Does look as if we might grab the dunce's cap back again.
A long way to go to the election, but in the light of what's been happening in the US, I find the prospect of a Farage government extremely scary.
It is sad but also a little funny how the UK voted in a referendum to make themselves permanently much poorer and now are furiously cycling politicians in an effort to get around that basic fact.
You already blasted your dick off, putting on a different pair of pants won't change that.
The issue is that said movement seems to be a death sentence of the UK as a union and separate between them and Scottland and North Ireland.
KMFJD
Lifer
- Aug 11, 2005
- 32,636
- 52,047
- 136
Owen Jones (@owenjones.bsky.social)
Even Tory MPs are calling out Starmer's support for Israel. People are beginning to realise the savage judgement that will befall all those who failed to do something when they had the chance.
bsky.app
who's this guy? mighty brave stance for a conservative
It may be premature, but given the state of the opinion polls (Reform pulling ahead, Tories completely collapsing, Labour in slow-but-steady decline, Greens and Lib Dems way behind but gaining a little bit) I'm wondering if maybe both the Labour and Conservative Party are dying?
It seems as if there isn't really a political space for either of them now.
The Tories were always a coalition between corporate/globalist/neo-liberal plutocrats and working-class social-conservatives - and the former would now fit in much better with the "Orange book" neo-liberal Lib Dems, while the latter would fit in better with the Trump-like Reform.
Labour was always a coalition between working-class socialists and social democrats (even if some of the latter split off to form the SDP that became the Lib Dems, absorbing the dying-and-increasingly-anachronistic "Liberal" Party) and above all was supposed to represent organised Labour - something that has declined massively in influence and purpose since Thatcherism changed both the laws and the structure of the economy.
And now what's left of the 'working class' is much more fragmented and individualised and seems more identified with social conservatism than socialism, hence they'd fit better with Reform, and much of the 'middle class' has become proletarianised with their circumstances being more like that of the traditional working class, but with more formal education and more sociallly-liberal attitudes, and they'd fit better with an actual 'leftist' party, like the Greens.
In both cases there seems little political space left for either of the traditional 'two main parties'.
It seems as if there isn't really a political space for either of them now.
The Tories were always a coalition between corporate/globalist/neo-liberal plutocrats and working-class social-conservatives - and the former would now fit in much better with the "Orange book" neo-liberal Lib Dems, while the latter would fit in better with the Trump-like Reform.
Labour was always a coalition between working-class socialists and social democrats (even if some of the latter split off to form the SDP that became the Lib Dems, absorbing the dying-and-increasingly-anachronistic "Liberal" Party) and above all was supposed to represent organised Labour - something that has declined massively in influence and purpose since Thatcherism changed both the laws and the structure of the economy.
And now what's left of the 'working class' is much more fragmented and individualised and seems more identified with social conservatism than socialism, hence they'd fit better with Reform, and much of the 'middle class' has become proletarianised with their circumstances being more like that of the traditional working class, but with more formal education and more sociallly-liberal attitudes, and they'd fit better with an actual 'leftist' party, like the Greens.
In both cases there seems little political space left for either of the traditional 'two main parties'.
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,975
- 16,214
- 136
Christ, and to think I voted for this guy once:
www.theverge.com
Suck on that 'free market' teat harder, why don't you...
IMO it's all part of the slavery circle: Slavery helps capitalism, then slavery is bad for a while, then slavery pops up in a new form.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
www.theverge.com
Suck on that 'free market' teat harder, why don't you...
IMO it's all part of the slavery circle: Slavery helps capitalism, then slavery is bad for a while, then slavery pops up in a new form.
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,975
- 16,214
- 136
I initially encountered this story on MS Edge's front page, but the report there was like "he resigned after calling someone dumb":
www.bbc.co.uk
However, a smidgen more detail really paints the picture:
Why Zia Yusuf's resignation matters for Reform UK
Chris Mason details the three key things that the party will lack without its former chair.
www.bbc.co.uk
However, a smidgen more detail really paints the picture:
article said:
Last edited:
GodisanAtheist
Diamond Member
- Nov 16, 2006
- 8,323
- 9,702
- 136
I initially encountered this story on the MS Edge's front page, but the report there was like "he resigned after calling someone dumb":
Why Zia Yusuf's resignation matters for Reform UK
Chris Mason details the three key things that the party will lack without its former chair.
However, a smidgen more detail really paints the picture:
-Ah Islam, ye olde liberal trap.
Well, um, I suppose at least he's not in charge of counter-terrorism...
www.theguardian.com
Reform UK puts teenagers in charge of vital public services
Concerns raised about council appointments, including 19-year-old overseeing children and family services
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,975
- 16,214
- 136
Ok, I have a prediction: Starmer is not going to get another term in power, not if he's going to start suspending people for not going along with his tory plans.
www.bbc.co.uk
Labour suspends four rebel MPs for breaching party discipline
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell all voted against welfare reforms.
www.bbc.co.uk
Starmer, and his gang of hijackers, has locked everyone else out of the cockpit and is grimly and deliberately flying the Labour Party into the side of a mountain*.
I don't even understand why he's doing it.
I mean, not only does the latest poll show Labour at a record low of 20%, but if you look at the hypothetical-based poll, that includes a possible Corbyn 'left' party, Labour drops to 15% (dead level with the not-yet-existant Corbyn Party - which clearly nabs a share of the Green vote as well as Labour's). Of course that would mean a Reform government, but the stupid tribal Labour supporters apparently insist on splitting the anti-Reform vote.
* I've been watching youtube air crash investigation videos again
I don't even understand why he's doing it.
I mean, not only does the latest poll show Labour at a record low of 20%, but if you look at the hypothetical-based poll, that includes a possible Corbyn 'left' party, Labour drops to 15% (dead level with the not-yet-existant Corbyn Party - which clearly nabs a share of the Green vote as well as Labour's). Of course that would mean a Reform government, but the stupid tribal Labour supporters apparently insist on splitting the anti-Reform vote.
* I've been watching youtube air crash investigation videos again
KMFJD
Lifer
- Aug 11, 2005
- 32,636
- 52,047
- 136
The finest minds in Britain have introduced age requirements for some internet content, also in Britain....
www.pcgamer.com
Brits can get around Discord's age verification thanks to Death Stranding's photo mode, bypassing the measure introduced with the UK's Online Safety Act. We tried it and it works—thanks, Kojima
The UK's new act blocks access to adult content without identification. Turns out, you only need a copy of Death Stranding and a phone to get around it.
The finest minds in Britain have introduced age requirements for some internet content, also in Britain....
Brits can get around Discord's age verification thanks to Death Stranding's photo mode, bypassing the measure introduced with the UK's Online Safety Act. We tried it and it works—thanks, Kojima
The UK's new act blocks access to adult content without identification. Turns out, you only need a copy of Death Stranding and a phone to get around it.
Yeah, I've heard a lot of discussion as to how easy it's likely to be to get round these restrictions (a VPN and using foreign sites, is, apparently, a simple way).
I don't consider this in any way to be the worst thing this government has done, though. Am not even against the plan in principle, but it just sounds as if it won't work.
More annoyed by this
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...supreme-court-ruling-44bn-car-finance-scandal
Seems like an admission that the only way they can get 'growth' is to ensure the con-artists and grifters are left undisturbed by the law, while they inflate another financial bubble (this time in car financing).
In general this government seems to be keen to remove all the financial regulations that were put in place after the last financial crash - and then some. Setting us up to go round the same cycle again.
They really have no ideas as to how to make anything work. They are just floundering around. Frantically pulling levers marked "growth" that turn out not to be attached to anything.
Which makes me wonder why they wanted the job so badly and are so determined to suppress any dissent. I don't blame them for being bereft of ideas for solutions, the problems are immense. But why do they have to simultaneously be such authoritarian control-freaks? Why don't they just get out of the way and let someone else try something?
KMFJD
Lifer
- Aug 11, 2005
- 32,636
- 52,047
- 136
i thought China was bad for banning VPN's , tottally ok when we start to do it though! right?
but what about protecting the children again?
GodisanAtheist
Diamond Member
- Nov 16, 2006
- 8,323
- 9,702
- 136
-"Think of the children" has always been the thinnest veneer for "I don't want to tell you why I'm doing this, but you wouldn't dare attack something that protects kids right?!"
nakedfrog
No Lifer
- Apr 3, 2001
- 62,742
- 18,925
- 136
Interesting how the website for it sure seems to pitch it as being primarily aimed at protecting children. But yes, of course, it literally never is, is it?
^^^^
What I find very ironic is that Alastair Campbell (Tony Blair's right-hand-man and enforcer, and architect of the case for the Iraq war) and Rory Stewart (the last of the liberal non-authoritarian Tories) have a podcast (which I quite like, to be honest - am in fact a bit disturbed to find myself agreeing with them on so many things, though far from everything).
And it's sponsored by a VPN provider, hence the pair of them regularly read out endorsements of VPNs, saying how they will 'keep you safe' and 'get round restrictions'. If this government tries to restrict VPNs, I wonder how the pair of them will report that story, inbetween flogging VPN providers?
What I find very ironic is that Alastair Campbell (Tony Blair's right-hand-man and enforcer, and architect of the case for the Iraq war) and Rory Stewart (the last of the liberal non-authoritarian Tories) have a podcast (which I quite like, to be honest - am in fact a bit disturbed to find myself agreeing with them on so many things, though far from everything).
And it's sponsored by a VPN provider, hence the pair of them regularly read out endorsements of VPNs, saying how they will 'keep you safe' and 'get round restrictions'. If this government tries to restrict VPNs, I wonder how the pair of them will report that story, inbetween flogging VPN providers?
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,975
- 16,214
- 136
The Angela Raynor stamp duty situation, what do you guys think of it?
www.bbc.co.uk
The way it reads to me is that she didn't seemingly go out of her way to avoid paying 'tax', she paid the standard rate for the house purchase. Obviously in hindsight she should have sought professional advice, but IMO the question ultimately comes down to whether she acted in a certain way to avoid the unwanted truth being spelt out to her or did she just assume that if she's paying the standard amount of stamp duty, then everything is above board?
Disclaimer: I know very little about stamp duty; I have no idea whether I know less than average on this topic.
Keir Starmer clears out home office ministers in reshuffle after Angela Rayner resignation
Yesterday the PM reshuffled the top spots in his cabinet, promoting David Lammy to deputy prime minister and Shabana Mahmood to home secretary.
www.bbc.co.uk
The way it reads to me is that she didn't seemingly go out of her way to avoid paying 'tax', she paid the standard rate for the house purchase. Obviously in hindsight she should have sought professional advice, but IMO the question ultimately comes down to whether she acted in a certain way to avoid the unwanted truth being spelt out to her or did she just assume that if she's paying the standard amount of stamp duty, then everything is above board?
Disclaimer: I know very little about stamp duty; I have no idea whether I know less than average on this topic.
The Angela Raynor stamp duty situation, what do you guys think of it?
Keir Starmer clears out home office ministers in reshuffle after Angela Rayner resignation
Yesterday the PM reshuffled the top spots in his cabinet, promoting David Lammy to deputy prime minister and Shabana Mahmood to home secretary.
The way it reads to me is that she didn't seemingly go out of her way to avoid paying 'tax', she paid the standard rate for the house purchase. Obviously in hindsight she should have sought professional advice, but IMO the question ultimately comes down to whether she acted in a certain way to avoid the unwanted truth being spelt out to her or did she just assume that if she's paying the standard amount of stamp duty, then everything is above board?
Disclaimer: I know very little about stamp duty; I have no idea whether I know less than average on this topic.
Yeah, I don't know, I find the whole row too complicated to follow. I don't know if she should resign or not - it will presumably depend on how prolonged a media row it causes. What it probably comes down to is just whether some other big political story comes along to knock it off the front pages.
Couple of points occur to me though - one being that much of the complexities comes from there being a "trust" involved, that she set up to benefit her disabled child. And, having known people who looked into something similar, such schemes are only really viable for the very wealthy (if you have a vast amount of money you can use such schemes to protect it from taxes and the like, but if you have just a modest amount, you can't really do much to avoid tax). The whole thing is just another symptom of how the political class (even those allegedly from 'working class backgrounds') live in a different world to the rest of us.
mikeymikec
Lifer
- May 19, 2011
- 20,975
- 16,214
- 136
Starmer does seem to be the epitome of what's wrong with English politics: A man who is willing to climb the ladder and do what's necessary for the sole purpose of advancement / maintenance of his position.
The only way I can see him winning the next election would be if Farage is found in bed with a child and the tories start bickering amongst themselves, or he handles some unique crisis in a particularly effective and leader-like manner.
The only way I can see him winning the next election would be if Farage is found in bed with a child and the tories start bickering amongst themselves, or he handles some unique crisis in a particularly effective and leader-like manner.
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