POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS for more evidence of a harsher climate this winter as Scotland follows the English parliament in ditching universal winter fuel payments.
The Scottish government has confirmed it will follow the UK government in no longer providing winter fuel payments to all pensioners. The UK benefit is due to be replaced by a Holyrood-run alternative - but ministers have confirmed it will be means tested, while the roll out has been delayed. Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said she had "no choice" after the chancellor announced cuts south of the border. It came as Scotland’s finance secretary ordered ministers to “constrain all but essential" spending to help pay for public sector pay deals.
Why am I not surprised to hear that the poorest will feel the effects of new economic policies first?

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of the Tories predictable reaction to the Labour government talking to the unions and listening to their arguments.
A new pay offer for train drivers is a "good deal for the taxpayer" because it will end more than two years of strikes, Treasury minister Darren Jones has said. The offer, which will be voted on by members of the Aslef union, includes a backdated 5% increase for 2019 to 2022, 4.75% for 2022 to 2024, and 4.5% for 2024 to 2025. The Conservatives say the Labour government has "just caved to the unions", and argue it will mean higher fares for passengers or tax rises. In a BBC interview, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was asked four times who would foot the bill, but declined to be drawn on each occasion.
I must be missing something here. Why should the Education Secretary be expected to answer questions about transport?
I'm glad to see THIS is being attended to....
The government has announced it will push ahead with compensation payments to infected blood victims. The previous government had announced the scheme in May following publication of the public inquiry report into the scandal. Campaigners had feared the payouts might be delayed because of the election being called shortly after that announcement. Ministers said they wanted to press ahead as quickly as possible. Regulations will be passed before 24 August to allow the first payments to be made by the end of the year.
Now I want to hear of progress on the Horizon scandal, especially what sanctions are to be applied to those guilty of the dreadful mismanagement of the Post Office and lying that caused it in the first place. They have been protected by the election....

[Tripps]

ASLEF have announced a series of weekend strikes on LNER until November. Mr Lynch says this quite a separate dispute from that which seems to have been generously settled yesterday. Or perhaps they think - that was easy let's do it again - why ever not?

Danegeld and all that.

Having a Labour Government is taking some mental adjustment. . . .

Old lady.jpg

[Stanley]

Do you remember when George Osborne decided that it would be a good idea to have a Public Sector pay freeze to give a better chance of achieving 'sound money'? That was what cut so many wages off from normal rises due to inflation, in other words maintaining the status quo. What we are seeing here is what had to happen eventually, the anomalies created by Osborne's policy would have to be rectified. It may well be that the ASLEF deal triggered the RMT one but that's like saying the doctor's pay deal triggered ASLEF. It's a rebalancing of the books to avoid total melt down of all public services.
Don't blame Labour for the consequences of rectifying Osborne's folly. If the Conservatives had retained power in the election they would have had to do the same things.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on Nigel Farage for one of the main reasons why politics has deteriorated so much over the last few decades.
Nigel Farage has denied being paid almost £100,000 a month to present a show on GB News. His entry in the recently published Parliamentary Register of Interests, shows GB News paying his company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, £97,928.40 for what amounts to 32 hours work a month. The sum would have meant he earned more than a million pounds a year on top of his MP's salary of £91,346. But the Clacton MP has since told the BBC that the sum actually covers work carried out since 1st April 2024 and includes services such as media consultancy as well as his presenter role. Mr Farage said the figure was the gross sum, including VAT, paid to his firm.
Call me old fashioned but how on earth can Mr Farage carry out his duties as a Member of Parliament and hold down a media job at the same time? Something has to suffer and you can bet it won't be his pocket!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC account of evidence at the Grenfell Enquiry.
Residents of Grenfell Tower were told to “stay put for too long” during the fire which destroyed the building, London Fire Brigade (LFB) boss Andy Roe has told the BBC. Mr Roe - who revoked the "stay put" advice minutes after taking charge at the scene - acknowledged the policy “would have had an impact on people's decision making”. Seventy-two people died as a result of the fire at the West London tower block, which broke out in the early hours of 14 June 2017. A public inquiry has been hearing evidence about the causes of - and response to - the fire since September 2017. Its final report is due next month.
I was surprised to see this as I thought the enquiry was done and dusted. Evidently not. Seven years seems like a long time......

[Stanley]

See THIS for another instance of the Labour administration rolling back what are seen as draconian regulation of the unions.
The government is set to scrap higher thresholds for strike action introduced by the Conservatives. It is understood Labour will reverse the changes, which took effect in 2017, as part of its planned overhaul of trade union laws. Legislation to enact the changes will start its journey through Parliament before mid-October, ministers have promised. Senior Tories have been critical of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over recent pay offers to train drivers and junior doctors, accusing him of being beholden to the unions. Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly recently accused the government of being "played by its union paymasters", while Labour said it was merely making good on its election promises.
There will be even more reaction from the Tories accusing the government of being ruled by their union paymasters.
It's about all the Tories can do now, go after the old shibboleths!

[Big Kev]

See THIS for more evidence of a harsher climate this winter as Scotland follows the English parliament in ditching universal winter fuel payments.
The Scottish government has confirmed it will follow the UK government in no longer providing winter fuel payments to all pensioners. The UK benefit is due to be replaced by a Holyrood-run alternative - but ministers have confirmed it will be means tested, while the roll out has been delayed. Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said she had "no choice" after the chancellor announced cuts south of the border. It came as Scotland’s finance secretary ordered ministers to “constrain all but essential" spending to help pay for public sector pay deals.
Why am I not surprised to hear that the poorest will feel the effects of new economic policies first?

There's a BBC article today that says 'there are 880,000 pensioners not claiming the pension credits they are eligible for'. Claiming pension credit will also give them access to 'other' benefits, one of those is the winter fuel payment.

[Tripps]

These pensioners who have lost the winter fuel allownace cannot complain. The measure was fully set out in the Labour Party manifesto before the election. (wasn't it? )

[Stanley]

But David, that doesn't make it right to withdraw benefits from the old......
We all know there are measures that could be taken in respect of the 'financial services' but are avoided time and time again 'as it would be bad for investment in the UK'. (And upset the major political donors.)

[Stanley]

David, I heard yesterday that the reduction in Winter Fuel Allowance wasn't in the Manifesto but trailed during campaigning.....
See THIS report about the rising cost of public services.....
The rising cost of public services and benefits pushed government borrowing to higher levels than expected in July, official figures show. Borrowing, the difference between spending and tax income, hit £3.1bn last month, the highest level for July since 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The unexpected increase has prompted analysts to speculate over what tax and spending decisions the chancellor will announce at the autumn Budget. One economist said Rachel Reeves faced "tough choices", while another added the government would likely raise taxes.
I don't doubt that this is an accurate report as it originates with the ONS but I detect some ground being laid to prepare us for a severe Autumn Budget. I fear that the pursuit of 'sound money' is going to swamp any expectations of help i areas like Benefits and in particular, child poverty. We are going to see orthodoxy win the day and the resurgence of Austerity. Deep Joy!

[PanBiker]

David, I heard yesterday that the reduction in Winter Fuel Allowance wasn't in the Manifesto but trailed during campaigning.....

It wasn't, which prompted Sally's motion to the branch, voted on at branch level and forwarded on to the CLP for debate at the all members meeting next week. There is another motion on the same subject that has been sent to the secretary. Both were passed by the executive committee meeting on Monday with a note to contact both parties to maybe composite both into a single motion for debate or for one to withdraw.

Unfortunately Sally wont be able to speak to the branch motion as we will have to send our apologies as we will be at a wedding.

[Tripps]

David, I heard yesterday that the reduction in Winter Fuel Allowance wasn't in the Manifesto but trailed during campaigning.....

Yes - I knew that -it was another (failed) attempt at mild irony. The Laugh out loud emoji was meant to be a clue.

Today we learn that despite a pledge not to raise NI in the recent manifesto - they might now raise the employers' contribution. Since that doesn't directly affect the workers it doesn't count. Like their predecessors this lot are world class dissemblers.

I admire your touching faith in the democratic process of your party, and good luck with your resolution.

[Stanley]

I assume that final remark is for Ian David. I have to say I don't have much faith in the democratic processes of any of the parties!
THIS item of political news caught my eye this morning....
Official statistics reveal fewer people are seeking to come from abroad to work in the NHS or in social care. The statistics reveal that the outgoing Conservative government granted some 286,382 work visas overall in the year to June 2024 - 11% down on the previous year. Detailed Home Office data shows that it approved 89,085 visas for the health and care sector in the year to June 2024 - more than 80% down on April to June of the year before. The decline in workers wanting to come to the UK comes after the former Conservative government introduced restrictions on foreign workers and their families in an effort to slash overall immigration.
I seem to remember thinking at the time that it was perfectly obvious this would be the result of the changes but it seemed to me the legislators didn't care.....
Add to this the effect that their management of the health sector is having overall. My grand daughter Jessica has left her senior job in the NHS and is now working very happily in the health system in Western Australia. She is not alone.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the state of play with payments by the infected blood compensation authority (IBCA)
Ministers have given the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) the power to start making payments to patients. The Cabinet Office published a lengthy policy paper on Friday detailing the tariff-based scheme and laid secondary legislation setting out the criteria for the first payouts. Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds said he was "incredibly proud" to have signed the documents which empower the IBCA, once established, to start awarding payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. But campaigners have warned while further detail is needed there are concerns at the disparities in the proposed compensation for people with Hepatitis viruses and HIV.
This is a good start but more needs doing yet.....

[PanBiker]

They will get the blame of course but the rates for compensation payments are not set by the government. They are set by an independent committee of experts.

[Stanley]

I think you're right Ian. It's always the same when there are compensation awards, someone is bound to feel hard done to.

THIS is what caught my eye this morning....
The GCSE results gap between the south and the rest of England has widened. This year's results reveal London as the highest-performing region, with 72.5% of entries graded as at least 4/C, while the West Midlands is lowest-performing with a pass rate of 63.1%. This is a 9.4 percentage point gap, up from 8.7 last year and higher again from 2019 when the gap was 6.8 percentage points. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed "to make sure everyone's path is determined by their talent, skills and ambition, not where you come from".
It would appear that the North/ South divide is still alive and well......

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC forecast of a speech Starmer is to make tomorrow.
Sir Keir Starmer is set to warn that "things will get worse" in the UK before they get better. In a speech on Tuesday, the prime minister is likely to say there are no quick fixes to remedy what he will call the "rubble and ruin" left by the Conservatives. He will also continue to argue that the last government concealed the true state of the public finances. But, the Conservatives have accused Labour of "fabricating" a financial black hole to clear the way for tax rises - and have called for Starmer to reverse his chancellor’s cuts to winter fuel payments, arguing these would leave pensioners "in the cold".
The Tories will scream a denial of his thesis and there is little doubt he will over-egg the pudding for Party political reasons but it can't be denied that there is much truth in saying that the Tories made a miserable job of managing the economy from Osborne and Cameron's emphasis on austerity, through the disaster of Brexit to 'Trussonomics'.
I have always said that consequences are more important than blame and all the signs are that Labour is going to make the same mistakes the Tories did and come down in favour of more austerity and the mythical goal of 'sound money'. Even though it is counter-intuitive, the best policy is to borrow to invest and to confine any claw-back from the public via cuts and higher taxes to those who can afford it.

[Stanley]

See THIS leading article in BBC politics this morning.
Sir Keir Starmer will say on Tuesday that "it will not be business as usual" when Parliament returns next week. In a speech from Downing Street's rose garden, the prime minister will say that "we can't go on like this anymore" and that his government will do the "hard work" to "root out 14 years of rot" under the previous Conservative administration. He will also suggest that this summer's riots showed "cracks in our society" but that the "coming together" of communities afterwards showed "what we stand for".
Today's speech has been heavily trailed and it would appear that Starmer has realised he has to do something different. We shall have to wait and see if he succeeds.
In case you're wondering, I am not optimistic.

[Tizer]

`Starmer cancels Sunak's £40m helicopter contract' LINK
The prime minister has scrapped a government helicopter contract - thought to be worth £40m. Rishi Sunak was criticised for his use of helicopters during his time in No 10. The contract was set to be renewed, but is now being scrapped by Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence. It is designed to illustrate a break with the previous administration - ahead of a speech in which the prime minister will argue things will not be "business as usual" when parliament returns next week. Rishi Sunak used RAF jets and helicopters for domestic flights more frequently than the UK's previous three prime ministers, a BBC investigation found in 2023....

[Stanley]

Well done!
Thanks for bringing that to my attention Peter. I'd missed it.

[Tripps]

I read a couple of weeks ago that the Russians were taking 1200 casualties per day (dead and seriously wounded). That seemed a lot and unsustainable. I have still no idea if it is true or not. It is impossible to find the truth in this matter.

I am convinced that there is more than meets trhe eye in the way of Western financial interest in the country. I found this From the Ukraine President which shows him in a conference regarding the rebuilding of his nation. The main attenders are Blackrock, Morgan Stanley and McKinsey. (ask Stanley). I guess comissions will be payable in advance.

Ukraine Conference

The whole thing is obscene.

[Tripps]

The Public Accounts Committe has just prised out of the Home Office Minister the fact that they are currently paying for 5,000 empty hotel rooms on standby, as a buffer in case of a surge of illegal immigrants.

5000 rooms buffer

The committe members seemed quite surprised / amazed.
I'd be asking how many 'criminal gangs' thev've 'smashed' since being elected.

It is obvious that there is no intention at all of 'stopping the boats' .
Judge them by their actions not by their words.

[Stanley]

Re. the Ukraine Conference David. Any gathering that includes that little list is immediately suspect. They see catastrophe and anything that causes human misery as an opportunity. They are only interested in one thing, "Is there a profit in it?"
The thing that constantly nags me is that there is one big incentive to supply arms.... the fact that the arms manufacturers are tax payers and what goes round comes round....
As for the empty hotel rooms..... I am sure there will be many examples like that of money being spent 'just in case'.
I've watched the clip and I can understand the MPs looking baffled. As the main man said, they have to have a buffer in order to function, question is how many. I wonder where they got the figure of 5,000 from?
Looking at the BBC politics website, Starmer appears to have the best PR team, he dominates the news but we learn very little from what is said.....
I thought he said that things were going to be different. So far it all looks depressingly the same to me.....

[Stanley]

I have a question about THIS.....
Is the fact that ministers keep shying away from actually enforcing further restrictions on smoking reflect the value of tobacco to the treasury as a source of taxation income?
We could ask the same question about alcohol. It causes tremendous health damage and social problems but is still allowed......