[Bones McCoy]

).

Nowhere have I seen in this 'plan' any indication of how people choose their NS path. Or indeed, if it's chosen for them. Hence the suspicion voiced already that it'll be the trenches for the scum, and a couple of afternoons tidying the park for the nice kids.

My Dad, because of some special circumstances, didn't do the full period of regular national service, but was made to do a load of weekend TA as well. This was less than convenient seeing he was working in the family butcher's business, with Saturday the busiest day. I wonder if somebody better connected weould have got excused the TA but whatever, I can at least see a military logic to it. I don't see much logic in making a modern day version of my Dad give up 12 weekends.

It's not exactly unusual to work weekends these days. Did nobody in the Government think about building some flexibility in? Reminds me of during Covid where they didn't know that carers worked on several sites.

It's apparently unusual in Tory circles.
Otherwise they'd have spotted some of the obvious pitfalls to mandatory weekends.

It's a remarkable revelation given the tory membership profile.
Self styled 170 hour a week small businessmen and hard working landlords.

Rubs chin: Big house retirees with gold plated pensions - more like.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yep.

I guess the impulse to sound tough (army, no excuses) was all that mattered. Presentation above any kind of analysis.

[Tubby Isaacs]

[Tubby Isaacs]

Another yougov.

[Youngian]

Today in the thick of it is Iain Dale who resigned from his LBC gig to become Conservative PPC for Tunbridge Wells. Only to resign 48 hours later https://x.com/michaelkeohan/status/1796 ... Dkr8MiQKBg

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And I thought the Corbynites were clueless...

[Youngian]

At least Dale can see the optics and withdrew, Corbyn and his gaffe candidates were too pig headed for that.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Yup.
Rather like the people demanding that the 'decision to bar Dianne Abbot' be reversed, when it hasn't been taken yet...

[Bones McCoy]

Today in the thick of it is Iain Dale who resigned from his LBC gig to become Conservative PPC for Tunbridge Wells. Only to resign 48 hours later https://x.com/michaelkeohan/status/1796 ... Dkr8MiQKBg

Less lettuce, more beansprout.

[Tubby Isaacs]

LBC here. How can you trust them to run the country if a shadow secretary of state gets a website address wrong?

[Tubby Isaacs]

So another Tory MP, Aaron Bell, has given up. Still loads and loads of candidates to pick. And a former Tory MP (suspended and deselected), Julian Knight, is running as independent.

[Crabcakes]

Polling data seems to be showing Starmer/Labour getting more popular and Sunak/the Tories less so specifically since the election has been called:

https://www.threads.net/@uk.political.n ... o0O5voDdc/

[Tubby Isaacs]

John Swinney has called on the next UK government to hold an emergency budget after the election, and said he was proud his own SNP administration had taken “deep and hard decisions on tax”.

I'd be less than surprised if the deep and hard decisions on tax weren't untaken by Swinney and Forbes in the next Scottish Budget.

The only way you can do a very quick budget is if you cut the OBR out. You can though disburse extra sums without a budget. That's what I expect them to do with a things.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Even with the asterisk, there has been some improvement in this area. Unfortunately, the overriding sentiment of the public is likely to be "so why did you let it get so shit in the first place?" And the progress made recently was brought about by a massive overspend in the last year. Oh, and the Workforce Plan is completely unfunded.

[Oboogie]

So another Tory MP, Aaron Bell, has given up. Still loads and loads of candidates to pick. And a former Tory MP (suspended and deselected), Julian Knight, is running as independent.

If Phil Moorhouse has it right Labour have four candidates to find, the Tories have nearly 200. The deadline is next Friday.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yep.

[Bones McCoy]

[Tubby Isaacs]

I suppose it stops Ed from banging on about fiscal conservatism, which is what he usually does. Sure, there's a case for that, as always, but not when you're leading the third party in 2024. Go on about the Climate Change Act you passed instead,, Ed.

[Andy McDandy]

Notice that it's now a "clear plan"? Still no detail, just a few headers. Bit like if in the war, Eisenhower said "Here's the plan: win", and left it at that.

[Youngian]

Is it a fully costed plan?