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Ready for Rishi? 2022-???? (There’s no telling with this lot)

Home Forums Lounge Ready for Rishi? 2022-???? (There’s no telling with this lot)

Viewing 17 posts - 885 through 901 (of 1,288 total)
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  • #1695213
    Avatar photoDrone
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    • Total Posts 6041

    The relief is tangible…the election couldn’t have come soon enough; but I do hope that the Post Office and Infected Blood compensation schemes are not put on hold. Presumably they’re now in the hands of the civil service fiscal and legal departments which, one hopes, will continue to function whilst the pre-election jamboree grinds on

    An enjoyable afternoon yesterday watching the goggler. Vennells squirming at the PO inquiry then Sunak looking equally uneasy being pissed upon – the metaphors are just too easy

    Parliament is due to go on its Whitsun recess after today, with the proroguing taking place tomorrow and dissolution next Thursday (how I love these quaint terms) so it is possible that recess could be cancelled allowing unfinished business, such as the smoking bill, to be completed. Unlikely I suspect but a decision today I guess

    #1695218
    Avatar photoCork All Star
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    • Total Posts 9353

    “Good, we need to pay more tax”.

    No party has ever won an election promising to increase tax. In any case, the tax burden is the highest it has been since the 1950s.

    Governments are very good at imposing taxes, just rubbish at spending it.

    With a collapsing birth rate, in the not too distant future there will be a smaller working base having to support a growing non working population. No politicians appear to be doing any serious long term thinking about these issues because all they are focussed on is the electoral cycle and short term vote winners.

    #1695228
    Richard88
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    • Total Posts 3000

    ‘No party has ever won an election promising to increase tax.’

    Hence my comment about using taxes properly.

    There has of course been an effective tax rise with the freezing of the bands but people don’t seem to be able to work that one out.

    As you say, in order to effectively run a country you actually have to think beyond the lifespan of a Parliament and even a politician’s career but that doesn’t happen. Another reason we will all be paying for the PO and blood scandals for perhaps decades to come whilst those responsible went off and lived a nice comfortable, and probably early, retirement. Vennells’ crocodile tears yesterday made me sick, can’t imagine what the victims feel like.

    One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a long, tedious six weeks!

    #1695268
    Richard88
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    • Total Posts 3000

    Oh dear, Sunak caught taking questions from Tory plants and then he asks a group of Welsh people if they’re looking forward to the Euros. It’s only day one.

    Not that I’m looking forward to Starmer posing in front of the TV while England are playing either.

    Apparently weekly TV debates have been suggested too :wacko:

    #1695272
    Avatar photoGladiateur
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    • Total Posts 4869

    “Apparently weekly TV debates have been suggested too :wacko:

    I’ll be washing my hair when those are on.

    And I’m bald.

    #1695274
    Avatar photoCork All Star
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    • Total Posts 9353

    I don’t particularly like the “what if” school of history but this article does raise an interesting question.

    It seems a long time ago now but the Conservatives won a majority of 80 (their largest for over 30 years) just before Christmas 2019. The received wisdom was they would be in power for two more terms. And then along came Covid just three months later and the government was derailed, never to recover.

    But need it have been that way? If the government had held its nerve instead of panicking and stuck to the pre-existing pandemic contingency plan which contained no mention of lockdowns, what would the political landscape look like now?

    Those Who Brought Us Lockdown Are Unrepentant

    #1695331
    moehat
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    • Total Posts 9415

    I would imagine that there would be far fewer people voting because even more people would have died. Imo

    #1695341
    Avatar photoBigG
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    • Total Posts 13551

    I’m with you on that Moe. The only thing they did wrong with lockdown,
    was they introduced it weeks too late.

    #1695347
    Richard88
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    • Total Posts 3000

    I can’t imagine covid will be discussed much, if at all, over the next six weeks. Certainly not the merits of lockdown. I don’t think Labour would have done much differently and people have moved on. There’s so many things they’ve made a complete pig’s ear of that lockdown comes way down the list.

    Had lockdowns been less severe or even non existent then people would still have died, perhaps more, perhaps fewer, we will never know. It’s possible it would have seen more discussion in that eventuality because at least then there would have been a difference in position between the two. Even then, it would just be Labour saying ‘you should have locked down’ and the Tories saying ‘we did the right thing’. You’d never be able to prove anything one way or the other just as you can’t now.

    #1695358
    moehat
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    • Total Posts 9415

    Given that the current Chancellor, when health secretary, totally ignored the findings of Operation Cygnus, we do know that we currently have a government that will put the economy before people’s lives ( and the state of the NHS).

    #1695377
    Avatar photoCork All Star
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    Not content with making a speech in the pouring rain, Sunak now visits the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. Another gift for the headline writers.

    He is almost certainly going to lose anyway but it looks as if he is doing his best to make sure.

    #1695387
    moehat
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    • Total Posts 9415

    It’s almost as if he wants to lose so he can resign and go to America….

    #1695392
    stilvi
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    • Total Posts 5228

    Not surprising that Starmer is reluctant on the head to head debates. Fine with the scripted stuff at PM’s Question Time, but this would be a little different, and pretty sure he would appear the more wooden. Given that he knows the lead in the polls he will be trying to limit the chances of making gaffes as much as possible.

    #1695393
    Avatar photoGladiateur
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    • Total Posts 4869

    I’m not a Starmer fan, but he is several leagues above Sunak as both an orator and a debater.

    #1695399
    Richard88
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    • Total Posts 3000

    The Titanic Quarter 😂 Who came up with that?

    I have absolutely zero intention of watching these pointless debates but there is talk that at least one of them will be Starmer and Sunak only which is absolutely ridiculous. Obviously we can’t have all of the dozens of parties represented but they can do better than that.

    #1695413
    moehat
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    • Total Posts 9415

    According to TRIP’s it’s Sunak that is given a list of things that he has to say. I would imagine that Starmers time as a barrister (?) means that he has had to think on his feet.

    #1695417
    stilvi
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    • Total Posts 5228

    It was widely accepted that Sunak ‘won’ the leadership debates.

    I suspect most people have only heard Starmer for a couple of minutes at Question Time. Anything was going to an improvement on Corbyn.

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