O/T Farmers

[KerrAvon]

I wonder what would have happened to the economy if COVID didnt happen? Would the torys still have feked up or was it a COVID, Brexit, Ukraine war that snowballed the effect?

It wouldn't be fair to assess the performance of the Tories without having regard to the impact of covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but most governments have to deal with the unexpected. Would Labour have lost in 2010 without the 2008 financial crash?

I'd be very slow to allow the Tories to use covid as an excuse though. If anything it exposed just how bare the cupboard was - we entered the pandemic with an understaffed NHS and with fewer ICU beds than comparative nations and found ourselves scrabbling around for overpriced PPE and undertaking a bizarre project in the form of Nightingale Hospitals- beds with no doctors or nurses to attend to prospective occupants. People died because of that.

I am a keen watcher of the criminal justice system. I see a huge queue of cases waiting be heard, but there are courtrooms standing unused because there aren't enough judges and with trials being adjourned because there aren't enough barristers willing to undertake work at legal aid rates. Those problems were well on the way well before covid and Ukraine, just as the lack of prison spaces was.

[KerrAvon]

Yes all good here mate. Happy as Larry.

I can understand why tax rises might irritate you then.

Worried about the loss of non-dom status and the surcharge on private plan use?

[crashbang]

I can understand why tax rises might irritate you then.

Worried about the loss of non-dom status and the surcharge on private plan use?

Not sure what my private plan is yet.

[crashbang]

No takers I see.

Brin how many billions were spent on furlough to keep people paid during the pandemic? Have a Google son then think again.

[crashbang]

Just waiting for the humongous car crash now 😁😁😁

[Brin]

Brin how many billions were spent on furlough to keep people paid during the pandemic? Have a Google son then think again.

Yes they laid out some kind of placating coins while they locked us all down and their friends made millions from the pandemic......then the fat beasts of the Tory Government dined on canape's and quoffed beer, dribbled on whiskey and fine wines in Downing Street while our late majesty laid her beloved Husband to rest on the same day, and you call yourself an ex Army man. Have you forgotten that episode? B***ards the lot of them.

As for the Son bit, I bet there isn't 10 years between us, have some respect older lad.

[howdydoo]

The economic decline started well before Covid, with the introduction of Osborne's program of austerity. But it's arguable which has had the more dramatic effect - austerity or Brexit.

Google AI tells us that Brexit has had the following effect on the economy -

The UK's economy has been negatively impacted by Brexit in a number of ways, including:

The UK's GDP is estimated to be 1.2–4.5% lower than it would have been if the UK had remained in the EU. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the UK's productivity will be 4% lower in the long run due to Brexit.

The UK has 1.8 million fewer jobs than it would have had if Brexit hadn't happened.

The UK's trade with the EU and the rest of the world has fallen relative to the size of the UK economy. In 2023, the UK's goods exports to the EU were 11% below their 2019 level.

The war has had negligible impact compared to Covid PPE. The UK Parliament website tells us -

The Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) lost 75% of the £12 billion it spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) in the first year of the pandemic to inflated prices and kit that did not meet requirements – including fully £4 billion of PPE that will not be used in the NHS and needs to be disposed of. There is no clear disposal strategy for this excess but the Department says it plans to burn significant volumes of it to generate power – though there are concerns about the cost-effectiveness and environmental impact of this “strategy”.

As austerity and Brexit are down to the Tories then you have to conclude* that they have a significant responsibility for the current malaise of the economy.

*unless of course you are intellectually inclined to one of the many conspiracy theories. The link is not related to the economy, but is a wonderful example of the magic of conspiracy world.

https://x.com/MikeSington/status/1844432733352886299

Don’t forget to provide us an update on the German and French economies and unemployment rates, in the same period.

If you have the intellectual capacity to perform some real research.

Bet you need this Labour government more than most.

Someone else to hold your c*** for you.

😂

[mygiddypant]

Don’t forget to provide us an update on the German and French economies and unemployment rates, in the same period.

If you have the intellectual capacity to perform some real research.

Bet you need this Labour government more than most.

Someone else to hold your c*** for you.

😂

I struggled (by virtue of being a member of the Labour Party), but managed to do some "real research" into the definition of the word

pathetic

[howdydoo]

I struggled (by virtue of being a member of the Labour Party), but managed to do some "real research" into the definition of the word

pathetic

Is this self proclaimed research?

Well done you.

[frogmiller]

NEW: Farmers across Britain are staging a large scale protest in Westminster at 11:00 on the 19th Nov.

They plan to shut London down with manure spreaders and hundreds of tractors.

Do you support this?