Best Of

The government have spent it's first year and a half looking for trouble. If one of the Palestine Action people die of hunger strike it will be very serious for them. They seem to have gone out of their way to alienate people. Seeing Greta Thunburg arrested just makes them look ridiculous. People have been very patient with Starmer but I think it's now time to get themselves a LABOUR leader. I'd go with Streeting. As much to wash away the detritus that's attached to them as anything else

Leaving aside the merits of the PA proscription, is Greta Thunberg still flavour of the month? I don't seem to stumble upon news about her very much anymore, though I get the impression she has predominantly transitioned from environmental causes to the palestinian cause, so it feels like she needs to get arrested to get attention, which makes it less compelling than, say, reports than 100 grannies have been arrested for doign the same.

The government have spent it's first year and a half looking for trouble. If one of the Palestine Action people die on hunger strike it will be very serious for them. They seem to have gone out of their way to alienate people.

Seeing Greta Thunburg arrested just makes them look ridiculous. People have been very patient with Starmer but I think it's time to get themselves a LABOUR leader. I'd go with Streeting. As much to wash away the detritus that's attached to them as anything else

the hunger strikers. If they die their choice. I see one has stopped today. As for Greta, all performative

Starmer/Reeves in full panic and change IHT for farmers

Have they said they'd reverse that? I'd be surprised. It would lead to a revolt not least from me.

BBC News - Government waters down inheritance tax plan for farms
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e9n3y28g1o

This is the best Christmas present me, my family and my friends could have had. I can now safely sleep at night, that is how bad it has been. Especially for those older than me with serious health issues. Bad news for agricultural valuers of course who would have made a fortune over the arguing the toss over the values of farms. It takes my estate out of the danger zone and so we can now look forwards to building the shed which we have needed for many years.

I had expected this to become a jockeying point when the new Labour leader was selected or else it to be put off for a year, and a year and a year.

They pointed the shotgun at the whole farming industry. We stood up to them and they have blinked. But we won't forget, no we won't forget ...

That is the whole point

The farmers will not forgive or vote labour because of this

They also voted en masse for Brexit and then realised they had screwed themselves. They are the ultimate selfish opportunists who believe the world owes them a living. Of course they won't vote labour.

British farmers do appear to be cretinous, as a class.
Brexit is exhibit 1.

However, if you care about land use and food quality, then you need to care about farmers.

Reeves’s problem is she actively hates much of the country, including farmers.

The amount of political capital burnt in this thing is incredible. Ultimately, the correct decision, tax should be targeted at investors and companies buying land. The vast majority of farm estates will now be exempt, providing they make use of the £5m spouse allowance

The people benefiting from this change are those sitting on a highly tax efficient asset worth many millions who quite sincerely and genuinely want to keep it that way and don't see why they should pay the same tax as say someone running a productive business.

We have to concede an extremely effective lobbying exercise by wealthy landowners but we don't really need to agree with the principle of it. It's far more egregious than WFA for example.

Those who are genuinely worried about family farming would be far better off looking at *incomes* - for instance, supermarket buying practices - and food security.

But this lobbying has been all about protecting capital investment.

It's like houses - those who have houses are treated far better than those without when it comes to IHT. No wonder the values are distorted.

IHT is theft!

Property is theft comrade.

Your family member dies, you're bereaved, and you're left with a massive bill to Haitch-MRC - how does that work?

A family member dies and you're left a massive unearned pot of gold. How is that fair?

Because your family member worked hard all their life and should be allowed to dispose of their savings as they see fit?

Just be grateful and pay the tax.

Let’s say someone has a big success and gets paid a £1m bonus on April 1. They pay income tax on it under PAYE.

They then die on April 8.

And you think the government should have the right to double dip on that income simply because the individual concerned has died?

Yes. The person who has died obviously doesn't care. And the person who inherits is a lucky sod.

The fundamental difference is that I believe people own their assets. You clearly believe that they have them on suffrance from the government

The government have spent it's first year and a half looking for trouble. If one of the Palestine Action people die of hunger strike it will be very serious for them. They seem to have gone out of their way to alienate people. Seeing Greta Thunburg arrested just makes them look ridiculous. People have been very patient with Starmer but I think it's now time to get themselves a LABOUR leader. I'd go with Streeting. As much to wash away the detritus that's attached to them as anything else

Leaving aside the merits of the PA proscription, is Greta Thunberg still flavour of the month? I don't seem to stumble upon news about her very much anymore, though I get the impression she has predominantly transitioned from environmental causes to the palestinian cause, so it feels like she needs to get arrested to get attention, which makes it less compelling than, say, reports than 100 grannies have been arrested for doign the same.

Matt Ridley in a recent Speccie article (worth a read), suggesting that the bottom has fallen out of the climate change market:

A top climate scientist is warning climate change will wipe out humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years,’ tweeted Greta Thunberg in 2018. Five years later she deleted her tweet and shortly after decided that Palestine was a more promising way of staying in the limelight.


https://spectator.com/article/the-great-climate-climbdown-is-finally-here/