POLITICS CORNER

[Whyperion]

All I can say Peter is that the prospect frightens me to death. Perhaps it's because I am old but I feel we are teetering on the brink of global wars.....

Looking at home politics I am sorry to say that I am now almost certain that Starmer and his Labour Administration are making the same mistakes Blair made when he moved the Party to the Right after the 1997 landslide. I hear a lot of pious hopes and promises of jam tomorrow and I see that the Tories left our economics in a dreadful state but I look back to where we were at the start of WW2 and what we did then. Despite being broke we fought a global war and in the end succeeded. We ditched political conflict and fought together using the full benefits of deficit financed capital and it worked.
I'm not suggesting a mirror image of that now but we need the same imagination and willingness to try new policies all of them underpinned by principles and a clear goal. I see no signs of any of these things..... I have no evidence that the mechanism of Cabinet Government inside Number 10 is functioning.
Above all, Starmer is an insipid character who speaks badly and cannot grip an audience as he should be able to do.
Sorry but I have given up on him. If you think I am wrong, say so. The Labour Party has not found the Leader it needs and until it does and changes course it is doomed to flounder on as a Tory Light Lookalike and make room for something quite awful like the resurgence of the Tories or, worst of all, the triumph of Reform. It's that bad!

Sorry, I gave up on Starmer before the General Election. red tories and of little ability to see a strategic set of benefits for britan

[Whyperion]

Is the Green Belt Worth Fighting For ?
Mega Warehouse development for Frasers Group in Warwickshire
Surely there are brownfield sites in the likes of the insustrial north east (or even Mansfield or Rotherham) that could accomodate ( not necessarily on a single flat level) such development.

[Whyperion]

More reduction of Local Democracy
More immediate expenditure on consultants ,redundancy payments and general deckchair rearrangement all justified as it will increase economic growth.

[Stanley]

See THIS piece of 'political news'.
A register to identify children who are not in school in England will be part of a bill introduced to Parliament on Tuesday. The Department for Education says knowledge of where children are will enable councils to ensure a high-quality education is being provided and deliver the necessary support. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it would be a "seminal moment for child protection". The register, part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, is expected to come into force in 2025.
Why do we even need such a register. If my memory serves me correctly the first thing that happened every day at school was calling the register....
Is this another example of a simple task being over-complicated by regulation making it more expensive and difficult to achieve?

[Stanley]

I think it was Peter who mentioned two tankers sinking yesterday and today I came across this on Youtube....

[Tripps]

We hear that the next local elections in May might be postponed or even cancelled. The Minister responsible gave a few weasel words on the subject yesterday. Statement to follow. Those who follow Oldham politics know that he is ex Mayor - James Ignatius O'Rourke McMahon. Some scoundrels doubt his explanation that there will be ward reorganisations during the life of the successful candidates, so best postpone it all - and prefer to think he is scared of defeat.

[Stanley]

Surely not!

[Tizer]

And Trump's fans all thought it was Bill Gates who they had to fear controlling them...
`Race is on to beat Musk to develop thought-controlled devices: Precision Neuroscience, maker of a ‘brain-computer interface’, has raised more than $100mn in latest investment round' FT
Precision Neuroscience, a company developing a device for controlling smartphones and computers through thought, has raised $102mn as it races rivals such as Elon Musk to build the novel technology. The New York-based group’s latest investment round, which gives it a post-money valuation of about $500mn, tops the $75mn raised by Synchron, another so-called brain-computer interface (BCI) company. The field is still dominated by Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which has raised more than $600mn, but the latest funding points to widening investor interest as a number of companies press ahead with their first human trials....

[Tripps]

I suppose it all depends on what you mean by 'a fair solution'.I doubt many of the campaigners see it as such.
Still -it got a lot of votes didn't it?
Has Mr Hinder commented yet?

waspi.jpg

PS Sky have said that Sue Gray will get a peerage on Thursday. The one she demanded recently.

[Stanley]

David, are you referring to THIS?
Campaigners have reacted with fury to what they call the government's "unjustified" rejection of compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age. They say 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall apologised for a 28-month delay in sending letters, but has rejected any kind of financial payouts. Nine months ago, a parliamentary ombudsman recommended compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 for each of those affected. The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign described the government's decision as an "insult". "The government has today made an unprecedented political choice to ignore the clear recommendations of an independent watchdog," said Angela Madden, who chairs the campaign group. "This is a bizarre and totally unjustified move which will leave everyone asking what the point of an ombudsman is if ministers can simply ignore their decisions."

See ALSO.....
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to nominate his former top adviser Sue Gray for a seat in the House of Lords. The former civil servant, who sprang to fame with her 2022 report into the Partygate scandal, is expected to be among a raft of new Labour peerages to be announced on Thursday. It comes only two months after she left her role as the prime minister's chief of staff in October, amid internal rows over her influence. She was then appointed to a newly-created nations and regions role in No 10, but it was confirmed last month she would not be taking up that position. A number of Conservatives will also be appointed to the upper chamber as part of the announcements on Thursday.

And to add to Peter's warning about mind control apps have a look at this.....
The world's disruptor-in-chief, Elon Musk, meets the UK's political disruptor-in- chief, Nigel Farage. They are news-making, cor blimey, take a look at this photo. But they are more than that, for they are the most clear-cut proof yet of the richest man in the world's desire to get involved in – meddle in, as some see it – British politics. There is another way of describing the pictures of three men at Donald Trump's pad, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida: two billionaires and Nigel Farage. Farage had one mega rich man alongside him when meeting someone even richer. Reform UK's new Treasurer is Nick Candy, a billionaire property developer who used to donate to the Conservatives and who, incidentally, is married to the former pop star Holly Valance. But Candy is a pauper compared with Musk, the serial entrepreneurial disruptor in business with his rockets, electric cars and social media platform, now doing the same in politics.
Read on for more disturbing suggestions. We always knew that the rich held power but these days we are in an entirely different ball game with wealth on the scale of Musk's.

[Tripps]

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to nominate his former top adviser Sue Gray for a seat in the House of Lords.

I've concluded that the ony explanation that makes sense is that she holds some strange power over Sir Keir, or he is somehow in her debt. There is another word that would be more suitable, but I have no evidence at all for its use, so will not use it.

I had similar thoughts about John Prescott and Anthony Charles Linton Blair.

[Stanley]

It's all very strange David..... Marcia Forkbender comes to mind, she had a similar power over Harold Wilson.

See THIS BBC report for a very sensible suggestion.
MPs and peers could be forced to submit to criminal record checks due to their level of access to young and vulnerable people, under proposals launched by a new MP. Labour MP Jo White has suggested in-depth background checks made by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as part of inducting MPs into Parliament. Candidates are banned from running to be MPs if they have been jailed for more than a year anywhere in the British Isles, or been convicted of corruption, but there is no requirement for DBS checks to be made. The checks are required when applying for jobs with high-levels of access to vulnerable people - such as a teacher, social worker or GP.
I can think of no reason why this should not apply to all public appointments. (Including the church and local government.

[PanBiker]

Indeed, you have to have an advanced DBS check for invigilating exams. Makes no odds if you have nothing to hide.

[Tizer]

I can think of no reason why this should not apply to all public appointments. (Including the church and local government.

We might as well apply the checks to everyone - for example, most sexual and physical abuse occurs in the victim's home and is by the victim's relatives.

If MPs and peers (and anyone else) were to be forced to submit to criminal record checks it would tell you about their past. But what about the future? Do they have to be checked continually e.g. every year to see if they're still innocent of such things? Also, I wonder how up to date are the checks? Does it take weeks, months or years to get someone checked? I support such checks but wonder how effective the system is.

[PanBiker]

A DBS check normally takes about a week. Or so it was when mine was done. When they moved to advanced DBS checks that was a little longer but was normally done through the summer school holidays.

[Big Kev]

I have an enhanced DBS check every 5 years for my job. Not sure exactly what is checked but I have access to a lot of sensitive data. I would imagine they'd have to terminate my contract if I failed.

[Tripps]

Pendle Council full meeting tonight. No drama or police attendance. The overall impression was one of confusion.
The Chairman was poor and ineffective, and I could easily explan why he should have recused himself from the debate. Those who have been keeping up will understand. A new Councillor, one Richard O'Connor (a Tory lorry driver), got the biggest laugh of the night when he said "speaking as a new Councillor -I'm confused". So, I am guessing, were many of the others, but did not wish to admit it.

David Whipp showed once again his encyclopaedic knowledge of procedure, and standing orders, but I'd swear he voted against one of his own proposals, though I might be wrong, as I also was confused.
Councillor Zafar Ali told the longest most unfunny "joke" I've ever heard in a public speaker. I think he's a lawyer.

Two hours of debate on Taxi safety, and the means to achieve it.
Councillor Sarah Cockburn - Price says she has forbidden her mum from using Pendle Taxis as they are now so unsafe, so quite urgent it seems. I'll spare you more detail - but any whelk stall seeking new management should definitely be looking elsewhere.

[Stanley]

I saw two things that grabbed my attention in the BBC politics offering..... First the fact that we will almost certainly send Mandy to Washington as ambassador. really? Can't we do any better than that? The man is too devious for his own good and we have seen him crash and burn too many times.....
The other matter was THIS report of Starmer's evidence to senior MPs.
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he would not do anything differently, as he came under fire from MPs over decisions in his first five months in office. The prime minister defended changes to farmers' inheritance tax, hikes to business taxes and cuts to winter fuel payments in 90 minutes of questions. Labour "had to do tough stuff" to stabilise the public finances after being left an "awful" inheritance from the Conservatives, he said. He insisted he was still committed to achieving the highest "sustained" growth among G7 countries by the next election. But he warned it could "take some time" for people to feel better off, as he asked for patience on his plans to boost the economy.
In other words he is giving himself a perfect score. The more I see of this man the deeper my misgivings about the modern Labour Party.....

[Tizer]

This `explainer' article is worth reading. We've seen similar potential US government shutdowns before but this one is special because of the political situation and the involvement of Elon Musk who is not a government official but merely described by Trump as leader of a fictitious `Department of Government Efficiency', created with this name DoGE to mimic the Dogecoin cryptocurrency (Musk has praised the meme-based Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency he once vowed to "send to the moon").....
`Trump-backed bill to keep US government running fails to pass' LINK

[Stanley]

I see that one of the main reasons Trump backs the measure is because unlike other years it suspends the cap on US government borrowing for two years and there are suspicions that this is to give him fiscal room to bring in tax breaks to bolster his 'popularity'. In other words, to screw the voters!

[Stanley]

The news reports covering a fractious political landscape are headed by THIS
The government has appointed 30 new Labour peers including a string of ex-MPs and Sir Keir Starmer loyalists. The prime minister's former chief of staff Sue Gray has also been handed a seat in the House of Lords, confirming reports earlier in the week. It comes only two months after she left her role as the prime minister's chief of staff, amid internal rows over her influence. The Conservatives appointed six new peers including former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey and Toby Young, the associate editor of The Spectator and son of former Labour peer Lord Michael Young. The Lib Dems have appointed two peers.
This perhaps indicates what is important in the Westminster Village.....
I would have liked to hear someone recognising the levels of poverty in society and the numbers facing a bleak Xmas.

[Stanley]

Read THIS account of yet another field where the government has failed.
Vulnerable people with care needs are living in "beyond disgraceful" homes because the government has so far failed to enforce a new law, MPs and charities claim. The Supported Housing Act was passed in June last year to create standards in the sector, after a select committee found the lack of regulation meant some landlords were "profiting" from "unacceptably poor housing". But there has still been no consultation on how it should work and an advisory panel on the sector has not yet been set up. The government blamed the delay on the election said it was committed to the consultation and the panel. Rhys Matthews, 26, told the BBC supported housing was "the worst place I've ever lived".
The politicians have dispersed to their warm comfortable homes for Xmas while people like Rhys deal with the realities of being forgotten and uncared for.
Ho Ho......

[Stanley]

I can't find any fresh political news. We appear to have closed down for Xmas.

[Tizer]

I can't find any fresh political news. We appear to have closed down for Xmas.

As there's no political news here let me take you to Tibet where the locals are protesting against the Chinese building yet another big dam in their high-mountain deep river valleys. Most of the long article is about the protest but the last part is relevant to my past comments on the dangers those dams pose.

China is no stranger to controversy when it comes to dams. When the government constructed the world's biggest dam in the 90s - the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River - it saw protests and criticism over its handling of relocation and compensation for thousands of villagers. In more recent years, as China has accelerated its pivot from coal to clean energy sources, such moves have become especially sensitive in Tibetan territories.

Beijing has been eyeing the steep valleys and mighty rivers here, in the rural west, to build mega-dams and hydropower stations that can sustain China's electricity-hungry eastern metropolises. President Xi Jinping has personally pushed for this, a policy called "xidiandongsong", or "sending western electricity eastwards".

Like Gangtuo, many of these dams are on the Jinsha (Dri Chu) river, which runs through Tibetan territories. It forms the upper reaches of the Yangtze river and is part of what China calls the world's largest clean energy corridor. Gangtuo is in fact the latest in a series of 13 dams planned for this valley, five of which are already in operation or under construction. The Chinese government and state media have presented these dams as a win-win solution that cuts pollution and generates clean energy, while uplifting rural Tibetans. In its statement to the BBC, the Chinese embassy said clean energy projects focus on "promoting high-quality economic development" and "enhancing the sense of gain and happiness among people of all ethnic groups".

A section then follows that is about how people will essentially lose everything they own, their livelihoods and community heritage. Then it moves onto this:
There are also environmental concerns over the flooding of Tibetan valleys renowned for their biodiversity, and the possible dangers of building dams in a region rife with earthquake fault lines. Some Chinese academics , externalhave found the pressure from accumulated water in dam reservoirs could potentially increase the risk of quakes, external, including in the Jinsha river, external. This could cause catastrophic flooding and destruction, as seen in 2018, when rain-induced landslides occurred at a village situated between two dam construction sites on Jinsha.

What it doesn't mention is that these rivers flow into the Yangtze which then crosses eastwards all the way across China to the sea, passing through big cities with very large populations. Failure of dams upstream could overwhelm and collapse those downstream. Millions of people could be drowned. Those Chinese who survive will wish that their leaders had acted on Tibet's advice.
[`A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds' BBC ]

[Stanley]

I've seen those reports Peter and thought of you. We hear so little of Tibet.....

HERE'S what got my attention in politics today....
Former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex and drugs while serving as a US congressman, according to a long-awaited report from the House of Representatives ethics committee. It follows a years-long investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump wanted to serve as the nation's top lawman. The committee also found evidence that Gaetz, 42, received gifts in excess of permissible amounts in connection to a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.