The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
He's only interested in making it all go away for 5 months until the budget. Then he'll produce other rabbits to distract from the reclustering of the fuck
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The government actually did pretty well over the winter that the media didn't really go hard for the effects of WFA on poor pensioners. It had actually dropped totally off the agenda until it was given as a big reason for the council election results, which I was slightly surprised that this one issue was given as THE major reason, when there lots of other decisions that I would have thought would have been equally unpopular e.g. all the coverage of cuts to disability in month before, the NI rise, etc.
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
Elon wasn't looking on fondly at Cyril! I'm surprised Ramaphosa didn't smell a rat given the very obvious fuss over 57 boer immigrants last week and the back and forth about it
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
Yes, he does it very well. And the idea you "mustn't humiliate Cyril Rhamaposa" - lol. What? Why not? And they really do sing "Kill the Boer, kill the white man" at huge rallies, and the black politicians defend this, even as white farmers die
What exactly is wrong with someone very forcefully pointing this out to the President of SA? Is he meant to be protected from hurty feels?
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The timing seems quite interesting. Why now? Panic reaction to the locals? Hide it in amongst news-of-the-Trump? Why not fully announce it later in summer-to-autumn when it might have been a bit more on peoples minds and led into the budget?
Staunch Brexiteers have resorted to claiming they actually like queueing at airports in a desperate attempt to criticise the new UK-EU deal.
I fail to see how this is a major issue (admittedly I don't do much travelling!) How often do most people go through passport queues in the EU every year. Once, twice at most? Does it usually take hours for non-EU arrivals to be processed?
I've been to the EU three times since Brexit. Arguably Brexit has added 10 minutes to getting through passport control. But that's time you'd just be waiting at baggage reclaim anyway. You get through the airport no less quickly. Its impact on getting into the country is zero.
Who the heck puts baggage in the hold on a trip to Europe?
Whereas I normally get through quickly I had a 3 hour wait at Lisbon.
If you land at an International airport rather than a tourist airport and it coincides with a plane from USA or China for instance you are stuffed.
PS Just 3 times since Brexit?
Well yes. I've got three kids. I can only really do these things during school holidays, when its prohibitively expensive. I'm reasonably well off, but nit so well off that I can go jetting off abroad willy nilly. And even if I could I have family responsibilities. So I holiday mostly in Britain. But when we go, we go for a week. Hard to get clothing for a week into hand luggage. Especially for winter holidays. I'd say I'm not unusual in this.
Well yes. I passed that stage years ago. When we had kids we did camping for softies in France. Initially using Canvas or Eurocamp, then organising it ourselves. Struggled to get everything in a car, let alone a bag. It was also a cheap holiday. We also took them skiing, but avoided the expensive winter holiday and took them glacier skiing in the summer. Not exciting skiing for me, but I was teaching the kids.
I developed a fear of flying about twenty years ago so we became experts at driving with kids in a packed car with a roof rack to France for the summer hols. Fitaloon and I had a few robust discussions about my road map reading skills so by the time our oldest was in his early teens he took over.
Starmer needs to stop digging and just announce the new threshold in June .
Waiting till November and with a chance payments might not go out in time would be political idiocy of the highest order !
Yep, but they are only in the mess because they ruled out increasing employee NI, VAT, income tax, etc. A genuinely stupid policy decision which has caused Labour to make all sorts of half-baked decisions in order to try and raise a few quid.
The thing is nobody bought the we didn't break our promises with the spin over employer VAT rise, so they might as well just raised income tax. Would have been less damaging economically.
Indeed, as I keep saying Starmer may be competent and have the right ideas (broadly speaking, but I'm not convinced about the plans) but he's politically inept. He's lightyears away from someone like Blair, and even Brown showed more sense.
Starmer was a very poor leader of the Opposition and he is on course to easily become the worst PM in the last thirty years which is saying something when you think about the Brown/May/Johnson/Truss premierships.
Labour should remember they were elected to "end the chaos" 😂
She's resigning in June over disability cuts then knifing him. You read it here first
Who was the last Labour leader to be "knifed" ?
Arguably their last election winner, Tony Blair, who was partly knifed and forced to announce his resignation timetable in 2006?
Labour aren’t really known for being ruthless . They might have to though and Rayner would win any leadership election .
Starmer won't be knifed because of his poor polling. He'll be knifed for imposing government policies that are inconsistent with Labour values.
Cutting benefits for vulnerable people is deeply inconsistent with Labour values. This is something that a Tory Prime Minister would normally do & watching a Labour PM implementing Tory policies is deeply troubling for Labour party members.
That's the difference between the Tories and Labour. The Tories are "ruthless" because they'll knife a leader with poor electoral prospects, even when the leader is implementing policies that are consistent with Tory values.
Labour will remain loyal to a leader with poor electoral prospects, as long as the leader is behaving consistently with Labour values, but if the leader is considered to be a "closet Tory" then their position becomes very much at risk.
Labour should remember they were elected to "end the chaos" 😂
She's resigning in June over disability cuts then knifing him. You read it here first
Who was the last Labour leader to be "knifed" ?
Arguably their last election winner, Tony Blair, who was partly knifed and forced to announce his resignation timetable in 2006?
The last attempt was the coup against Corbyn. Before that if we discount Blair it's right back to Lansbury being forced out
And Blair stood down very much on his own terms as well, also think by that time he was quite happy to go after a decade as PM and having achieved three solid Labour GE wins.
Labour should remember they were elected to "end the chaos" 😂
She's resigning in June over disability cuts then knifing him. You read it here first
Who was the last Labour leader to be "knifed" ?
Arguably their last election winner, Tony Blair, who was partly knifed and forced to announce his resignation timetable in 2006?
The last attempt was the coup against Corbyn. Before that if we discount Blair it's right back to Lansbury being forced out
Don't forget when they went to do in Gordon, but they bottled it at the last second after resignations had set the process in motion.
I had forgotten that failed attempt to get rid of Gordon Brown. I am trying to remember who did resign and who bottled it by failing to stick their head above the parapet and following them?
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
The media have swung into gear to accuse Trump of confronting Ramaphosa with 'false claims'. See the Washington Post headline:
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
The media have swung into gear to accuse Trump of confronting Ramaphosa with 'false claims'. See the Washington Post headline:
That’s the genius of Trump playing the video. Everyone has now seen the Oval Office footage where black South African politicians sing “kill the boer, kill the white man” to rapturous black crowds
That looks awfully genocide…. Ish. Doesn’t it?
So any attempt to spin this won’t work. Did they sing this or not? They sang this
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The timing seems quite interesting. Why now? Panic reaction to the locals? Hide it in amongst news-of-the-Trump? Why not fully announce it later in summer-to-autumn when it might have been a bit more on peoples minds and led into the budget?
Why not announce it when they know who won't benefit? Worst of all world's now - disappoint those who think it is being reinstated for them.
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The timing seems quite interesting. Why now? Panic reaction to the locals? Hide it in amongst news-of-the-Trump? Why not fully announce it later in summer-to-autumn when it might have been a bit more on peoples minds and led into the budget?
He isn't panicking about the election results. He's panicking about a backbench revolt.
Around 130 MP's have now signed a letter saying they won't support the disability benefit cuts. If the rebellion continues then it'll eventually end with Starmer being forced out unless he does a U-turn on this & his other polices on benefit cuts.
Re Chagos, just give the islands gave to the Chagossians if they agree to let us keep sovereign control of the base a la Akrotiri/Dhekelia and offer them financial support and, if they wish, run their defence and foreign policy. No need for irrelevant Mauritius to be involved at all
I don't understand why we don't just give it to the USA
We use it and it's our only sovereign military base 'East of Aden' now so keeping it seems sensible. The islands around we have zero inhabitants on so they can just be given away in a cracker - but should be returned of course to the people we evicted. It's just the base that matters so why did we not negotiate to keep sovereignty of it?!
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The timing seems quite interesting. Why now? Panic reaction to the locals? Hide it in amongst news-of-the-Trump? Why not fully announce it later in summer-to-autumn when it might have been a bit more on peoples minds and led into the budget?
He isn't panicking about the election results. He's panicking about a backbench revolt.
Around 130 MP's have now signed a letter saying they won't support the disability benefit cuts. If the rebellion continues then it'll eventually end with Starmer being forced out unless he does a U-turn on this & his other polices on benefit cuts.
The timing is mentioned in the Guardian article on the U-turn:
Senior Labour figures are hoping the partial U-turn, along with measures to curb child poverty to be announced at the spending review, will help to head off a growing backbench rebellion over the government’s £5bn welfare cuts next month.
Definitely noticed that our nearest M&S foodstore and the local Co-op in our rural patch have both been poorly stocked in the last week as well.
Yes, my local Co-cop was half-empty recently as well. It's just awful how they don't seem to have planned properly for this type of thing, with back-up systems, etc.
Why is Starmer hated so much by some on the Right? It's such a mystery to me.
Oh - just a minute. It couldn't be anything to do with him having thrashed the Tories to Kingdom Come at the last election, could it?
Desperation imo - currently the Right have nothing to say. And they are terrified that the Starmer Govt may, in measure, start to repair our society. They had their opportunity post-Brexit to make it work, and failed.
The Conservatives will continue to be a collection of headless, gormless chickens having a fight with themselves for a period of years. In the interim, diversions are necessary.
And Reform are ... Reform. They have the substance of a marketing campaign for secondhand cars, and they just landed themselves in the position where they have to deliver, or they will wash away the sandcastle on which they are built. Unfortunately they have to square an impossible circle of promised tax cuts with aims that require far more expenditure, and the things they are targeting for cuts only exist in Nigel Farage's head.
Reform's strongest point is imo that our media are too lazy or too ideological accurately to report the harvest of the RefUK faceplant farm.
The WFA u-turn looks like the worst to all worlds option to me.
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
The timing seems quite interesting. Why now? Panic reaction to the locals? Hide it in amongst news-of-the-Trump? Why not fully announce it later in summer-to-autumn when it might have been a bit more on peoples minds and led into the budget?
He isn't panicking about the election results. He's panicking about a backbench revolt.
Around 130 MP's have now signed a letter saying they won't support the disability benefit cuts. If the rebellion continues then it'll eventually end with Starmer being forced out unless he does a U-turn on this & his other polices on benefit cuts.
The timing is mentioned in the Guardian article on the U-turn:
Senior Labour figures are hoping the partial U-turn, along with measures to curb child poverty to be announced at the spending review, will help to head off a growing backbench rebellion over the government’s £5bn welfare cuts next month.
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
What is, and is not, a city is not a very objective measure.
Blackpool is a town, but neighbouring Preston is a city. They both have approximately the same population.
The suspect - who police have identified as Elias Rodriguez - chanted "free Palestine, free Palestine" while in custody, Washington police chief Pamela Smith said.
The Daily Mail can disclose that the former prime minister was refused permission to buy a new mobile phone at a Vodafone store.
‘He went to his local shop to get a phone for one of his children,’ one of Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’s friends told this newspaper. ‘Because he is classed as a politically exposed person (PEP), it was not possible.’
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
Putting my skeptical hat on, I wonder how many of those in Blackpool etc have been shipped there by the other places on the graph to save money, and how that is covered in the figures.
I'm sure there are definitions, but I'm not sure exactly where the graph comes from - I expect it, or the data, is from somewhere deep on the Govt website.
That is a laughable claim that we have gone from if we don't cut WFA that it will be Liz Truss all over again to the economy is going so well because we had a decent 3 months (but still worse than same time previous year) and that we can forget all cuts (despite borrowing £20bn more than budgeted last year).
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
Putting my skeptical hat on, I wonder how many of those in Blackpool etc have been shipped there by the other places on the graph to save money, and how that is covered in the figures.
I'm sure there are definitions, but I'm not sure exactly where the graph comes from - I expect it, or the data, is from somewhere deep on the Govt website.
If you are looking for cheap accommodation, somewhere with a lot of redundant B and Bs seems like an obvious place to look.
It's not the only factor in the 'faded resort towns = Faragist' correlation, but it surely contributes.
Today, a Conservative Party capable of thriving would be one able to have a conversation that the Faragists simply cannot join: about competence, tax, exports, business, moderation and a Burkean faith in the stability afforded by courts and institutions. Alas, the current Conservative Party is not capable of having that conversation either. Arguably from 2016, and certainly from 2019, successive leaders of the party have purged that whole tendency, often cheered on by their own membership. When one imagines today a party that could feasibly be led by David Cameron or George Osborne, let alone Ken Clarke or Rory Stewart, it is a long, long way away from the party the Conservatives currently have, or indeed the one the vast majority of them would currently put up with.
To solve this problem, they first have to want to. Then, and only then, can they tackle the gimp. Shouldn’t be hard. The gimp’s sleeping.
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
What is, and is not, a city is not a very objective measure.
Blackpool is a town, but neighbouring Preston is a city. They both have approximately the same population.
Indeed; but that doesn't alter the fact they're comparing a settlement of ~150k people with others of half a million or more. And MattW's point is also correct.
It'd be good to know where this data comes from, as comparisons between (say) Blackpool and Ipswich might be interesting, as both are seaside towns of similar size - albeit one was always more leisure, the other more industrial.
Today, a Conservative Party capable of thriving would be one able to have a conversation that the Faragists simply cannot join: about competence, tax, exports, business, moderation and a Burkean faith in the stability afforded by courts and institutions. Alas, the current Conservative Party is not capable of having that conversation either. Arguably from 2016, and certainly from 2019, successive leaders of the party have purged that whole tendency, often cheered on by their own membership. When one imagines today a party that could feasibly be led by David Cameron or George Osborne, let alone Ken Clarke or Rory Stewart, it is a long, long way away from the party the Conservatives currently have, or indeed the one the vast majority of them would currently put up with.
To solve this problem, they first have to want to. Then, and only then, can they tackle the gimp. Shouldn’t be hard. The gimp’s sleeping.
The proportionate increase is lowest in Blackpool and highest in London. Many of the new claimants are younger folk - of which Blackpool has few and London many - with mental health issues. Older folk mostly with physical health issues are the baseline claimants, hence why Blackpool is higher.
It's not a clear graph, anyhow, as the title "all out of work benefits" appears to conflict with the sub-heading "sickness" on the left?
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
The media have swung into gear to accuse Trump of confronting Ramaphosa with 'false claims'. See the Washington Post headline:
If Trump opens his mouth, he’s usually making ‘false claims’. We all know this by now. Why are you rushing to defend Trump’s ‘claims’ this time? Is it the white supremacist angle?
The proportionate increase is lowest in Blackpool and highest in London. Many of the new claimants are younger folk - of which Blackpool has few and London many - with mental health issues. Older folk mostly with physical health issues are the baseline claimants, hence why Blackpool is higher.
It's not a clear graph, anyhow, as the title "all out of work benefits" appears to conflict with the sub-heading "sickness" on the left?
Good points. I can't see how being out of work is good for your mental health, and I can absolutely see how you can get stuck in it.
Maybe the government needs a special back to work support programme, meaningfully funded, coupled by a time limit on some of these benefits.
Even better news.... Lineker's podcast.. which I have never listened to.... will not be available on BBC Sounds. He really has copped it for his arrogance.
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
Putting my skeptical hat on, I wonder how many of those in Blackpool etc have been shipped there by the other places on the graph to save money, and how that is covered in the figures.
I'm sure there are definitions, but I'm not sure exactly where the graph comes from - I expect it, or the data, is from somewhere deep on the Govt website.
If you are looking for cheap accommodation, somewhere with a lot of redundant B and Bs seems like an obvious place to look.
It's not the only factor in the 'faded resort towns = Faragist' correlation, but it surely contributes.
If Farage was ever to do anything about these B+B residents, it would mean the bankruptcy and closing down of them. I wonder if Reform voters considered that?
Even better news.... Lineker's podcast.. which I have never listened to.... will not be available on BBC Sounds. He really has copped it for his arrogance.
I was surprised it was and I suspect that part of the deal came from Lineker wishing to offer something back to the BBC because there is big money in podcasts which is why people like Simon Mayo left the BBC.
The proportionate increase is lowest in Blackpool and highest in London. Many of the new claimants are younger folk - of which Blackpool has few and London many - with mental health issues. Older folk mostly with physical health issues are the baseline claimants, hence why Blackpool is higher.
It's not a clear graph, anyhow, as the title "all out of work benefits" appears to conflict with the sub-heading "sickness" on the left?
Just seen what Trump did to the South Africans, live in the Oval Office on TV
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
He is turning these White House Meets like the weekly meeting in the Apprentice, you are trapped in there with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
The media have swung into gear to accuse Trump of confronting Ramaphosa with 'false claims'. See the Washington Post headline:
That’s the genius of Trump playing the video. Everyone has now seen the Oval Office footage where black South African politicians sing “kill the boer, kill the white man” to rapturous black crowds
That looks awfully genocide…. Ish. Doesn’t it?
So any attempt to spin this won’t work. Did they sing this or not? They sang this
Mmm. Not really. We don't call the Irish genocidal for singing old rebel songs.
If a genocide existed, there might be something to it. But we know how Trump operates - he projects BS and outright fabrications on the inside of his head, then uses his bully pulpit try and promote them further. He behaves like your crazy uncle who has escaped from the mental hospital. In this case there's perhaps some manipulation from Musk's views.
Two of the outright inventions are Chump calling crosses put in a verge at a demo real graves, and that cars driving past are mourners - nope.
Comments
Paedos to be castrated !
Arguably their last election winner, Tony Blair, who was partly knifed and forced to announce his resignation timetable in 2006?
They have taken the hit for it's cancellation, but the reversal is only partial which means they will take another hit from those pensioners that inevitably miss out.
Seems like very poor politics to me though at least some vulnerable pensioners hopefully won't go cold this winter.
Maybe we might get a growth miracle and No 10 will stop making unforced errors !
They deserved every word. Not sure Trump did anything wrong, at all
I'm surprised Ramaphosa didn't smell a rat given the very obvious fuss over 57 boer immigrants last week and the back and forth about it
with nowhere to hide and he is going to set you up.
What exactly is wrong with someone very forcefully pointing this out to the President of SA? Is he meant to be protected from hurty feels?
(Quota. No holiday photo today.)
Cutting benefits for vulnerable people is deeply inconsistent with Labour values. This is something that a Tory Prime Minister would normally do & watching a Labour PM implementing Tory policies is deeply troubling for Labour party members.
That's the difference between the Tories and Labour. The Tories are "ruthless" because they'll knife a leader with poor electoral prospects, even when the leader is implementing policies that are consistent with Tory values.
Labour will remain loyal to a leader with poor electoral prospects, as long as the leader is behaving consistently with Labour values, but if the leader is considered to be a "closet Tory" then their position becomes very much at risk.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
That looks awfully genocide…. Ish. Doesn’t it?
So any attempt to spin this won’t work. Did they sing this or not? They sang this
LOL
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-21-live-ramaphosa-meets-trump
Around 130 MP's have now signed a letter saying they won't support the disability benefit cuts. If the rebellion continues then it'll eventually end with Starmer being forced out unless he does a U-turn on this & his other polices on benefit cuts.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/15/starmer-faces-benefits-rebellion-of-more-than-100-mps/
"M&S website completely down, leaving users unable to browse"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k374x1y8do
Senior Labour figures are hoping the partial U-turn, along with measures to curb child poverty to be announced at the spending review, will help to head off a growing backbench rebellion over the government’s £5bn welfare cuts next month.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/21/labour-to-review-giving-more-pensioners-winter-fuel-payments
The Conservatives will continue to be a collection of headless, gormless chickens having a fight with themselves for a period of years. In the interim, diversions are necessary.
And Reform are ... Reform. They have the substance of a marketing campaign for secondhand cars, and they just landed themselves in the position where they have to deliver, or they will wash away the sandcastle on which they are built. Unfortunately they have to square an impossible circle of promised tax cuts with aims that require far more expenditure, and the things they are targeting for cuts only exist in Nigel Farage's head.
Reform's strongest point is imo that our media are too lazy or too ideological accurately to report the harvest of the RefUK faceplant farm.
So, let's hope for some more of those sensible tax reforms to be announced that have been - I think - generally approved on PB.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy9vr10n732t
Press gangs in Blackpool please.
As an aside, Blackpool isn't a city. I wonder why they chose that as a comparator against much larger cities? Would it not be better to compare Blackpool with (say) Telford, Ipswich, Huddersfield or Middlesborough, which are all towns of a similar size?
Blackpool is a town, but neighbouring Preston is a city. They both have approximately the same population.
‘He went to his local shop to get a phone for one of his children,’ one of Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’s friends told this newspaper. ‘Because he is classed as a politically exposed person (PEP), it was not possible.’
I'm sure there are definitions, but I'm not sure exactly where the graph comes from - I expect it, or the data, is from somewhere deep on the Govt website.
Sources say improved economic landscape may lead to two-child benefit cap and health and disability cuts being revisited
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/21/labour-to-review-giving-more-pensioners-winter-fuel-payments
That is a laughable claim that we have gone from if we don't cut WFA that it will be Liz Truss all over again to the economy is going so well because we had a decent 3 months (but still worse than same time previous year) and that we can forget all cuts (despite borrowing £20bn more than budgeted last year).
It's not the only factor in the 'faded resort towns = Faragist' correlation, but it surely contributes.
To solve this problem, they first have to want to. Then, and only then, can they tackle the gimp. Shouldn’t be hard. The gimp’s sleeping.
https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/tories-problem-is-they-have-nothing-to-offer-b9d6ggmgg
It'd be good to know where this data comes from, as comparisons between (say) Blackpool and Ipswich might be interesting, as both are seaside towns of similar size - albeit one was always more leisure, the other more industrial.
It's not a clear graph, anyhow, as the title "all out of work benefits" appears to conflict with the sub-heading "sickness" on the left?
Maybe the government needs a special back to work support programme, meaningfully funded, coupled by a time limit on some of these benefits.
NEW THREAD
If a genocide existed, there might be something to it. But we know how Trump operates - he projects BS and outright fabrications on the inside of his head, then uses his bully pulpit try and promote them further. He behaves like your crazy uncle who has escaped from the mental hospital. In this case there's perhaps some manipulation from Musk's views.
Two of the outright inventions are Chump calling crosses put in a verge at a demo real graves, and that cars driving past are mourners - nope.