POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

Looking at the political news this morning I see the main headline is that 'Truss is to unveil plans to cut energy bills for millions'.
Excuse me but yes we knew that. Please don't fill the news pages with the bleeding obvious!
[I#m afraid the cuts in the BBC news departments are beginning tol show!

[Whyperion]

Just back from 5 days without WiFi so have had to restrict my news to what came through on my phone.

What smacked me in the face if it is right is that Truss has said that she is going to borrow money to give to the energy companies so they don't have to put their prices up! The QE money borrowed will be paid for by the tax payers over the next 25 years!

So, the burden will be moved to the tax payer rather than forcing the energy companies to use their abhorrent profits. I don't pay tax but I pity the buggers that still have to. If this is the kind of policy we have to look forward to I agree, it will be welcome to serfdom for the majority.

you would pay import duties on anything you buy from much of non EU orgin, VAT, Insurance Premium Tax, Council Tax (unless rebated but I wont ask), and of course state pension has been deferred for some, and reduced from its triple lock already - will Truss take a risk and say go for two years average inflation for the next pension uplift as a result of the energy price suppressing loans?

" We'll get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills." Is she talking about us all keeping warm by digging our own graves? " *quote from YT commentator

[plaques]

Took my brand new 'Aspiration' credit card to the supermarket checkout. "Sorry we are told not to accept these until 2050. " Well what about my new 'Deliver, Deliver, Deliver' card then. "Yes that's OK but only on the 'Aspirational' purchases.

Oh, about the loan you are negotiating for me to reduce my immediate energy bills. When I die will it become a debt on my will or does some other sucker pick the tab up.

[PanBiker]

£130 Billion it is reckoned for the already fat cats and we cant offer student nurses a decent wage to attract them to the sector! It's beyond disgraceful but par for the course for Maggie MKII I suppose. She says it will allow the energy companies to use their profits invest in more renewable energy, right, she must think we are all stupid. She's only been in post a day and she gets one of these.

[Whyperion]

Can someone do the calculations, others seem to think there is still a rise in October compared with the April Unit energy rate.


Meanwhile T May questioned why the Tories have produced Three Female PMs and Labour, None. A question worth thinking a little about. The two obvious contenders would have been Barbara Castle, whom in the roles she accepted as minister probably achieved more than the average PM manages to do ( equal pay and a number of other worker rights and transport changes ), and Shirley Williams - whom jumped out to the Social Democrates / LibDems. Margaret Beckett might have been in with a shout but basically it was one of timing as others shortlisted into availability.

[Stanley]

The first thing that struck me about Brenda's demise was what a good job she waited until after Johnson had gone. Otherwise he would have had the perfect distraction to allow him a few more months in power.
The second thing was that some very interesting decisions will have to be made on how much is spent on mourning, funeral and eventually the coronation of Charles III.
Watch out for bad news being released under the smokescreen of mourning.....

[Whyperion]

I would have thought Official Mourning would come with a moratorium of announcements. Anyway there cannot be any more bad news left to come out surely ?

I dont think mourning comes with much of a price - adjustment of a flag on a flagpole and a few rounds (96) of ammo up a ceremonial gun.

Charles can design a new personal flag , mostly used for places not in the commonwealth etc on visits adorning the edge of royal vehicles (are they getting Audis too ? These German things keep appearing in official places everywhere now). Coronation with tourism should be a net benefit to the economy. Probably the funeral too. Plenty of newspapers sold and memorabilia by the ton. Elizabeth was the first monarch on a Bank of England note, will that continue ? At least the Scots wont moan about the reginal number ? on the post boxes (was there a Charles before Charles i of the United Kingdom ?). QCs will have to be reverted to KCs (which is should now last another 3 generations). William gets a Cornish bakery.

[Whyperion]

Parliamentary Business for Friday seems to be warm words for the monarch departed -
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said her death "robs our country of its stillest point, its greatest comfort, at precisely a time when we need those things most".

Former PM Boris Johnson, who met the Queen at Balmoral on Tuesday to stand down, described the Queen as "Elizabeth the Great".


Some BBC reporting is covering HM Queen's patronages of Charities.

[Stanley]

Not sure if Chuck's speech comes under the heading of politics but I listened to it at 18:00 yesterday. It was specifically addressed to the general public here and in the Commonwealth. That being so I believe they made a mistake. Whoever wrote or advised on the content, and you can be sure there was someone, missed the fact that for the last 36 hours we have had a constant threnody on all the media telling us what a wonderful woman the queen was.Nobody is arguing!
King Charles had a chance to do something different and start to set his own tone but instead he talked about 'Mummy' for ten minutes. Nothing wrong with that in the right places and very understandable but this was his opportunity to start to make his mark in the public arena and I'm afraid he fluffed it.

[plaques]

Watch out for bad news being released under the smokescreen of mourning.....

The moratorium on fracking has been dropped. Another manifesto pledge bites the dust.

Fracking and North sea exploration for gas and oil to start up gain with sales to the international markets at international prices. All too ensure that the UK is self sufficient in carbon energy, How does that work if its all sold abroad. Plus the fact that it only exacerbates climate change which is OK because King Charles is against it and he talks to plants so he can safely be ignored.

[Stanley]

Dead right Ken. See Peter's post on climate change yesterday, under pressure from the failing economy and also using the smokescreen of current events we have the ideal opportunity to make some beneficial changes. No surprises here, politicians always take the line of least resistance.
Notice also that in the distraction of current events all talk of helping the poor has ceased. Evidently our leaders believe that the death of the queen overrides worries about penury. The poor are still suffering out there!

[Stanley]

The most stressful time in living memory for the less well off and not a bloody word out of Parliament. Bugger protocol, it's a disgrace and it look as though the moratorium will continue for another seven days. Leaving us all dangling in the wind.....
The only piece of political news I can find is THIS criticism of the sacking of a senior civil servant in the Treasury on the grounds of nothing but dogma. This is not the time for sacking experienced people even if you don't like them. I agree with Robin Butler who was particularly vocal on the subject yesterday.

[plaques]

The only piece of political news I can find is THIS criticism of the sacking of a senior civil servant in the Treasury on the grounds of nothing but dogma. This is not the time for sacking experienced people even if you don't like them. I agree with Robin Butler who was particularly vocal on the subject yesterday.

The Civil service and particularly the Treasury has always been independent of the party in government. Its been their job to advise the government on ALL the alternative options and there resultant outcomes. The government then picks the one that suits their particular dogma leaving the civil servants to carry it out. To select people who will give them what they want and then plead 'there is no alternative' is possibly the Tories attempt at justifying the proposed massive cuts to the established civil service.

There may be no overt business going through parliament but Suella (SUE) Braverman our new Home secretary is in the wings doubling down on Patel's war on immigrants and civil rights. The all thrust is to reduce workers rights and conditions along with the ability to protest including strikes and protest marches. This move to reduce civil rights highlights how near to dictatorship the UK is moving.
The so called illegal immigrant problem is all down to the UK's inability to process the immigrants quick enough. They are not illegal until their application has been processed then if rejected they can then be classed as illegal, The right-wing press will continue to use the wrong terminology hoping that it will detract from thinking about food banks and energy prices. Do I smell another dead cat on the table?

[Stanley]

"This move to reduce civil rights highlights how near to dictatorship the UK is moving. "
Quite right to raise this possibility Ken. Too much radically bad news is slipping in under the radar. Orwell and 1984 keep intruding in my thoughts.....

[plaques]

It would appear that Vladimir Putin was the first person to congratulate Charles on his accession to the throne. This may be the first step in diplomatic overtures to bring some normality to what is happening in Europe. On the other hand the loophole in the law that allows people to anonymously own property through offshore accounts has resulted in London being renamed Londongrad.
Going back even further the UK was tied to Russia through connections with the Royal family. Is this another string he is pulling. As Tripps mentioned another read of 'War of the Windsors' looks on the cards.

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Nicholas 2.jpg

[Stanley]

On the other hand the Windsors as they had become and our political classes didn't help the Romanovs a lot when they needed asylum. It was refused and they were all killed..... Hard to guess what Putin would think about that.....

[Tizer]

Our King Charles III is referred to by Russians as King Karl III. Apparently they always use a Germanic version for our Monarch.

This is no surprise to us on OG...
`Rich to get twice as much cost-of-living support, says think tank' LINK
`Rich households will receive twice as much support aimed at reducing the cost of living than poorer households next year, a think tank has claimed. The Resolution Foundation said if the government cuts National Insurance and limits energy bill rises, richer homes will get £4,700 in 2023, compared to £2,200 for the poorest. A typical household energy bill will be limited to £2,500 annually until 2024. The think tank said "details and costings" were missing from the plan.'...

[Stanley]

I have gradually warmed to the reports from the Resolution Foundation. I have a healthy suspicion of quangos but now have elevated the RF almost to the same level as Joseph Rowntree. The RF are of course quite right but the Treasury argue that the quick and dirty option will get money to the poorest quickest and ensure that fewer are missed. That could well be right but surely it isn't beyond the wit of the civil servants to level the playing field a bit....
I see that Johnson is talking about the Queen's sense of duty and other good qualities. Quite how he is qualified to judge on these matters escapes me. In case anyone has forgotten he was thrown out of office by his own Party Members because he was so lacking in any of these good qualities. Like Andrew he is using this event as a smoke screen to cover his arse and retain a legacy.
Otherwise politics is paralysed until next week.....

[Tizer]

I think all costings of projects now are subject to the problem we've seen with Covid - money skimmed off at all levels, legal or illegal, and no way of knowing how much until after the event. Diversion of funds into too many pockets. We're becoming like a `banana republic'.

[Stanley]

I think we have been one for a while Peter. Look at the way the PPE contracts were pounced on and manipulated. PE has published eye-watering profit levels but nobody seems to be taking any notice.....
See THIS for a current example. Quasi Kwarteng is 'looking at' scrapping the cap imposed under EU rules on banker's bonuses. Laxer regulation.....

[plaques]

Meanwhile the 'illegal' actually asylum migrants are crossing the Channel in ever increasing numbers. Sue Braverman will be looking at more extreme measures to pump up this area of populism. Nobody knows yet what may happen but the feeling is that it will probably be illegal leading to more pressure on reducing the Human Rights legislation.
On immigrants one of the cause célèbre of the Conservatives was to limit any benefit payments until they had contributed to the system for around six years. The claim was it would be prevented by EU rules. Actually the EU would have allowed this move provided it applied to everyone including British Nationals. This was a step too far for even the Conservatives but now we are out of the EU it could be on the cards again. A nice bit of populism for Braverman but perhaps a bit too xenophobic for the rest of the country. Watch this space.

[Stanley]

How the hell did we ever allow our selves to descend to this level? I fear you are right yet again, the Rwanda option has not had the desired effect, indeed many think it's actually been used as a selling point by the people smugglers.

[Tizer]

The European continent is swinging to the right and populism. France and Italy have been in the news, now it's Sweden...
`Magdalena Andersson: Swedish PM resigns as right-wing parties win vote' LINK

[Whyperion]

Looking at the political news this morning I see the main headline is that 'Truss is to unveil plans to cut energy bills for millions'.
Excuse me but yes we knew that. Please don't fill the news pages with the bleeding obvious!
[I#m afraid the cuts in the BBC news departments are beginning tol show!

Its not a cut, it is a reduction of the amount of an increase.

Bank of England says that with more people now having more money to spend on things other than fuel that is inflationary , therefore interest rates will have to rise.

Bank of England also says that increases in the price of fuel show up in inflation figures, therefore interest rates must rise reduce people borrowing and spending money they dont have pushing up prices generally.

Logic must be to bring down the cost of fuel and inflation is not to buy fuel. (Perhaps it should be rationed and vouchers given out to OAPs instead to get top ups for their key meters paid by Govt ?)

[plaques]

Bank of England also says that increases in the price of fuel show up in inflation figures, therefore interest rates must rise reduce people borrowing and spending money they dont have pushing up prices generally.

From the above we can safely say that the cost of living crisis is all down to people who don't have any money to spend so are borrowing it at 19%+ on silly thing like petrol to get to work, energy to heat their homes and food to put on the table. The BofE response is to make borrowing more expensive to stop these luxury spending sprees. Liz Truss and her government are doing their best to keep wages down making people borrow more so that the BofE can put interest rates up to stop people buying things.
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Snake eating its tail.jpg

On the other hand the rich don't have to borrow in order to spend so we can safely give them some more without affecting the cost of living.

Pardon me but there are some men in white coats at the door.