“The latest Opinium poll for the Observer shows that Reeves’s personal ratings have plummeted in the wake of Monday’s statement in which she announced the [winter fuel] cut. They have fallen from +11% when she first became chancellor to -12% last week.”
She has tried to be smart on the alleged black hole and has been found out.
She has seriously damaged her credibility
This is all about comfortably off retirees throwing a wobbly strop over being made to chip in and shoulder some of the burden for a change. Nobody likes being told they have to pay for stuff but pensioners are particularly bolshie about it. However, credibility and popularity are two attributes not to be confused with one another.
It's not just pensioners; it's wealthier pensioners. The poorest have been protected.
The wealthy ones are not affected , the ones who led dissolute lives are protected, it is the big lot in the middle who worked hard and have just enough to survive who will suffer under these halfwits. Console yourself all you like, Reeves is a liar, cabinet is full of them , they are like the PM.
Who could be opposed to better integration? But what does it look like and how do we get there?
How do we prepare the UK population and economy for the substantial pain a major reduction in immigration levels will entail?
Many of the cheap, shitty jobs are going to go.
The robots are already coming for the fruit pickers.
In many of the chain lunch places, rows of assistants at the tills have been replaced with rows of big screen ordering systems.
A relative does care assistance in a private hospital. They are involved in a trial for a Japanese robot that lifts people in/out of bed and other moves. Apparently arse wiping is on the way.
The biggest barrier is the ingrained belief that there is a right to infinite, minimum wage (or below) labour. As opposed to productivity investment.
FPT…
It has become trendy to say that AI is all fur coat and no knickers. I remember the same being said about the internet in general as the froth blew off dotcom.
The reality of it, is that by the time of the next election it should be plain to far more people just how impactful these technologies will be, most particularly machine learning incorporated into robots with humanoid form factor.
We are not going to have a labour shortage in the 2030s, far from it. We should be thinking right now about what that means.
There was a hilarious piece on the BBC last year about the travails of a greenhouse veg growing outfit.
The owners were saying all the things about labour shortages. Their business was still going, but no one apart from the owners was visible - so BBC camera shots of cucumbers growing in greenhouses the size of a hanger. No people.
Even the people maintaining the greenhouses - daily, continual job - were absent.
It was weirdly reminiscent of those films where a French vineyard is run by the owner and his sidekick. Part time.
“The latest Opinium poll for the Observer shows that Reeves’s personal ratings have plummeted in the wake of Monday’s statement in which she announced the [winter fuel] cut. They have fallen from +11% when she first became chancellor to -12% last week.”
Who could be opposed to better integration? But what does it look like and how do we get there?
How do we prepare the UK population and economy for the substantial pain a major reduction in immigration levels will entail?
Many of the cheap, shitty jobs are going to go.
The robots are already coming for the fruit pickers.
In many of the chain lunch places, rows of assistants at the tills have been replaced with rows of big screen ordering systems.
A relative does care assistance in a private hospital. They are involved in a trial for a Japanese robot that lifts people in/out of bed and other moves. Apparently arse wiping is on the way.
The biggest barrier is the ingrained belief that there is a right to infinite, minimum wage (or below) labour. As opposed to productivity investment.
FPT…
It has become trendy to say that AI is all fur coat and no knickers. I remember the same being said about the internet in general as the froth blew off dotcom.
The reality of it, is that by the time of the next election it should be plain to far more people just how impactful these technologies will be, most particularly machine learning incorporated into robots with humanoid form factor.
We are not going to have a labour shortage in the 2030s, far from it. We should be thinking right now about what that means.
"... the time of the next election it should be plain to far more people just how impactful these technologies will be"
It's quite likely that the AI hype will prove to be a bubble, and lots of tech investors will lose a heck of a lot of money. That's certainly an impact.
The two things are not mutually exclusive. As with the first internet bubble.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
The simplistic and often naïve solutions of opposition hit the realities of government. It has ever been thus.
In policy terms, I think this government is no better than its predecessor. But, it has yet to match it, in terms of sleaze. No doubt, it will get there eventually.
If anyone needs cheering up, after so many scenes of Brits being a bit thick, I read this stat yesterday. A poll of French people showed that 25% of them believe the First World War included the Battle of Waterloo (1815) and the Battle of Marignano (a famous French victory in… 1515)
So we’re not alone in our dimwittery
You can at least understand their not being taught about Waterloo...
Sure, the later Abba songs were far more sophisticated.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
oh dear, Malc, did you put salt on your porridge instead of sugar this morning?
Who could be opposed to better integration? But what does it look like and how do we get there?
How do we prepare the UK population and economy for the substantial pain a major reduction in immigration levels will entail?
Many of the cheap, shitty jobs are going to go.
The robots are already coming for the fruit pickers.
In many of the chain lunch places, rows of assistants at the tills have been replaced with rows of big screen ordering systems.
A relative does care assistance in a private hospital. They are involved in a trial for a Japanese robot that lifts people in/out of bed and other moves. Apparently arse wiping is on the way.
The biggest barrier is the ingrained belief that there is a right to infinite, minimum wage (or below) labour. As opposed to productivity investment.
FPT…
It has become trendy to say that AI is all fur coat and no knickers. I remember the same being said about the internet in general as the froth blew off dotcom.
The reality of it, is that by the time of the next election it should be plain to far more people just how impactful these technologies will be, most particularly machine learning incorporated into robots with humanoid form factor.
We are not going to have a labour shortage in the 2030s, far from it. We should be thinking right now about what that means.
"... the time of the next election it should be plain to far more people just how impactful these technologies will be"
It's quite likely that the AI hype will prove to be a bubble, and lots of tech investors will lose a heck of a lot of money. That's certainly an impact.
The two things are not mutually exclusive. As with the first internet bubble.
True enough.
But my own bearish view is that this generation of ML/AI will be very good (and therefore useful) for narrow uses, but terrible at broad ones - which is where the hype is.
We will need a step-change (revolution) in capability to get anywhere near the current hype.
Lots of people are making a fortune from the hype, and a lot of people may soon lose a fortune when the hype fails.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
oh dear, Malc, did you put salt on your porridge instead of sugar this morning?
The mere suggestion that malc might take sugar on his porridge will invite retribution terrible to behold.
The simplistic and often naïve solutions of opposition hit the realities of government. It has ever been thus.
In policy terms, I think this government is no better than its predecessor. But, it has yet to match it, in terms of sleaze. No doubt, it will get there eventually.
I think you need to give them a proper chance. The arrogant complacency and self entitlement of most sleeze is a product of years of unearned condescension. This lot are still struggling to remember they are the government right now.
I think Farage's disingenuous encouragement of the mob should, and actually does, cause problems for the Conservative Party, given its flirtation with Reform. It doesn't know whether to go hard on law and order or to show some understanding of those creating disorder.
More of an opportunity to open up some clear blue water I'd say. The Tories must be different to Reform, even if they cooperate ultimately. Otherwise Reform won't be able to win the seats the Tories cannot and vice versa.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
The super computer project has been around for quite some time. Microsoft have poured quite serious money into Edinburgh University on the back of it. It was an opportunity to create growth (remember that Rachel?) outside London on the back of an existing strength in the city given the close relationship between financial services and technology. It is desperately unfortunate that Reeves decided the money was better spent paying off pay demands.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
The super computer project has been around for quite some time. Microsoft have poured quite serious money into Edinburgh University on the back of it. It was an opportunity to create growth (remember that Rachel?) outside London on the back of an existing strength in the city given the close relationship between financial services and technology. It is desperately unfortunate that Reeves decided the money was better spent paying off pay demands.
well you wouldnt want to waste money by spending it outside London would you ?
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
What do you mean by a 'British AI' ?
Good question. We have lots of British AI. I think there's some interesting work on running smaller transformer models in computer resource limited contexts and where you need higher reliability.
I think Farage's disingenuous encouragement of the mob should, and actually does, cause problems for the Conservative Party, given its flirtation with Reform. It doesn't know whether to go hard on law and order or to show some understanding of those creating disorder.
More of an opportunity to open up some clear blue water I'd say. The Tories must be different to Reform, even if they cooperate ultimately. Otherwise Reform won't be able to win the seats the Tories cannot and vice versa.
The issue with that suggestion is the water between Reform and the Conservatives is far from clear and blue because the Conservatives are deliberately muddying it.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
You don't need to make a whole new AI, just start the session by entering "Please speak like you are an upper-middle-class British person living in the 19th Century".
I wonder if the right wing rioters are going to try for demonstrations at more politically significant sites over the next weeks ... a kind of culmination? I predicted rioting earlier this year. Now I am predicting a big last push before it calms down.
I wonder if the right wing rioters are going to try for demonstrations at more politically significant sites over the next weeks ... a kind of culmination? I predicted rioting earlier this year. Now I am predicting a big last push before it calms down.
You predicted people protesting against Labour winning the election.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
You don't need to make a whole new AI, just start the session by entering "Please speak like you are an upper-middle-class British person living in the 19th Century".
Or a WWC British* person wearing black shorts living in the C21st asking 'valid questions'.
I wonder if the right wing rioters are going to try for demonstrations at more politically significant sites over the next weeks ... a kind of culmination? I predicted rioting earlier this year. Now I am predicting a big last push before it calms down.
I would guess once a few of the ringleaders have been arrested and detained the rest will slowly fizzle. That’s tended to happen when the same people were causing trouble around football tournaments. First round was when they tended to trash continental town squares, and by the quarters the main troublemakers were on their way home or behind bars.
Not sure it requires mass arrests like the 2011 riots did. Those were much more mass-participation (and generally excitable kids, whereas this lot seem a bit older and more experienced).
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
I would guess there's more chance the Tories wont exist in their present form than that they'll win the next election. labour and the Lib dems have taken over the centre/centre right and Reform have a little plot on the right.
I can't think of what they have to offer other than a few different faces and most of them aren't remembered with fondness. Labour have three times the talent pool to choose from and being in control of changing and making the rules means it's going to be uphill.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
The super computer project has been around for quite some time. Microsoft have poured quite serious money into Edinburgh University on the back of it. It was an opportunity to create growth (remember that Rachel?) outside London on the back of an existing strength in the city given the close relationship between financial services and technology. It is desperately unfortunate that Reeves decided the money was better spent paying off pay demands.
Reeves seems to have completely forgotten about growth now she inside the Treasury. They all get captured to a certain extent by the 'doing-nothing' attitude of the treasury but she has been captured within days of entering.
As Keegan has been pointing out in today's Observer: has she read her own Mais lecture?
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
The “doing unpopular stuff early” trick (if this is what this is) has its risks though. The two examples used are Thatcher and Cameron.
Thatcher had the Falklands to help her (and Michael Foot as LOTO) and Cameron had the LDs to cannibalise and only just won a narrow majority in 2015. It could very much have been about the circumstances and events in both instances rather than economic tactics paying off (though Thatcher then undoubtedly benefitted from her previous decisions in the 1983-1987 Parliament).
I do think Labour will suffer from the fact that they did not lay enough of the groundwork to prepare the electorate for their unpopular policies. They have also got to hope that the general economic situation improves and that the junior doctors settlement will not prompt a public sector pay crisis next year.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
Did you not pay any attention to how last Government (or Governments if you include everything from 2019 onwards) operated..
I wonder if the right wing rioters are going to try for demonstrations at more politically significant sites over the next weeks ... a kind of culmination? I predicted rioting earlier this year. Now I am predicting a big last push before it calms down.
You predicted people protesting against Labour winning the election.
it obv something along these lines was being prepared for all summer, just needed the right spark
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
The super computer project has been around for quite some time. Microsoft have poured quite serious money into Edinburgh University on the back of it. It was an opportunity to create growth (remember that Rachel?) outside London on the back of an existing strength in the city given the close relationship between financial services and technology. It is desperately unfortunate that Reeves decided the money was better spent paying off pay demands.
Reeves seems to have completely forgotten about growth now she inside the Treasury. They all get captured to a certain extent by the 'doing-nothing' attitude of the treasury but she has been captured within days of entering.
As Keegan has been pointing out in today's Observer: has she read her own Mais lecture?
Chancellors all come into the job without any experience of running a large and complex organisation. So they freeze a bit and just listen to the “impartial” advisors in HMT. The ones who have been the consistent feature of decades of growing taxation and transfer payments, under investment in infrastructure and low productivity growth, masked by ever increasing immigration.
I am serious that they should just shut the entire ministry, sack everyone who works there and start from scratch.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
What it requires is a willingness to restrain current spending to create room for investment and capital spending within a slightly reduced budget. The same applies to the infrastructure projects cancelled. The £40bn of savings I suggested were necessary down thread are roughly 5% of government expenditure. After the constant spaffing and growing head counts of recent years that really should not be too difficult.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
oh dear, Malc, did you put salt on your porridge instead of sugar this morning?
Are you right in the head, who the hell would put sugar on porridge ever. I had wild Alaskan smoked salmon with scrambled eggs but if I had had porridge of course it would have been with salt.
British airlines forced to fly planes to US for repairs because of Brexit rules ... The UK and EU, despite having largely identical safety rules, have two separate licensing systems for maintenance facilities. Following a two-year post-Brexit grace period which ended in 2023, any UK-registered aircraft cannot be legally repaired at EU-licensed facilities. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/03/british-airlines-forced-to-fly-planes-to-us-for-repairs-bec/ (£££)
Brexit or Boris? Either way, another item for Labour's to do list.
Andrew Bowie @AndrewBowie_MP "For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
What it requires is a willingness to restrain current spending to create room for investment and capital spending within a slightly reduced budget. The same applies to the infrastructure projects cancelled. The £40bn of savings I suggested were necessary down thread are roughly 5% of government expenditure. After the constant spaffing and growing head counts of recent years that really should not be too difficult.
It will all be spaffed on wage increases for public sector and we will see strike after strike as they compete to get the biggest rise from these losers.
Andrew Bowie @AndrewBowie_MP "For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
You know it occurs to me that Labour's betting everything on growth is going to quickly look like Trump's Obama-care replacement, or fixing the border, there won't be anything of substance, it was all hot air.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
The ex minister has said they had money spare just not totally ring fenced. They can find billions when it suits them , these clowns will bankrupt us. They could not run a bath, few weeks in and obvious , they love the private planes and fripperies, happy to cancel growth projects and ready to shovel money to their union buddies. It will not end well.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
More Robinsonism, composed from his sunlounger no doubt.
The National @ScotNational NEW: Tommy Robinson has spread disinformation about a stabbing in Stirling, claiming the attacker was an "alleged Muslim". On Sunday, Police Scotland confirmed a white man local to the area had been arrested in connection with the crime.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
SNP are indeed but they are just thick stupid grifters, this mob are London centric grifters.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
Bollox it is a CUT plain and simple and will tell global companies not to trust these shysters after the money that has been spent preparing for this. The Data Centre is built , fortune spent already and these clowns cancel. Would never have happened if it had been a south of England University. They know they can shit on Scotland.
Andrew Bowie @AndrewBowie_MP "For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
Is she stardust or more of an oddity though? And could she really put Starmer under pressure?
She seems ridiculously thin skinned in every public interaction of hers I've seen highlighted. That may work if you're in government with a semi-compliant media, different skills (or just skills) needed for opposition I think.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
It's a case of which other projects are you going to cut to pay for it, which isn't a great bureaucratic place to be in. Governments shouldn't announce projects they have no real intention of funding.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
What it requires is a willingness to restrain current spending to create room for investment and capital spending within a slightly reduced budget. The same applies to the infrastructure projects cancelled. The £40bn of savings I suggested were necessary down thread are roughly 5% of government expenditure. After the constant spaffing and growing head counts of recent years that really should not be too difficult.
Get shot of some of the companies like Fujitsu , Serco , et al who are well on the gravy train with government contracts, no matter how bad they just keep getting more and more lucrative contracts.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
On your point about cutting Winter Fuel Allowance for better off pensioners and removing the social care cap while increasing public sector pay, I think it just shows public sector workers are a key constituency for Labour while the wealthy retired are not. The Conservatives constituencies are the other way round.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
This is dragging on too long now. She is in danger of looking indecisive and losing the momentum she has gained.
British airlines forced to fly planes to US for repairs because of Brexit rules ... The UK and EU, despite having largely identical safety rules, have two separate licensing systems for maintenance facilities. Following a two-year post-Brexit grace period which ended in 2023, any UK-registered aircraft cannot be legally repaired at EU-licensed facilities. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/03/british-airlines-forced-to-fly-planes-to-us-for-repairs-bec/ (£££)
Brexit or Boris? Either way, another item for Labour's to do list.
why don't we have repair facilities her in Britain. That is the real scandal of Brexit, we relied to heavily on European supply chains.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
This is dragging on too long now. She is in danger of looking indecisive and losing the momentum she has gained.
It's been known for some time that she'll declare her pick on Tuesday. Not long to wait now.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
You know it occurs to me that Labour's betting everything on growth is going to quickly look like Trump's Obama-care replacement, or fixing the border, there won't be anything of substance, it was all hot air.
Yes Labour are betting heavily on growth and will need something to show for it by the next election.
It's too early to write Labour off on this however. Not least because they will be aware of the stakes themselves.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Wikipedia implies it’s a quasi-decadal event, like the sunspot cycle.
Though I expect that page may be a bit selective. And that’s England. Add Northern Ireland and it’s somewhat more regular.
There’s definitely a tendency for people to think everything is much more dramatic and unprecedented than in the past. We see it with geopolitics and economics. When in fact every few years at least there’s something that makes everyone fear the end of the world.
Andrew Bowie @AndrewBowie_MP "For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
Is she stardust or more of an oddity though? And could she really put Starmer under pressure?
She seems ridiculously thin skinned in every public interaction of hers I've seen highlighted. That may work if you're in government with a semi-compliant media, different skills (or just skills) needed for opposition I think.
My general impression of Badenoch is of a forty year old acting like an eighteen year old, and not a particularly mature one at that. I get inklings she does have some ability and could achieve something if only she grew up.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
On your point about cutting Winter Fuel Allowance for better off pensioners and removing the social care cap while increasing public sector pay, I think it just shows public sector workers are a key constituency for Labour while the wealthy retired are not. The Conservatives constituencies are the other way round.
I wouldn't read anything more into it than that.
Poor retired will have something to say about it, not all pensioners are rich
More Robinsonism, composed from his sunlounger no doubt.
The National @ScotNational NEW: Tommy Robinson has spread disinformation about a stabbing in Stirling, claiming the attacker was an "alleged Muslim". On Sunday, Police Scotland confirmed a white man local to the area had been arrested in connection with the crime.
Someone phone Police Scotland and tell them White people can be Muslims too, and vice versa. I'd do it myself but I'm not sure how to pronounce Türkiye, and the Middle East is a tinderbox already.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Wikipedia implies it’s a quasi-decadal event, like the sunspot cycle.
Though I expect that page may be a bit selective. And that’s England. Add Northern Ireland and it’s somewhat more regular.
There’s definitely a tendency for people to think everything is much more dramatic and unprecedented than in the past. We see it with geopolitics and economics. When in fact every few years at least there’s something that makes everyone fear the end of the world.
British airlines forced to fly planes to US for repairs because of Brexit rules ... The UK and EU, despite having largely identical safety rules, have two separate licensing systems for maintenance facilities. Following a two-year post-Brexit grace period which ended in 2023, any UK-registered aircraft cannot be legally repaired at EU-licensed facilities. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/03/british-airlines-forced-to-fly-planes-to-us-for-repairs-bec/ (£££)
Brexit or Boris? Either way, another item for Labour's to do list.
why don't we have repair facilities her in Britain. That is the real scandal of Brexit, we relied to heavily on European supply chains.
The real scandal of Brexit is that it was conceived and executed by a bunch of generalist charlatans who knew little and cared less about how things actually worked. Even Nigel sodding Farage complains about it.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Wikipedia implies it’s a quasi-decadal event, like the sunspot cycle.
Though I expect that page may be a bit selective. And that’s England. Add Northern Ireland and it’s somewhat more regular.
There’s definitely a tendency for people to think everything is much more dramatic and unprecedented than in the past. We see it with geopolitics and economics. When in fact every few years at least there’s something that makes everyone fear the end of the world.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
No Bashear? so it's Shapiro
It probably is Shapiro but this might explain why he is drifting in the betting. And that "at least" is doing some heavy lifting.
More Robinsonism, composed from his sunlounger no doubt.
The National @ScotNational NEW: Tommy Robinson has spread disinformation about a stabbing in Stirling, claiming the attacker was an "alleged Muslim". On Sunday, Police Scotland confirmed a white man local to the area had been arrested in connection with the crime.
Someone phone Police Scotland and tell them White people can be Muslims too, and vice versa. I'd do it myself but I'm not sure how to pronounce Türkiye, and the Middle East is a tinderbox already.
Not sure Turks would qualify as white in the Tommy Robinson pogrom colour chart, in fact I'd imaging 'alleged Muslim' is almost exactly synonymous with non white in Tommeh world.
British airlines forced to fly planes to US for repairs because of Brexit rules ... The UK and EU, despite having largely identical safety rules, have two separate licensing systems for maintenance facilities. Following a two-year post-Brexit grace period which ended in 2023, any UK-registered aircraft cannot be legally repaired at EU-licensed facilities. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/03/british-airlines-forced-to-fly-planes-to-us-for-repairs-bec/ (£££)
Brexit or Boris? Either way, another item for Labour's to do list.
why don't we have repair facilities her in Britain. That is the real scandal of Brexit, we relied to heavily on European supply chains.
Relative size of markets. It's not worth investing in UK specific certifications for a small overall British fleet when UK facilities can no longer service the much larger EU fleets.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Sam Freedman @Samfr · 1h Not sure "recency bias" is fancy... but yes very much agree with this. Every riot over the decades has been accompanied by much worrying about the tearing of the social fabric and usually it's a one off thing.
They should institutionalize the riots, turn it into a quaint tradition where tourists from all over the world come over once a decade to dress up in the flag of Saint George and loot an O2 shop.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
On your point about cutting Winter Fuel Allowance for better off pensioners and removing the social care cap while increasing public sector pay, I think it just shows public sector workers are a key constituency for Labour while the wealthy retired are not. The Conservatives constituencies are the other way round.
I wouldn't read anything more into it than that.
Poor retired will have something to say about it, not all pensioners are rich
Poor retired keep the winter fuel allowance. Even the rich pensioners get more state handouts next year than last due to the massive pension increase far outweighting the fuel allowance.
Andrew Bowie @AndrewBowie_MP "For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
Is she stardust or more of an oddity though? And could she really put Starmer under pressure?
Could well be either. She's certainly a risk. The key question, surely, is will the great British public see her as a credible potential prime minister? Hmmm.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
They are cuttting a particular investment in order to clawback money from a spending department. While it wasn't properly budgeted for (thanks, Tories), cutting it is a cut.
I haven't seen the specific economic analysis for it, but on the face if it, this seems a plainly bad decision.
He is a lying toerag, typical Labour. Anti pensioner , anti Scottish and likely anti a lot more.
What has he done that is anti-Scottish?
just cancelled very large IT project at Edinburgh University, said he will decide Scotland's future not the people, f**ked up pensioners despite them saying hte opposite previously, b**gered the Oil & Gas with that clown Milliband and will rob us even further with his Energy company that will be a sham and build everything in Scotland then charge us double to get it back. Do for starters
You absolutely right about oil and gas, but isn't this (and worse) SNP policy too? So it cannot necessarily be seen through an anti-Scottish lense.
And the super computer seems to be another example of announcements being made without the money actually being allocated to the project...
On a very tangential note, I am still in campaign mode for a British AI. It will do more for Britain's soft power than the World Service (let's face it the BBC) and must happen.
You don't need to make a whole new AI, just start the session by entering "Please speak like you are an upper-middle-class British person living in the 19th Century".
Or a WWC British* person wearing black shorts living in the C21st asking 'valid questions'.
*sorry, English.
Point of order - the person in black shorts asking the questions would be The Leader. Other ranks were there to shut up and take ze orders.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
On your point about cutting Winter Fuel Allowance for better off pensioners and removing the social care cap while increasing public sector pay, I think it just shows public sector workers are a key constituency for Labour while the wealthy retired are not. The Conservatives constituencies are the other way round.
I wouldn't read anything more into it than that.
Poor retired will have something to say about it, not all pensioners are rich
Poor retired keep the winter fuel allowance. Even the rich pensioners get more state handouts next year than last due to the massive pension increase far outweighting the fuel allowance.
It is the middle as usual, those that are not rich and not classed as really poor , they worked all their days and have a small amount of savings / pension and jsut getting by and no more that get clobbered. Also they will spend plenty means testing etc likely more than they actually save. Just dog whistling.
Future generations will never enjoy his sonorous voice-over at Jimmy Savile's state funeral.
Which is ridiculous, archives are supposed to be objective and reflect the facts of the time and the record as it was. Not be brushed up because someone whose voice is present on it is no longer of benefit for the organisation's PR purposes
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
They are cuttting a particular investment in order to clawback money from a spending department. While it wasn't properly budgeted for (thanks, Tories), cutting it is a cut.
I haven't seen the specific economic analysis for it, but on the face if it, this seems a plainly bad decision.
I'm not 100% - the design, heck the whole point of Super Computers may simply not be that relevant in this new world of AI..
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
They are cuttting a particular investment in order to clawback money from a spending department. While it wasn't properly budgeted for (thanks, Tories), cutting it is a cut.
I haven't seen the specific economic analysis for it, but on the face if it, this seems a plainly bad decision.
Yes, but to be fair to new government they will need to find additional funding for that spending department or else other departmental commitments will need to be cut. Bureaucracies work to budgets. I think the government should find the extra cash in this case.
They should institutionalize the riots, turn it into a quaint tradition where tourists from all over the world come over once a decade to dress up in the flag of Saint George and loot an O2 shop.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
On your point about cutting Winter Fuel Allowance for better off pensioners and removing the social care cap while increasing public sector pay, I think it just shows public sector workers are a key constituency for Labour while the wealthy retired are not. The Conservatives constituencies are the other way round.
I wouldn't read anything more into it than that.
Poor retired will have something to say about it, not all pensioners are rich
Poor retired keep the winter fuel allowance. Even the rich pensioners get more state handouts next year than last due to the massive pension increase far outweighting the fuel allowance.
Only the "poor retired" who claim it can keep the winter fuel allowance.
I also think the new government should find the £800 million for the supercomputer when the previous one didn't. It's not a huge sum in the scheme of things. It seems worthwhile on its own terms and maintains credibility in UK scientific projects when others have invested in this project on the understanding the computer would be in place.
The thing I don't get about this decision is that if flies in the face of Labour's growth and industries of the future message.
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
The point is Labour are not cutting investment because the Conservatives never allocated the funding in the first place.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
They are cuttting a particular investment in order to clawback money from a spending department. While it wasn't properly budgeted for (thanks, Tories), cutting it is a cut.
I haven't seen the specific economic analysis for it, but on the face if it, this seems a plainly bad decision.
I'm not 100% - the design, heck the whole point of Super Computers may simply not be that relevant in this new world of AI..
You need a lot of compute to generate the high end models. Which is why there are questions about the cost vs return.
The biggest problem is that the computers heavily reliant on GPU. Which is advancing fairly rapidly, again.
So within 3 years your big machine is a bit passé and in 5 comically out of date.
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
Do the dick heads on the left need the dick heads on the right to feel relevant or what? A pox on both of them.
If this continues it is only going to become worse with extremes of right and left taking each other on on the streets and cities of our country
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
Whats the longest we ever go without some summer riots? Seems to happen every 5-10 years.
Wikipedia implies it’s a quasi-decadal event, like the sunspot cycle.
Though I expect that page may be a bit selective. And that’s England. Add Northern Ireland and it’s somewhat more regular.
There’s definitely a tendency for people to think everything is much more dramatic and unprecedented than in the past. We see it with geopolitics and economics. When in fact every few years at least there’s something that makes everyone fear the end of the world.
2021 summer riots delayed by covid, I guess?
Probably just government planning going to pot as usual. Everything is delayed these days, ask the Scottish islands about ferries (and stand well back).
I think Farage's disingenuous encouragement of the mob should, and actually does, cause problems for the Conservative Party, given its flirtation with Reform. It doesn't know whether to go hard on law and order or to show some understanding of those creating disorder.
Every GB town and city where the riots have taken place, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Southport, Aldershot, Sunderland, Manchester, Stoke and Blackpool now has fully Labour MPs. In Hull, Sunderland Central, Liverpool Garston, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool West Derby, Nottingham North and Kimberley, Blackpool South and Stoke Central it was Reform second to Labour not the Tories last month. So although Cleverly has condemned the riots these are seats Reform will now be targeting at the next general election not the Tories
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
This is dragging on too long now. She is in danger of looking indecisive and losing the momentum she has gained.
Not really. It's a test of her ability to make decisions and her methodology - set a date for the ting, do the thing by that date - is sound. It's not really a time-critical decision and given the potential for an unforced error she'd be forgiven for the time,
The ideal VP should be pleasant, calm, reassuring, and not hold any strong opinions on anything. Shapiro has taken a strong position on the Gazan War which will act as a drag on the ticket, not for the direction of his stance but that it exists. Walz has both-ways'd it, Kelly hasn't really mentioned it?
If the VP took an Ed Davey approach and did bungee jumps and visits to old people aerobics, I'd say the best would be Walz. As the dullest of the three he should be the winner. But I'm not doing the pick...
I remember in the aftermath of the Brixton and Toxteth riots, I attended, along with other journalists, a press conference at which the Chief Executive of Birmingham boasted proudly that there had been no riots in the centre of Birmingham. The sardonic local government reporter from the Daily Telegraph suggested that perhaps this was because no-one can find the city centre in Birmingham.
Future generations will never enjoy his sonorous voice-over at Jimmy Savile's state funeral.
Which is ridiculous, archives are supposed to be objective and reflect the facts of the time and the record as it was. Not be brushed up because someone whose voice is present on it is no longer of benefit for the organisation's PR purposes
What you could do is keep exactly the same footage and commentary but have the words spoken by an Alexa type computer generated voice. This would protect the integrity of the archive since Edwards is only describing things (the big important things anyway) not participating in them.
If authenticity is a concern you could have the 'Alexa' voice as male and sonorous and with a Welsh accent, ie very like Huw Edwards.
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with top candidates to serve as her vice president on Sunday, closing out her search for a running mate with a test of whether she and her potential new partner click.
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
This is dragging on too long now. She is in danger of looking indecisive and losing the momentum she has gained.
Not really. It's a test of her ability to make decisions and her methodology - set a date for the ting, do the thing by that date - is sound. It's not really a time-critical decision and given the potential for an unforced error she'd be forgiven for the time,
The ideal VP should be pleasant, calm, reassuring, and not hold any strong opinions on anything. Shapiro has taken a strong position on the Gazan War which will act as a drag on the ticket, not for the direction of his stance but that it exists. Walz has both-ways'd it, Kelly hasn't really mentioned it?
If the VP took an Ed Davey approach and did bungee jumps and visits to old people aerobics, I'd say the best would be Walz. As the dullest of the three he should be the winner. But I'm not doing the pick...
I just can't see past the importance of Pennsylvania. The election could be won or lost there and Shapiro has a 54% approval rating as governor. He is particularly strong with moderates and soft Republicans having upset some of his base with vouchers and Gaza. That seems to me a good rebalancing of the ticket although I agree Walz looks reassuring too.
I accept that the evidence of a VP pick making a difference in their State is sparse (I am reminded of that No American President cartoon) but Harris really cannot afford not to take every advantage in Penn.
I think Farage's disingenuous encouragement of the mob should, and actually does, cause problems for the Conservative Party, given its flirtation with Reform. It doesn't know whether to go hard on law and order or to show some understanding of those creating disorder.
Every GB town and city where the riots have taken place, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Aldershot, Sunderland, Manchester, Stoke and Blackpool now has fully Labour MPs. In Hull, Sunderland Central, Blackpool South and Stoke Central it was Reform second to Labour not the Tories last month. So although Cleverly has condemned the riots these are seats Reform will now be targeting at the next general election not the Tories
I don't think the "It doesn't matter for us that Reform are encouraging the rioters because the riots are in Labour seats" line is the cunning clear blue water strategy that will win it for the Conservatives. Fortunately for them the Conservatives are irrelevant just now and people will have forgotten about this particular dereliction by the next election they might win.
Comments
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0w44nz6nneo
Future generations will never enjoy his sonorous voice-over at Jimmy Savile's state funeral.
The owners were saying all the things about labour shortages. Their business was still going, but no one apart from the owners was visible - so BBC camera shots of cucumbers growing in greenhouses the size of a hanger. No people.
Even the people maintaining the greenhouses - daily, continual job - were absent.
It was weirdly reminiscent of those films where a French vineyard is run by the owner and his sidekick. Part time.
Makes you wonder about labour conditions…
As with the first internet bubble.
But my own bearish view is that this generation of ML/AI will be very good (and therefore useful) for narrow uses, but terrible at broad ones - which is where the hype is.
We will need a step-change (revolution) in capability to get anywhere near the current hype.
Lots of people are making a fortune from the hype, and a lot of people may soon lose a fortune when the hype fails.
*sorry, English.
Not sure it requires mass arrests like the 2011 riots did. Those were much more mass-participation (and generally excitable kids, whereas this lot seem a bit older and more experienced).
I can't think of what they have to offer other than a few different faces and most of them aren't remembered with fondness. Labour have three times the talent pool to choose from and being in control of changing and making the rules means it's going to be uphill.
Stand Up To Racism
@AntiRacismDay
·
42m
TODAY 🚨
The far right aren’t stopping - and neither are we. Yesterday showed when we come out in big numbers we can beat them back. And we need to continue that today:
📍 Rotherham
📍 Birmingham
@sutrbrum
📍 Weymouth
📍 Lancaster
As Keegan has been pointing out in today's Observer: has she read her own Mais lecture?
Thatcher had the Falklands to help her (and Michael Foot as LOTO) and Cameron had the LDs to cannibalise and only just won a narrow majority in 2015. It could very much have been about the circumstances and events in both instances rather than economic tactics paying off (though Thatcher then undoubtedly benefitted from her previous decisions in the 1983-1987 Parliament).
I do think Labour will suffer from the fact that they did not lay enough of the groundwork to prepare the electorate for their unpopular policies. They have also got to hope that the general economic situation improves and that the junior doctors settlement will not prompt a public sector pay crisis next year.
There is a reason our infrastructure and public services are crumbling.
https://x.com/oecd/status/1820036994170343564?s=46
Even Ireland taxes workers more than we do (and they have a 23% VAT rate).
growth, masked by ever increasing immigration.
I am serious that they should just shut the entire ministry, sack everyone who works there and start from scratch.
I back the police.
...
The UK and EU, despite having largely identical safety rules, have two separate licensing systems for maintenance facilities. Following a two-year post-Brexit grace period which ended in 2023, any UK-registered aircraft cannot be legally repaired at EU-licensed facilities.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/03/british-airlines-forced-to-fly-planes-to-us-for-repairs-bec/ (£££)
Brexit or Boris? Either way, another item for Labour's to do list.
Andrew Bowie
@AndrewBowie_MP
"For a renewed Conservative Party, a renewed Britain with Scotland at its heart, it has to be Kemi Badenoch." Me in the Sunday Times today 👇
https://x.com/AndrewBowie_MP/status/1820013312005849179
Labour's been in a month and they are cutting science and technology investment, cutting univeral benefits, getting rid of the social care cap, cutting transport projects, and throwing money at the union led public sector in pay rises. How the hell does that produce the business growth that's meant to pay for everything?
Maybe it will all change come the autumn, but I expect a damp squib now, and we will soon be wondering what happened to Labour's campaign promises.
My challenge to the the new government, forget what the Conservatives did - they are irrelevant now. You're there ones in charge. Is this project worth funding, with all the other constraints, or is it not?
The National
@ScotNational
NEW: Tommy Robinson has spread disinformation about a stabbing in Stirling, claiming the attacker was an "alleged Muslim".
On Sunday, Police Scotland confirmed a white man local to the area had been arrested in connection with the crime.
https://x.com/ScotNational/status/1820044102542520684
At least three leading candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Ms. Harris on Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory, in Washington
NY Times
I believe the media are not helping and as an example Sky broadcast live from Southport every day last week and frankly, IMHO, the journalists would have been better returning to their studios and turning down the dial
Looking at the make up of the demonstrators what is worrying is just how many young people are at the forefront and, despite the widespread criticism which is justified, it needs to be asked why are these people so angry and, yes the police can arrest and imprison some of them but it looks like the genie is out of the bottle and serious questions how to address these issues need to be considered and not for mps to stand aloof in Westminster
I wouldn't read anything more into it than that.
It's too early to write Labour off on this however. Not least because they will be aware of the stakes themselves.
Keir Starmer writing in The Telegraph: "Labour is now the true party of English patriotism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_riots
1981, 1991, 2001, 2011, 2024. So we were overdue.
Though I expect that page may be a bit selective. And that’s England. Add Northern Ireland and it’s somewhat more regular.
There’s definitely a tendency for people to think everything is much more dramatic and unprecedented than in the past. We see it with geopolitics and economics. When in fact every few years at least there’s something that makes everyone fear the end of the world.
@Samfr
·
1h
Not sure "recency bias" is fancy... but yes very much agree with this. Every riot over the decades has been accompanied by much worrying about the tearing of the social fabric and usually it's a one off thing.
https://x.com/Samfr/status/1820025347028525090
While it wasn't properly budgeted for (thanks, Tories), cutting it is a cut.
I haven't seen the specific economic analysis for it, but on the face if it, this seems a plainly bad decision.
So it would be an upper class accent, Shirley?
We could get https://barnthespoon.com/ to move on from his artisanal spoon making - https://barnthespoon.com/courses-books-gifts/spoon-carving-day-class (£175) - to making traditional cudgels.
The biggest problem is that the computers heavily reliant on GPU. Which is advancing fairly rapidly, again.
So within 3 years your big machine is a bit passé and in 5 comically out of date.
You’d need to keep updating it.
The ideal VP should be pleasant, calm, reassuring, and not hold any strong opinions on anything. Shapiro has taken a strong position on the Gazan War which will act as a drag on the ticket, not for the direction of his stance but that it exists. Walz has both-ways'd it, Kelly hasn't really mentioned it?
If the VP took an Ed Davey approach and did bungee jumps and visits to old people aerobics, I'd say the best would be Walz. As the dullest of the three he should be the winner. But I'm not doing the pick...
Is there some secret rule about only allowing really attractive women to do Olympic Dressage?
If authenticity is a concern you could have the 'Alexa' voice as male and sonorous and with a Welsh accent, ie very like Huw Edwards.
I accept that the evidence of a VP pick making a difference in their State is sparse (I am reminded of that No American President cartoon) but Harris really cannot afford not to take every advantage in Penn.