The biggest panicker is HMG, having put in place an otiose visa relaxation which has holed its controlled immigation strategy below the water line and which even in principle could only be effective long after the 'panic' has blown over.
But the number of visas offered is tiny. I thought it was more of a token gesture than anything.
Otioser and otioser.
Its the difference between tactics and strategy.
A token relaxation serves the purpose of shutting down that conversation that was dominating the media. Which considering the media are driving the panic, giving the media a token to say "this is resolved" while not actually changing the strategy, can be good tactics.
Its a feint and we've had so many people on the media and even here like Scott etc so gullible that they've swallowed it saying "see look at the relaxation" without realising that it was a meaningless gesture.
I went to university in 2010 on the £3k a year fees, have been consistently paid over the median salary, and am still nowhere near paying them off.
No matter your opinions on whether 50% should be going to university or not, there is going to be a generation of young (some no longer so young) people who were told that going to university was the secret to success and encouraged at every turn who have a higher tax rate than everyone else. They are not going to be happy.
Highly critical resignation letter by Andy Mcdonald of Starmer according to Sky
Yes, it's huge. Mcdonald has effectively attempted to torpedo Sir Keir's very leadership. I can't see Sir Keir recovering from this. This conference was supposed to be his great fightback and the Labour Left has destroyed it.
I instinctively dislike politicians who use the word 'comrades' in a non-joking manner. There's just something so earnestly twattish about it, as if they haven't grown up past sixth form. I'd much prefer 'friends'. Although given this is the Labour Party's cabinet, I guess they can't use that either ...
Highly critical resignation letter by Andy Mcdonald of Starmer according to Sky
Yes, it's huge. Mcdonald has effectively attempted to torpedo Sir Keir's very leadership. I can't see Sir Keir recovering from this. This conference was supposed to be his great fightback and the Labour Left has destroyed it.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
I went to university in 2010 on the £3k a year fees, have been consistently paid over the median salary, and am still nowhere near paying them off.
No matter your opinions on whether 50% should be going to university or not, there is going to be a generation of young (some no longer so young) people who were told that going to university was the secret to success and encouraged at every turn who have a higher tax rate than everyone else. They are not going to be happy.
The big question for me is, will this generation tell their kids not to bother with uni? Would be interesting if numbers going fell substantially.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
I went to university in 2010 on the £3k a year fees, have been consistently paid over the median salary, and am still nowhere near paying them off.
No matter your opinions on whether 50% should be going to university or not, there is going to be a generation of young (some no longer so young) people who were told that going to university was the secret to success and encouraged at every turn who have a higher tax rate than everyone else. They are not going to be happy.
The big question for me is, will this generation tell their kids not to bother with uni? Would be interesting if numbers going fell substantially.
I would tell my kids not to rush into it and consider their options. That they could always go when they were a little bit older and knew what they wanted to do.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
What I read Ms Nandy as saying was that not long ago the SDP looked like coming 3rd or even 4th in the German elections. Now they're almost certainly going to lead the Government.
But you'd expect the Tory fan club on here to snipe.
And no, I'm not a Labour member. Or even a regular Labour voter.
Yes it's hilarious how little it takes to get them worked up....
NEWSFLASH: Shadow Foreign Secretary mentions at a fringe meeting that a similarly aligned party in a nearby country has done better than was expected a while ago
Controversial stuff! Obvious proof that she... erm... takes note of what's happening outside Britain without blowing it out of proportion. It's reassuring to know that no Conservative Foreign Secretary would ever do that.
The biggest panicker is HMG, having put in place an otiose visa relaxation which has holed its controlled immigation strategy below the water line and which even in principle could only be effective long after the 'panic' has blown over.
But the number of visas offered is tiny. I thought it was more of a token gesture than anything.
Otioser and otioser.
Its the difference between tactics and strategy.
A token relaxation serves the purpose of shutting down that conversation that was dominating the media. Which considering the media are driving the panic, giving the media a token to say "this is resolved" while not actually changing the strategy, can be good tactics.
Its a feint and we've had so many people on the media and even here like Scott etc so gullible that they've swallowed it saying "see look at the relaxation" without realising that it was a meaningless gesture.
Labour still talking to themselves rather than the country. At an intellectual level I think they understand the need to compromise with the electorate, but their hearts are really in it.
Highly critical resignation letter by Andy Mcdonald of Starmer according to Sky
Not really
He insists that the minimum wage should be £15 a hour. Sorry but that is planet insanity...
Indeed, but according to Sky his resignation letter is a direct attack on Starmer and has just been endorsed by John McDonnell
They are attacking on the basis that Sir K gave various pledges during the leadership race that apparently somehow fooled the membership into supporting him rather than RBL.
Deluded.
Like Sir K wasn't going to run from the leftish zone and then on winning leadership head to the centre.
Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor BREAKING: Social distancing rules in hospitals changed so that patients can be cared for 1 metre, rather than 2 metres apart. Will make a BIG difference to the number of beds that can be used (assuming hospitals have the staff of course)
That move alone will allow for a reduction in the waiting lists.
Arent patients in beds likely to be 2m apart at the best of times anyway? To be 1m apart the beds would have to be touching each other.
Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor BREAKING: Social distancing rules in hospitals changed so that patients can be cared for 1 metre, rather than 2 metres apart. Will make a BIG difference to the number of beds that can be used (assuming hospitals have the staff of course)
That move alone will allow for a reduction in the waiting lists.
Arent patients in beds likely to be 2m apart at the best of times anyway? To be 1m apart the beds would have to be touching each other.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Labour still talking to themselves rather than the country. At an intellectual level I think they understand the need to compromise with the electorate, but their hearts are really in it.
The upcoming New Labour Blair/Brown documentary series on the Beeb is going to provide a sharp contrast to the current, heading to defeat, set up I think.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
The biggest panicker is HMG, having put in place an otiose visa relaxation which has holed its controlled immigation strategy below the water line and which even in principle could only be effective long after the 'panic' has blown over.
But the number of visas offered is tiny. I thought it was more of a token gesture than anything.
Otioser and otioser.
Its the difference between tactics and strategy.
A token relaxation serves the purpose of shutting down that conversation that was dominating the media. Which considering the media are driving the panic, giving the media a token to say "this is resolved" while not actually changing the strategy, can be good tactics.
Its a feint and we've had so many people on the media and even here like Scott etc so gullible that they've swallowed it saying "see look at the relaxation" without realising that it was a meaningless gesture.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Alastair McLellan @HSJEditor BREAKING: Social distancing rules in hospitals changed so that patients can be cared for 1 metre, rather than 2 metres apart. Will make a BIG difference to the number of beds that can be used (assuming hospitals have the staff of course)
That move alone will allow for a reduction in the waiting lists.
Arent patients in beds likely to be 2m apart at the best of times anyway? To be 1m apart the beds would have to be touching each other.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
That just pisses me off to hear. I’m desperate to vote against this government but how can I when the Labour leader still gets caught up in this nonsense.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Prof. Christina Pagel @chrischirp · 4h hate to say it, but the Labour conference looks kind of super spready... 4 days of rooms this full plus evening drinking in the bar... and not a mask in sight.
I went to university in 2010 on the £3k a year fees, have been consistently paid over the median salary, and am still nowhere near paying them off.
No matter your opinions on whether 50% should be going to university or not, there is going to be a generation of young (some no longer so young) people who were told that going to university was the secret to success and encouraged at every turn who have a higher tax rate than everyone else. They are not going to be happy.
The big question for me is, will this generation tell their kids not to bother with uni? Would be interesting if numbers going fell substantially.
I would tell my kids not to rush into it and consider their options. That they could always go when they were a little bit older and knew what they wanted to do.
It's my goal for my kids not to go - by the time they're 18 a degree will be worth about the same as a million Zimbabwe dollars was in 2009
They'll probably be too busy playing up front for the Arsenal anyway
Labour still talking to themselves rather than the country.
It is their conference in fairness, it is when you are supposed to talk to one another, given party leaderships don't like discussion at any other time (or even then, if they could avoid it).
I'm just surprised AUKUS would be a hill to die on.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Labour still talking to themselves rather than the country.
It is their conference in fairness, it is when you are supposed to talk to one another, given party leaderships don't like discussion at any other time (or even then, if they could avoid it).
I'm just surprised AUKUS would be a hill to die on.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
The biggest panicker is HMG, having put in place an otiose visa relaxation which has holed its controlled immigation strategy below the water line and which even in principle could only be effective long after the 'panic' has blown over.
I'm not sure, I think HMG has played a blinder on that one; I was annoyed at the news there was going to be a relaxation just because 'pay more' should be the solution. But then the details came out of the relaxation and its so meaningless that they've basically done nothing while giving the impression of acting - which is a good thing.
5000 three month only visas is still controlled - and the companies that have gotten away with not paying a decent wage for so long now face no alternative but to offer a decent wage as these visas aren't going to be the solution. But for the people screaming that immigration was needed to solve this - they can 'take the win' of having got a relaxation, even if the win is entirely phyrric.
And now that the word is out that there's over a million qualified HGV drivers in this country . . . and 5000 visa offers . . . there's no excuse anymore not to fix this by offering a fair market rate for drivers, which is what the solution should have always been.
The issue probably isn't a fair market rate for drivers, the issue is making the industry a nice enough place to work that people want to enter / return to the sector.
Pay really won't fix the reasons most people have left it...
We'll see. One way or the other the sector needs to clean up its own mess.
Making it a better place to work is one option, or I suspect at a good enough renumeration people will be happy to turn a blind eye to the poor conditions.
From what I've heard the working conditions in eg the North Sea are quite poor, but the pay is quite good, so people are prepared to do it.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Highly critical resignation letter by Andy Mcdonald of Starmer according to Sky
Not really
He insists that the minimum wage should be £15 a hour. Sorry but that is planet insanity...
Indeed, but according to Sky his resignation letter is a direct attack on Starmer and has just been endorsed by John McDonnell
Keir Starmer tonight:
Very droll (I'm lying about that btw) but this guy was shadow secretary for employment rights and protections. As a tory that wouldn't matter (indeed I'm astonished if there is someone for him to shadow) but in Labour it makes him a kinda key guy shirley?
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Well one of them just quit!
Only from the Shadow Cabinet. They need removing from the Party altogether.
I somehow doubt you’re going to have a Labour Party with no left wing in it. Even in the Blair years that didn’t happen.
Labour is a car crash. All this infighting and hardly any alternative vision for the country. Only person who I heard actually coming close to one this weekend was Andy Burnham.
More than a year into Starmer’s leadership and honest to god, I haven’t a clue what he actually believes.
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Well one of them just quit!
Only from the Shadow Cabinet. They need removing from the Party altogether.
I somehow doubt you’re going to have a Labour Party with no left wing in it. Even in the Blair years that didn’t happen.
Labour is a car crash. All this infighting and hardly any alternative vision for the country. Only person who I heard actually coming close to one this weekend was Andy Burnham.
More than a year into Starmer’s leadership and honest to god, I haven’t a clue what he actually believes.
Burnham’s probably the stand-out Labour politician of the past year. Yet he’s not an MP.
As for Starmer, he’s not Jeremy Corbyn and not Boris Johnson. Which is not enough.
There's over a million people out there with HGV licences. And for those that don't have one it only takes a few weeks to train a new recruit to take the test. So yes, offer pay and conditions people want and the vacancies will be filled.
Improving pay and conditions is the only viable (and decent) solution. Its a shame so many on the left now find suggesting good pay and conditions to be an anathema.
Well, I just filled up with diesel in Sidmouth with no queue and no problems. Another delivery due at the garage tomorrow. Spoke to the owner. She said it had been absolutely mad until about 4.30 this afternoon, now it is is pretty much back to normal. Maybe we are over the worst of it.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
I'm confused, genuinely - why is he even talking about the UK right now?
On thread.. so what if they are level....The party is riven with division and it couldn't manage the supply of paper bags. I expect a leadership challenge at some stage, not sure if that is good or bad for Starmer.
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
Freedom of movement wouldn't solve it since there is a shortage of drivers across the EU.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Nandy reveals plans to travel to Israel-Palestine in her first overseas trip as shadow foreign secretary.
Brilliant. Just brilliant. They are obsessed.
Incidentally, I think Starmer urgently needs a reshuffle and get Nandy up front and on TV rather than wasted on foreign affairs.
Maybe the resignation of the shadow whose is not even well known in his own household will trigger it?
Nandy is part of the problem. A lightweight that has been over promoted and over rated. If Starmer had some balls he would bring in Mrs Balls and all the other moderates that are wasted talent languishing on the backbenches since Jezza 2-Es Corbyn was "leader". Labour are still not serious about being in government.
While I doubt a £15 minimum wage can happen overnight, and in that sense McDonald is naive - I’m unsure that early days New Labour circa ‘tough spending restrictions’ is what voters, especially red wall ones, actually want. Fair enough if Reeves is doing this if she thinks it’s the right thing. But given that the electorate voted for this high spending, soon to be high tax government, I don’t see how it can be viewed as ‘centrist’.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
It certainly is dangerous what with America possibly only three years away from a Trump dictatorship.
Taiwan would at least be assured of US defence if China invaded, I doubt Biden would defend Taiwan however, even if AuUKUS does provide some extra security for Australia, Japan and South Korea
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
There's over a million people out there with HGV licences. And for those that don't have one it only takes a few weeks to train a new recruit to take the test. So yes, offer pay and conditions people want and the vacancies will be filled.
Improving pay and conditions is the only viable (and decent) solution. Its a shame so many on the left now find suggesting good pay and conditions to be an anathema.
Today's Conservative Party mantra: Simplistic solutions for simplistic followers. The real world of business and employment is a little more complex than this Philip. You, like Redwood are putting your head in the sand because you don't want to admit that the Government should have seen this coming. Brexit could have been managed so these problems did not exacerbate pre-existing problems, but we have a PM who likes simple ideas he can put into slogans on the back of a fag packet to provide red meat for his simple minded fanbois.
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
I'm confused, genuinely - why is he even talking about the UK right now?
As previously discussed, he was replying to a question specifically asked by Matt Frei, the C4 correspondent. Disappointingly the Guardian has adopted the Tele 'why are the foreigns sticking their noses in our biz' crap.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
People will disagree on the latter, but how can the former be true when they just signed new international agreement? Yes it's left the EU, but it isn't a binary isolationist/non isolationist, it's a spectrum.
On thread.. so what if they are level....The party is riven with division and it couldn't manage the supply of paper bags. I expect a leadership challenge at some stage, not sure if that is good or bad for Starmer.
The headline of the thread is the only silver lining in the poll for Labour
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Populism includes steeling the clothes of the left. It is most definitely NOT centre left Conservatism. Johnson is not some sort of cuddly One Nation Conservative. He is an ego-driven populist, no more, no less.
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
I'm confused, genuinely - why is he even talking about the UK right now?
As previously discussed, he was replying to a question specifically asked by Matt Frei, the C4 correspondent. Disappointingly the Guardian has adopted the Tele 'why are the foreigns sticking their noses in our biz' crap.
Follow up, why was Matt Frei wasting a queston to the potential new Chancellor on what is up with Boris Johnson?
Is it not the case that lots of qualified hgv drivers have switched to driving local deliveries as the conditions are better?
That’s the anecdotal evidence - some have moved to more sociable jobs driving smaller vehicles locally, and others have taken better pay offers to switch company on the HGVs.
There’s apparently a wide variation in terms and conditions across the industry, for example some companies insist you sleep in your cab, while others cover a travel inn when away from home.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
It's neither of those things.
Really? The party which appears to support turning desperate people back in the Channel? Immigration appears OK if the immigrants have loadsamoney. Not if they have a willingness to make life better for themselves.
Do don't PR says an politics lecturer, as FPTP so advantages Labour, always getting more seats than their vote represents, it would be a disaster to give it up:
It protects their privileged position as perpetual ‘unacceptable alternative’ to the Conservatives, whilst in the longer term denying their political perspective a fair shot at governing the country. FTPT appeals to the short sighted and self interested, so it is no surprise that whenever it comes to the crunch the Labour Party ducks its chance to truly transform politics in the UK.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
It's neither of those things.
Really? The party which appears to support turning desperate people back in the Channel? Immigration appears OK if the immigrants have loadsamoney. Not if they have a willingness to make life better for themselves.
Having an actual border people have to cross is not racism, almost all countries in the world have them.
Is it not the case that lots of qualified hgv drivers have switched to driving local deliveries as the conditions are better?
That’s the anecdotal evidence - some have moved to more sociable jobs driving smaller vehicles locally, and others have taken better pay offers to switch company on the HGVs.
There’s apparently a wide variation in terms and conditions across the industry, for example some companies insist you sleep in your cab, while others cover a travel inn when away from home.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Populism includes steeling the clothes of the left. It is most definitely NOT centre left Conservatism. Johnson is not some sort of cuddly One Nation Conservative. He is an ego-driven populist, no more, no less.
Well, I just filled up with diesel in Sidmouth with no queue and no problems. Another delivery due at the garage tomorrow. Spoke to the owner. She said it had been absolutely mad until about 4.30 this afternoon, now it is is pretty much back to normal. Maybe we are over the worst of it.
It's a bit like a virus, eventually it burns itself out because there's only a limited number of cars and a limited amount of space in fuel tanks.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Do don't PR says an politics lecturer, as FPTP so advantages Labour, always getting more seats than their vote represents, it would be a disaster to give it up:
It protects their privileged position as perpetual ‘unacceptable alternative’ to the Conservatives, whilst in the longer term denying their political perspective a fair shot at governing the country. FTPT appeals to the short sighted and self interested, so it is no surprise that whenever it comes to the crunch the Labour Party ducks its chance to truly transform politics in the UK.
The argument the author correctly puts is PR means there would likely never be a Labour majority government again.
The LDs would largely hold the balance of power, that reduces the chances of rightwing majority Conservative governments but also means near zero chance of socialist Labour governments too
Well, I just filled up with diesel in Sidmouth with no queue and no problems. Another delivery due at the garage tomorrow. Spoke to the owner. She said it had been absolutely mad until about 4.30 this afternoon, now it is is pretty much back to normal. Maybe we are over the worst of it.
That you had to drive so far from the Midlands to find an open filling station suggests otherwise
Highly critical resignation letter by Andy Mcdonald of Starmer according to Sky
You won’t know for sure until another lorry driver phones up Five Live
Actually it has been published and reported on in those terms by Jon Craig of Sky
And this from the BBC
Chris Mason, political correspondent
This is a zinger of a resignation letter, in its content and its timing.
Yes, a man you may not have heard of resigns from a job you probably didn't know he had.
But listen to what Andy McDonald, a man at Labour's top table until today, says about Labour's candidate for prime minister and the movement he leads.
He claims Labour is "more divided than ever" and Sir Keir has broken the promises he made to get elected as party leader, suggesting directly that he can't be trusted.
Political critiques within a political party are often articulated obliquely, with euphemism and understatement.
There is none of this here and it appears slap bang in the middle of the one week of the year where so many of Labour's faithful are in the same postcode.
It will demand an immediate response from Sir Keir Starmer.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
People will disagree on the latter, but how can the former be true when they just signed new international agreement? Yes it's left the EU, but it isn't a binary isolationist/non isolationist, it's a spectrum.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
People will disagree on the latter, but how can the former be true when they just signed new international agreement? Yes it's left the EU, but it isn't a binary isolationist/non isolationist, it's a spectrum.
Do don't PR says an politics lecturer, as FPTP so advantages Labour, always getting more seats than their vote represents, it would be a disaster to give it up:
It protects their privileged position as perpetual ‘unacceptable alternative’ to the Conservatives, whilst in the longer term denying their political perspective a fair shot at governing the country. FTPT appeals to the short sighted and self interested, so it is no surprise that whenever it comes to the crunch the Labour Party ducks its chance to truly transform politics in the UK.
The argument the author correctly puts is PR means there would likely never be a Labour majority government again.
The LDs would largely hold the balance of power, that reduces the chances of rightwing majority Conservative governments but also means near zero chance of socialist Labour governments too
But Labour only gets a majority when it eschews its socialism. You’d have thought they’d have noticed this by now.
There's over a million people out there with HGV licences. And for those that don't have one it only takes a few weeks to train a new recruit to take the test. So yes, offer pay and conditions people want and the vacancies will be filled.
Improving pay and conditions is the only viable (and decent) solution. Its a shame so many on the left now find suggesting good pay and conditions to be an anathema.
Today's Conservative Party mantra: Simplistic solutions for simplistic followers. The real world of business and employment is a little more complex than this Philip. You, like Redwood are putting your head in the sand because you don't want to admit that the Government should have seen this coming. Brexit could have been managed so these problems did not exacerbate pre-existing problems, but we have a PM who likes simple ideas he can put into slogans on the back of a fag packet to provide red meat for his simple minded fanbois.
I'm sorry but as a Thatcherite free market liberal Conservative I don't think its the government's job to tell business how to operate or "fix" problems in the market.
To have a free market then the market has to be allowed to fail sometimes, otherwise you end up with moral hazard and freeriding within the market. If companies refuse to pay a decent wage to HGV drivers (of which we have many more times more than enough qualified) then they should be allowed to fail.
If companies refuse to pay for transportation a decent enough rate to get their stock moved around, they too can fail.
A few days of mass hysteria about fuel because is hardly the miner's strike now is it? In the eighties it was overly-coddled unions that were warping the market that needed sorting out, now its overly-coddled companies that feel they have a divine right to fill vacancies for shitty jobs at minimum wage that need sorting out. Either way, let the market do its thing - even if it causes some hardship or disruption from time to time.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Well one of them just quit!
Only from the Shadow Cabinet. They need removing from the Party altogether.
FPTP is the pressure keeping the extremists in both main parties.
Rather than giving them enormous leverage in the post-election haggles in smoke-free rooms.
Imagine into how many pieces the left would splinter under PR. Labour would be idiots to back it.
Mind you the Tories would also split under PR into libertarian and more socially conservative and EUphile wings just as Labour would split into Blairite, social democratic and socialist Corbynite wings
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Whereas the Tories got themselves into power by embracing the Neo-fascist right.
The current Tory party is neo-fascist?
OK.
Isolationist, racist.
People will disagree on the latter, but how can the former be true when they just signed new international agreement? Yes it's left the EU, but it isn't a binary isolationist/non isolationist, it's a spectrum.
A very restrictive, nationalistic agreement.
Is the same true for CPTPP, another restrictive, nationalistic agreement? Let me guess, only the EU is a truly good, internationalist agreement.
“🇬🇧 Labour conference delegates just voted by 70% to 30% to say that the United Kingdom's defence pact with Australia & America is "a dangerous move that will undermine world peace". Starmer supported it.”
Does Conference instead think we should align with Russia and China, Iran and Palestine?
Palestine. Palestine. PALESTINE!
To be honest they need a Neil Kinnock moment and divest themselves of this non electable left
Well one of them just quit!
Only from the Shadow Cabinet. They need removing from the Party altogether.
FPTP is the pressure keeping the extremists in both main parties.
The Tories ruthlessly expel far right extremists from the party and quite right too because those extremists are not just repugnant but toxic to everyone else.
Labour doesn't do the same for the far left and they're paying the consequence as a result.
Well, I just filled up with diesel in Sidmouth with no queue and no problems. Another delivery due at the garage tomorrow. Spoke to the owner. She said it had been absolutely mad until about 4.30 this afternoon, now it is is pretty much back to normal. Maybe we are over the worst of it.
It's a bit like a virus, eventually it burns itself out because there's only a limited number of cars and a limited amount of space in fuel tanks.
Before last week the amount of petrol in the average tank was somewhat less than half. Most people let it get near empty before filling. And not everyone fills to full because it’s costly to do so. Then there’s second (or third) cars that might be more seldom used.
I suspect we have now moved beyond that for a period of time, until the system proves itself resilient once again. And then the jerry can surge is on top, probably mostly driven by people who rely on their vehicle for their livelihood.
So there’s probably a long term increase in households’ working capital requirement for fuel. Which means the shortages are perhaps more likely to tail off rather than suddenly stop as some hope. Especially given that discretionary journeys will increase again from a very low level in recent days.
£29k minimum wage? Where will that leave those already earning that? Wanting £40k, £45k? Absolute lunacy. I will NEVER vote Labour, but even I had warmed slightly to Angela over her Times interview - then she goes down the ‘scum’ route, and Andy goes down the economically illiterate route. They are still clueless.
Comments
He insists that the minimum wage should be £15 a hour. Sorry but that is planet insanity...
4 minutes ago
Best PM
Boris 41%(-1)
Starmer 31%(0)
A token relaxation serves the purpose of shutting down that conversation that was dominating the media. Which considering the media are driving the panic, giving the media a token to say "this is resolved" while not actually changing the strategy, can be good tactics.
Its a feint and we've had so many people on the media and even here like Scott etc so gullible that they've swallowed it saying "see look at the relaxation" without realising that it was a meaningless gesture.
Industry body reporting that "there are as many tankers delivering fuel Hmmm.
Another member of the Socialist Campaign Group self-defenestrating.
Is this a bad thing for Starmer?
I went to university in 2010 on the £3k a year fees, have been consistently paid over the median salary, and am still nowhere near paying them off.
No matter your opinions on whether 50% should be going to university or not, there is going to be a generation of young (some no longer so young) people who were told that going to university was the secret to success and encouraged at every turn who have a higher tax rate than everyone else. They are not going to be happy.
https://twitter.com/goodwinmj/status/1442517137252257804?s=21
Brilliant. Just brilliant. They are obsessed.
Incidentally, I think Starmer urgently needs a reshuffle and get Nandy up front and on TV rather than wasted on foreign affairs.
Maybe the resignation of the shadow whose is not even well known in his own household will trigger it?
NEWSFLASH: Shadow Foreign Secretary mentions at a fringe meeting that a similarly aligned party in a nearby country has done better than was expected a while ago
Controversial stuff! Obvious proof that she... erm... takes note of what's happening outside Britain without blowing it out of proportion. It's reassuring to know that no Conservative Foreign Secretary would ever do that.
Deluded.
Like Sir K wasn't going to run from the leftish zone and then on winning leadership head to the centre.
AndrewSparrow
@AndrewSparrow
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39m
McDonald says Labour 'more divided than ever' under Starmer
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Says exiting Shadow who is trying to cause more division tonight.
@chrischirp
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4h
hate to say it, but the Labour conference looks kind of super spready... 4 days of rooms this full plus evening drinking in the bar... and not a mask in sight.
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Brighton numbers will be interesting in a week.
They'll probably be too busy playing up front for the Arsenal anyway
I'm just surprised AUKUS would be a hill to die on.
I know there's no Southampton South. Really not sure between the others. East Ham East sounds sillier so on that basis I'd guess it in a pub quiz.
Making it a better place to work is one option, or I suspect at a good enough renumeration people will be happy to turn a blind eye to the poor conditions.
From what I've heard the working conditions in eg the North Sea are quite poor, but the pay is quite good, so people are prepared to do it.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/tory-mp-john-redwood-offered-a-solution-to-the-hgv-driver-shortage-and-it-immediately-backfired/ar-AAOSd7d?ocid=entnewsntp
Labour is a car crash. All this infighting and hardly any alternative vision for the country. Only person who I heard actually coming close to one this weekend was Andy Burnham.
More than a year into Starmer’s leadership and honest to god, I haven’t a clue what he actually believes.
"End to freedom of movement behind UK fuel crisis, says Merkel’s likely successor"
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/27/end-freedom-movement-uk-fuel-crisis-german-politician-olaf-scholz-hgv-driver-shortage
"The centre-left politician in pole position to replace Angela Merkel as German chancellor has pinpointed the decision to bring an end to freedom of movement with Europe after Brexit as the reason for the British petrol crisis.
Olaf Scholz, who is seeking to form a coalition government after the SPD emerged as the biggest party in Germany’s federal elections, said he hoped Boris Johnson would be able to deal with the consequences of the UK’s exit from the EU."
As for Starmer, he’s not Jeremy Corbyn and not Boris Johnson. Which is not enough.
There's over a million people out there with HGV licences. And for those that don't have one it only takes a few weeks to train a new recruit to take the test. So yes, offer pay and conditions people want and the vacancies will be filled.
Improving pay and conditions is the only viable (and decent) solution. Its a shame so many on the left now find suggesting good pay and conditions to be an anathema.
OK.
Apparently this is the source of the resignation.
While I doubt a £15 minimum wage can happen overnight, and in that sense McDonald is naive - I’m unsure that early days New Labour circa ‘tough spending restrictions’ is what voters, especially red wall ones, actually want. Fair enough if Reeves is doing this if she thinks it’s the right thing. But given that the electorate voted for this high spending, soon to be high tax government, I don’t see how it can be viewed as ‘centrist’.
Are you content with the Corbyn element in the labour party
So far @HYUFD seems unaware
There’s apparently a wide variation in terms and conditions across the industry, for example some companies insist you sleep in your cab, while others cover a travel inn when away from home.
Immigration appears OK if the immigrants have loadsamoney. Not if they have a willingness to make life better for themselves.
Mind you tonight's RedfieldWilton includes the fuel crisis and has Boris 41/31 ahead of Starmer as best PM
The LDs would largely hold the balance of power, that reduces the chances of rightwing majority Conservative governments but also means near zero chance of socialist Labour governments too
And this from the BBC
Chris Mason, political correspondent
This is a zinger of a resignation letter, in its content and its timing.
Yes, a man you may not have heard of resigns from a job you probably didn't know he had.
But listen to what Andy McDonald, a man at Labour's top table until today, says about Labour's candidate for prime minister and the movement he leads.
He claims Labour is "more divided than ever" and Sir Keir has broken the promises he made to get elected as party leader, suggesting directly that he can't be trusted.
Political critiques within a political party are often articulated obliquely, with euphemism and understatement.
There is none of this here and it appears slap bang in the middle of the one week of the year where so many of Labour's faithful are in the same postcode.
It will demand an immediate response from Sir Keir Starmer.
To have a free market then the market has to be allowed to fail sometimes, otherwise you end up with moral hazard and freeriding within the market. If companies refuse to pay a decent wage to HGV drivers (of which we have many more times more than enough qualified) then they should be allowed to fail.
If companies refuse to pay for transportation a decent enough rate to get their stock moved around, they too can fail.
A few days of mass hysteria about fuel because is hardly the miner's strike now is it? In the eighties it was overly-coddled unions that were warping the market that needed sorting out, now its overly-coddled companies that feel they have a divine right to fill vacancies for shitty jobs at minimum wage that need sorting out. Either way, let the market do its thing - even if it causes some hardship or disruption from time to time.
Labour doesn't do the same for the far left and they're paying the consequence as a result.
I suspect we have now moved beyond that for a period of time, until the system proves itself resilient once again. And then the jerry can surge is on top, probably mostly driven by people who rely on their vehicle for their livelihood.
So there’s probably a long term increase in households’ working capital requirement for fuel. Which means the shortages are perhaps more likely to tail off rather than suddenly stop as some hope. Especially given that discretionary journeys will increase again from a very low level in recent days.