Setting the income tax and Nat Ins rates should be more than an accounting exercise. If raising or lowering the rates would bring in more money then why was the rate not already set at the point of maximising revenue? The answer must be that maximising revenue is tempered by the wider effects that such changes might have – importantly effects on output, employment, growth, income distribution etc. If we assume that the government bears all of this in mind when setting tax rates then shouldn't we be focussing on those wider consequences of changing the rates? In other words we should be asking what are the social opportunity costs of changing the tax rates given that they are being changed by financial pressure of circumstances
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Sainsburys is selling whole legs of Ibericco ham at the moment, IIRC. Complete with stand - again IIRC
Get one of the grocery delivery outfits to buy one for you and deliver to the event. There's a bunch that offer this as a service - 30 min or less
Start hacking it up in front of the chefs....
I bought one of those from Waitrose a few years ago. Around 70 quid as I recall. It was good fun at Christmas, but I am not sure I would do it again. There is a guy at Winchester Christmas market that sells 'proper' ones. They are several hundred quid each.
Given a choice between starvation....
A friend brings the Real Deal back from Spain. Just chucks a couple in a suitcase and checks it as luggage.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Cameron and Osborne? They were useless.
Osborne and Austerity is the reason we are in the mess we are currently in
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
What about next years inevitable £20bn 'black hole' though?
Maybe by then Labour could reform Planning to stop people from preventing growth, so there wouldn't be any black hole?
Yeah, right.
I doubt they will be indulging your desire to concrete over the entire country tbh.
I have no desire, nor do we need, to concrete over the entire country. What purpose would that serve?
Concreting wherever people need a home, or business, or industry OTOH.
Is this real? Pitt the Younger introduced a Bill in the House of Commons in 1795 to establish old age pensions. It was opposed by people like Jeremy Bentham for being unrealistic.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Cameron and Osborne? They were useless.
They reduced the deficit from 10% in 2010 to just 4% in 2015 even if they mucked up the EU referendum
RIP Dick Cheney. Whatever you think of his views he was one of the dominant US politicians of the last 50 years. Chief of Staff to President Ford, Defence Secretary under President Bush 41 in the Gulf War and most famously VP to President George W Bush when he was leader of the neocons with Rumsfeld and led the response to 9/11 and orchestrated to War on Terror and invasion of Iraq that removed Saddam. He also was a vocal opponent of Trump and one of the few Republicans brave enough to openly say they were voting for Harris last year
He very slightly redeemed himself with his principled opposition to Trump, he clearly cared about his country and correctly identified Trump as a real danger to the American republic. But he was probably the main architect of the disaster of the Iraq war, and that is an awful lot of deaths on the other side of the ledger.
Even the Iraq War doesn't now look so bad in restrospect. Iraq is now Saddam free and has an elected government. Syria is also now free of Assad as a knock on effect and Libya free of Gaddaffi.
Afghanistan though is back in the hands of the Taliban after Biden withdrew, even if Bin Laden was killed it was in Pakistan
What an exceedingly stupid post.
It is correct, Iraq is better off now than it was in 2003, as indeed are Syria and Libya, also dictator free and IS now largely defeated
https://x.com/RoguePOTUSStaff/status/1985731262003151284 ICE officials testify in open court that they believe it's ok to arrest people for their political opinions, and that the have ORDERED officers to arrest people for their speech.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Cameron and Osborne? They were useless.
They reduced the deficit from 10% in 2010 to just 4% in 2015 even if they mucked up the EU referendum
Arguably that’s equivalent to “Apart from the shooting Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the show?”
Is this real? Pitt the Younger introduced a Bill in the House of Commons in 1795 to establish old age pensions. It was opposed by people like Jeremy Bentham for being unrealistic.
Don't think so. The Old Age Pensions Act was passed much later, in 1908.
If only we knew the elasticity of the (income) tax base wrt the tax rate we'd know whether raising or lowering the tax rate(s) would bring in more revenue. She should call Art Laffer, he's been seen hereabouts recently ... ... seriously, it's quite possible that an increase in the IT rate will lead to a fall in receipts to the govt
Laffer's record on this isn't great
In 2012, based on Laffer curve arguments, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback greatly reduced state tax rates in what has been called the Kansas experiment.[42][43][44] Laffer was paid $75,000 to advise in the creation of Brownback's tax cut plan, and gave Brownback his full endorsement, stating that what Brownback was doing was "truly revolutionary."[42] The state, which had previously had a budget surplus, experienced a budget deficit of about $200 million in 2012. Drastic cuts to state funding for education and infrastructure followed[45] before the tax cut was repealed in 2017 by a bipartisan super majority in the Kansas legislature.[42
Interesting. Nevertheless the key question is how much the tax base shrinks as the tax rate rises. In Kansas it seems that the relation was inelastic (presumably to Laffer's surprise). What that says about the UK in 2025 is ... nothing at all
They did a proper study under the coalition which concluded 47% was the optimal rate in the UK. It’s why we have 45% income tax and 2% NIC
https://x.com/RoguePOTUSStaff/status/1985731262003151284 ICE officials testify in open court that they believe it's ok to arrest people for their political opinions, and that the have ORDERED officers to arrest people for their speech.
Launched just before dawn,[6] intense confrontations occurred all day. Gangs set barricades ablaze and used drone-dropped bombs on special forces teams.[7] The operation seized 93 rifles,[7] killed 121 people,[2] and resulted in 133 arrests, according to police.[3] State governor Cláudio Castro claimed the casualties were criminals[8] and called the operation "a success";[9] local residents as well as national and international civil society groups criticized the lethality of police conduct and questioned official claims that all the dead were criminals.[6][10]
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
If only we knew the elasticity of the (income) tax base wrt the tax rate we'd know whether raising or lowering the tax rate(s) would bring in more revenue. She should call Art Laffer, he's been seen hereabouts recently ... ... seriously, it's quite possible that an increase in the IT rate will lead to a fall in receipts to the govt
Laffer's record on this isn't great
In 2012, based on Laffer curve arguments, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback greatly reduced state tax rates in what has been called the Kansas experiment.[42][43][44] Laffer was paid $75,000 to advise in the creation of Brownback's tax cut plan, and gave Brownback his full endorsement, stating that what Brownback was doing was "truly revolutionary."[42] The state, which had previously had a budget surplus, experienced a budget deficit of about $200 million in 2012. Drastic cuts to state funding for education and infrastructure followed[45] before the tax cut was repealed in 2017 by a bipartisan super majority in the Kansas legislature.[42
Interesting. Nevertheless the key question is how much the tax base shrinks as the tax rate rises. In Kansas it seems that the relation was inelastic (presumably to Laffer's surprise). What that says about the UK in 2025 is ... nothing at all
They did a proper study under the coalition which concluded 47% was the optimal rate in the UK. It’s why we have 45% income tax and 2% NIC
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
My guess is she doesn’t touch the 2% NIC band but only the standard one
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
I think you know a lot about Tory (or erstwhile Tory) voters but clearly not that much about centrist Labour voters.
There will be a few centrist current Labour voters who voted Conservative in at least one of the 2019, 2017 or 2015 GEs or LD in 2010.
My prediction remains, if Reeves raises income tax at all levels, Labour will be 5th in some polls after the Budget
A friend of mine who is a university librarian is mocking them on facebook. If they've lost the university librarian vote, you have to wonder which constituencies are still loyal.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Cameron and Osborne? They were useless.
Practically? Yes. Politically? No.
And that's the problem. Something can be the wrong thing to do by all sorts of metrics- practical, financial, legal, moral- and still being the right thing to do politically.
And if the public want something, even something with consequences the public will come to hate, can politicians deny them? Should they even try?
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
Cue grumbling about wealthy pensioners?
Fair play to the guy. He just wanted to run his post office. He didn’t decide to become a national hero, he was just being shat on by c***s who didn’t care that their software was flawed, had been shown to be flawed and did nothing about it. Arguably without his efforts the scandal would not have even achieved this level of resolution. Mush more needs to be done. Prison time for perjury as a minimum.
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
Cue grumbling about wealthy pensioners?
Not at all. However am I the only one concerned that the person getting the money appears to be an imposter? Unlike the one in the news today, the real Alan Bates I saw on ITV was a spitting image of the well known actor Toby Jones.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
I think you know a lot about Tory (or erstwhile Tory) voters but clearly not that much about centrist Labour voters.
There will be a few centrist current Labour voters who voted Conservative in at least one of the 2019, 2017 or 2015 GEs or LD in 2010.
My prediction remains, if Reeves raises income tax at all levels, Labour will be 5th in some polls after the Budget
You're probably right, I think even if they were to move some NI into Income tax they'd be toast. "Prime Minister, is it not correct that you raised the basic rate of Income Tax by x%?" "But we reduced NI by the same %!" doesn't cut it.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
One way to think of tuition fees is as a graduate tax that you can rid yourself of if you earn enough to pay it off. Another approach, simply extra tax on anyone with a degree, would mean high earners paying far far more. Now that might be your choice, but the loan system was the option chosen.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
I think you know a lot about Tory (or erstwhile Tory) voters but clearly not that much about centrist Labour voters.
There will be a few centrist current Labour voters who voted Conservative in at least one of the 2019, 2017 or 2015 GEs or LD in 2010.
My prediction remains, if Reeves raises income tax at all levels, Labour will be 5th in some polls after the Budget
You're probably right, I think even if they were to move some NI into Income tax they'd be toast. "Prime Minister, is it not correct that you raised the basic rate of Income Tax by x%?" "But we reduced NI by the same %!" doesn't cut it.
The government needs to increase it's revenue and that has to come from somewhere.
The all important question is can they make people feel better off at the time of the election and that's still 3 years away.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
One way to think of tuition fees is as a graduate tax that you can rid yourself of if you earn enough to pay it off. Another approach, simply extra tax on anyone with a degree, would mean high earners paying far far more. Now that might be your choice, but the loan system was the option chosen.
Why should educated people pay extra tax?
If you believe in taxing income, then tax income.
And if it was everyone paying the same amount of tax, then it would not be far, far more since the financial cost would be spread much more widely so it would be a much lower rate, and not an whopping great big 9% increase in income tax rates.
Any views on Council tax changes? One idea to increase Council tax on Band G and H properties by 100% seems a little heavy handed. Maybe a moderate increase for G and H now with a commitment to do a national Council tax revaluation within 3 years with extra bands at the top at the end
The multipliers for bands G and H v Band D in England is currently 1.75 and 2.00 respectively . This could be moved closer to those which now apply in Scotland which are 2.00 and 2.40 ISH respectively, to raise some revenue now
Leave G and H as they are. But introduce bands I, J, K and L for more and more expensive properties.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
One way to think of tuition fees is as a graduate tax that you can rid yourself of if you earn enough to pay it off. Another approach, simply extra tax on anyone with a degree, would mean high earners paying far far more. Now that might be your choice, but the loan system was the option chosen.
The LibDem design was for something that was notionally a loan but acted rather like a graduate tax. Since then, the system has been tweaked to be more loan-like. The reason not to just do a graduate tax was about EU citizens not being able to avoid the loan as they could the tax by moving back to their home country.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
One way to think of tuition fees is as a graduate tax that you can rid yourself of if you earn enough to pay it off. Another approach, simply extra tax on anyone with a degree, would mean high earners paying far far more. Now that might be your choice, but the loan system was the option chosen.
Why should educated people pay extra tax?
If you believe in taxing income, then tax income.
And if it was everyone paying the same amount of tax, then it would not be far, far more since the financial cost would be spread much more widely so it would be a much lower rate, and not an whopping great big 9% increase in income tax rates.
The case for taxing people who have had a university education is that they tend to earn more as a result. And those who didn’t go don’t pay.
Any views on Council tax changes? One idea to increase Council tax on Band G and H properties by 100% seems a little heavy handed. Maybe a moderate increase for G and H now with a commitment to do a national Council tax revaluation within 3 years with extra bands at the top at the end
The multipliers for bands G and H v Band D in England is currently 1.75 and 2.00 respectively . This could be moved closer to those which now apply in Scotland which are 2.00 and 2.40 ISH respectively, to raise some revenue now
Leave G and H as they are. But introduce bands I, J, K and L for more and more expensive properties.
Abolish bands altogether, abolish Stamp Duty, and tax a percentage of either land or house prices instead annually.
If prices go down in your area, you get a tax cut automatically.
A 1% increase in income tax across all bands raises £10bn pa. Reducing employees NI by 1% loses £4bn of that. I'm not sure she will want to give that away.
As Rachel says 'we must each do our bit'. This suggests that she is willing to increase tax on workers too.
2% on income tax at all bands plus threshold freeze to 2030 raises £30bn.
And probably sends Labour to fifth in the polls behind Reform, The Tories, The Greens and LDs...decisions, decisions..
How many of the people who are currently sticking with Labour are really going to leave because of a tax rise? I just don't see it, the impact is it makes some of the people who have already left harder/impossible to win back but equally some of the people flirting with the Greens or Corbyn's latest fiasco happier, they want to see spending protected and even grow.
It is a Westminster talking point based on old two party ideas, not when Labour are already sub 20%.
I expect centrist Labour voters would be furious the income tax pledge was broken and would go LD or Tory, leftwing Labour voters on average or below incomes would be appalled they have been hit when they want the rich and wealthy City workers hammered with tax not them and would go for Polanski's Greens instead.
Would the last Labour voter left then please turn out the lights!
You are wrong, I'm a centrist non Labour voter and think it is bleeding obvious they need to do this. Why would I view it negatively? Lots of other things they have done I do view negatively.
So you are a centrist NON Labour voter, what might attract you to Reeves committing electoral suicide raising income tax from basic rate and above with no compensating tax cut?
Voters can be ruthless if a party betrays a clear manifesto pledge, as the LDs discovered in 2015. There is no automatic reason even for those still voting Labour to do so, centrists can go LD, leftwingers can go Green or YP, Labour isn't even the party of labour and the working class now, most working class voters now vote Reform
Voters didn’t desert the Lib Dems because of tuition fees. That was just the casus belli. They deserted us on the left because of the original sin of going into coalition with the Tories, and on the right because Cameron convinced them we were going to prop up an SNP coalition.
Not sure I agree with that. Had they managed to hold off tuition fees they could have retained the vote of the young even now. The #1 reason the Greens are so popular amongst my daughters' generation is that they are the one party who does not consider it reasonable that they start their adult lives with £50,000 of debt. And whatever you might think of the case for student fees*, that's a pretty attractive offer.
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
One way to think of tuition fees is as a graduate tax that you can rid yourself of if you earn enough to pay it off. Another approach, simply extra tax on anyone with a degree, would mean high earners paying far far more. Now that might be your choice, but the loan system was the option chosen.
Why should educated people pay extra tax?
If you believe in taxing income, then tax income.
And if it was everyone paying the same amount of tax, then it would not be far, far more since the financial cost would be spread much more widely so it would be a much lower rate, and not an whopping great big 9% increase in income tax rates.
The case for taxing people who have had a university education is that they tend to earn more as a result. And those who didn’t go don’t pay.
"Tend to" is weasel words, especially when the threshold for hitting 9% extra taxation is £25k per annum and the National Minimum Wage is almost that and the median wage is well, well, well over it.
Any views on Council tax changes? One idea to increase Council tax on Band G and H properties by 100% seems a little heavy handed. Maybe a moderate increase for G and H now with a commitment to do a national Council tax revaluation within 3 years with extra bands at the top at the end
The multipliers for bands G and H v Band D in England is currently 1.75 and 2.00 respectively . This could be moved closer to those which now apply in Scotland which are 2.00 and 2.40 ISH respectively, to raise some revenue now
Leave G and H as they are. But introduce bands I, J, K and L for more and more expensive properties.
We really new need bands for vacant properties too, I suggest M,T.
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
Cue grumbling about wealthy pensioners?
Not at all. However am I the only one concerned that the person getting the money appears to be an imposter? Unlike the one in the news today, the real Alan Bates I saw on ITV was a spitting image of the well known actor Toby Jones.
Any views on Council tax changes? One idea to increase Council tax on Band G and H properties by 100% seems a little heavy handed. Maybe a moderate increase for G and H now with a commitment to do a national Council tax revaluation within 3 years with extra bands at the top at the end
The multipliers for bands G and H v Band D in England is currently 1.75 and 2.00 respectively . This could be moved closer to those which now apply in Scotland which are 2.00 and 2.40 ISH respectively, to raise some revenue now
Leave G and H as they are. But introduce bands I, J, K and L for more and more expensive properties.
Completely not possible without a full rerating...
If you think about it everyone involved in the original rating of council tax has either retired or is very close to retiring. It was after all done 35 years ago which means you have examples of £5m properties near Kings Cross being council band C...
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
Cue grumbling about wealthy pensioners?
Not at all. However am I the only one concerned that the person getting the money appears to be an imposter? Unlike the one in the news today, the real Alan Bates I saw on ITV was a spitting image of the well known actor Toby Jones.
If only we knew the elasticity of the (income) tax base wrt the tax rate we'd know whether raising or lowering the tax rate(s) would bring in more revenue. She should call Art Laffer, he's been seen hereabouts recently ... ... seriously, it's quite possible that an increase in the IT rate will lead to a fall in receipts to the govt
Laffer's record on this isn't great
In 2012, based on Laffer curve arguments, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback greatly reduced state tax rates in what has been called the Kansas experiment.[42][43][44] Laffer was paid $75,000 to advise in the creation of Brownback's tax cut plan, and gave Brownback his full endorsement, stating that what Brownback was doing was "truly revolutionary."[42] The state, which had previously had a budget surplus, experienced a budget deficit of about $200 million in 2012. Drastic cuts to state funding for education and infrastructure followed[45] before the tax cut was repealed in 2017 by a bipartisan super majority in the Kansas legislature.[42
Interesting. Nevertheless the key question is how much the tax base shrinks as the tax rate rises. In Kansas it seems that the relation was inelastic (presumably to Laffer's surprise). What that says about the UK in 2025 is ... nothing at all
They did a proper study under the coalition which concluded 47% was the optimal rate in the UK. It’s why we have 45% income tax and 2% NIC
V interesting, do you have sources for that?
It was in 2012.
This isn’t it but it references it and may have a source link. But it’s late and I can’t arsed to check
I was invited by the very active and quite impressive Catalan investment board to a reception at the Shard to celebrate their winning some sort of global cuisine award. 2 Michelin starred chefs showing off their oeuvre. Speeches etc.
As I have an early flight tomorrow this is the sort of thing I would usually duck out of and get an early night, but the promise of Catalan molecular cuisine was too tempting. 2 hours into the event and the amount of food I’d managed to get hold of was truly molecular. At my hunger nadir I stood through 10 minutes of the chef from one of the restaurants, a place called Miramar, doing a demo of how he dabs tiny blobs of lemon juice on to a very delicious starter, before getting roughly 12 calories of the stuff. I probably burned more off waiting than I consumed.
Maybe they’re just Iberian and the feast will all come out at 11pm. But whatever, I’ve downed a couple of cavas and am now on the way home to eat some leftover pizza from the fridge.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
Should Mamdani win, some Democrats will take the wrong message. NY is not America.
When it comes to taking on Trump for POTUS and the mid terms, they need a more centerist card than Mamdani represents.
Indeed. Huge internal debates/battles on going within the Dems but I was struck by something one of the main Dem strategy/analyst types said the other day (can't recall who - possibly the Ragin' Cajun) that no one wins the 2028 nomination who doesn't have the support of black southern dems and a Mamdani figure 'aint gotta prayer there.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
This can't be right surely? I read every day in the online Telegraph that no one with more than five pence in their pocket wants to live in our current shithole ultra tax country.
Should Mamdani win, some Democrats will take the wrong message. NY is not America.
When it comes to taking on Trump for POTUS and the mid terms, they need a more centerist card than Mamdani represents.
Most won't, probably.
This is actually the message in a two party system.
Gallego on Mamdani: "It's okay to say 'I disagree with this, this, and this, but I agree with that.' But the idea that we're just gonna throw out people that are really bringing in new ideas to the fold, exciting people, just because they're slightly to the right or to the left of us is dumb. The problem with Democrats is that we have been shrinking our tent as much as possible to the point where there are not many people left. And that happens on the left side of our party and it also happens on the right side of the party.".. https://x.com/atrupar/status/1957172562427081010
Sir Alan Bates has received a multi million pound compensation settlement from the PO after his campaigning, as well as the knighthood he got from the King https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5e723qv0no
Cue grumbling about wealthy pensioners?
Not at all. However am I the only one concerned that the person getting the money appears to be an imposter? Unlike the one in the news today, the real Alan Bates I saw on ITV was a spitting image of the well known actor Toby Jones.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
This can't be right surely? I read every day in the online Telegraph that no one with more than five pence in their pocket wants to live in our current shithole ultra tax country.
It will be trivial to attract US elite here if we wanted to replace our tax exiles. A lot of them will prefer higher taxes here to living under not just fascism, but a particularly barmy and kleptocratic form of fascism.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
Should Mamdani win, some Democrats will take the wrong message. NY is not America.
When it comes to taking on Trump for POTUS and the mid terms, they need a more centerist card than Mamdani represents.
Most won't, probably.
This is actually the message in a two party system.
Gallego on Mamdani: "It's okay to say 'I disagree with this, this, and this, but I agree with that.' But the idea that we're just gonna throw out people that are really bringing in new ideas to the fold, exciting people, just because they're slightly to the right or to the left of us is dumb. The problem with Democrats is that we have been shrinking our tent as much as possible to the point where there are not many people left. And that happens on the left side of our party and it also happens on the right side of the party.".. https://x.com/atrupar/status/1957172562427081010
And that sums it up well, its a disconnect between party hacks who are puritanical and the public. Depending on Trump being an arse and the 'real' economy going down the tubes isnt enough.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation. https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
"As of 3 p.m. ET, nearly 1.5 million people had voted in New York City’s mayoral election, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With six hours still to go until the polls close, the turnout had already surpassed the total votes cast in any city mayoral election in the past 20 years."
My guess is that this favours Mamdani with lots of voters who don't normally bother turning out but who knows?
With each passing second, I am more bullish on Zohran Mamdani exceeding 55%. Manhattan and Brooklyn continue to turn out in droves, with lines reported across base neighborhoods. We’re pacing for a record number of votes.
The vibes are screaming landslide.
I think Mamdani will win easily. You don't mess with the Zohran!
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation. https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
If she did she will get a pardon anyway. And probably a load of crypto.
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation. https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
..ORDERED that the Government is directed to submit, no later than Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 5:00 pm, for in camera review, a complete Transcript and/or recording of all statements made by the indictment signer to the grand jury on September 25, 2025, to include statements made prior to and after the testimony of the witness and during the presentation of the three-count and subsequent two-count indictments. Signed by the Honorable Cameron McGowan Currie on 11/04/2025. (jlan) (Entered: 11/04/2025)..
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
Obesity drugs? I can get fat for a lot less than that.
I know you’re joking, but actually could you get fat for $149 a month? Actually gaining a lot of weight isn’t as easy as people think. Lots of studies about high calorie diet suggest that your body resists gaining weight to an extent (you certainly don’t cover all excess calories to fat).
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation. https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
If she did she will get a pardon anyway. And probably a load of crypto.
When this is all over. And that could be many year away. The POTUS pardon needs to be gone.
Was it Kurt Gödel's famous logical flaw in the US constitution?
Or perhaps it was US Marshals all work for POTUS DoJ?
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
Bonfire night is dying. It was once a bigger thing than Halloween, now it’s a shadow of its former self. Whether it’s insurance costs, or using health and safety as an excuse or something else we are seeing the end of a great historic British tradition (well English, at least). Halloween now gives way to Christmas season. We don’t even have Thanksgiving to look forward to.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
"Cargo plane crashes near airport in Kentucky Louisville Metro Police Department said that injuries were reported after the plane crash near the city's international airport"
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation. https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
If she did she will get a pardon anyway. And probably a load of crypto.
Not sure you can get a pardon for conempt of court. Trump certainly can't restore her law licence.
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
Bonfire night is dying. It was once a bigger thing than Halloween, now it’s a shadow of its former self. Whether it’s insurance costs, or using health and safety as an excuse or something else we are seeing the end of a great historic British tradition (well English, at least). Halloween now gives way to Christmas season. We don’t even have Thanksgiving to look forward to.
My Eric Ravilious calendar for this month shows his painting, November 5th, 1933.
At the risk of making some members of the site tumescent, just imagine if the Tories could call on Cameron/Osborne right now. Even after everything that’s happened.
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
Bonfire night is dying. It was once a bigger thing than Halloween, now it’s a shadow of its former self. Whether it’s insurance costs, or using health and safety as an excuse or something else we are seeing the end of a great historic British tradition (well English, at least). Halloween now gives way to Christmas season. We don’t even have Thanksgiving to look forward to.
"Cargo plane crashes near airport in Kentucky Louisville Metro Police Department said that injuries were reported after the plane crash near the city's international airport"
Looks like either an unusually violent uncontained failure of the left engine, or possibly debris on the runway, has punctured the fuel tanks and fuel has poured into the engine, as happened with the Air France Concorde.
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.
Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
"Cargo plane crashes near airport in Kentucky Louisville Metro Police Department said that injuries were reported after the plane crash near the city's international airport"
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
Bonfire night is dying. It was once a bigger thing than Halloween, now it’s a shadow of its former self. Whether it’s insurance costs, or using health and safety as an excuse or something else we are seeing the end of a great historic British tradition (well English, at least). Halloween now gives way to Christmas season. We don’t even have Thanksgiving to look forward to.
I used to love bonfire night. Stupidly big bonfires; Standard Fireworks; potatoes on the embers ... great stuff.
Yup. George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise along with his production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for approximately $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012. OK it's about 1/100th of an Elon, but it's still about 15,000 Viewcodes. so it's pretty good. And nobody hates him.
I did when he created Jar Jar Binks.
Jar Jar is 1,000 times better than Rey!
What’s your beef with Rey?
"I bypassed the compressor!"
Beating a Sith Lord in a lightsabre battle on her first attempt despite no training. Go Boss Gurl. You don’t need no man gurl.
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
Bonfire night is dying. It was once a bigger thing than Halloween, now it’s a shadow of its former self. Whether it’s insurance costs, or using health and safety as an excuse or something else we are seeing the end of a great historic British tradition (well English, at least). Halloween now gives way to Christmas season. We don’t even have Thanksgiving to look forward to.
I used to love bonfire night. Stupidly big bonfires; Standard Fireworks; potatoes on the embers ... great stuff.
Lasted until the kids grew up.
Insurance ?? Not back then.
Why would anyone need insurance to light a bonfire in their back garden?
Maybe the fact that i am asking this shows I am from the 20th century and I refuse to leave.
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.
Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.
Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
Election Maps UK @ElectionMapsUK · 1h Does anybody know of any bars/pubs in London showing the NYC mayoral election tonight per chance?
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.
Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
Election Maps UK @ElectionMapsUK · 1h Does anybody know of any bars/pubs in London showing the NYC mayoral election tonight per chance?
It'll be lucky if there is anywhere showing it. Maybe one of those places that usually shows American football games.
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.
Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
Election Maps UK @ElectionMapsUK · 1h Does anybody know of any bars/pubs in London showing the NYC mayoral election tonight per chance?
It'll be lucky if there is anywhere showing it. Maybe one of those places that usually shows American football games.
Some solid truth in there, though. ..Meanwhile, the advert perfectly captures a very common moment of fatherhood. I’m talking, of course, about the time you decide to go clubbing, only to realise that since having a child you’ve become horrifically old and decrepit and that, to all the young people around you, you now basically represent the creeping spectre of death, and you’re suddenly hit by the realisation of how ancient you are, and you go home depressed and never attempt anything fun or exciting again until you die..
Comments
Radiohead fans ‘incredibly excited’ for band’s first live show in seven years
Crowds gather outside Movistar Arena in Madrid for first concert of European tour that sold out in minutes
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/04/radiohead-madrid-tour-first-live-show-seven-years
They can’t do that, but if they get Kemi’s replacement right, you can see them making a “bring back the professionals” case.
Concreting wherever people need a home, or business, or industry OTOH.
https://x.com/RoguePOTUSStaff/status/1985731262003151284
ICE officials testify in open court that they believe it's ok to arrest people for their political opinions, and that the have ORDERED officers to arrest people for their speech.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Containment
Launched just before dawn,[6] intense confrontations occurred all day. Gangs set barricades ablaze and used drone-dropped bombs on special forces teams.[7] The operation seized 93 rifles,[7] killed 121 people,[2] and resulted in 133 arrests, according to police.[3] State governor Cláudio Castro claimed the casualties were criminals[8] and called the operation "a success";[9] local residents as well as national and international civil society groups criticized the lethality of police conduct and questioned official claims that all the dead were criminals.[6][10]
*Personally I think the case for them was massively flawed. Though the case for free tuition was also flawed.
And if the public want something, even something with consequences the public will come to hate, can politicians deny them? Should they even try?
"Prime Minister, is it not correct that you raised the basic rate of Income Tax by x%?"
"But we reduced NI by the same %!" doesn't cut it.
The all important question is can they make people feel better off at the time of the election and that's still 3 years away.
If you believe in taxing income, then tax income.
And if it was everyone paying the same amount of tax, then it would not be far, far more since the financial cost would be spread much more widely so it would be a much lower rate, and not an whopping great big 9% increase in income tax rates.
If prices go down in your area, you get a tax cut automatically.
If you think about it everyone involved in the original rating of council tax has either retired or is very close to retiring. It was after all done 35 years ago which means you have examples of £5m properties near Kings Cross being council band C...
This isn’t it but it references it and may have a source link. But it’s late and I can’t arsed to check
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00249/SN00249.pdf#page40
When it comes to taking on Trump for POTUS and the mid terms, they need a more centerist card than Mamdani represents.
This is actually the message in a two party system.
Gallego on Mamdani: "It's okay to say 'I disagree with this, this, and this, but I agree with that.' But the idea that we're just gonna throw out people that are really bringing in new ideas to the fold, exciting people, just because they're slightly to the right or to the left of us is dumb. The problem with Democrats is that we have been shrinking our tent as much as possible to the point where there are not many people left. And that happens on the left side of our party and it also happens on the right side of the party."..
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1957172562427081010
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/04/politics/obesity-drugs-trump-pharmaceutical-companies
@MayorofLondon
Oxford Street’s Christmas lights are now on.
===
Can we please get a private members bill to ban all xmas related activity until after Bonfire Night?
I mean FFS.
JUST IN: Judge Currie orders DOJ to submit a more compete transcript of the Comey grand jury proceedings, noting that the transcript she was provided — of the lone witness — does not include Lindsey Halligan's remarks or presentation.
https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1985750011770982774
If she misled the grand jury (which seems entirely possible) then she could be in big trouble.
You don't mess with the Zohran!
(apols if anyone else has already made that joke)
Was it Kurt Gödel's famous logical flaw in the US constitution?
Or perhaps it was US Marshals all work for POTUS DoJ?
Louisville Metro Police Department said that injuries were reported after the plane crash near the city's international airport"
https://news.sky.com/story/cargo-plane-crashes-at-airport-in-kentucky-13464102
Suburban England - bonfire in every other garden.
Looks like either an unusually violent uncontained failure of the left engine, or possibly debris on the runway, has punctured the fuel tanks and fuel has poured into the engine, as happened with the Air France Concorde.
Nobody is walking away from that one, sadly.
So... I guess you're all wondering when we're going to start seeing results from the mid-mid-terms
First in Virginia: polls close at midnight UK time, and we should see the first results come through almost immediately. By 1am, we'll likely know the result.Which is good, because at 1am we start seeing the results come in from New Jersey. Which should largely be counted by 2am, when...
New York polls close, and we'll start to see the results.
Finally (if you're up until 4am), we'll start seeing the California results trickle through.
Stupidly big bonfires; Standard Fireworks; potatoes on the embers ... great stuff.
Lasted until the kids grew up.
Insurance ??
Not back then.
In essence. Kathleen Kennedy.
Maybe the fact that i am asking this shows I am from the 20th century and I refuse to leave.
I wouldn't want to miss that.
Election Maps UK
@ElectionMapsUK
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1h
Does anybody know of any bars/pubs in London showing the NYC mayoral election tonight per chance?
Invite only I suppose.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/04/john-lewis-christmas-advert-2025-outdated
Arf.
New Jersey:
🔵 Sherrill: +9%
🔴 Ciattarelli: -6%
Virginia:
🔵 Spanberger: +6%
🔴 Sears: -7%
https://x.com/USA_Polling/status/1985844261074485522
Pre election polls don't always capture the enthusiasm gap.
Yes: 74%
No: 14%
YouGov / Nov 3, 2025
https://x.com/USA_Polling/status/1985791641798537724
https://edition.cnn.com/election/2025/results/virginia
..Meanwhile, the advert perfectly captures a very common moment of fatherhood. I’m talking, of course, about the time you decide to go clubbing, only to realise that since having a child you’ve become horrifically old and decrepit and that, to all the young people around you, you now basically represent the creeping spectre of death, and you’re suddenly hit by the realisation of how ancient you are, and you go home depressed and never attempt anything fun or exciting again until you die..
Sums it all up.
@SpencerHakimian
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13s
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 40% IN:
2025: 🔵 D+46
2024: 🔵 D+35