michaelc
Member of DD Central
Say No To T.D.S.
Posts: 5,666 
Likes: 2,971
|
Post by michaelc on Jul 1, 2024 15:21:04 GMT
Shame its not t'other way around. Yep, given MLP's known sympathies for Putin, it would certainly have ensured that Ukraine had got zero military aid from France, and Russia plenty of political support at the heart of Europe. To the bolded bit great if it means halting a war killing up to a million people. To the rest of your sentence no I don't suppose anyone cares about that including me. Interestingly I watched a Farage speech last night and I have to say it nearly got me voting for him. He is clearly not pro Russia and certainly not pro Putin at all. He said so very directly. He does have a far better grasp of what is going on - not just parroting the media spin. Unfortunately the Reform leaflet landed on our mat and it has done more harm than good as far as I am concerned. Just a list of very Right wing policies around tax less, spend less and of course "soveignty", borders and immigration which came _first_ in his list. He could instead framed it around reducing contention for services such as GPs, schools and even roads. Discussed housing but no a simple "keep anymore out" was enough for Malcolm. Very boring, unimaginative and uncaring. Apologies for the bit of a meander there - should have put it in the UK Elections thread...
|
|
adrianc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 9,957
Likes: 5,128
|
Post by adrianc on Jul 1, 2024 16:41:44 GMT
|
|
michaelc
Member of DD Central
Say No To T.D.S.
Posts: 5,666
Likes: 2,971
|
Post by michaelc on Jul 1, 2024 17:50:51 GMT
To your second bit, maybe. To the first - utter, utter nonsense.
|
|
angrysaveruk
Member of DD Central
Say No To T.D.S
Posts: 1,300
Likes: 772
|
Post by angrysaveruk on Jul 1, 2024 19:02:39 GMT
Globally Putin is quite popular. In China, Indian, Africa, Middle East, Latin America he is more popular than most western leaders. Part of this is because Russia has strong positive historical links to a lot of countries around the world and Putin is quite charismatic *. I would say Farage (or any UK politician) is not on the Putin payroll via his Oligarchs - partly because UK politicians are not worth paying, Russia is a super power and the UK is not. The US is a different story - Clintons and Biden (along with numerous others) have received large sums from Russian Oligarchs. Trump is probably one of the only politicians who Russia has not paid - if he had we would have 100% heard about it 1000 times by now. * - He is also very ruthless and has probably killed a few people, but at the end of the day he is the leader of Russia not Luxembourg.
|
|
|
|
Post by mostlywrong on Jul 1, 2024 19:22:59 GMT
The letters on top of the pile should, now, receive my attention on the grounds that one should vote early and vote often...
As I have previously intimated, I live in a constituency where the pig, with the appropriate colour of lipstick, is elected.
There is nowt I can do about that, so I normally spoil my vote ("none of these") or vote for the 6th or 7th runner who is, generally, a rather nice chap but who is definitely not of this planet.
My choices:
LibDem: I thought that ordering the intern look-a-like to do a bungee jump was above and beyond the call of duty for an intern. Nul point.
Labour: Misogyny and other forms of discrimination are rife but these are our forms of discrimination and we have others. So that's OK then. Nul point.
Tory: "We will reduce taxes" and "we are calling Project Fear Mark 14 or 15 if you don't vote for us". No, you have hugely increased my taxes and there really is bugger-all in your manifesto. Project Fear Mark X is just you lot messing about and eating birthday cake. Nul point.
Greens: You are having a laugh. I have attended funerals that have better manifestos. Nul point.
Reform: You are also having a laugh. But the wake might be epic and there is the possibility of watching teddies being thrown in the corner as the will is read... Nul point.
Count Binface: not standing here but I would vote for him/her.
Monster Raving Loony Party: not standing here but, again, I would consider him/her.
Thankfully, none of them have made it up the track to my house. Only the Jehovah's Witnesses have made it that far.
Which reminds me of a story. Not long after I moved in, the doorbell rang on a Saturday morning. Two bright young things, smartly dressed and definitely male, started giving me the "have you considered etc...". I smiled and said "no, thank you". This was, perhaps, not the outright refusal they were expecting so, come the next Saturday, they were back with "have you considered etc...".
Now, these two were tall, blond, 20-something, well-dressed and the type of gentleman that, if I had a daughter of a similar age, would have been invited in for coffee and a chat. They were class.
A fortnight later: repeat.
A fortnight later: repeat. And I might have been a little abrupt.
A fortnight later: the bell rang. I opened the door and there stood two blonde, absolutely stunning girls who asked me "have you considered etc..."
Reader, I immediately considered changing my religion... 
But anecdotes aside, I now have to decide where to place my cross. I might be sometime...
MW
Edited because a bottle of merlot and I were discussing matters when I typed that...
|
|
agent69
Member of DD Central
Posts: 6,027
Likes: 4,428
|
Post by agent69 on Jul 1, 2024 20:15:38 GMT
Labour: It is axiomatic that ladies do not have willies. Other than in strange, far-off places that my mother told me to avoid. Nul point.
You need to be more adventurous when deciding on a holiday destination
|
|
agent69
Member of DD Central
Posts: 6,027
Likes: 4,428
|
Post by agent69 on Jul 2, 2024 10:27:29 GMT
A second Reform UK candidate has defected to the Conservatives, saying the "vast majority" of Reform candidates are "racist, misogynistic and bigoted"
Georgie David is standing in West Ham and Beckton - she has "no doubt" that Reform's senior leadership is not racist, but says she does not want to be "directly associated" with its candidates
|
|
keitha
Member of DD Central
2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
Posts: 4,580
Likes: 2,614
|
Post by keitha on Jul 2, 2024 10:58:29 GMT
Yes the local Green candidate seemed to have policies that would put people off greening the house eg Increasing Council tax on houses with Solar Panels or good EPC ratings because "they can afford it"
In my case putting the council tax up 1 band would wipe 80% off the current return on my solar panels, and assuming we are still recovering from events in 2022, ie 2020/2021 were "normal" then it would take out all the return ( and more ).
* return in this case is money generated for export above the cost of import
So If my import for the year costs £600 and my export "earns" £900 I count the £300 as a return, the £600 is repayment of investment ( and in my case would take 14 years to cover the cost of the system )
the actual calculation is more complex as I compare import cost on SVT with what I pay and take usage into account
|
|
badersleg
Member of DD Central
Posts: 204
Likes: 85
|
Post by badersleg on Jul 2, 2024 12:21:47 GMT
A second Reform UK candidate has defected to the Conservatives, saying the "vast majority" of Reform candidates are "racist, misogynistic and bigoted"
Georgie David is standing in West Ham and Beckton - she has "no doubt" that Reform's senior leadership is not racist, but says she does not want to be "directly associated" with its candidates
My local Reform candidate has set up a Go Fund Me page allowing anonymous donations. I'm not sure if he's aware that he should be collecting the details of donors (edit: over £50) to ensure that no Electoral Commission rules are broken.
|
|
michaelc
Member of DD Central
Say No To T.D.S.
Posts: 5,666
Likes: 2,971
|
Post by michaelc on Jul 2, 2024 12:49:36 GMT
Did Tice and Farage make a mistake in assuming the elections would be in the autumn giving them plenty of time to vet their candidates? Don't know when they were all selected but feels very rushed.
|
|
agent69
Member of DD Central
Posts: 6,027
Likes: 4,428
|
Post by agent69 on Jul 2, 2024 13:19:57 GMT
Sky are talking to shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson (Labour have pledged to charge VAT on private school fees if they win the election).
Does anyone know why any government would want to discourage private education (or private heath care for that matter). Surely, the more children that are educated privately means the less the government has to spend educating the rest?
If it costs £8000 a year to educate somebody in a state school you would think the government would be subsidising private education not taxing it.
|
|
|
|
Post by mostlywrong on Jul 2, 2024 13:56:25 GMT
Sky are talking to shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson (Labour have pledged to charge VAT on private school fees if they win the election).
Does anyone know why any government would want to discourage private education (or private heath care for that matter). Surely, the more children that are educated privately means the less the government has to spend educating the rest?
If it costs £8000 a year to educate somebody in a state school you would think the government would be subsidising private education not taxing it.
Although I do not have any dog in this particular fight, I have paid attention to the thinking behind the "plan" because it might reveal the direction of travel for their other tax plans.
My thinking is that their plan is muddled and not fully thought through or costed. Most schools of any sort around here appear to be full. Earlier in the year, there was a local kerfuffle over the news that, come September, children would have to attend a school on the other side of town - some 4 miles away on very busy roads. So, unless there is a plan to add additional classrooms, facilities and staff to state schools in quick time, there will be problems.
As for the private schools, I think some will go to the wall. The teachers will transfer to the public sector as will some of the children. The top schools will still flourish because, as the number of British fee-paying children drops, so the number of Chinese, Russian and Indian children will increase. Money talks and a British education is still one of the jewels in the world.
I think the middle ranking layer of British families will probably bite the bullet and send their children to European, American and Swiss boarding schools. Or Dubai, perhaps?
To summarise, I don't think that a future Labour government will receive anything like as much as they think they will from imposing VAT.
And that worries me slightly, because if that is the direction of travel, what other uncosted and unfunded plans do they have? However, as the current Government proved time and time again, short-termism and illogical thinking is not the sole prerogative of the Labour party.
MW
|
|
michaelc
Member of DD Central
Say No To T.D.S.
Posts: 5,666
Likes: 2,971
|
Post by michaelc on Jul 2, 2024 14:37:39 GMT
Sky are talking to shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson (Labour have pledged to charge VAT on private school fees if they win the election).
Does anyone know why any government would want to discourage private education (or private heath care for that matter). Surely, the more children that are educated privately means the less the government has to spend educating the rest?
If it costs £8000 a year to educate somebody in a state school you would think the government would be subsidising private education not taxing it.
Although I do not have any dog in this particular fight, I have paid attention to the thinking behind the "plan" because it might reveal the direction of travel for their other tax plans.
My thinking is that their plan is muddled and not fully thought through or costed. Most schools of any sort around here appear to be full. Earlier in the year, there was a local kerfuffle over the news that, come September, children would have to attend a school on the other side of town - some 4 miles away on very busy roads. So, unless there is a plan to add additional classrooms, facilities and staff to state schools in quick time, there will be problems.
As for the private schools, I think some will go to the wall. The teachers will transfer to the public sector as will some of the children. The top schools will still flourish because, as the number of British fee-paying children drops, so the number of Chinese, Russian and Indian children will increase. Money talks and a British education is still one of the jewels in the world.
I think the middle ranking layer of British families will probably bite the bullet and send their children to European, American and Swiss boarding schools. Or Dubai, perhaps?
To summarise, I don't think that a future Labour government will receive anything like as much as they think they will from imposing VAT.
And that worries me slightly, because if that is the direction of travel, what other uncosted and unfunded plans do they have? However, as the current Government proved time and time again, short-termism and illogical thinking is not the sole prerogative of the Labour party.
MW
How much do they think they're getting? I suspect they are doing it not to raise tax but as an ideological strategy. i.e. They probably believe all children are equal and should have ideally an equal start in life. I'm not sure but on balance I think its reasonable that private schools are not given the same privileges as other charities. The obvious problem is that there are too many children chasing too few school places. I wonder why that could be? Perhaps Farage knows the answer....
|
|
|
|
Post by bracknellboy on Jul 2, 2024 15:28:58 GMT
Although I do not have any dog in this particular fight, I have paid attention to the thinking behind the "plan" because it might reveal the direction of travel for their other tax plans.
My thinking is that their plan is muddled and not fully thought through or costed. Most schools of any sort around here appear to be full. Earlier in the year, there was a local kerfuffle over the news that, come September, children would have to attend a school on the other side of town - some 4 miles away on very busy roads. So, unless there is a plan to add additional classrooms, facilities and staff to state schools in quick time, there will be problems.
As for the private schools, I think some will go to the wall. The teachers will transfer to the public sector as will some of the children. The top schools will still flourish because, as the number of British fee-paying children drops, so the number of Chinese, Russian and Indian children will increase. Money talks and a British education is still one of the jewels in the world.
I think the middle ranking layer of British families will probably bite the bullet and send their children to European, American and Swiss boarding schools. Or Dubai, perhaps?
To summarise, I don't think that a future Labour government will receive anything like as much as they think they will from imposing VAT.
And that worries me slightly, because if that is the direction of travel, what other uncosted and unfunded plans do they have? However, as the current Government proved time and time again, short-termism and illogical thinking is not the sole prerogative of the Labour party.
MW
How much do they think they're getting? I suspect they are doing it not to raise tax but as an ideological strategy. i.e. They probably believe all children are equal and should have ideally an equal start in life. I'm not sure but on balance I think its reasonable that private schools are not given the same privileges as other charities. The obvious problem is that there are too many children chasing too few school places. I wonder why that could be? Perhaps Farage knows the answer....One answer could be "Due to a fundamental lack of forward planning by the previous n governments". You know, a bit like why there are monumental queues at every GP surgery, too few GPs, and a seriously insufficient pipeline of doctors (and nurses) coming through the system. And a high percentage of existing GPs (and other doctors) planning on leaving the profession in the very near future. Which is also something else in common with teachers. I know a handful, and basically the common theme is that those who have been around for a bit are nearly all leaving teaching early; at the other end many leave after only 2 or 3 years; and others are leaving the state sector to go elsewhere in education. The common theme is they face an over burdensome workload, significant behavioural challenges, way too much paperwork, too much focus on things that are nothing to do with teaching, and limited support.
|
|
adrianc
Member of DD Central
Posts: 9,957
Likes: 5,128
|
Post by adrianc on Jul 2, 2024 15:39:21 GMT
Did Tice and Farage make a mistake in assuming the elections would be in the autumn giving them plenty of time to vet their candidates? Don't know when they were all selected but feels very rushed. The elections HAD to be held before January. How much notice did they need? They've surely been planning to take serious part since, well, since setting the party up. And this ISN'T their first election - RefUK is simply BrexitParty rebranded, a name change announced before the 2019 election. Saying it's to be expected of a new party is simply disingenuous - they fielded 635 candidates last time round. Plus, of course, the Brexit Party's foundation took a lot of the UKIP apparatus, and they've been fielding candidates for decades. Mind you, he's also lying about the vetting company that "stitched them up". The company is quite adamant that they do not vet, they provide vetting tools. The £144k apparently paid is less than £250/candidate - not a lot of vetting gets done for that.
|
|
