POLITICS CORNER

[Big Kev]

Lord of the Flies? A bunch of public schoolboys take control of an island that's cut off from the rest of the world, infighting breaks out and the whole thing descends into chaos. Or is that just a work of fiction?

[plaques]

Its now reached a point where its impossible to know where to start. The cost of living is now going through the roof with some firms making exorbitant profits on projected shortages. Meanwhile small firms are facing closure. This has raised the call for 'windfall' taxes or as Sunak calls it excess profit tax. Do we see the government handing back the extra VAT they have collected on the same inflated rise. Not a bit of it that would look too much like socialism. Social Care should now be termed 'Poverty' care. Payments have always been less than the absolute minimum that the state recognises as that necessary to live on. Get a better job or two jobs is the glib answer. With unemployment quoted as an all time low and more vacancies than people to fill them now is the opportunity to get two jobs. People may wonder why we don't let people come in to fill these vacancies. Can't do that because they are foreigners. And worse than that without shortages of goods and food we can't put prices up and thereby increase profits.
On the subject of food shortages its becoming clear that the world supply of food is working on the Just in Time principle with nobody holding stocks to take up the slack should the supply fail. Think Suez Canal. war in Ukraine, drought in India, all instant starvation. But apparently we need less government and hand control to those who know how to make the biggest profit for themselves of course.

PS. our Andrew Stephenson MP (Minister of Transport and HS2) has just stopped another section of the HS2 link to the North. Levelling up? well done Andrew.

[Stanley]

"HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said the government would now explore how HS2 trains could best get to and from Scotland."
Thanks Ken, I hadn't realised that was what Moon Face had done. Here's a quotation from the BBC report. They did that before and the answer was the Golborne Link..... Will they find a better route down the back of Grant Shapp's sofa?

[Stanley]

I've had my morning shufti at BBC politics to see what has happened since I looked last. The thing that strikes me is that Johnson and his ministers are 'vowing' to do lots of things, Johnson to 'get on with it' but he's not said with what actually. Gove vows to attack empty second homes. Now I see this as the latest news... "Boris Johnson will promise to boost home ownership later - as he attempts to repair relations with Tory MPs who revolted against his leadership. In a speech in Lancashire, the PM is expected to say he wants to extend the right to buy to people who rent from housing associations. He will also promise action in the coming weeks to cut household costs."
So that's all right then.

[plaques]

Remember those 40 new hospitals that were going to be built? Well its now 48, another 8 have been found in Sunak's sofa. The first one should be ready in 2025. Isn't that some time after the max general election date? Here we go again.. promises promises.

[Stanley]

What we need Ken is someone to monitor Parliament so that they can let us know when one of the promises made since 2010 is kept. This was pushed home with me this morning as I listened to that nice Mr Gove telling us all about efforts to keep the promises on housing first made by David Cameron.... He sounded quite convincing until you realised that the things he was promising us are all old promises and there is no new money. They're even relying on the Benefits system to pay the mortgages of those lucky enough to buy a house while in receipt of housing benefit. (Who pays for their accommodation while they are doing this?) It seems to me like a modern equivalent of pulling yourself up by your own boot straps or the Indian Rope Trick.....

[PanBiker]

Back in the real world away from Cloud Cuckoo Land. Recommencement of the Sydney Silverman Lecture tonight at Colne Muni. Public meeting, all welcome. Lets see what John has to say.

[Stanley]

During my furtling in Youtube land I came across this.....

[Tripps]

Thanks for that. I think I knew everything in that clip, and a few things more. It's good to see them in a concentrated form.

Every voter at the forthcoming by-elections should (be made to ) watch it all.

I'm guessing that it was probably ever so - just more easily discovered in the digital age.

We're mugs for putting up with it all.

Who else though? I don't see anyone I'd prefer - from any of the parties.

[Tripps]

Brilliant sketch, as usual, from John Crace of The Guardian, Boris goes to Blackpool with a wondefrul; photo of Boris giving a master class on levelling up to a trainee at Fylde college.

I think it's time to take 'Big Dog' to the vet. It would be a kindness, not least to the Nation.

[Stanley]

" I think I knew everything in that clip, and a few things more. It's good to see them in a concentrated form. "

I think that's what attracted me to it David. And thank you for the brilliant Grace article, he pushed so many quotable buttons but in fact the whole piece deserves one big quotation fence round it.
One thing I would point out about the 50s and the inflation we had then. It was totally different because we were, though we didn't know it at the time, in the middle of what Harold Wilson called the 'white heat of scientific and technological revolution' which was exponentially improving efficiency and productivity and changing the economics. We didn't realise it but the dividend from these improvements was going to fuel the onward march in improving living standards. The difference now is that instead of participating and leading the search for progress the trend in government for the last twenty years has been to withdraw from the fray and leave it to the private sector, the much vaunted 'market'. We are starting to see the consequences of that and they are going to be long lasting. Some very bad decisions have been made.....

[plaques]

I think that's what attracted me to it David. And thank you for the brilliant Grace article, he pushed so many quotable buttons but in fact the whole piece deserves one big quotation fence round it.

. Grace's article may have been written as a parody on Johnson's Blackpool speech but this article in the Independent outlines the reality of how much the UK has sunk against our European neighbours. Link, We have apparently been blown off course by global events. This course was to ditch our EU trading partners and enter the sunlit uplands of global trading. but these global uplands have turned into a global abyss. By any logic we are still on course but the promises have changed.
To combat the cost of living crisis we should take a real term cut in wages. No more high wage, high skills, its back on your head heading towards poverty. Apparently people will no longer have to worry about thinking they can't afford something they will now know for sure the can't afford it.

In spite of being told for years that the way to grow the economy is to give people more to spend so that companies can invest and drive the GDP forward. Now its all been reversed only by cutting back on personal spending will companies invest?, in the old days this was called deflation and had to be avoided at all costs to avoid a downward spiral that's almost impossible to stop.
No doubt Johnson will put these U-turns as a result of one of the Parties work events where he was pissed at the time and misspoke.

[Sue]

Who else though? I don't see anyone I'd prefer - from any of the parties. .....’



Exactly

[Stanley]

But Sue, just because we can't see them doesn't mean there isn't someone out there with a field marshal's baton in his knapsack. We need to get Johnson out of the way to allow the talent to emerge. Like you, I can't see an obvious candidate but there must be someone who could do better than the the Buffoon.....

[PanBiker]

John did the Sydney Silverman Lecture proud last night. It was well attended and John spoke for an hour followed by another hour answering questions on his take on 21st Century Socialism. Some interesting points covered, lots too many to mention.

[Tripps]

Does he still carry a copy of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book - as brandished in the House of Commons?

Who else though? I don't see anyone I'd prefer - from any of the parties.

I came across this gang today - surprised I'd never heard of them yet. Curious title and logo. Perhaps a bit jingoistic for these times?

Trigger warning - site contains photos which may offend. . . . The Britain Project


PS It's John Crace not Grace.

[Stanley]

I recognised a few of them of course. Rory Stewart, Nicola Horlick and Gauke. Why Blair on the masthead? I supposed we can at least assume that someone else is aware of the problem and is talking about it.
(Does this mean we need yet another political party?)
Meanwhile, in a closer part of the forest.... See THIS report of the judgement to allow the deportation flights to Rwanda to go ahead. The judge saying that it had to be allowed because Priti 'Orrible wants it. I would have thought it would depend on if it was lawful....
Lawful or not, this casts a terrible light on the state of government thinking in this country. The nearest parallel I can think of is sending citizens to Siberia as punishment a la Russia. Regrettable is the mildest description that springs to mind.
I watched a video clip of Mr Blackford attacking Johnson in the House. I agree with everything he says but please will someone stop the Tory Front Bench grinning inanely and in the case of Priti 'Orrible bouncing about with glee. It's kindergarten stuff.

[plaques]

It's kindergarten stuff. Indeed.
On Boris's idea of full time workers on housing benefit. Something rotten in the state of Denmark. (Shakespeare, Hamlet) Now its our turn.

From TV interviews...
Do we have any lenders onboard? Well its early days.
Do we have any Housing Associations onboard? Well its early days.

Gove there are substantial numbers who would take this scheme up.
How many. Can't give exact numbers.
What about a range or even a best guess then. I don't know.

Housing Association man. We have done a trial and after selling at a discount and with the building cost and land prices rising we can only build smaller lower quality houses which become unsustainable in the long run.

PS. Calico is probably the biggest Housing Association in this area with over 5,000 houses. Take them out of the equation and we are left with nothing.
House prices and Mortgages are now at 7 times average earnings .Who picks up the tab if the mortgagee walks away? Another sub-prime fiasco in the making.

[Big Kev]

Just a thought, if someone buys a house on benefits who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the property? The fabric of a property is the responsibility of the owner/landlord, if it requires a new roof or windows will it be the benefits system that covers this cost?

[Tripps]

who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the property

The owner of course - who else? Good to remember the words Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae. That led to the invention of the phrase 'sub prime', and catastrophe. But don't worry it'll never happen - since the people involved are unlikely to be able to raise the currently large deposit, or meet the credit worthiness rules of the lenders. The final blow is that if they have accumulated £16k as a deposit- which won't be enough - they are no longer eligible for benefit so rule themselves out of the scheme.

Boris's idea of full time workers on housing benefit.

Now - credit where credit is due - (pun intended) I think the whole idea of' in work benefits' came from the Labour Party in the shape of Gordon Brown. The complexity of it all is astonishing, and the obvious disincentive is that the benefit tapers off as the income increases. Why strive then? Why work overtime - or do extra hours? Why take promotion?

Working Tax Credit

[Big Kev]

who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the property

The owner of course - who else?

Who would be too poor to pay for it, the reason they were on benefits in the first place.

[Tripps]

Who would be too poor to pay for it, the reason they were on benefits in the first place.

Well spotted.

Perhaps you should apply to be a Special Advisor to the PM. I note that he currently only has 43 of them.

[plaques]

Perhaps we should set up a 'Dead Cat' table. Imperial measures and 'Crowns' on pint glasses, our own 'conformity mark like the CЄ. The first thing is to define the size of the table. Therein lies the rub. (sorry more Shakespeare, Hamlet)

[Big Kev]

Who would be too poor to pay for it, the reason they were on benefits in the first place.

Well spotted.

Perhaps you should apply to be a Special Advisor to the PM. I note that he currently only has 43 of them.

[Stanley]

I enjoyed reading that..... Two contributions. It seems silly to make the houses owned and built by Housing Associations. They are the ones building best for the least money and charging the lowest rents. They also maintain to a high standard. In short the very people we should be supporting and keeping in the field.
The second contribution. The basic problem is of course distribution of wealth. If workers were getting a proper wage and good conditions they could save money, come off benefits and buy their own houses. That's how it worked sixty years ago. Re-read Piketty.....