majority. Would be a very high risk move. Of course I get the no mandate argument but we need some stability

It's also a risk to have to have to  make the difficult choices and expect his popularity to hold up though. In two years time he won't have tackled welfare sufficiently, probably won't have brought immigration down enough and all these schemes he wants to do will have resulted in even more tax rises. 

[badgerx16]

24 minutes ago, whelk said:

Think they have all learnt from Theresa May what a snap election can do to your majority. Would be a very high risk move. Of course I get the no mandate argument but we need some stability

The Labour Party has the mandate.

[whelk]

2 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

The Labour Party has the mandate.

Did you think the same when mad Liz Truss turned up as PM?

[badgerx16]

26 minutes ago, whelk said:

Did you think the same when mad Liz Truss turned up as PM?

Whilst there is an element of picking who you want to be PM in selecting who to vote for, most people vote for party or policies, and the PM ends up being the person who can most likely command a majority in the HoC.

There is after all no guarantee at a GE that a party leader going into the election will keep their seat, ( eg Jo Swinson ).

Would we be having the same "no mandate" demands if the PM left office due to ill health, like Eden and MacMillan ?

Edited yesterday at 08:36 by badgerx16

[CB Fry]

48 minutes ago, whelk said:

Think they have all learnt from Theresa May what a snap election can do to your majority. Would be a very high risk move. Of course I get the no mandate argument but we need some stability

Correct.

Zero prospect of an election before 2028, Zero. Burnham is not stupid enough to risk being a 3 month Prime Minister, there's not going to be one this year. Even if he "won" a autumn 26 election his majority would be nowhere near what it is now so just stupid on every single level. He's not going to do that.

If everything goes great in the next two years (and/or Farage really fucks up, and/or we win the Euros ) he might risk summer '28 but the most likely is go all the way to Spring/Summer 2029.

Edited yesterday at 08:29 by CB Fry

[Farmer Saint]

So, 0.48% of property value - would you be better or worse off?

Me, personally, it depends on how they calculate the value. On current value, we'd be far worse off as we've invested nearly £400k in our property over the past 4 years, but if it's done based on the past purchase price in 2019, then we'll be about the same as current Council Tax charges.

Feels completely fair as people with a £250k property in Blackpool pay the same as someone in a £2.5m property in Westminster.

Edited 1 hour ago by Farmer Saint

[AlexLaw76]

12 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

So, 0.48% of property value - would you be better or worse off?

Me, personally, it depends on how they calculate the value. On current value, we'd be far worse off as we've invested nearly £400k in our property over the past 4 years, but if it's done based on the past purchase price in 2019, then we'll be about the same as current Council Tax charges.

Feels completely fair as people with a £250k property in Blackpool pay the same as someone in a £2.5m property in Westminster.

Surely your recent renovations would make your property a great deal more valuable than your purchase price (not even taking into account property price inflation), so I would expect your monthly/yearly charge to reflect that.

0.48% seems enticing for some, until it is routinely increased, probably widely by some local authorities. 

 

Edited 53 minutes ago by AlexLaw76

[Farmer Saint]

5 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Surely your recent renovations would make your property a great deal more valuable than your purchase price (not even taking into account property price inflation), so I would expect your monthly/year charge to reflect that.

0.48% seems enticing for som,e, until it is routinely increased, probably widely by some local authorities. 

 

Yes it does, that's my point, although don't forget I purchased a farm so it's difficult to split the value of the property from the value of the farm. We have also split the property from the farm now, so again it makes it more complicated.

But unless you are going to get estate agents to routinely update property valuations on a yearly basis this is not going to be possible, so I would assume they'll do it on last sale price.

Edited 50 minutes ago by Farmer Saint

[AlexLaw76]

11 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Yes it does, that's my point.

But unless you are going to get estate agents to routinely update property valuations on a yearly basis this is not going to be possible, so I would assume they'll do it on last sale price.

So, some millionaire who bought their property 30 years ago, is just fine and will probably pay less for their services than the poor person from Blackpool

not sure that will pass the Labour sniff test.

Or, buy a £150k house and spend £1m adding to it. job done, system bypassed.

Edited 41 minutes ago by AlexLaw76

[Farmer Saint]

16 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

So, some millionaire who bought their property 30 years ago, is just fine and will probably pay less for their services than the poor person from Blackpool

not sure that will pass the Labour sniff test.

Or, but a £150k house and spend £1m adding to it. job done, system bypassed.

No, that would be ridiculous. You would put a timeframe on the last time it was sold and each property would be assessed on say, a 3 year basis. You could also use planning permission and building regs sign off to estimate increase in property value (that's what they did to us once our renovations were complete - moved our bandings).

Also, I get the point you're making, but how many properties in the UK do you think you can buy for £150k and then spend £1m adding to it to make a property that is worth what you've spent. I'm betting not very many.

Edited 34 minutes ago by Farmer Saint