These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
I am resigned to the fact that we're only going to get our public spending sorted when somebody takes away our national credit card.
It'll be fun if it happens under a Reform government.
It really won't. Under whatever government it happens we will be looking at massive increases in tax and massive cuts in spending. All of us will be significantly poorer but inevitably those dependent upon the State will be the worse hit.
We can ameliorate this to some extent by acting now but everything Reeves does makes it worse. These ridiculous arguments about whether she can make her ridiculous targets make those realigning the deck chairs on the Titanic look both purposeful and useful.
I wonder what the impositions will be.
+2% basic income tax +5% top rate income tax +20% council tax plus extra council tax bands +10p fuel duty
End of the triple lock on pensions End of pensions credits End of WFA Rapid increase in state retirement age to 70 20% reduction in invalidity benefits
Immediate conversion of future public sector pension schemes from DB to DC 10% reduction in current DB payments over £50k pa 10% reduction in public sector pay above £100k pa
Don't know how much all that would save but I doubt it would be enough.
Oddly enough, I could support most of that.
I'm a little twitchy about reductions in invalidity benefits but we also need to tackle the social care issue which is bankrupting even well-run councils and needs a more comprehensive national approach.
On tax I'd have 25p basic and a single top rate of 50p BUT I would restore the thresholds to where they would have been allowing for inflation - in other words, eliminate the iniquitous Conservative "fiscal drag".
Nah, we don’t need to do any of that so long as we enthusiastically embrace the Assisted Dying Bill. That should deliver some big savings.
Hardly as it only applies to the terminally ill
We’re all dying from day one. Thin the heard, that’s what I say.
But what about the unheard? Do they get thinned too?
5 planes from China have landed altogether in Tehran, now.
Nor part of Israel"s plan.
Just needs the IDF to shoot one of them down for the full 'brace'.
As The Official Keeper Of The PB “Brace”, the decision to deploy it is strictly my own
This is for very good reasons. If everyone chucks out Official PB Braces willynilly, that’s a recipe for chaos and hyperbole
No, a Brace is only deployed in the field after a long, cloistered consultation with my advisors, followed by a Zoom call with the King, the Pope, the project manager of HS2, and the lead archaeologist at Gobekli Tepe
If the emerald light glows green, a procession is made to Sgùrr Alasdair, in the Cuilins of Skye, where, in a cryogenic vault buried beneath 4 million tons of basalt and quartz, the word “Brace!” lies sealed in a crystalline sarcophagus, guarded by “the twelve Tories” - the last of their ancient breed. @HYUFD sometimes pops by
Then, the Keeper of the Syllable - for that is me - approaches the vault and lifts out the Word with platinum tongs, holds it aloft in a silence purer than a Japanese nun on Jersey, and then, finally, the word is typed into Ye Great Annals of PB: Brace! - and the universe shudders
Far more important than Brexit is of course Royal Ascot and my day four musings as follows:
Albany Stakes: IPANEMA QUEEN (each way) Commonwealth Cup: BABOUCHE (win), WHISTLEJACKET (each way) Cornonation Stakes: FALAKEYAH (win), SIMMERING (each way) KIng Edward VII Stakes: WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE (win)
Albany Stakes: GREEN SENSE Commonwealth Cup: ARIZONA BLAZE Duke of Edinburgh Stakes: MOUNT ATLAS Cornonation Stakes: JANUARY Sandringham Stakes: ZGHARTA KIng Edward VII Stakes: PUPPET MASTER Palace of HolyroodHouse Stake: ZAYER
@Dura_Ace Whilst you're likely in sympatico to the protesters' cause, shouldn't RAF bases be a bit tougher to break into than this ?
Brize is only transport a/c so it's not like they are going to walk off with an AMRAAM.
It's not the Cold War (the real one not the made up one of Jessopious) when the perimeter would patrolled 24/7 by RAFR/Mod Plod/Wooly Alligators. There isn't much money and what little of there is will be given to Serco to do it with entirely predictable results.
The protest was fairly tame stuff. They could have torched that A330 pretty easily. It'd be Christmas before Serco extinguished the blaze.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
My belief is that anti-pensioner memes were seeded by Russia – triple lock, pensioners are boomer millionaires, and so on. You see these sentiments too often to be organic or tied to a particular party.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Also climate change disinformation, given that Russia is obviously very keen to continue selling fossil fuels and is probably one of the few countries that may actually benefit from a hotter world.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
To be replaced with what? Close DB pensions and move current employees to DC schemes – won't that cost more, at least in the short term?
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
I am resigned to the fact that we're only going to get our public spending sorted when somebody takes away our national credit card.
It'll be fun if it happens under a Reform government.
It really won't. Under whatever government it happens we will be looking at massive increases in tax and massive cuts in spending. All of us will be significantly poorer but inevitably those dependent upon the State will be the worse hit.
We can ameliorate this to some extent by acting now but everything Reeves does makes it worse. These ridiculous arguments about whether she can make her ridiculous targets make those realigning the deck chairs on the Titanic look both purposeful and useful.
I wonder what the impositions will be.
+2% basic income tax +5% top rate income tax +20% council tax plus extra council tax bands +10p fuel duty
End of the triple lock on pensions End of pensions credits End of WFA Rapid increase in state retirement age to 70 20% reduction in invalidity benefits
Immediate conversion of future public sector pension schemes from DB to DC 10% reduction in current DB payments over £50k pa 10% reduction in public sector pay above £100k pa
Don't know how much all that would save but I doubt it would be enough.
Oddly enough, I could support most of that.
I'm a little twitchy about reductions in invalidity benefits but we also need to tackle the social care issue which is bankrupting even well-run councils and needs a more comprehensive national approach.
On tax I'd have 25p basic and a single top rate of 50p BUT I would restore the thresholds to where they would have been allowing for inflation - in other words, eliminate the iniquitous Conservative "fiscal drag".
Nah, we don’t need to do any of that so long as we enthusiastically embrace the Assisted Dying Bill. That should deliver some big savings.
Far more important than Brexit is of course Royal Ascot and my day four musings as follows:
Albany Stakes: IPANEMA QUEEN (each way) Commonwealth Cup: BABOUCHE (win), WHISTLEJACKET (each way) Cornonation Stakes: FALAKEYAH (win), SIMMERING (each way) KIng Edward VII Stakes: WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE (win)
Albany Stakes: GREEN SENSE Commonwealth Cup: ARIZONA BLAZE Duke of Edinburgh Stakes: MOUNT ATLAS Cornonation Stakes: JANUARY Sandringham Stakes: ZGHARTA KIng Edward VII Stakes: PUPPET MASTER Palace of HolyroodHouse Stake: ZAYER
I'm boycotting Royal Ascot for the rest of the week in sympathy with the missing princess and because I'm not sure form is entirely predictable in this heat.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
I am resigned to the fact that we're only going to get our public spending sorted when somebody takes away our national credit card.
It'll be fun if it happens under a Reform government.
It really won't. Under whatever government it happens we will be looking at massive increases in tax and massive cuts in spending. All of us will be significantly poorer but inevitably those dependent upon the State will be the worse hit.
We can ameliorate this to some extent by acting now but everything Reeves does makes it worse. These ridiculous arguments about whether she can make her ridiculous targets make those realigning the deck chairs on the Titanic look both purposeful and useful.
I wonder what the impositions will be.
+2% basic income tax +5% top rate income tax +20% council tax plus extra council tax bands +10p fuel duty
End of the triple lock on pensions End of pensions credits End of WFA Rapid increase in state retirement age to 70 20% reduction in invalidity benefits
Immediate conversion of future public sector pension schemes from DB to DC 10% reduction in current DB payments over £50k pa 10% reduction in public sector pay above £100k pa
Don't know how much all that would save but I doubt it would be enough.
Oddly enough, I could support most of that.
I'm a little twitchy about reductions in invalidity benefits but we also need to tackle the social care issue which is bankrupting even well-run councils and needs a more comprehensive national approach.
On tax I'd have 25p basic and a single top rate of 50p BUT I would restore the thresholds to where they would have been allowing for inflation - in other words, eliminate the iniquitous Conservative "fiscal drag".
Nah, we don’t need to do any of that so long as we enthusiastically embrace the Assisted Dying Bill. That should deliver some big savings.
Hardly as it only applies to the terminally ill
We are all terminally ill. No one gets out alive.
That is quite a calming statement of fact. Shouldn't be calming but is.
A quite attractive new 3-4 bed housing development from Harron Homes, with (for the place) a highish starting price of £289k, but quite packed in. Nice landscaping with their required open space 10%, I think.
The video. First frame: "Brierly Forest Park is a short drive away". BFP is a large 200 acre (iirc) Green Flag country park around one side of our town. Obviously it has anti-wheelchair barriers of a sort on every one of 15 entrances (kissing gates, chicanes, squeezes sometimes) - working on it. They do a Park Run entirely within the park. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3WHZJkyLuI
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
But you're no longer receiving the contributions from current employees to help pay for the current and future payouts, and you're having to make employer contributions into their DC pot.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
My belief is that anti-pensioner memes were seeded by Russia – triple lock, pensioners are boomer millionaires, and so on. You see these sentiments too often to be organic or tied to a particular party.
They're not memes, they're facts.
Triple lock is a disgrace. Pensioners are by far the wealthiest group in the country.
Three quarters of pensioners own their own home without a rent or mortgage, while young generations are working for a living, heavily taxed and too many even with two incomes don't own their own home and are paying rent ... typically to those older than them who own not just their own home, but their tenants home too.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
Mail Online had an article last week on the benefits of melatonin for sleep problems.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
Alternative view: if you have have an entire zip-up bag full of them, you are addicted to all of them...
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
The reason people have a negative view of Brexit is threefold: 1) We Brexited, and things are still shit. That's not because of Brexit, it's because Brexit was never a magic bullet, merely a small step in the right direction. 2) We Brexited, and lots of bad things happened. But unless you're mad, covid and Ukraine and Trump were not consequences of Brexit. But people think back to the rosy times of the early noughties when all we had to worry about was taxes on pasties and want to turn back the clock. 3) Remainers still have control of most of the cultural levers.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
To be replaced with what? Close DB pensions and move current employees to DC schemes – won't that cost more, at least in the short term?
It would be replaced with defined contributions. It would be a matter of negotiation what level these were at but they have the distinct advantage (from the employer’s perspective) of putting the risk of shortfalls or reduced returns on the employee rather than having them underwritten by the employer ( ie us).
We did this in the Faculty. There are no additional costs but it is fair to say that the savings took a while to arrive.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
My belief is that anti-pensioner memes were seeded by Russia – triple lock, pensioners are boomer millionaires, and so on. You see these sentiments too often to be organic or tied to a particular party.
They're not memes, they're facts.
Triple lock is a disgrace. Pensioners are by far the wealthiest group in the country.
Three quarters of pensioners own their own home without a rent or mortgage, while young generations are working for a living, heavily taxed and too many even with two incomes don't own their own home and are paying rent ... typically to those older than them who own not just their own home, but their tenants home too.
Even if you are right, it is remarkable how often these same memes are published. The same with Brexit and abortion and assisted dying, it's not about the facts – it's the discord.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
Alternative view: if you have have an entire zip-up bag full of them, you are addicted to all of them...
No, I’m really not. I have had addictions to these things in the past. In particular I got a Xanax habit once. OMG. Never get a Xanax habit
It’s one of the worst withdrawals in the pharmacopoeia. It can actually kill you (rare but known). So, no, I don’t get habits any more
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
Brexit has happened and a lot has changed but it seems rejoining is not a priority by 44% to 37%
I voted remain, but just cannot see a path to rejoin that is likely and would the EU even want us back and on what terms
In today's uncertain world there are many more important causes, though a closer relationship with the EU is sensible
As far as blaming the conservatives, it seems that an even more anti EU party is dominating the political agenda
I would just gently say all the parties contributed to the present position as they fought a battle from an extreme Brexit to overturning the result and remain when they should have agreed together a Norway style arrangement
The problem with that is that ending EEA freedom of movement was a key part of the Vote Leave campaign, so in the short term at least staying in the EEA was not possible
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
But you're no longer receiving the contributions from current employees to help pay for the current and future payouts, and you're having to make employer contributions into their DC pot.
Short-term the switch costs money.
There may be a cash flow issue but those contributions from current employees come with bills and rights attached. On a balance sheet basis there are immediate savings.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
My belief is that anti-pensioner memes were seeded by Russia – triple lock, pensioners are boomer millionaires, and so on. You see these sentiments too often to be organic or tied to a particular party.
They're not memes, they're facts.
Triple lock is a disgrace. Pensioners are by far the wealthiest group in the country.
Three quarters of pensioners own their own home without a rent or mortgage, while young generations are working for a living, heavily taxed and too many even with two incomes don't own their own home and are paying rent ... typically to those older than them who own not just their own home, but their tenants home too.
Even if you are right, it is remarkable how often these same memes are published. The same with Brexit and abortion and assisted dying, it's not about the facts – it's the discord.
They're not memes, they're serious problems that need addressing.
Ensuring young people own their own home and aren't renting it from someone else is absolutely critical. Margaret Thatcher understood that 40 years ago, too many on left and right don't today.
Bankrupting the country by ratchetting up benefits for those who aren't working while cutting everything for those who are and taxing those who are until the pips bleed is a problem.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
Alternative view: if you have have an entire zip-up bag full of them, you are addicted to all of them...
No, I’m really not. I have had addictions to these things in the past. In particular I got a Xanax habit once. OMG. Never get a Xanax habit
It’s one of the worst withdrawals in the pharmacopoeia. It can actually kill you (rare but known). So, no, I don’t get habits any more
My wife has dabbled with Xanax - she sleeps very lightly (if a mouse farts, she wakes). People in the States seem much more relaxed about dishing them out to their visitors...
Far more important than Brexit is of course Royal Ascot and my day four musings as follows:
Albany Stakes: IPANEMA QUEEN (each way) Commonwealth Cup: BABOUCHE (win), WHISTLEJACKET (each way) Cornonation Stakes: FALAKEYAH (win), SIMMERING (each way) KIng Edward VII Stakes: WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE (win)
There are a few Labour supporters sharing photos of Farage in Top Hat and tails at Royal Ascot yesterday, with captions such as "Man of the People", and asking Labour to use it to show him up as some kind of out of touch toff... Seems strangely mistargeted to me, Royal Ascot has a huge element of chavs getting dolled up, I can't imagine why anyone would think of it as an good attack
Brexit has happened and a lot has changed but it seems rejoining is not a priority by 44% to 37%
I voted remain, but just cannot see a path to rejoin that is likely and would the EU even want us back and on what terms
In today's uncertain world there are many more important causes, though a closer relationship with the EU is sensible
As far as blaming the conservatives, it seems that an even more anti EU party is dominating the political agenda
I would just gently say all the parties contributed to the present position as they fought a battle from an extreme Brexit to overturning the result and remain when they should have agreed together a Norway style arrangement
Rubbish. Stop gaslighting.
Brexit rests entirely on the shoulders of the Conservative Party, not least on the ample shoulders of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
You may want to see it that way, but Brexit started with the remain camp failing to make the case and the absurd comments by Obama
Then the vote, which I did find surprising, was lost when it should have been won
Then we had the chaos in Parliament, with Starmer even trying to reverse the vote, then the contortions to leave with a less than optimal solution, when better politicians would have coalesced around a Norway solution
The fact you are hung up about Johnson does not alter the fact we are not members of the EU and unlikely to be so for the foresaeble future
Regrets do not offer solutions, and the political class seem to accept that joining the EU is not on the agenda and anyway, we could well end up with see-saw membership as pro EU and anti EU governments are elected
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Or, indeed, legal advice. Diazepam, Lorazepam and Zopiclone are all class C controlled drugs. Someone may only be in possession of them by virtue of a lawfully issued prescription.
@Dura_Ace Whilst you're likely in sympatico to the protesters' cause, shouldn't RAF bases be a bit tougher to break into than this ?
Brize is only transport a/c so it's not like they are going to walk off with an AMRAAM.
It's not the Cold War (the real one not the made up one of Jessopious) when the perimeter would patrolled 24/7 by RAFR/Mod Plod/Wooly Alligators. There isn't much money and what little of there is will be given to Serco to do it with entirely predictable results.
The protest was fairly tame stuff. They could have torched that A330 pretty easily. It'd be Christmas before Serco extinguished the blaze.
I'd categorise this one as an attack on important infra, which include transport aircraft, rather than a "protest" - similar to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge and other M25 protests designed to gum up the transport system and create chaos. So I'd prescribe a decent prison sentence as a deterrent. We are not playing a game of leapfrog. Serco being crap does not seem very relevant.
It's the same as Lucy Connolly - nip it in the bud. Incidentally, listening to a bit of GB News yesterday, they are still pumping out the lie that Connolly was imprisoned 'for a hurty tweet'.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
But you're no longer receiving the contributions from current employees to help pay for the current and future payouts, and you're having to make employer contributions into their DC pot.
Short-term the switch costs money.
There may be a cash flow issue but those contributions from current employees come with bills and rights attached. On a balance sheet basis there are immediate savings.
DC pension accounting is very very simple - you just send the money to Aegon, Blackrock, Scottish Widows and they stick it into either bonds or equities according to you or your employers' preference; DB requires a whole lot more governance and can swing from deficit to surplus and back depending on prevailing interest rates and the assets/liabilities of the scheme outside the "corridor" (If the Gov't scheme has assets lol).
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
Alternative view: if you have have an entire zip-up bag full of them, you are addicted to all of them...
No, I’m really not. I have had addictions to these things in the past. In particular I got a Xanax habit once. OMG. Never get a Xanax habit
It’s one of the worst withdrawals in the pharmacopoeia. It can actually kill you (rare but known). So, no, I don’t get habits any more
My wife has dabbled with Xanax - she sleeps very lightly (if a mouse farts, she wakes). People in the States seem much more relaxed about dishing them out to their visitors...
Yes Americans are absurdly cavalier about Xanax. You meet Americans who cheerfully say “I take two a day, 1mg in the morning 1mg at night! Been doing it for years” - and they are blithely unaware of the dangers. Of the fact withdrawal can lead to SEIZURES - and it feels like you are going mad. You dissociate
There is a middle ground. Pharmacology has invented lots of fantastic drugs - Xanax is one of them - use them! - but advance with caution
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
You could spend a few days at the Grimsby travelodge/premier inn to see how other people live.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Or, indeed, legal advice. Diazepam, Lorazepam and Zopiclone are all class C controlled drugs. Someone may only be in possession of them by virtue of a lawfully issued prescription.
Which, of course, I have. From nice friendly private doctors in Bangkok
If you need a contact I can hook you up. Ask for “Doctor Deborah”. She is particularly accommodating
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I haven’t seen one person ever stop to consider the impact of stopping current contributions on the closure of such a big pension scheme, with so many active pensions and preserved rights.
It’s the nature of final or average salary schemes - take away current contributions and the employer (in this case all of us) is on the hook for all preserved rights for many years. This costs more, not less.
Err, no it doesn’t. The rights cease to accrue once the scheme is closed. It is of course true that the accrued rights remain and require to be funded over several decades but the costs of that are no more than they would have been had the scheme remained open. They are simply not being added to.
To be replaced with what? Close DB pensions and move current employees to DC schemes – won't that cost more, at least in the short term?
It would be replaced with defined contributions. It would be a matter of negotiation what level these were at but they have the distinct advantage (from the employer’s perspective) of putting the risk of shortfalls or reduced returns on the employee rather than having them underwritten by the employer ( ie us).
We did this in the Faculty. There are no additional costs but it is fair to say that the savings took a while to arrive.
So who will be covering the likely shortfall in the DB pot as those with DB pensions outlive the original estimates? The employer?
Who's making these decisions to devalue employees pensions? Senior managers with DB pensions by any chance?
It does seem that all these savings proposals for pensions protect senior employees/pensioners with relatively generous DB (compared to DC) schemes at the expense of younger/more junior employees. I'm not sure why this should be, if employees were in a DC scheme and had insufficient contributions/returns to pay their pension then they'd have to take a lower pension, why are employees in a DB scheme whose contributions/returns aren't enough to cover their pensions not subjected to a haircut?
Disclosure, I've never been in a DB pension scheme, reliant on my own SIPP.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
I am resigned to the fact that we're only going to get our public spending sorted when somebody takes away our national credit card.
It'll be fun if it happens under a Reform government.
It really won't. Under whatever government it happens we will be looking at massive increases in tax and massive cuts in spending. All of us will be significantly poorer but inevitably those dependent upon the State will be the worse hit.
We can ameliorate this to some extent by acting now but everything Reeves does makes it worse. These ridiculous arguments about whether she can make her ridiculous targets make those realigning the deck chairs on the Titanic look both purposeful and useful.
I wonder what the impositions will be.
+2% basic income tax +5% top rate income tax +20% council tax plus extra council tax bands +10p fuel duty
End of the triple lock on pensions End of pensions credits End of WFA Rapid increase in state retirement age to 70 20% reduction in invalidity benefits
Immediate conversion of future public sector pension schemes from DB to DC 10% reduction in current DB payments over £50k pa 10% reduction in public sector pay above £100k pa
Don't know how much all that would save but I doubt it would be enough.
Oddly enough, I could support most of that.
I'm a little twitchy about reductions in invalidity benefits but we also need to tackle the social care issue which is bankrupting even well-run councils and needs a more comprehensive national approach.
On tax I'd have 25p basic and a single top rate of 50p BUT I would restore the thresholds to where they would have been allowing for inflation - in other words, eliminate the iniquitous Conservative "fiscal drag".
Even Reeves isn't pushing the top rate back to 50% again
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
My belief is that anti-pensioner memes were seeded by Russia – triple lock, pensioners are boomer millionaires, and so on. You see these sentiments too often to be organic or tied to a particular party.
They're not memes, they're facts.
Triple lock is a disgrace. Pensioners are by far the wealthiest group in the country.
Three quarters of pensioners own their own home without a rent or mortgage, while young generations are working for a living, heavily taxed and too many even with two incomes don't own their own home and are paying rent ... typically to those older than them who own not just their own home, but their tenants home too.
Even if you are right, it is remarkable how often these same memes are published. The same with Brexit and abortion and assisted dying, it's not about the facts – it's the discord.
Without the flow of money to the old it wouldn’t be a thing. I understand how it happened.
I’d really like to see the BoE / Chancellor set the task of stabilising housing prices with a target 1% reduction in real terms year on year.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
I always wondered why Russia seemed to be so good at social media ops while China was so ham-fisted.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
It's amazing how hung up people get about car parking fees. On my local FB group people with two SUVs on the drive whine about paying a pound or two, and others find a phone app or remembering their reg no too difficult. And there is free off-road parking if you are prepared to walk a couple of hundred yards, single yellow lines where you can park in the evenings, and the shopping centre is free after 6pm.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
And wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all net contributors?
I know it’s quite unlikely. But letting inequality off because inequality creates the necessity of unequal contributions isn’t actually a great argument for inequality.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
I am resigned to the fact that we're only going to get our public spending sorted when somebody takes away our national credit card.
It'll be fun if it happens under a Reform government.
They are probably the only party with the balls to do it. Lib\Lab\Con will simply wheel out platitudes and let the problem roll on.
Oh please, Reform's plans will outdo Rachel Reeves, have you seen their unfunded plans?
Reform are betting the farm on British DOGE. The problem is that its predecessors - the US version and our own Bonfire of the Quangos during the Coalition years - all proved something of a flop. Will whoever Nigel puts in charge be better than Elon Musk or Francis Maude? On that simple question Reform's future lives or dies.
It’s because it is run by politicians who go for the quick and easy wins and reverse ferret at the first sign of squealing.
Fundamentally it’s a hard grind of productivity improvements, refocusing of activities, and withdrawal of entitlements plus revenue measures.
I love how 37% blame the EU (!) for life without them being a disappointment. There's no reasoning with some people. And, yes, let's have lots of apologising from the Tories. For Brexit, for Johnson, for Truss. In general for becoming decadent and grossly self-indulgent at the very time the country needed them most. The apology (if delivered with force and sincerity) is a powerful thing and underused in politics. The Conservative party need to embrace it now if this grand old institution is to save itself. Say sorry, make us believe it, scrape the crud off the keel and set sail for waters new.
Forced apologies does have shades of a cultural revolution.
It's not enough to condemn wrongthink. Those who are guilty of it must publicly repudiate their doubleplusungood opinions before they can become respected members of society again.
Or, instead of trying to force apologies, we could stop fixating on the EU and start trying to actually mend our economic situation.
We need a bogeyman to blame. Being in the EU, we could blame them. Now we're no longer in the EU, we blame anybody involved in brexit. What's that saying about if you meet arseholes all day, you're the arsehole? We're at the point where we're looking in the mirror and there's an arsehole looking back.
What makes you think the UK is an arsehole? We are by no means perfect, but we are broadly tolerant and inclusive democracy with a well developed social conscience. That’s not a bad place to be.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
So, an income tax raises more from people with higher incomes. Interesting...
If you look at all taxes, then the share of tax across different income groups look reasonable. VAT, council tax etc. balance out income tax.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
Or, indeed, legal advice. Diazepam, Lorazepam and Zopiclone are all class C controlled drugs. Someone may only be in possession of them by virtue of a lawfully issued prescription.
Which, of course, I have. From nice friendly private doctors in Bangkok
If you need a contact I can hook you up. Ask for “Doctor Deborah”. She is particularly accommodating
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
This is a good articulation of my position too. I don't have a solution.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
It's amazing how hung up people get about car parking fees. On my local FB group people with two SUVs on the drive whine about paying a pound or two, and others find a phone app or remembering their reg no too difficult. And there is free off-road parking if you are prepared to walk a couple of hundred yards, single yellow lines where you can park in the evenings, and the shopping centre is free after 6pm.
There are many obvious revenue sources available - as just one example in the "parking" slot my local MacArthur Glen has just built another 500 or so parking spaces.
I do not know why these do not have a modest rating on them of say £1 or £2 per day.
If we want to support town centres ...
Further the reduction in business rates for the centre, which has 4m visitors a year or so, and growing, is quite startling over the last 15 years.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
I always wondered why Russia seemed to be so good at social media ops while China was so ham-fisted.
You can see why Vlad would want to destabilize the democratic West - would strengthen his hand in forging the greater Russia. For the Chinese, whose ambitions are dependent on Western consumerism, it seem less clear why they'd want to wreak havoc. Certainly inserting Trump into the White House would be less than ideal for them.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
No.
I avoid non prescription pills.
Most of those are Class C prescription only...
I am not permitted any over the counter pills, creams, cortisone injections, or even ibuprofen
Everything is prescribed by the pharmacist, and I even had to ask my cardiologist if I could have a cortisone injection into my knee for my osteoarthritis
Far more important than Brexit is of course Royal Ascot and my day four musings as follows:
Albany Stakes: IPANEMA QUEEN (each way) Commonwealth Cup: BABOUCHE (win), WHISTLEJACKET (each way) Cornonation Stakes: FALAKEYAH (win), SIMMERING (each way) KIng Edward VII Stakes: WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE (win)
There are a few Labour supporters sharing photos of Farage in Top Hat and tails at Royal Ascot yesterday, with captions such as "Man of the People", and asking Labour to use it to show him up as some kind of out of touch toff... Seems strangely mistargeted to me, Royal Ascot has a huge element of chavs getting dolled up, I can't imagine why anyone would think of it as an good attack
Last time I went, years ago, there vast majority of the crowd were… ordinary people playing dress up, as you say.
Similar to Henley, probably. But since I row, I’m usually in one of the boat clubs (no, not Leander) because we are either watching the rowing or rowing ourselves. So don’t get to mix with the crowd much.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
The existence of TikTok ?
IIUC it's true that TikTok content tended to pull for Trump a lot in the run-up to the last election but that's overdetermined, since Biden was trying to kill them and Trump cut them a deal.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
And wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all net contributors?
I know it’s quite unlikely. But letting inequality off because inequality creates the necessity of unequal contributions isn’t actually a great argument for inequality.
"And wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all net contributors? "
And of course a lot more are. Most current 'net contributors' wouldn't be contributing very much at all without all the work of the 'net recipients'.
And an idiot Labour MP prefers to resign rather than do anything to slow future borrowing increases.
It says:
"Borrowing in the financial year to May 2025 was £37.7 billion; this was £1.6 billion more than in the same two-month period of 2024 and the third-highest April to May borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021."
And Reeves answer to this was a public spending round that will eventually add another £140bn to current spending. We are heading for a disaster and those who put their hands over their ears and hum are doing those that need protection no good at all in the medium term.
Yes, fine, but how would you reduce the deficit and borrowing?
I imagine we'll hear the same old mantras of "supply side reform", "50% haircut for public sector pensions", "tax cuts and spending cuts" from the usual suspects but was any of that on offer last July? Is any of that on offer now? You won't hear it from Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Greens - is there some other political movement advocating a return to a blanced budget? How would they achieve it?
"Putting your hands over your ears and humming", as you put it, isn't fair. Plenty of people see the problem but, as with the "small boats", no one has come up with an easy, popular and cheap solution - if there were one, we'd have done it by now.
So it comes back to who has to feel the pain - which group can you demonise enough so everyone will say "yeah, let them suffer" - public sector workers, pensioners, others on welfare, the wealthy, property owners, Scottish lawyers, children - where would you like to start?
No, the usual whingeing every month about the borrowing numbers belies the fact of how we got here and the fact previous Governments allowed us to reach this point. I know what I would do but when I've proposed it, I've had a barrage of abuse from those who already feel "overtaxed" and complain "they" can't pay any more but someone else could and should.
It is simple, income tax/vat rises , end the gold plated public service pensions, 10% reduction in all benefits and then frozen for at least 5 years. No pay rises for public service unless self funding. Easy peasy just needs some bollocks.
'gold plated' is one of those political phrases that people always put in front of public sector pensions without thinking about it.
I always assume those who use the phrase are sympathising with public sector workers - that their pensions look all shiny and valuable from the outside, but within they are made of a (frequently devalued) base metal
(DB pensions are still, clearly, a very big draw, but also enable public sector to often pay less than for comparable private sector - with shittier pensions - posts. The true golden public sector pensions are the final salary ones that are enjoyed by current retirees* and maybe those retiring over the next decade or slightly more. I, in 2004, was one of the last to join a civil service final salary pension scheme - although the final salary bit is not so great for me as I left after three years. The scheme moved to career-average benefits in those three years for new entrants and although I have other DB pensions since they're all career average, with a larger denominator and higher contributions. The golden age of public sector pensions, for recipients, has passed or is at least drawing to a close.)
*also plenty of current retirees with distinctly gold-looking DB private sector pensions - the difference was that these were withdrawn for new staff long before the public sector ones got changed
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
This is a good articulation of my position too. I don't have a solution.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
We can nudge the balance though. Shift the tax/spend balance away from favouring pensioners and towards favouring those working (whether they are rich or not). Greater emphasis on the things which produce growth - education, infrastructure, defence - compared to the things which do not - health, pensions. Stop clobbering those taking risks on starting businesses, and treat SMEs more like wealth generators and less like pariahs. (Gordon Brown - for all his faults - understood this.) And make our cities nicer places to be, because this affects everyone, rich and poor, but the poor have fewer options to buy their way out of their environment.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
The existence of TikTok ?
IIUC it's true that TikTok content tended to pull for Trump a lot in the run-up to the last election but that's overdetermined, since Biden was trying to kill them and Trump cut them a deal.
Telling people why something happened, does not negate the fact that it did happen. This crops up often on PB.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
The existence of TikTok ?
Yes exactly. Chinese-made TikTok is probably the greatest example of our enemies using our own free speech against us. It’s banned in China FFS
But with TikTok they can manipulate our politics at a distance, as they wish. It’s brilliant - for them
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
This is a good articulation of my position too. I don't have a solution.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
We can nudge the balance though. Shift the tax/spend balance away from favouring pensioners and towards favouring those working (whether they are rich or not). Greater emphasis on the things which produce growth - education, infrastructure, defence - compared to the things which do not - health, pensions. Stop clobbering those taking risks on starting businesses, and treat SMEs more like wealth generators and less like pariahs. (Gordon Brown - for all his faults - understood this.) And make our cities nicer places to be, because this affects everyone, rich and poor, but the poor have fewer options to buy their way out of their environment.
I digress, but there's a Public Good theory here. As a proportion, we spend much less on non-rivalrous and non-excludable public services. The sense of belonging to a common endeavour and sharing the fruits of that has been eroded over time.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
This is a good articulation of my position too. I don't have a solution.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
We can nudge the balance though. Shift the tax/spend balance away from favouring pensioners and towards favouring those working (whether they are rich or not). Greater emphasis on the things which produce growth - education, infrastructure, defence - compared to the things which do not - health, pensions. Stop clobbering those taking risks on starting businesses, and treat SMEs more like wealth generators and less like pariahs. (Gordon Brown - for all his faults - understood this.) And make our cities nicer places to be, because this affects everyone, rich and poor, but the poor have fewer options to buy their way out of their environment.
I digress, but there's a Public Good theory here. As a proportion, we spend much less on non-rivalrous and non-excludable public services. The sense of belonging to a common endeavour and sharing the fruits of that has been eroded over time.
Good point. There's probably far more in that than the brevity of your post implies!
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
And wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all net contributors?
I know it’s quite unlikely. But letting inequality off because inequality creates the necessity of unequal contributions isn’t actually a great argument for inequality.
"And wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all net contributors? "
And of course a lot more are. Most current 'net contributors' wouldn't be contributing very much at all without all the work of the 'net recipients'.
Which brings you full circle of trying to work out whether immigrants are net contributors or not. It's very difficult to tell, unless they are 80.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
The existence of TikTok ?
Yes exactly. Chinese-made TikTok is probably the greatest example of our enemies using our own free speech against us. It’s banned in China FFS
But with TikTok they can manipulate our politics at a distance, as they wish. It’s brilliant - for them
And the kids are so addicted if you try and take it away from them they have a tantum like taking a toddler down the cereal aisle and saying they can't have the sugary one with the free toy they want.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
I always wondered why Russia seemed to be so good at social media ops while China was so ham-fisted.
It would be worth a bit of digging to see the balance of which hostile power funds what. The west is surprisingly incurious about this.
5 planes from China have landed altogether in Tehran, now.
Nor part of Israel"s plan.
Just needs the IDF to shoot one of them down for the full 'brace'.
As The Official Keeper Of The PB “Brace”, the decision to deploy it is strictly my own
This is for very good reasons. If everyone chucks out Official PB Braces willynilly, that’s a recipe for chaos and hyperbole
No, a Brace is only deployed in the field after a long, cloistered consultation with my advisors, followed by a Zoom call with the King, the Pope, the project manager of HS2, and the lead archaeologist at Gobekli Tepe
If the emerald light glows green, a procession is made to Sgùrr Alasdair, in the Cuilins of Skye, where, in a cryogenic vault buried beneath 4 million tons of basalt and quartz, the word “Brace!” lies sealed in a crystalline sarcophagus, guarded by “the twelve Tories” - the last of their ancient breed. @HYUFD sometimes pops by
Then, the Keeper of the Syllable - for that is me - approaches the vault and lifts out the Word with platinum tongs, holds it aloft in a silence purer than a Japanese nun on Jersey, and then, finally, the word is typed into Ye Great Annals of PB: Brace! - and the universe shudders
You can’t just say it any old how
If you are going to the Cuillin to announce "Brace", surely to make the announcement you have to stand aloft the Cioch, sword in hand, like the Highlander before you.
These pro-Palestinian and pro-environmental extremist groups are becoming a distinct threat to the country.
We are at war, and groups like Extinction Rebellion are very much fifth columnists. The sad thing is that many of the 'activists' probably don't even realise it.
Sorry, who are we at war with?
We are in a war with Russia at the moment, and have been for a number of years. It is a Cold War at the moment, and I hope it remains that way, but it is a war nonetheless.
It'll be interesting to look back in a few decades and try to work out when it began: Salisbury, or earlier?
OK, so we're not at war with anyone. We are in a "cold war" (i.e., not an actual war) with Russia.
Russia does spread discord and misinformation in our country, including by supporting environmental groups, as well as supporting Brexit (to try to be on topic for the thread) and alt right groups. I agree with you there. At the same time, one of the things that we have that Russia doesn't is democracy, including the right to protest.
Russia supports discord, they supported the opponents of Brexit and "2nd vote" brigade too.
And Black Lives Matter, and anything else that drives discord.
Yes, I note that @bondegezou only cites right wing causes as being funded/supported by Russia. It is well known they support any cause that fuels rancour in the West, from the Scot Nats to BLM to Islamists to the SuperWoke. They’ve even been known to infiltrate PB. Badly
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
Not saying you're wrong but what's the evidence of China doing a good job of this?
I always wondered why Russia seemed to be so good at social media ops while China was so ham-fisted.
It would be worth a bit of digging to see the balance of which hostile power funds what. The west is surprisingly incurious about this.
See the reaction when a spotlight was shone on funding for right-wing podcasters, etc.
Part of the problem is that a fair number of people genuinely hold their views, and they don't want to hear that they've been bought by Russia/China. The effect they have is to make mutually enlightening debate much more difficult, and drive people to more extreme positions.
But even the reveals of the funding don't encourage us to compromise and find common ground. It's just another weapon in the pursuit of total political victory.
I feel like I’m personally surrounded by reasonably comfortable people.
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be Inequality. Inequality. Inequality. From me.
The top 10% of income earners in the UK pay 60% of income tax now it should be pointed out and the top 1% 29% of income tax
That's the right answer, but, I think, to a different question. That's the answer to 'should the rich pay more tax' - to which I think the answer is 'no', for the reasons you say - and because if we ask them to, they will, very reasonably, either leave or work less.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
This is a good articulation of my position too. I don't have a solution.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
We can nudge the balance though. Shift the tax/spend balance away from favouring pensioners and towards favouring those working (whether they are rich or not). Greater emphasis on the things which produce growth - education, infrastructure, defence - compared to the things which do not - health, pensions. Stop clobbering those taking risks on starting businesses, and treat SMEs more like wealth generators and less like pariahs. (Gordon Brown - for all his faults - understood this.) And make our cities nicer places to be, because this affects everyone, rich and poor, but the poor have fewer options to buy their way out of their environment.
Health definitely drives growth, at least for working age people* - improve public health and reduce time off work for illness, time off work for caring*, reduced productivity etc. Delays in treatment and lack of prevention must be costing the economy an absolute fortune. The shitiness of CAMHS probably has knock on cost effects in economic inactivity and crime that would far outweigh proper funding.
*lots of working age people have work disrupted/need to reduce etc to care for elderly or otherwise poorly family members and might be more economically productive with better support.
Were you feeling hot and bothered? Needed to start another argument on the same topic?
I do not do very well in the heat, I have had about 2 hours sleep in about 15 minute blocks last night.
Serious suggestion for @TSE : Have a look at an air-to-air reversible heat pump which can cool as well as heat at modest cost. You can get ones which are portable or are a single unit installed inside, or one with the other half outside.
Aesthetic considerations may apply especially on the outside walls, but in time I'll going over to these for my whole heating system and I'm happy that I can do it tidily at my place.
Technically these can room by room, or one-to-several-rooms, but WiFi or remote controllers are available (I have an app on my phone).
At present I have a portable unit for trial (since 2. years ago) which is vented to a conservatory via an opening upperlight window, and I'm impressed. It takes the edge off the really hot summer period quite well. You could potentially get one for your bedroom, or for the landing to do the upstairs.
It would probably pay to take a careful look at noise levels if choosing.
It’s because I was staying in a hotel last night that was the issue.
I should have packed my Dyson fan.
Do you not have sleeping pills??!
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
This is your regular reminder not to take medical advice from @Leon.
So who would one speak to about erectile dysfunction. Asking for my Brother in law.
Must venture out to walk the dog soon... I think in the evening it'll be a minimal walk. It'll be feeling like 31C, which isn't for someone wearing a fur coat they can't take off.
... a procession is made to Sgùrr Alasdair, in the Cuilins of Skye, where, in a cryogenic vault buried beneath 4 million tons of basalt and quartz, the word “Brace!” lies sealed in a crystalline sarcophagus, guarded by “the twelve Tories” - the last of their ancient breed...
5 planes from China have landed altogether in Tehran, now.
Nor part of Israel"s plan.
Just needs the IDF to shoot one of them down for the full 'brace'.
As The Official Keeper Of The PB “Brace”, the decision to deploy it is strictly my own
This is for very good reasons. If everyone chucks out Official PB Braces willynilly, that’s a recipe for chaos and hyperbole
No, a Brace is only deployed in the field after a long, cloistered consultation with my advisors, followed by a Zoom call with the King, the Pope, the project manager of HS2, and the lead archaeologist at Gobekli Tepe
If the emerald light glows green, a procession is made to Sgùrr Alasdair, in the Cuilins of Skye, where, in a cryogenic vault buried beneath 4 million tons of basalt and quartz, the word “Brace!” lies sealed in a crystalline sarcophagus, guarded by “the twelve Tories” - the last of their ancient breed. @HYUFD sometimes pops by
Then, the Keeper of the Syllable - for that is me - approaches the vault and lifts out the Word with platinum tongs, holds it aloft in a silence purer than a Japanese nun on Jersey, and then, finally, the word is typed into Ye Great Annals of PB: Brace! - and the universe shudders
You can’t just say it any old how
It's gabbro and basalt. There's a bit of granite in Coire Uaigneach on Blaven but not much quartz in it.
(The gabbro is grippy as anything. The basalt (eg the In Pinn) will slide you into the abyss).
Comments
@Dura_Ace Whilst you're likely in sympatico to the protesters' cause, shouldn't RAF bases be a bit tougher to break into than this ?
This is for very good reasons. If everyone chucks out Official PB Braces willynilly, that’s a recipe for chaos and hyperbole
No, a Brace is only deployed in the field after a long, cloistered consultation with my advisors, followed by a Zoom call with the King, the Pope, the project manager of HS2, and the lead archaeologist at Gobekli Tepe
If the emerald light glows green, a procession is made to Sgùrr Alasdair, in the Cuilins of Skye, where, in a cryogenic vault buried beneath 4 million tons of basalt and quartz, the word “Brace!” lies sealed in a crystalline sarcophagus, guarded by “the twelve Tories” - the last of their ancient breed. @HYUFD sometimes pops by
Then, the Keeper of the Syllable - for that is me - approaches the vault and lifts out the Word with platinum tongs, holds it aloft in a silence purer than a Japanese nun on Jersey, and then, finally, the word is typed into Ye Great Annals of PB: Brace! - and the universe shudders
You can’t just say it any old how
Commonwealth Cup: ARIZONA BLAZE
Duke of Edinburgh Stakes: MOUNT ATLAS
Cornonation Stakes: JANUARY
Sandringham Stakes: ZGHARTA
KIng Edward VII Stakes: PUPPET MASTER
Palace of HolyroodHouse Stake: ZAYER
It's not the Cold War (the real one not the made up one of Jessopious) when the perimeter would patrolled 24/7 by RAFR/Mod Plod/Wooly Alligators. There isn't much money and what little of there is will be given to Serco to do it with entirely predictable results.
The protest was fairly tame stuff. They could have torched that A330 pretty easily. It'd be Christmas before Serco extinguished the blaze.
I have an entire zip-up bag full of them. Xanax, Diazepam, Lorazepam, Zopiclone, melatonin, sleep-inducing anti-histamines. Just in case. I hate not sleeping
If you hop scotch between them, and use them carefully, you don’t get addicted to any one of them
A quite attractive new 3-4 bed housing development from Harron Homes, with (for the place) a highish starting price of £289k, but quite packed in. Nice landscaping with their required open space 10%, I think.
The video. First frame: "Brierly Forest Park is a short drive away". BFP is a large 200 acre (iirc) Green Flag country park around one side of our town. Obviously it has anti-wheelchair barriers of a sort on every one of 15 entrances (kissing gates, chicanes, squeezes sometimes) - working on it. They do a Park Run entirely within the park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3WHZJkyLuI
The reality: The Park Entrance is directly across the road from the Estate Entrance - 6m away.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3fXp27KLdFvJ1zC48
F*cking marketing drones. Off out now to reduce the blood pressure.
Short-term the switch costs money.
Triple lock is a disgrace.
Pensioners are by far the wealthiest group in the country.
Three quarters of pensioners own their own home without a rent or mortgage, while young generations are working for a living, heavily taxed and too many even with two incomes don't own their own home and are paying rent ... typically to those older than them who own not just their own home, but their tenants home too.
In case it is paywalled, this line stood out as one that escaped the sub-editor's blue pencil: Her advice is to do your research before you publish.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-14797733/melatonin-sleep-flight-40s-magic-pill-incredible-benefit.html
When someone writes The Decline & Fall of the West, a whole chapter should be written on the brilliant way Russia and China turned liberal democracy against itself, inverted our own Free Speech, and sent in saboteurs via social media
Unfortunately for us, they’ve done it very well
I avoid non prescription pills.
1) We Brexited, and things are still shit. That's not because of Brexit, it's because Brexit was never a magic bullet, merely a small step in the right direction.
2) We Brexited, and lots of bad things happened. But unless you're mad, covid and Ukraine and Trump were not consequences of Brexit. But people think back to the rosy times of the early noughties when all we had to worry about was taxes on pasties and want to turn back the clock.
3) Remainers still have control of most of the cultural levers.
We did this in the Faculty. There are no additional costs but it is fair to say that the savings took a while to arrive.
It’s one of the worst withdrawals in the pharmacopoeia. It can actually kill you (rare but known). So, no, I don’t get habits any more
New cars abound. Marks and Spencer Food is crowded with people spending a bit extra for a slightly better product. Holidays are something most people do.
There are the well off. Private schools, a trip to photograph tigers, three months walking in the Japanese mountains. A bit of the Galapagos. Not even bothering to buy houses to support income and investments, but maybe the odd two bedroom jobbie for their children.
And then there are the rich. They don’t get taxed but they do get richer.
I wonder at it all. How have we become so entitled that we are burning through the planet without a care?
And I can’t put car park fees up to subsidise busses because poor people need to leave their car somewhere. And without access to a car they cannot work.
If I ever stood for parliament it would be
Inequality. Inequality. Inequality.
From me.
Ensuring young people own their own home and aren't renting it from someone else is absolutely critical. Margaret Thatcher understood that 40 years ago, too many on left and right don't today.
Bankrupting the country by ratchetting up benefits for those who aren't working while cutting everything for those who are and taxing those who are until the pips bleed is a problem.
Boy, am I glad I got out of London last night. (By the state of the train, along with half of London - every seat was reserved with a red dot...).
Then the vote, which I did find surprising, was lost when it should have been won
Then we had the chaos in Parliament, with Starmer even trying to reverse the vote, then the contortions to leave with a less than optimal solution, when better politicians would have coalesced around a Norway solution
The fact you are hung up about Johnson does not alter the fact we are not members of the EU and unlikely to be so for the foresaeble future
Regrets do not offer solutions, and the political class seem to accept that joining the EU is not on the agenda and anyway, we could well end up with see-saw membership as pro EU and anti EU governments are elected
It's the same as Lucy Connolly - nip it in the bud. Incidentally, listening to a bit of GB News yesterday, they are still pumping out the lie that Connolly was imprisoned 'for a hurty tweet'.
There is a middle ground. Pharmacology has invented lots of fantastic drugs - Xanax is one of them - use them! - but advance with caution
If you need a contact I can hook you up. Ask for “Doctor Deborah”. She is particularly accommodating
Who's making these decisions to devalue employees pensions?
Senior managers with DB pensions by any chance?
It does seem that all these savings proposals for pensions protect senior employees/pensioners with relatively generous DB (compared to DC) schemes at the expense of younger/more junior employees.
I'm not sure why this should be, if employees were in a DC scheme and had insufficient contributions/returns to pay their pension then they'd have to take a lower pension, why are employees in a DB scheme whose contributions/returns aren't enough to cover their pensions not subjected to a haircut?
Disclosure, I've never been in a DB pension scheme, reliant on my own SIPP.
I’d really like to see the BoE / Chancellor set the task of stabilising housing prices with a target 1% reduction in real terms year on year.
That would end that particular discord.
But if the question is 'is it a well structured society where - for example - the top 10% of income tax earners pay 60% of income tax and the top 1% pay 29% of income tax' - I would argue that the answer is no, probably not. I'd agree with MM's implication that a more equal society would be a better one. But I'd agree with yours that we don't get there simply by increasing taxes on the rich, because that doesn't lead to the outcome we want.
I always wondered why Russia seemed to be so good at social media ops while China was so ham-fisted.
I know it’s quite unlikely. But letting inequality off because inequality creates the necessity of unequal contributions isn’t actually a great argument for inequality.
https://x.com/JackRyanlives/status/1935748093061783753
Fundamentally it’s a hard grind of productivity improvements, refocusing of activities, and withdrawal of entitlements plus revenue measures.
It’s not fun or sexy and there are no easy wins.
Nigel Farage, working hard for his £93k MP salary by swanning around at Ascot.
https://x.com/parody_pm/status/1935955775580496124?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q
Such a weird thing to go at him on
If you look at all taxes, then the share of tax across different income groups look reasonable. VAT, council tax etc. balance out income tax.
The trouble is without intervention this situation will get worse and worse. Only the top 3 deciles are net fiscal contributors in Scotland. It won't be long before it's the top 2, the top 1...
I do not know why these do not have a modest rating on them of say £1 or £2 per day.
If we want to support town centres ...
Further the reduction in business rates for the centre, which has 4m visitors a year or so, and growing, is quite startling over the last 15 years.
Everything is prescribed by the pharmacist, and I even had to ask my cardiologist if I could have a cortisone injection into my knee for my osteoarthritis
Better safe than sorry
Lively early on
Similar to Henley, probably. But since I row, I’m usually in one of the boat clubs (no, not Leander) because we are either watching the rowing or rowing ourselves. So don’t get to mix with the crowd much.
You subject it to considerable scrutiny.
https://x.com/JeremiahDJohns/status/1935736336650322059
And of course a lot more are. Most current 'net contributors' wouldn't be contributing very much at all without all the work of the 'net recipients'.
(DB pensions are still, clearly, a very big draw, but also enable public sector to often pay less than for comparable private sector - with shittier pensions - posts. The true golden public sector pensions are the final salary ones that are enjoyed by current retirees* and maybe those retiring over the next decade or slightly more. I, in 2004, was one of the last to join a civil service final salary pension scheme - although the final salary bit is not so great for me as I left after three years. The scheme moved to career-average benefits in those three years for new entrants and although I have other DB pensions since they're all career average, with a larger denominator and higher contributions. The golden age of public sector pensions, for recipients, has passed or is at least drawing to a close.)
*also plenty of current retirees with distinctly gold-looking DB private sector pensions - the difference was that these were withdrawn for new staff long before the public sector ones got changed
But with TikTok they can manipulate our politics at a distance, as they wish. It’s brilliant - for them
Part of the problem is that a fair number of people genuinely hold their views, and they don't want to hear that they've been bought by Russia/China. The effect they have is to make mutually enlightening debate much more difficult, and drive people to more extreme positions.
But even the reveals of the funding don't encourage us to compromise and find common ground. It's just another weapon in the pursuit of total political victory.
*lots of working age people have work disrupted/need to reduce etc to care for elderly or otherwise poorly family members and might be more economically productive with better support.
Good day, everyone.
(The gabbro is grippy as anything. The basalt (eg the In Pinn) will slide you into the abyss).