Looks like the French are on a Norwegian duck shoot
More importantly for our Scottish friends Senegal are ahead. Really need a draw or Iraqi win to have another third place finishes behind the Scots.
I could not stand the Scotland making history if they somehow qualified after beating Haiti 1 nil. Also given they would get to the last 32 stage if they did it would not be history
Regarding the header, I don't really see this as misinformation. I see that aspects of the story are exaggerated or erroneous, but the central thrust of the story, that Burnham may have influenced a process in order to benefit his wife, is a matter of personal belief. Yes, he declared an interest and recused himself from the process, but that does not mean that if he had set his mind to getting that company hired, he could not have found the means to do it.
My sympathy was very much on the side of the Burnhams until I read about the wife being taken on by the company at a later date, and yes, that gave me pause. I don't dislike Burnham, so I consider myself neutral. If I mistrusted and disliked him, I'd probably believe he influenced the process; if I really liked him, I'd probably think it was an outrageous calumny.
The police have tried to accuse people of misinformation recently when it quickly became clear that they were the ones misinforming people. The term misinformation is inflationary. It is becoming debased through overuse.
I'm going to disagree with you here: accuracy matters.
Most importantly, one needs context.
If the wife works for a marketing company with half a dozen staff and100s of clients, and one of them has a contract with the City of Manchester, then it's highly unlikely anything improper was going on. And that kind of 'conflict' is going to happen all the time, if you are in a support services business. (If a Minister's wife worked for PWC, for example, then are we saying there is the whiff of corruption of one of PWC's audit clients got a contract from the government?)
If, on the other hand, the wife is a one person marketing business, and basically only has one customer, and said customer got a big contract from the city, and it was a decision that Burnham was personally involved in. Well, in that situation, it would stink to high heaven.
Without the context, however, one cannot make any sensible judgement.
Regarding the header, I don't really see this as misinformation. I see that aspects of the story are exaggerated or erroneous, but the central thrust of the story, that Burnham may have influenced a process in order to benefit his wife, is a matter of personal belief. Yes, he declared an interest and recused himself from the process, but that does not mean that if he had set his mind to getting that company hired, he could not have found the means to do it.
My sympathy was very much on the side of the Burnhams until I read about the wife being taken on by the company at a later date, and yes, that gave me pause. I don't dislike Burnham, so I consider myself neutral. If I mistrusted and disliked him, I'd probably believe he influenced the process; if I really liked him, I'd probably think it was an outrageous calumny.
The police have tried to accuse people of misinformation recently when it quickly became clear that they were the ones misinforming people. The term misinformation is inflationary. It is becoming debased through overuse.
I'm going to disagree with you here: accuracy matters.
Most importantly, one needs context.
If the wife works for a marketing company with half a dozen staff and100s of clients, and one of them has a contract with the City of Manchester, then it's highly unlikely anything improper was going on. And that kind of 'conflict' is going to happen all the time, if you are in a support services business. (If a Minister's wife worked for PWC, for example, then are we saying there is the whiff of corruption of one of PWC's audit clients got a contract from the government?)
If, on the other hand, the wife is a one person marketing business, and basically only has one customer, and said customer got a big contract from the city, and it was a decision that Burnham was personally involved in. Well, in that situation, it would stink to high heaven.
Without the context, however, one cannot make any sensible judgement.
Have some sympathy !
About 3 months of "Britain collapsing due to civil war in Labour Party" headlines just went phut, so all those columns will need something else to pad them out.
When will football managers tell their players to stop with the bloody stuttering run ups with penalties already? It just messes with your own momentum and makes you look very stupid if the goalkeeper guesses the right way anyway.
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
It's been all over for Scotland since South Korea lost. At that point, -1 goal difference at 3 points was the minimum bar. And even that may end up not making it.
It's been all over for Scotland since South Korea lost. At that point, -1 goal difference at 3 points was the minimum bar. And even that may end up not making it.
Yes, the goals given away to Brazil cost Scotland very dear. And the failure to get more against Haiti. Sad, but 1 goal in 3 games doesn't really deserve to go through to be honest.
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Aside from the inevitable fraud and the equally inevitable cases of people trying to use the refugees as unpaid servants…
This has the potential to be funny. If you have the right sense of humour.
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Buying support from the Labour base.
If we move to a model where numbers are capped based on the number of people who volunteer to host them, it could be a good move.
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Buying support from the Labour base.
If we move to a model where numbers are capped based on the number of people who volunteer to host them, it could be a good move.
She's doing this because she's developed a reputation that she's too tough on immigration with the Labour base, which is harming her career.
The US military has conducted strikes on Iranian targets after President Donald Trump accused Iran of a "foolish violation" of its truce following an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
No casualties were reported when the ship as struck by a one-way attack drone on Thursday, an incident which prompted a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors struck in the region.
In response, US Central Command said on Friday it had struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar positions.
Just moments before the strikes was announced, President Trump said "you'll see" when asked if the US would respond to the Iranian attack.
Looking at possible results, it is quite likely that Scotland finish lowest of the 3rd place teams. I don’t suppose it will be enough to shake the Scottish football authorities’ complacency.
The one person this statement doesn’t reflect badly on is the Home Secretary.
Starmer always gets it wrong.
As we have a lame duck prime minister, then I'm not sure there is any collective common policy to be loyal to.
He's probably following some obscure technical process and still has no idea why doing that very thing day and night to exclusion of all else has bought him to this sorry point.
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
You know what, the UK does have a very unusually centralised government. And it has an unusually dominant capital city (plus suburbs extending beyond 'official' London).
If he succeeded in meaningful devolution to other major cities and regions that would be a good thing. More geographically diverse engines of growth would be a good thing for the country.
The US military has conducted strikes on Iranian targets after President Donald Trump accused Iran of a "foolish violation" of its truce following an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
No casualties were reported when the ship as struck by a one-way attack drone on Thursday, an incident which prompted a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors struck in the region.
In response, US Central Command said on Friday it had struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar positions.
Just moments before the strikes was announced, President Trump said "you'll see" when asked if the US would respond to the Iranian attack.
Just after Wall St closed. Be ready for a new ceasefire Sunday night as operation Epsten Fury becomes a weekend war.
Looking at possible results, it is quite likely that Scotland finish lowest of the 3rd place teams. I don’t suppose it will be enough to shake the Scottish football authorities’ complacency.
At this point Scotland's best chance is to deliberately fly home now in the chance of somehow angering the footballing gods to make them have to fly to a random North American location at the very last minute.
The EU Commission in Brussels has shut off airco, but only for the lower floors, where the lower ranks work:
“It’s like feudalism,” a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a “disgrace.”
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
Regarding the header, I don't really see this as misinformation. I see that aspects of the story are exaggerated or erroneous, but the central thrust of the story, that Burnham may have influenced a process in order to benefit his wife, is a matter of personal belief. Yes, he declared an interest and recused himself from the process, but that does not mean that if he had set his mind to getting that company hired, he could not have found the means to do it.
My sympathy was very much on the side of the Burnhams until I read about the wife being taken on by the company at a later date, and yes, that gave me pause. I don't dislike Burnham, so I consider myself neutral. If I mistrusted and disliked him, I'd probably believe he influenced the process; if I really liked him, I'd probably think it was an outrageous calumny.
The police have tried to accuse people of misinformation recently when it quickly became clear that they were the ones misinforming people. The term misinformation is inflationary. It is becoming debased through overuse.
I agree. I actually think there is some misrepresentation in the series of tweets TSE uses in the header. Or at least a serious dollop of misleading by omission.
Since the 1980s, Scotland, Wales, the North of England and the Midlands have sacrificed jobs and prosperity whilst London and the South East have become ever richer. It’s time London took a share of the suffering. We never hear of mass redundancies of civil servants and consultants, only engineers, factory workers, steelworkers and other productive trades. Currently its Aberdeen oil and gas engineers whose jobs are being replaced by platitudes. Time for some proper levelling up. Go Andy!
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
You know what, the UK does have a very unusually centralised government. And it has an unusually dominant capital city (plus suburbs extending beyond 'official' London).
If he succeeded in meaningful devolution to other major cities and regions that would be a good thing. More geographically diverse engines of growth would be a good thing for the country.
But look at the poor quality of leadership in terms of councils and mayors. They are going to need much better candidates before this becomes a workable plan.
I am all for the idea of key decisions being made as close to the people who will be most affected but only by good quality local representatives.
And if this is going to happen, the council consultation process needs a complete overhaul. Such things are treated as a tick box exercise with councils doing what they intended from the outset.
So make consultations properly binding and limited to local residents and businesses. Not anyone who has Internet access.
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
Assuming that Burnham gets massive devolution passed before the next election, do the Tories and Reform campaign to reverse it, or would it be here to stay and they accept it's too difficult to undo and policitally unpopular to take power from the regions and send it to Whitehall ?
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
You know what, the UK does have a very unusually centralised government. And it has an unusually dominant capital city (plus suburbs extending beyond 'official' London).
If he succeeded in meaningful devolution to other major cities and regions that would be a good thing. More geographically diverse engines of growth would be a good thing for the country.
But look at the poor quality of leadership in terms of councils and mayors. They are going to need much better candidates before this becomes a workable plan.
I am all for the idea of key decisions being made as close to the people who will be most affected but only by good quality local representatives.
And if this is going to happen, the council consultation process needs a complete overhaul. Such things are treated as a tick box exercise with councils doing what they intended from the outset.
So make consultations properly binding and limited to local residents and businesses. Not anyone who has Internet access.
Well the present setup has hardly helped those in places like Makerfield, whatever comes next won't be worse.
Assuming that Burnham gets massive devolution passed before the next election, do the Tories and Reform campaign to reverse it, or would it be here to stay and they accept it's too difficult to undo and policitally unpopular to take power from the regions and send it to Whitehall ?
I hope not. As long as it works. Proper devolution of power from the centre is the first thing I have heard from Burnham that I can agree with.
Since the 1980s, Scotland, Wales, the North of England and the Midlands have sacrificed jobs and prosperity whilst London and the South East have become ever richer. It’s time London took a share of the suffering. We never hear of mass redundancies of civil servants and consultants, only engineers, factory workers, steelworkers and other productive trades. Currently its Aberdeen oil and gas engineers whose jobs are being replaced by platitudes. Time for some proper levelling up. Go Andy!
London unemployment is 6.8%, Wales 6.1%, North East unemployment is 5.6%, the North West is 5%, Yorkshire is 5.4%, the East Midlands is 5.7%, the West Midlands 5.9%.
South East unemployment is 4.1%, Scottish unemployment is 3.8%.
That's the problem with winning a massive majority on a brilliant slogan like "Levelling Up". Some bugger will eventually come along and try to actually do it.
Since the 1980s, Scotland, Wales, the North of England and the Midlands have sacrificed jobs and prosperity whilst London and the South East have become ever richer. It’s time London took a share of the suffering. We never hear of mass redundancies of civil servants and consultants, only engineers, factory workers, steelworkers and other productive trades. Currently its Aberdeen oil and gas engineers whose jobs are being replaced by platitudes. Time for some proper levelling up. Go Andy!
London unemployment is 6.8%, Wales 6.1%, North East unemployment is 5.6%, the North West is 5%, Yorkshire is 5.4%, the East Midlands is 5.7%, the West Midlands 5.9%.
South East unemployment is 4.1%, Scottish unemployment is 3.8%.
That's quite Parish Pump Scotland from the National.
There's a list too long to repost, starting with Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Boris Johnson.
It is Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC); I'd probably term them culture war and USA religious right, rather than fundamentally "hard-right". "Anti-woke" with a focus on "personal morality" probably gets the style, though with peeps from the Trump regime and AFD etc will be present.
Ben Houchen, Esther McVey and Sarah Pochin are also there.
The key organiser is aiui Baroness Stroud, who is a mover and shaker everywhere on the Right - not dissimilar to Danny Kruger in views imo.
The issue I have with Kate Forbes. She has always had this line that she has the simple sincere belief of people from the Highlands, I can do no other.
I'm doubtful that she does have a simple sincere belief but (a) I'm a tolerant and understanding person and (b) it's none of my business what she does believe. I would give her the benefit of any irrelevant doubt if only Forbes was equally tolerant and understanding of other people's different but sincere beliefs.
Then she goes and signs up with a bunch of nativist ideologues, many of them actual frauds, who wouldn't recognise a Judeo-Christian value if it bit them in the ass.
Must say I have not ever heard her say a bad thing about anyone. She is entitled to her views and seems to keep them to herself.
She's genuinely popular in the Highlands. But is certainly out-of-kilter with the ruling SNP worldview, as she's a social conservative and has an interest and expertise in economics - not something you could accuse Nicola et al of.
On assisted dying, she said: “One prominent campaigner railed against undeclared personal religious beliefs… in the debate and dismissed arguments from those who were guided by faith. But nobody demands that of anybody subscribing to the new faith, the new ideologies and the new philosophies of our day.
“Their moral framework, their basis of decision-making, is accepted without question, as though anybody who is free of the burden of an inner conscience grounded in historical truths is unbiased and unprejudiced.
“Those who hold to those truths – those truths that have birthed such great freedoms and liberties across the ages – are excluded by default.”
But religious faith is not "grounded in historical truths".
Not in the sense she means, but I do think some people have been a bit over the top in demanding people not use their religious convictions when deciding on the issue, since everyone will be using their own moral convictions even if not religiously based.
Yes, you can't expect somebody with religious faith to always put that in a jar when deciding their position on something. A problem does arise, though, if they aren't honest about it. Eg when they present their position as being due to other reasons. This does happen.
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
You know what, the UK does have a very unusually centralised government. And it has an unusually dominant capital city (plus suburbs extending beyond 'official' London).
If he succeeded in meaningful devolution to other major cities and regions that would be a good thing. More geographically diverse engines of growth would be a good thing for the country.
But look at the poor quality of leadership in terms of councils and mayors. They are going to need much better candidates before this becomes a workable plan.
I am all for the idea of key decisions being made as close to the people who will be most affected but only by good quality local representatives.
And if this is going to happen, the council consultation process needs a complete overhaul. Such things are treated as a tick box exercise with councils doing what they intended from the outset.
So make consultations properly binding and limited to local residents and businesses. Not anyone who has Internet access.
There may be something in what you say, but consider the quality of sucessful candidates we have had for the role of PM over the last decade and weep. Then consider the quality of the rejected candidates and laugh hysterically. With a few exceptions, I don't particularly think it's that we've had a run of unusually terrible people- it's just that the job, as currently constructed, is all but impossible. Which is why I'm dubious about the "we should keep chucking politicians on the fire until quality improves" model of democracy.
Big city metromayor is a much smaller job than Secretary of State at Westminster. Good. That means it has the advantage of having a better chance of finding a range of people who can get on top of the job, rather than have the job get on top of them.
Assuming that Burnham gets massive devolution passed before the next election, do the Tories and Reform campaign to reverse it, or would it be here to stay and they accept it's too difficult to undo and policitally unpopular to take power from the regions and send it to Whitehall ?
I hope not. As long as it works. Proper devolution of power from the centre is the first thing I have heard from Burnham that I can agree with.
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
* The south is paying the price for economic failure in the north, Andy Burnham is expected to say next week as he unveils radical plans to devolve powers and money from central government to England’s regions
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
Assuming that Burnham gets massive devolution passed before the next election, do the Tories and Reform campaign to reverse it, or would it be here to stay and they accept it's too difficult to undo and policitally unpopular to take power from the regions and send it to Whitehall ?
I hope not. As long as it works. Proper devolution of power from the centre is the first thing I have heard from Burnham that I can agree with.
The EU Commission in Brussels has shut off airco, but only for the lower floors, where the lower ranks work:
“It’s like feudalism,” a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a “disgrace.”
I'm very grateful that the Commission is thinking of EU taxpayers.
That's quite Parish Pump Scotland from the National.
There's a list too long to repost, starting with Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Boris Johnson.
It is Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC); I'd probably term them culture war and USA religious right, rather than fundamentally "hard-right". "Anti-woke" with a focus on "personal morality" probably gets the style, though with peeps from the Trump regime and AFD etc will be present.
Ben Houchen, Esther McVey and Sarah Pochin are also there.
The key organiser is aiui Baroness Stroud, who is a mover and shaker everywhere on the Right - not dissimilar to Danny Kruger in views imo.
The issue I have with Kate Forbes. She has always had this line that she has the simple sincere belief of people from the Highlands, I can do no other.
I'm doubtful that she does have a simple sincere belief but (a) I'm a tolerant and understanding person and (b) it's none of my business what she does believe. I would give her the benefit of any irrelevant doubt if only Forbes was equally tolerant and understanding of other people's different but sincere beliefs.
Then she goes and signs up with a bunch of nativist ideologues, many of them actual frauds, who wouldn't recognise a Judeo-Christian value if it bit them in the ass.
Must say I have not ever heard her say a bad thing about anyone. She is entitled to her views and seems to keep them to herself.
She's genuinely popular in the Highlands. But is certainly out-of-kilter with the ruling SNP worldview, as she's a social conservative and has an interest and expertise in economics - not something you could accuse Nicola et al of.
On assisted dying, she said: “One prominent campaigner railed against undeclared personal religious beliefs… in the debate and dismissed arguments from those who were guided by faith. But nobody demands that of anybody subscribing to the new faith, the new ideologies and the new philosophies of our day.
“Their moral framework, their basis of decision-making, is accepted without question, as though anybody who is free of the burden of an inner conscience grounded in historical truths is unbiased and unprejudiced.
“Those who hold to those truths – those truths that have birthed such great freedoms and liberties across the ages – are excluded by default.”
But religious faith is not "grounded in historical truths".
That's OK framed as a question but won't do as an answer. Same problem as Forbes.
That's the problem with winning a massive majority on a brilliant slogan like "Levelling Up". Some bugger will eventually come along and try to actually do it.
Lol, yes. The Tories might end up wishing they'd never come up with it.
That's the problem with winning a massive majority on a brilliant slogan like "Levelling Up". Some bugger will eventually come along and try to actually do it.
Lol, yes. The Tories might end up wishing they'd never come up with it.
Assuming that Burnham gets massive devolution passed before the next election, do the Tories and Reform campaign to reverse it, or would it be here to stay and they accept it's too difficult to undo and policitally unpopular to take power from the regions and send it to Whitehall ?
I hope not. As long as it works. Proper devolution of power from the centre is the first thing I have heard from Burnham that I can agree with.
Comments
https://x.com/wesstreeting/status/2070580380411789709
The one person this statement doesn’t reflect badly on is the Home Secretary.
I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
'Cause I'm being taken over by the fear
About 3 months of "Britain collapsing due to civil war in Labour Party" headlines just went phut, so all those columns will need something else to pad them out.
https://x.com/aaaronson/status/2070541457497141271?s=61
Excl: Shabana Mahmood will next week announce a Ukrainian-style sponsorship scheme for households and communities to bring thousands of refugees to the UK from conflict zones around the world
Is there any form for this one?
But first he has to ensure that Labour retain Manchester. He'll be busy.
This has the potential to be funny. If you have the right sense of humour.
So I understand it from my source, he's now got 300-350 MPs supporting him.
Nothing more, nothing less.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg590wqxwpo
The US military has conducted strikes on Iranian targets after President Donald Trump accused Iran of a "foolish violation" of its truce following an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
No casualties were reported when the ship as struck by a one-way attack drone on Thursday, an incident which prompted a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors struck in the region.
In response, US Central Command said on Friday it had struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar positions.
Just moments before the strikes was announced, President Trump said "you'll see" when asked if the US would respond to the Iranian attack.
When is Farage going to ditch him before he drags the whole party down to the mid teens in polling?
* In his first big policy speech since Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, Burnham will set out an economic strategy under which Whitehall budgets will be slashed and money diverted to be spent by regional mayors
* Burnham will argue that giving mayors new powers and funding to deliver social housing, tackle welfare dependency and run post-16 education will boost economic growth across the country
* This in return will reduce the dependency of the north and Midlands on tax “handouts” from London and the southeast
* Burnham will commit himself to spending a significant amount of his expected premiership in a “No10 of the North” to show his commitment to devolution and rebalancing the economy
* He is also expected to set out plans for a “devolution-first” agenda across Whitehall, under which departments will be expected to assess which areas of their responsibility and funding should be transferred to regional governments
* It is likely to reduce the size of Whitehall as swathes of roles in departments such as transport, education and work and pensions are devolved
* The National Office of Statistics calculates that people in London pay £24,400 in tax on average but get back just £19,500 in spending on public services. In the southeast they pay in £17,600 and get £15,900 back. Yet in the northwest they pay £12,700 in taxes and get back £17,300 in public spending. In the northeast it is £11,200 and £17,400 respectively
https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2070610431652049215
https://x.com/bbcquestiontime/status/2070600156064469230
Because Reform and Yusuf know that he would be wiped out in any by-election.
Another privately educated, multi-millionaire and former goldman sachs exec who claims he is the tribune of the salt of the earth people.
Go Andy.
Finally someone seems to be grasping one of the fundamentals wrong with this country. It can't be run solely from fucking London.
I feel weird. Dizzy. Unusual. I think it may be a bad dose of hope.
If he succeeded in meaningful devolution to other major cities and regions that would be a good thing. More geographically diverse engines of growth would be a good thing for the country.
The EU Commission in Brussels has shut off airco, but only for the lower floors, where the lower ranks work:
“It’s like feudalism,” a Commission official working on a lower level of the Berlaymont, granted anonymity to speak freely, told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the fact that upper floors housing commissioners got to keep their AC on. A second official agreed it was a “disgrace.”
just watch
His house in Golborne isn't number 10.
Let's read the FT's Jennifer Williams and see what she thinks.
You've missed the most salient reasons Reform voters won't like him.
One of those who led the 'Back on Track' campaign for Metrolink Phase 3 from memory
That said, Senegal looked pretty good in their first half against France.
A dilemma for the putative PM?
I do like Jennifer and her article yesterday on Andy wasn't bad and showed both his good and bad points.
The main bit I'm picking up from the news however is that SKS and co have basically wasted 2 years..
HS2 anyone?
No new nuke stations built?
Failure to regulate the banks in early 2000s?
One damn NHS reorg after another achieving diddly squat?
Projects like the lower Thames gateway taking longer than the Roman empire to get off planning diagrams?
Outsourcing of everything to same three or four massive outsourcing groups who then fail to deliver and walk away from contracts?
Stunning regulation of the water industry?
Superb regulation of privatised railways?
I could go on and on.
It's a litany.
The last Whitehall thing that worked was the covid vax and that's because Boris and co took it away from Whitehall.
https://x.com/archrose90/status/2070592823347347564
.@ZiaYusufUK is a fantastic orator amongst a typical BBC audience and out of touch MPs.
The audience member blamed Brexit for all of the country’s problems.
Zia correctly pointed out that neither Labour nor the Tories have delivered what the British public voted for.
I am all for the idea of key decisions being made as close to the people who will be most affected but only by good quality local representatives.
And if this is going to happen, the council consultation process needs a complete overhaul. Such things are treated as a tick box exercise with councils doing what they intended from the outset.
So make consultations properly binding and limited to local residents and businesses. Not anyone who has Internet access.
And the buggers still complain.
@ArchRose90
ReformUK member | Now on Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ArchRose90 | Keen on crypto market volatility 📉📈"
Hahahahaha
South East unemployment is 4.1%, Scottish unemployment is 3.8%.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/regionallabourmarket/december2025
Fewer own a property in London than in the rest of the UK with more renting
Some bugger will eventually come along and try to actually do it.
Lime bikes.
Big city metromayor is a much smaller job than Secretary of State at Westminster. Good. That means it has the advantage of having a better chance of finding a range of people who can get on top of the job, rather than have the job get on top of them.
https://kotaku.com/playstation-store-movies-digital-studio-canal-terminator-2000711013
PlayStation Is Deleting 551 Movies From Customers’ Accounts, Reminding Us Nothing Digital Is Ever Truly Ours
Everywhere that has a mayor will soon find their mayor has loads more powers that previously
Anywhere that currently does not have a mayor soon will and with massive powers
@WarMonitor3
·
54m
Huge Ukrainian drone raid ongoing toward the city of St Petersburg Russia.
===
Tic toc for Putin. The hour cometh.
The South West, the ignored lesser child of the South.