[Youngian]

Ever had a Christmas card from the boss whose never spoken to you?

[Watchman]

And Uncle Richi sent me a 10/- postal order

[Cyclist]

Some good news for a change:

A Conservative MP is facing bankruptcy proceedings over unpaid taxes that could result in him having to step down.

In a fresh blow for Boris Johnson’s embattled party, court records show a petition for bankruptcy has been filed by HMRC against Adam Afriyie, who has represented Windsor since 2005. Afriyie is described as a “litigant in person”, suggesting he intends to represent himself.

Under parliamentary rules, sitting MPs who are declared bankrupt have to step aside. That would create turmoil for the prime minister, whose party is already facing three byelections....

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... am-afriyie

[mattomac]

What’s the other By election? Got Southend and North Shropshire, I’ve noted that NS and Windsor are very safe you do wonder if it breeds a certain type of attitude.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Believe this when I see it. There were rumours that some Tory MPs were ruined by Lloyd's in the early 90s, but the bankruptcy never materialized, supposedly because some rich colleagues helped out. Would that happen now? It's one thing to lend somebody a lot of money to stop a by election when the government are struggling to survive, like then, Would anyone bother when the Tories have a majority of 80?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ever had a Christmas card from the boss whose never spoken to you?

Oooo fwiend!

[Cyclist]

Waaah! He called me a name Waaah!

An MP has lodged a formal complaint after he was called a "moron" by a district council leader during a private meeting.

Lee Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, told Ashfield District Council the remark was "totally unacceptable"....


...Mr Anderson was not at the meeting but was made aware of the remark afterwards.

He has since lodged a complaint to the council's monitoring officer...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-not ... 297389.amp

Fucking snowflake.

"Moron" is actually fair comment when talking about Anderson.

Mr Zadrozny said: "It was a private, closed meeting and we were talking about getting him and Mark Spencer in, that's when I said it.

"I probably shouldn't have used that sort of language and I apologise, I let myself down more than anything else."

What I meant to say was pig-ignorant twat, but it came out a bit wrong.

[mattomac]

Is he still boycotting England?

[Cyclist]

A classic lesson in How Not To Do It from Conservative-run Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Several stallholders at a town's market said they were quitting rather than moving to a £4.7m replacement facility.

Some traders in Great Yarmouth, many of whom have been operating for generations, said the new covered stalls being built were too small.

The borough council said its new canopied market, partly on the same site, would be "a more attractive place for shoppers".

The first phase of the market is expected to open in January.

Brewer's Chip Saloon will have served the town for 120 years in 2022 and owner, Robin Platten, said the council had not listened to traders.

"We always asked for space. We just needed something that was fit for purpose, for us to fit our equipment into," he said.

For 75 years Barrie's Tea Stall has been serving drinks and hot snacks.

Mel Wilson, who took over the stall 17 years ago with husband Jimmy, said they would shut for good on Christmas Eve.

"It's not how we wanted to go. We would have loved to have embraced the market and everything, but what we're being offered is just awful compared to what we've already got," she said.

"It's a shame as they're going to rip the heart out of the town centre."

Blake's Butchers was founded 100 years ago and Philip Blake, 63, said the shorter one-year leases being offered would lead to "fly-by-night" stallholders.

"Not being funny, but I think they'll be selling little bits and pieces, and like Norwich market, next time you go, it's gone," he said.

He said he was the fourth generation of his family to work on the stall and he would probably retire now.

In a statement, Great Yarmouth Borough Council said[...]"We know a handful of stalls have decided that the move isn't for them and we will be sorry to see them go, but the majority of traders choosing to remain will enjoy long-term leases for the first time and a much more pleasant environment for them and their customers."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-59386609


The butcher says "shorter one-year leases" will lead to fly-by-night traders, while the caahncil says "long-term leases". I know a week is a long time in politics, but...

[Andy McDandy]

the majority of traders choosing to remain

See, my sneaky half-remembered lawyer training picks up on shit like that. That's a subset of a subset.

Also, if businesses have been operating for 120 years or 4 generations, that kind of implies a longstanding commitment. OK, leases may have been renewed every few years or so, but in some cases and places that would be enough to grandfather clause traders into automatic long leases.

[Youngian]

Market traders have moaned about upgrades since Chaucher's day.

[davidjay]

If they're packing up long-established businesses before knowing how they will be affected then that seems to indicate something a bit more deep-rooted than a smaller stall.

[Cyclist]

More on that moron who tweeted that picture of Corbyn

Ex-Tory councillor says he's 'penniless' after Jeremy Corbyn legal action
Dad-of-three Paul Nickerson managed to raise just £30 via a GoFundMe appeal after agreeing to pay the former Labour leader an undisclosed sum for sharing a doctored image of Mr Corbyn

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... 563897.amp

His GoFundMe page raised a whole thirty quid!

No sympathy from me.

[Andy McDandy]

Something I've noticed over the years is that a lot of Tories are basically in office by default, and when they've lost that office they realise just how personally popular they really are.

[Bones McCoy]

More on that moron who tweeted that picture of Corbyn

Ex-Tory councillor says he's 'penniless' after Jeremy Corbyn legal action
Dad-of-three Paul Nickerson managed to raise just £30 via a GoFundMe appeal after agreeing to pay the former Labour leader an undisclosed sum for sharing a doctored image of Mr Corbyn

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... 563897.amp

His GoFundMe page raised a whole thirty quid!

No sympathy from me.

This is welcome news.

"Characters" like Lennon and Hopkins saw these fundraisers as a nice little earner.
If the donors are tiring of "cunts for cash", maybe we'll get fewer cunts.

[mattomac]

Go fund me should be for those generally in need or for charity, not for some dick who thinks he is immune from accountability from what he posts on Twitter.

He probably thinks he did nothing wrong but we see where this ends up, with the deaths of Cox and Ammess

[Cyclist]

They say a man is known by the company he keeps, and Cur* Desmond Swyne seems happy to have some disgusting companions

A Conservative MP has spoken up for the right of voters to elect racists or misogynists if that is who they want to represent them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59508496

* Soft "C", as in "cell"

Sir Desmond Swayne said he hoped his constituents would never make such a choice, but it would be anti-democratic to police MPs' views.

Er...

[Boiler]

Fuck off, Dowden.

The Conservative Party chairman says he has no plans to cancel a staff Christmas party over concerns about the latest Covid variant.

Oliver Dowden said the planned festivities were in line with rules, and he would "urge people to keep calm and carry on with their plans".

[Boiler]

[Cyclist]

Several people in this forum predicted that if anything was going to drag Johnson down it'd be something stupid like redecorating his flat. Well...

He’s got gold lamé wallpaper and I can’t pay my gas bill’: Tory MPs warn PM over cost of living crisis

Several Conservative MPs agree with Jacob Rees-Mogg that Boris Johnson should delay tax rises, as Labour eyes a “big opportunity” with household bills set to soar

If Boris Johnson began the year feeling like the rockiest period of his leadership had passed, it cannot have lasted long.

Conservative MPs, emboldened after Covid restrictions were avoided over Christmas following their massive rebellion over plan B measures, appear to believe they can now demand more of the Prime Minister.

That much was evident when Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg used this week’s Cabinet meeting, the first of the year, to express dissent over Mr Johnson’s new health and social care levy, which will come in with families facing a £1,200 hit due to tax rises, inflation and the gas price crisis.

It would appear that the flat refurb is a perfect excuse for Tories to pretend they care about ordinary people and start doing things to improve their image.

It has been said time and again that this current government are perpetually in campaigning mode, and what better way to show the public they're 'on your side' than by opposing tax hikes which they are ideologically opposed to anyway. And making it all Johnson's fault into the bargain. The people have largely turned against Johnson, so they can hide behind "not us guv, it was him what done it", and claim they care by 'saving' people's incomes. And they know enough of this electorate are stupid enough to swallow their shit that it doesn't matter if the intelligent people see through it. Win-win.

First cladding on blocks of flats. Now booting tax-hikes into the long grass. There is more to come. The rehabilitation of the Scum Party starts here.