The UK Politics & Brexit Thread

[MikeInWimbledon]

And why did that not happen ?
Under the Housing act 1980 ,the government restricted authorities' use of most of the money to reducing their debt until it was cleared rather than spending it on building more homes.
Half of the proceeds went to the Local Authorities with the balance going to the Treasury.

And 44 years later, we still haven't changed that law.

Time to get that finger out and use that Labour 411 seat "go get lost" majority to update the legislation.

We know Labour hates running projects, which is why Labour built fewer homes in the total 13 years of its last reign (1997-2010), than the Tories did in any single year under Thatcher & Major, but Councils have the power to authorise building, and have the resources to make money from building, or even redeveloping, council estates.

Time to move on. Stop opposing new building and start building yourselves.

 

[TC350]

*RANT MODE ON*

Saying stuff like that really gets my goat.......its education not regulation......sugar tax on soft drinks has not done anything ....except make treats/alcoholic drinks for people like me who have self control and are not overweight, have to pay more for stuff just because of the idiots who don't, and the politicians who come up with that sort of nonsense, that NEVER works, just keep doing it. None of that sort of stuff is that harmful....IN MODERATION, but the fatso's don't have the ability to be sensible about food and like to try and blame it on cheap fast food (not true compared to fresh ingredients. Its just they cant be bothered to do anything than microwave stuff.)
Increasing the price of unhealthy food wont loose anyone weight....it just makes fat people poorer.....along with the rest of us. As per usual the bright have to pay for decisions of the stoopid....eating too much, excess alcohol, smoking etc. Will education work any better.....probably not? Some people you just cant help.

*RANT MODE OFF!*

Depends who you listen to for evidence. I prefer these sources:

" One study found positive associations between the levy and a reduction in obesity among girls aged 10 and 11 years old, with the greatest reduction among the most deprived children. And it is estimated that the tax was associated with preventing over 5,000 cases of obesity in girls in Year Six in England. This is something we should celebrate, as the tax seems to be achieving what it set out to do."

5 years of the UK's Soft Drinks Industry Levy | WCRF International

More than 45,000 tonnes of sugar has been removed from soft drinks in the UK following the tax introduced in 2018. Our Policy team consider the levy's impact.

www.wcrf.org

Associations between trajectories of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the UK soft drinks industry levy: An interrupted time series analysis of surveillance data

Nina T Rogers and colleagues investigate changes in the levels of obesity in children aged 4-5 years and 10-11 years, 19 months after the implementation of UK soft drinks industry levy.

journals.plos.org

 

[Swotty]

Quite the opposite.

And it was, partially. I jumped in with both feet and climbed the ladder of ownership. Don't blame the little people with hope in their hearts, it was the councils of the time that didn't invest in rebuilding social housing.

I was a beneficiary of grammar schooling and it was my parents who had hope in their hearts. Yes, it was the underfunding of replacement housing which marred the project, but iirc almost all of the receipts from RTB sales were sent back to the Treasury and not reinvested in local regeneration.

Some governments made a positive difference on the lives of individuals but I fear the current lot simply want total control.

 

[Swotty]

And why did that not happen ?
Under the Housing act 1980 ,the government restricted authorities' use of most of the money to reducing their debt until it was cleared rather than spending it on building more homes.
Half of the proceeds went to the Local Authorities with the balance going to the Treasury.

Were LAs able to retain 50%? Can you show confirmation?

I say that as I was in Local Govt from 1975 to 2004 and my recollection was very different. LAs also had to provide mortgages upon demand, too.

 

[Swotty]

 

[Swotty]

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Winter Fuel: “whatever…”

 

[markjay]

....And people over the age of 50 are much less likely to vote Labour....

As the old saying goes:

"If you're not a Socialist by the time you're twenty you have no heart, but if you're not a conservative by the time you're forty you have no brain"

 

[alzieboy]

Limp **** Lame Lammy showing where his values are directed

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

 

[st13phil]

With the news yesterday of 12 more deaths amongst people attempting to get to Britain by crossing the Channel from France in a small boat, I presume there's been a temporary glitch in Starmer's policy of "smashing the gangs"?

This BBC News article today is interesting not least because it suggests that French politicians can see what our own refuse to acknowledge or address: Britain's willingness to accommodate these "irregular" arrivals drives demand and perpetuates the problem. If only we could think of a way to discourage people from wanting to come to Britain by irregular means. Perhaps by refusing them entry and shipping them off somewhere less pleasant where their claims could be assessed? Oh, hang on...

France sees Channel migrant deaths as a problem of Britain's making

Many in France deeply resent the way their own lives have been transformed by a crisis they see as British-made.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

With the news yesterday of 12 more deaths amongst people attempting to get to Britain by crossing the Channel from France in a small boat, I presume there's been a temporary glitch in Starmer's policy of "smashing the gangs"?

This BBC News article today is interesting not least because it suggests that French politicians can see what our own refuse to acknowledge or address: Britain's willingness to accommodate these "irregular" arrivals drives demand and perpetuates the problem. If only we could think of a way to discourage people from wanting to come to Britain by irregular means. Perhaps by refusing them entry and shipping them off somewhere less pleasant where their claims could be assessed? Oh, hang on...

France sees Channel migrant deaths as a problem of Britain's making

Many in France deeply resent the way their own lives have been transformed by a crisis they see as British-made.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mmm, isn’t the crossing rate of 500 illegal immigrants a day an indication of a “continuing problem?”

But anyways it’s in fair to blame the Human Rights Barrister for the problem. He’s only been in the job for a few weeks.

Before that he was just a humble Human Rights lawyer as Leader of HM Opposition, blocking new government legislation

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Note that the stats are 'only" for "recorded" small boats arrivals.

The bored looking bloke with a broom who makes the coffee at your Barber's shop probably isn't included. Nor the guy delivering your Pizza using someone else's ID.

Small boat arrivals – last 7 days

www.gov.uk

 

[st13phil]

The bored looking bloke with a broom who makes the coffee at your Barber's shop probably isn't included.

On the subject of Barber's Shops, a week or so ago I read the results of a "back of a fag packet" calculation that someone did regarding the proliferation of barber's shops in their locale.

It concluded, based upon the number of males living in the locale and the number of barber's shops, and taking into account average rents and business fixed costs, that every man and boy would need to have their hair cut at least once every 72hrs for all the shops to break even.

Draw your own conclusions on that.

 

[TC350]

There's a lot to be said for the notion that we encourage illegal immigration by making it too easy for those who manage to get here. Whether seeking to escape countries where their lives are in danger, or coming to the UK as economic migrants, we look like the easiest option. That's the way we appear to be because that's the way we promote the UK across the world. We glory in telling everyone that we're a caring country. We're only seen through rose-tinted glasses, with potential migrants refusing to listen to accounts of what it's really like.

This isn't just a feeling I have that's happening, I've experienced it first hand. My wife comes from the country with the lowest population density in the world, which is great for sweeping countryside but not so good for job opportunities. She's done extremely well here in the UK (not just for marrying me ) and it's understandable that many of her large family are proud of her success, but also jealous. A few years ago one of her younger brothers said that he'd like to emigrate here with his wife, so we tried to talk him out of it by telling him about the many potential hurdles he'd need to overcome. He didn't heed our warnings and after failing to get a visa to come here legally for work he chose to take an illegal route.

After great expense, he and his wife arrived safely and quickly got jobs and accommodation in King's Lynn - along with several other illegal immigrants. Their pay was poor and shared accommodation pathetic. The promises they'd received of rapid improvements didn't materialise of course and it didn't take them long to appreciate that what we'd told them was true, and not what they'd heard from others. They approached us for help but there was nothing we could do, and I refused to help in any way after they'd ignored our warnings.

About a year after arriving in the UK, they went back home. I suspect, but don't know for certain, that it took that long to earn enough money to pay off their costs to get here in the first place. They're now living a much better life in their home capital with a small house, their daughter and a couple of dogs. They're happy with their life now, having discovered that the grass isn't as green on the other side of the fence as the media and rumour would have them believe.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

On the subject of Barber's Shops, a week or so ago I read the results of a "back of a fag packet" calculation that someone did regarding the proliferation of barber's shops in their locale.

It concluded, based upon the number of males living in the locale and the number of barber's shops, and taking into account average rents and business fixed costs, that every man and boy would need to have their hair cut at least once every 72hrs for all the shops to break even.

Draw your own conclusions on that.

Don't forget beard trimming.

 

[m80]

I get the French theory that it's all our fault for being the easier soft touch desti'nation' . And I don't disagree, totally.

But take a scenario where we aren't the greater attraction, Europe now needs cater for a greater number that still see anywhere else as better than the hell hole they desire to escape from.
We would then get the blame for not making enough want to be here rather than France.

The theory that it's all our fault totally ignores that the eu porosity of borders is feasibly the greatest issue. But while Orban might do something about that it generally means Greece and Italy would get the highest loading of arrivals with nowhere to go if the eu could close those borders, which they will not anyway.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

There's a lot to be said for the notion that we encourage illegal immigration by making it too easy for those who manage to get here. Whether seeking to escape countries where their lives are in danger, or coming to the UK as economic migrants, we look like the easiest option. That's the way we appear to be because that's the way we promote the UK across the world. We glory in telling everyone that we're a caring country. We're only seen through rose-tinted glasses, with potential migrants refusing to listen to accounts of what it's really like.

This isn't just a feeling I have that's happening, I've experienced it first hand. My wife comes from the country with the lowest population density in the world, which is great for sweeping countryside but not so good for job opportunities. She's done extremely well here in the UK (not just for marrying me ) and it's understandable that many of her large family are proud of her success, but also jealous. A few years ago one of her younger brothers said that he'd like to emigrate here with his wife, so we tried to talk him out of it by telling him about the many potential hurdles he'd need to overcome. He didn't heed our warnings and after failing to get a visa to come here legally for work he chose to take an illegal route.

After great expense, he and his wife arrived safely and quickly got jobs and accommodation in King's Lynn - along with several other illegal immigrants. Their pay was poor and shared accommodation pathetic. The promises they'd received of rapid improvements didn't materialise of course and it didn't take them long to appreciate that what we'd told them was true, and not what they'd heard from others. They approached us for help but there was nothing we could do, and I refused to help in any way after they'd ignored our warnings.

About a year after arriving in the UK, they went back home. I suspect, but don't know for certain, that it took that long to earn enough money to pay off their costs to get here in the first place. They're now living a much better life in their home capital with a small house, their daughter and a couple of dogs. They're happy with their life now, having discovered that the grass isn't as green on the other side of the fence as the media and rumour would have them believe.

Well said. I'm just reading "Long Island" the follow on to "Brooklyn," a story of legal immigration to New York to escape life in Ireland.
No spoilers so I won't comment more on the story line than that.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Island-Colm-T%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn/dp/1035029448

I have a number of friends who hopped across the Pond in pursuit of a more material life, where their trade is better rewarded.

While none have come back, yet, it's a fair generalisation to say that although they have bigger houses and more "stuff," realistically they haven't ended up better off overall as a result of the exercise. And they'll certainly all be working into their Seventies because that's what people do - to fund the "stuff" and the healthcare.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I get the French theory that it's all our fault for being the easier soft touch desti'nation' . And I don't disagree, totally.

But take a scenario where we aren't the greater attraction, Europe now needs cater for a greater number that still see anywhere else as better than the hell hole they desire to escape from.
We would then get the blame for not making enough want to be here rather than France.

The theory that it's all our fault totally ignores that the eu porosity of borders is feasibly the greatest issue. But while Orban might do something about that it generally means Greece and Italy would get the highest loading of arrivals with nowhere to go if the eu could close those borders, which they will not anyway.

Fortunately,, Starmer's working on this.

For the last decade, the UK's illegal migrant population has been roughly as big as Germany - call it a million, if you will. While 3rd and 4th position in the European illegal migrant table is France and Italy with broadly half a mill apiece.

Rest assured, those illegal Jonny Foreigners are here because of employment potential Despite rumours, it's not the weather in the UK, or in Germany.

Give Sir Keir Starmer KC a couple of years and we'll have transformed the employment situation, altered the economy, and tightened the employment taxes, bringing the UK Economy back to the level of Italy and Greece.

And in doing so, not only will Labour have solved the illegal migration issue, but also they'll have decreased legal migration from the EU, China and the Rest of the World

They may not have built many homes - Labour usually doesn't - but with outward migration at record levels, it should become easier to buy a home again.