OneGuyFromBarlick

Posted: **12 Jan 2023, 08:44**

Its now generally accepted amongst economists that the depth of the depression the UK has its roots in George Osborne's austerity measures. This was fundimentaly because of the fixation of bringing the ratio of government dept against GDP to a more suitable level. The easy way out was to impose wage restrictions and cut spending on social services and long term investment. The alternative but much hard was to increase GDP through investment and cutting profits on newly privatised utilities to show that they work. Now 13 years later and massively behind on investment in areas like renewable energy the UK is left to the mercy of the markets being pushed into a deeper recession. Its obvious that the world will catch the UK up and ultimately overtake us if we are to rely on cheap labour the answer is to invest in technology and services in that we are good at instead of selling them off for a quick profit to other countries. Meanwhile we will continue to blame covid and the Ukraine war for all our problems.

Posted: **12 Jan 2023, 19:03**

They say sometimes he is 'the leader of the free world'

Good grief - he can't even read an answer properly - that someone else has written for him.

Biden's documents

Posted: **13 Jan 2023, 03:42**

Isn't it strange Ken that 13 years ago we were pointing out the mistakes of austerity and forecasting a point where the crap would hit the fan and it has all happened just as we predicted. How come old farts sat at kitchen tables can see this but the massive brains and wages that are leading us can't?
I look at the political news this morning and all I see is chaos. Sunak having 'robust exchanges' with Sturgeon on the subject of Scottish Independence.... I'll bet!. 40 Tory backbenchers revolting over prison terms for social media bosses, quite right too. The Mayor of London disagrees with Starmer because he can't ignore the bad effects of Brexit but it appears Starmer can.... Well done him, of course Starmer is wrong on this.
Read the headlines yourselves, you don't need me to spoon feed you. We have got used to having a government that is totally at odds with the wishes of the majority of the voters. I want them to stop spending our money like drunken sailors on high profile vanity projects and spend it on paying our public servants a decent wage and ensuring we have functioning services. Once they have sorted that how about taking back the commanding heights of our economy and making them work for the people and not the wealthiest people in the land.
That's enough.... I think you've got my drift......

Posted: **13 Jan 2023, 20:30**

Polls are showing that Brexit is now being considered as a mistake. Unfortunately rejoining is not like flipping a switch and saying sorry we were told a bunch of porkies can we rejoin to our former status. In this YouTube video Outside views (8mins). Marc Wesseling who is himself a german living in Germany outlines Brexit as he sees it and basically can't understand why we did it and ends with the comment it will take decades to unravel the mess Brexit has caused.
Worth a watch.

Posted: **14 Jan 2023, 03:19**

I'll watch it later but essentially the man is correct. Again, how come us amateurs could see through the flim flam and lies but highly paid leaders couldn't? How can the ERG still be rabid about it and pulling Sunak's strings? I'm fed up with ranting about the bleeding obvious but so frustrated because the lie is still being propagated by a a political party that quite obviously have nothing but their own interests at heart.
Looking at the wider political piste this morning is as depressing as yesterday but I see that Labours internal strife looks as though it might have cost them four or five million in legal fees and if this is so, the bill can be expected to land on the doormat just before the next general election. Great! Could this have anything to do with the fact that the Leaser of the Party is a lawyer?
I see that an estimated increase in GDP of .01% in November has been interpreted as a hopeful sign that 'the economic situation' might be better than we thought and perhaps we are not in recession. This is not serious economic management, it is fantasy land. I'd love to hear Tom Scholar's take on it but our masters sacked him didn't they.....
Tell me something cheerful and positive Ken! I need to be lifted out of this pit of despair!

Posted: **14 Jan 2023, 09:55**

Stanley wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 03:19 Tell me something cheerful and positive Ken! I need to be lifted out of this pit of despair!

Here's something that will have you running out into the street and shouting `Hurrah!'...

The price of Tesla cars has been slashed by Musk!

Posted: **14 Jan 2023, 10:41**

Stanley wrote: ↑13 Jan 2023, 03:42 Isn't it strange Ken that 13 years ago we were pointing out the mistakes of austerity and forecasting a point where the crap would hit the fan and it has all happened just as we predicted. How come old farts sat at kitchen tables can see this but the massive brains and wages that are leading us can't?
[/quote Governments are decided at general elections and not by old farts at kitchen tables. Pendle is one of the most deprived areas in the UK yet we consistently return a Conservative MP who votes for austerity, Brexit, and a reduction in NHS spending. The voting numbers are...
2017 election.
Andrew Stephenson Con 21,986. 49.0%
Wayne Blackburn Lab 20,707 46.2%
Gordon Lishman *LD 941 2.1%
Brian Parker BNP 718 1.6%
Ian Barnett Green 502 1.1%
2019 election.
Andrew Stephenson Con 24,076 54.2%
Azhar Ali Lab 17,890 40.2%
Gordon Lishman LD 1,548 3.5%
Clare Hales Green 678 1.5%
John Richardson Ind 268 0.6%

Now that Boris Johnson has bit the dust perhaps we will see the end of Andrew Stephenson, But wo knows.

Stanley wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 03:19 I see that an estimated increase in GDP of .01% in November has been interpreted as a hopeful sign that 'the economic situation' might be better than we thought and perhaps we are not in recession.
The GDP is promoted as an increase +0.1% in November but fell by 0.3% against the previous October. ie: GDP is declining. What matters is that if GDP falls over a period of three months its a marker towards a depression.

Posted: **14 Jan 2023, 15:09**

2017 was a good year for Wayne who made inroads into A4A's majority. Can't understand why it dropped back when Azhar stood as he is a very experienced councillor and well regarded. He was first elected to the borough at the same time as Sally and Linda in Barlick back in the 90's. He is now on the County Council as well. That was when the CLP had autonomy over their choice of candidate. Not so under the present regime, we will get to choose but from a short list provided by the national party. We may never have seen or had a chance to question or meet any that we have to choose from.

Posted: **15 Jan 2023, 04:41**

Ian, the rot set in for local parties when Blair et al took collecting subs into central control. They didn't want local part committees to have autonomy.
See my political cartoon this morning....
See THIS BBC report of Sunak's conversation with Zelensky during which he promises to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Numbers vary but at most seem to be 14. Members of the General Staff have already gone on record saying that we should send 50 if we are serious about making a difference.
It seems to me that now we have crossed what were previously red lines with weapons systems and tanks it is time to admit that what we are looking at is a conflict between NATO and Russia and now is the time to stop pussy-footing about supplying planes via Poland and other sensitive war materials. The Ukraine is fighting our battle for us!

Posted: **15 Jan 2023, 10:10**

Apparently we have well over 200 Challenger tanks but a lot of them are out of service. The 14 are the serviceable ones to hand and will be supplied with maintenance spares and ammunition. The former will probably be needed as the reason the majority are broken is that they are all now nearly 40 years old! Potent but not exactly state of the art.

Regarding local control of the party. When I was first involved back in the 80's and 90's and I was branch secretary. We had our own base in the shape of "The Weavers" (GMB union owned), now the Post Office. You are correct regarding the membership, we had Bert Graves who was branch membership secretary, he would visit local members and collect subs weekly if that was the circumstance. Branch meetings often had 20 - 30 members present.

Posted: **16 Jan 2023, 04:25**

See THIS BBC report on plans to strengthen police powers against 'disruptive' protests. This looks like potential overkill to me. What is the definition of 'disruptive'?
"No 10 said the changes would mean police would not have to wait for disruption to take place to shut down a protest. It said forces could also consider the "total impact" of a series of protests by the same group, rather than seeing them as stand alone incidents. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute. A balance must be struck between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their day-to-day business. "We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public. It's not acceptable and we're going to bring it to an end.""
Despite all the soothing words from the politicians, what is going on here is a tightening of restrictions on the right to protest and we will see it used in such a way to stop protests which are inconvenient for the government. Which is nearly all of them. Legislation like this almost always ends in 'mission creep'.
This is neither democracy or progress.

Posted: **16 Jan 2023, 08:59**

There's no money Steve Barclay the Health Minister is now hinting that if the nurses make the settlement more affordable and offer up productivity and efficiency opportunities then he will have a word with the Chancellor about more pay. Productivity and efficiency in the governments eyes is cutting jobs and perhaps sharing out some of the salary savings. The Unions are not stupid enough to fall for this confidence trick it is not their job to do the governments or managements work nor is it in their own interest to set one group of worker against another. Steve Barclay is pandering to the right-wing media trying to make it look like he is reasonable while the nurses are unreasonable and inefficient. Blame shifting of this order is despicable and beyond contempt. After 13 years of austerity and mismanagement the ball is squarely in the governments court and if they can't sort it out its time for them to go and let someone govern who can.

Posted: **17 Jan 2023, 04:14**

I totally agree Ken but how do we achieve that? I think you are correct when you suspect Barclay's motives for appearing to be softening towards the nurses. They know that their intransigence is damaging them and so hope to reduce the acrimony by appearing to soften their attitude but at the same time they have not given up their ambition to minimise the cost of the NHS. They see only the simplistic view that if the government didn't have to pay for health care they would have billions to spend. That is the level these apologies for politicians are working at.
We need to get compassionate, principled people in control who are aware of the needs of ordinary people and direct the use of government funds to improving the lives of the voters, not degrading and impoverishing them. High speed rail lines, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines don't put food on the table.
PS. In another part of the forest Sunak has caved in to his back benchers again over the proposal to gaol internet bosses.
And can someone explain to me what "There has been no breakthrough in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the UK and EU have said in another joint statement. The two sides said "scoping work" for potential solutions should continue in "a constructive and collaborative spirit". means?
We fund these people to the tune of billions of Pounds a year and all they produce is nonsense like that.

Forgive me but I tripped over this in the undergrowth and thought what a brilliant comment this is on the current government thinking of lofty aspirations and mean financial policies.

Posted: **17 Jan 2023, 09:27**

Some of the more sane Conservative MPs are waking up to the fact that the Retained EU law reform Bill could be a disaster for parliament and also for their chances of ever being voted into power again. Jacob Rees-Mogg is pushing this bill as the answer to the ultra right-wing prayers. With over 4000 laws to review its becoming obvious that proper reviews with due diligence would be impossible within the time scale allowed even with a very cursory review by some ad hoc committee without parliamentary scrutiny could mean thousands left to lapse and being removed altogether.
Retained Laws.
The dashboard of laws expected to be deleted is not complete, even though the deadline is the end of 2023.
It is reported that the government has spent £600,000 on this exercise already with a final bill of Tens of Millions £s.
All this is a cover for removing workers rights, conditions of employment and environmental control. The heading Retained EU law is a misnomer since all these laws are now UK laws which the UK took part in drafting when we were in the Common Market.

Move over Putin Sunak is taking over.

Posted: **17 Jan 2023, 14:37**

This seemed the most appropriate place to put this. From May 4th you'll need photo ID at Pendle polling stations.
https://www.pendle.gov.uk/VoterID

Posted: **17 Jan 2023, 15:08**

Indeed Kev, totally unnecessary and in my view an attempt to disenfranchise a section of the electorate. Done under the ruse of personation being the problem at the polling stations. Not so, personation has never been a problem, the incidence is extremely small. The biggest area of fraud has always been postal ballots which in the past could be manipulated to some degree. The electoral rules regarding the handling of postal ballots have been tightened considerably over the last few years and has reduced the incidence of fraud considerably.

I would have no problem with having to produce photo ID if everyone had it such as via a mandatory National Identity Card or something similar. Not everyone has a photcard driving licence or indeed a bus pass, the latter is what the government claim all ederly folk have. They only have a bus pass if they apply for it.

Posted: **18 Jan 2023, 03:28**

I agree with both of you about photo ID for voting. This makes access to voting more difficult. We should be going the other way and making it easier. The Tory calculation is that it is the great unwashed who will be most likely discouraged from voting and these are the very people they don't care about.
See THIS BBC report on opposition to early activation of the removal of EU laws as mentioned by Ken. Brexit is gradually being seen as the disaster it is in all sorts of places.
Let us not forget that it was a bright idea that was born in the Tory Party......

Posted: **18 Jan 2023, 11:23**

It's well known to those that have been keeping up that I'm not Nadhim Zahawi's biggest fan.

I think Simon Bell catches my mood Tax matters

PS I agree with stricter voter identification at the polls. It's not difficult.
I agree that postal voting has been abused, and should not be available simply on request.

Posted: **18 Jan 2023, 11:58**

Tripps wrote: ↑18 Jan 2023, 11:23 PS I agree with stricter voter identification at the polls. It's not difficult.
I agree that postal voting has been abused, and should not be available simply on request.

Why make it stricter when there isn't a problem?

Postal vote abuse was down to manipulation by political party workers. At one time anyone could "help" to provide and return postal ballots. That is where the fraud took place as it was even possible to put ballots in for folk that were deceased, or indeed coerce the elector into voting for the party that provided the paperwork. Those loopholes have been closed now and postal votes have either to be returned by post or can be deposited at the polling station but must be presented by the person named on the ballot. Staff at the polling stations maintain the full electoral roll which is pre marked with those who have requested a postal ballot.

You may request a postal ballot but still cast your vote in the normal way at the polling station in which case you will be required to surrender your postal ballot before being given the normal voting slip.

The main problem is not enough folk actually vote, We elect councillors and even MP's on minority turnouts. We could alter all of this by adopting mandatory voting as in lots of other countries. Don't hold elections on a weekday on a single day, do the polling over a full weekend. We have to change the way folk regard voting and make them understand that it is a duty rather than a chore. I would of course put an abstention option on the ballot but would expect that the majority of healthy eligible people to rock up and make a decision. Online voting should be available also. Not too much to ask in my view.

Posted: **19 Jan 2023, 03:15**

"I'm not Nadhim Zahawi's biggest fan."
You're not alone David. Count me as a sceptic largely because of the Private Eye investigations of him. Funny how the post of Tory Party Treasurer attracts dodgy characters....
I agree with Ian, voting ought to be compulsory! Can you remember the vote on Police Commissioners?

Posted: **19 Jan 2023, 09:57**

It has been said that the whole point of Brexit was to avoid the the EU's directive of anti-tax avoidance measures 29 May 2017. The idea was to stop big companies using offshore tax havens as a means of paying their fair share of local tax. As always with the EU things move at glazier speed but in 2022 they published a review....EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. EU tax . Thankfully we are out of the EU so these rules will not apply to the UK unless we are daft enough to join again. Meanwhile while there's not enough money to pay nurses and paramedics feel comforted by the fact that the 1% at the top can avoid paying their fair share.

Posted: **19 Jan 2023, 10:20**

plaques wrote: ↑19 Jan 2023, 09:57 As always with the EU things move at glazier speed...

That's a case of being rude to glaziers, Plaques. You're a naughty boy!

Posted: **19 Jan 2023, 10:51**

Stanley wrote: ↑19 Jan 2023, 03:15 I agree with Ian, voting ought to be compulsory! Can you remember the vote on Police Commissioners?

Yes I can, it was the only time I felt a need to spoil my ballot and I did!

Posted: **19 Jan 2023, 10:55**

I learn that the NZ PM has announced her resignation. The Guardian's coverage implies that she will soon be canonised.

For a different slant I turn to Guido Fawkes blog

Progressive heroine Jacinda Ardern is resigning as New Zealand’s Prime Minister saying “I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple”. After denying rumours she was set to quit for months, she has announced she is quitting. Despite saying she wants to be remembered for kindness and compassion she will be remembered for implementing some of the harshest lockdown measures outside Communist China. Yet excess mortality in New Zealand has been running at about 10% above normal, with Covid peaking as the leading cause of death last July. Her New Zealand Labor Party is tanking in polling, the country is on the brink of recession and inflation is the highest it has been for a generation. Jacinda leaves New Zealand with the lowest business confidence in the OECD…

Can they be speaking of the same woman? The lesson here is to go to more than one news source - and do some thinking for yourself.

Posted: **20 Jan 2023, 03:50**

Quite right David, we should. But simple minded buggers like me assess her by saying would I rather have her as PM than Sunak. Answer, Canonise her!
Ken, I always understood that that wish to avoid legislation against foreign tax fiddles was at the heart of Tory policy but of course was never voiced. The ERG are definitely in favour the freedom to roam, Look at Rees Mogg and his Irish connection.
My mid always goes back to when Ted Heath appointed her Secretary of State for Education and Science in his 1970–1974 government. In 1975, she defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become Leader of the Opposition, the first woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom. This was at a time when politicians were beginning to realise that cooperation with the Lords of the Universe in the financial sector was the way to control the flows of money and divert some of it to them, the Party and their friends. Margaret Thatcher was seen to be naïve and malleable (!) and it was made clear to her that she would be given a fair wind by the men in grey suits who ran the Party behind the scenes if she promoted their preferred legislation. The first one was the removal of the controls on capital which stopped money being taken out of the UK. There is a suspicion that another instruction was to break the unions. Sir Keith Joseph was put in place as her minder.
All this is old news but fits perfectly with your thesis Ken. In some ways the Tories are so predictable.
See THIS for a straw in the wind.
"The Conservative mayor for the West Midlands has lashed out at the process for allocating levelling up funds, calling for an end to Whitehall's "broken begging bowl culture". In an angry statement, Andy Street said he wanted ministers to justify why "the majority" of bids in his region had been rejected. Venting his frustration on Twitter, Mr Street said: "Fundamentally, this episode is just another example as to why Whitehall's bidding and begging-bowl culture is broken, and the sooner we can decentralise and move to proper fiscal devolution the better. "The centralised system of London civil servants making local decisions is flawed, and I cannot understand why the levelling up funding money was not devolved for local decision-makers to decide on what's best for their areas.
"The sooner we can decentralise and move to proper fiscal devolution the better."His concerns were echoed by Philip Rycroft, former top civil servant at the now-defunct Brexit Department, who described the process as "completely crackers".

OneGuyFromBarlick

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