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by Willow904
Mon 09 Jan, 2023 8:16 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 9th January 2023
Replies: 14
Views: 1360

Re: Monday 9th January 2023

Hello all. I know I haven't posted lately, mostly because there hasn't been much to say beyond the obvious of how awful current government is. With Labour finally starting to say a bit more, though, whether for good or ill, there's at least a bit more to talk about. I've never been especially keen o...
by Willow904
Sat 17 Dec, 2022 6:24 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th December 2022
Replies: 24
Views: 2016

Re: Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th December 2022

From AK yesterday : I expect Labour to again be the clear challengers next time, though the proposed boundary changes make it safer for the Tories on paper at least. I'm surprised by this take. The current NE Somerset constituency is like a tailor made safe Tory seat, taking in true blue Tory rural ...
by Willow904
Fri 16 Dec, 2022 10:40 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 16th December 2022
Replies: 7
Views: 1194

Re: Friday 16th December 2022

Thanks for the QT review Sky. Always good hear about Rees Mogg being unpopular. He should be kicked out on his ass next GE, no problem, but for the usual fears of the split left vote. In other parts of Somerset voting Libdem is a no brainer. I'm confident they can retake both Wells and Frome, it's l...
by Willow904
Fri 02 Dec, 2022 6:58 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 2nd December 2022
Replies: 12
Views: 1722

Re: Friday 2nd December 2022

Thanks gilsey. I guess they'll be more about it next year when the new boundaries are confirmed. I think Rees-Mogg might struggle to get re-elected on the current proposals, though. Even if the Tories regain a lot of ground, the constituency will more resemble the one Dan Norris used to hold for Lab...
by Willow904
Fri 02 Dec, 2022 2:22 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 2nd December 2022
Replies: 12
Views: 1722

Re: Friday 2nd December 2022

From the G live blog: Rees-Mogg said he hopes to run again at the next election in one of the seats set to emerge out of North East Somerset. I think we can safely assume it's going to be mine, which is currently proposed as North East Somerset and Hanham. If I lived just a few miles further east I'...
by Willow904
Sat 26 Nov, 2022 10:31 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 26th, & Sunday 27th November 2022
Replies: 21
Views: 2068

Re: Saturday 26th, & Sunday 27th November 2022

Hello all. Sorry for suddenly crashing in yesterday with a grumpy comment and then disappearing again but the whole culture wars thing is just so depressing. I don't think it's going to save the Tories this time, though, it's just going to make the next election very ugly. Meanwhile, in the real wor...
by Willow904
Fri 25 Nov, 2022 9:28 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 25th November 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 1640

Re: Friday 25th November 2022

Whatever happened to abbeys and abbots, monasteries and monks Um...something like this, maybe? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45127284 Child abuse inquiry: School 'reputations put before victims' I mean, this is the thing, isn't it? When you hold such negative associations with the things &q...
by Willow904
Wed 09 Nov, 2022 9:45 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 9th November 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 1627

Re: Wednesday 9th November 2022

thread ... https://twitter.com/supertanskiii/status/1590120477707874304 There's not much point staying on twitter, though, if any old body can buy a blue tick and pretend to be somebody even when they're not: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/08/twitter-official-label-verified-account...
by Willow904
Mon 31 Oct, 2022 7:51 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 31st October 2022
Replies: 16
Views: 1909

Re: Monday 31st October 2022

My twitter feed algorithm is currently throwing up a story about how Elon Musk is a conspiracy theory peddling nutjob. Perhaps my fears he would ruin twitter are unfounded. It's proving quite fun so far :D
by Willow904
Sun 30 Oct, 2022 9:46 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2022
Replies: 31
Views: 2689

Re: Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2022

Things looking quite tight in Brazil atm. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Meanwhile, I guess Sunak isn't too interested in the female vote then: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/30/tory-mp-maria-caulfield-minister-for-women-abortion-rights?CMP=share_btn_tw Tory MP who backed cut...
by Willow904
Sun 23 Oct, 2022 12:08 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd October 2022
Replies: 39
Views: 3071

Re: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd October 2022

Apologies for the source but this is...interesting. https://twitter.com/DPJHodges/status/1583888399588786176 Seems very likely to me. I'm kind of assuming that Graham Brady literally totted up the potential numbers and set a threshold that would automatically anoint Sunak and lock out all the disas...
by Willow904
Thu 20 Oct, 2022 1:25 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 20th October 2022
Replies: 32
Views: 2931

Re: Thursday 20th October 2022

Has she gone yet?
by Willow904
Mon 19 Sep, 2022 10:20 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Bank Holiday Weekend 17th, 18th & 19th September
Replies: 32
Views: 3244

Re: Bank Holiday Weekend 17th, 18th & 19th September

Ah yes, the FT. The almost unbelievably irresponsible and fantastical editorial they wrote for the 2015 GE has got a bit of circulation in the past few days. That was then, this is now. When even the FT is exposing income inequality you know the times they are a-changin'. Edited because I originall...
by Willow904
Thu 01 Sep, 2022 6:27 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 1st September 2022
Replies: 10
Views: 2379

Re: Thursday 1st September 2022

Missed that little gem, but thanks anyway :) I believe he was actually talking about nuclear energy and it working out cheaper in the long run, but I'm not sure how the costs of nuclear waste storage and plant decommissioning fit into the kettle analogy. Plus most kettles aren't a threat to life or...
by Willow904
Thu 01 Sep, 2022 2:27 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 1st September 2022
Replies: 10
Views: 2379

Re: Thursday 1st September 2022

AnatolyKasparov wrote: Thu 01 Sep, 2022 12:30 pm Good morefternoon, all.

I see that the outgoing PM was in my neck of the woods yesterday.
Is that where he shared the exciting news that if you spend £20 on a new kettle you could be up a tenner by the end of year 3?
by Willow904
Tue 30 Aug, 2022 1:41 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Tuesday 30th August 2022
Replies: 8
Views: 1628

Re: Tuesday 30th August 2022

From the G liveblog: A minister suffered connection problems during a radio interview to announce the government’s advances in providing gigabit-capable broadband, the Press Association reported. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport minister Matt Warman’s line failed shortly after he...
by Willow904
Mon 29 Aug, 2022 5:09 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Bank Holiday Weekend 27th, 28th & 29th August 2022
Replies: 32
Views: 3686

Re: Bank Holiday Weekend 27th, 28th & 29th August 2022

Hello all. Because I find the world currently very (too) sobering I've also started watching SuperStore (Cloud 9). Any takers? Superstore is brilliant and extremely funny but I'm not sure it's the best show if you're trying to forget the injustices of the world and the oppressive inequalities infli...
by Willow904
Sun 28 Aug, 2022 2:00 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Bank Holiday Weekend 27th, 28th & 29th August 2022
Replies: 32
Views: 3686

Re: Bank Holiday Weekend 27th, 28th & 29th August 2022

Responding to a MoneySavingExpert reader who asked if she should cancel her direct debit, and switch to paying her bill on receipt to control her finances better. He replied advising against this, saying: “You will get a short term cash flow gain from switching to paying in receipt of bills. “Howev...
by Willow904
Tue 16 Aug, 2022 12:17 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 15th August 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 3100

Re: Monday 15th August 2022

I might be being a bit thick here, but what exactly are the government proposing for 6 months time when energy prices remain excruciatingly high and their spit in the sand to the poorest households runs out? Indeed, what are the government doing to help business, that Labour are being hammered for o...
by Willow904
Mon 15 Aug, 2022 1:44 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 15th August 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 3100

Re: Monday 15th August 2022

I haven't read in detail but I get the impression that Murphy isn't really taking into account the fact that Labour have been proposing a much more significant windfall tax on producers than the Tories have actually imposed. So, in Labour's theoretical world, the retail arm pays the higher wholesale...
by Willow904
Sun 14 Aug, 2022 11:36 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th August 2022
Replies: 33
Views: 4278

Re: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th August 2022

Generally speaking, universal benefits are better than means testing - and this coming crisis is no exception. I prefer universal benefits personally. Means testing is bureaucratic, expensive and inefficient. If you tax people properly the better off will always be putting in way more than they tak...
by Willow904
Sun 14 Aug, 2022 9:41 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th August 2022
Replies: 33
Views: 4278

Re: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th August 2022

https://twitter.com/SueJones415/status/1558728723083530241 This is a good call. It's a nice and simple message that puts pressure on the government. Although it's right that most concern should be for those on the lowest incomes, it shouldn't be overlooked that a sudden doubling of energy costs will...
by Willow904
Tue 09 Aug, 2022 11:27 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Tuesday 9th August 2022
Replies: 15
Views: 2210

Re: Tuesday 9th August 2022

I wonder why Nadine Dorries is so desperate to sell off Channel 4....

by Willow904
Fri 05 Aug, 2022 2:45 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 5th August 2022
Replies: 11
Views: 1985

Re: Friday 5th August 2022

I'm pretty sure my driving licence already allows me to drive a 7.5 ton "lorry". That's basically a box van, like the type they use to deliver groceries or people hire to move house. I'm not sure when regular licences stopped automatically including it but I don't think it's a difficult li...
by Willow904
Sat 23 Jul, 2022 3:35 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th July 2022
Replies: 41
Views: 3587

Re: Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th July 2022

Sunak is at least talking about some things people in general might be interested in rather than just a few ultra right-wing loons from the fringes of the Tory party, like NHS waiting times. Truss so far is living up to my batty prediction with knobs on. She must be favourite, right?
by Willow904
Wed 20 Jul, 2022 1:26 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 20th July 2022
Replies: 20
Views: 2683

Re: Wednesday 20th July 2022

God, what an embarrassment. He's like the exact opposite of the Terminator ffs. Arnie's even a better politician than he is. An absolute joke to the very end. :sick:
by Willow904
Wed 20 Jul, 2022 10:08 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 20th July 2022
Replies: 20
Views: 2683

Re: Wednesday 20th July 2022

https://mobile.twitter.com/mlothianmclean/status/1549656497986174976 This one sentence pretty much sums up the Tories over the last 12 years: In 2021 a government advisory body, the Climate Change Committee, found that the government was comprehensively failing to protect people from extreme weather...
by Willow904
Tue 19 Jul, 2022 5:30 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Tuesday 19th July 2022
Replies: 33
Views: 3250

Re: Tuesday 19th July 2022

No real respite here in the South West yet. We had a brief rain shower earlier and a couple of rumbles of thunder but no drop in temperature so all it's achieved is to push humidity up by 10 degrees. I see the Forde report is being interpreted in the reader's image for the most part - my own bias th...
by Willow904
Mon 18 Jul, 2022 6:23 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 18th July 2022
Replies: 27
Views: 2720

Re: Monday 18th July 2022

We had a little bit of cloud cover this pm in the South West so peaked around 34°C in the end, which was just about bearable for us but quite hot enough according to two slightly grumpy cats. I'm not looking forward to tonight, though, as our west facing dormer traps the heat in the bedrooms upstair...
by Willow904
Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:50 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 7th July 2022
Replies: 45
Views: 5913

Re: Thursday 7th July 2022

gilsey wrote: Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:45 pm He is still ensconced in his bunker, as far as I can see.


Like many, I can't keep up. What happened to Michele Donelan?
She resigned after 24hrs in post (and pocketed the hefty severance pay, presumably)
by Willow904
Thu 07 Jul, 2022 1:37 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 7th July 2022
Replies: 45
Views: 5913

Re: Thursday 7th July 2022

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got in in for me"

And, no, he didn't say "I resign". This is as close to getting sacked as PM as you can get.
by Willow904
Thu 07 Jul, 2022 12:23 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 7th July 2022
Replies: 45
Views: 5913

Re: Thursday 7th July 2022

Previous resigning PM's haven't been found to have broken the law in office, disregarded advice of their ethics advisor, been found to have met Russian oligarchs alone while foreign secretary or been subject to an investigation by the ethics committee for misleading Parliament, so I don't think thos...
by Willow904
Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:24 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 7th July 2022
Replies: 45
Views: 5913

Re: Thursday 7th July 2022

From the G liveblog: There is now likely to be a intense debate in the Conservative party about whether it would be appropriate for Boris Johnson to remain in office until the autumn. Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has already said that he does not believe that is sustainable Lord Frost tal...
by Willow904
Thu 07 Jul, 2022 9:13 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 7th July 2022
Replies: 45
Views: 5913

Re: Thursday 7th July 2022

by Willow904
Tue 05 Jul, 2022 6:14 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Tuesday 5th July 2022
Replies: 31
Views: 5761

Re: Tuesday 5th July 2022

Rishi Sunak gone as well - it's over
by Willow904
Mon 04 Jul, 2022 7:23 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 4th July 2022
Replies: 6
Views: 1636

Re: Monday 4th July 2022

From the G liveblog: Keir Starmer is to set out his vision for Brexit, promising to remove a series of trade and travel barriers while insisting that the debate on any UK return to the single market or customs union is definitively closed. I definitely get, and more or less agree with the first, rej...
by Willow904
Mon 04 Jul, 2022 11:48 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 4th July 2022
Replies: 6
Views: 1636

Re: Monday 4th July 2022

by Willow904
Thu 30 Jun, 2022 1:42 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 30th June 2022
Replies: 14
Views: 1924

Re: Thursday 30th June 2022

Of course, in one way a "correction" of house prices is exactly what is needed. It's definitely needed by those who are trying to buy or rent in a market that has lost all touch with incomes but the house price crash was a large part of what got the Tories voted out in '97, which is why r...
by Willow904
Wed 29 Jun, 2022 5:28 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 29th June 2022
Replies: 9
Views: 1587

Re: Wednesday 29th June 2022

David Lammy, erm whoops. (he has apparently admitted he pronounced on the BA strike without knowing the reasons for it) If he started from the assumption that all corporations are heartless bastards that never miss an opportunity to screw their workers to keep more money for themselves he would nev...
by Willow904
Fri 24 Jun, 2022 2:20 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 24th June 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 2901

Re: Friday 24th June 2022

It looks like I'm not the only one to come to the above conclusion :

https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/20 ... the-tories
by Willow904
Fri 24 Jun, 2022 1:55 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 24th June 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 2901

Re: Friday 24th June 2022

Why winning by-elections is bad for the winners https://twitter.com/DavidGHFrost/status/1540218121943916550?t=CsHbwEjGUP3uTbIqDpSxIg&s=19 Although I don't particularly agree, I can at least see why someone might be able to argue this result isn't stellar for Labour but on what planet is it not ...
by Willow904
Fri 24 Jun, 2022 9:00 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 24th June 2022
Replies: 19
Views: 2901

Re: Friday 24th June 2022

No doubt the line today will be all about how governments always lose midterm by-elections but the Tiverton and Honiton result is part of a wider trend of Libdem resurgence in the South West. They also regained Somerset County Council from the Tories earlier this year. Another big indicator that the...
by Willow904
Sat 18 Jun, 2022 8:05 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th June 2022
Replies: 24
Views: 2732

Re: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th June 2022

Unless the Tories are clearly ahead in the polls, talk of an early election is pure glue huffing on their part. It depends. With Johnson at the helm it's hard to see how they can get a lead in the polls when most of the public and his backbench MPs want him gone. If you're a believer in his magical...
by Willow904
Fri 17 Jun, 2022 1:52 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Friday 17th June 2022
Replies: 23
Views: 2711

Re: Friday 17th June 2022

If the QT audience is supposed to reflect the electorate at the last election a third of the audience should be comprised of non-voters, but that would probably defeat the object of finding an excuse for a Tory biased audience.
by Willow904
Wed 15 Jun, 2022 9:35 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 15th June 2022
Replies: 27
Views: 3397

Re: Wednesday 15th June 2022

Re support for the Rwandan policy. Though I struggle to understand it, I can well believe it given support for the death penalty only fell below 50% in 2015. I think it's encouraging at least that fewer people supported it after learning more about it, which is more than you can say of the average T...
by Willow904
Wed 15 Jun, 2022 12:23 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Wednesday 15th June 2022
Replies: 27
Views: 3397

Re: Wednesday 15th June 2022

by Willow904
Mon 13 Jun, 2022 8:11 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 13th June 2022
Replies: 13
Views: 2126

Re: Monday 13th June 2022

Delighted for Carol Cadwalladr, I let out a rare cheer, and it really does strike me as being unwise for Dan Hodges and Tom Harwood to be arguing that saying something not strictly true as a journalist, even if you believe it to be true at the time , should be grounds for being prosecuted in a libe...
by Willow904
Mon 13 Jun, 2022 12:47 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Monday 13th June 2022
Replies: 13
Views: 2126

Re: Monday 13th June 2022

A cynic suggests: he must be bad to lose to her. I'm not sure what you mean by this? Banks clearly thought he could use the courts to intimidate and silence Cadwalladr and prevent her from continuing to investigate him and putting information about him into the public domain. Thankfully it turns ou...
by Willow904
Sun 12 Jun, 2022 10:12 am
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th June 2022
Replies: 25
Views: 3284

Re: Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th June 2022

A great quote here from Chris Patten that gets to the heart of Johnson's current predicament:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/ ... ot-popular
Chris Patten: ‘We have a populist government that is – fatally – not popular’
by Willow904
Thu 09 Jun, 2022 6:29 pm
Forum: The Daily Politics
Topic: Thursday 9th June 2022
Replies: 15
Views: 2263

Re: Thursday 9th June 2022

Peston does understand economics (if not so much politics) reasonably well, so there is a good chance he is right here. I'm not so sure. Boris doesn't seem at all concerned about his economic legacy, he seems quite happy to ramp up the deficit and the debt as long as the proceeds end up in the pock...