Regarding the 'public sector pay increase', I don't know if it will impact on me. However, what I do know is that, as has been the case for the last year I have been doing the job, I can just leave and almost immediately double my wage working as a contractor, for which there still appears to be unlimited demand. Also, when I worked previously as a contractor, the 5% annual pay increases were automatic and negotiated by the agency.

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

GIN1138 said:

KnightOut said:

It's not true that only wealthy pensioners who don't need the Winter Fuel Allowance and won't miss it are the only ones affected.

There is a significant group of older people out there who are poor, but for whom 'benefits' are stigmatised or simply mysterious. Those who don't get Pension Credits because they don't know how to claim the benefit, don't feel 'right' in doing so, don't know they're entitled to it, and so on. Some are 'too proud' to even want to know. And are poorer because of it.

We have this collective idea that the poorest people in society are those 'on benefits'. But the very poorest group of all are those who are entitled to, but missing out on, these benefits.

The problem with making Benefit X conditional on being an existing recipient of Benefit Y is that it will result in this gap getting ever wider.

There are also a lot of pensioners who don't qualify for pension credit and who are part of the "just about managing"

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/29/up-to-2m-pensioners-will-struggle-without-winter-fuel-help-say-campaigners

HYUFD said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

You snipped out that he was "originally from Cardiff" but referenced the nationality of his parents - why?

As it was a factual statement, I didn't say he was born and raised in Rwanda even if his parents were

It was part of a longer original factual statement.

That he was originally from Cardiff was the original leading pat of the original factual statement, but you omitted that.

I find it interesting what you choose to omit and what you choose to repeat.

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

You snipped out that he was "originally from Cardiff" but referenced the nationality of his parents - why?

As it was a factual statement, I didn't say he was born and raised in Rwanda even if his parents were

It was part of a longer original factual statement.

That he was originally from Cardiff was the original leading pat of the original factual statement, but you omitted that.

I find it interesting what you choose to omit and what you choose to repeat.

Think what you want, he was also allegedly on an MI6 watch list having been radicalised, 'from Cardiff' or not

Dumbosaurus said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Everything is fine

Bruno Maçães
@MacaesBruno
The IDF has removed units from the war of extermination in Gaza in order to fight armed militias threatening to take over a military base in order to ensure the military’s right to rape Palestinian prisoners

https://x.com/MacaesBruno/status/1818048917352694264

Strange. I don't speak hebrew but if I click "translate this post" on the one he's quoting it doesn't say that.

He was a good follow on Brexit and the Pandemic, but he's had a shocker on Gaza.

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

Or Southport rather

Dumbosaurus said:

darkage said:

Regarding the 'public sector pay increase', I don't know if it will impact on me. However, what I do know is that, as has been the case for the last year I have been doing the job, I can just leave and almost immediately double my wage working as a contractor, for which there still appears to be unlimited demand. Also, when I worked previously as a contractor, the 5% annual pay increases were automatic and negotiated by the agency.

This doesn't surprise me at all. An equivalent public sector role to mine when I looked at it was paying less than a 1/3rd. I am entirely for these pay rises, they're essential to get talent.

(That doesn't mean we shouldn't be firing a lot of non jobs at the same time if they exist. I've no clue.)

Not sure doctors should be getting a 22% pay rise though, way above what the average taxpaying worker and indeed most public sector workers are getting

HYUFD said:

Tres said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

Nah, Southport. Stockport is what all the racists in Twitter are saying.

It really doesn't matter what you call it, if it turns out he was a radicalised extremist on an MI6 watch list questions will be asked

It's the watchlist not the 24 hour surveillance list.

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Tres said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

Nah, Southport. Stockport is what all the racists in Twitter are saying.

It really doesn't matter what you call it, if it turns out he was a radicalised extremist on an MI6 watch list questions will be asked

The only people claiming that are no names on twitter who have also been making other wild claims that have turned out to be definitely incorrect and also how would they know about MI6 watch lists.

Are you saying that people who can't tell the difference between Stockport and Southport and only want to racebait may not be the most reputable people to listen to?

carnforth said:

HYUFD said:

Tres said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

Nah, Southport. Stockport is what all the racists in Twitter are saying.

It really doesn't matter what you call it, if it turns out he was a radicalised extremist on an MI6 watch list questions will be asked

It's the watchlist not the 24 hour surveillance list.

Domestic terrorists would be watched by MI5 in any case.

Mistaking Stockport for Southport and obsessed with MI6? Has our usual Saturday visitor got a few bots on X?

Flatlander said:

carnforth said:

HYUFD said:

Tres said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

Nah, Southport. Stockport is what all the racists in Twitter are saying.

It really doesn't matter what you call it, if it turns out he was a radicalised extremist on an MI6 watch list questions will be asked

It's the watchlist not the 24 hour surveillance list.

Domestic terrorists would be watched by MI5 in any case.

Mistaking Stockport for Southport and obsessed with MI6? Has our usual Saturday visitor got a few bots on X?

More domestic suspects are watched by the police force in that area than will be watched by MI5 and other supporting outfits. The proportion of active person-person intensive observation versus watchlist is a mere fraction. A lot of watchlist people are usually just observed on an opportunistic basis.

Andy_JS said:

Allan Lichtman, whose model has correctly predicted the winner of every American presidential election since 1984, says Harris is on course to win as things stand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG1tEH77tzA

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/historian-predicted-election-1984-reveals-likely-win-trump-harris-matchup

Marianne Williamson has suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination.

'He’s got the Midwest grit, the Midwest sensibility’: Why Tim Walz is suddenly in the hunt for VP
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/tim-walz-kamala-harris-vp-pick-00171746

Roy Cooper has withdrawn from consideration.

Andy_JS said:

Allan Lichtman, whose model has correctly predicted the winner of every American presidential election since 1984, says Harris is on course to win as things stand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG1tEH77tzA

If memory serves he has the best record of the modellers. His closest rival is Helmut Norpoth (who shat the bed in 2020, for covid reasons), and he's also predicting POTUS Harris

Pulpstar said:

Marianne Williamson has suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination.

Can't say I've heard of her before.

ydoethur said:

viewcode said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

RobD said:

Foxy said:

Interesting chart here of support for the sextet.

https://x.com/DrDavidJeffery/status/1817831088611357181?t=R6TC6pPIC327QjTuRtxIZg&s=19

Robert Jenrick? Kill me now.

Bloke's a Cambridge educated lawyer.

We'd be lucky to have him.

Because the track record for PM lawyers is good?

Thinks
Churchill was a soldier politician, Attlee was a politician, Eden was ?, Macmillan was a soldier and publisher, D-H was a lord, Wilson was a don and statistician, Callaghan was a sailor, Thatcher a scientist and barrister, Major a banker, Blair a barrister, Brown a lecturer, Cameron in the media, May a banker, Johnson a commentator, Truss an accountant(!), Sunak a merchant banker

So you need a soldier or a scientist. Who's the closest?

Attlee was a barrister, before he became a soldier.

And Cameron was in public relations rather than the creative or business side of media. Like, erm, Priti Patel.

Cleverly: soldier
Tugendhat: soldier (spy?)
Priti: PR
Jenrick: Cambridge-educated lawyer
Kemi: computers which is a sort-of science
Mel Who?: Oxford PPE like Cameron; President of the Oxford Union like Boris

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

I've got a hundred followers on TwiX, adding one a day or so, despite having never tweeted anything. Presumably it's a bot army building its credibility.

Good morning, everyone.

F1: Sainz to Williams is finally announced. That's a very good driver lineup for a backmarker team.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/ck5gw7n0gplo

Also, more surprisingly, Perez is apparently keeping his seat.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cw0yzjzxdjpo

MaxPB said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

MaxPB said:

dixiedean said:

MaxPB said:

Two of the kids have died. This is a rare instance where the death penalty makes sense to me, it's cut and dried and society gains nothing by keeping this absolute **** locked up for 60+ years.

Hopefully a prison warden will let slip the identity and the other prisoners will deal with him.

Two children who have had their lives snatched away from them, two families absolutely devastated tonight. I can't imagine how horrible it must be for those parents who put their kids in the daycare not realising what was about to happen.

Every parent in the country is horrified by this, I know my wife and I both are, life in jail just doesn't seem to be enough. If it was my child that had been murdered I'd want to pull the trigger myself.

Respectfully disagree.
Two children have died.
Killing a third won't make it any better.

At 17 if a person doesn't know not to murder children and babies then their moral compass will never be correct. He is a psychopath and I don't see what society gains by having him locked up for 60+ years.

Society gains by not having the death penalty.

Miscarriages of justices happen. There is no death penalty system in the world, ever, that doesn't risk executing an innocent person.

A wrongly convicted person can be released, even after decades. A wrongly executed person can't be brought back to life.

As I said, rare instance.

Like Stefan Kiszko?

Guilty of abducting, raping and murdering little Leslie Moleseed, only it turned out he didn't. But the police thought he was "odd" so he must be guilty.

Hanging and flogging Home Secretary David Waddington was his Defence Barrister, who also thought him "odd" and hence guilty.

Nigelb said:

Trump complaining that gasoline prices are too low.
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1818027475445878866

"Lying Kamala"? "Crazy Kamala"?

Not gifted with much awareness of irony.

Nigelb said:

viewcode said:

Nigelb said:

'He’s got the Midwest grit, the Midwest sensibility’: Why Tim Walz is suddenly in the hunt for VP
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/tim-walz-kamala-harris-vp-pick-00171746

Roy Cooper has withdrawn from consideration.

Godsdammit! Roy Cooper was my pick. Also he can deliver South Carolina. Shapiro (not that one) could deliver Pennsylvania. Walz can deliver...Minnesota? Yay?

The 'can deliver' a state thing is seriously over-egged IMO.
But Shapiro is favourite, even if there's a whole lot of 'but he's Jewish' going on.

It's just that Walz has put himself in contention. Also has the advantage of bekng the same age as Harris, and therefore not a threat to the ambitions of the next generation.

Tim Walz shows the problem with this market, as does JD Vance. VP picks can seem arbitrary to the outsider, and names move in and out of the frame seemingly at random.

FF43 said:

ohnotnow said:

GIN1138 said:

If Jeremy Hunt wanted to throw his hat in the ring for Con leadership, I don't think he's done his chances any harm at all with his response to Reeves statement.

If not, the new leader should keep him on as shadow Chancellor.

Didn't the deadline close today? Today's performance certainly gets him a seat in the Lords (and a few boardrooms) when he stands down mind you.

I don't think Hunt's intervention yesterday was the tour de force people make it out to be. It's a very confused message: Labour did know what a bad state he left the finances in; actually the finances were great; doesn't explain why Labour would want to raise taxes unnecessary except that's what they always do.

Nevertheless he's the only Conservative actively challenging the new incumbents, so brownie points for that.

Hunt is shadow chancellor. Challenging the actual chancellor is his job.

Chris said:

Nigelb said:

Trump complaining that gasoline prices are too low.
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1818027475445878866

"Lying Kamala"? "Crazy Kamala"?

Not gifted with much awareness of irony.

Nothing seems to change the polling in this race. Biden talking to long-dead foreign leaders didn't, Trump getting convicted barely changed anything, Biden's disastrous debate performance hardly registered, and now even Dems changing candidate hasn't changed the polls much. A better nickname for Harris isn't going to do it.

There's, what, 45+% of those who can be bothered to vote who'll vote for Trump come what may, and 45+% against Trump.

So it's going to be close.

Or are there lots of potential voters who are sick of current politics who'll actually turn out for Harris and put an end to the Trump era, but aren't showing up yet in the polls? It'd make sense to me, but the US is a strange country.

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

You snipped out that he was "originally from Cardiff" but referenced the nationality of his parents - why?

Stockport now?

darkage said:

With the death penalty, I am coming to the view that it is just something that we have to do; it isn't what I want, but it is needed in order to reset the circuit on criminal justice policy. At the moment we have created a system of very long and whole life jail sentences because there is an idea that some prisoners don't have any possibility of redemption or rehabilitation. But these jail sentences (ie where there is no hope of progress through the system and no chance of release) are actually a form of torture. People need to face up to the question whether these people should instead be executed rather than just kept away forever. What purpose is keeping them alive serving?

So, we need the death penalty as a form of mercy for people who have committed the worst crimes?

DecrepiterJohnL said:

FF43 said:

ohnotnow said:

GIN1138 said:

If Jeremy Hunt wanted to throw his hat in the ring for Con leadership, I don't think he's done his chances any harm at all with his response to Reeves statement.

If not, the new leader should keep him on as shadow Chancellor.

Didn't the deadline close today? Today's performance certainly gets him a seat in the Lords (and a few boardrooms) when he stands down mind you.

I don't think Hunt's intervention yesterday was the tour de force people make it out to be. It's a very confused message: Labour did know what a bad state he left the finances in; actually the finances were great; doesn't explain why Labour would want to raise taxes unnecessary except that's what they always do.

Nevertheless he's the only Conservative actively challenging the new incumbents, so brownie points for that.

Hunt is shadow chancellor. Challenging the actual chancellor is his job.

Jeremy Hunt tweets about the contradiction between the Chancellor's numbers and those signed off by himself and the Conservative government:-

Following statements made in the House, I have written to the Cabinet Secretary on the concerning contradiction between the Main Estimates put before Parliament last week and the document presented by the Chancellor today.
https://x.com/Jeremy_Hunt/status/1818011536335704150

Tweet includes letter to Cabinet Secretary.

HYUFD said:

Dumbosaurus said:

darkage said:

Regarding the 'public sector pay increase', I don't know if it will impact on me. However, what I do know is that, as has been the case for the last year I have been doing the job, I can just leave and almost immediately double my wage working as a contractor, for which there still appears to be unlimited demand. Also, when I worked previously as a contractor, the 5% annual pay increases were automatic and negotiated by the agency.

This doesn't surprise me at all. An equivalent public sector role to mine when I looked at it was paying less than a 1/3rd. I am entirely for these pay rises, they're essential to get talent.

(That doesn't mean we shouldn't be firing a lot of non jobs at the same time if they exist. I've no clue.)

Not sure doctors should be getting a 22% pay rise though, way above what the average taxpaying worker and indeed most public sector workers are getting

It’s 22% over 2 years and after a long period of below inflation pay rises.

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

You should pace yourself better.

We have a decade of Reeves as Chancellor to look forward to.

While the Tories select between the sextet of numpties.

Foxy said:

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

You should pace yourself better.

We have a decade of Reeves as Chancellor to look forward to.

While the Tories select between the sextet of numpties.

Which is an interesting response, as you do not deny she lied.

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

She's really got to you hasn't she? Whan did it start? Were you refused planning permission for Ludlow High Street's fifth Conservative Club?

Northern_Al said:

dixiedean said:

You would think, given a career of indolence, followed by a long retirement on a huge pension that folk would be fighting each other to work in the Public Sector.
Given that we are all rational actors in the market place.
But, strangely, they aren't.
That paradox has never been quite resolved.
Mysterious.

Quite so. And as for all these 'public sector fatcats' on pensions of £50-80k a year, referenced earlier, I'd love to know how many of them there are - not many, I'd guess. I was a pretty highly paid civil servant, and my pension is nowhere near that sort of amount - indeed, it's well below average earnings.

There's a lot of myths around public sector pensions, centred around a pretty small number of very senior staff who happen to have large pensions. The reality is much more mundane for most of us - not that I'm complaining, I have a decent pension.

The Telegraph says it’s a bit under 5,000: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/taxpayers-to-foot-25bn-bill-for-public-sector-pension-boost/

That’s out of about 6 million public sector workers, so less than 1 in 1000.

NEW THREAD

eek said:

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

Sorry but there is no way that cutting the Winter Fuel allowance was planned - and that tells me all I needed to know - that the finances were well and truely screwed.

It shows how irresponsible Hunt was to cut NI, without any funded source to cover the gap.

The Tories left scorched earth.

Alanbrooke said:

eek said:

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

Sorry but there is no way that cutting the Winter Fuel allowance was planned - and that tells me all I needed to know - that the finances were well and truely screwed.

It's the Chancellors job to sort out money. She has had all the info she needs to make decisions. Now three weeks after she said she was ready for the job she is saying she didnt understand numbers.

The major moves on the budget are rewarding her supporters for which she wants to pretend the unevitable tax rises to pay for it are someone elses fault.

I could respect her if she stood up and said she was raising taxes to pay for the £11+ billion pay awards she wants to make. But just sleazing back to Blairite spin says shes shifty and will let politics dictate her agenda. So much for Country first Party second.

You don't respect her because she wears a red rosette - that's been blatantly obvious since early July.

You are then trying to seek reasons to attack her without grasping that most on here know she's been left a mountain of shite to clear up because Hunt cut NI using money that didn't exist...

But lets look at your points.

Many public sector areas are losing staff rapidly. I can think of multiple local councils who now have no senior planning offices because they've all left and the remaining ones are there out of their sense of duty (and a possible dislike of what they would need to do in private practice). Hence pay rises are essential.

And that problem was actually created by the Tory party - they decided that another year of below private sector pay increases for the public sector was fine - because it moved the figures into a position that allowed Hunt to cut 1p of NI.

Oh and the tax rises are coming but they can't be implemented in July because Reeves said a full OBR review would be required and that takes 6 weeks - hence the October budget. Yesterday was just fire fighting...

Scott_xP said:

Simply waking up every day knowing that the BoZo fan club are no longer in charge is a joy, but the meltdown from the usual suspects on here, this hard, this early, is an unexpected bonus

Given you're a "natural Tory" at what point does the reality of what the new Labour government are doing start to overtake your colossal bitterness?

Alanbrooke said:

Just watching Reeves on Sky. Barefaced lies.

Hunt very effective at undermining this yesterday. Clear, specific, measured and vouched. It remains a serious disappointment that he is not in the race to be leader.

JosiasJessop said:

Over the years my view on the death penalty has swung to and fro.

But yesterday's story from Southport... it just makes me want to bring it back.

Except the perpetrator was apparently only 17.

"Let him have it Chris".

Christopher Craig who murdered a policeman after a robbery gone wrong wasn't yet 18. He was released after a life sentence. Derek Bentley, his accomplice was over 18 and was hanged despite being unarmed.

Did Bentley, who was already in custody mean let him have the gun, or the round?

BartholomewRoberts said:

GIN1138 said:

Just an impression you sometimes give off @MaxPB and @BartholomewRoberts Apologies if I've got the wrong end of the stick. 👍

I've never said anything more than that pensioners should have the same tax rate as everyone else.

You F***ing thick as mince idiot they already have the same tax rate as everyone else

FrancisUrquhart said:

KnightOut said:

It's not true that only wealthy pensioners who don't need the Winter Fuel Allowance and won't miss it are the only ones affected.

There is a significant group of older people out there who are poor, but for whom 'benefits' are stigmatised or simply mysterious. Those who don't get Pension Credits because they don't know how to claim the benefit, don't feel 'right' in doing so, don't know they're entitled to it, and so on. Some are 'too proud' to even want to know. And are poorer because of it.

We have this collective idea that the poorest people in society are those 'on benefits'. But the very poorest group of all are those who are entitled to, but missing out on, these benefits.

The problem with making Benefit X conditional on being an existing recipient of Benefit Y is that it will result in this gap getting ever wider.

Didn't the winter fuel allowance come in for exactly those reasons that pensioners were struggling and often too proud or found it too difficult to access benefits that might help them? The thought was that 80-90 year olds having to fill in a load of paperwork all for £200-300 can be difficult and confusing. And it was just much easier / cheaper not to go through mean testing it.

Liek most of the means tested crap , it costs more to administer than actually just pay it, see prescriptions in Scotland. Means testing cost more than giving all free.

Roger said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

Flatlander said:

HYUFD said:

Nunu5 said:

The judges must release the identity of the killer. Otherwise there will be a massive racist conspiratorial fervor. It's in the public interest

If the rumours on twitter are true it will not calm immigration concerns at all, he was also reportedly on a security agency watch list and clearly radicalised though obviously not confirmed

Believe nothing on Twitter/X. Most of the posts are bots and could easily be foreign directed. Expect everything to be disinfo unless from a reputable source, although no reputable source will be naming the individual.

The Telegraph reports the alleged killer moved to Stockport with his Rwandan parents aged 6

https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1818028146794578220

You snipped out that he was "originally from Cardiff" but referenced the nationality of his parents - why?

Stockport now?

It might be nice, for a change, if people remembered there are victims here. Children have been killed, families bereaved, rather than trying to score cheap points over the ethnicity or origins of the perpetrator. The whole debate yesterday, on both sides, was rather depressing. Now it is being stoked up again today. Sad.

Mexicanpete said:

Scott_xP said:

Simply waking up every day knowing that the BoZo fan club are no longer in charge is a joy, but the meltdown from the usual suspects on here, this hard, this early, is an unexpected bonus

It devalues the site unfortunately.

The Field Marshal has posted the same unhinged critique of Reeves about fifty times in the last 18 hours. And yet not a peep out of them when Johnson was bringing his party and the nation into disrepute and Truss soiled herself so badly she was forced out by 49 days.

This is just simply the reverse of how the Labour fanatics have behaved on here. It is amazing how, for instance, politicians flying around in helicopters or private jets suddenly became acceptable post July 5th as an example and Labour clearly can do no wrong. Reeves is an economic genius apparently.

You're just as bad as each other. Your own side are virtuous, your enemies lacking in virtue.

The Lib Dem fanatics, just as bad.

Deleted

Taz said:

malcolmg said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

GIN1138 said:

Just an impression you sometimes give off @MaxPB and @BartholomewRoberts Apologies if I've got the wrong end of the stick. 👍

I've never said anything more than that pensioners should have the same tax rate as everyone else.

You F***ing thick as mince idiot they already have the same tax rate as everyone else

Morning Malc, hope you are well.

Morning Taz, yes doing well , come back on here and see all the rich gits still want pensioners even more impoverished than they are , unbelievable the arseholes you get on here.