[Youngian]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics ... ishi-sunak

Tories believe Rishi is their secret weapon to beat Labour in next election

Apart from anything else, you have to question the minds behind the thinking that the actual prime minister - who has been in a high-profile cabinet role for some years now - is in any way a ‘secret’ weapon.

Unless it’s just some sort of lost in translation issue, and rather than secret weapon they meant ‘reclusive tool’.

Another cunning plan called for

[satnav]

I can't believe some of the crap that local MPs are currently promising their constituents in order to try and cling on to their seats. The MP for Bolsover has promised to create a sixth form ay his local secondary school. The school currently has 800 students yet he is confident that a sixth form at the school would pull in 400 'A'level students. When talking to the local paper he said that there was no further education facility in the area yet there is actually an FE college 3 miles down the road which is well established in the area. The chance of any 6th form being established in the next 18 months are very sim but it will look god on election leaflets.

In North East Derbyshire Lee Rowley is promising one local town a new railway station to replace the one that closed down over 60 years ago. The chances of the station ever being opened is very slim and even it is opened there is no indication that many train companies would be keen to make regular stops at the station because it would slowdown journey times to Derby and Sheffield.

[Youngian]

Makes a change from blabbing to Russians, I guess

A British parliamentary researcher has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China in what is alleged to be one of the most damaging breaches of security involving a hostile state at Westminster.

The male suspect, who is in his late 20s, is understood to be linked to a number of senior Tory MPs, including several who are privy to classified or highly sensitive information.

https://x.com/cazjwheeler/status/170058 ... Dkr8MiQKBg

[Tubby Isaacs]

They can't be this stupid, can they? Has to be wilful.

Time-limited benefits? Where do they do that? Oh "the continent".

Famously there were no low wages in Britain before Tony Blair. I must have dreamed getting £1.97 an hour as a gardener in 1990 (God knows how bad it would have been if it hadn't been a rare sector with a wages council). I seem to recall the position of Bren's party throughout the 90s was that a minimum wage would destroy thousands of jobs.

The "top up culture" actually rescues a lot of people from the benefits trap. And they're known as "tax credits" for a reason- ie when people earn over the tax threshold, that's exactly what happens- their taxes are reduced. The thing about very low earners is that they don't pay a lot of tax. So there's no tax to cut. And full time workers get tax credits- I assume these aren't the ones that are "angry".

[Andy McDandy]

I was out of work for just over a year, 2014-15. I was landing on average an interview a week, and went through coaching, JCP staff reviewing my CV, you name it. And coming to the conclusion that I was just incredibly unlucky. I was doing nothing wrong, just not catching the break.

In that time I was turned down by some employers saying I was overqualified, or that there was no point as I'd just move on, or in a few cases, don't tell anyone but we were really hoping for a blond school leaver with big tits.

It's not a simple case of putting bodies into roles. Employers won't want it, and without their partnership all you've got is community service for people who haven't broken any laws.

[Youngian]

2016-Unemployed are victims of uncontrolled immigration, hate the immigrants.
2023- Labour shortages are caused by unemployed layabouts, hate the unemployed.

If you didn’t see that one coming from the Tories, go and stand in the corner wearing a dunce’s cap.

[Bones McCoy]

2016-Unemployed are victims of uncontrolled immigration, hate the immigrants.
2023- Labour shortages are caused by unemployed layabouts, hate the layabouts.

If you didn’t see that one coming from the Tories, go and stand in the corner wearing a dunce’s cap.

1970-2023: Cut out the middle man - hate the Tories.

[mattomac]

I was out of work for just over a year, 2014-15. I was landing on average an interview a week, and went through coaching, JCP staff reviewing my CV, you name it. And coming to the conclusion that I was just incredibly unlucky. I was doing nothing wrong, just not catching the break.

In that time I was turned down by some employers saying I was overqualified, or that there was no point as I'd just move on, or in a few cases, don't tell anyone but we were really hoping for a blond school leaver with big tits.

It's not a simple case of putting bodies into roles. Employers won't want it, and without their partnership all you've got is community service for people who haven't broken any laws.

Same, came out of University sometimes it’s just the gift of the gab, I’m desperate to escape London and I haven’t had a lack of opportunities but at this moment for whatever reason the interviews are all failures.

[Dalem Lake]

I'm currently unemployed and the way they go on it's as easy as just walking into a building and you'll be hired on the spot when it is absolutely not the case. Employers are really picky, even at the arse end of the jobs market. They seem to want unicorns and pay the minimum amount for them. Warehouse, customer service, retail, if you haven't got recent experience or have gaps on your CV they don't want to know and that's even before you get the chance of an interview. Even the agencies around my area are quiet as a major distribution centre shutdown just after xmas and another moved a major contract to another centre so there's a glut of temp labour. I sometimes look on the property sites and the number of places where I worked just a couple of years ago that are now sitting empty is boggling. And these aren't small warehouses, we're talking places that would easily have around a couple of hundred working in them. Jobs market is proper fucked.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Thangam Debonnaire is a classically trained musician, Chris. Her brief is Culture, Media and Sport, not "football".

But while you're here, tell us about the military service of Grant Shapps.

[Andy McDandy]

I'm currently unemployed and the way they go on it's as easy as just walking into a building and you'll be hired on the spot....

Thing is, for them that's exactly how it works. Chat with the right person, junior exec post in the firm ran by your old uni housemate's dad. Then when you're a parent, put your kids on your MP's office payroll.

[Watchman]

Thangam Debonnaire is a classically trained musician, Chris. Her brief is Culture, Media and Sport, not "football".

But while you're here, tell us about the military service of Grant Shapps.

And I’m sure the only football or rugby matches most Tory MP’s go to is when someone (who needs a favour!) “gifts” them tickets to the FA Cup Final, or England v The All Blacks

[Andy McDandy]

As many have said, considering the Tories made Nad Culture sec*, it's just a wee bit rich....

*Not to mention Shapps, who as MoD sec mixed up the Navy and RAF...

[Youngian]

What MP is an all round culture vulture who plays football and classical music, watches the telly and listen to pop music? Keir Starmer comes close but maybe David Mellor 30 years ago.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another sighting of Lia Nici.

[Bones McCoy]

Every successful university applicant is one less GBeebies viewer.

[Youngian]

One day it might occur to the Tories to try and woo this expanding demographic.

[mattomac]

Considering they are getting up to 50

[mattomac]

What MP is an all round culture culture who plays football and classical music, watches the telly and listen to pop music? Keir Starmer comes close but maybe David Mellor 30 years ago.

I believe I’ve seen Rayner at a football match or rugby league and she visited Glynborne, of course they didn’t like that either.

[Bones McCoy]

What MP is an all round culture vulture who plays football and classical music, watches the telly and listen to pop music? Keir Starmer comes close but maybe David Mellor 30 years ago.

Back before then you'd have thought of Kenneth Clarke.