Election Year or Fear!

[MadAmster]

Looking at the current state of the world wih Ukraine, Iran, Trump, refugees (both legal and illegal), terrorism, scams, crime in general end the myriad of other things that are wrong, Marvin Gaye's question still needs answering...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M

[ramAnag]

Rough day for the PM. Will he survive? I think so for now.

Jenrick might be in trouble with this post

https://x.com/RobertJenrick/status/2046267357476053006?s=20

Not sure there is any suggestion Mandleson is a Pedophile, unless we are saying he is by association. If so what does that make Farage?

Jenrick is a truly revolting man imo. Probably the single most self serving politician in the UK next to Farage, always with an eye on the greasy pole but usually ends up landing at the bottom on his backside. Long may that continue.

Always thought Starmer was mistaken in appointing Mandelson, another arrogant and nasty individual imo. Whether the PM has actually done wrong is another matter to which I won’t pretend to know the answer. The whole enquiry exposes the strange relationship between ministers and mandarins and it seems odd that the investigation is now being chaired by Sir John Whittingdale whose own reputation was hardly entirely unblemished a decade or so ago.

‘What’s Going On’ indeed?

[SithHappens]

Jenrick is a truly revolting man imo. Probably the single most self serving politician in the UK next to Farage, always with an eye on the greasy pole but usually ends up landing at the bottom on his backside. Long may that continue.

Always thought Starmer was mistaken in appointing Mandelson, another arrogant and nasty individual imo. Whether the PM has actually done wrong is another matter to which I won’t pretend to know the answer. The whole enquiry exposes the strange relationship between ministers and mandarins and it seems odd that the investigation is now being chaired by Sir John Whittingdale whose own reputation was hardly entirely unblemished a decade or so ago.

‘What’s Going On’ indeed?

I didn't understand the appointment, a relic of the past, but as you said Farage himself was extolling his virtues only 18 months ago.

Perhaps why Farage failed to attend yesterday on one of the most important days in this government so far. Probably knew his prior comments may be under scrutiny too.

Will be interesting to see what's said today.

[MadAmster]

You'd think Mandelson's nickname of "The Prince of Darkness" might have pointed one's thoughts in a certian direction. Especially when added to his friendship with Epstein.

[swaledale]

Jenrick is a truly revolting man imo. Probably the single most self serving politician in the UK next to Farage, always with an eye on the greasy pole but usually ends up landing at the bottom on his backside. Long may that continue.

Always thought Starmer was mistaken in appointing Mandelson, another arrogant and nasty individual imo. Whether the PM has actually done wrong is another matter to which I won’t pretend to know the answer. The whole enquiry exposes the strange relationship between ministers and mandarins and it seems odd that the investigation is now being chaired by Sir John Whittingdale whose own reputation was hardly entirely unblemished a decade or so ago.

‘What’s Going On’ indeed?

I think the truth of this is that McSweeny considered Mandelson, the ideal US Abassador to worm his way into Trump's favour, which tbh wasn't such a bad call and remember Farage amongst others were in favour of his appointment.

However, it was clearly done in a manner without regard to the normal prtocols, being announced before all checks had been made. Robins is a scapegoat and as for Starmer, he may not have been told the results of the security vetting, though my understanding is that its not "pass" or "fail" but more of a risk assessment, which requires a judgement as to whether the risks can be managed, is that he knew waht mandelson was like, I mean me, you and mos tpeople knew that he was a slippery dubious charcter and for him to claim nobody told him of the risks is bizarre. Nobody needed to, he would ahve known, unless he is so far removed from real life that it had passed him by, which wouldn't surprise me.

[MadAmster]

Is it merely a lack of joined up thinking or is it simply a rank bad system?

USA 771K homeless, 15M empty homes That's 20 empty homes for every homeless person.
UK 380K homeless, >1M empty homes, 540K of them in England. That's around 3 empty homes for every homeless person.
NL 33K homeless, >200K empty homes That's around 6 empty homes for every homeless person

It seems that the problem is larger in some countries, smaller in others. The 3 countries I looked at all have way more empty homes than they do homeless people.

The strange thing over here is that whist having 200K empty homes and "only" 33K homeless, those in the know from Governemnt down all say we have a shortage of 400K homes. How does that work? Add the 400K they say they want to build to the 200K empty dwellings, subtract the 33K homeless who could be given a home, there's 570K empty houses left over... I realise there's issues like affordability and location which would account for some of the "redundancy" but 570K? Seems ridiculous. I have no doubt that a stats check in the UK and USA would show a similar sort of discrepancy. Affordability and location.

Surely, somebody can come up with a viable solution.

[swaledale]

Is it merely a lack of joined up thinking or is it simply a rank bad system?

USA 771K homeless, 15M empty homes That's 20 empty homes for every homeless person.
UK 380K homeless, >1M empty homes, 540K of them in England. That's around 3 empty homes for every homeless person.
NL 33K homeless, >200K empty homes That's around 6 empty homes for every homeless person

It seems that the problem is larger in some countries, smaller in others. The 3 countries I looked at all have way more empty homes than they do homeless people.

The strange thing over here is that whist having 200K empty homes and "only" 33K homeless, those in the know from Governemnt down all say we have a shortage of 400K homes. How does that work? Add the 400K they say they want to build to the 200K empty dwellings, subtract the 33K homeless who could be given a home, there's 570K empty houses left over... I realise there's issues like affordability and location which would account for some of the "redundancy" but 570K? Seems ridiculous. I have no doubt that a stats check in the UK and USA would show a similar sort of discrepancy. Affordability and location.

Surely, somebody can come up with a viable solution.

A decade or so ago I was involved with an "empty homes tsk force", which was supposedly looking at a solution.

With regard to empty homes, some are bought as investments, some are the subject of protracted legal disputes, some are left empty due to owners not needing or wanting to let them out, others are in areas of low demand.

There are also over 800,000 second homes in England alone, which Councils are now able to levy higher Council tax on, thats 800,000 homes that are occupied less than 50% of the time even if let out as holiday homes.

Add to that the number of large family homes3 bed and larger that are occupied by people aged 65+, which if vacated would provide considerable number of homes for families who would then free up smaller homes for first time buyers.

a complex issue, touching an individuals right to ownership, a free market, plus a myriad of other issues etc.etc.

[MadAmster]

Just saw this online. The guy has a decent handle on the current situation...

The Iranian navy, which has been destroyed eight times, closed the Strait of Hormuz again, because the United States for the seventh time won the war that wasn’t a war, so the United States can open the Strait of Hormuz that was open before the not war.
The not war that started to get the uranium that was completely obliterated, so that the Iranians can’t build the nuclear bomb that they weren’t building for the not war that the United States started.
Then the United States which has nuclear weapons threatening to use nuclear weapons to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons because having nuclear weapons is dangerous.
If the United States saw what the United States is doing in the United States, the United States would invade the United States to liberate the United States from the tyranny of the United States.

[swaledale]

Farage is a MAGA politician operating on British shores. To all intents and purposes, he is an agent of Trump’s regime trying to transport his agenda from Washington to Westminster.

The reasons for Farage’s America-obsession are multi-faceted. Some are ideological, and some are purely financial.

The showmanship of American politics also appeals to Farage. U.S. elections are gruesome spectacles of ego, money, and emotion. Corporate-funded attack adverts harangue voters and appeal to their worst instincts. Politicians are celebrities rewarded for sensationalism over substance.

This is Farage’s mode of politics. He’s bored by Britain’s village politics – potholes, planning meetings and parish disputes – one of the reasons why he’s rarely seen in his local constituency. On the few occasions that he does press the flesh with the general public, he’s almost always pictured with a pint in hand. My theory is that drinking is the only way he can stomach interacting with ordinary people.

As his close ally Raheem Kassam told the New Statesman in December: “If England were the 51st state, Nigel Farage would be one of the senators.”

In this spirit, Reform’s annual conferences are more akin to MAGA rallies than the modest, humdrum affairs staged by other parties. Farage and his clan walk out on stage to turquoise fireworks as they try to put the assembled masses into a hypnotic trance through strobe lights and anti-immigrant diatribes.

[MadAmster]

All sorts of media are forecasting the demise of Starmer as PM. Gone by the weekend (almost there) is one line. Another is that he'll announce he's stepping down and will relinquish the reins, possibly at the Party Conference, to whoever wins the leadership election.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Starmer beware....in 1672 those civilised folk in Den Haag overthrew the government and ate the prime minister (allegedly). Rib of toolmaker, anyone?

[SithHappens]

All sorts of media are forecasting the demise of Starmer as PM. Gone by the weekend (almost there) is one line. Another is that he'll announce he's stepping down and will relinquish the reins, possibly at the Party Conference, to whoever wins the leadership election.

Maybe TTR last prediction of him being gone by May might come true. Although in fairness the number of attempts he had at predicting Starmers demise he was going to get it right one day, bit like having 10 goes at guessing a number between 1 and 10

[Ramshank72]

It's amazing, when you aren't embroiled in the media soap opera, how stupid this stuff sounds. Starmer has, rightly IMO, said "no" to the US lunatic, 1 of his members is a classic terrible human being, but if procedures work then he should never had gotten through the process to be appointed in the position, and the Labour party has decided to increase tax on the poor. If you don't like it, vote for another party. But calling / pressurising the bloke to resign, all just childish nonsense, but it happens to every PM.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Maybe TTR last prediction of him being gone by May might come true. Although in fairness the number of attempts he had at predicting Starmers demise he was going to get it right one day, bit like having 10 goes at guessing a number between 1 and 10

even a broken clock is right twice a day

[MadAmster]

Starmer beware....in 1672 those civilised folk in Den Haag overthrew the government and ate the prime minister (allegedly). Rib of toolmaker, anyone?

August 20th. I remember it well Either he or his brother had his todger lopped off.