For those with short memories… – politicalbetting.com

nico679 said:

I think it’s pretty clear now that the rebels have the numbers to get rid of the clown . Given only 32 MPs needed to vote the other way last time .

The problem is that kicking the can down the road to the autumn allows more time for him to recover and get his lapdog Zahawi to put operation save Johnson into full throttle .

There’s also the Starmer situation re Durham police . Very hard to read how that plays out if he does get a FPN .

Will the media attention on that give the clown more breathing space or will his resignation if he does get fined make life even more uncomfortable .

I think the rebels need to act in the next two weeks and need to change the 1922 rules and move to another vote before recess.

JosiasJessop said:

Heathener said:

Whilst seeking that Dumbledore quote I also came across this one:

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.”

Someone who always wanted to be king of the world should have been let nowhere near it.

The problem is that quote is bullsh*t. An average person wields power very poorly over situations they are not adequately prepared for. For every thousand Average Joes going into battle, only one will end up being a go-forwards hero. At best, most will be mediocre.

Most will ignore the mantle and let some other bu**er pick it up.

And to be prepared, you need to show some desire for whatever that power is. If we were to take 650 people off the streets and make them MPs for four years, how many would sink? How many would swim? ow many would make good decisions? I'd argue *fewer* than we get from people choosing to stand for election - because they have a desire for that position, that power, and most will be at least partially prepared for it.

In addition, most people put in a position of power that they do not want will say they cannot be @rsed and do the job poorly.

And the same goes for management, politics and everything else.

Casino_Royale said:

Scott_xP said:

We expect 1922 committee to confirm the process for electing its new executive today.

Working proposition is they hold elections next Weds, with rebels on 1922 hoping for an immediate change in the rules and a second vote of confidence before summer recess.
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1544565008956379136

That's ambitious.

JosiasJessop said:

Nigelb said:

Anyone know how accurate this is ?

https://mobile.twitter.com/raymondopolis/status/1544440058672951296
Turkey found 694Mt of rare earths—that's 6x the size of all other global reserves and _15x_ the reserves of China, which currently dominates the market. Enough for >1,000 years at current demand. What happens now??

I'd treat it with a healthy dose of scepticism. It appears to be a press release from a government agency, and Turley is in need of good financial news atm. And then there's the fact that most 'rare earths' are not actually rare: the problem is in the difficulty in extraction.

I have no doubt that they have discovered massive deposits of rare earths. There's a long, long way from that to extracting them in meaningful quantities, and even further to profit.

JosiasJessop said:

I have no doubt that they have discovered massive deposits of rare earths. There's a long, long way from that to extracting them in meaningful quantities, and even further to profit.

Leon said:

DALL-E 2 MORNING UPDATE

DALL-E is now getting scarily, scarily good at faces. Despite the fact that faces have only been “permitted” for a week or two



That person does not exist. Yet the only tiny clue is some blurring at the hairline/temple

Conclusions: the potential for porn deep fakes is troubling. You’re still not allowed to use “real” faces - but inevitably that prohibition will fail. You’ll be able to depict anyone doing anything with 100% accuracy

Also: photography as “art” is finished. Dead. DALL-E does this for free in seconds, 24/7

Also: what happens when DALL-E is allowed to do moving images? Films? TV? With AI voice generation that will open up amazing possibilities for movies made with entirely fake “people” - who don’t need to be paid

IanB2 said:

Breaking - Lord Quince resigns

TOPPING said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

pigeon said:

OnlyLivingBoy said:

Malmesbury said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

A friend works in private banking for a bank that has an illustrious name. Perhaps “used to have an illustrious name”…

It seems that they got lax about vetting the customers they allowed to join. And lending them money afterwards

He describes large numbers of people who owned 5% of some very nice, completely unproductive assets and a fistful of credits cards drawn to the max.

One of his jobs was to force such people to sell the unproductive assets and get the money for the bank back. Quite simply he was reducing peoples lifestyles by an order of magnitude.

His guesstimate was that about 70% of the “rich” people you see, out and about, are fake.

OT: toast still stuck in the toaster. Things will not change until there is proper vetting of new MPs. And, in a world of professional politicians who know nothing but Parliament, systematic professional training and development.

It's bizarre. Living well within your means is a much happier state to be in.

People living stress free, happy lives on middling incomes don't attract hordes of Instagram followers. Professional wankers posing in front of Ferraris do. Consumer capitalism and social media both promote the joys of empty, meaningless acquisition to great effect. A lot of people exist only to accumulate stuff.

Foxy said:

Leon said:

The Flintstones as

It’s weird how DALL-E hasn’t *quite* mastered eyes and noses - yet. I suspect this is a lagging glitch from its former constraint - don’t use faces

Not another day of this drivel please.

Is there really nothing better to do in Montenegro than spam a political website with this stuff?

Farooq said:

Scott_xP said:

NEW: the resignations have started again.

Laura Trott, a rising star of the 2019 Tory intake, has quit has PPS to the Department for Transport:

"Trust in politics is - and must always be - of the upmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost. "
https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1544579661971296261

"In recent months". What a twat.

kle4 said:

TOPPING said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

I noted that tendency in some rougher areas where I live. A south African girl I knew said youd see a similar thing in townships.

rottenborough said:

IanB2 said:

Scott_xP said:

NEW: the resignations have started again.

Laura Trott, a rising star of the 2019 Tory intake, has quit has PPS to the Department for Transport:

"Trust in politics is - and must always be - of the upmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost. "
https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/1544579661971296261

It hangs on whether Coffey or some other relatively senior ministers come to the right decision today.

I can't believe she has stayed. Incredible. Reputation being shredded by the hour.

Roger said:

Nick Robinson just gets better. His 8.05 slot isn't to be missed

Zahawi is being skewered and it is well deserved.

What a creep.......

OldKingCole said:

IanB2 said:

Breaking - Lord Quince resigns

He was Will Quince, MP for Colchester last time I looked!

OldKingCole said:

IanB2 said:

Breaking - Lord Quince resigns

He was Will Quince, MP for Colchester last time I looked!

Theuniondivvie said:

Roger said:

Nick Robinson just gets better. His 8.05 slot isn't to be missed

Zahawi is being skewered and it is well deserved.

What a creep.......

Was it just days ago that PBers were bigging up Zahawi as a model of good judgment and probity, relatively untainted by the BJ slurry spreader?

Carnyx said:

kle4 said:

TOPPING said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

I noted that tendency in some rougher areas where I live. A south African girl I knew said youd see a similar thing in townships.

On that savings point. How fo Lloyds know what their customers hold in accounts with other banks? It's not as if the high street banks are usually particularly great for interest rates.

But even so, you'd want to have a month or two in the savings account next to your current account, for immediate transfer as needed.

Scott_xP said:

Interesting to see how markets and the BoE respond IF Nadhim Zahawi opens the chequebook on public sector pay and cuts taxes in the middle of an inflationary crisis.. https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/1544570044323188738

Theuniondivvie said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

StuartDickson said:

Jonathan said:

StuartDickson said:

‘The SNP will be rejoicing at Starmer's hard Brexit line‘

"MAKE Brexit Work” sounds like one of Boris Johnson's test slogans for the next General Election. In fact it is now Labour's headline policy following Sir Keir Starmer's remarkable conversion to the Brexit cause. He unveiled the new slogan in a speech to the Centre for European Reform.

It's an unexpected gift to Nicola Sturgeon, whose latest Indyref plan was getting heavy weather from sceptics in and out of the SNP. Suddenly she leads the only serious pro-European party in Scotland, apart from the Greens and the LibDems. Getting 50 per cent of the vote in the 2024 General Election looks easier now that the SNP is the obvious destination for the 62 per cent of Scots who voted to remain in the EU.

(The Herald €)

The SNP are promising yet more upheaval. Labour are promising relatively stability and a path to recovery. I am not sure the Scots will vote for more Brexit style chaos. A split in the U.K. will make Brexit look like a picnic.

Labour and the Tories: two faces of the same dud coin.

SNP and Tories, surely? Vote SNP for a Conservative government. Scots voters need to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections.

You mean Labour needs Scots voters to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections? Not that voters ‘need’ to do anything, as all parties find out sooner or later.

kle4 said:

Carnyx said:

kle4 said:

TOPPING said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

I noted that tendency in some rougher areas where I live. A south African girl I knew said youd see a similar thing in townships.

On that savings point. How fo Lloyds know what their customers hold in accounts with other banks? It's not as if the high street banks are usually particularly great for interest rates.

But even so, you'd want to have a month or two in the savings account next to your current account, for immediate transfer as needed.

I genuinely have no idea what a good amount of savings would be to have as a contingency. I've always been fortunate I can err on the side of caution.

IanB2 said:

OldKingCole said:

IanB2 said:

Breaking - Lord Quince resigns

He was Will Quince, MP for Colchester last time I looked!

Apparently he is (was) an education minister. But more significantly he was the one who agreed to go on the radio and tell Boris's lies on Monday, when no-one more senior would.

DecrepiterJohnL said:

Theuniondivvie said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

StuartDickson said:

Jonathan said:

StuartDickson said:

‘The SNP will be rejoicing at Starmer's hard Brexit line‘

"MAKE Brexit Work” sounds like one of Boris Johnson's test slogans for the next General Election. In fact it is now Labour's headline policy following Sir Keir Starmer's remarkable conversion to the Brexit cause. He unveiled the new slogan in a speech to the Centre for European Reform.

It's an unexpected gift to Nicola Sturgeon, whose latest Indyref plan was getting heavy weather from sceptics in and out of the SNP. Suddenly she leads the only serious pro-European party in Scotland, apart from the Greens and the LibDems. Getting 50 per cent of the vote in the 2024 General Election looks easier now that the SNP is the obvious destination for the 62 per cent of Scots who voted to remain in the EU.

(The Herald €)

The SNP are promising yet more upheaval. Labour are promising relatively stability and a path to recovery. I am not sure the Scots will vote for more Brexit style chaos. A split in the U.K. will make Brexit look like a picnic.

Labour and the Tories: two faces of the same dud coin.

SNP and Tories, surely? Vote SNP for a Conservative government. Scots voters need to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections.

You mean Labour needs Scots voters to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections? Not that voters ‘need’ to do anything, as all parties find out sooner or later.

No, I mean that Scots voters who do not want a Conservative government in Westminster need to stop voting for the SNP in Westminster elections, even if they support and vote for the SNP at Holyrood.

DecrepiterJohnL said:

Theuniondivvie said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

StuartDickson said:

Jonathan said:

StuartDickson said:

‘The SNP will be rejoicing at Starmer's hard Brexit line‘

"MAKE Brexit Work” sounds like one of Boris Johnson's test slogans for the next General Election. In fact it is now Labour's headline policy following Sir Keir Starmer's remarkable conversion to the Brexit cause. He unveiled the new slogan in a speech to the Centre for European Reform.

It's an unexpected gift to Nicola Sturgeon, whose latest Indyref plan was getting heavy weather from sceptics in and out of the SNP. Suddenly she leads the only serious pro-European party in Scotland, apart from the Greens and the LibDems. Getting 50 per cent of the vote in the 2024 General Election looks easier now that the SNP is the obvious destination for the 62 per cent of Scots who voted to remain in the EU.

(The Herald €)

The SNP are promising yet more upheaval. Labour are promising relatively stability and a path to recovery. I am not sure the Scots will vote for more Brexit style chaos. A split in the U.K. will make Brexit look like a picnic.

Labour and the Tories: two faces of the same dud coin.

SNP and Tories, surely? Vote SNP for a Conservative government. Scots voters need to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections.

You mean Labour needs Scots voters to think separately about Westminster and Holyrood elections? Not that voters ‘need’ to do anything, as all parties find out sooner or later.

No, I mean that Scots voters who do not want a Conservative government in Westminster need to stop voting for the SNP in Westminster elections, even if they support and vote for the SNP at Holyrood.

Nigelb said:

Good to have another Chancellor with a practical understanding of tax avoidance.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/1544427929916133381
UK’s new chancellor of the exchequer Nadhim Zahawi used company in tax haven to buy his Warwickshire constituency home...

Heathener said:

Carnyx said:

Has nobody complimented Cyclefree on her header?

No, I think most of us thought it was a bit out of place today tbh.

MattW said:

OnlyLivingBoy said:

Malmesbury said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

A friend works in private banking for a bank that has an illustrious name. Perhaps “used to have an illustrious name”…

It seems that they got lax about vetting the customers they allowed to join. And lending them money afterwards

He describes large numbers of people who owned 5% of some very nice, completely unproductive assets and a fistful of credits cards drawn to the max.

One of his jobs was to force such people to sell the unproductive assets and get the money for the bank back. Quite simply he was reducing peoples lifestyles by an order of magnitude.

His guesstimate was that about 70% of the “rich” people you see, out and about, are fake.

OT: toast still stuck in the toaster. Things will not change until there is proper vetting of new MPs. And, in a world of professional politicians who know nothing but Parliament, systematic professional training and development.

It's bizarre. Living well within your means is a much happier state to be in.

I don't believe the Lloyds numbers to be representative of the overall picture - it looks like current account and immediate reserve savings, and overdone conclusions. What Which used to call 'emergency money'.

For example, 10 million people save into Personal Pensions, around 13 million into ISAs in the most recent year I can see.

The 80% figure as an overall number is misleading imo.

Scott_xP said:

TOPPING said:

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

There is a caravan park near me where the cars outside are Range Rovers and Mercedes

Scott_xP said:

TOPPING said:

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

There is a caravan park near me where the cars outside are Range Rovers and Mercedes

Heathener said:

Scott_xP said:

Morning,

The Pm fights on, after two bombshell resignations.

No10 sources say Sajid Javid warned the PM he would quit but Rishi Sunak didn’t

And that the PM feels “liberated” to go for growth - as well tax cuts - with a chancellor “who is an entrepreneur not a banker”.
https://twitter.com/tamcohen/status/1544560234781462529


Unless the '22 get their act together we are so screwed

Yep. Boris is about to apply the same approach to his personal spending to the British economy. The Daily Express may love it but Boris is someone who is on the verge of bankruptcy and who borrows from one credit card to 'pay off' another.

He won't care as long as it keeps him in office for a bit longer.

HYUFD said:

CorrectHorseBattery said:

Nadhim is a groper himself, he likes to grope women at parties allegedly

... if Boris goes ...

MattW said:

Nigelb said:

Good to have another Chancellor with a practical understanding of tax avoidance.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/1544427929916133381
UK’s new chancellor of the exchequer Nadhim Zahawi used company in tax haven to buy his Warwickshire constituency home...

How much tax has he avoided? (serious question)

As I make it that will be subject to Stamp Duty, quite likely the supplementary 3% Stamp Duty, the £7,700 per annum (2023 number) for Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings, and usual tax on company profits (whatever applies to offshore companies) when he sells it. Plus a possible extra weight on Council Tax - not clear how that is done.

It's not quite my field - what saving does he make? Periodic CGT or IHT on a second dwelling, perhaps - in exchange for the 0.5% capital value tax?

Certainly a lot of Zahawi mudslinging has started.

The Mirror has a long piece full of lurid statements, and peppered with things such as "prior to Mr Zahawi’s involvement", "This could be interpreted as", and so on.

Sounds like they don't actually have anything.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-minister-nadhim-zahawi-pockets-25457511

Carnyx said:

kle4 said:

Carnyx said:

kle4 said:

TOPPING said:

RochdalePioneers said:

swing_voter said:

pigeon said:

When it comes to it, MPs of whatever party, no matter how high-minded they can be when it’s their opponents in trouble, will overlook pretty much anything if they can justify it in pursuit of a higher cause (usually their job) and the polls have not turned against them. And, in truth, it’s only the last issue which really matters to them. Pincher’s groping hands, Boris’s parties and his repeated lies would be mere footnotes if the Tories were still consistently ahead in the polls.

And Johnson would already be gone if the Tories were 20% adrift of Labour rather than averaging more like 6-7%. Small wonder if Mr & Mrs Average end up regarding politics and its practitioners as entirely devoid of ethics and principle. The evidence against them is overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in other news, most of the British population is now living hand-to-mouth, or something very close to it:

Most Lloyds Bank customers have less than £500 of savings in their accounts, its chief executive said.

The head of the UK's biggest high street bank told the BBC: "80% of individuals and UK customers and families have less than £500 pounds worth of savings in their current account and their savings account."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62057301

Frankly, the more I think about this, the more astonishing it becomes. The customer base of Lloyds must be broadly representative of the general population. I might've guessed that about a third of us had nothing or next to nothing in the bank, but four-fifths?!?! Anybody in this position who finds themselves out of a job, or with unexpected bills to settle, is immediately going to have to resort to debt - if they've not already maxed out their capacity to do so. Those of working age who end up unemployed, or having to take a new job with a substantial cut in income, will be staring almost immediately down the barrel of heat or eat dilemmas or being slung out onto the street.

Essentially, a finding like this implies that most of the country - especially all those still paying rent or a mortgage - is now part of the precariat. Any significant spike in unemployment and a lot of these people will be sunk.

driving around the M60 not so long ago I was struck by the sheer number of costly cars.... BMWs, VWs other top spec brands.... not sure how it sits with the above.

So many "costly" cars are on cheap PCP deals issued when manufacturers could actually build cars and needed to hit a sales target.

It has been a not yet enacted project of mine to go around taking photos of thoroughly normal perhaps council two-up two-downs with brand spanking new Range Rover Velars parked in front of them.

I noted that tendency in some rougher areas where I live. A south African girl I knew said youd see a similar thing in townships.

On that savings point. How fo Lloyds know what their customers hold in accounts with other banks? It's not as if the high street banks are usually particularly great for interest rates.

But even so, you'd want to have a month or two in the savings account next to your current account, for immediate transfer as needed.

I genuinely have no idea what a good amount of savings would be to have as a contingency. I've always been fortunate I can err on the side of caution.

Quite. A logical minimum for an *immediate access* account adjacent to the current account is one months' income - in case there is a problem with your pay bank transfer, let alone worse. But financial advice columns seem to for 3-6 months which seems sensible, with anything above in possibly time limited accounts with other banks etc (even if they can be withdrawn early, it's penalised, hassle and slower). Either way, £500 won't cut it.

Carnyx said:

Has nobody complimented Cyclefree on her header?

I daresay it's entirely typical of the HoC that the MPs* are hogging all the limelight. Even though it's as a direct result of their sins. I know the Prodigal Son got a lot more attention than his goody twoshoes brother. But at least he repented and saw the light.

Edit: And, to some extent, the HoL and Peers.

BlancheLivermore said:

Andrew Murrison, who's just resigned as trade envoy to Morocco, says a third cabinet resignation is coming later today.
https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/20258262.wiltshire-mp-reveals-third-cabinet-resignation-come-tonight/?ref=rss

OllyT said:

Heathener said:

Scott_xP said:

Morning,

The Pm fights on, after two bombshell resignations.

No10 sources say Sajid Javid warned the PM he would quit but Rishi Sunak didn’t

And that the PM feels “liberated” to go for growth - as well tax cuts - with a chancellor “who is an entrepreneur not a banker”.
https://twitter.com/tamcohen/status/1544560234781462529


Unless the '22 get their act together we are so screwed

Yep. Boris is about to apply the same approach to his personal spending to the British economy. The Daily Express may love it but Boris is someone who is on the verge of bankruptcy and who borrows from one credit card to 'pay off' another.

He won't care as long as it keeps him in office for a bit longer.

There is a very real danger that Johnson does irreparable damage to the nation's finances in the cause of his own self-preservation and then buggers off to America or somewhere when it is over leaving us to pick up the pieces. He is surely going to go down as the worst PM in modern history by a country mile.

With the exception of HUFYD every Tory leaning poster on PB has turned against Johnson yet the Cabinet and huge sections of the membership still don't get it. It is genuinely baffling. I kinda see why why the cabinet stick with him because most of them are no-marks who would never be seen again without Johnson's patronage but are the membership really that dim and out of touch? (Perhaps I have just answered my own question)

SouthamObserver said:

For those with long memories, it's pretty clear that the job Johnson has handed to the already magnificently unimpressive Zahawi is to engineer a Barber boom (look it up, young people) but without the downsides. It is not possible.

Leon said:

Actually, Thankyou to @Heathener for making me look back over the last 3 months. What an incredible, magical experience. Three continents and maybe eight countries. An absolute privilege. I will never forget the spring and summer of 2022 - when I just kept travelling

I recommend it to anyone. You need to do it alone, tho. And that can be tough at times

DecrepiterJohnL said:

Heathener said:

Carnyx said:

Has nobody complimented Cyclefree on her header?

No, I think most of us thought it was a bit out of place today tbh.

No, I liked the header and if you think about the most recent holes Boris has been in, the header is to the point. But it is tiresome if people just write "nice header" so I don't. Perhaps there should be a like button on headers as there is on btl posts. @rcs1000 is this possible?

Stocky said:

Mordaunt back as fav for next CP leader:

Mordaunt 5.8
Sunak 6.2
Truss 10
Zahawi 10
Wallace 10.5
Hunt 13.5
Javid 14