POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on reaction to Sunak's immediate reaction to the Supreme Court Judgement 'that he would change the law'.
But critics of the government - from its former ministers to opposition parties - claim Rishi Sunak has made a difficult situation harder. They say - and his home secretary of just the other day Suella Braverman is among them - that he was too blinkered for too long in believing Plan A would work. And there is an open scepticism from some on his own side about the prospects of his new plan working. It is out of this humiliation at the hands of the Supreme Court that his Plan B bubbles: a treaty with Rwanda and a willingness to confront - albeit without the details of precisely how - the European Convention on Human Rights. Rishi Sunak remains determined to be seen to take this on for he concludes millions want him to.
Sunak isn't the only one in trouble this morning..... See THIS report of the reaction of Labour Members to Starmer's refusal to call for an end to the killing in Gaza.
I fear we are in for some very turbulent domestic politics quite apart from the dire international scene.
We eem to have quite forgotten that Ukraine is fighting for its life against Russia.....

[Tizer]

We seem to have quite forgotten that Ukraine is fighting for its life against Russia.....

Here's a reminder of what's happening in case anyone has forgotten...
`Ukraine war: Locals forced to take Russian passports, report says' LINK

[Stanley]

I heard that report on R4 but it was only a snippet. See THIS for what is still the main topic for the chattering classes down at Westminster....
The PM's current Rwanda plan will mean no asylum seekers are flown there before the next election, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. Writing in the Telegraph, she said "tinkering with a failed plan" would not achieve the government's aims. The Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda policy was unlawful on Wednesday. Hours later, Rishi Sunak announced plans for emergency legislation and a new treaty with Rwanda, so that the first flights can leave in the spring. But Mrs Braverman said a new treaty would not solve "the fundamental issue" with the plan - that the UK's highest court had decided there was a risk Rwanda could return asylum seekers to countries they had fled from, putting them at risk of harm. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said there were "substantial grounds" to believe people deported to Rwanda could be sent back to places where they would be unsafe.
Her solution?
Mrs Braverman said that to prevent further legal challenges, the PM's proposed legislation should ignore "the entirety" of the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as well as other relevant international obligations, including the Refugee Convention.
In other words ditch all that we have learned and gained form over a century of war and loss as a possible solution to the fact that people are seeking help.
That is what is happening here and very few people seem to understand this. The people who are moving west and seeking asylum here are doing it because conditions in their own country are intolerable. In many cases the causes of these problems can be traced back to Colonialism and our actions in exploiting their country's natural resources.
This thinking is not fashionable!
See THIS for the dénouement of a minor affair which has been occupying minds in England as well as Scotland....
Health Secretary Michael Matheson has admitted an £11,000 data roaming charge on his iPad was caused by his sons watching football. The bill was incurred during a family trip to Morocco last year. The expense was initially picked up by the Scottish Parliament, which was told by Mr Matheson that the iPad was only used for work. He has since paid the money back and said he had referred himself to the parliament for further investigation.
There is much more.... Perhaps they can now get back to governing Scotland...... (No word of any sanctions against the kids..... )

[Stanley]

Does THIS BBC report surprise anyone?
The UK government's flagship levelling-up agenda is at risk of losing public confidence in its promise to improve high streets, a new report has found. The research, by More in Common and Power to Change, suggests less than a quarter of people surveyed think their high street is improving. It says while support for levelling up is strong, "broken" is the word people most often associate with Britain. But the government says levelling-up funding is transforming communities. The government says it has committed £13bn to levelling up, "supporting projects to improve everyday life for people across the UK - regenerating high streets, local transport and cultural and heritage assets". The former Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to level up the country when launching the Conservative Party manifesto ahead of his landslide general election victory in 2019.
I have never seen 'levelling up' as any more than a gimmick invented by the South to try to persuade the North that years of what amounted to exploitative colonial rule was going to change. Every measure proves that the spend per head on everything from the number of doctors to the frequency of buses is higher in the South, particularly in London. Ask the Mayors of Manchester and Leeds what they think of 'the Northern Powerhouse' approach and you would always get a dusty answer even before Sunak cancelled the Northern leg of HS2.
No, 'levelling up' has never been anything more than an expensive gimmick.

[Stanley]

Have a look at THIS. I think we have to agree that Laura Kuenssberg is pretty close to the truth here...
Crash, bang, wallop! An adrenalin hit of headlines. A massive bust-up. A big surprise. And a clash in the courts. Westminster's gorged itself this week on some of its favourite pastimes: obsessing over who is slithering up or down in the game of political snakes and ladders; pondering the edges of our stretchy, unwritten constitution as the courts and government do battle; and, of course, frantically trying to predict what is next. Fully paid-up political nerds, myself included, have been glued to the spectacle of the last seven days. Bitter sackings, vitriolic public letters, the prime minister vowing to take on the courts, even talk of letters calling for his resignation going in. ("You'd just look like idiots," one senior MP tells me he told his more excitable colleagues.) .... But for the ultimate boss, the voter, all the drama might have fallen on confused, or even deaf, ears. The signals from government been mixed, to put it diplomatically. In all the soap opera, has the prime minister been moving to the left or to the right? Getting rid of Suella Braverman at the start of the week, gave the impression No 10 wanted to take a softer tack.
As always the thing that was exercising to voters wasn't esoteric matters of politics but how much the weekly shop was costing.... How inflation is affecting their pocket and whether they can afford to turn the heating on.
These matters aren't in Sunak's head, he doesn't have to worry where his next meal's going to come from or whether he can afford the heating bill. (I'll bet the pool at his North Yorkshire bolthole is still on maintenance heat.....)

[plaques]

Its been said many times the cost of living that the right-wing press are pushing is the CPI cost of living. stuff that has a CPI element to its measure. These have dropped fractionally from 6.7% to 4.6% this means as we all know prices are still rising on top of what went before. What good old Jeremy Hunt doesn't shout to much about is core inflation ie; goods like energy, fuel and food that swing up and down on the market whim. Walk into a supermarket and you will paying core inflation prices on all food items. All the 4.7% numbers don't mean a thing.

[Stanley]

Dead right Ken. Hunt and Sunak will highlight whatever figure suits them best regardless of its relevance to real life. That's why what they are concentrating on now is how to bribe the voters with tax cuts, the votes they are aiming at aren't worried as much about inflation. more how they can safeguard the inheritance they hope to pass on.
See THIS report about the departure of another Tory MP.
Conservative Bob Stewart has announced he will step down as MP for Beckenham after being convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence. Mr Stewart, who has represented the south-east London constituency since 2010, relinquished the party whip after his conviction. He currently sits as an independent and will not seek re-election.
I watched Andrew Marr on Youtube. He reckons that what we are watching is the end of Conservatism as we have known it. He thinks that what will follow will be a much more Right-wing version of the Party.
I hope he isn't right.....

[Tripps]

It's late and this is not something I'd usually comment on - but I've had it on my mind all day, and it's annoying me. Sunak is saying he has reduced inflation by half, as he promised - now I see that Paul Lewis of BBC R4 Money Box agrees with me that, as I thought, he had nothing to do with it.

Lewis says -
"Every forecast I read at the time said inflation would halve by the end of 2023! I can’t think of a Government policy that has helped that natural process"

Sunak has also given another five pledges. Is that in addition to the last five or instead of them? If the latter, then why do they not include "stop the boats" which I heard him say very recently. Has he dropped that one?

We (and I really mean I) can't tolerate another year of this nonsense. They're insulting our intelligence now. I saw Baron Cameron sworn in today - what a stitch up. Then the awful thought occurs that if they're thrown out - as surely they must be - then the Foreign Secretary will be David Lammy which is equally intolerable.

All last week Inheritance Tax was to be reduced. Today it seems it isn't.

Can someone press CTRL ALT DEL please - and soon.

[Stanley]

Dead right David and yes it annoys me as well. Not only that but he and Hunt will use their 'success' as one of the reasons why they can give out a tax bribe to massage the electorate before the election. (I heard an explanation yesterday that tax cuts take much longer than we think to register favourably with the voters.....)
HAVE a look at this and see what I mean.
See THIS and recognise how badly we were served by the cabal running the country, (you can't say government because it was not the same thing as the elected cabinet government, it was a cabal!)
Scientists were not aware of Rishi Sunak's Eat Out to Help Out scheme until it was announced, Sir Patrick Vallance has said. Sir Patrick - then the government's chief scientific adviser - was giving evidence to the Covid inquiry about major decisions taken in the pandemic. He said it would have been "obvious" the hospitality scheme would cause an increase in transmission risk. He also said the then-PM Boris Johnson had been "bamboozled" by some science. He said the first lockdown at the start of the pandemic was imposed about a "week too late". And he criticised the "lack of leadership" in the run-up to the second national lockdown in autumn 2020.
The Covid enquiry is supposed to be aimed at making plans to deal with the next pandemic. I have reached a preliminary conclusion. Do not let politicians make any decisions. These should be made and implemented by panels of selected experts in the field.

[Stanley]

On a day when most commentators expect Jeremy Hunt to announce a Tory budget of tax cuts to take effect6 just in time to massage the Party's chances in the next General Election it may be wise to pay attention to THIS
UK inflation might not fall as quickly as some are hoping, the governor of the Bank of England has warned. Andrew Bailey told MPs that Bank policymakers were more worried about the pace of price rises remaining high than financial markets appear to be. Speaking to the Treasury Committee he said the Bank was concerned over the "potential persistence" of inflation. Inflation fell to 4.6% in October from 6.7% in September, according to official figures. That drop - measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) - prompted the government to claim it had met its inflation target early, having pledged to bring down the level to below 5.4% by the end of the year. Speaking ahead of the Autumn Statement on Wednesday, and as speculation mounts about possible tax cuts, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "We met our pledge to halve inflation, but we must keep on supporting the Bank of England to drive inflation down to 2%. That means being responsible with the nation's finances." Mr Bailey told the Treasury Committee that the rapid fall in inflation was good news, but that it could take some time before the Bank's target of 2% was hit. "We are concerned about the potential persistence of inflation as we go through the remainder of the journey down to 2%, and I think the market is underestimating that," he said.
This statement will not be welcomed by Sunak and Hunt but is very much in line with what other commentators are saying, basically, everything in the garden isn't as rosy as Sunak and his Chancellor would have us believe...

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the Autumn Statement.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced a bigger than expected cut in National Insurance in his Autumn Statement. The main rate will go down from 12% to 10% from January - although previous tax changes mean many workers will not be much better off. Mr Hunt also increased the state pension by 8.5% from April and said universal credit will rise by 6.7%. The UK is predicted to narrowly avoid recession this year but growth forecasts have been sharply downgraded. Mr Hunt used his hour-long Commons speech to claim the government had put the economy "back on track" by halving inflation - the rate at which prices go up - and reducing borrowing. This meant he had room - within the government's self-imposed rules - to cut taxes in an effort to boost economic growth, as he prepared the ground for next year's general election campaign. He confirmed that a tax break for companies that invest in new equipment would be made permanent, which he claimed was the "biggest business tax cut in modern history". But the percentage of the nation's income being paid in tax is still set to rise to its highest level in 70 years, according the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Yesterday's Autumn Statement was a master class in putting a brave face on things and was more about maximising the government's chances in an election a year hence as it takes that long for 'good news' to percolate through to the voters. The OBR also slashed its growth forecasts for the next two years, to 0.7% in 2024 and 1.4% in 2025 - and said living standards would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027/28.
To get the full picture see the explanations on line.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report. I no sooner mentioned Braverman in connection with the rise of the right wing than we get this report.
Suella Braverman has said the pressure on public services from migration is "unsustainable", after figures estimated record levels last year. The former home secretary said the government must "act now" to cut the numbers coming to the UK. Net migration - the difference between the number of people coming to live in the UK and those leaving - was a record 745,000 last year, ONS figures show. No 10 said migration was "far too high" but it was acting to bring it down. The prime minister's official spokesman said this included clamping down on dependants of students coming to the UK and increasing visa costs. But Mrs Braverman, who was sacked from her cabinet role last week, said the record figures were "a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity". She added: "The pressure on housing, the NHS, schools, wages, and community cohesion, is unsustainable. When do we say: enough is enough?" As home secretary, Mrs Braverman said she had called for measures including an annual cap on net migration, closing the graduate visa route, and a cap on health and social care visas. "Brexit gave us the tools. It's time to use them," she added.
We are going to hear more and more in this vein between now and the General Election. Not a lot Sunak can do about it. He encouraged her in the first place and even supported her in office, now he is going to pay the price.
THIS Piece by Chris Mason is worth reading. He lays out what is going to be a massive problem for him (and the government) going forward.
Notice that Starmer is keeping his head down on this one but in the end he will be forced to express an opinion.

[Stanley]

See THIS for clear evidence that Keir Starmer isn't afraid to confront the hard political choices!
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the piece of music that best "sums up" his party is Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Speaking to Classic FM, he said the symphony had a "sense of destiny and is hugely optimistic... it's that sense of moving forward to a better place". The Labour leader's choice has raised eyebrows among some Brexiteers, given it's also the European Anthem.
It's also raised the eyebrows of those of us who are desperate to see Starmer emerge with some concrete and cogent Labour policies on what are the most pressing problems of the day, like migration. But no, he's keeping his head down.
This is probably a wise political decision because the way things are going the Tories are digging their own grave. The leading gravedigger at the moment seems to be Suella Braverman spurring on the hard right.....
Meanwhile, there are only 29 shopping days left until Xmas and the UK retail industry waits to see how sales will be affected by the economic situation. On the whole there is an air of pessimism.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report for some speculation about Labour policies....
Labour has denied claims it could further water down its flagship green prosperity plan. A senior source had suggested to the BBC that the level of investment previously promised - of £28bn a year - might never be reached. But a party spokesman said, if elected, Labour would "ramp up investment in jobs and energy independence" to a "total of £28bn a year as planned" in the second half of their Parliamentary term. Labour announced the policy in 2021. t originally promised to spend £28bn a year until 2030 on the flagship green project, funded by borrowing. However, in June shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves watered the pledge down, saying the party would invest over time from a 2024 election win, reaching £28bn a year after 2027. A senior source in the Labour leader's office said that was because of the state of the public finances. They stressed that Labour's fiscal rules were more important than any policy. The Conservatives have previously warned of the alleged dangers of the policy - claiming extra borrowing could increase interest rates and mortgage costs.
Be prepared for more and more obfuscation like this in the run-up to the GE, whenever that is going to be. (Some commentators are speculating that Sunak might bring the election forwards to avoid further bad news.)

[Stanley]

See THIS report for some murky news from the upper echelons of the Tory Party.
Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson claims he was offered a financial incentive to defect to another party. Mr Anderson alleges he was offered a job worth the equivalent of five years of an MP's salary in the event he switched but failed to win re-election. Senior Conservative sources say Mr Anderson told them he had been approached by Reform UK. Its leader Richard Tice has denied he offered any MP any money. Mr Anderson issued a statement addressing the claims after they were first reported by the Sunday Times. The newspaper acquired a leaked recording of Mr Anderson saying at an event: "There is a political party that begins with an R that offered me a lot of money to join them. I say a lot of money, I mean a lot of money." It said the comment was made by the Tory MP for Ashfield at a South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association event last month. Mr Tice was asked about the Sunday Times report on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and said he has had "numerous discussions with Tory MPs" but denied offering any money.
I have never understood how or why the egregious Mr Anderson got the job of Deputy Party Chairman and am even more baffled as to why Mr Tice would offer him 'a lot of money' to defect. What is this strange fascination he seems to have for Party Leaders?

[Tripps]

Dramatic emergency meeting of Pendle Council on now. The topic is of course Palestine. Over a hundred watching which is a lot more than usual. Emotional and tearful speeches from Councillors. Adjourned for a procedural matter now. Not sure I fully understand what is going on.
Pendle Council

PS:- They've finished - motion passed, nem con. I didn't get much of it but I feel it's as much about internal Labour Party politics as the well being of the Borough of Pendle. They will write to Andrew Stephens to ask why he missed the vote on a Gaza cease fire, and also to Keir Starmer.

PPS Couldn't help thinking of this recent post. The Deputy Mayor Councillor Mohammad Aslam was present but did not speak.
Deputy Mayor

[Stanley]

I congratulate you on your tenacity David. I wouldn't have the patience to give them the time of day. One has to wonder if there was nothing else that could have benefited more from their time.
I thought the same when I saw THIS as the lead article in BBC political news this morning.
A diplomatic row has broken out between the British and Greek governments over the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due to meet Rishi Sunak in London, but No 10 cancelled the meeting at the last minute. He told reporters he was "deeply disappointed by the abrupt cancellation" of the meeting. Mr Mitsotakis rejected an alternative meeting with the deputy prime minister.
I would have thought that there were more important matters than the Elgin Marbles that need time spending on them.
I get the feeling that Sunak welcomes any and every distraction at the moment. I means he can avoid talking about the matters that really exercise voters and his own Party members, many of whom are said to be furious about the migrant figures. If I was in his shoes I'd call an early election and get the really nasty matters over with......

[Stanley]

There is no serous political news (I don't count statements made on Immigration by a lightweight like Jenrick as serious news....) But THIS is worth a coat of looking over.....
Spending plans outlined in the chancellor's Autumn Statement represent "a very big fiscal risk", according to the UK's official economic forecaster. Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that spending plans carried a level of "uncertainty". He explained that much of the spending promised is funded by projected savings rather than income already received. Last week, the OBR slashed its forecast for UK economic growth. In March, the OBR said it expected GDP - a measure of the size and health of a country's economy - to grow by 1.8% in 2024 and 2.5% in 2025. Those predictions have now been cut, with a new forecast suggesting the UK economy will grow by 0.7% in 2024 and 1.4% in 2025.
Straight economics like this is not eye-catching stuff usually but this should be! What we are looking at here is the view of the official government watchdog committee on the state of UK finances after over 13 years of Tory policies. Hunt tries to portray it as growth and optimism and hints at tax cuts. The reality is that we are in deep trouble and it's getting worse. When will reality dawn on the nation?

[Tripps]

The postman has just been. I think they only deliver every other day - but just circumstantial evidence at the noment.

He delivered Private Eye, and a very impressive double sided A2 size flyer (so that's the equivalent of eight sheets of A4) from "your local candidate". It's a very professional looking document, and crammed full of information pledges and promises.

You need to get down to the very bottom of the final page to discover the one and only use of the word "Conservative".

To parody Lord Alfred Douglas - "The Party that dare not speak it's name"

Did they think we would not notice? Do they think we're stupid? This is Cambridge after all. I sometimes shop at Sainsbury's in Eddington, and occasionally amuse myself by looking around, and thinking that everyone in the shop except me, is at Cambridge University, and is probably on their second degree.

[PostmanPete]

The postman has just been. I think they only deliver every other day - but just circumstantial evidence at the noment.

We seem to get our mail on just a couple of days each week. My 'Private Eye' is regularly up to a week overdue.

The following article goes some way towards explaining the situation -

https://theconversation.com/why-royal-m ... ver-217954

[Tripps]

Thanks for that Pete. It's worse than I thought. I get irritated if The Eye comes on a Thursday !

Is everything in the country going wrong or can we just not cope with the rate of change that is happening in almost everything?

Actually I'd be happy with a five day service and do without a Saturday delivery if it would help. These days most letters are unwelcome.
I did the Christmas Post a long time ago - in the sorting office in Oldham, and on a round, but only for a couple of weeks at a time.

That's probably why I am a good tipper at Christmas.

PS - Just remembered that I have a photo of my local post box. The VR stands for Queen Victoria.

post box.jpg

[Stanley]

" Is everything in the country going wrong or can we just not cope with the rate of change that is happening in almost everything? "
Yes to both of the above. The politicians still have this touching faith in their own abilities to manage what have been professional matters in the past but are now regarded as too important to be entrusted to mere professional experts. Things like transport, the postal services and education all have to be managed by the leaders of the country. Every time they take over a function they find that it is more complicated than they thought and invariably make a mess by confusing activity with action. Consider politicians supervising the negotiation of commercial contracts and you have the answer to why Defence spending is always out of control. Put them in charge of a block of flats and you get a Grenfell Tower. As you said on another matter, I rest my case.
If you need more evidence look at THIS Front page of the headline matters that are considered to be current politics. Find me one positive matter.......
On second thoughts, don't waste your time. just read THIS piece by Chris Mason. In a word, the biggest problem we have at the moment is that we haven't had a competent Prime Minister for decades and it shows.
(And before you ask, I am not convinced that Starmer would be any better.)
(PS and come to think, Sunak doesn't understand good manners if his treatment of the Greek President is anything to go by..... )

[Stanley]

There is no political news..... See THIS report of Matt Hancock at the Covid Enquiry for the standard defence being put up.... 'Not me Guv!'.
Entering lockdown three weeks earlier would have cut deaths in the first Covid wave by 90%, former health secretary Matt Hancock has said. Mr Hancock told the Covid inquiry that with the benefit of hindsight the UK should have locked down much sooner. He also said a "toxic culture" existed in government driven by Dominic Cummings, the PM's chief advisor. But he denied accusations he lied to colleagues during the pandemic.
There is much more in the same vein if you can bear to read it.....
The question is, how will all this help in facing any future pandemic?

[Stanley]

See THIS for what seems to be the main piece of political news this morning.
By Chris Mason political editor, BBC News It felt at times like the trial of Matt Hancock. And, up to a point, it was. I am spending rather a lot of time at the moment on the press bench in the hearing room of the Covid Inquiry. And I have found there are two ways to think of it. The reputation management of the witnesses. And the big picture questions the inquiry is wrestling with.
This is the problem I have. How much of what we are hearing is about people protecting their reputations and how much is going to help in preparing for the next pandemic?
As for 'normal politics', there doesn't seem to be any. If there is it is smothered by electioneering and bad tempered exchanges between Starmer and Sunak. I heard an op-ed piece on R4 yesterday discussing whether Sunak is too thin-skinned to be a politician. At times it certainly feels like that!

[Tripps]

Matt Hancock showed yesterday a common problem in modern politics. When shown to have made a bad decision - he did not immediately admit it, apologise, and change direction; but instead did his best to conceal what had happened, and keep the news out of the media.

I note he had his "the accused" suit on and a brand new haircut. I wonder if the dissembler in chief, Boris will comb his hair next week?

What do we want. . . .