Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
An old man goes to confession. He kneels down and says "Bless me, father, for I have sinned. Last night, I had carnal relations with a nineteen-year-old girl."
The priest pauses. "And how long has it been since your last confession?"
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
You keep on spouting this £25 billion figure BigG. Not even OEUK think it would be that much - and given they are the O&G lobbyist, you should raise an eyebrow at that too.
The difficulty with these projections is they require a significant initial cut in tax revenues from EPL, coupled with even more tax cuts as a result of O&G firms being able to get tax relief on new investment. So the policy would force Reeves to increase taxes elsewhere (all else held equal), in the hope that later on you'd pick up additional payroll/corporation tax in 5+ years time.
If - and it's a big if - the figures from OEUK are accurate then it's a good policy, but the overall tax raised is much less than you suggest and causes a headache for the Treasury in the short term. The biggest impact would be from the removal of EPL....which was introduced by the Conservatives and set to last until 2032. So it's really their fault all along.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
France has a different voting system.
NF have often won the first round but lost the second.
Our NF winning a plurality in a majority of seats on polling day would be catastrophic and we would not be saved by a second round.
They will do what they have to do where they have to do it irrespective of voting systems. We might not have one of the brightest electorates in the world but they can figure that much out (as they did at the last GE)
And the four times before that?
'We do not have one of the brightest of electorates' is the arrogance and contempt for other views that resulted in Brexit
It's not wrong though, it's like the phrase the customer is always right
Though the other half of that aphorism is the key bit;
Even when the customer is wrong, the customer is still right.
Which is good retail, good electoral politics but lousy government. It doesn't matter how intensely the public believes something, reality eventually wins.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
I think it’s a bit early to claim the end of a party that has been consistently leading polls over a long period.
I don’t want them to be in government. But this reminds me of people calling “the end of Trump” for the 37th time.
Early? They have been consistently declining in the polls now for months. And we have byelections plural to look at in terms of how people treat them.
The Tories could capitalise massively on this, if only they would stop drifting further Right, alienating up to 10% of the natural centre ground.
Hunt or Cleverley could easily see Tories in 200 to 225 seat range.
From todays Conhome report and shadow cabinet table
Parliament is in recess, and MPs are once again scattered across the country, back in their constituencies. In North West Essex, Kemi Badenoch will be pleased: once again, she tops ConservativeHome’s Shadow Cabinet League Table, with a net satisfaction rating of +82.1 (up 0.5 points).
It is the third Shadow Cabinet League Table in a row in which she has come first. The first time she reached pole position was shortly before Robert Jenrick’s defection to Reform UK. It underlines the marked shift from her earlier performances in ConservativeHome’s polling, when there were times that she was languishing on zero.
But it also reflects the way her personal polling has improved dramatically in recent months. Badenoch is now the most popular of all the party leaders. According to the think tank More in Common, the Tory leader’s net approval rating has risen to -9. That may not sound like much, but it puts her ahead of the pack. Sir Keir Starmer is on -42, while Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski are both on -16, with Ed Davey on -11.
A first/next step on the recovery road will be drastically better expectations management ahead of May. Last year they went with the ridiculous 'we could lose every council' clearly expecting to hold on to some and ended up losing them all (only 1 seat short in Bucks but still lost) even overnight when Northumberland came in and was probably their best result (holding on as largest party somewhat unexpectedly) they clearly hadn't canvassed properly as they were spinning it as 'bad, but tomorrow will see better results' when they should have known tomorrow would be even worse. By the time the sole good news came in with Bristow winning Peterborough mayor the damage was done. Really amateurish and will need to be much much better handled this year. Fortunately for them there will likely be the odd success to jump on amidst another grim overrall set.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
Says, against all expectations, they have been “remarkable”, a definite “success”, boosting output in the USA, aiding employment, etc. It adds that this has made economists look like idiots, and has “collapsed” economic orthodoxy
“The past year has also proved as disruptive to the discipline of economics and the overconfidence of its most prominent practitioners as it has been to supply chains. The folly of tariffs was among their most deeply held beliefs, hard-coded into their models, proudly professed in every interview. Tariffs, they insisted, would lead to sharply higher inflation and much slower growth, a likely recession and millions of jobs lost. They would prompt retaliation and lead to appreciation of the dollar, crippling exporters and leading to further deindustrialisation.
“But none of this happened. The dollar weakened. Countries came to the table rather than retaliating and reached agreements favourable to the US. Inflation slowed, logging an increase in the price level of 2.4 per cent over the past 12 months, as compared to 2.8 per cent for the previous year. Real GDP growth accelerated, up an annualised 2.9 per cent over the last three quarters of 2025, as compared to 2.5 per cent in 2024.”
It’s an opinion piece by Oren Cass, lifelong tariff fan. The equivalent of Roy Spencer writing an opinion piece in the FT about how climate change isn’t as bad as you think, or John McDonnell writing that the minimum wage hasn’t affected jobs that much so let’s double it.
Nonetheless, it’s in the FT, which surprises me greatly. And he provides hard numbers, which deserve to be addressed rather than dismissed
Tsk
I think it diminishes the FT to have given him the title "contributing editor". Implies a level of endorsement that isn't justified.
Having checked a bit, Oren Cass was a Project 2025 contributor but has economic views which are MAGA rather than Neocon (ie a shift away from free tarde emphasis), but does not go full MAGA Denialist on climate change.
I think his thesis here will be sunk by him using numbers which no longer follow his suggested trends. Perhaps he wrote it a few weeks ago.
Countries came to the table rather than retaliating and reached agreements favourable to the US. Inflation slowed, logging an increase in the price level of 2.4 per cent over the past 12 months, as compared to 2.8 per cent for the previous year. Real GDP growth accelerated, up an annualised 2.9 per cent over the last three quarters of 2025, as compared to 2.5 per cent in 2024.
Annualised growth in 2025 Q3 was iirc 0.7%, rather than an expected 1.5-3% . Inflation may be about to spike (Trump's war, but also Trump's policies). He quotes 11 months of job losses since "liberation day" at 93,000. But that was nearly equalled at 92,000 in the single month of February.
“Frankly, I would not be surprised if it turns out that General Randy George was dismissed because he refused to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons.
“And yes, I have absolutely no information about this, but given the insanity prevailing in the White House and the complete lack of morality at the very top of American society, this is something we cannot ignore.”
It does appear that Starmer is going to "break glass" and go for the EU strategy. Can't say I can blame him with what Trump is doing. However, we must not rejoin or accept freedom of movement.
People will call me crazy but I can still totally see the next election polling slowly moving to something like Tories 25%, Labour 25%, Reform 19-20%
NATO is over. We're in a new world where the west no longer includes America and we need to reorganise.
That means we need a new defensive alliance where European countries buy from each other and not Gilead. That means we need a new intelligence alliance where we share with our friends which no longer includes Gilead That means we need a new financial infrastructure where our banks and thus our economy are at the mercy of Gilead
The EU is not something we can rejoin. Because we can shape its successor which we must be at the heart of. But it will be a looser confederation than a union because it will need to add in non-EU states such as Switzerland and Norway and likely Canada.
Just got a highly generic Banker sized RefUK flyer through the door, Immigration, Crime and ditch Net Zero. Nothing whatsoever on local candidates or issues, and Farage grinning in some large shades on the reverse.
Not a patch on the Green effort, but perhaps more a placeholder with the next GE in mind.
I will await to see if we get an edition of the Labour Rose leaflet in the next month
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
I would say OBR is as good a reference for what government revenues are going to be as anyone. It's their one and only job. If they say North Sea revenues will drop from £2.7 billion to £100 million in 2030 we need to take that seriously.
Of course Kemi Badenoch disagrees. She's not interested in facts and reality.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
It does appear that Starmer is going to "break glass" and go for the EU strategy. Can't say I can blame him with what Trump is doing. However, we must not rejoin or accept freedom of movement.
People will call me crazy but I can still totally see the next election polling slowly moving to something like Tories 25%, Labour 25%, Reform 19-20%
NATO is over. We're in a new world where the west no longer includes America and we need to reorganise.
That means we need a new defensive alliance where European countries buy from each other and not Gilead. That means we need a new intelligence alliance where we share with our friends which no longer includes Gilead That means we need a new financial infrastructure where our banks and thus our economy are at the mercy of Gilead
The EU is not something we can rejoin. Because we can shape its successor which we must be at the heart of. But it will be a looser confederation than a union because it will need to add in non-EU states such as Switzerland and Norway and likely Canada.
The real prize if we had inspirational leaders would be for the EU and the TPPA merge into one global trading block, leaving Trump all alone with his shattered legacy and history books recording him as the worst ever POTUS
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
I would say OBR is as good a reference for what government revenues are going to be as anyone. It's their one and only job. If they say North Sea revenues will drop from £2.7 billion to £100 million in 2030 we need to take that seriously.
Of course Kemi Badenoch disagrees. She's not interested in facts and reality.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
France has a different voting system.
NF have often won the first round but lost the second.
Our NF winning a plurality in a majority of seats on polling day would be catastrophic and we would not be saved by a second round.
They will do what they have to do where they have to do it irrespective of voting systems. We might not have one of the brightest electorates in the world but they can figure that much out (as they did at the last GE)
And the four times before that?
'We do not have one of the brightest of electorates' is the arrogance and contempt for other views that resulted in Brexit
It's not wrong though, it's like the phrase the customer is always right
It is wrong, just like the phrase the customer is always right.
Try going into Asda and argue that you want to buy a tub of Lurpak for 50p and see if they give it to you at that price because you are the customer so must be right.
The customer is always the customer. No more, no less.
Badenoch overall is doing a good job. But the war cheering was a rookie error when almost everyone here could see what a disaster it was going to be.
For Badenoch to be doing a good job certain things need to be in place. Right at the top is a clear answer to the question: Why vote Conservative?
At the moment there is no clear answer.
1) You can't vote for them because they can win and form a government 2) You can't vote for them to stop Reform - they are the only possible junior partner to Reform 3) You don't need to vote for them to enable Reform - you vote Reform 4) If you want to stop Labour there are few seats where Tory is the first choice alternative. Greens, Nats and Reform are the candidates.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
@Richard_Tyndall 's analysis and intervention was most welcome and he was critical of decades of parties in government. His support for Badenoch appeared limited and far from unequivocal. Only you have branded her as akin to the second coming if John D. Rockefeller.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
Strangest 'religious' place I've ever been to was somewhere in India where the builder, a local wealthy man, had spaces and statues devoted to most, if not all, the worlds major religions. Thus the Virgin and Child was next to a Buddhist statue. Or something like that. I could go for Buddhism if it wasn't for the weird statues they have.
It does appear that Starmer is going to "break glass" and go for the EU strategy. Can't say I can blame him with what Trump is doing. However, we must not rejoin or accept freedom of movement.
People will call me crazy but I can still totally see the next election polling slowly moving to something like Tories 25%, Labour 25%, Reform 19-20%
NATO is over. We're in a new world where the west no longer includes America and we need to reorganise.
That means we need a new defensive alliance where European countries buy from each other and not Gilead. That means we need a new intelligence alliance where we share with our friends which no longer includes Gilead That means we need a new financial infrastructure where our banks and thus our economy are at the mercy of Gilead
The EU is not something we can rejoin. Because we can shape its successor which we must be at the heart of. But it will be a looser confederation than a union because it will need to add in non-EU states such as Switzerland and Norway and likely Canada.
You make a good point. I suspect a lot of people, even at the top of the EU, don't yet realise that America's descent into insanity means the EU in its current form is no longer viable. In my view, It's successor will need to be less about protectionist trade arrangements and more an overall counterweight to the 800lb Gorillas of the US and China. Something that will provide an alternate path for states unwilling to become a de-facto satellite of the big two.
A newly expanded policy from the Trump administration could require travelers from five World Cup-qualified countries to front a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.
Visa bonds operate like security deposits: a one-time payment meant to be refunded after a traveler exits the US under the terms of their visa. The amounts generally run between $5,000 and $15,000, and are required for passport holders from certain countries to enter the US legally under B-1 or B-2 visas, the types required for business travelers or tourists.
The US state department has required these bonds since launching a pilot program in late 2025, targeted at many of the same countries affected by the Trump travel ban along with others – largely countries from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and some parts of Asia. Last week, the state department announced an expansion of the program, with visitors from 50 countries required to submit the deposits if asked by the US
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
There's already the for these and all my other sins which I cannot now remember bit.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
Strangest 'religious' place I've ever been to was somewhere in India where the builder, a local wealthy man, had spaces and statues devoted to most, if not all, the worlds major religions. Thus the Virgin and Child was next to a Buddhist statue. Or something like that. I could go for Buddhism if it wasn't for the weird statues they have.
Its always amusing how other countries can misconstrue the iconography of others.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
There's already the for these and all my other sins which I cannot now remember bit.
A catch-all? Good, I'd be there all day otherwise...
“Frankly, I would not be surprised if it turns out that General Randy George was dismissed because he refused to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons.
“And yes, I have absolutely no information about this, but given the insanity prevailing in the White House and the complete lack of morality at the very top of American society, this is something we cannot ignore.”
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
IMO stone circles (though they are great and I live near one) lose out on noom to churches etc because stone circles don't have a roof. Noom escapes in unenclosed spaces. The noomy enclosed building's sense of spacialness is amazing. Salle or Walpole St Peter for example. Or compare the noominess of monastic buildings that remain roofed and in use, usually as a parish church - Boxgrove or Binham for example - with even the finest roofless ones like Fountains or Castle Acre.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
... by implementing something that will reduce tax revenue now and (possibly) increase them in the future? By your own logic this is the wrong time to do it. It should have been done in 2023, because by now we might have had some of the increased revenues that OEUK promise.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
In the run up to May, theres the chance for a lmited look at Reforms popularity and tactical voting against them as 4 out of the 5 by elections due over the next 3 weeks are Reform defences of seats won last May - one in each of Northumberland UA, Kent CC, Leicestershire CC and Cornwall UA.
I have returned for 5 minutes after a month away and find for once you are discussing a serious topic - Marmalade.
Marmalade should not need labelling because the only decent proper marmalade (including the posh stuff) is home made. The rest is rubbish.
Top tip I found this year for January's yearly production: Black treacle. I am always trying to find ways to make it more bitter and black treacle is the latest attempt.
Also for those of you on statins and who might eat lots of the really strong stuff a little known fact is the concentration of furanocoumarins in Seville oranges is similar to Grapefruit and the highest concentration by an order of magnitude is in the peel and pith, so if you are an addict of strong marmalade you might want to check which statin you are on.
OK after that pearl of wisdom I an off again now until the locals maybe.
Chuckleberries will make your marmalade more tart. Except it will be jam. Have you tried limes in marmalade?
Bloody Peruvian bears, coming over here eating our Marmalade Sandwiches.
It is not the tartness I am trying to get (although I really love the tart taste as well) it is an extra bitter taste I am after. I have previously tried burning the mixture a bit, but that seems to stop the pectin working so you get a soft toffee texture rather than a set marmalade. Lovely though difficult to spread. I have also tried using molasses which works. Then I saw that Pru Leith adds black treacle so I gave that a go, but doubling the quantity she puts in.
I do like stuff that has either a tart or bitter taste. I have a Damson tree and a Damson crumble with no added sugar in the fruit and molasses in the crumble is lovely.
PS I haven't used limes, but I do put 2 lemons (peel and juice) in with 1 kg of Seville oranges.
A newly expanded policy from the Trump administration could require travelers from five World Cup-qualified countries to front a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.
Visa bonds operate like security deposits: a one-time payment meant to be refunded after a traveler exits the US under the terms of their visa. The amounts generally run between $5,000 and $15,000, and are required for passport holders from certain countries to enter the US legally under B-1 or B-2 visas, the types required for business travelers or tourists.
The US state department has required these bonds since launching a pilot program in late 2025, targeted at many of the same countries affected by the Trump travel ban along with others – largely countries from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and some parts of Asia. Last week, the state department announced an expansion of the program, with visitors from 50 countries required to submit the deposits if asked by the US
The World Cup should be in countries that actually care about football. This policy is a reminder the Americans don’t give a shit about “soccer”. Of the three this year, only Mexico qualifies.
Stoltenberg admitted the "sacrifice" of the Baltic countries: He was prepared to create a "buffer zone" with the Kremlin – Media.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed facts about secret negotiations with Russia in his memoirs. In particular, in 2021 he was prepared to discuss the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe with Russia and to create a "buffer zone" with the Baltic states...
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
The £25 billion is just plainly wrong. The £15 billion is the industry figure, though MRD applies.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
What the Government are doing with the North Sea IS economic vandalism. Milliband is ensuring that even if there is a change of Government, by the time he leaves he will have salted the earth to ensure his anti-hydrocarbon policy cannot easily be reversed.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
Despite your protests I fully expect Jackdaw and Rosebank to be licenced this year
Starmer should have thought of that before he started it. If only we had the calm, reflective authority of Farage or Badenoch in charge it would never have happened.
Kemi has had the worst campaign. Her initial and impulsive "Oh What a Lovely War!" response was a result, like almost all the stupid shit she does, of being scared of being out-Fukked on a policy position. Farage's idiotic bellicosity doesn't hurt him as much because licking Trump's Florsheims is exactly what you'd expect of him.
Thanks for expanding my knowledge, as your posts frequently do, with the help of google. Today I've learnt what 'Florsheims' are. My life is slightly more complete.
I googled it too: disappointingly vanilla for a Dura post.
the shoes have been discussed on here for some time, given Trump bought oversized ones for all his clowns and forces them to wear them
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
France has a different voting system.
NF have often won the first round but lost the second.
Our NF winning a plurality in a majority of seats on polling day would be catastrophic and we would not be saved by a second round.
They will do what they have to do where they have to do it irrespective of voting systems. We might not have one of the brightest electorates in the world but they can figure that much out (as they did at the last GE)
And the four times before that?
'We do not have one of the brightest of electorates' is the arrogance and contempt for other views that resulted in Brexit
truth hurts and brexit vote shows it was the truth big time, 52% stupid is not a great thing for a country.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
What the Government are doing with the North Sea IS economic vandalism. Milliband is ensuring that even if there is a change of Government, by the time he leaves he will have salted the earth to ensure his anti-hydrocarbon policy cannot easily be reversed.
That's unacceptable. A bit like the Conservatives allowing the mines to flood?
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
Despite your protests I fully expect Jackdaw and Rosebank to be licenced this year
I'm not protesting. Just pointing out that, apart from those directly linked to North Sea exploration and extraction, it's going to make minimal difference either way to anything.
What's with the insistence that anyone who disagrees with you is triggered, upset, protesting or is a Labour shrill?
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
@Richard_Tyndall 's analysis and intervention was most welcome and he was critical of decades of parties in government. His support for Badenoch appeared limited and far from unequivocal. Only you have branded her as akin to the second coming if John D. Rockefeller.
I have to say I agree with this. Reopening the North Sea is (to my mind) vital for economic and security reasons. But it is not a panacea for the current crisis. Just as Milliband is being dishonest about the impact of reversing North Sea policy in a negative way, Badenoch is being equally dishonest in a positive way (if you see what I mean). She is making claims that are unsupported by fact or experience.
Obviously from a long term perspective I prefer Badenoch's misrepresentation to Milliband's but it doesn't make me warm to her as a thoughtful, considered and honest politician. She is just as much as slave to soundbite and easy solutions as Starmer, Davey, Polanski or Farage.
On this forced choice poll 2024 Labour voters still clearly prefer a Starmer led Labour government to a Farage led Reform government by 76% to 12%, Lib Dems prefer a Labour to a Reform government by 54% to 18% and Greens prefer a Labour to a Reform government by 57% to 9%.
92% of Reform voters obviously prefer a Reform government led by Farage and 2024 Conservatives prefer Reform by a margin of 54% to 18%.
So clearly Labour will hold most of its 2024 vote when the alternative is Farage as PM and in seats held by Labour could also squeeze the Green vote when Farage's party is the threat in that seat to the Labour incumbent rather than Polanski's candidate. LDs and Tories are a bit more split. Labour will need to squeeze the Reform vote in seats held by Labour MPs to ensure they can hold off Reform and equally Reform will need to squeeze the Conservative vote in seats held by Labour to overcome any tactical voting for Labour from Greens and LDs
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
What the Government are doing with the North Sea IS economic vandalism. Milliband is ensuring that even if there is a change of Government, by the time he leaves he will have salted the earth to ensure his anti-hydrocarbon policy cannot easily be reversed.
That's unacceptable. A bit like the Conservatives allowing the mines to flood?
Short-termism. It is the bane of Government. Keeping the mines intact and keeping the wells open in maintenance mode will both cost money. Not actually a lot of money but some. And moreover in both cases the policies were and are driven by ideology. Hence the salting of the earth.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
Despite your protests I fully expect Jackdaw and Rosebank to be licenced this year
I'm not protesting. Just pointing out that, apart from those directly linked to North Sea exploration and extraction, it's going to make minimal difference either way to anything.
What's with the insistence that anyone who disagrees with you is triggered, upset, protesting or is a Labour shrill?
mental importing stuff when we have it on our doorstep, it should be a dual plan , use as much of our own while we need to and be moving to renewables and not just windmills and solar farms being outsourced to foreigners. If we are paying through the beak for renewable then government needs to make it local only production , not 100% foreign milking us. They are fecking useless and we get worst of both worlds.
Stoltenberg admitted the "sacrifice" of the Baltic countries: He was prepared to create a "buffer zone" with the Kremlin – Media.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed facts about secret negotiations with Russia in his memoirs. In particular, in 2021 he was prepared to discuss the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe with Russia and to create a "buffer zone" with the Baltic states...
Sadly I am not sure Rutte is proving to be any less delusional.
Interesting, if somewhat brief piece from Hannah Spencer (Green, Gorton & Denton) in today's Guardian, "What I learned from my first few weeks as a Green MP? Most politicians have no clue how tough things are out there."
She points out that although many MP's were only elected in 2024 they've been in politics for a long time, and are thus insulated from 'ordinary folk'.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
@Richard_Tyndall 's analysis and intervention was most welcome and he was critical of decades of parties in government. His support for Badenoch appeared limited and far from unequivocal. Only you have branded her as akin to the second coming if John D. Rockefeller.
I have to say I agree with this. Reopening the North Sea is (to my mind) vital for economic and security reasons. But it is not a panacea for the current crisis. Just as Milliband is being dishonest about the impact of reversing North Sea policy in a negative way, Badenoch is being equally dishonest in a positive way (if you see what I mean). She is making claims that are unsupported by fact or experience.
Obviously from a long term perspective I prefer Badenoch's misrepresentation to Milliband's but it doesn't make me warm to her as a thoughtful, considered and honest politician. She is just as much as slave to soundbite and easy solutions as Starmer, Davey, Polanski or Farage.
I think that is a very fair take. Trying not to be too personal I get the impression that BigG is trying to disingenuously use your, if I may say so, utilitarian take on current North Sea policy as unequivocal agreement with the Badenoch formula.
Clearly, with the caveats you have introduced, that is not the case.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
I would say OBR is as good a reference for what government revenues are going to be as anyone. It's their one and only job. If they say North Sea revenues will drop from £2.7 billion to £100 million in 2030 we need to take that seriously.
Of course Kemi Badenoch disagrees. She's not interested in facts and reality.
The OBR prediction is based on Government policy over the last decade. It is not based on independent facts either.
“Frankly, I would not be surprised if it turns out that General Randy George was dismissed because he refused to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons.
“And yes, I have absolutely no information about this, but given the insanity prevailing in the White House and the complete lack of morality at the very top of American society, this is something we cannot ignore.”
On this forced choice poll 2024 Labour voters still clearly prefer a Starmer led Labour government to a Farage led Reform government by 76% to 12%, Lib Dems prefer a Labour to a Reform government by 54% to 18% and Greens prefer a Labour to a Reform government by 57% to 9%.
92% of Reform voters obviously prefer a Reform government led by Farage and 2024 Conservatives prefer Reform by a margin of 54% to 18%.
So clearly Labour will hold most of its 2024 vote when the alternative is Farage as PM and in seats held by Labour could also squeeze the Green vote when Farage's party is the threat in that seat to the Labour incumbent rather than Polanski's candidate. LDs and Tories are a bit more split. Labour will need to squeeze the Reform vote in seats held by Labour MPs to ensure they can hold off Reform and equally Reform will need to squeeze the Conservative vote in seats held by Labour to overcome any tactical voting for Labour from Greens and LDs
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
An old man goes to confession. He kneels down and says "Bless me, father, for I have sinned. Last night, I had carnal relations with a nineteen-year-old girl."
The priest pauses. "And how long has it been since your last confession?"
"I've never been here before."
"How is this your first confession?"
"I'm Jewish."
"Then... why are you telling me this?"
"Telling you? I'm telling everyone!"
This is a true story, lightly edited, told to me years ago by my eighty five year old mother, after going to confession in St Peters Rome: No kidding.
Mother: Bless me father for I have sinned. It is two weeks since my last confession. Priest: Go on madam. Mother: (A long list of non-sins. She didn't have anything to confess). Priest: Madam. Those are not sins. You are wasting my time. Mother: Don't speak to me like that young man! And I have lost my temper once. Priest: Five Hail Marys. Go in peace.
Stoltenberg admitted the "sacrifice" of the Baltic countries: He was prepared to create a "buffer zone" with the Kremlin – Media.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed facts about secret negotiations with Russia in his memoirs. In particular, in 2021 he was prepared to discuss the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe with Russia and to create a "buffer zone" with the Baltic states...
Like father, like son.
Jens Stoltenberg is the son of Thorvald Stoltenberg.
Thorvald Stoltenberg wanted NATO to bomb Croatia in 1995 in order to protect the Serbian separatists in Croatia and Bosnia.
Stoltenberg admitted the "sacrifice" of the Baltic countries: He was prepared to create a "buffer zone" with the Kremlin – Media.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed facts about secret negotiations with Russia in his memoirs. In particular, in 2021 he was prepared to discuss the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe with Russia and to create a "buffer zone" with the Baltic states...
Sadly I am not sure Rutte is proving to be any less delusional.
Rutte seems to have disgracefully capitulated totally to the Trump narrative, although the Stoltenberg plan is of a Vichy France order of Chamberlainism.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
@Richard_Tyndall 's analysis and intervention was most welcome and he was critical of decades of parties in government. His support for Badenoch appeared limited and far from unequivocal. Only you have branded her as akin to the second coming if John D. Rockefeller.
I have to say I agree with this. Reopening the North Sea is (to my mind) vital for economic and security reasons. But it is not a panacea for the current crisis. Just as Milliband is being dishonest about the impact of reversing North Sea policy in a negative way, Badenoch is being equally dishonest in a positive way (if you see what I mean). She is making claims that are unsupported by fact or experience.
Obviously from a long term perspective I prefer Badenoch's misrepresentation to Milliband's but it doesn't make me warm to her as a thoughtful, considered and honest politician. She is just as much as slave to soundbite and easy solutions as Starmer, Davey, Polanski or Farage.
I think that is a very fair take. Trying not to be too personal I get the impression that BigG is trying to disingenuously use your, if I may say so, utilitarian take on current North Sea policy as unequivocal agreement with the Badenoch formula.
Clearly, with the caveats you have introduced, that is not the case.
New North Sea drilling is now supported by Kemi, the SNP, the unions, upto 40 labour mps, and according to the media Reeves herself
I do have a personal interest in North Sea oil due to my family's North East Scotland connections and the loss of one of my wife's nephews on Piper Alpha in 1988
You may not like it, but there is a consensus across the political divide, understandably driven by the Iran war which in turn has seen public opinion rise in favour
I’m struck by a poignant juxta this GF morning. Artemis breaks the Earth’s orbit and heads for the dark side of the moon. Intention: the furthering of human knowledge. Bombs rain down in the Middle East. Intention: destroying people and things. A noble uplifting deployment of our technological prowess right alongside its very opposite. You look at the first and you wonder at how far we have come. You look at the second, soundtracked by the bloodthirsty inanities of Trump and Hegseth, and you realize we’ve hardly evolved at all. Take your choice. A suitable muse for Easter, I think.
Considering the utter chaos that ensues when voters face the need to Stop Reform, we can see where the trend is going.
Remember the election where UKIP won nearly 4m votes and no seats? 2029 is that on steroids. They will win seats, but with the trend against them and revulsion from so many voters, they will get shafted by the electoral system and tactical voting.
Farage will LOVE it. He doesn't want to be PM. He wants to endlessly agitate from the sidelines.
That's a sage post. There's no way for Farage to win that I can see. Only Badenoch has less chance. While 75% of voters don't want the charlatan he aint gonna win.
You are wishcasting
There is a very real possibility Farage could win and nothing to date in polls or actual local results suggest anything other than a shellacking for labour and the conservatives at the expense of Reform and Greens with SNP and Plaid in Scotland and Wales
We can shout as much as we want about how obnoxious Farage and Polanski are but they remain very much in poll position, certainly for May
Follow the progress of the NF in France for the last 30nodd years. When you can't get more than 35% of the country to support you the 65% will always make sure you lose. .......And she was never as crap as Farage
The only thing that interests me is neither Farage or Polanski get anywhere near running the country, but howling in the wind will not change polls, the public want their government to show they are on their side and this is simply not happening
When Boris was Prime Minister he gave us loads of free money. His polling figures were astronomical. Perhaps loads of free money to voters is the answer for Starmer or his successor
Let me be fair - I do not envy Starmer and Reeves choices, but Reeves previous decisions have not given me confidence she will make the right ones going forward
I don't disagree. However I do find it disingenuous for Claire Courtinho to claim Milliband will oversee the closure of Milford Haven refinery (I think it will survive) when the closure of Grangemouth was overseen by a Minister of State in 2023 called, checks notes, Claire Courtinho.
Or to complain about taxes on O&G that her government put in place and she did not remove as energy secretary.
The problem with that argument is circumstances change and no more so with a middle east war raging affecting oil and gas supplies, along with other important exports, then you have to reflect the new circumstances and take action
It's pretty meaningless either way.
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
What the Government are doing with the North Sea IS economic vandalism. Milliband is ensuring that even if there is a change of Government, by the time he leaves he will have salted the earth to ensure his anti-hydrocarbon policy cannot easily be reversed.
That's unacceptable. A bit like the Conservatives allowing the mines to flood?
One question I would like answered on North Sea oil. Would any public subsidy be involved?
No. The government dues grant subsidies for particular activities, as Richard has explained before, I think, but they are much more than covered by tax revenues from production.
Was it that Matt cartoon that finally changed his mind.
Given the North Sea is largely irrelevant to this year’s crisis, Labour are sensible if they choose to scrape off the barnacle rather than wasting energy trying to explain why the North Sea is irrelevant to this year’s crisis.
They now need to double down on renewables, transmission and storage to scrape off a bit of the Green Party barnacle. The Lib Dems gave them a generous free hit yesterday with their irresponsible fuel duty policy.
Totally this. That normally sensible people on PB are buying into the Mad Miliband, drill now to ease fuel shortages myth shows you do need to do selective pandering before tackling the real problem.
That is simply not the argument
We drill as much as possible over the next 20 years (as are Norway) to gain tax revenue estimated at 25 billion over the next 10 years, and use that to ease household bills and invest in renewables to get the best of both worlds
Kemi has led the way with this since last September, and supported now by the unions, the SNP, up to 40 labour mps, and according to the media this morning by Reeves, so Miliband either approves the licences or the pressure for him to be sacked will be intense
Not according to OBR who estimate revenues from North Sea will essentially disappear by 2030. This doesn't include new licences but one of the main arguments for more drilling is that it's currently overtaxed. You can't have it both ways.
There are a couple of real moderately useful reasons to continue to exploit the North Sea. Government revenues isn't one one of them, nor are we going to see lower energy bills because of it.
You have just said the revenue will disappear by 2030, not including new licences ' That is the hub' of the argument and economic vandalism inflicted on our country by those who cannot see we should transition and take North Sea tax income from profits which even with the high tax would still provide 25 billion over 10 years
At least is seems to finally be getting through to Reeves who knows she has to explore every chance of gaining income and I expect both the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields to be approverd
It's geology not vandalism. We have extracted the easily and cheaply accessible oil and gas. The remaining stuff is smaller amounts and more expensive to extract. There is a case for minimising the decline, which I accept, but no amount of invented figures peddled by Kemi Badenoch will magic up revenue that just isn't there and which proponents of drilling don't want to be applied anyway.
Many others would disagree and @Richard_Tyndall is well worth listening to as an expert in the industry
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
@Richard_Tyndall 's analysis and intervention was most welcome and he was critical of decades of parties in government. His support for Badenoch appeared limited and far from unequivocal. Only you have branded her as akin to the second coming if John D. Rockefeller.
I have to say I agree with this. Reopening the North Sea is (to my mind) vital for economic and security reasons. But it is not a panacea for the current crisis. Just as Milliband is being dishonest about the impact of reversing North Sea policy in a negative way, Badenoch is being equally dishonest in a positive way (if you see what I mean). She is making claims that are unsupported by fact or experience.
Obviously from a long term perspective I prefer Badenoch's misrepresentation to Milliband's but it doesn't make me warm to her as a thoughtful, considered and honest politician. She is just as much as slave to soundbite and easy solutions as Starmer, Davey, Polanski or Farage.
I think that is a very fair take. Trying not to be too personal I get the impression that BigG is trying to disingenuously use your, if I may say so, utilitarian take on current North Sea policy as unequivocal agreement with the Badenoch formula.
Clearly, with the caveats you have introduced, that is not the case.
New North Sea drilling is now supported by Kemi, the SNP, the unions, upto 40 labour mps, and according to the media Reeves herself
I do have a personal interest in North Sea oil due to my family's North East Scotland connections and the loss of one of my wife's nephews on Piper Alpha in 1988
You may not like it, but there is a consensus across the political divide, understandably driven by the Iran war which in turn has seen public opinion rise in favour
You are still promoting the notion that Badenoch is in the box seat here. I say she is just being especially partisan. You can see this with Grangemouth closer Courtinho's attack on Milliband over Milford Haven and Ric Holden's utter nonsense yesterday on essentially fuel prices being the fault of domestic policy and not the war he supported.
Electoral Calculus has an interesting new April projection with Reform first on 266 seats, the Tories second on 107 and Greens third on 74. Followed by the LDs on 69 MPs and Labour on 63
I’m struck by a poignant juxta this GF morning. Artemis breaks the Earth’s orbit and heads for the dark side of the moon. Intention: the furthering of human knowledge. Bombs rain down in the Middle East. Intention: destroying people and things. A noble uplifting deployment of our technological prowess right alongside its very opposite. You look at the first and you wonder at how far we have come. You look at the second, soundtracked by the bloodthirsty inanities of Trump and Hegseth, and you realize we’ve hardly evolved at all. Take your choice. A suitable muse for Easter, I think.
The Apollo moon program occurred alongside wars in Vietnam and the Middle East and a near nuclear exchange between China and the Soviet Union.
One question I would like answered on North Sea oil. Would any public subsidy be involved?
To extract 100%, as Badenoch suggests? Yes, billions. But I won't be unfair and take her literally on that - I guess the policy is to extract what is economically viable.
The most important subsidy for O&G is the 91% tax allowance for new development. That's much bigger than what is typically available to non O&G firms (and therefore qualifies as a subsidy). An interesting exam question would be what would happen if we abolished both the EPL and the tax allowance at the same time. O&G can also offset historical profits against decommisioning costs, but you'd be a complete lunatic to remove that allowance because we need the firms to remain solvent while that liability is outstanding.
One question I would like answered on North Sea oil. Would any public subsidy be involved?
No.
They do get tax relief for various activities, which a lot of people describe as subsidy, even if it's really not.
If a particular sector gets preferential tax treatment it absolutely is a subsidy. I appreciate the general public thinks of direct grants only, but there are loads of ways government can support a sector other than just cash transfers.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
IMO stone circles (though they are great and I live near one) lose out on noom to churches etc because stone circles don't have a roof. Noom escapes in unenclosed spaces. The noomy enclosed building's sense of spacialness is amazing. Salle or Walpole St Peter for example. Or compare the noominess of monastic buildings that remain roofed and in use, usually as a parish church - Boxgrove or Binham for example - with even the finest roofless ones like Fountains or Castle Acre.
This depends on the stone circle. The wider landscape they are in can greatly enhance them.
So, for example, there's a stone circle in West Cork with a winter solstice alignment that we go to set in a landscape of dairy farming in gentle hills, which doesn't compare that well to a stone circle in the middle of Dartmoor.
One question I would like answered on North Sea oil. Would any public subsidy be involved?
No.
They do get tax relief for various activities, which a lot of people describe as subsidy, even if it's really not.
If a particular sector gets preferential tax treatment it absolutely is a subsidy. I appreciate the general public thinks of direct grants only, but there are loads of ways government can support a sector other than just cash transfers.
If a particular sector is generating considerable net tax revenue, then for me at least it seems inaccurate to call it subsidised.
Some of its activities (exploration at one end, and remediation at the other) are subsidised by the tax relief. For public benefit.
Looks like AI theft of independent music is really ramping up into a big problem. Came across a story of a musician who had someone train an AI on her YouTube videos, create new videos based on that, and then lodged copyright claims so that YouTube took down her videos.
It's far too hard for ordinary people to use the legal system to obtain remedy for such theft, and to hold accountable the platforms like YouTube and Spotify who are enabling it.
This is how AI will kill human creativity. Not by producing anything better, but by stealing and suppressing any human creativity that does not have a corporation behind it. We urgently need to find ways of stopping this.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
Have you done your London Churches rabbit holes? Given you, I'm assuming you would visit one sometimes.
St Dunstan-in-the-West on Fleet Street is a City Church with a real (Romanian Orthodox) iconostasis inside (they share the building), from St Antim Monastery in Bucharest, installed in 1966. They also have the oldest public clock in London from 1671, with Gog and Magog striking the hours, and the oldest outdoor public statue of Queen Elizabeth I.
If I recommended a visit to one other City Church, it would be the Roman Catholic one of St Mary Moorfields (1791), which is almost camouflaged in a row of buildings on Eldon Street near Finsbury Circus, and is such a surprise to see the inside. https://maps.app.goo.gl/vrDMzvgm42krcGnCA
Yes - happy Easter to all PB.
Yes I love London churches. I know the first of the ones you mention but not the second. Will check, ta
Hawksmoor is possibly my favourite. My heart leaps every time I see Christ Church Spitalfields, the concentrated power.
For pure noom, however, St Bartholomew the Great is great. And personally St Sepulchre-without-Newgate has a special place. I went in there alone to pray on the first day of my rape trial at the Old Bailey across the road, like many Londoners for centuries before me. Because the Bailey was Newgate, of course
Marcus Walker, the Vicar of St Bartholomew, is also one of the few staunch Tory vicars still in the C of E. As you say Newgate was round the corner, William Wallace, Wat Tyler and the Protestant martyrs were all executed at Smithfield round the corner.
Christ Church Spitalfields is also worth a visit, my father did the accounts there for a few years before retiring and Florence and the Machine filmed a video there
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I've said if I were a Christian, I would choose to be a Catholic as confession would be perfect for me. Once a week I get the opportunity to brag about my sins, then all I have to do is say 100 Hail Marys and I'm forgiven.
Russian Orthodoxy for me. I love the ancient icons and smoky mysticism and the singing can be epic. That said, I love English churches and cathedrals and the Anglican choral tradition is unexampled so ideally the two churches would fuse, just for me. Not much to ask
I am getting more religious as I age. And it’s not just the greater proximity of death. It becomes evermore obvious, to me, that the universe is shaped with a purpose. Fuck knows what it is, but ineffability is part of the deal
Yesterday I had a call from an old friend. He and his wife have joined a church (quite unexpectedly). I wonder if there is a subtle return to faith out there, even tho the data is disputed
Happy Easter, PB
I had the whole epiphany thing more than a decade ago. But now lapsed for the whole of this decade. I went Anglican which was great at the time but was lacking and is a mess up here north of the wall.
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
I don’t need a structured church. I just go into churches (and other religious buildings) wherever I am in the world. Nothing beats an ancient Christian church for noom (unless we count stone circles) tho some Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be powerful
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
IMO stone circles (though they are great and I live near one) lose out on noom to churches etc because stone circles don't have a roof. Noom escapes in unenclosed spaces. The noomy enclosed building's sense of spacialness is amazing. Salle or Walpole St Peter for example. Or compare the noominess of monastic buildings that remain roofed and in use, usually as a parish church - Boxgrove or Binham for example - with even the finest roofless ones like Fountains or Castle Acre.
This depends on the stone circle. The wider landscape they are in can greatly enhance them.
So, for example, there's a stone circle in West Cork with a winter solstice alignment that we go to set in a landscape of dairy farming in gentle hills, which doesn't compare that well to a stone circle in the middle of Dartmoor.
Quite an interesting piece from Lord Frost in the Telegraph.
He's become a Roman Catholic, in a process which I think would bear comparison with Tony Blair's motivations. In the sense of Cardinal JH Newman, he is looking for something more comprehensive and 'fully orbed' than he has known before. Brits, especially High or liberal catholic Anglicans, can feel an attraction to the RC world which is almost magnetic in its feel.
Britain is quietly awakening to full-fat supernatural Christianity I have turned to Rome and I am not alone in wanting to be part of an ethereal reality sustained by a creator God
(Personally I think he is a little confused in some of the background he puts forward, and reacting more to his own perceptions eg about "woke", and not that well informed - but it is worth a read nonetheless. As is his habit he is on there replying to commenters at 10am ie now.)
I thought Frost wanted to leave Europe? Why is he ditching the original Brexit of the Church of England for Rome?
Maybe he is anti women priests and a female Archbishop of the C of E was the last straw for him?
I hadn't realised quite how much the Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports had driven up prices. It will be interesting to see how quickly new production (eg in Brazil) come on stream in response.
It’s a shame that the UK government didn’t develop its oil and gas industry in a similar way to Norway .
Norway was very fortunate in getting the border drawn in a way that incorporated a bloody great chunk of the hydrocarbons. Another 50 miles west and the UK would be the one with the sovereign wealth fund.
Electoral Calculus has an interesting new April projection with Reform first on 266 seats, the Tories second on 107 and Greens third on 74. Followed by the LDs on 69 MPs and Labour on 63
Comments
The priest pauses. "And how long has it been since your last confession?"
"I've never been here before."
"How is this your first confession?"
"I'm Jewish."
"Then... why are you telling me this?"
"Telling you? I'm telling everyone!"
The difficulty with these projections is they require a significant initial cut in tax revenues from EPL, coupled with even more tax cuts as a result of O&G firms being able to get tax relief on new investment. So the policy would force Reeves to increase taxes elsewhere (all else held equal), in the hope that later on you'd pick up additional payroll/corporation tax in 5+ years time.
If - and it's a big if - the figures from OEUK are accurate then it's a good policy, but the overall tax raised is much less than you suggest and causes a headache for the Treasury in the short term. The biggest impact would be from the removal of EPL....which was introduced by the Conservatives and set to last until 2032. So it's really their fault all along.
Even when the customer is wrong, the customer is still right.
Which is good retail, good electoral politics but lousy government. It doesn't matter how intensely the public believes something, reality eventually wins.
It hardly matters though as it looks like the argument to drill has been won and will be approved this year
I think his thesis here will be sunk by him using numbers which no longer follow his suggested trends. Perhaps he wrote it a few weeks ago.
Countries came to the table rather than retaliating and reached agreements favourable to the US. Inflation slowed, logging an increase in the price level of 2.4 per cent over the past 12 months, as compared to 2.8 per cent for the previous year. Real GDP growth accelerated, up an annualised 2.9 per cent over the last three quarters of 2025, as compared to 2.5 per cent in 2024.
Annualised growth in 2025 Q3 was iirc 0.7%, rather than an expected 1.5-3% .
Inflation may be about to spike (Trump's war, but also Trump's policies).
He quotes 11 months of job losses since "liberation day" at 93,000. But that was nearly equalled at 92,000 in the single month of February.
His next article may be one to read.
“Frankly, I would not be surprised if it turns out that General Randy George was dismissed because he refused to prepare for the use of nuclear weapons.
“And yes, I have absolutely no information about this, but given the insanity prevailing in the White House and the complete lack of morality at the very top of American society, this is something we cannot ignore.”
https://x.com/mamomvpy/status/2039958838602781045?s=46
That means we need a new defensive alliance where European countries buy from each other and not Gilead.
That means we need a new intelligence alliance where we share with our friends which no longer includes Gilead
That means we need a new financial infrastructure where our banks and thus our economy are at the mercy of Gilead
The EU is not something we can rejoin. Because we can shape its successor which we must be at the heart of. But it will be a looser confederation than a union because it will need to add in non-EU states such as Switzerland and Norway and likely Canada.
It is a Good Friday.
Not a patch on the Green effort, but perhaps more a placeholder with the next GE in mind.
I will await to see if we get an edition of the Labour Rose leaflet in the next month
Old Mother Church? Who needs therapy (and I do) when you have the Confessional?
They should do a deal for Easter. 20% off when you switch.
Of course Kemi Badenoch disagrees. She's not interested in facts and reality.
I get nothing out of synagogues or mosques. Even when they are outstandingly beautiful - as some historic mosques can be. Dunno why. They just leave me cold
Try going into Asda and argue that you want to buy a tub of Lurpak for 50p and see if they give it to you at that price because you are the customer so must be right.
The customer is always the customer. No more, no less.
At the moment there is no clear answer.
1) You can't vote for them because they can win and form a government
2) You can't vote for them to stop Reform - they are the only possible junior partner to Reform
3) You don't need to vote for them to enable Reform - you vote Reform
4) If you want to stop Labour there are few seats where Tory is the first choice alternative. Greens, Nats and Reform are the candidates.
Titles should begin with capital letters.
I could go for Buddhism if it wasn't for the weird statues they have.
A newly expanded policy from the Trump administration could require travelers from five World Cup-qualified countries to front a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.
Visa bonds operate like security deposits: a one-time payment meant to be refunded after a traveler exits the US under the terms of their visa. The amounts generally run between $5,000 and $15,000, and are required for passport holders from certain countries to enter the US legally under B-1 or B-2 visas, the types required for business travelers or tourists.
The US state department has required these bonds since launching a pilot program in late 2025, targeted at many of the same countries affected by the Trump travel ban along with others – largely countries from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and some parts of Asia. Last week, the state department announced an expansion of the program, with visitors from 50 countries required to submit the deposits if asked by the US
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/mar/25/fans-and-players-from-five-african-world-cup-countries-face-15000-bond-to-enter-us
Seen in Japan: a bunny on a cross.
And he's army, so the nuclear thing is a bit implausible.
Maybe something to do with the mad plan to recover Iran's enriched uranium ?
TWENTY FIVE BILLION POUNDS spread over ten years and a country is about £30 a head a year. And that's being optimistic about both the revenues and the cost in tax breaks. It's really not been worth the attention given to the matter. The implication from some on the right that it's a meaningful bit of economic vandalism (I can think of some much bigger ones that have just been waved through) is dishonest, and the attention given to the issue has been largely frivolous.
Hopefully Europe has recovered from such utter delusion.
https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/2039947280761938157
The Baltic states were to be sacrificed.
Stoltenberg admitted the "sacrifice" of the Baltic countries: He was prepared to create a "buffer zone" with the Kremlin – Media.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed facts about secret negotiations with Russia in his memoirs. In particular, in 2021 he was prepared to discuss the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe with Russia and to create a "buffer zone" with the Baltic states...
Bad week. Missed it one of the days
What's with the insistence that anyone who disagrees with you is triggered, upset, protesting or is a Labour shrill?
Obviously from a long term perspective I prefer Badenoch's misrepresentation to Milliband's but it doesn't make me warm to her as a thoughtful, considered and honest politician. She is just as much as slave to soundbite and easy solutions as Starmer, Davey, Polanski or Farage.
92% of Reform voters obviously prefer a Reform government led by Farage and 2024 Conservatives prefer Reform by a margin of 54% to 18%.
So clearly Labour will hold most of its 2024 vote when the alternative is Farage as PM and in seats held by Labour could also squeeze the Green vote when Farage's party is the threat in that seat to the Labour incumbent rather than Polanski's candidate. LDs and Tories are a bit more split. Labour will need to squeeze the Reform vote in seats held by Labour MPs to ensure they can hold off Reform and equally Reform will need to squeeze the Conservative vote in seats held by Labour to overcome any tactical voting for Labour from Greens and LDs
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/when-forced-choose-britons-prefer-labour-government-led-keir-starmer-reform-uk-government-led-nigel
She points out that although many MP's were only elected in 2024 they've been in politics for a long time, and are thus insulated from 'ordinary folk'.
Wasn't she a councillor?
Clearly, with the caveats you have introduced, that is not the case.
The fact that Trump and Hegseth are mow its masters is just one further example of the egregious horror-show that is the current USA.
Joseph of Arimathea, Simon of Cyrene, or somebody else?
Minimal would for Badenoch
Mother: Bless me father for I have sinned. It is two weeks since my last confession.
Priest: Go on madam.
Mother: (A long list of non-sins. She didn't have anything to confess).
Priest: Madam. Those are not sins. You are wasting my time.
Mother: Don't speak to me like that young man! And I have lost my temper once.
Priest: Five Hail Marys. Go in peace.
Jens Stoltenberg is the son of Thorvald Stoltenberg.
Thorvald Stoltenberg wanted NATO to bomb Croatia in 1995 in order to protect the Serbian separatists in Croatia and Bosnia.
I do have a personal interest in North Sea oil due to my family's North East Scotland connections and the loss of one of my wife's nephews on Piper Alpha in 1988
You may not like it, but there is a consensus across the political divide, understandably driven by the Iran war which in turn has seen public opinion rise in favour
Simon of Cyrene carried the cross, whereas Farage is better-known for being cross.
So I think we're into the "don't go there, not today" list of alternatives.
The government dues grant subsidies for particular activities, as Richard has explained before, I think, but they are much more than covered by tax revenues from production.
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/prediction_main.html
Nowcast though has Reform again ahead on 283 MPs but the LDs second on 84, Labour third on 74, followed by the Greens on 64 and Tories on 63
https://electionmaps.uk/nowcast
The most important subsidy for O&G is the 91% tax allowance for new development. That's much bigger than what is typically available to non O&G firms (and therefore qualifies as a subsidy). An interesting exam question would be what would happen if we abolished both the EPL and the tax allowance at the same time. O&G can also offset historical profits against decommisioning costs, but you'd be a complete lunatic to remove that allowance because we need the firms to remain solvent while that liability is outstanding.
So, for example, there's a stone circle in West Cork with a winter solstice alignment that we go to set in a landscape of dairy farming in gentle hills, which doesn't compare that well to a stone circle in the middle of Dartmoor.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/04/white-house-official-compares-trump-to-jesus-just-days-before-easter-blasphemy.html
Some of its activities (exploration at one end, and remediation at the other) are subsidised by the tax relief. For public benefit.
It's far too hard for ordinary people to use the legal system to obtain remedy for such theft, and to hold accountable the platforms like YouTube and Spotify who are enabling it.
This is how AI will kill human creativity. Not by producing anything better, but by stealing and suppressing any human creativity that does not have a corporation behind it. We urgently need to find ways of stopping this.
Christ Church Spitalfields is also worth a visit, my father did the accounts there for a few years before retiring and Florence and the Machine filmed a video there
It will be interesting to see how quickly new production (eg in Brazil) come on stream in response.
Rare earth yttrium hits new high, up 140-fold in 1 year on China curbs
https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/supply-chain/rare-earth-yttrium-hits-new-high-up-140-fold-in-1-year-on-china-curbs