Friday 13th January 2023

[refitman]

Morning all.

[refitman]

[frog222]

ASH !

Thanks for that refit .
What was wrong with Fiona Bruce, she didn't try to silence her ?

[frog222]

At first I thought the Monitor was a local paper, but they’re actually a group of volunteers who set up a non-profit to do the local press’s job for them !

Come this morning, and the publication of “Don’t blame freeports for crustacean deaths in the North Sea” by Simon Clarke MP in The Times Red Box Newsletter, we regretted ever mentioning it.

The problem, in a nutshell, is this. It is exceptionally difficult to make intelligent comment about expressed opinion that is just unbelievably stupid. Sorry, but that’s what it is. Clarke demonstrates absolutely no interest in making any kind of rational appraisal of the facts; he just sets out to castigate his demons. So, enter the ‘left wing newspaper’, the ‘anti-growth coalition’ and the ‘green party activist’, all allegedly seeking to undermine the regeneration being brought to fruition by Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen. Frankly, Jeremy Clarkson’s rant about Meghan Markle had more gravitas than this.

https://www.teesvalleymonitor.com/simon ... off-claims

[gilsey]

ASH !

Thanks for that refit .
What was wrong with Fiona Bruce, she didn't try to silence her ?

There's a reason for that. I watched the beginning of QT, and every other member of the panel had spoken at length, some of them twice, before Ash got a look in. Even Bruce realised Ash was due a couple of complete sentences.
I agree with sky that she was a bit under powered last night.


Can't argue with sky's description of Soubry as a self important windbag either, but she did make the most important point on this subject, which is that you can witter on all you like about affordability and Pay Review bodies, but there are vacancies all over the shop so the market is telling you that healthcare workers are underpaid.

[refitman]

If you want to cause 30p Lee some mild annoyance

[gilsey]

Alex Cunningham raised the Tees Freeport issues at PMQs, noticeable that Sunak only answered part of the question.




Private Eye have been covering it for a while, C4 News has picked it up more recently and now Jenni Russell has raised it in the Times, although maybe only PE has reported on the dodgy contracts.

[gilsey]

Rishi Sunak refuses to back calls for NHS funding boost

The Guardian revealed on Thursday that Barclay had acknowledged that more than 1 million frontline staff deserved more money, despite previously insisting the government could not afford to go beyond the existing £1,400 award for 2022-23.

Government sources say, however, that the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has ruled out using central government funds for any increased pay offer, and instead has told Barclay to find an estimated £2-3bn from his department’s own budget.

[gilsey]

Is the refusal to fund NHS pay rises more or less stupid than the Retained EU Law Bill? I can't decide.

https://archive.ph/B5FGe

What this REUL bill produces is not a carefully calibrated regulatory advance for post-Brexit Britain, but unknown cost and chaos as businesses will have to scan across huge areas of regulations. The lawyers will get rich. The country will not.

[AnatolyKasparov]

If you want to cause 30p Lee some mild annoyance

Who is the worst, him or Gullis?

[frog222]

@Sky " Back despite a total lack of demand it's the first QT review of the year! "

Not true, I looked last week and there was nothing, sky skiving or QT on hols, I don't know !

Missed looking this morning, most unusual .

[frog222]

More on 30pLee

[AnatolyKasparov]

@Sky " Back despite a total lack of demand it's the first QT review of the year! "

Not true, I looked last week and there was nothing, sky skiving or QT on hols, I don't know !

Missed looking this morning, most unusual .

I think that was primarily due to there being no QT last week tbf.

[frog222]

Bridgen's guru rules at the Beeb, WTF ?

[frog222]

Let's see if Ash is on better form tonight ?

Live link ONLY on now --

[AnatolyKasparov]

I thought she was OK last night, but maybe she hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the BBC actually offering her some airtime.