POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report that Michael Fabricant has apologised for suggesting that teachers and nurses enjoyed a "quiet drink" in staff rooms during lockdown. He had made the comments in a BBC interview while defending Boris Johnson over so-called Partygate allegations.
Am I alone in thinking that the only times I hear anything of Mr Fabricant are when he is explaining something stupid he has said?

[Stanley]

PM Johnson pushes the Churchillian image shamefully as the local elections loom large in his sights. (LINK)
I also heard a report yesterday that government ministers have been instructed to 'get out on the doorsteps' and campaign before Thursday's vote. Strange really when you consider that if asked after a bad local election result a politician will always say that local elections are not an indicator of which way the public will vote in a national election. So why should Mr Johnson be so attentive to his image and the campaigning for Thursday? Could it possibly be because his backbenchers are losing patience and could easily tip over the edge into direct opposition to his Leadership?
Enoch Powell said "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs".
Could we be getting close to that point in this case?

[plaques]

John Major's dictum. If it ain't hurting it ain't working. With the current round of austerity, Brexit and the cost of living crisis the pain for some is excruciating the economic programme must be really working. Roll out the Dunkirk spirit and rejoice in the fact that our retreat from Europe may only be a 50 year set back but we will have shown Jonny Foreigner that we can't be lured into a higher standard of living just to please him. This masochism is serious business without it how are the mega rich elite going to rule the world. Pain and depravation are things to be enjoyed so be thankful that we a government that's working in our best interest.

[Stanley]

Unfortunately Ken, though ironical, I really do believe that that is how those with enough money to pay their gas bills regard the Oiks in the lower classes. Does Sunak regard the cost of heating the outdoor pool at his North Yorkshire property as being acceptable while kids go hungry in cold houses? How much time does Jacob Rees Mogg spend worrying about expenditure as opposed to income or does he just get the blind trust to lend him a million or so to tide them over? They live in a different world.
Did you see the suggestion the other day being floated in the Treasury that this round of inflation will flush out the spare cash the Oiks trousered when in lockdown and the release of that into the economy would benefit the GDP. Don't they realise that the only people doing well out of this are the energy companies and the loan sharks?
I hope a clear message of dissatisfaction is delivered on Thursday. Vote early and often as the Tammany Hall bosses used to tell their supporters.

[Tizer]

For years now we've been ranting on OG about Western governments and businesses getting too dependent on China (and Russia). Now the chickens are coming home to roost...
`Why Europe will have to face the true cost of being in debt to China' LINK
`Billions of dollars of Chinese money are boosting some European economies - but some of the deals being struck have a catch. Critics say they are "debt traps", where China gets to choose what happens if loans aren't repaid. China insists it is a reliable investment partner - but it is also facing allegations of worker exploitation and environmental damage.'...

[Stanley]

Hands up all those who think it is OK for China to be partially financing our nuclear programme....
Your dead right Peter. Far too much of our essential infrastructure is well beyond our control Remember Nye Bevan and the commanding heights of the economy. Best advice ever and successive governments have ignored it and gone for the quick fix and avoiding responsibility. Now everything is outsourced and badly regulated. As you say, very hard to enforce rules when you are in debt to the body you are trying to regulate.

[Stanley]

See THIS and recognise that he is lying. The Treasury has much healthier tax receipts due to the economy recovering faster than expected. Sunak keeps saying that the increase in NI is necessary 'to fund the NHS', this too is a lie. The NI income is not ring fenced, the NHS is funded from taxes like everything else and those receipts are high enough to bear long term NHS spending.
Johnson could do more, the fact that he won't is due to him looking after the big capital holders who are the paymasters who keep the Tories in power. That's why there are no unpopular windfall taxes on energy companies while they use the surplus to buy back shares and strengthen their financial position.
The bottom line is that the poorest have been abandoned and later this year we shall see evictions, homelessness and cold hungry children. Every charity is warning about this, they are all being ignored.This is cynical and typical and could we please remember it at the polls tomorrow.

[plaques]

From the above link. Boris answered the questions as though he was doing a Prime Ministers Question time. ie: didn't answer the questions he was being asked, unfortunately for Boris the interviewer could ask them again which she did several times. The best he could come up with was " I instigated the 24 hour bus pass which let her ride round all day". A complete disregard of this widows problems and turned it into a sick joke that went down like a lead balloon.
Boris's style is to divert attention by drifting away from the subject and if necessary throw in the odd lie with intent to deceive and finally to make a joke that will close the discussion down.

This car crash interview can be seen here. Interview.

Mr Johnson also faced criticism from Labour for his response to a question from GMB about the situation of a 77-year-old widow.
Presenter Susanna Reid said Elsie, a GMB viewer, had resorted to using her London Freedom Pass to ride on buses "all day to avoid using energy at home".
In his reply, the PM claimed credit for introducing the pass - which gives pensioners and others discounted travel - when he was mayor of the capital.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said his reply showed "just how out of touch this narcissistic prime minister is".
-----------------------------------------

At a local level the last 'Pendle Today' to promote the local Conservative candidates, nothing wrong with that, but drifted into a typical Boris Johnson economical with the facts statement. Ref:
That the Colne football club had been stopped from buying their own land by the Lab/Lib coalition.
The football club can buy land anywhere if they pay the market prices. What the Lab/Lib did was to refuse to sell part of the Alkincoats park/games area at the £1 price suggested in the past by the leader of the Conservatives.

Since Pendle Today is published by the local Conservative party one would have thought that they knew this was a lie but continued with it.
Another typographical inexactitude? I think not.

[Stanley]

They give a good impression of being a bunch of crooks.
Did you note that alone amongst the party Leaders Johnson refused an invitation to the Today programme and sent Eustise instead who was given a very uncomfortable ride by Nick Robinson.

[Stanley]

The political news today is the local elections. The Tories tell us they don't matter nationally. Baloney! We have a chance to signal our dissatisfaction with the Tories. Make sure you get out there and vote.
(BTW. What happened to the photo ID needed at Polling Stations?)

[plaques]

We are seeing propaganda that suggests that councillors only operate at local level so we should ignore the wider implications of what the central government is doing. This of course is nothing more than a smokescreen to hide the fact that cutbacks in central funding eventually trickle down to a lower standard of living. This is in contrast to excess profits that we are now seeing with the oil companies which only trickle into their own pockets. Its worth remembering that poverty is a construct of capitalism where in order to create profit wages must be kept low. The current crisis in the cost of living will drive more families into poverty currently defined at below the minimum income required to sustain an acceptable minimum lifestyle. The Conservatives and Johnson in particular are pleading that there is nothing they can do as this is a global situation and its out of their hands. Hogwash, the whole concept of Brexit was to take advantage of the global economy. Now quietly forgotten in our downward spiral.
Before casting your vote remember that people are getting poorer and not too far down the line it will start to affect everybody who is a wage earner or relies on these earner spending their money in the supply occupations.

[Big Kev]

I will be looking for the candidate who least offends me...

[PanBiker]

I will be voting for our candidate Euan in Barlick, he's a good bloke. I don't know any of the others.

[Stanley]

"Its worth remembering that poverty is a construct of capitalism where in order to create profit wages must be kept low."
Wonderful Ken, and as far as I am aware that's not a quotation but an original thought. It should be carved over the entrance to every school in the land and the House of Commons! You are right about the trajectory falling income is heading. It was the poor labouring class at first but now it's lower middle class wage earners who are having to apply to food banks for help. People who never imagined that it could happen to them including teachers, health workers and public servants.

[Tripps]

(BTW. What happened to the photo ID needed at Polling Stations?)

Looks like you were part of a pilot sheme in 2019. The Lancashire Telegraph says of it-

“Time and time again Labour has warned that Voter ID will make it harder for people to vote but the Conservatives have pushed on with their blatant attempt to rig the result of future elections by voter suppression.

“After another round of shambolic pilot schemes, it’s clear that Voter ID should be abandoned.”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson who in 2012 held a special Parliamentary debate on voter fraud said: “People will be confused how Labour think asking voters to provide ID counts as ‘rigging’.

“The pilot in Pendle worked well, with no allegations of fraud on the day for the first time in years.”

[Stanley]

We were David. We need to make voting more popular, not introduce more regulation.
Today we are going to hear a lot of politicians explaining to us how significant the local vote is if they have done well and how insignificant it is if they have done badly.....
Later.... what results there are suggest that the big winners are the LibDems, the losers are the Tories and Labour have some successes but also some losses like Hull which has gone from Labour control to LibDems. The overall picture could be one of rejection of many Tories.

[Stanley]

I've just heard Grant Shapps say that the economic situation as laid out by the Bank of England is not a horror story.

[plaques]

Too late to be meaningful now that we have entered the post election analysis phase but here's a couple of replies that are totally meaningless and more than a little annoying..
Boris's reply to an interview.
Q.. what are you doing about the cost of living crisis?
Boris.. This is a global problem. Our job is to grow the economy with high income levels so that we can give the councils the funding they need to empty the bins and fill the pot holes. (thumbs up and big grin)
This totally ignores the fact the Conservatives have been in government 12 years and presided over a lower living standards and a downward spiral in wages. Also I doubt that at this point in time emptying bins and filling potholes ranks very high on peoples priorities.

Q.. There is pressure to impose a windfall tax on oil company profits and offset some of the increase in fuel bills with it.
Boris.. We are urging the companies to invest the profits in future green energy to ensure that we are independent from outside sources.

What do the energy companies say? We are increasing the dividend to our share holders but still looking at providing more electric car charging points however this may depend on the cost analysis. We would prefer to open up more North Sea exploration that we could sell on the open market but it would probable not reduce the overall price.

At this point in time its unlikely that the energy companies would do anything to upset the massive profits gravy train and it will only be when these profits turn to a loss will they invest in other activities.

[PanBiker]

Back in the local forest:

Results for Barnoldswick ward:

Barnoldswick

Number of Councillors to be elected - one
Name of Candidate

Description

Number of Votes
CHURCH, Chris Liberal Democrat 1087 ELECTED
CLOUSTON, Euan Labour 245
GODFREY, Sylvia Joyce The Green Party 117
MOORE, Debbie Conservative Party 565

Electorate: 6,655
Rejected ballot papers: 11
Voter turnout: 30.4%

Liberal Democrat hold

Chris Church looks to have inherited David Whipps vote now that he has jumped to the Earby and Coates ward. Tory vote is surprising as they did absolutely nothing during the campaign. Green candidate Sylvia did well, she used to be a member of the Labour Party many years ago. 30% turnout absolutely pathetic.

This reinforces my view that we need a change in the voting method, some form of PR. Maybe folk would be more encouraged to vote if they thought their ballot would carry some weight.

[PanBiker]

Earby and Coates

Number of Councillors to be elected - one
Name of Candidate

Description

Number of Votes
PARRIS, Miles Conservative Party 752
WHIPP, David Michael Baxter Liberal Democrat 1256 ELECTED
WOOD, Jane Veronica Bailes The Green Party 197

Electorate: 6,468
Rejected ballot papers: 19
Voter turnout: 34.4%
Liberal Democrat hold

[Tripps]

I think there is a touch of 'spin' here. The official result shows the Conservatives in second place which is what happened, not last

Chris Church(LD)1,087
Debbie Moore(CON)565
Euan Clouston(LAB)245
Sylvia Joyce Godfrey(GRN)117

Lots I don't get regarding this election. Thought needed.

The first result Iwent for was S. Chadderton where the Tories managed to unseat the sitting Mayor of Oldham.
Chadderton South
CON GAINfromLAB
Robert Barnes(CON)1,197
Arooj Shah(LAB)1,101
Joe Beeston(LD)

The nature of the Labour vote seems to have changed completely. The ones who associate Labour with its history are vanishing. few would know who Nye Bevan or even Harold Wilson was The world has changed.

[PanBiker]

Labour have gained one seat in Pendle Council as have the Tories . All other wards are holds by existing parties or no change. By my reckoning this means no change in overall control of the council the Tories still have the majority. The mind boggles, Turkeys voting for Christmas comes to mind.

[PanBiker]

I was slightly wrong on the inherited vote in the Barnoldswick ward. It was Marjorie Adams majority (LD) who stood down.

I think the breakdown is still:

Con 15
Lab 11
LD 5

[Stanley]

The two results you questioned Davi9d were in alphabetical order.
I heard Johnson saying that the message he is getting is to crash on with more of the same vital stuff. He doesn't get it does he. What the electorate wants is a change that takes us away from lies and criminal sanctions. Not more of the same.

[PanBiker]

The two results you questioned David were in alphabetical order.

They are always presented and declared at the count in alphabetical order. The same as they are listed on the ballot paper.