OneGuyFromBarlick

See THIS BBC report on more US tariffs.
Updated 9 hours ago
The UK is expecting to be hit by new US tariffs on Wednesday, with Downing Street indicating a deal to exempt British goods will not be reached in time. US President Donald Trump has said he plans to unveil a raft of new tariffs - or import taxes - on 2 April, on top of a 25% levy on car and car parts which has already been announced. Over the weekend he suggested the tariffs would hit all countries, not just those with the biggest trade imbalances with the US. The prime minister's official spokesman said talks on an economic deal between the two countries to avoid tariffs had been "constructive" but he did not rule out retaliating if they were imposed on the UK. "When it comes to tariffs, the prime minister has been clear he will always act in the national interest and we've been preparing for all eventualities ahead of the announcement from President Trump, which we would expect the UK to be impacted by alongside other countries," he said.

HERE'S another piece of adverse economic news....
Updated 3 hours ago
A series of essential bills are rising at the start of what some commentators have described as "awful April". The exact amount you pay will depend on your individual circumstances and where you live. Although minimum wages are also increasing, and wages on average have been outpacing inflation, household finances could still come under extra pressure.
The local elections in May are going to be interesting.

I cannot see turnout in Local Elections being more than previous years. people are so fed up I dont even think Reform will get a significant protest vote.
Six weeks away and what , really, have Labour got to offer ? Conservatives to Gain ? But then a week is a long time in politics

A Wealth tax will take too long , be encumbersome to too great an extent. A quick fix to wealth inequality and a tax burden too high on the lower paid and struggling middle that can create money in the economy to drive growth has to be to end the gross (literally) taxation of residential properties under the council tax system or at least its present structure. Either increase the bands in number to cover better higher valued properties , or ideally revert to the rates system with a value for every property. One additional measure that could happen is to re-value every property on a new matched value to present day prices ( mapped to the old bands if CT is retained ) every time a sale occurs, at the same time reducing stamp duty to a token 1percent. This would help the property market and deliver funds to local authorities ( but trusting that authority led demolish and rebuild scheme are not driven by a wheeze to increase tax revenues at the expense of existing owners or residents - perhaps by inserting clause that any new property acquired by a person affected by "regenation" or similar scheme shall be rated at the value of the property vacated )

See THIS BBC report on Gaza....
The United Nations agency for children says that at least 322 children are reported to have been killed since Israel launched a renewed offensive in Gaza two weeks ago. Unicef said at least 609 other children were reportedly wounded during the same period. "The ceasefire in Gaza provided a desperately needed lifeline for Gaza's children and hope for a path to recovery," said Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell. "But children have again been plunged into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation."
I cannot understand why the world stands by an watches this atrocious behaviour unfold. Worse, some countries, including us, supply Israel with the arms to enable the slaughter.
(And as far as I know it is still regarded as Anti-Semitic in some quarters to criticise what the IDF is doing..... )

In much the same way that Russia is tolerated in sending in missiles targeting kindergardens and human hunt drone operations.

Paul Krugman is one of my favourite economists and here he is talking on LBC about the impact of the Trump Tariffs. Well worth listening to for 4 minuts....

See THIS BBC report into an ongoing scandal in the way people are treated.
1 hour ago
Councils are exposing homeless children to serious health and safeguarding risks by housing them in unsuitable temporary accommodation, an inquiry by MPs has found. MPs said a "crisis in temporary accommodation" in England had left a record 164,000 children without a permanent home. The inquiry concluded many children were living in "appalling conditions" and suffering significant impacts to their health and education as a result. In a report, the MPs urged ministers to deliver more affordable homes and take urgent action to support families living in temporary accommodation. In England, some local authorities have a legal duty to support the homeless, including providing temporary accommodation. Temporary accommodation is meant as a short-term solution for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and can include hostels and rooms in shared houses. The inquiry was launched last year by MPs on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, which condemned the state of some temporary accommodation as "utterly shameful".
There is much more on this permanent state of crisis which is affecting so many people.
I haven't heard anyone mention it lately but aren't we supposed to be the fifth largest economy in the world?

See THIS for the latest BBC report on the upcoming local elections.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged the public to "vote for change in your community", as he launched Labour's local election campaign for England. The elections on 1 May are the party's first major test at the ballot box since winning power in last July's landslide victory. But Labour is now facing a more challenging backdrop, after slumping in the polls in recent months.
I think Labour are worried and rightly so.... What they faced when they opened the books and looked at the true economic situation after the election victory was a killer and would have depressed the fortunes of any Party but Starmer's lack lustre performance and the impression given by other ministers that they were legislating as a centre Right Party and not Democratic Socialists are going to have an effect I fear.
The campaign makes no difference to my vote, in local elections I always vote for the party that are actually doing things for the town and in Barlick this is always the LibDems. I think they will do well nation-wide and don't expect Reform to be anywhere near as successful as they would have us believe.

A Ward in St Helens had a by election yesterday. Turnout less than 13percent , which must in itself indicate something, Lib Dems had held seat but fell to 3rd behind Labour , with Reform adding to its present total of 1 in that location. Two other by elections and I think Lib Dems got both of those , one in Wales (were the other candidates were Green, Labour, Con, PC and Reform - well you cannot say you dont have a choice). Labour are struggling local wise accross the UK, not really making a success of Wales and much of UK mired in costs of housing accomodation for homeless - migrant and others. Problem is we cannot build everywhere, and we cannot deliver new flats of the same type as now (I saw the Sir (Lord) Alan Sugar interview on TV and he got started using his bike shed that came with the parents flat - there is no longer the space given to extra external space for at least a chance of a entrepreneurial step forward, much the same applies to houses. We have to build smart , including a return to the prefab types that can be assembled quickly on some infill sites. The burden of taxation for middle earners and marginal earners must be relived with a little more paid by those who can afford more - maybe just increasing airpassenger duty for example.

THIS Report of number 10 criticising David Lammy puzzles me.
Downing Street has rejected suggestions by the foreign secretary that the latest wave of US tariffs marks the return of a new era of "protectionism". Earlier David Lammy said the British people would be "very concerned" about the impact of President Donald Trump's announcement, which means nearly all UK exports to the US are facing a 10% levy from Saturday. The government has said it is focused on ongoing negotiations to strike a deal with the US but it has not ruled out retaliating. Global stock markets have slumped since Wednesday's announcement of blanket 10% tariffs, with higher rates for countries branded the "worst offenders" in their trade policies by Trump. Asked whether it was time for the UK to stand up to Trump, Lammy, who was meeting Nato counterparts in Brussels, told reporters: "I regret the return to protectionism in the United States, something that we've not seen for nearly a century."
If what Trump is doing isn't protectionism then black is white...... Protecting US industry is the heart of what Trump is doing.

See THIS rare admission of guilt by Israel.....
4 hours ago
Israel's army has admitted its soldiers made mistakes over the killing of 15 emergency workers in southern Gaza on 23 March. The convoy of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances, a UN car and a fire truck from Gaza's Civil Defence came under fire near Rafah. Israel originally claimed troops opened fire because the convoy approached "suspiciously" in darkness without headlights or flashing lights. Movement of the vehicles had not been previously co-ordinated or agreed with the army. Mobile phone footage, filmed by one of the paramedics who was killed, showed the vehicles did have lights on as they answered a call to help wounded people. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) insists at least six of the medics were linked to Hamas - but has so far provided no evidence. It admits they were unarmed when the soldiers opened fire. The mobile video, originally shared by the New York Times, shows the vehicles pulling up on the road when, without warning, shooting begins just before dawn. The footage continues for more than five minutes, with the paramedic, named as Refat Radwan, heard saying his last prayers before the voices of Israeli soldiers are heard approaching the vehicles.
I think the phrase I am looking for is 'Caught dead to rights'!

See THIS BBC report on the latest news of the US tariffs.....
Updated 1 hour ago
US President Donald Trump and his advisers have defended sweeping tariffs on imports and vowed to stay the course, despite market turmoil and calls to avoid a trade war. In a series of television interviews, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent played down recent stock market falls and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, insisted reciprocal tariffs would be implemented as planned. Bessent said there was "no reason" to expect a recession as a result of the turmoil. "This is an adjustment process," he said. Meanwhile, another top adviser, Kevin Hassett, said more than 50 countries have contacted Trump to try to negotiate a deal. All three major stock indexes in the US plunged more than 5% on Friday, while the S&P 500 dropped almost 6% in the worst week for the US stock market since 2020. In a sign market fragility could continue this week, Saudi Arabia's stock exchange - which trades on Sundays - ended nearly 7% lower, its biggest daily loss since the pandemic, state-owned media said. US banking giant JP Morgan has predicted a 60% chance of a US and global recession following Trump's tariffs announcement.
News this morning that the Asian Markets have opened almost 9% down in what analysts are describing as a bloodbath.

See THIS report on the measles outbreak in Texas and note that US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has done a reverse ferret on the MMR jab which he has previously belittled. He now says that it is the best chance they have of containing the outbreak..... Totally incompetent.

See THIS latest news of the tariffs....
Shares in the US stemmed their losses on Monday, as investors clung to hopes that US President Donald Trump would turn from tariffs to trade deals. The S&P 500, which tracks 500 of the biggest companies in the US, ended the day down about 0.2%, after a wild day of trading that saw shares gyrating from losses to gains in some of the sharpest swings since the Covid-19 pandemic. The respite came despite Trump escalating his tariff threats against China, as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was opening negotiations with Japan, and looking forward to talks with other nations. Trump offered mixed signals, saying he expected some tariffs to be permanent and some to be negotiated. "They can both be true," he said, while rejecting calls that he delay the import taxes he unveiled on goods from every country in the world last Wednesday. The White House has said more than 50 countries have reached out to discuss trade. "I believe that sooner or later, we will be at the negotiating table," European Union trade official Maroš Šefčovič said, as the bloc prepared to vote on how to respond.
The Indonesian market has opened after a short break with a 9% fall as it adjusts to the new reality. This is Dominic Cummings style leadership....

Nearer to home - and graphically demonstrating the duplicity, and total lack of any trace of moral compass at all, of these Labour Party politicians. They sicken me.

1. Check out Jim McMahon MP, who whilst saying he wants decisions devolving nearer to home, has refused and disallowed a democratic decision by Oldham Council to withdraw from the Gt Manchester "Places for everyone" scheme.

2. Watch the speech from Katie Lam - the Tory MP. It won't be hard to find her speech today, responding to a Government statement from Minister Jess Phillips. It's epic, and very graphic - so be warned. The Tories have cancelled the five local CSE enquiries promised in January. Not a single town bar Oldham, was nominated during the following three months, and Parliament had just 45 minutes notice of the cancellation - on the last day before the Easter recess.

None of the above will be hard to find and I will not put up any links. Shameful behaviour from labour.

Can't find either of them David. Far better if you put links up, some of us aren't as good at searching as you.....
See THIS BBC report on steel.
6 hours ago
The government is considering nationalising British Steel as fears grow among ministers that the company's blast furnaces in Scunthorpe could run out of raw materials within days. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sought to reassure workers at the Lincolnshire plant that the government would consider nationalisation if necessary. Reeves spoke to trade unions over the weekend to explain the government's outlook on the steelworks' future. It is understood she told them she was acutely aware of the steel industry's strategic importance to the UK. US President Donald Trump has levied a 25% tariff on American imports of steel. British Steel has said its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe are "no longer financially sustainable" and there are fears that without government support 2,700 jobs could be lost. The firm has been owned by the Chinese company Jingye since 2020. Jingye says it has invested more than £1.2bn into British Steel to maintain operations and claims it suffered financial losses of around £700,000 a day.
What has not been made clear is that it is in the nature of blast furnaces that if they run out of materials and have to stop firing them, as they close down and cool the lining fractures and the furnaces need a massive repair job before they can be fired up again. This means that a quick decision is needed.

Stanley wrote: ↑09 Apr 2025, 02:16 Can't find either of them David. Far better if you put links up,

The Labour Party have done a good job in hiding this affair. It's essential to seek out your news and not depend on it being fed to you by Google and the BBC. Keep an open mind - think for yourself and you'll soon know when you have the truth. Judge by actions and not words. The same applies when voting too.

Trevor Philips who in my book is 'one of the good guys'has 'got it'.





Here's a follow up interview with the impressive katie Lam MP by Julia Hartley Brewer today on Talk TV.
Watch it if you wish. .


Katie Lam MP 9.4.25

Trump's heading for a Liz Truss moment. This is getting serious...
`Trump tariffs spark US government debt sell-off' LINK
..Some analysts suggested that America's central bank - the US Federal Reserve - might be forced to step in if turbulence continues, in a move reminiscent of the Bank of England's emergency action in 2022 following Liz Truss's mini-Budget...

I understand now David and agree with Trevor Phillips. I have been of this opinion for many years after what I saw in Rochdale while I was there. It was as though the Mafia code of omertà was in force. The ethnic community were not to be upset and anyone who did was in serious trouble. It seems that this is still the case.
There is a parallel circumstance in the definition of anti-Semitism. Labour made a bid to stop any adverse comment about Israeli actions by declaring such legitimate comment as 'anti-Semitic' and even expelling people from the Party for speaking up. (They are still taking my subs even though I am, by their definition, guilty.)

Stanley wrote: ↑10 Apr 2025, 02:11 (They are still taking my subs even though I am, by their definition, guilty.)

Yes, but you are not active in the party or on social media, well under the radar on here.

See THIS BBC report. Yvette Cooper has reacted to criticisms....
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted local inquiries into grooming gangs in five towns are still going ahead despite claims the plans have been watered down. In January, Cooper announced a three-month rapid review into the issue, as well as five local inquiries - but has only named the location for one, in Oldham. Sir Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has claimed the government is not naming locations for "obviously political" reasons, because of the "demographic of people involved". Cooper denied this on BBC Breakfast but added that the best way to get justice for victims was through more police investigations rather than inquiries.

A Problem (?) With the Labour Party is that it not a democratic institution.

Somehow the economy didnt shrink in Jan , but didnt grow either. February 0.5% increase mainly in Manufacturing (presumably by Value) mostly automotive sector - but were closing plants just using up stock and wasnt there a reg plate change in Feb which pulls Jan orders into Feb sales ? and the rest was oil output - we had a coldish winter kick in and were plugging some of the Russia output losses. So 1.4percent growth ( given 2.6percent at least inflation over a year and presumably a increase in population that is a growth that looks like a loss to me, but may explain the larger Tax Recipts in March

I watch with interest Starmer and his announcement that the government will 'take over' British Steel at Scunthorpe but in terms of raw politics THIS got my attention.
The head of the US military base in Greenland has been fired after she reportedly sent an email distancing herself from Vice-President JD Vance's criticism of Denmark. The US military's Space Operations Command said Col Susannah Meyers had been removed from her role at Pituffik Space Base due to a "loss of confidence in her ability to lead". Last month, Vance said Denmark had "not done a good job" for Greenlanders and had not spent enough on security while visiting the Danish territory. The alleged email, released by a military news site, told staff Vance's comments were "not reflective" of the base. A Pentagon spokesman cited the article, saying "undermining" US leadership was not tolerated.
So, we now have clear proof that honesty is not appreciated in the Oval Office.

Stanley wrote: ↑12 Apr 2025, 03:13
. A Pentagon spokesman cited the article, saying "undermining" US leadership was not tolerated.[/i]
So, we now have clear proof that honesty is not appreciated in the Oval Office.

I thought the US Military affirmed to the constitution, not the president ( the president may be head of military but military can only follow constitutional orders )

It has just struck me that the Government is at last following the precept defined by Nye Bevan, the move to protect British Steel is retaining control over one of the commending heights of the economy!

See THIS BBC report on the debate in Parliament yesterday.
The UK government is taking control of Chinese-owned British Steel after emergency legislation was rushed through Parliament in a single day. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs the government's likely next step would be to nationalise the Scunthorpe plant, which employs 2,700 people. But he said he was forced to seek emergency powers to prevent owners Jingye shutting down its two blast furnaces, which would have ended primary steel production in the UK. MPs and peers were called back from their Easter holidays to debate the legislation in an extremely rare Saturday sitting of both houses of Parliament. It has now received Royal Assent after being passed by the Commons and Lords.
I am glad this has happened because one of the commanding heights of the economy is being taken back under government control. The principle should be applied to other vital sectors that are under foreign control. The divestment of responsibility by the government has gone too far.
The naysayers will tell us we can't afford it. My response is that applies to nuclear deterrent and vanity project aircraft carriers as well!