Interesting observation about British society, especially the final sentence:
"Power Distance:
The UK ranks at 35. This ranking demonstrates that UK society generally believes that inequalities among people should be minimized. They are more egalitarian, believing people should be treated more like equals than countries with higher power distance rankings. This score can seem contradictory to the UK’s established and historical class system. The Hofstede Insights’ research shows that, interestingly, the power distance index is “lower amongst the higher class in Britain than amongst the working classes”. In other words, upper-class citizens view others as more equal, while working-class citizens perceive a greater societal hierarchy."
The ones at the top of the pile of mattresses think life is comfy and don't understand what the fuss is about.
The ones underneath the pile of mattresses know life isn't comfy but can't get out from under.
The oddest political reversal of my lifetime is the way that now, the better off you are, the more left wing you are likely to be; the poorer you are, the more right wing you are likely to be.
Socially, economically, or both?
Its not based on wealth.
Intelligence higher IQ intellect and skills and a questioning / challenging nature = left
intellectually challenged, low skills and IQ with requirement to be led and told = right
It's the way he tells them.
I'll put it anothr way then
The left question and challenge
The right are likes sheep following every word off a cliff
EXCL: Kemi Badenoch is mulling a plan to ease the student debt crisis crippling millions.
The Tory leader is looking at help for graduates on controversial plan 2 student loans.
The Sun understands Ms Badenoch wants to seize the issue as a vote-winner while rivals avoid it.
A Tory source said: "This is about who we stand for as Conservatives under Kemi. Labour are spending more & more on benefits for people to sit at home on their backside, while punishing people in work who want to get on. That it isn’t fair and we need a proper plan to sort it.”
So what’s the plan?
Tax the working class to give handouts to middle class graduates.
They already do it to give largesse to teh feckless so why not add the rich to the burden so they can get a degree and become bartenders or coffee pourers
American AI boom latest: WSJ is now reporting that companies are converting retired aircraft engines into power generators. They have an actual lifespan well past their aircraft certified lifespan, and are getting a second life powering data centres.
Just engines and gas turbines are basically identical.
Indeed, take the big fan off the front and replace it with a generator shaft.
(There’s a bit more to it than that in terms of auxiliary systems, but yes they’re basically the same).
Running on aircraft fuel? That doesn't sound exactly cheap or environmentally friendly.
In the USA that's a feature, not a bug.
We are using their LLMs and paying for it, so it's our pollution as much as theirs. Yet another reason why Net Zero is grotesquely pointless national suicide.
They'll probably bring it in just before the next election to try and get votes, while also harming the economy for the next government.
God forbid a Labour Government would try to "salt the earth" in quite the cynical and disgusting way Sunak and Hunt did!
You may recall Brown's fantastically awful carrier contracts and bringing forward a huge amount of spending so it was before, rather than later than, the 2010 election, and contrast that with the splendid economic inheritance he enjoyed.
I don't condone dickish actions taken at the end of the last Conservative Government, but that bad habit was begun by Labour and Brown.
They'll probably bring it in just before the next election to try and get votes, while also harming the economy for the next government.
Stand by for the pushback against this from Unions, lobbying groups and those on the left who think it’s great the min wage rises even if it sends businesses under.
Followed by the inevitable backpedaling from the govt.
There are a lot of zombie companies out there. There is a need for them to pack up and the capital diverted into something more productive. If an increase is NLW is the trigger then all good.
The non-productive triple lock section of the population can thank me later.
You seem obsessed with pensioners and the triple lock. Bizarre.
There is plenty of evidence zombie companies are already shutting. In part that is why private sector productivity has improved. However there is a difference between zombie companies going and a govt that massively increases the cost base of businesses that are currently viable. That’s nuts. It also deters new businesses starting up because it is not just the increase in the minimum wage but changes to NI,,changes to business rates and other things this govt has done.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
This is a big contributor as to why British doctors are struggling to get onto training programmes and the Lords are currently fannying about passing the UKMG prioritisation bill which the Commons passed in one day, no doubt due to lobbying.
The state of this country
My partner is stringing out her training as long as possible (reduced hours etc) because there is no guarantee of a job at the end, and even if she gets one she will take a pay cut. I don't understand how the NHS in both England/Scotland has got itself in such a mess.
They'll probably bring it in just before the next election to try and get votes, while also harming the economy for the next government.
Stand by for the pushback against this from Unions, lobbying groups and those on the left who think it’s great the min wage rises even if it sends businesses under.
Followed by the inevitable backpedaling from the govt.
There are a lot of zombie companies out there. There is a need for them to pack up and the capital diverted into something more productive. If an increase is NLW is the trigger then all good.
The non-productive triple lock section of the population can thank me later.
Maybe we bin the minimum wage but get employers to shoulder the UC bill for their workers.
EXCL: Kemi Badenoch is mulling a plan to ease the student debt crisis crippling millions.
The Tory leader is looking at help for graduates on controversial plan 2 student loans.
The Sun understands Ms Badenoch wants to seize the issue as a vote-winner while rivals avoid it.
A Tory source said: "This is about who we stand for as Conservatives under Kemi. Labour are spending more & more on benefits for people to sit at home on their backside, while punishing people in work who want to get on. That it isn’t fair and we need a proper plan to sort it.”
Wait till the Tories discover which idiot Party introduced them.
Tony Blair's Labour introduced tuition fees.
After pledging not to.
Not Plan 2 they didn't.
Brown wanted a graduate tax.
In theory loans/fees etc was meant to be fairer than a graduate tax as you could eventually clear what had been borrowed, whereas with a graduate tax you’d just keep paying. The practice isn’t working out too well right now.
It’s working out as a graduate tax.
Only because there's a decent chance you don't need to pay the whole thing back - the threshold is £32k in Scotland, and the whole thing gets wiped after 30 years.
There's a good argument that it should be a low interest rate but otherwise treated like any other ordinary loan. That would help avoid some of the perverse incentives we have now, while making the uni sector much more efficient (you'd think twice before doing some degrees).
How would that get 50% of 18-21 year olds in university so hiding the true scale of youth unemployment though
Rates of tertiary education are pretty similar across all the developed world. How do other countries manage it financially?
Germany is lower at around 30% but has a far more developed technical apprenticeship system. Italy is lower at 20% and has not exactly been noted for its economy or employment levels.
I think there are issues with the poor quality of many courses, but around half going to tertiary education is about right for an economically developed country.
It is a giant ponzi scheme nowadays, far far too many useless courses and even a fraction of the waste into technical courses and apprenticeships would be much better way to spend money.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
American AI boom latest: WSJ is now reporting that companies are converting retired aircraft engines into power generators. They have an actual lifespan well past their aircraft certified lifespan, and are getting a second life powering data centres.
Just engines and gas turbines are basically identical.
They are a bit different. The fans are removed from airline turbofans when they're repurposed. Turbines purpose designed for power generation are larger, more robust and need less maintenance (and are optimised for running at a single constant speed).
I guess absolute efficiency doesn't matter too much if you can get the plant up and running two to three years earlier ? The relative costs are less important than the leadtimes.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
East Durham was a glorious, sunny, haven of wealth, prosperity and health prior to Brexit.
Interesting observation about British society, especially the final sentence:
"Power Distance:
The UK ranks at 35. This ranking demonstrates that UK society generally believes that inequalities among people should be minimized. They are more egalitarian, believing people should be treated more like equals than countries with higher power distance rankings. This score can seem contradictory to the UK’s established and historical class system. The Hofstede Insights’ research shows that, interestingly, the power distance index is “lower amongst the higher class in Britain than amongst the working classes”. In other words, upper-class citizens view others as more equal, while working-class citizens perceive a greater societal hierarchy."
The ones at the top of the pile of mattresses think life is comfy and don't understand what the fuss is about.
The ones underneath the pile of mattresses know life isn't comfy but can't get out from under.
The oddest political reversal of my lifetime is the way that now, the better off you are, the more left wing you are likely to be; the poorer you are, the more right wing you are likely to be.
Socially, economically, or both?
Its not based on wealth.
Intelligence higher IQ intellect and skills and a questioning / challenging nature = left
intellectually challenged, low skills and IQ with requirement to be led and told = right
That does suggest the more intelligent and highly educated a population becomes, the more fractured its body politic will become. Herding cats isn't easy.
Starting to think the Greens are most lilely to win the by-election.
That's funny, I was just thinking about a small lay bet on them.
Just watched an Owen Jones podcast about it. Framed around being a positive story on the greens, but the vox pops to me told a different story. A Burberry cap wearing lady annoyed at 'the immigrants' ended her segment by saying she would probably vote Green - which of course she won't. If that sort of thing is indicative of the wider population telling Green canvassers what they want to hear, the Greens will be massively overestimating their own support. Hannah seemed very nice, but fairly out of her depth. She had no idea what she'd do upon her election, just seemed to think the very fact that a Green female plumber would be elected would change politics.
It's between Reform and Labour for me.
Green candidate has been a plumber for 18 years and she's only 34.
18 years ago, you’d leave school at 16 to be an apprentice tradesperson.
Nowadays with the minimum wage and all the other taxes , small companies just cannot afford years of paying someone while they learn and contribute not a lot. Far better than constantly giving more to the feckless, government should subsidise apprenticeships for small companies and exclude apprentices from minimum wage , NI etc
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
What plans ?
There is no firm Reform policy on either at the moment.
Quite frankly the NHS is a joke and we should look elsewhere at what works rather than be fixated on what we have currently and think the solution is always more money
Oh, and voting Labour did fuck all for these areas for many many years.
They'll probably bring it in just before the next election to try and get votes, while also harming the economy for the next government.
Stand by for the pushback against this from Unions, lobbying groups and those on the left who think it’s great the min wage rises even if it sends businesses under.
Followed by the inevitable backpedaling from the govt.
There are a lot of zombie companies out there. There is a need for them to pack up and the capital diverted into something more productive. If an increase is NLW is the trigger then all good.
The non-productive triple lock section of the population can thank me later.
Now the guy's got Paulie as a partner.
Any problems, he goes to Paulie.
Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week no matter what.
Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning huh? Fuck you, pay me."
Interesting observation about British society, especially the final sentence:
"Power Distance:
The UK ranks at 35. This ranking demonstrates that UK society generally believes that inequalities among people should be minimized. They are more egalitarian, believing people should be treated more like equals than countries with higher power distance rankings. This score can seem contradictory to the UK’s established and historical class system. The Hofstede Insights’ research shows that, interestingly, the power distance index is “lower amongst the higher class in Britain than amongst the working classes”. In other words, upper-class citizens view others as more equal, while working-class citizens perceive a greater societal hierarchy."
The ones at the top of the pile of mattresses think life is comfy and don't understand what the fuss is about.
The ones underneath the pile of mattresses know life isn't comfy but can't get out from under.
The oddest political reversal of my lifetime is the way that now, the better off you are, the more left wing you are likely to be; the poorer you are, the more right wing you are likely to be.
Socially, economically, or both?
Its not based on wealth.
Intelligence higher IQ intellect and skills and a questioning / challenging nature = left
intellectually challenged, low skills and IQ with requirement to be led and told = right
It's the way he tells them.
I'll put it anothr way then
The left question and challenge
The right are likes sheep following every word off a cliff
It seems your priority here is claiming something higher for left wing politics. My own priority is that people are dealt with fairly whatever their intellect or politics. Low IQ people can tell instantly when something isn't fair. The Labour Party started out representing the lowest section of society. How have we come to this?
Comments
The left question and challenge
The right are likes sheep following every word off a cliff
I don't condone dickish actions taken at the end of the last Conservative Government, but that bad habit was begun by Labour and Brown.
There is plenty of evidence zombie companies are already shutting. In part that is why private sector productivity has improved. However there is a difference between zombie companies going and a govt that massively increases the cost base of businesses that are currently viable. That’s nuts. It also deters new businesses starting up because it is not just the increase in the minimum wage but changes to NI,,changes to business rates and other things this govt has done.
BBC News - 'Just push us into the sea': The frustration of an area failed by politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2136jnjx1o
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
NEW THREAD
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
The fans are removed from airline turbofans when they're repurposed.
Turbines purpose designed for power generation are larger, more robust and need less maintenance (and are optimised for running at a single constant speed).
I guess absolute efficiency doesn't matter too much if you can get the plant up and running two to three years earlier ? The relative costs are less important than the leadtimes.
Just makes you think.
Good morning, everybody.
There is no firm Reform policy on either at the moment.
Quite frankly the NHS is a joke and we should look elsewhere at what works rather than be fixated on what we have currently and think the solution is always more money
Oh, and voting Labour did fuck all for these areas for many many years.
Any problems, he goes to Paulie.
Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week no matter what.
Business bad? Fuck you, pay me.
Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me.
Place got hit by lightning huh? Fuck you, pay me."