[Politics] Are Labour going to turn this country around?

[darkwolf666]

You don't have to threaten to assassinate the PM to get arrested , merely suggesting that a Labour councilor should consider resigning could be sufficient for OB to pay a visit these days

Do you know what she wrote on Facebook, as I can't find anything, just multiple stories from the usual right wing suspects of the British media.

I find it slightly hard to believe she just made "criticism" based on that conversation with the police officers at her door - she came across as a member of the "I know my rights" generation. The sort that filmed staff in hospitals during Covid...

 

[Crawley Dingo]

Well, Putin just corrected what Trump said about Russia agreeing to European peacekeepers in Ukraine, does that count?

He is, truly, the Millwall of geopolitics.

I don't know if he said Russia agreed but he said the peace-keeper comment in December. At some point Russia will have negotiate on security and I cant see any other way than this other than low numbers of peace keepers.

 

[Crawley Dingo]

To inform her that a complaint had been made about her and ask if she had any questions. And confirm that she hadn't committed a crime and they wouldn't be taking it forward. And she was so scared of this she may never post online again. though she obviously did post all this online and talk to pretty much every right wing paper about it

So they went round there to let her know nothings wrong and nothing will happen? Is that how policing works?

 

[SouthSaxon]

I don't know if he said Russia agreed but he said the peace-keeper comment in December. At some point Russia will have negotiate on security and I cant see any other way than this other than low numbers of peace keepers.

This was the source I was referring to. I’m not referring to future negotiations, just noting the contradiction. Anyway, there’s a separate thread for this stuff, so I’ll stop there.

 

[Wozza]

Weird! Starmer was in the same class as Norman Cook...

Fatboy Slim: ‘I was in the same class as Keir Starmer – he’s one up on me now’

The electronic producer and DJ Norman Cook talks about learning the violin with Keir Starmer, his love for his label maker and crossing swords with Moby

www.theguardian.com

 

[keaton]

So they went round there to let her know nothings wrong and nothing will happen? Is that how policing works?

You think the police will sometimes tell people that a complaint has been made against them? That seems an odd starting point. But that's what the police say has happened and what the" grandmother" says happened

 

[Machiavelli]

One of the things I am interested in (and it's nice to have a proper economist to bounce this off) is the bank of england and base rate controls.
There has generally been a lot of positivity about allowing the BOE to control interest rates and therefore manage inflation. It has always struck me that to control inflation, you need to take money out of the economy and to promote growth you need to invest. I've always considered that BOE base rates are a slow mechanism to acheive this. My brain simply can't escape the conclusion that the best way to take money out of the economy is to tax more highly.
Equally, to promote growth you need to reduce debt or perhaps fund infrastructure investments which reduce the cost of public services or promote private sector growth.

Isn't tax a better answer to manage inflation.

This is a really interesting suggestion, and I don't really have a good response to it, but the logic seems sound enough. You intrigue me when you say that there's a 'proper economist' to bounce this off. There are a couple of accountants on here that offer very informed contributions and then several others too but, at the same time, there are plenty of others (myself included) that have a somewhat inflated view of their grasp of economics.
Back to your suggestion, most serious economists seem to view rises in productivity levels as key to improving growth, real-terms pay, etc.

 

[Machiavelli]

I was thinking about how to reply to your post and perhaps you raise the salient point:

Being ‘for growth’ is a policy and IMHO a sensible one but this has to be accompanied by sensible policies to achieve it. Neither Truss or Reeves had/have such policies.

So in both cases be ‘for’ growth was/is completely meaningless. Not so much a a ‘nuance’, more total boll**ks

I'd like to qualify your claim about being 'for growth' is sensible. Arguably the worst aspect about GDP is it's an indiscriminate measure, and I really don't think we should be aiming for indiscriminate growth.
This is due to the climate crisis, the Sixth Mass Extinction and other environmental factors. What we should be looking at is growing certain parts of the economy (including the wealth of the poorer members) and shrinking others (carbon, material throughput, oligarchic wealth, etc).

 

[carlzeiss]

To inform her that a complaint had been made about her and ask if she had any questions. And confirm that she hadn't committed a crime and they wouldn't be taking it forward. And she was so scared of this she may never post online again. though she obviously did post all this online and talk to pretty much every right wing paper about it

Well then what should have happened was that the complainant should have been arrested for wasting Police time , section 5(2) criminal law act 1967

 

[keaton]

Well then what should have happened was that the complainant should have been arrested for wasting Police time , section 5(2) criminal law act 1967

Well this granny going to the papers has meant the police have to respond to that, maybe she could be arrested for wasting police time?

 

[carlzeiss]

Well this granny going to the papers has meant the police have to respond to that, maybe she could be arrested for wasting police time?

Arrested for contacting the papers , what are you smoking

 

[darkwolf666]

Arrested for contacting the papers , what are you smoking

Any news on what she actually said on Facebook yet?

 

[Eeyore]

You don't have to threaten to assassinate the PM to get arrested , merely suggesting that a Labour councilor should consider resigning could be sufficient for OB to pay a visit these days

But you've taken a Tweet, from a right wing commentator, with no context, no information about the full details of the story. No nothing.

Do you see the real problem here ?

 

[DataPoint]

f***ing WASPI women really get on my tits. I'm a bloke and was a teenager when Major made that decision, but somehow even I was fully aware that the state-pension age for women was increasing in line with men. I didn't need a f***ing letter landing on my door mat.

That aside, with the aftermath of Covid and ongoing Ukraine war resulting in the highest tax burden since WW2, do they really think that they're that special that any government should prioritise them receiving 11K a year for an extra 7 years, which we all have to pay for? If it's a problem, then just go back to work like anyone else

Women have demanded equality for years. That means equality for men also. That means that every man alive who retired at 65 when women retired at 60 should be paid 5 years pension compensation - probably amounting to £20,000 to £50,000 per man in their 80's & 90's.
Addon the fact that women live longer than men - (check out retirement premises) - women have in the past received their pension about 8 years longer than men. I don't have any viable tits - but WASPI women get on them anyway!

 

[carlzeiss]

But you've taken a Tweet, from a right wing commentator, with no context, no information about the full details of the story. No nothing.

Do you see the real problem here ?

Do tell me what the real problem is then ?

 

[beorhthelm]

Starmer and Reeves have received criticism for "talking down" the economy and damaging confidence, yet when they announce ambitious plans on housebuilding and the third Heathrow runway they are told they are "unrealistic".

They need to be cut slack on the "talking down" point. Over-promising and under-delivering was a notable feature of the previous 9 years of Tory government, so I understand their desire to keep it real. I would also say that even if she were to strike an optimistic tone there are others talking the economy down, i.e. every major news channel.

That said, Labour do have a problem with their messaging on the big picture. We get that growth is their No. 1 priority, but how does this dovetail with environmental issues like the third runway or North Sea Oil, road and rail connections? Or on protected government spending commitments like defence, NHS and education?

What we have is a political chili con carne without the chili.

I think they should have been far more aggressive on wealth inequality and capital taxes. They visibly went after the farmers, pensioners and employers whilst leaving capital taxes still relatively low. 24% as a top rate for CGT is very generous, especially when you consider the freeze in the Higher Rate tax threshold means more people cross that threshold and are paying 42% tax on their earned income, 40% on any interest they earn above £500.

One of the reasons for stagflation is that too much wealth has passed to the super-rich who - invariably - place their capital offshore and avoid UK tax. Another reason is that many people were caught out with Covid and are rebuilding their reserves, whilst the essentials like energy, water, council tax, rent have increased by rates above inflation. People will continue to be careful with their spending.

what do you suppose higher CGT will do for investment prospects?
if you believe too much wealth is offshore - so earning money abroad and not here - then shirley you support making UK more attractive for investment. we need to stop worrying about wealth, someone always will have more, and concern ourselfs with how much wealth is reallocated into UK investments.

 

[Eeyore]

Do tell me what the real problem is then ?

The real problem is when unverified information is put out on the internet and quoted as fact.

I'm not talking about football scores, the weather forecast (okay Daily Express, perhaps) or general benign stuff. I'm not even referring to general opinion (otherwise we wouldn't have NSC)

As soon as I read a Tweet like that my first thought is 'Is this the whole story ?' That should always be the starting point.

 

[Commander]

As soon as I read a Tweet like that my first thought is 'Is this the whole story ?' That should always be the starting point.

Sadly I think you are in a tiny minority of our idiotic population when you do that.

 

[A mex eyecan]

Well, Putin just corrected what Trump said about Russia agreeing to European peacekeepers in Ukraine, does that count?

He is, truly, the Millwall of geopolitics.

Maybe the injuns could start to circle Trumps wagons? If only

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Women have demanded equality for years. That means equality for men also. That means that every man alive who retired at 65 when women retired at 60 should be paid 5 years pension compensation - probably amounting to £20,000 to £50,000 per man in their 80's & 90's.
Addon the fact that women live longer than men - (check out retirement premises) - women have in the past received their pension about 8 years longer than men. I don't have any viable tits - but WASPI women get on them anyway!

Women of my generation stayed at home when the children were pre-school age. There was hardly any council care, for elderly relatives, so if we were lucky we could get a part time job whilst the kids were at school and our parents weren't in their dotage.
We were told that receiving child benefit, and our husband's NI contributions were enough to cover us for a state pension.
Part time jobs, even in the 70s were difficult to come by. In interviews, despite having two children, I was told 'you might still have more'. Jobs were for unmarried women, who hadn't got men to provide for them.
That was one of the reasons, women retired early, so they could look after their elderly relatives.

Fast forward a few years, and women were getting part time jobs, but couldn't join company pensions schemes because they were only available to full time workers.
Women only paid a married women's stamp as their wages were low.

I was lucky and escaped the trap by being born 20 months before the changes came in. I also had the nous, to realise that as my then husband was three years older than me, I would have to wait two years to get my state pension when he started getting his, so I made the choice to pay full stamp, and also to pay SERPS before I could join the pensions scheme.

I was also in a union, which took the company to court, because every part time worker was a female, so it was based on sex discrimination. It took 10 years but we won, and so I got extra contributions added towards the scheme.

I agree that nobody should protest that they didn't know because it was well advertised from 1995 onwards but women have been treated as second class citizens regarding pensions for decades and it is only just getting sorted out.