Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Don’t know why he even bothered to talk to the Sun about Green stuff anyhow.

A week or so after the Prison release one of those reoffended while there was a delay in putting tags on people.

Here today gone tomorrow stories on the BBC front page while Mason and the rest banged on about recorded donations.

Those stories will crop up again, as I’ve said there are few in the press from the less partisan who want to do down every announcement with oh why didn’t you give us the gold plated moon on a stick instead of just a plain moon on a stick.

They spent the last 14 years in a bubble it seems where they didn’t get any of this and not even the promise of it. We are starting to see some major changes coming out in bills. The clear interest in some in the media and the wider world is showing.

After all why would an journalist with a rental portfolio be so angry about these rental protections?

Read a summary by a lawyer that the draft fire-rehire ban is pretty serious. Of course it may get watered down but doesn’t really fit with the “more holes than Swiss cheese” Sharon Graham quote that’s been relayed.

Rachel Reeves, who I keep hearing from the Guardian's BTL community, is a mad Thatcherite cutter, apparently looking at raising a lot of taxes to balance the current budget (ie spend more on stuff we want more spent on).

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... c-finances

Labour considers up to £3bn tax raid on gambling firms

I'd guess it's likely to be a fair bit less than this in the short term because it's natural to be cautious. Even if the smaller amount suggested here (£900m a year) were done, I'd give Labour credit. Doubtless, Owen Jones and George Monbiot are already writing their "Disgraceful Labour bow to lobbyists" articles.

Mikey Smith
‪@mikeysmith.com‬
Labour dumps ex-Aussie PM Tony Abbott along with all Tory appointed trade advisors

Daniel Hannan is one of those being kicked off. Sunak ought to have kicked these people off before.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... m-33874283

IIRC, Starmer's PPS (Chris Ward) was accused of being a gambling lobbyist before the election. See how the gambling tax policy goes. He also had some fossil fuel clients, and this is what's happened to their tax so far under Labour.

The government has announced that the rate of the EPL will increase to 38% from 1 November 2024, bringing the headline rate of tax on upstream oil and gas activities to 78%. The period that the levy applies is also being extended to 31 March 2030. The government will also remove unjustifiably generous investment allowances from the EPL by abolishing the levy’s main 29% investment allowance for qualifying expenditure incurred on or after 1 November 2024 and by reducing the extent to which capital allowances can be taken into account in calculating levy profits. Further details of these changes will be announced by the Chancellor at Budget.

Hope they stick to this. As things stand, the SNP have gone much more in favour of fossil fuels than Labour, despite no Chris Ward in John Swinney's office.

I didn't like the way Lloyd Russell-Moyle was forced out to get Ward in though.

Private faith schools in UK lobby for VAT exemption on fees under £7,690
Group says government policy would force many to close and leave deeply religious families with no alternatives

Christians, Muslims and Jews altogether in this campaign. Perhaps they could combine their schools and save overheads? I'm afraid I don't count "we can only be educated with our own kind" as the sort of need that the state should worry too much about meeting.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... under-7690

Dead right. In a nation that, according to the census, only 46% consider themselves 'Christian' (chinny reckon, weddings and funerals) and 37% have no religion. The proportions of muslims and jews are small, 6.5% and 4.9%. Hindus under 2%.

It's funny that Hindus (and I presume Sikhs too) don't seem to have the same tradition of impecunious religious schools.

As I've said before I lived virtually next door to a secular comp in Tower Hamlets. I would say the majority of girls wore headscarves, which would seem to imply a certain religiosity. The girls (and boys too) seemed to be happy enough as they moved between buildings, hung out at break, or walked home.

And the school has been very well regarded for at least 20 years.

Malcolm Armsteen wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 7:41 pm Dead right. In a nation that, according to the census, only 46% consider themselves 'Christian' (chinny reckon, weddings and funerals) and 37% have no religion. The proportions of muslims and jews are small, 6.5% and 4.9%. Hindus under 2%.

If brown people were Christian they'd be the wrong denomination. Whatever they are they'll still be the invaders.

House of Lords appointments will be ‘justified’ to curb cronyism
Under the plans, all future nominations for a peerage will have to be accompanied by a citation setting out their experience

https://www.thetimes.com/article/2124d2 ... 1ce452c280

David Anderson, a QC and Crossbench peer, says this will make a difference. Seems surprising they didn't have to do that already. I guess it will at the very least bring us some hilarity as some obscure donor will be talked up like he's Plato.

Neoliberal austerity latest.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -in-budget

Starmer to pledge billions for transport, schools and hospitals in budget
Exclusive: Labour to promise more investment as PM tells Guardian he will not be distracted by ‘side winds’

This'll most likely be some time down the line- there simply aren't a load of projects hanging about ready to go, and might as well get the current deficit under control. I just wish they hadn't ruled out all the obvious revenue raisers.

Robert Shrimsley
‪@robertshrimsley.bsky.social‬
Lou Haigh’s comments on P&O explicitly represent govt policy on fire and rehire and PM’s views. It’s not her own view, it’s the government’s stated position. Starmer should have the integrity to stand by her or ditch the policy.

The background here is that DP World (who own P&O) are pissed off with Lou Haigh criticising P&O by name and have pulled out of an investment summit, which will be blown up into a big "Labour anti-business" row. Understandably, Starmer has sought to smooth things over by saying that she didn't represent the government view.

This sort of comment is pretty silly Mr Logic stuff. It's quite clear why Starmer has said this, I'm sure Lou Haigh understands. You know, I think it's kind of possible that the policy could stay and the investment summit go ahead.

Resolution Foundation chair on the employment rights bill (short thread)

https://bsky.app/profile/gavin-kelly.bs ... 5ywncj6f2e

Gavin Kelly
‪@gavin-kelly.bsky.social‬
First impressions of (very dense) Employment Rights Bill:

- general point: more in here than expected
- provisions on ZHCs/guaranteed hours look substantive
- significant detail on right to reasonable notice of shift cancellation (& compensation)
- fire & rehire provisions look substantive

Off course, it all has to make it through Parliament (with doubtless lots of lobbying). But Kelly is clear that it's a serious start.

So the 'take back control' brigade sides with a transnational from Muslim country over British workers treated like shite.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:12 pm

Mikey Smith
‪@mikeysmith.com‬
Labour dumps ex-Aussie PM Tony Abbott along with all Tory appointed trade advisors

Daniel Hannan is one of those being kicked off. Sunak ought to have kicked these people off before.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... m-33874283

Taking out the trash, like proper binmen.

Christ, and another. What is it with left twitter (this guy is a policy expert, not a hack)?

How many times did we have "Rishi Sunak refused to endorse X's statement", without anybody ever resigning?

David Higham
‪@oldtrotter.bsky.social‬
Starmer happy to throw Haigh under the bus. You can only treat your Cabinet colleagues like this so many times.https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... dApp_Other

Youngian wrote: ↑Sat Oct 12, 2024 11:20 am So the 'take back control' brigade sides with a transnational from Muslim country over British workers treated like shite.

Whatever this government does is wrong. They're not for the working class until they are, then they're anti-business.

Rights at work are "French", apparently. Because that sounds better than German, Scandinavian, or whatever.

So DP World are attending the investment summit, Lou Haigh is still in post. Who could have foreseen these eventualities?

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Sat Oct 12, 2024 1:19 pm Rights at work are "French", apparently. Because that sounds better than German, Scandinavian, or whatever.

Catholic. Mediterranean. Swarthy. Greasy. Degenerate. No work ethic, and they probably shit in the street.