POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

I missed one very important aspect about our 'sovereignty' over who we let into the country and why. I heard a leading farmer talking yesterday about crops that are rotting in the fields because there are no pickers. Similarly a leading Daffodil grower says that they have the same problem. Of course the really serious aspect about this is that these farmers won't plant for the next crop as they have no guarantee they will not be in the same position again.

[plaques]

Gordian knots. Occam's razer and Boiling frogs. What's this to do with todays politics? The comparison becomes more clear when examining the state of our economy. The official take on any problem is always said to be more complicated than it looks. Reviews and committees must be carried out to understand the real problem. Head winds, international problems, World events all get interwoven into Brexit, Covid, and the Ukraine/Russian war. Meanwhile the cost of living crisis rumbles on along with 'supply chain' difficulties and interest rate rises. This is the Boiling Frog syndrome where things get worse until the frog dies. The two biggest elephants in the room are Brexit and Energy prices which equate to the Gordian knot. Occam's razer would look for the simplest answer. Reverse Brexit and stop the excess profits dead by re-nationalising the energy industry. Trade with our nearest neighbours would be much easier and more profitable and stop the xenophobic rhetoric about cheap labour and rubber boats. Along with this making sure we have control of our energy supply by stopping the pretense of being compassionate to users while the real favours are towards the energy companies and their disgustingly huge profits would reduce the need for higher interest rates to protect the £Stirling.

Another point now being highlighted in the Autumn statement is the mortgage protection being offered to those on benefits who are having difficulty in meeting the higher interest rates, The answer is to give them an additional taxpayer loan with its own interest payment to help pay the interest they can't afford. This is Alice in Wonderland economics to hide the fact that the are really protecting the banks form an immediate collapse of the housing market making thousands homeless. More Boiling frog delays.

[PanBiker]

The next BBC Question Time is coming from Skipton (Town Hall). Sally has applied for the audience, not heard anything yet.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

"Reverse Brexit and stop the excess profits dead by re-nationalising the energy industry. "
And it really is as simple as that. Well done Ken!

[PanBiker]

But too simple, not enough crap to continue fooling the sheep and brain dead in the population. Anyway Ken, common ownership of the energy companies, basic socialist principle but unfortunately you are automatically branded as the loony left for suggesting the obvious.

[Stanley]

I believe the basic problem is the use of the word 'nationalisation'. Like 'socialist' this is a red rag to the rabid right wing. I prefer 'public control'. This is what Nye was advocating when he spoke of "control of the commanding heights of the economy" (And I will say again I'd like to see Labour adopt a modern version of Clause IV as official policy!)
See THIS for the Braverman explanation for the problems with migration. According to her it's the fault of the people smugglers who are evidently too efficient. However she does admit that the Home Office is inefficient in some respects. (In another corner of the forest a Tory MP calls for Jenrick to resign as migrants are housed in hotels at short notice.(LINK)
Hunt makes a helpful suggestion to save on energy bills. 'Cut energy consumption'. We pay these people for input like that....

[Stanley]

Later..... See THIS BBC report on the enquiry into the behaviour of Dominic Raab at the department of Justice. More has emerged since this article was published. Evidence has surfaced that he affected some civil servants so badly they were treated by a psychiatrist at the department's expense.

[plaques]

Hunt makes a helpful suggestion to save on energy bills. 'Cut energy consumption'. We pay these people for input like that....

It gets even worse.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said people should cut their energy use to stop the UK being "blackmailed" by people like Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Another attempt at blame shifting. Putin is the root cause of the energy shortage and basic price increases but like all good capitalist systems the companies involved in energy supply want their cut of the price increase and add their profit margin to the higher basic cost. Result.> profits of £Billions for no extra work. To our Conservatives this is perfectly acceptable and are prepared to temporally reduce bills by using tax payers money which they will have to pay back at some future date. Hunt continues with 'If people cut their consumption back by 15% they could save £500 over the year'. A slight exaggeration since on an 'average' of £3000 it would be £450. But why stop at 15% why not 30% or even 50%? So the real reason that people can't afford the higher prices is Putin and people using too much of it.

Meanwhile except for Suella Braverman and the rubber boats there's been a lull in political disasters. Workers going on strike for more money, inflation continuing to rise, interest rates increases on the horizon resulting in the Conservatives applauding how well they have done in difficult circumstances. Looking on the bright side there's Strictly Come Dancing, the World football cup and then Christmas to act as distractions from the real world.

[Tripps]

Hunt makes a helpful suggestion to save on energy bills. 'Cut energy consumption'.

He's right of course - I never thought of that. I can't imagine why.

I've just received the replies to four 'Freedom of Information' requests. It was all straight forward, and easier than I thought it would be. The replies seem to be credible. I might try it again.

Perhaps I'll ask what recent active measures have been taken to reduce the use of energy in Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street, and what has been done to improve the insulation of the properties,including the external walls, taking care of course to retain ventilation and prevent black mould. Have preparations been made to facilitate the installation of ground or air sourced heat pumps in the two properties.

[Stanley]

Funny isn't it what turns us on individually. With me it's funny things like carving crankshafts out of solid steel. Evidently David sends FOI requests. He's probably doing more public good than I am....
The news that struck me was THIS. We have treated nurses so badly that for the first time in their history they are going to withdraw their labour. Before anyone criticises them, what other action is open to them that hasn't already been tried?
Our politicians are expert at kicking matters like this into the long grass and then spluttering with rage when they are called to account. I suppose the stock response will be wheeled out, "We can't afford to pay a decent wage". (But of course they won't say exactly that.... )

[plaques]

The definition of a stock broker was someone who invested your money until it was gone. The definition of a Tory government now appears to be someone who invests public money into the NHS until its all syphoned off.
The PPE saga is coming back in the headlines accusing the government of a "total failure of due diligence" and a "conflict of interest".

Baroness Mone is being investigated by the House of Lords Standards Commissioner in connection to PPE Medpro. Properties linked to the company have previously been searched by the National Crime Agency.

Referencing the Guardian story during an urgent question in the House of Commons, Ms Rayner said it appeared "tens of millions of pounds" from the money awarded to the company "ended up in offshore accounts connected to the individuals involved".

At the time of the PPE shortages Dominic Cummings said that we shouldn't bother with the long winded protocols but just the stuff ordered. The intent was to use the existing well tried suppliers and get the orders out. Many within the Tory party saw this as an opportunity for their pals to get on the gravy train and order stuff through their connections. If it arrived at all it was often substandard and useless the cost rising to £Billions. Not worth investigating says the government. Too much trouble, a diversion from the collapsing economy, Well they would say that wouldn't they.

[Stanley]

Ken, the PPE scandal is only one of the outstanding matters that are being neglected by Parliament. There seems to be a well understood method of dealing with matters like this. Set an 'inquiry' in place and make sure that the rules it operates under ensure it will be incredibly complicated and long winded. By the time any conclusions are reached and published (If that happens. We have seen instances where the results are embargoed by Parliament) the pressure has gone off, people have 'moved on' and in the end nobody is sanctioned. Some way has to be found to speed these matters up and ensure a result that looks like simple justice. This seems to be beyond the wit of our leaders. (Perhaps they have good reasons for not wanting to speed the results up....) As I write this I am thinking of Grenfell...... that's a classic example. Everyone knows what is going on in the blame game but it is still allowed to proceed.
Is there an answer? God knows. In the end there has to be a set of ethics and principles behind governance and at the moment I see no evidence of this.

[plaques]

Brexit and the denial. A summary from a TV interview by Jeremy Hunt.

Intimidation by Rank.
Why are you asking questions about Brexit when there are much bigger world events we can do nothing about.

The denial of the Office of Budget Responsibility. (OBR)
Do you agree that Brexit has reduced our trading position?
I don't agree with the OBR on Brexit. I agree with them on some things but not on the 4% Brexit loss.

Its what they voted for.
Some firms are finding trading impossible and are closing down.
We voted for a change in relationship and knew it would cause problems but its what they voted for.

Wishful thinking , The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Do you agree Brexit is making us poorer?
With Brexit and Sovereignty we can now invest in technology making the UK the next Silicon Valley and more prosperous outside the EU.

Conclusion ..> We have replaced Kwasi Kwarteng (the nutter) with Jeremy Hunt (a raving loony).

[Stanley]

I was struck by the way Hunt took the interviewer to task for asking questions about Brexit and tried to divert the reasons for our problems onto the international energy price inflation. Something he is very happy to acknowledge and discuss because there is no way opponents can cite the Tory Party as the cause of the rising prices.
The reason why all Tory spokespersons refuse to talk about Brexit is because it is an incontrovertible fact that cutting off trade with the largest trading bloc in the world can't be replaced by individual trade deals. The estimate of a 4% penalty to us is accurate and the Tories know it. Beyond trade it has also cut down on the options we have for dealing with the migrants because we can no longer send them back to the EU countries they have travelled from. The much vaunted benefit of sovereignty has done nothing but reduce our international options and given no additional internal powers.
In short, it is obvious to any unbiased observer that Brexit was ill judged, the campaign for it was riddled with deliberate lies and it's almost certain that if the referendum was rerun it would give a different result.
One other small point, in discussions about the Scottish referendum the point is made by Westminster that referenda are only advisory, they have no statutory effect. If that's the case why is the Brexit Vote always portrayed as being conclusive and set in stone?
Just as a reminder, 16,141,241Voted to remain. 17,410,742 voted to leave.
Total electorate: 46,500,001. Turnout: 72.2%. Rejected ballots: 25,359.
Even if the result was other than advisory that is a very slim majority and looked at from the aspect of remain, half of the population didn't want to leave. This was ignored and the Tories declared it a fait accompli. Like many others I see it as a confidence trick.
Hunt says he is acting for the people. In fact he is acting for the Tory Party and its paymasters. They are the ones who will benefit. We, the ordinary voters are being sold down the river and to add insult to injury are being presented with the bill for accomplishing these legislative miracles.
Later.... we have news that Liz Truss's 'landmark trade deal' with Japan has resulted in a fall in the volume of trade..... Oh dear.....

[Stanley]

Head of the list of political matters this morning is the move by 50 Tory MPs to get changes in the Modern Slavery laws so as to make repatriation of illegal immigrants easier. Sir Graham Brady talks about 'simple policy changes' to 'cut the Gordian Knot'. In my experience simple changes like the ones he proposes can give unexpected results.
In home news I see that a 16 year old youth has been arrested in the case of the two teenagers stabbed in London. (LINK) We live in a funny old world....
PS. Matt Hancock came third in I'm a Celebrity...... (You needed to know that.)

[plaques]

There's no money, we can't afford inflation busting double digit pay rises. How a government spends money is always a choice. High Speed Rail has become a bottomless pit which appears to exist to stop money being spent on other worthwhile things. Another bottomless pit is 'illegal' immigration where instead of dealing with it in a timely efficient manner its loaded with time consuming bureaucracy costing £millions plus even more £millions on housing and Rwanda schemes.

Its clear that the NHS is on its knees and will be lucky to survive another two years of this Tory government. Of course they will point at endless rafts of promises and future plans. See below from the latest Billy Liar sheet.
The NHS Long Term Plan – a summary

3. Backing our workforce: we will continue to increase the NHS workforce, training and
recruiting more professionals – including thousands more clinical placements for
undergraduate nurses, hundreds more medical school places, and more routes into the NHS
such as apprenticeships. We will also make the NHS a better place to work, so more staff stay
in the NHS and feel able to make better use of their skills and experience for patients.

With staff leaving at a rate faster than could possibly be trained, which would take years, statements like these are just hot air to placate the millions on the waiting lists.

[Stanley]

And we all know that the real reason for the deterioration of the NHS is wholly the fault of the politicians (Of all parties). The disastrous management reforms that Labour first started and the slow starvation of funds over the years. This despite numerous reports that the NHS is the cheapest method of health provision in the world. Actually that's not what the Tories want to hear, they want an expensive health system run by the private sector at a profit and bugger the poor people left without care in the slipstream. If you doubt this, look at what is happening to social care....
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.... Rishi Sunak makes a speech to the great and the good in the City of London (His tailor is making a fortune at the moment....) and states the bleeding obvious about China. The general opinion is that his policy is influenced by the pressure he is under from his Party. The Tories are skating on the edge of total disaster and if Sunak fails to hold them together nobody can predict what will happen. I get the feeling the tail is wagging the dog here.

[plaques]

The NHS can be split into two broad segments. 1) The Acute side. 2) Long term care. Privatisation is mainly interested in the Acute side where the condition can be treated and a profit level estimated. The long term care is open ended 'mental illness, old age and even maternity can only be privatised to the point where the savings run out and then its back to you.(NHS). Cherry picking the profitable bits is nothing new in commercial enterprises but applying to the health of a nation is morally wrong. Of course when you see a government proclaiming the success of food banks as part of Iain Duncan Smith's 'Caring Society' then something has gone severely wrong.

[Stanley]

Quite right Ken and what a sad state of affairs. The NHS is probably the greatest public service ideal ever attempted world wide. Having got it off the ground we allowed it to be strangled by these stupid politicians who can't see that it does more for the nations well-being and capacity for economic growth than all the expensive rail projects put together. (Or two aircraft carriers!) This is not governance, it is vandalism.

[Stanley]

Read THIS for reaction to Grant Shapps latest off the cuff faux pas. He has been criticised after claiming wind turbines are now "so big" they cannot be built on land. Friends of the Earth said this was "nonsense", while Greenpeace said onshore wind was "thriving". Do these people just say the first thing that enters their head and hope nobody questions them?

[plaques]

There is a final recognition that even with energy being capped at £3200 per year many people will not be able to heat their homes this winter possibly suffering the problems caused by hypothermia. The 'Plan', yet to be formulated by Lancashire Council, is not to reduce the price of energy but to supply 'Warm Banks' where people can go to get warmed up. Besides relying on charities who may themselves be in the same predicament of not being able to heat their own buildings the target seems to be Council buildings and libraries. So after years of closing libraries and limiting their hours of opening we shall now see row after row of shivering pensioners instead of stacks of books.

The whole principle of 'Warm Banks/Hubs is nothing more than a smokescreen that pretends to be addressing the problem. The only true answer is to make energy cheaper so that those on low incomes can afford to keep themselves warm.

[Stanley]

"The only true answer is to make energy cheaper so that those on low incomes can afford to keep themselves warm."
That's the whole of the problem in one compact sentence and cuts through all the persiflage masquerading as genuine concern expressed by wealthy politicians in well-heated debating chambers. Well done Ken. To me it demonstrates that you have a better grasp of the problem than those who are trying to convince us they are 'on our side'.

[Tripps]

Gold merit star for use of 'persiflage'.

I'm still claiming ownership and all rights pertaining thereto (none) for 'perseflagilistically' . Even after five years a Google search returns only one hit - back to this site.

The only true answer is to make energy cheaper so that those on low incomes can afford to keep themselves warm.

Correct - and of course that should apply also to food, clothing, transport, and other life essentials. They should all be 'made cheaper'

[Stanley]

Thanks David . I'll admit you did cross my mind when I wrote it, I even checked to make sure my understanding of the word was correct.
"They should all be 'made cheaper'"
And there is a very simple mechanism to achieve that..... Pay workers a genuine fair living wage and give regular increases based on inflation to ensure that the discrepancy doesn't mount until a 20% rise is needed to get back in line. We used to have a mechanism that did just that. See THIS Wikipedia article on the creation of Wage Boards for industries where under payment was common. There used to be one for the Dairy Industry and I remember working under that and appreciating the way wages were automatically advanced. I experienced that again while working in the textile trade, our wages were advanced to keep pace with inflation when it was at its worst.
At the risk of boring you ( ) here's what Winston Churchill had to say in 1918....
It is a serious national evil that any class of His Majesty's subjects should receive less than a living wage in return for their utmost exertions. It was formerly supposed that the working of the laws of supply and demand would naturally regulate or eliminate that evil. The first clear division which we make on the question to-day is between healthy and unhealthy conditions of bargaining. That is the first broad division which we make in the general statement that the laws of supply and demand will ultimately produce a fair price. Where in the great staple trades in the country you have a powerful organisation on both sides, where you have responsible leaders able to bind their constituents to their decision, where that organisation is conjoint with an automatic scale of wages or arrangements for avoiding a deadlock by means of arbitration, there you have a healthy bargaining which increases the competitive power of the industry, enforces a progressive standard of life and the productive scale, and continually weaves capital and labour more closely together. But where you have what we call sweated trades, you have no organisation, no parity of bargaining, the good employer is undercut by the bad, and the bad employer is undercut by the worst; the worker, whose whole livelihood depends upon the industry, is undersold by the worker who only takes the trade up as a second string, his feebleness and ignorance generally renders the worker an easy prey to the tyranny; of the masters and middle-men, only a step higher up the ladder than the worker, and held in the same relentless grip of forces—where those conditions prevail you have not a condition of progress, but a condition of progressive degeneration.
Perhaps those in charge of 'negotiating' (I don't believe this is happening, coercion is more likely) should read their history and what their Hero Winston Churchill had to say in one of his rational moments.
We thought 'The Sweated Trades' had sunk back into history but the word is they are alive and well today. It used to be shirt-makers, now it's nurses and carers..,. It is a disgrace and something we should be deeply ashamed of.