I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Barclays charge me £7.50 a quarter for an account for a limited company, which I think allows me to pay in some number of cheques for free, although I never have.
Will you be handling cash too? Especially coins?
My experience with Barclays business banking has been very poor. No “service” apart from an idiot who seemed disappointed that I didn’t want to borrow money at credit card like rates….
In very unrelated news, I'm finding the experience of Covid extremely boring. I'm feeling a bit sinusy and achy but otherwise not too bad (wouldn't have known about it if I'd not tested). However, I tried to drink a can of Irn Bru like a good Scotsman as I have done many times before and now I feel very sick. This is a cruel, cruel virus...
There’s definitely a book or two to be written, on how the Ukranian army managed to go from Soviet military doctrine, to NATO doctrine, in only a few short years since 2014. This sort of thing usually takes several generations, requiring everyone from the top down to get with the program.
Their heavy defeat in 2014 seems to have had the effect it sometimes has on armies - all the vested interests were on the table, and all the bullshit reasons for not changing we’re swept away.
It must have been a combination of willingness to change and the external support offered.
That and the Ukrainians have taken things further than the West in some areas. If the reports are correct, their target designation and allocation database system is something that has been talked about but not implemented in Western militaries. Because “doctrine”….
Yes, absolutely. There’s also been a lot of innovative uses of technology seen for the first time in a land war, things like using almost invisible consumer drones for reconnaissance, and as spotters for artillery.
And sticking bricks of semtex to them and flying them into ammunition depots.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
Ltd Co. That was desirable from several points of view.
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Just open an account with one of the better high street operations & accept that it costs money? Free current accounts for consumers are loss makers for banks - businesses get charged something closer to the actual cost of providing the service.
Interesting PMQs. Truss did well. New PMs always do. Curious new Tory concept to borrow billions to lower taxes. Will be interesting to see how that goes, but Thatcherite economics this is not.
If the economy tanks, she’s out. If she manages to engineer a boom, she might hang on.
I just can't see how she engineers a boom. Neither can Norman Lamont.
You don’t tax your way to growth, you borrow your way to growth was my main take out from her messaging - and it seems like that will be the defining message of her tenure.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
In very unrelated news, I'm finding the experience of Covid extremely boring. I'm feeling a bit sinusy and achy but otherwise not too bad (wouldn't have known about it if I'd not tested). However, I tried to drink a can of Irn Bru like a good Scotsman as I have done many times before and now I feel very sick. This is a cruel, cruel virus...
Commiserations. It's a vile experience (and my theory is that Auchentoshan made the way it is to go with Irn-Bru, being where it is). Covid, not so much.
Interesting PMQs. Truss did well. New PMs always do. Curious new Tory concept to borrow billions to lower taxes. Will be interesting to see how that goes, but Thatcherite economics this is not.
If the economy tanks, she’s out. If she manages to engineer a boom, she might hang on.
I just can't see how she engineers a boom. Neither can Norman Lamont.
You don’t tax your way to growth, you borrow your way to growth was my main take out from her messaging - and it seems like that will be the defining message of her tenure.
I accept that. I just don't see it working. Barty will be along in a moment to put me right.
In very unrelated news, I'm finding the experience of Covid extremely boring. I'm feeling a bit sinusy and achy but otherwise not too bad (wouldn't have known about it if I'd not tested). However, I tried to drink a can of Irn Bru like a good Scotsman as I have done many times before and now I feel very sick. This is a cruel, cruel virus...
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
It makes the accounting much, much easier if you maintain separate bank accounts. Also helps if the IR come knocking, assuming you haven’t been fiddling the books & everything is above board in the first place of course.
A small step forward, and it would have been a terrible look to deny the SNP the right to intervene even in these 'make the Nats illegal' times.
What does 'intervene' mean in this case?
'The party had applied to be allowed to submit its own arguments to the court in early August, despite the Scottish Government’s top law officer – Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain – already having submitted a case.
The UK Government has also submitted and published its own arguments in the indyref2 case.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that the SNP would be allowed to intervene and submit a third written case – but it had to be limited to 20 pages and must avoid “repetition of the Lord Advocate’s arguments”.'
Obvs there will be an element of response to the UKG arguments, I should think.
Free world - they can ask if they want. Courts don't do balance otherwise, as far as I understand matters. (They might have already: I haven't been following in detail).
Interesting PMQs. Truss did well. New PMs always do. Curious new Tory concept to borrow billions to lower taxes. Will be interesting to see how that goes, but Thatcherite economics this is not.
If the economy tanks, she’s out. If she manages to engineer a boom, she might hang on.
I just can't see how she engineers a boom. Neither can Norman Lamont.
You don’t tax your way to growth, you borrow your way to growth was my main take out from her messaging - and it seems like that will be the defining message of her tenure.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
In very unrelated news, I'm finding the experience of Covid extremely boring. I'm feeling a bit sinusy and achy but otherwise not too bad (wouldn't have known about it if I'd not tested). However, I tried to drink a can of Irn Bru like a good Scotsman as I have done many times before and now I feel very sick. This is a cruel, cruel virus...
Commiserations. It's a vile experience (and my theory is that Auchentoshan made the way it is to go with Irn-Bru, being where it is). Covid, not so much.
The biggest issue is that it might, yet again, derail my desire to go to the Battle of Britain Airshow. I've been trying to go for five years but something always buggers up my plans just before. Last year it sold out just as I confirmed I could make it. The year before it was cancelled. The year before I couldn't get leave and so on.
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
Carfull what you wish for,
Heck, he would go up in my estimation a lot. I admire people who put themselves up for election - whether they win or lose. It requires guts and a self-confidence that I simply do not have.
But talking heads like Jones have a power that is utterly unbacked by any real talent or compromise. What has he done in life? Write a book?
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
It makes the accounting much, much easier if you maintain separate bank accounts. Also helps if the IR come knocking, assuming you haven’t been fiddling the books & everything is above board in the first place of course.
Sure, separate bank account needed I agree. But it can be a non-business account if you are just self employed.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Just open an account with one of the better high street operations & accept that it costs money? Free current accounts for consumers are loss makers for banks - businesses get charged something closer to the actual cost of providing the service.
Current issue is that as @RochdalePioneers will point out getting a high street bank to open a business account takes years...
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
He wouldn't get on a shortlist under Starmer.
Well he won't now, will he!
Screeching "You're a liar!!!!" at the party leader (whilst backtracking from your comments ("Hey, I shop at Waitrose" and "He knows me, but we've only met a few times aside from one of my best mates who works for him" etc etc) will not enamour him to the saner parts of the party.
In very unrelated news, I'm finding the experience of Covid extremely boring. I'm feeling a bit sinusy and achy but otherwise not too bad (wouldn't have known about it if I'd not tested). However, I tried to drink a can of Irn Bru like a good Scotsman as I have done many times before and now I feel very sick. This is a cruel, cruel virus...
Commiserations. It's a vile experience (and my theory is that Auchentoshan made the way it is to go with Irn-Bru, being where it is). Covid, not so much.
The biggest issue is that it might, yet again, derail my desire to go to the Battle of Britain Airshow. I've been trying to go for five years but something always buggers up my plans just before. Last year it sold out just as I confirmed I could make it. The year before it was cancelled. The year before I couldn't get leave and so on.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Barclays charge me £7.50 a quarter for an account for a limited company, which I think allows me to pay in some number of cheques for free, although I never have.
Will you be handling cash too? Especially coins?
For relatively light use, a NatWest business account is very cheap. No standing charge, just charges for payments: 35p / electronic debit or deposit, 70p per cheque. If your business only makes a few transactions a month it has to be one of the cheapest business account around?
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Just open an account with one of the better high street operations & accept that it costs money? Free current accounts for consumers are loss makers for banks - businesses get charged something closer to the actual cost of providing the service.
Current issue is that as @RochdalePioneers will point out getting a high street bank to open a business account takes years...
Is that a post-covid thing? NatWest did it for me in 24 hours, but I did have a long standing current account with them.
I think a lot depends on whether you already have an account with the bank or not. If they have to go through a full KYC process in order to open an account then it’s going to be painful.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
It is astonishing how addicted both she and Johnson have been to boxing themselves in - and usually entirely unnecessarily, because they were either bound to win whatever election they were fighting or (as things are now) had just won an election, and so should have been under no pressure whatsoever to hamper their own freedom of action.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
Whereas you are right on her having fully ruled out screwing the energy companies, which the public quite like, you are being unfair on her general performance which was pretty good.
This is a remarkable statement regards the British Bill Of Rights.
'Furthermore, it would mean that we would own it. When the deportation of a foreign national offender gets blocked it would no longer have because of 'Labour's Human Rights Act' but instead it would be because of the 'Tories Bill of Rights'
Do our leaders want responsibility or not? It suits them to have decisions made by judges far away who they can blame. And then they worry that people want an authoritarian leader.......
Today I saw petrol at sub £1.60 for the first time since i'm not sure when. Not in a supermarket but a main road Jet station near Ferryhill.
The Jet garage at J59 of the A1M is the same £1.599
In March, when the price of oil was similar the price was £1.48/litre. And that was before a fuel duty cut. Even accounting for a lag, someone is making a few quid out of this. Prices remain high.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
I thought she did OK at PMQs. I wouldn't vote for her.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
A windfall tax has already been taken, extending its scope to fund 4% of the proposed action is a sideline at best, especially as that extension is at the expense of incentives to invest in green energy. Long term levies. Thats your puppy.
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
The TRULY great thing about this coast is that it’s all protected. It’s a national park AND a series of regional parks. Fiercely maintained. You can’t build a small garden shed without permission
So this - the last great totally-unspoiled coast in southwest Europe, will remain unspoiled
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
Ltd Co. That was desirable from several points of view.
Banks have been lousy for businesses, trusts and the like for years. Our Parish Council had a shocking time with bank account opening attempts a while back. Money laundering rules are a pain on top of general inefficiencies. In the end they went to Unity Trust bank and they have been excellent. I'm guessing it won't be free though.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
My advice is not to go for cheap. Banking should probably be one of your lowest overheads, and you certainly don't want to be wasting hours with cheap solutions that generally are not much cheaper than the more "expensive". I have used Barclays for quite a few of the years I have been in business. I don't have any complaints.
Barclays appear not to be taking new small business accounts at the moment for some reason.
Have you set up as a ltd company or as self-employed? If the latter just don't bother with a business account.
Ltd Co. That was desirable from several points of view.
I suspect you would be better of treating the organ playing, cheque generating business as self employment and use your limited company for everything else
Multiple reasons for that 1 of which is NI contributions are lower if you need to pay for years down the line...
Interesting PMQs. Truss did well. New PMs always do. Curious new Tory concept to borrow billions to lower taxes. Will be interesting to see how that goes, but Thatcherite economics this is not.
If the economy tanks, she’s out. If she manages to engineer a boom, she might hang on.
I just can't see how she engineers a boom. Neither can Norman Lamont.
You don’t tax your way to growth, you borrow your way to growth was my main take out from her messaging - and it seems like that will be the defining message of her tenure.
Very Brownian economics. Very 2008.
Meaning anyone supporting it is turning into a socialist - or new Labour socialist-lite - in front our eyes?
I’m asking myself, 1 day in this is already very odd. Do socialist price controls and imprudent borrow and spending policies match the liberal market capitalism rhetoric from a politician?
What’s actually missing here, the “impersonator” lacking even an ounce of the courage of the “original”?
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
What's he irate about? Couldn't find the tweet.
He did a video where he lambasted Starmer and his supporters. Starmer was then asked about it on the Vine show, and he responded calmly and relatively eloquently, which appears to have just enraged Jones all the more.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
I thought she did OK at PMQs. I wouldn't vote for her.
No, but im not expecting her to get 60% miraculously or anything like that. If the initial impact is broadly positive or more positive than negative tgen the uncertains starrt to climb back on board and she bounces (without neefing a single switcher). Does she get tory WNV reengaged is the key
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
A windfall tax has already been taken, extending its scope to fund 4% of the proposed action is a sideline at best, especially as that extension is at the expense of incentives to invest in green energy. Long term levies. Thats your puppy.
Downing Street has confirmed the windfall tax already agreed remains so any windfall tax from labour can only marginally increase revenue if they close the so called loopholes
I've just watched one of Owen Jones's latest missives on Twitter (the one posted two days ago). And, my goodness, can someone send for the RNLI? He's drowning in salty, salty tears.
Here's an idea for him: if he's so irate, then stand for election for Labour. Then he might actually do something for people.
What's he irate about? Couldn't find the tweet.
He did a video where he lambasted Starmer and his supporters. Starmer was then asked about it on the Vine show, and he responded calmly and relatively eloquently, which appears to have just enraged Jones all the more.
As the great Murray Watts said:
'If somebody speaks angrily to you, do not reply in kind, but give him a soft answer. It is commanded by the Holy Writ, and furthermore, it makes him far madder than anything else you could say.'
The TRULY great thing about this coast is that it’s all protected. It’s a national park AND a series of regional parks. Fiercely maintained. You can’t build a small garden shed without permission
So this - the last great totally-unspoiled coast in southwest Europe, will remain unspoiled
Well done Portugal
If only Greece was doing the same, and Italy before had done. There's still miles of coastline in Greece like this, but the way things are going, in 20 years there won't be.
To counter any feeling of 'Truss might not be so bad', there has been an absolute torrent of invective about her on the chat at my public sector workplace - complaining about 'British workers need more graft' (the irony of British workers spending their worktime gossiping on Teams was not commented on); complaining about her unsoundness on trans rights, complaining about her unsoundness on climate change, complaining meanwhile about Keir Starmer's uselessness and pining instead for Angela Rayner. All par for the course in a public sector workplace and probably has been for a decade or more, but she clearly hasn't changed the landscape yet. Meanwhile another colleague is enthusiastically looking forward to Scotland leaving the UK so he can move to Scotland and rejoin the EU. I raised doubts about how Scotland would do economically, which he countered with 'well there are a lot of small, poor countries in the EU - Bulgaria and Portugal seem to do ok.' I thought this was maybe a bit of a steep price to pay for rejoining the promised land, but there you go.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
I'm very supportive of energy from waste and relieved to know that my black bin waste goes to the local incinerator in Bermondsey rather than landfill, but I can confirm it's objectively much more of an eyesore than a landscape of wind turbines. It doesn't generate a huge amount of electricity either, though it does do the nifty thing of community water heating, which is very common in parts of Northern Europe yet almost unheard of in Britain.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Barclays charge me £7.50 a quarter for an account for a limited company, which I think allows me to pay in some number of cheques for free, although I never have.
Will you be handling cash too? Especially coins?
For relatively light use, a NatWest business account is very cheap. No standing charge, just charges for payments: 35p / electronic debit or deposit, 70p per cheque. If your business only makes a few transactions a month it has to be one of the cheapest business account around?
Tide, Starling or if you want branches where you can talk to people who can do things, then Metro. Avoid the big banks imo.
Interesting PMQs. Truss did well. New PMs always do. Curious new Tory concept to borrow billions to lower taxes. Will be interesting to see how that goes, but Thatcherite economics this is not.
If the economy tanks, she’s out. If she manages to engineer a boom, she might hang on.
I just can't see how she engineers a boom. Neither can Norman Lamont.
You don’t tax your way to growth, you borrow your way to growth was my main take out from her messaging - and it seems like that will be the defining message of her tenure.
Very Brownian economics. Very 2008.
Brown's main focus was always on redistribution, so very different to Trussonomics.
The pb.com tories are going to be in danger of ripping their glanses right off when Jizzy Lizzy launches her CoL/Energy bullshit. Fantastic or brilliant? The voters will decide.
BREAKING: Scotland's Deputy FM John Swinney announces £500million of cuts to start paying for £700m of increased public sector pay rises (council workers, ScotRail) including £52m cut for employability schemes. Swinney says it's "just the beginning of hard choices"
To counter any feeling of 'Truss might not be so bad', there has been an absolute torrent of invective about her on the chat at my public sector workplace - complaining about 'British workers need more graft' (the irony of British workers spending their worktime gossiping on Teams was not commented on); complaining about her unsoundness on trans rights, complaining about her unsoundness on climate change, complaining meanwhile about Keir Starmer's uselessness and pining instead for Angela Rayner. All par for the course in a public sector workplace and probably has been for a decade or more, but she clearly hasn't changed the landscape yet. Meanwhile another colleague is enthusiastically looking forward to Scotland leaving the UK so he can move to Scotland and rejoin the EU. I raised doubts about how Scotland would do economically, which he countered with 'well there are a lot of small, poor countries in the EU - Bulgaria and Portugal seem to do ok.' I thought this was maybe a bit of a steep price to pay for rejoining the promised land, but there you go.
Any 'shes planning to sell the NHS' bullshit making an early appearance?
The pb.com tories are going to be in danger of ripping their glanses right off when Jizzy Lizzy launches her CoL/Energy bullshit. Fantastic or brilliant? The voters will decide.
There’s definitely a book or two to be written, on how the Ukranian army managed to go from Soviet military doctrine, to NATO doctrine, in only a few short years since 2014. This sort of thing usually takes several generations, requiring everyone from the top down to get with the program.
Their heavy defeat in 2014 seems to have had the effect it sometimes has on armies - all the vested interests were on the table, and all the bullshit reasons for not changing we’re swept away.
It must have been a combination of willingness to change and the external support offered.
That and the Ukrainians have taken things further than the West in some areas. If the reports are correct, their target designation and allocation database system is something that has been talked about but not implemented in Western militaries. Because “doctrine”….
That sounds much more believable than the Ukrainian side using standard NATO doctrine and the Russian side not being prepared to meet it.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
I'm very supportive of energy from waste and relieved to know that my black bin waste goes to the local incinerator in Bermondsey rather than landfill, but I can confirm it's objectively much more of an eyesore than a landscape of wind turbines. It doesn't generate a huge amount of electricity either, though it does do the nifty thing of community water heating, which is very common in parts of Northern Europe yet almost unheard of in Britain.
There's one of those complete with water heating not far from Edinburgh.
The other reason to recycle/burn waste is that we are running out of holes in the ground anyway, so good to reduce the amount of stuff to put in the hole.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
I thought she did OK at PMQs. I wouldn't vote for her.
No, but im not expecting her to get 60% miraculously or anything like that. If the initial impact is broadly positive or more positive than negative tgen the uncertains starrt to climb back on board and she bounces (without neefing a single switcher). Does she get tory WNV reengaged is the key
I am sure she engages some who were repelled by Johnson, but then Johnson's shouty appeal was such that Truss's calmness may well encourage some Johnsonians to stay at home or vote Labour. I don't know?
I doubt whether her package of measures to alleviate the energy crisis is the magic electoral bullet some on here expect. Some people are already up Sh1t Street. Bernard Jenkin said yesterday that she was simultaneously facing the Five Horseman of the Apocalypse. Let's assume she has faced down one of them (which I doubt) she still has four more to go. On today's performance she deserves a bounce, but I am sceptical it will last.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
I'm very supportive of energy from waste and relieved to know that my black bin waste goes to the local incinerator in Bermondsey rather than landfill, but I can confirm it's objectively much more of an eyesore than a landscape of wind turbines. It doesn't generate a huge amount of electricity either, though it does do the nifty thing of community water heating, which is very common in parts of Northern Europe yet almost unheard of in Britain.
There's a plentiful supply too. 30% of our non-recyclable waste doesn't currently get used in this way. What a waste. Of waste.
New appointments: Robert Jenrick MP as a Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care; Rachel Maclean MP as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice; Victoria Prentis MP as a Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions https://bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62812442
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
Whereas you are right on her having fully ruled out screwing the energy companies, which the public quite like, you are being unfair on her general performance which was pretty good.
Fair enough if you like the “Maggie inside a Dalek” style, but the substance we are getting is pretty bizarre and second rate.
I don’t just mean there will be devil in the detail behind the “£190B of support for families and businesses” newspaper front pages actually means regressive package of bungs to people who don’t need it, still too much hardship for the poor, and in the case of furlough £30B handed over to organised crime due to slack management all ultimately failing the VFM judgement - there will be plenty of that for opponents to get stuck into. No, I’m talking about the art to politics, where whatever you do it is never known for how good it is, it’s only known for how you allowed your opponents to define it. On that measurement it was a blundering PMQs, and awful start for Liz Truss.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
Yep, Labour got what they wanted out of PMQ - a firm commitment from Truss not to levy a windfall tax on energy companies. When the announcement is made tomorrow that will now be a major talking point and the Tories will have to explain why they think it is a bad idea.
I was discussing with our chief economist earlier and we couldn't think of any government worldwide with a platform that combines full on Thatcherite supply-side policies with an intensely relaxed attitude to fiscal balance and the deficit. MMT combined with monetarism.
Ah, to be clear: the military understanding of the term “foraging” at the time meant the taking of food stores built up by the peasantry. This is why military campaigns tended to be timed so that you ran out of your initial food stocks shortly after the first harvest of the year - you rode in, took as much of the harvest as you deemed appropriate & moved on to the next village. No military operated by actually harvesting the crops themselves: that’s far too slow & leaves you vulnerable to counter-attack.
I suspect they would just as happily have taken potato stocks as they would wheat, barley or oat stocks. Anything portable and resistant to rot would do. The potato’s effect on society was more down to its enormously improved calorie yield per acre compared with other crops, plus the fact that you could grow them almost anywhere.
You don’t have to dig and store potatoes - they could be kept underground until the army had passed… (or the peasants were hungry)
I imagine armies would have adapted to the idea of having to dig up a potato crop. The Roman army apparently issued its soldiers with sickles, so its foraging parties were capable of taking standing grain from the fields, threshing it in camp and then hand-milling it to bake into bread. In comparison, digging up potatoes is fairly straightforward, so even armies without the discipline of the Romans could I guess have managed it if necessary. (Source: https://acoup.blog/2022/07/29/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-ii-foraging/ )
It’s not efficient - not in big fields but grown in gardens and clearings. If you don’t know what the leaves look like…
Interestingly when France and Austria marched through Prussia and saw the benefits (Frederik had handed out free potato plants to the population) they copied the strategy… so it must have worked
I was a spad in MOJ under @RobertBuckland and, until yesterday, in the No 10 Policy Unit where I worked on constitutional issues for the past three years.
🧵on this important announcement 👇
TL;DR: This is great news but would be a mistake to see it from a left v right pov
Ultimately, the Bill of Rights sought to provide a domestic solution to a problem that only had an international solution. When you look at it, it has a number of provisions that look like red meat, but actually, it is a vegan steak
To Liz Truss's credit, it looks like she wants to focus on effective reforms and so has wisely chosen to drop this Bill even if it might cause a backlash from the right of the party
Alternatively, this is a bit of a power grab by the Home Office which will try to pass the stuff they want to do rather than have a big Bill of Rights with a target on its back. It may be worth holding back on the cheering until we see what they might replace it with.
There’s definitely a book or two to be written, on how the Ukranian army managed to go from Soviet military doctrine, to NATO doctrine, in only a few short years since 2014. This sort of thing usually takes several generations, requiring everyone from the top down to get with the program.
Their heavy defeat in 2014 seems to have had the effect it sometimes has on armies - all the vested interests were on the table, and all the bullshit reasons for not changing we’re swept away.
It must have been a combination of willingness to change and the external support offered.
That and the Ukrainians have taken things further than the West in some areas. If the reports are correct, their target designation and allocation database system is something that has been talked about but not implemented in Western militaries. Because “doctrine”….
That sounds much more believable than the Ukrainian side using standard NATO doctrine and the Russian side not being prepared to meet it.
The Russian side still seem to be in the mindset of keep feeding men into the mincing machine. 50,000 comrades so far, that’s 50,000 wives and mothers who have pointlessly lost a loved one, to keep Putin’s imperialist ambitions alive.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
I'm very supportive of energy from waste and relieved to know that my black bin waste goes to the local incinerator in Bermondsey rather than landfill, but I can confirm it's objectively much more of an eyesore than a landscape of wind turbines. It doesn't generate a huge amount of electricity either, though it does do the nifty thing of community water heating, which is very common in parts of Northern Europe yet almost unheard of in Britain.
There's a plentiful supply too. 30% of our non-recyclable waste doesn't currently get used in this way. What a waste. Of waste.
Energy from waste with CCS would be carbon neutral or possibly carbon-negative as some of the waste (that doesn't go to composting) is biomass.
Thought an interesting question today was Peter Bottomley's on local planning control over bigger projects.
Truss was all spades in the ground yesterday, yet seemed quite warm towards the local control thing.
They are not direct opposite statements but they do point in somewhat different directions, be interesting how that plays out.
I cannot at present figure out how she will marry those two together. The 'more local control' is generally a cover for NIMBYs in the shires so went down well with the members (though issues of specific targets can indeed be unfair on localities), but government policy has long been trying to make things easier, not harder, hence the proposals that got Jenrick fired.
Honestly, giving locals more control over smaller projects but less on bigger projects seems more the way to go - when the country really needs the big stuff, holding it up locally forever just stores up problems, so you need to shortcut that, but the tradeoff is the much more common local stuff they have greater say over than now.
One possible squaring of the circle - local control of aspects of development. So central government says “build x homes in the area” and locally “… in this way/style to fit in”
They should do that with electricity generation as well. "I require that you bring me a gigawatt. I don't care how you do it, just get it done".
Local councils can't build nuclear power stations or offshore wind farms unfortunately. Only choice would be onshore wind or solar farms. They could put solar panels on all council buildings, schools etc.
Not currently but when Rolls Royce's mini nuclear stations start appearing....
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
They could do energy from waste. It's renewable, and makes a lot more sense than putting it in landfill and letting the greenhouse gases leach out anyway, or exporting the waste. It's also less of an eyesore than windmills and a lot more reliable than windmills or solar.
I'm very supportive of energy from waste and relieved to know that my black bin waste goes to the local incinerator in Bermondsey rather than landfill, but I can confirm it's objectively much more of an eyesore than a landscape of wind turbines. It doesn't generate a huge amount of electricity either, though it does do the nifty thing of community water heating, which is very common in parts of Northern Europe yet almost unheard of in Britain.
It's a complete bugger to be on at the moment because your heat producer is commercial not residential and unlikely to be covered by caps.
Today I saw petrol at sub £1.60 for the first time since i'm not sure when. Not in a supermarket but a main road Jet station near Ferryhill.
The Jet garage at J59 of the A1M is the same £1.599
In March, when the price of oil was similar the price was £1.48/litre. And that was before a fuel duty cut. Even accounting for a lag, someone is making a few quid out of this. Prices remain high.
To counter any feeling of 'Truss might not be so bad', there has been an absolute torrent of invective about her on the chat at my public sector workplace - complaining about 'British workers need more graft' (the irony of British workers spending their worktime gossiping on Teams was not commented on); complaining about her unsoundness on trans rights, complaining about her unsoundness on climate change, complaining meanwhile about Keir Starmer's uselessness and pining instead for Angela Rayner. All par for the course in a public sector workplace and probably has been for a decade or more, but she clearly hasn't changed the landscape yet. Meanwhile another colleague is enthusiastically looking forward to Scotland leaving the UK so he can move to Scotland and rejoin the EU. I raised doubts about how Scotland would do economically, which he countered with 'well there are a lot of small, poor countries in the EU - Bulgaria and Portugal seem to do ok.' I thought this was maybe a bit of a steep price to pay for rejoining the promised land, but there you go.
That certainly doesn't counter my feeling of 'Truss might not be so bad'.
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
I thought she did OK at PMQs. I wouldn't vote for her.
No, but im not expecting her to get 60% miraculously or anything like that. If the initial impact is broadly positive or more positive than negative tgen the uncertains starrt to climb back on board and she bounces (without neefing a single switcher). Does she get tory WNV reengaged is the key
I am sure she engages some who were repelled by Johnson, but then Johnson's shouty appeal was such that Truss's calmness may well encourage some Johnsonians to stay at home or vote Labour. I don't know?
I doubt whether her package of measures to alleviate the energy crisis is the magic electoral bullet some on here expect. Some people are already up Sh1t Street. Bernard Jenkin said yesterday that she was simultaneously facing the Five Horseman of the Apocalypse. Let's assume she has faced down one of them (which I doubt) she still has four more to go. On today's performance she deserves a bounce, but I am sceptical it will last.
Oh i agree, it lasting is another thing entirely. She needs to get us through in better shape than the EU/US etc to have hope of maintaining support but that will still be shite for millions. Its bleak everywhere rn
French government inquiry confirms (as reported earlier by investigative media) that the initial IHU-Marseille hydroxychloroquine study was faked, with different criteria for +ve/-ve PCR tests being applied to the two groups. This is straight-up scientific fraud. https://twitter.com/sTeamTraen/status/1567180972268871680
PB as a microcosm of the electorate experiment. Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course. Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
On PB, not answerable to the voters, not catastrophic if you u turn, you can say what you are thinking today, if asked “will you use a bit of windfall tax extension to help pay” you can say no.
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
Yep, Labour got what they wanted out of PMQ - a firm commitment from Truss not to levy a windfall tax on energy companies. When the announcement is made tomorrow that will now be a major talking point and the Tories will have to explain why they think it is a bad idea.
They will just say 'we have already levied a windfall tax 3 months ago'
Interesting observation: they are both running at similar levels of “don’t knows”.
About a third of people don’t have a view on the woman who has been in the government for a decade or the man who has been leader of the opposition for two and a half years.
I'm trying to find an account for my new business. It's proving tricky for all sorts of reasons. I've been working with Virgin Money to open an account so far but I'm seriously unimpressed - they keep losing correspondence and their emails are masterpieces in missing the point, which is why a month in they still haven't opened an account.
Is there any reasonably good, preferably free or very cheap, business account out there suitable for a start up? I'm not looking for anything very elaborate although the ability to pay cheques in would be an advantage.
Barclays charge me £7.50 a quarter for an account for a limited company, which I think allows me to pay in some number of cheques for free, although I never have.
Will you be handling cash too? Especially coins?
For relatively light use, a NatWest business account is very cheap. No standing charge, just charges for payments: 35p / electronic debit or deposit, 70p per cheque. If your business only makes a few transactions a month it has to be one of the cheapest business account around?
Tide, Starling or if you want branches where you can talk to people who can do things, then Metro. Avoid the big banks imo.
Some friends went with Metro for their small company. They were OK I think, but again it did take a while to get sorted out.
Comments
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-cheap-grenades-expensive-tanks/31835434.html
Hard to believe this exists in Western Europe. It’s more like Namibia or Western Australia
This is an unbelievable coast
Ukrainian forces have entered Shevchenkove heaviest fighting continues.
This is a huge advance!
https://twitter.com/WarMonitor3/status/1567508891193286656
Based on the cautiously and fairly positive reaction so far from a number of our right leaning and centrist (unionist) posters it suggests, extrapolated to the wider world, a bounce. To be impacted by tomorrows announcements of course.
Thunder greets this post in Norwich.........
But that was so dumb for Truss to do at PMQs. She should have listed the reasons why not, and not given the opposition the straight answer they wanted. What you are calling here good was actually so dumb, she allowed her opponents to completely box her in and take that option off the table. That’s why she was bluntly asked it, and then she gave them what they wanted.
Can you not see that, how she blundered her way through this session making these dreadful mistakes, of letting her opponents paint her and her policies how they want them to be known?
She got a great hair cut, but there is nothing but air inside it.
But talking heads like Jones have a power that is utterly unbacked by any real talent or compromise. What has he done in life? Write a book?
And we probably do need local power generation if only to stop the need for ever larger cables elsewhere...
I would like to inform @FoxNews and @foxandfriends that James Madison was NOT the third president of the United States and also did NOT sign the Declaration of Independence.
https://twitter.com/travisakers/status/1567179093606645761
Screeching "You're a liar!!!!" at the party leader (whilst backtracking from your comments ("Hey, I shop at Waitrose" and "He knows me, but we've only met a few times aside from one of my best mates who works for him" etc etc) will not enamour him to the saner parts of the party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cWWri3hz2M
Hmmmmmm.
I think a lot depends on whether you already have an account with the bank or not. If they have to go through a full KYC process in order to open an account then it’s going to be painful.
But there are so many of them. Totally unspoiled. For fifty miles. Sensational
'Furthermore, it would mean that we would own it. When the deportation of a foreign national offender gets blocked it would no longer have because of 'Labour's Human Rights Act' but instead it would be because of the 'Tories Bill of Rights'
Do our leaders want responsibility or not? It suits them to have decisions made by judges far away who they can blame. And then they worry that people want an authoritarian leader.......
I’ve worked out it’s the only way to do these Stakhanovite hikes. You stop every 90 minutes for “pingado with medronho”
Long term levies. Thats your puppy.
So this - the last great totally-unspoiled coast in southwest Europe, will remain unspoiled
Well done Portugal
Multiple reasons for that 1 of which is NI contributions are lower if you need to pay for years down the line...
I’m asking myself, 1 day in this is already very odd. Do socialist price controls and imprudent borrow and spending policies match the liberal market capitalism rhetoric from a politician?
What’s actually missing here, the “impersonator” lacking even an ounce of the courage of the “original”?
Hi Liz, markets say hello.
'If somebody speaks angrily to you, do not reply in kind, but give him a soft answer. It is commanded by the Holy Writ, and furthermore, it makes him far madder than anything else you could say.'
Meanwhile another colleague is enthusiastically looking forward to Scotland leaving the UK so he can move to Scotland and rejoin the EU. I raised doubts about how Scotland would do economically, which he countered with 'well there are a lot of small, poor countries in the EU - Bulgaria and Portugal seem to do ok.' I thought this was maybe a bit of a steep price to pay for rejoining the promised land, but there you go.
Energy lockdowns next. Stay home, save energy, protect the NPower
https://twitter.com/chrismusson/status/1567514624454451203
TLDR, EU ok for gas this winter, UK not so much.
The other reason to recycle/burn waste is that we are running out of holes in the ground anyway, so good to reduce the amount of stuff to put in the hole.
I doubt whether her package of measures to alleviate the energy crisis is the magic electoral bullet some on here expect. Some people are already up Sh1t Street. Bernard Jenkin said yesterday that she was simultaneously facing the Five Horseman of the Apocalypse. Let's assume she has faced down one of them (which I doubt) she still has four more to go. On today's performance she deserves a bounce, but I am sceptical it will last.
Robert Jenrick MP as a Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care;
Rachel Maclean MP as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice;
Victoria Prentis MP as a Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
https://bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62812442
https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1567519718843588609
I don’t just mean there will be devil in the detail behind the “£190B of support for families and businesses” newspaper front pages actually means regressive package of bungs to people who don’t need it, still too much hardship for the poor, and in the case of furlough £30B handed over to organised crime due to slack management all ultimately failing the VFM judgement - there will be plenty of that for opponents to get stuck into. No, I’m talking about the art to politics, where whatever you do it is never known for how good it is, it’s only known for how you allowed your opponents to define it. On that measurement it was a blundering PMQs, and awful start for Liz Truss.
Interestingly when France and Austria marched through Prussia and saw the benefits (Frederik had handed out free potato plants to the population) they copied the strategy… so it must have worked
https://twitter.com/keiranpedley/status/1567520365143891968
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/public-more-likely-say-keir-starmer-would-do-good-job-prime-minister-liz-truss
Its bleak everywhere rn
https://twitter.com/sTeamTraen/status/1567180972268871680
About a third of people don’t have a view on the woman who has been in the government for a decade or the man who has been leader of the opposition for two and a half years.
https://twitter.com/mattchorley/status/1567521212200271874
Good result for Starmer