Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 · 3h The graveyards of British politics are filled with people who underestimated Keir Starmer
That must be the world’s smallest graveyard. More of a micro-mortuary really. Because starmer is the man who was OVER estimated by the polls to an epochal extent and actually got about as many votes as ed Miliband in 2015
TBF, SKS was the man who never ever gave the tiniest impression of thinking the election was in the bag. Pollsters got it wrong. That has no relation to Starmer's qualities.
What Labour did do was win a massive majority, playing it according to UK rules. UK rules is FPTP. As a matter of fact the right vote was split. Starmer and Labour played the game according to what players were on the pitch. If the Tories had faced no opposition from Reform etc, Labour would have played it differently. As the Tories would have played it differently in 1983 if the SDP did not exist, when they won well (397 seats) with 42% of the vote when the SDP/Lab got 53%. But that's a counterfactual.
It's possible Starmer is useless, but it is too early to say. To me he is a disappointment so far, but way ahead of a poor field.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
People won’t even notice the Tories for the next two years at least. The anger really will be aimed at Labour. Because they came in promising turbocharged growth and sorting out the boats and a fix to the NHS - and none of this is likely to happen. Indeed their policies are so shit it might all get much much worse
Sure! But then we get a bit further along and Jenrick is watching VHS tapes of Hague on the Log Flume and wondering how he can look that cool.
No one will care about the Tories. Get over it
I mean, it matters who they elect but the entire focus will be on Labour. That’s “being the government”. And it doesn’t help Labour that they have a calamitously unlikeable leader
I honestly think they’d have been better with Rayner
It's quite interesting post election how many of this government's supporters are still desperate to talk about the Tories.
It's almost as if they can't adjust to being in charge.
Come on, all governments blame and focus on the last lot for years after they get into power, is it not a tad unrealistic to expect supporters or voters to immediately cease doing the same?
Wrong. Don't know how old you are, but 1979 and 1997 felt very unlike this. Neither Thatcher nor Blair looked like a whining loser.
Starmer looks more Heath or Brown than Thatcher or Blair at the moment
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 · 3h The graveyards of British politics are filled with people who underestimated Keir Starmer
Are they? Names please.
Rishi Sunak, Jezza, er....
Did they specifically underestimate him? That’s the point. Losing to him is not the same.
It’s like the last 14 years didn’t happen for some .
The Tories have left the country in a total mess. So frankly the hysteria over Starmer when he’s been in charge for under two months is laughable .
But it’s not PB which is reacting with volatile dislike to Starmer. It’s the voters. In the polls
I’ll reserve judgement. Not sure what the public were expecting at this early stage .
Yep. It is just nuts. There will be plenty of opportunities in the next 4 years to slag off Starmer and Labour.they just lack patience. This is all contrived criticism.
They are going to have heart attacks come the budget as it is likely to be a bloodbath.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
People won’t even notice the Tories for the next two years at least. The anger really will be aimed at Labour. Because they came in promising turbocharged growth and sorting out the boats and a fix to the NHS - and none of this is likely to happen. Indeed their policies are so shit it might all get much much worse
Sure! But then we get a bit further along and Jenrick is watching VHS tapes of Hague on the Log Flume and wondering how he can look that cool.
No one will care about the Tories. Get over it
I mean, it matters who they elect but the entire focus will be on Labour. That’s “being the government”. And it doesn’t help Labour that they have a calamitously unlikeable leader
I honestly think they’d have been better with Rayner
It's quite interesting post election how many of this government's supporters are still desperate to talk about the Tories.
It's almost as if they can't adjust to being in charge.
You know that I stood for the LibDems?
in what way am I a "government supporter"?
People are still desperate to talk about the Tories because you were so goddamned awful. And still are - look who your candidates are for leader? Jesus...
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 · 3h The graveyards of British politics are filled with people who underestimated Keir Starmer
Are they? Names please.
Rishi Sunak, Jezza, er....
The obvious one is that scruffy bloke. Remember- used to be Prime Minister, writes columns in the Mail now.
It's why it would be foolish to write off SKS too quickly. Through 2020, he slowly, painfully rolled the stone up the hill, brought Labour back to parity in the polls. Then the vaccines came along, Boris was a hero once more, and the stone rolled right back down the hill again.
Keeping buggering on is Starmer's superpower. It may not work, of course, but in many situations it's all anyone can do.
See my reply to Sunil. Losing to someone is not the same as underestimating them.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
People won’t even notice the Tories for the next two years at least. The anger really will be aimed at Labour. Because they came in promising turbocharged growth and sorting out the boats and a fix to the NHS - and none of this is likely to happen. Indeed their policies are so shit it might all get much much worse
Sure! But then we get a bit further along and Jenrick is watching VHS tapes of Hague on the Log Flume and wondering how he can look that cool.
No one will care about the Tories. Get over it
I mean, it matters who they elect but the entire focus will be on Labour. That’s “being the government”. And it doesn’t help Labour that they have a calamitously unlikeable leader
I honestly think they’d have been better with Rayner
It's quite interesting post election how many of this government's supporters are still desperate to talk about the Tories.
It's almost as if they can't adjust to being in charge.
You know that I stood for the LibDems?
in what way am I a "government supporter"?
People are still desperate to talk about the Tories because you were so goddamned awful. And still are - look who your candidates are for leader? Jesus...
Jesus? THAT Woke Bastard? Certainly would NEVER make the cut with either current Tory MPs or Members.
The Tory government 2010-2024 is not ever going to stop being seen and criticised as a disaster, however badly Starmer cocks things up. People are always going to roll out their criticisms of that government, just as we often hear plenty about the failures of Attlee's government, and all those in between.
There's no way to erase it from the history books now.
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
People won’t even notice the Tories for the next two years at least. The anger really will be aimed at Labour. Because they came in promising turbocharged growth and sorting out the boats and a fix to the NHS - and none of this is likely to happen. Indeed their policies are so shit it might all get much much worse
Sure! But then we get a bit further along and Jenrick is watching VHS tapes of Hague on the Log Flume and wondering how he can look that cool.
No one will care about the Tories. Get over it
I mean, it matters who they elect but the entire focus will be on Labour. That’s “being the government”. And it doesn’t help Labour that they have a calamitously unlikeable leader
I honestly think they’d have been better with Rayner
It's quite interesting post election how many of this government's supporters are still desperate to talk about the Tories.
It's almost as if they can't adjust to being in charge.
You know that I stood for the LibDems?
in what way am I a "government supporter"?
People are still desperate to talk about the Tories because you were so goddamned awful. And still are - look who your candidates are for leader? Jesus...
Jesus? THAT Woke Bastard? Certainly would NEVER make the cut with either current Tory MPs or Members.
I will never get over an article about 'evangelicals' rejecting Jesus as being too weak and liberal, though I don't know if it is a true phenomenom.
"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching—'turn the other cheek'—[and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore said.
I understand the PB Tory stages of grief but, believe me chaps, you will drive yourselves quite mad with this desperate whining. Relax, let it all wash over you, stop fighting the rising of the sun.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
People won’t even notice the Tories for the next two years at least. The anger really will be aimed at Labour. Because they came in promising turbocharged growth and sorting out the boats and a fix to the NHS - and none of this is likely to happen. Indeed their policies are so shit it might all get much much worse
Sure! But then we get a bit further along and Jenrick is watching VHS tapes of Hague on the Log Flume and wondering how he can look that cool.
No one will care about the Tories. Get over it
I mean, it matters who they elect but the entire focus will be on Labour. That’s “being the government”. And it doesn’t help Labour that they have a calamitously unlikeable leader
I honestly think they’d have been better with Rayner
It's quite interesting post election how many of this government's supporters are still desperate to talk about the Tories.
It's almost as if they can't adjust to being in charge.
You know that I stood for the LibDems?
in what way am I a "government supporter"?
People are still desperate to talk about the Tories because you were so goddamned awful. And still are - look who your candidates are for leader? Jesus...
I understand the PB Tory stages of grief but, believe me chaps, you will drive yourselves quite mad with this desperate whining. Relax, let it all wash over you, stop fighting the rising of the sun.
Could be worse, we could be in Nebraska where both abortion referendums look like passing:
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
I think this is the key point. Yes Starmer is shit and yes he is going to make a fucking mess of things and screw a huge number of peope over. But the rason he has even been given the opportunity to do this on such a low popular vote is because of how much more shit the Tories were.
If the Tories want to know who is responsible for the current Government they are all moaning about, they only have to look in the mirror.
I understand the PB Tory stages of grief but, believe me chaps, you will drive yourselves quite mad with this desperate whining. Relax, let it all wash over you, stop fighting the rising of the sun.
But don't you know that PETERSFIELD has turned. It's all over, only the Downfall memes remain to be posted.
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
To be fair, I think there is something in these approval ratings. The vibe is gloomy - I'm clinging to some positive comments on active travel but that's about it.
But some PBers are misdiagnosing that as a repudiation of left-wing politics. or even a violent swing to the right. They seem to think the crackdown on far-right violence was unpopular, and have hopelessly misjudged the public's reaction to something like smoking in beer gardens. It's not that - it's because Starmer's change campaign has not metamorphosed into a change government.
Everyone seems to be getting awfully excited about polls, four and a half years before the next election.
Very odd.
Labour are going to disappoint, annoy and upset people.
But that is nothing compared to their annoyance and upset at whatever wazzock the Tories elect as leader who reminds them of Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger.
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 · 3h The graveyards of British politics are filled with people who underestimated Keir Starmer
Are they? Names please.
Rishi Sunak, Jezza, er....
wasn't there some fat dishevelled blonde bloke, liked peppa pig.
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
To be fair, I think there is something in these approval ratings. The vibe is gloomy - I'm clinging to some positive comments on active travel but that's about it.
But some PBers are misdiagnosing that as a repudiation of left-wing politics. or even a violent swing to the right. They seem to think the crackdown on far-right violence was unpopular, and have hopelessly misjudged the public's reaction to something like smoking in beer gardens. It's not that - it's because Starmer's change campaign has not metamorphosed into a change government.
Labour are crap - isn't that both obvious and depressingly predictable?
But Labour's crap is significantly better than Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger. Dumb and Dumber. Crap and Crapper. You want to slag off Labour? Feel free - I'll join in. But however depressing Labour are, to most punters feels less bad than the best of the Tories...
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
It’s like the last 14 years didn’t happen for some .
The Tories have left the country in a total mess. So frankly the hysteria over Starmer when he’s been in charge for under two months is laughable .
You are perhaps not very interested in politics? I am, which is why I have known Starmer's a dud for over a decade. No hysteria, just depressed recognition of a loser.
Not interested in politics . My problem is I’m too interested and need to get out more !
Too interested but can't tell that Starmer is a failure? Golly.
There are plenty of things I can criticize Starmer for but think it’s a bit premature to call him a failure after less than two months in the job .
He doesn't need to, he needs people to think he might, or who can best attack the government on the issue.
They could probably do worse than Jenrick.
JENRICK
CASH
Stood down at the last election, didn't he?
Bill never wanted to be leader. Stood down.
If the Tories want to mourn their lost leader, they need to consider the man who wanted to lead but was cruelly struck down by the electorate. The man, the mystery.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
I understand the PB Tory stages of grief but, believe me chaps, you will drive yourselves quite mad with this desperate whining. Relax, let it all wash over you, stop fighting the rising of the sun.
Could be worse, we could be in Nebraska where both abortion referendums look like passing:
IIRC, in WA State, if there are deuling, contrary initiatives on same topic on same ballot, the one with the most votes prevails.
Pointless pointless waste of money and the government seems unable to stop spending this and the bills are going up - likewise our taxes
I really don’t mind paying a lot of tax to support hardworking Brits who get sick or those who’ve fallen on tough times. That’s fair
But this???? What sane person agrees to spend their tax on this?
Er, you're straying into politics, I think?
I believe there is a non-trivial chance this Labour government will run out of money and face a bond-market crisis
It has been theorised that Larry Fink of Black Rock (an entity that owns shares in every single FTSE 100 campany) decided to hammer UK bonds till the Truss Government fell. I have no evidence for that, and it may or may not be true, but nevertheless, the idea of 'the markets' as impartial measuring automatons that flick to 'bad egg' when they see a damaging fiscal event is extremely gauche. Markets consist of powerful institutions and people with political aims, not just a shoal of small investors.
That's why I have a hunch you'll find the bond markets a lot, lot kinder to Reeves' overspending than they were to Truss' tax cuts. Even if the projected net result of the former is worse than the projected net result of the former.
This is the kind of comment that makes me put my head in my hands.
The vast, vast majority of funds that Blackrock runs are tracker funds. They are passive funds that own the entire index. There is no boss making decisions: if someone puts money into the Blackrock FTSE-100 Tracker, then Blackrock buys the underlying equities. If someone sells shares in the tracker, then it sells the underlying shares.
If Blackrock - with their passive index tracker - were to do anything else, then they would be breaking the law.
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
To be fair, I think there is something in these approval ratings. The vibe is gloomy - I'm clinging to some positive comments on active travel but that's about it.
But some PBers are misdiagnosing that as a repudiation of left-wing politics. or even a violent swing to the right. They seem to think the crackdown on far-right violence was unpopular, and have hopelessly misjudged the public's reaction to something like smoking in beer gardens. It's not that - it's because Starmer's change campaign has not metamorphosed into a change government.
Labour are crap - isn't that both obvious and depressingly predictable?
But Labour's crap is significantly better than Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger. Dumb and Dumber. Crap and Crapper. You want to slag off Labour? Feel free - I'll join in. But however depressing Labour are, to most punters feels less bad than the best of the Tories...
The concern is that they get lumped into the same basket as the Tories.
I think perceived crapness is something like the square root of actual crapness, so you get a situation where Trump is 4x as repellent as Clinton but the public's capacity for negativity is exhausted, so they nearly equate the two.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
Pointless pointless waste of money and the government seems unable to stop spending this and the bills are going up - likewise our taxes
I really don’t mind paying a lot of tax to support hardworking Brits who get sick or those who’ve fallen on tough times. That’s fair
But this???? What sane person agrees to spend their tax on this?
Er, you're straying into politics, I think?
I believe there is a non-trivial chance this Labour government will run out of money and face a bond-market crisis
It has been theorised that Larry Fink of Black Rock (an entity that owns shares in every single FTSE 100 campany) decided to hammer UK bonds till the Truss Government fell. I have no evidence for that, and it may or may not be true, but nevertheless, the idea of 'the markets' as impartial measuring automatons that flick to 'bad egg' when they see a damaging fiscal event is extremely gauche. Markets consist of powerful institutions and people with political aims, not just a shoal of small investors.
That's why I have a hunch you'll find the bond markets a lot, lot kinder to Reeves' overspending than they were to Truss' tax cuts. Even if the projected net result of the former is worse than the projected net result of the former.
This is the kind of comment that makes me put my head in my hands.
The vast, vast majority of funds that Blackrock runs are tracker funds. They are passive funds that own the entire index. There is no boss making decisions: if someone puts money into the Blackrock FTSE-100 Tracker, then Blackrock buys the underlying equities. If someone sells shares in the tracker, then it sells the underlying shares.
If Blackrock - with their passive index tracker - were to do anything else, then they would be breaking the law.
That's what passive funds do.
While that is true, BlackRock also has a lot of active funds too, though nothing as big as the main passive S&P500 trackers. I do think Larry Fink over indexed on the DEI agenda and it's very clearly being walked back, not just at BlackRock but all over wall street. Without cheap money the risk of poor return is too high and DEI investment isn't known for high yield returns.
We have more information now about Starmer than we did when we first voted.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
Labour 121 seats Tories 411 seats
The sense of denial is off the scale. At least the SNP are man enough to accept that they got reamed. They don't like it, they think the electorate are wrong, but at least they accept that they got demolished.
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
To be fair, I think there is something in these approval ratings. The vibe is gloomy - I'm clinging to some positive comments on active travel but that's about it.
But some PBers are misdiagnosing that as a repudiation of left-wing politics. or even a violent swing to the right. They seem to think the crackdown on far-right violence was unpopular, and have hopelessly misjudged the public's reaction to something like smoking in beer gardens. It's not that - it's because Starmer's change campaign has not metamorphosed into a change government.
Exactly. The disquiet is because Starmer is pretty much sticking to Tory spending plans rather than because he is planning to significantly depart from them. Starmers unpopularity is continuity from Sunaks unpopularity.
To Quote Bakunin:
When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the People's Stick.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
Pointless pointless waste of money and the government seems unable to stop spending this and the bills are going up - likewise our taxes
I really don’t mind paying a lot of tax to support hardworking Brits who get sick or those who’ve fallen on tough times. That’s fair
But this???? What sane person agrees to spend their tax on this?
Er, you're straying into politics, I think?
I believe there is a non-trivial chance this Labour government will run out of money and face a bond-market crisis
It has been theorised that Larry Fink of Black Rock (an entity that owns shares in every single FTSE 100 campany) decided to hammer UK bonds till the Truss Government fell. I have no evidence for that, and it may or may not be true, but nevertheless, the idea of 'the markets' as impartial measuring automatons that flick to 'bad egg' when they see a damaging fiscal event is extremely gauche. Markets consist of powerful institutions and people with political aims, not just a shoal of small investors.
That's why I have a hunch you'll find the bond markets a lot, lot kinder to Reeves' overspending than they were to Truss' tax cuts. Even if the projected net result of the former is worse than the projected net result of the former.
This is the kind of comment that makes me put my head in my hands.
The vast, vast majority of funds that Blackrock runs are tracker funds. They are passive funds that own the entire index. There is no boss making decisions: if someone puts money into the Blackrock FTSE-100 Tracker, then Blackrock buys the underlying equities. If someone sells shares in the tracker, then it sells the underlying shares.
If Blackrock - with their passive index tracker - were to do anything else, then they would be breaking the law.
That's what passive funds do.
While that is true, BlackRock also has a lot of active funds too, though nothing as big as the main passive S&P500 trackers. I do think Larry Fink over indexed on the DEI agenda and it's very clearly being walked back, not just at BlackRock but all over wall street. Without cheap money the risk of poor return is too high and DEI investment isn't known for high yield returns.
Yes, but that was commercial too: they sold DEI funds, because it made them money to do so.
When they walked into a public service body and pitched a product to the pension trustees, it was DEI because they knew what sold.
Blackrock's active management of UK equities is tiny: according to their own website it is "several billion pounds", which is makes it less than half the size of THS's old UK business.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
Pointless pointless waste of money and the government seems unable to stop spending this and the bills are going up - likewise our taxes
I really don’t mind paying a lot of tax to support hardworking Brits who get sick or those who’ve fallen on tough times. That’s fair
But this???? What sane person agrees to spend their tax on this?
Er, you're straying into politics, I think?
I believe there is a non-trivial chance this Labour government will run out of money and face a bond-market crisis
It has been theorised that Larry Fink of Black Rock (an entity that owns shares in every single FTSE 100 campany) decided to hammer UK bonds till the Truss Government fell. I have no evidence for that, and it may or may not be true, but nevertheless, the idea of 'the markets' as impartial measuring automatons that flick to 'bad egg' when they see a damaging fiscal event is extremely gauche. Markets consist of powerful institutions and people with political aims, not just a shoal of small investors.
That's why I have a hunch you'll find the bond markets a lot, lot kinder to Reeves' overspending than they were to Truss' tax cuts. Even if the projected net result of the former is worse than the projected net result of the former.
This is the kind of comment that makes me put my head in my hands.
The vast, vast majority of funds that Blackrock runs are tracker funds. They are passive funds that own the entire index. There is no boss making decisions: if someone puts money into the Blackrock FTSE-100 Tracker, then Blackrock buys the underlying equities. If someone sells shares in the tracker, then it sells the underlying shares.
If Blackrock - with their passive index tracker - were to do anything else, then they would be breaking the law.
That's what passive funds do.
While that is true, BlackRock also has a lot of active funds too, though nothing as big as the main passive S&P500 trackers. I do think Larry Fink over indexed on the DEI agenda and it's very clearly being walked back, not just at BlackRock but all over wall street. Without cheap money the risk of poor return is too high and DEI investment isn't known for high yield returns.
Also...
I've worked in fund management, and I've never known a fund manager give a flying fuck what the CEO thinks.
Fund managers care about two things: gathering assets and outperforming the index. I.e., they, like everyone else, respond to economic incentives.
DEI was a good way of explaining away poor performance, and allowing otherwise average fund managers to hold onto funds longer than would otherwise be the case.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
brexit chased away a lot of talented people who no longer felt welcome
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Though that wasn't just due to Brexit. 2016 was just another stage on the "something for nothing" culture that had dogged British politics and economics for as long as I can remember.
And the trouble with getting something for nothing is that it's always followed by getting nothing for something. That's just maths.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
brexit chased away a lot of talented people who no longer felt welcome
We've had record immigration since Brexit. Why do you have such a low opinion of the people we've attracted?
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Latest news flash from the (clearly deeply Anglophobic) New York Times:
NYT - Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds
Virtually any amount increased the risk for cancer, and there were no heart benefits, the researchers reported.
Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas.
The study, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older for 12 years, also punctures the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is good for the heart.
The researchers found no reduction in heart disease deaths among light or moderate drinkers, regardless of this health or socioeconomic status, when compared with occasional drinkers.
The study defined light drinking as a mean alcohol intake of up to 20 grams a day for men and up to 10 grams daily for women. . . .
Bastards
IIRC the benefits of light and moderate drinking are associated more with red wine than other booze, so perhaps the study needs more nuance (or at least the reporting of it)?
From deeper down in the NYT report
. . . The new study found that while older adults who were light drinkers faced higher risks of dying if they had health-related or socioeconomic risk factors, drinking mostly wine and drinking only with meals moderated the risk, particularly of death from cancer.
The reasons were not entirely clear, Dr. Ortolá said. But the reduction may be because of slower alcohol absorption, or it might reflect other healthy choices from these people.
It also wasn’t obvious why individuals with health and socioeconomic risk factors may be more susceptible to the harmful outcomes associated with alcohol, as this was one of the first studies to examine the issue.
It’s possible that these people have a reduced tolerance to alcohol, the authors suggested; they may also take medications that interact poorly with alcohol.
Overall, moderate drinking — defined as between 20 and 40 grams of alcohol daily for men and between 10 to 20 grams for women — was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes and a higher risk of dying of cancer.
Heavier drinking — over 40 grams a day for men and over 20 grams a day for women — was associated with higher deaths from all causes, as well as cancer and cardiovascular disease. . . .
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
Levelling up was delivered.
Full employment and affordable housing.
What people do with the opportunities is now down to them.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
Must admit that Donad Trump and his hirlings have outdone themselves THIS time.
That is, going into and no doubt through the (at least) 3-day Labor Day weekend in the USA, the TOP political story is their conduct unbecoming at Arlington National Cemetery.
At least, when it comes to conduct unbecoming at a war cemetery, at least the Trump Campaign believes in Truth in advertising. Social . . . or sociopathic*?
* note that yours truly is a psephologist NOT a psychiatrist hence NO violation of the Goldwater Rule.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
It is not punishing hard work to pay public sector workers a decent wage. It is rewarding their hard work. Doctors work hard. Nurses work hard. Civil servants work hard.
CGT does not punish hard work. There is no hard work in sitting there while your asset accrues in value. CGT discourages idleness and encourages work.
Eagles: Just started the thread, and saw your first comment - why are we going to have to cancel Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by fifth woman
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
Huh. If it prevents another series of Good Omens (Series 1 - essentially a fairly faithful rewrite of the book he wrote with Terry Pratchett in the 90s - brilliant; Series 2 - Neil Gaiman alone - awful) then I'm on board.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
I despise you and everything you believe in and represent. And the government is giving you a massive pay rise out of MY taxes and MY creativity when all you are is a fucking provincial quack
Sorry. Taking my taxes away. Oops. Who will pay now?!
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
No one cares how much tax you pay.
You will care when he’s gone given that he probably pays ten times the tax that you pay
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
I agree with Max's analysis. I'm not feeling for my wallet - I'm nearly 50 and in a public sector job, personally I'll be fine - but for the future of the next generation. This government seems determined to make the country poorer. Like the last Labour government, they seem to view the private sector as a resource which can be tapped at will and which doesn't respond negatively to disincentives. They're even stupider than the last lot.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
No one cares how much tax you pay.
Maybe not, though roughly my tax contribution to the country paid for 3.5 nurses in the NHS, or 2 doctors, or 5 care workers. My daughter gets no funding for nursery so we're not in the education system and my family has private healthcare so we don't use the NHS much at all. There are many, many thousands of families just like mine making the same kind of decisions right now, high earners are fleeing the country and you might say good riddance but then it's people like you and attitudes like yours that are driving force for successful people deciding they've had enough of being treated like punching bags.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
It is not punishing hard work to pay public sector workers a decent wage. It is rewarding their hard work. Doctors work hard. Nurses work hard. Civil servants work hard.
CGT does not punish hard work. There is no hard work in sitting there while your asset accrues in value. CGT discourages idleness and encourages work.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
No one cares how much tax you pay.
See, this attitude is exactly the problem. "Rich people can bugger off." Which makes it rather harder to pay for things.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
I despise you and everything you believe in and represent. And the government is giving you a massive pay rise out of MY taxes and MY creativity when all you are is a fucking provincial quack
Sorry. Taking my taxes away. Oops. Who will pay now?!
Foxy is the person who keeps the person who serves you your Aperol Spritz healthy.
Part of the reason this country is in trouble is because more and more working-age people have long term conditions that are not being resolved. That harms productivity, the participation rate and pushes up expenditure on benefits - that's your tax being wasted.
That won't be resolved by all our doctors swanning off to Australia. You could argue that we spend way too much on Foxy's clinics and too little on district nurses, but that's the kind of boring, complicated debate you dislike so much.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
I despise you and everything you believe in and represent. And the government is giving you a massive pay rise out of MY taxes and MY creativity when all you are is a fucking provincial quack
Sorry. Taking my taxes away. Oops. Who will pay now?!
Indeed, it's about all I've got left to protest the direction of the country.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
I despise you and everything you believe in and represent. And the government is giving you a massive pay rise out of MY taxes and MY creativity when all you are is a fucking provincial quack
Sorry. Taking my taxes away. Oops. Who will pay now?!
Foxy is the person who keeps the person who serves you your Aperol Spritz healthy.
Part of the reason this country is in trouble is because more and more working-age people have long term conditions that are not being resolved. That harms productivity, the participation rate and pushes up expenditure on benefits - that's your tax being wasted.
That won't be resolved by all our Doctors swanning off to Australia. You could argue that we spend way too much on Foxy's clinics and too little on district nurses, but that's the kind of boring, complicated debate you dislike so much.
What are you on about. I’m in fucking Montenegro and I already spend 70% of the year outside the country I’ve just decided to make it fiscally official. @foxy is the kind of person who is destroying Britain and making it finally unliveable
Endless unaffordable migration which must be paid for by people like me. Well, no
What really attracts me to move to Sardinia is that we could get a massive 5 bedroom villa with a swimming pool and pool house for half the price of our London house. Plus my wife and I both speak Italian and Italy just came joint top of the European personal freedom index.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Yes, the government that you voted for these last decade has left the country in a piss-poor state, not least with its "fuck business" and "we have had enough of experts" Brexit leadership.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
My net rate of tax last year was 42%. Shut the fuck up about not giving a damn. It's people like you that make me want to leave the country. Your attitude is the problem.
There wouldn’t be the need for public service cuts if we had stayed in the EU .
So I suggest those who were so happy to vote Leave should be happy to pay for what they wanted as in extra tax to help fund those services .
Yes because the EU economy has been doing brilliantly, -0.1% for Germany last go around was it?
The facts are the facts no matter how much Leavers want to deny reality . Sticking up barriers to your biggest trading partner is economic stupidity .
So exactly how would we have got better growth when the rest of Europe is suffering worse growth than we are? You guys are still so desperate to pin everything on Brexit even when it is blindingly obvious that it is not the economic disaster you so desperately wanted so you could be proved right.
Just a quick note that as a frequent reader and occasional commenter, I much prefer the comments this way up.
I'm usually reading as the header looks interesting and I want to see what others made of it - the first part of the conversation is (usually!) on-topic (ok who am i kidding but there is a chance) and you can see where the conversation flows, and I'm not usually bothered about getting to the end.
I feel like I am divorcing my own country. It’s quite odd
I have to say I've been feeling similarly over the last couple of weeks. Last time my wife wanted us to to leave the country I put up a valiant defence and managed to convince her that it wasn't the right moment to go. We were talking today and she asked me why I have seemed so down over the past few weeks and after talking about it at length I've realised that the UK is not a country I recognise any more. Hard work isn't rewarded, it is penalised and not only is it penalised that attitude has begun to pervade among the public at large.
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Another Brexiteer buggering off after shitting the bed for the rest of us.
And not even apologising for doing so.
Which part of his analysis is attributable to Brexit?
The economic failure.
Economic failure I can just about live with, it's the clear punishment of risk and hard work that Labour are about push forwards with that is the decision maker. I mean I stuck it out last time when the economy was looking pretty shaky. We're the only country in Europe that punishes people for earning more than £100k, if CGT does rise to income tax rates it will be a punishment of risk taking at a time when we need for more risk taking by entrepreneurs and domestic investors. All of the public sector pay rises is creating a permanent state Labour client state alongside the 3-5m people who don't want to work sitting on benefits. As I said, it's the attitude of the country that seems to have swung very badly in favour of idleness and people trying to live with their hands in someone else's pocket, and in this case mine and millions of others like me.
Yep, that nihilistic Brexit autarky from the "Red Wall" that you were so keen to cry crocodile tears over and promise an undelivered "levelling up".
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
How does giving train drivers a huge payrise help investment in the north? Or giving junior doctors their giant bribe do it? The government is hugely increasing it's current spending at the expense of future investment, the exactly opposite of what needs to be done. It's Labour that has chosen to prioritise today's client state by borrowing from my children's future.
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
One of the reasons that US politics is in the state it's in is because the economic boom time of the 90s wasn't felt equally. You can't have a society that rewards it's highest achievers at the expense of everyone else. If you do you then you create a huge number of resentful people who's day to day experience is that nothing works for them.
There wouldn’t be the need for public service cuts if we had stayed in the EU .
So I suggest those who were so happy to vote Leave should be happy to pay for what they wanted as in extra tax to help fund those services .
Yes because the EU economy has been doing brilliantly, -0.1% for Germany last go around was it?
The facts are the facts no matter how much Leavers want to deny reality . Sticking up barriers to your biggest trading partner is economic stupidity .
Hypothetically, imagine a country where the balance of trade is heavily skewed and the domestic economy is held back because of the volume of imports. Could it be beneficial to level the playing field by making it ever so slightly harder to import?
What really attracts me to move to Sardinia is that we could get a massive 5 bedroom villa with a swimming pool and pool house for half the price of our London house. Plus my wife and I both speak Italian and Italy just came joint top of the European personal freedom index.
Sardinian food is weird tho. They like sheep’s brains and maggot cheese
Tbh it wouldn’t be the first place I’d move in Italy
What really attracts me to move to Sardinia is that we could get a massive 5 bedroom villa with a swimming pool and pool house for half the price of our London house. Plus my wife and I both speak Italian and Italy just came joint top of the European personal freedom index.
You wouldn't find the corruption wearing on the soul? Easier if you're not poor, of course. But freedom might not feel so free where there are high levels of corruption - or so I imagine.
What really attracts me to move to Sardinia is that we could get a massive 5 bedroom villa with a swimming pool and pool house for half the price of our London house. Plus my wife and I both speak Italian and Italy just came joint top of the European personal freedom index.
So the alleged vote against the elite now means only rich people can jump through all the hoops and move to an EU country . Nice ! Don’t you get why your attitude might piss off Remainers . It’s like people who voted Leave and then got an EU passport by family ancestry , voting away others FOM rights knowing they’d be okay !
Just a quick note that as a frequent reader and occasional commenter, I much prefer the comments this way up.
I'm usually reading as the header looks interesting and I want to see what others made of it - the first part of the conversation is (usually!) on-topic (ok who am i kidding but there is a chance) and you can see where the conversation flows, and I'm not usually bothered about getting to the end.
Just my 2p worth. Hope you are all well.
Interesting. Just shows there are always different ways of looking at things.
Seems you will be happy for a while longer anyway thanks to Vanilla and talk of "legacy" software.
What really attracts me to move to Sardinia is that we could get a massive 5 bedroom villa with a swimming pool and pool house for half the price of our London house. Plus my wife and I both speak Italian and Italy just came joint top of the European personal freedom index.
Yeh but on the other hand you wont see a slate grey overcast sky for months at a time.
Comments
What Labour did do was win a massive majority, playing it according to UK rules. UK rules is FPTP. As a matter of fact the right vote was split. Starmer and Labour played the game according to what players were on the pitch. If the Tories had faced no opposition from Reform etc, Labour would have played it differently. As the Tories would have played it differently in 1983 if the SDP did not exist, when they won well (397 seats) with 42% of the vote when the SDP/Lab got 53%. But that's a counterfactual.
It's possible Starmer is useless, but it is too early to say. To me he is a disappointment so far, but way ahead of a poor field.
We need a People's Vote to decide if people still really want to go through with it.
They are going to have heart attacks come the budget as it is likely to be a bloodbath.
in what way am I a "government supporter"?
People are still desperate to talk about the Tories because you were so goddamned awful. And still are - look who your candidates are for leader? Jesus...
They could probably do worse than Jenrick.
There's no way to erase it from the history books now.
Tories 411 seats
PB Tories & Sean "I voted for Starmer Me" T? Can't accept that they lost. Catastrophically. Are hated. Even from the people who didn't vote for Keith Donkey.
"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching—'turn the other cheek'—[and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore said.
"When the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ' ... The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak," he added. "When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis."
https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-rejecting-jesus-teachings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706
I didn't know he was on the ballot.
If the Tories want to know who is responsible for the current Government they are all moaning about, they only have to look in the mirror.
But some PBers are misdiagnosing that as a repudiation of left-wing politics. or even a violent swing to the right. They seem to think the crackdown on far-right violence was unpopular, and have hopelessly misjudged the public's reaction to something like smoking in beer gardens. It's not that - it's because Starmer's change campaign has not metamorphosed into a change government.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cash
But Labour's crap is significantly better than Sunak and the Lettuce and Shagger. Dumb and Dumber. Crap and Crapper. You want to slag off Labour? Feel free - I'll join in. But however depressing Labour are, to most punters feels less bad than the best of the Tories...
I don't see how we get out of this either so the option left to me is to make own way out. Right now Sardina and Ticino both look very tempting. I worry for future generations in the UK, the attitude that success and wealth are seen as evil or bad is going to drown the country in debt and failure. It's going to take a big shock to right the ship or, without one, I fear the slow death and the UK becomes the next version if Argentina. A formerly wealthy nation that was unable to live within it's means and chased all the talented people away by punishing them with high tax to pay for endless welfare/salaries of a client state.
Warning: kind of seedy & a bit grim.
If the Tories want to mourn their lost leader, they need to consider the man who wanted to lead but was cruelly struck down by the electorate. The man, the mystery.
CHISTI
Which is much less than we can say for those who regret their Brexit vote.
Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by a fifth woman, after a phone-call recording came to light of a man—alleged to be Gaiman—appearing to offer $60,000 (£45,400) to the alleged victim.
The victim alleged to Tortoise that while the author was on a book tour in the US in July 2013 he took her to a room in his tour bus with a bed, closed the door, "got on top of her, kissed her and groped her under her dress and over her breasts".
In the sixth episode of a podcast from Tortoise’s series, "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman", the man, alleged to be the bestselling author, is apparently heard in a phone call recording in 2022 with the woman, who is calling herself "Claire" to preserve her anonymity.
Claire claims she wrote Gaiman a letter in 2022 on the impact of his behaviour a decade earlier, when he is alleged to have assaulted her.
In the 2022 recording of the phone call, the man—alleged to be Gaiman—can be apparently heard telling Claire that he "f***** up", that his behaviour was "s****", and appears to offer to pay her a $60,000 (£45,400) "tax-free gift" to cover the cost of a decade worth of therapy.
In the podcast episode named "The Pattern", in the recording of the phone call the man is heard telling Claire: “I’m feeling that I got the wrong end of the stick... I was heartbroken seeing you that I had given you nightmares. I’m really sorry... I’m trying to make up for some of the damage.
"Would you like me to send me some money?... I’m not sure that I’m reading you... I said that bluntly but listen, you’ve got a baby on the way, and I appreciate that $500 a month over a decade is going to stack up and a lot of that must have been my fault."
According to Tortoise, five days later after the original call, the man allegedly called with a firm financial offer. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking... and a lot of listening to what you were saying on the last call." He is apparently heard to suggest "gifting" her £15,000 each year and then a "hefty donation" to the "place you sent me a link to" [a rape crisis centre].
The pair eventually seem to agree that he will pay it to her as a lump sum. However, the rape crisis centre told Tortoise it had no record of his donation.
Gaiman’s account, according to Tortoise, is that he was "surprised" to hear that Claire been traumatised because he had thought all their interactions had been consensual and when he realised they were not, he stopped. According to Tortoise, Gaiman’s account is that he tried to initiate a kiss with Claire while they were lying on a bed at the back of the bus, but stopped when it became quickly apparent that she didn’t want one.
Gaiman first denied allegations of "non-consensual sex" and "sexual assault" reported in an investigation by Tortoise, in early July.
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/neil-gaiman-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-fifth-woman
https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/31/neil-gaimans-hit-netflix-show-axed-sexual-abuse-allegations-21524790/
The vast, vast majority of funds that Blackrock runs are tracker funds. They are passive funds that own the entire index. There is no boss making decisions: if someone puts money into the Blackrock FTSE-100 Tracker, then Blackrock buys the underlying equities. If someone sells shares in the tracker, then it sells the underlying shares.
If Blackrock - with their passive index tracker - were to do anything else, then they would be breaking the law.
That's what passive funds do.
I think perceived crapness is something like the square root of actual crapness, so you get a situation where Trump is 4x as repellent as Clinton but the public's capacity for negativity is exhausted, so they nearly equate the two.
I hope Amanda is doing OK. This can't be much fun for her.
To Quote Bakunin:
When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the People's Stick.
Mikhail Bakunin
When they walked into a public service body and pitched a product to the pension trustees, it was DEI because they knew what sold.
Blackrock's active management of UK equities is tiny: according to their own website it is "several billion pounds", which is makes it less than half the size of THS's old UK business.
And not even apologising for doing so.
I've worked in fund management, and I've never known a fund manager give a flying fuck what the CEO thinks.
Fund managers care about two things: gathering assets and outperforming the index. I.e., they, like everyone else, respond to economic incentives.
DEI was a good way of explaining away poor performance, and allowing otherwise average fund managers to hold onto funds longer than would otherwise be the case.
I had a mushroom pizza for dinner.
Equally as interesting.
You made this bed, then refuse to lie in it.
And the trouble with getting something for nothing is that it's always followed by getting nothing for something. That's just maths.
So I suggest those who were so happy to vote Leave should be happy to pay for what they wanted as in extra tax to help fund those services .
And again, it's the attitude that's the issue. The UK is becoming anti-success. It started under the Tories when Theresa May won and brought in her idiotic policies, Boris played a poor hand badly with COVID and I think Rishi/Hunt tried hard to reverse some of the nonsense that May introduced but it was too late by then. Labour is now putting those policies from Theresa May into overdrive. Successful people will become targets for tax, risk taking will be discouraged and punished with punitive tax rates and jobs will start to move. Not just any jobs either but high yield, high productivity jobs in tech and finance that the UK has done well to cultivate for the last 20-30 years.
Full employment and affordable housing.
What people do with the opportunities is now down to them.
Starmer has changed nothing so far, indeed that is behind his sinking popularity, but the sulking loser Brexiters are throwing their toys out of the pram.
There is nothing less patriotic than a Brexiteer feeling for his wallet. He doesn't give a damn about his fellow citizens.
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1829824349718622488
… who posted his campaign ad.
In four years or so.
If Leon’s still in the country, he gets the chance to vote for someone else.
CGT does not punish hard work. There is no hard work in sitting there while your asset accrues in value. CGT discourages idleness and encourages work.
If it prevents another series of Good Omens (Series 1 - essentially a fairly faithful rewrite of the book he wrote with Terry Pratchett in the 90s - brilliant; Series 2 - Neil Gaiman alone - awful) then I'm on board.
A pity. I used to like his work last century.
Sorry. Taking my taxes away. Oops. Who will pay now?!
Part of the reason this country is in trouble is because more and more working-age people have long term conditions that are not being resolved. That harms productivity, the participation rate and pushes up expenditure on benefits - that's your tax being wasted.
That won't be resolved by all our doctors swanning off to Australia. You could argue that we spend way too much on Foxy's clinics and too little on district nurses, but that's the kind of boring, complicated debate you dislike so much.
Endless unaffordable migration which must be paid for by people like me. Well, no
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
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41m
Comrade Kamala Harris lied about working at McDonalds. SHE NEVER WORKED THERE, they think she’s “nuts.”
Me: 53%
I'm usually reading as the header looks interesting and I want to see what others made of it - the first part of the conversation is (usually!) on-topic (ok who am i kidding but there is a chance) and you can see where the conversation flows, and I'm not usually bothered about getting to the end.
Just my 2p worth. Hope you are all well.
Tbh it wouldn’t be the first place I’d move in Italy
Seems you will be happy for a while longer anyway thanks to Vanilla and talk of "legacy" software.
Where's the joy in that?