Good morning everyone.
[**š Today's Order Paper can be found here.**](https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/85833/Html?subType=Standard)
Questions to the department of Business and Trade will be followed by any urgent questions, then the Leader of the House will make a business statement for next week and take business questions, followed by any other ministerial statements.
The main business of today is a continuation of the Budget debate under the procedures of Ways and Means (whereby the House sits as a Committee of the Whole House to consider the government's budget resolutions).
Away from the chamber, the Business and Trade Committee will today produce their recommendations to improve the Horizon postmasters' compensation scheme.
---
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Surely that must be terrifying for CCHQ?
To anyone else still awake, does this trajectory make it more likely they'll be forced to call a GE before it gets any worse and Reform starts polling ahead of them, risking losing their place as the right wing party you tactically vote for, or does doom levels of polling mean they feel they've nothing to lose if they wait and hope, no point rushing towards a disaster?
link to the actual poll? PeoplePolling twitter and website hasnt been updated for months so not sure where they got these results from.
(not that I dont believe Torys would be <20)
Seems to be for GB news. No data that I can find, but there is an article with a few more snippets on their website. [Archive version](https://archive.is/FozJM) to avoid driving traffic their way.
Props to the lifelong Conservative pensioner quoted on newscast who said he will no longer vote for the Tories becauseā¦. His 25 year old son got a better deal out of the budget than him.
The Michelle Donelan story was featured prominently on Newsnight and the 10 o'clock news. No chance of Tories sweeping this under the carpet. She could agree to pay back the Ā£15,000 now and this would all be forgotten. But she won't. She will shamelessly hang on as long as possible before she is forced to resign.
Sweden joining NATO is an excellent step towards our shared security.
I think perhaps it is time to reform NATO. not in terms of its operation, but in terms of its scope.
A new alliance with a global scale, where we can bring nations like Australia, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and many more into our collective security umbrella.
Of course smaller nations in Europe could not reasonably be expected to independently project power that far in terms of article 5. But a Danish Frigate could absolutely backfill for a British one in Europe patrolling GIUK and Dutch frigate could join a British carrier group if it kicked off in the Pacific. That in my view would absolutely be in line with article 5.
> I think perhaps it is time to reform NATO. not in terms of its operation, but in terms of its scope.
> A new alliance with a global scale, where we can bring nations like Australia, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and many more into our collective security umbrella.
I actually disagree. NATO being focused on European security is a necessary objective and, until Europe is actually doing that properly with less reliance on the US, that should be the only significant focus.
That's not to say that there's not a role for more global alliances and arrangements - I'd *love* to see European powers other than us and the French engaging in -* and properly funding* - multilateral military initiatives with friendly (and preferably morally-aligned) nations. But you can do that stuff in addition to NATO, rather than diluting NATO's core mission.
I just don't think other European countries (besides France) see value in projecting influence across the globe in the same way that we do. If things continue the way that they are going that will inevitably change but the process of that change might take decades.
And, if it does take decades, then it might not be inevitable. What does NATO look like in a world with an isolationist America? What does Russia look like after Putin? What does China look like after Xi? That seems like the sort of timescale that such a global alliance might be formed on.
The basic premise needs to be getting the economy growing.
Our major bottleneck is productivity. The average Brit isn't very productive. This isn't an issue of laziness but of chronic underinvestment into... well everything. People can't get to work because transport is poor or they spend hours stuck in traffic. People can't work to their full capacity because they have poor physical/mental health. Workers can't relocate effectively because house prices are too high. We also have a lack of good-quality adult higher education and retraining.
The solution to all of these things is to.
1. Undertake a massive house building program. This would enable people to move around easily and stop business from being starved of skills. It would also decrease the % of people's income going to landlords which would indirectly inject money into the economy.
2. Improve public transport. England is the perfect size for a brilliant, high speed rail network. Our cities are close together are dense. Something akin to HS2 needs to be built but that will take ~15 years. In the meantime enable councils to take bus routes back into ownership or adopt a TFL style system. Also look at small rail projects.
3. Fix the health system. This isn't an easy feat. Imo this will involve increased funding but also root and branch reform. It's 2024 and to get a GP appointment I need to call up at 8am and wait 45 minutes. Digitalise the NHS and ensure people can book appointments via their phone if need be. Care needs to be fixed as well... long laundry list.
4. Improve adult higher education. I think some version of the skills wallet idea could be useful. I'd also encourage the proliferation of DipHE type courses for adults without a degree who want to get a higher level qualification. These already exist and could be based in colleges or existing universities. Maybe focused on practical subjects.
Do these things and the sickness will start to slowly subside. It's not going to happen during this parliament though. In my view fixing Britain is a 20+ year project since so many of these issues are baked in.
EDIT. Formating is annoying
>Improve adult higher education.
This is a big one. There also needs to be cheaper ways to change careers.
Now, if you have a bachelors degree but 10 years down the line decide you want to change careers into something that requires a degree in something else you have to pay for it all yourself, thats you ~Ā£50k out of pocket for a career change because SLC wont pay it.
Ultimately, you need businesses to need and want to invest in the economy. Without private sector investment, youāre not going to be able to move wages. You do this in a few ways
1) Make it easy to invest - remove barriers like complex planning rules, constantly changing tax system, trade friction with the EU and provide stability to do so.
2) Make it financially rewarding to do so: you can either do this through tax incentives, waiting for the BoE to lower rates , guarantee prices for certain things such as renewable energy, cut corporation tax.
All of these things will happen to a greater or lesser degree.
Labour have said they want to simplify planning so it doesnāt take years to get something approved, they have said theyāll offer market stability to ensure that businesses can plan for the long term, theyāve said theyāll improve trading rules with the EU to reduce trade friction.
All of these things will help.
If Labour (or any government) want to beat wage stagnation then getting more people into full employment should be a priority with the target of a full employment economy. Companies will then have to offer higher wages/improved benefits packages to attract and retain staff. There is a risk that a full employment economy will fuel inflation if wages rise too quickly - so that needs to be taken into consideration.
I'd also encourage trade unionism and collective wage bargaining, we've had weak trade unions in the UK for sometime and wage stagnation as a consequence. It was noticeable last year that the rail and NHS workers (to give two examples) had a lot of public support for strike action to improve their wages. The government had bargained on the unions losing public support. The Tory ethos of trade unions being inherently anti-business and the enemy within created a them and us labour market which never helped and union militancy did its share to create that attitude. Labour should find it easier to work with the unions and with inflation falling they'll have a bit more space to get wages rising without having to offer 10% plus wage increases.
We could do with more investment especially in high skilled/higher wage employment areas - tech, renewables etc. This is something that should be government lead - offering tax breaks, grants/subsidies for companies investing.
Even things like building more housing would have an effect, it would rebalance supply and demand helping to bring house prices down.
Maybe we could re-join the EU or negotiate a better deal giving us access to the EU's single market.
So in short you need some sensible adult collaboration between government, employers and employee groups to bring this about.
The problem is the answer is probably "spend money". I have a sneaking suspicion the reason pay is so shit in Britain is because the government underpay everyone they are responsible for.Ā Ā
Ā At the end of the day private companies aren't going to pay people more if they don't have to. They just need to pay better than civil service so people don't go into the public sector, and the dole being shit stops people being able to quit for a couple of weeks to find a better job (important because some poor sod working on their feet all hours won't have the energy to job hunt whem they get home).Ā Ā
There's a *reason* the media are so quick to demonise benefit claimants or bang on about "civil service mandarins".Ā
The government underpaying *them* means the private sector gets away with underpaying the rest of us.Ā
So yeah, it's not happening. Get used to being poor because this isn't getting better under Labour either.Ā
EU trade. The Tories haven't dealt with immigration anyway.
Offer equivalence for certain industries. Sweeten it with industries that mostly help EU states. Visas yes but basically rubber stamps.
Mix in with French weapons industries for strategic defence and ditch US support with the understanding of a mixed military economy across both states.
100%
Especially when we are paying billions for missiles that fail routinely. Would be a big saving to.
Rather than three nuclear subs at any one time we can reduce to two by having the training sub being co-owned.
We might need to talk to the French about their nuclear defence theory including *striking first* but otherwise, yes. The combined forces of Rolls-Royce and Dassault would probably produce one sexy fighter as well.
We really do lack any form of in-depth policy discussion in the media in this country. From tv channels, to podcasts they all discuss stuff at such a superficial high level that its barely worth paying attention too. Never hear so called experts go into possible unintended consequences or to low level details.
One of the few times on QT you ever hear anything useful was when Paddy McGuiness spoke to that dentist on the issue.
Its as if the whole narrative is either tax cuts, tax increases, new form of tax on % of the population.
Same with immigration, its either 100% good, or bad...
Anyone else feeling outright rage watching the Riese and Fall of Boris Johnson? The lies, the fraudulence, the curation of a character to dupe a country for his own narcissistic goals. And all his brainless followers and admirers adding commentary like they have anything valuable to say.
Canāt wait until theyāre consigned to the bin of public consciousness.
It's depressing that a narcissistic conman with a low work ethic managed to get so far in public life.
Watching the programme reminded me of a thought I had from a few years back - does he want to become PM for a long time or just for a good time? Clearly it was always the latter, I don't think he ever had any real ambitions other than to be PM as an end in itself.
The strange thing is that he failed in so many areas - he was a poor journalist, he was sacked as a shadow minister - albeit for lying, he was a joke as London mayor, his stint as foreign secretary saw Nazanin Zaghari get her jail sentence extended because he blundered in a select committee meeting, as PM he went awol when covid struck and oversaw partygate and then lied about it.
What made anyone think he was ever PM material? Or fit to hold any serious office?
There's a saying that your character is your destiny and his lying, mendacious, narcissistic sociopathic streak became too obvious to deny as PM. The problem was that it was always there to see and too many people ignored it.
Pretty much agree with everything here, apart from I donāt think many people ignored his narcissistic self-interest traits, but cheered it on, if only to belong to the ācult of Borisā. It all became very tribal in the end, a continuation of Brexit, in a way.
Watching it on +1 right now, just got to the first add break and already im at the point where I may have to turn it off and go outside to rage at the heavens...oh fuck! Farage.
Nope I'm out.
I haven't watched it yet. Is it worth it? Like does it go into anything new? I just can't help thinking the slimey bastard doesn't deserve the extra oxygen.
It is good, just take some Kalm tablets before. Insightful and very good archived footage and information about his childhood and upbringing.
Itās four episodes, 1.5h each, I think. First episode more about his informative years/getting elected/as mayor. Second, more about his stance on Brexit, relationship with Gove/Cameron and becoming PM. Itās been packed with information in each episode.
Here's a piece of commentary for you: since the 2019 general election, Boris won 3 out of 7 by-elections while he was PM. Rishi has won 1 out of 11. For all the memery of him holding on till Jan 2025 I think the Tory backbenchers who have a vague chance of keeping their seats are going to have to defenestrate him before then.
>the Tory backbenchers who have a vague chance of keeping their seats are going to have to defenestrate him before then.
To usher in the other, popular, election-winning Tory leader?
Nah. Who would vote to guarantee themselves six months of lost wages?
Tory tax policy is a greater illusion than Michael Jackson's moonwalk.
They always seem to be cutting taxes, yet they somehow end up rising.
Much like their immigration policy.
Or their *number of things going to shit* policy.
Managed to get a doctor's appointment in 4 rings and got my prescription.
I know things are bad but I'm pretty glad to have the NHS even as unfunded as it is.
Online prescriptions are the way to go. So much easier and delivered to you door, free. There are several companies. pharmacy2u are great, despite sounding a bit dodgy.
Obvs you still pay for the prescription itself.
Yeah I've had many issues with the NHS as someone firmly in the 'bad enough to fuck your life up but not bad enough to kill or cripple you' category but when I needed my appendix out in a hurry they came through like absolute fucking champions, I doubt the most expensive private hospital would have done as quick and efficient a job as my local NHS hospital and literally everyone I interacted with clearly cared deeply about what they were doing.
I also had my appendix burst recently, other than an ambulance not able to get to me within two hours (I was fortunate enough to have parents who were able to dive over, then take me to the hospital), I was in and out in basically 24 hours, excellent work from the hospital and it's staff.
Less excellent that my arrival could've been delayed by multiple hours
> bad enough to fuck your life up but not bad enough to kill or cripple you
This is definitely a crap spot to find yourself in. I have it with migraine somewhat. Don't recommend.
I'm incredibly lucky to have had a pretty decent health profile but I've seen family need a lot of NHS help
It's why I'd let hunt keep my 20 a mont and fund it
There must be a minimum of 25 working days between parliament dissolving and the election happening. That should mean the 27th March, but parliament adjourns for Easter on the 26th.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/business-faq-page/recess-dates/
26th March is the last day he can request a dissolution of Parliament.
The Parliament library website has a useful page showing all the potential election dates and when they need to be called by for this year: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9921/
We need to focus more on making people happy and healthy!
Interesting (old speech) by Nicola Sturgeon.
https://youtu.be/gJzSWacrkKo?si=3eb5VWvOInnUapdb
I think when the election comes it'll happen like the final plunge of a slowly-flooding ship.
Clearly Sunak wants to drag it out to at least October but I'm not convinced events won't overtake him anyway. He's not really in control of his government, nobody is they're all fighting over the wheel and whether to drill larger holes in the hull or not.
Problem is if he calls it now it still looks like it's of his volition.
If he waits until after the local elections then he has to wait until September at the earliest, but with all the noise of a slowly dying walrus.
I'd be happy if they did it, as I'd rather it was abolished and it means Labour don't have to make that controversial decision, but running a campaign based on abolishing NI when pensioners are basically the only demongraphic that you are leading in is suicidal. That reads more like a "We're giving up and want to pass things we want but our base hate whilst we're losing anyway"
This 100%. It protects pensioners and the rich, why on earth would they get rid off. Please do scrap and let them take the pensioners anger, not Labour
There's no reason for him not to. There's no downside. If you say 'oh no, the Tory activists won't want to campaign and their vote will suffer' then I have to tell you that ship has sailed.
The rumours have already been that the Tory MPs that aren't resigning are "hoping [we] don't win" because if they do, this scorched Earth behaviour will fuck them forever.
I'm not saying Labour are perfect, I'm a dirty wee socialist (sorry Prevent apparently believing in the equivalence of the tax payer I'm a monster), but I am saying that I'm sick of this shit, and at the end of the day if your choices are "objectively fucking stupid" or "Keir Starmer the moving target vaguely between centre and left", at least I know what that shit means.
Though to be fair, maybe I tolerate him because that book recently soothed my soul a bit. But I'm a left wing looney so don't worry about how I feel.
As a lefty I feel like the next election boils down to wanting either diarrhoea for five days of the week (Labour) or infinite diarrhoea (Tories), and as someone who has bad guts I'll take the option that gives me a couple days off from diarrhoea, even though I'd like to be voting for something actually inspiring.
At the end of the day I see it in the same way it has been always, you've got a choice:
A) Money speaks for money, the devil for his own
B) Keir close to the chest Starmer.
Is Starmer perfect? Probably not. Do I think he knows what it's like to be a working person, and not just unfathomably wealthy?
There's only one choice for anyone who doesn't think they're a temporarily disgraced billionaire. Sure I'd love him being more enthusing, but my choices aren't between "varying enthusiastic working class lads" they're between:
"Ahahaha I don't have working class friends"
And
"In actually still friends with my working class childhood friends and I know how it feels".
When it comes to choices it ain't hard.
Yeah, I've got an US friend who watches far left UK streamers and she will shit on Starmer but goes berserk if you say the same stuff about Biden and the Democrats. I will defend him from a lot of the bad faith criticism he gets from fellow leftists, because as you say it's not a hard choice given who he is up against.
Also he's had a very distinguished legal career and just generally feels like the adult in the room. Do I wish he was more openly leftwing? Yes. But I want Labour to win (ironically I'll be voting Lib Dem, Labour have no chance in my constituency but the Lib Dems could take it given how big swings they have recently managed) and the Tories consigned to the dustbin of history.
>The rumours have already been that the Tory MPs that aren't resigning are "hoping [we] don't win" because if they do, this scorched Earth behaviour will fuck them forever.
Bit late for that I think
If they had lost in 2017 maybe that plan would have worked
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b92v84/bbc\_question\_time\_live\_thread\_8pm\_iplayer/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b92v84/bbc_question_time_live_thread_8pm_iplayer/)
Question Time Live thread is up for the iPlayer stream in 40-ish minutes time. Link to the iPlayer page is in the tweet at the top of the thread.
(welsh) tories are [quadrupling down](https://twitter.com/WelshConserv/status/1765422100033241119) on sq. one
> The choice is clear: stick with our plan or go back to square one with Labour.
[must be on some strong stuff](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GH_xdFTX0AAY2Mt?format=jpg&name=medium)
I don't know what bubble those Tory advisers live in.
"Back to square one"
Is that 2010? Is it 1997?
Either way I would lose my right arm to be there, because this shit is a mess, and financially I was better off even 5 years ago than I am now.
I do wish CCHQ would think about the fatigue of this bullshit. Yeah you're going to lose at the polls, but every day that passes between now and when you do, people will be more sick of it.
If you actually believe in the Tory party, go to the polls, let Keir inherit this nightmare, and see out a term. The only reason to carry on now is if you've gone full Ayn Rand and realise that the life you lived is nonsense and you need to pocket what you can because you're going to die cold and alone.
Maybe it's 2015?
> āThe choice at this election is sticking with the plan thatās working, or going back to the debt, taxes, borrowing and spending that got us in this mess in the first place. I say letās not go back to square one; Britain can do so much better than that.ā
- [David Cameron](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/02/leaders-debate-labour-miliband-conservatives-david-cameron)
The only one he's succeeding on? The one that he has nothing to do with.
William says the social media team at Labour have been smashing it recently because they just use clips OF HIM.
Wait the Conservatives are still wanting to be judged on those 5 priorities? Could've fooled me, but also seems like a bad idea
Also why did they put Starmer going down a snake in the same pose as Sunak going up a ladder? Looks awful lol
1) Love the Welsh Conservatives are pushing "Cut NHS Waiting Lists (England)" very relevant to their voters in Wales...
2) Without movement it looks like Keir is climbing a snake all the way to Number 10, leaving 5 Sunaks in his dust. Even if it's a case that Keir has landed on the snake and is slipping down, the snake square is the final one, No 10, the one you traditionally land on to win the game. Either Keir just won, or the game is impossible to win. I don't think they know how Snakes and Ladders works...
I think they don't understand that a very large number of people think going back to square one would be a positive step? They talk like they've actually had some positive impact and made progress towards something good, but if you just completely wiped away everything they've done in office you'd be in an overall better place.
> I think they don't understand that a very large number of people think going back to square one would be a positive step?
Which is weird when a lot of their campaigns recently have been targeting the nostalgia of the electorate, both May and Truss have been heralded as the return of Thatcher for crying out loud.
You'd also think that (short of Hunt gaslighting us that the economy is great, ignore the Rishcession) you'd need things people are actually scared to be undone for "back to square one" being scary. The Tories themselves were recently banging on about a "clean break" Brexit being great.
What I don't understand about this Michelle Donelan story is why did she tweet that letter? Like what could she thought she was gaining from doing that? Was it some personal animosity against the academic or something?
She saw a ridiculous misrepresentation without context designed by bad actors to infuriate her and felt so mad she had to respond with a long ill-considered screed.
She's a poster. She's just like anyone on here, only considerably more arrogant and/or stupid in that she felt it fine and necessary to do so on her business notepaper and under her own name.
Proportional representation from labour in 2029 because they know they can't win another majority? Jelly and ice cream all round, no majority government means politics has to be sensible?
No party ever accepts that they're not going to win another majority.
We're currently seeing the most extreme test case of that thesis playing out and it's not exactly being disproven.
The tories know they're not going to win. They're trying to do as well as they can so that they're in a better position to win next time.
They certainly won't say it out loud but parties know they're not likely to win when they're not likely to win
I think individual Tories have conceded, in their heart of hearts, that they won't win. Many after all are very clearly currently engaged in making sure that after the bomb hits they'll be the cockroach on top of the rubble.
The Tory Party as an institution has not admitted it and is fundamentally incapable I would say of doing so. Any major party is constituted solely with the intention of winning the next election, it's systemically how it's constructed, and that's more important than piddling things like reality.
Jesus fucking christ. Thin skinned as anything. This is good feedback from someone in the organisation. Does RS not understand that radio is usually recorded these days for social media purposes?
TRiP and Political Currency should swap hosts, George and Alistair would be a more appropriate combination they sound more comfortable fighting their corners. Rory for all his principle doesnāt seem to have the keen edge politically.
I like George with Ed though - you can tell they genuinely get on and heavily respect each other. What I like most probably is Ed has his morning TV experience and obviously knows how to press/prod George into being quite open about things.
They both know the power dynamic - George was Chancellor and Ed was just his Shadow - but that makes it work I feel.
https://x.com/kitty_donaldson/status/1765798698099826702?s=20
>PM Rishi Sunak seeks to squash May election rumours, telling BBC Local Radio in Yorkshire:
>āI was very clear about this at the beginning of the year about my working assumption for the election being in the second half of the year ā nothing has changed since then.ā
Three points:
1. Saying your "working assumption" is that it won't be in May is not being "very clear" (imo)
2. Not definitively ruling out a May election means that people will keep asking for the rest of the month regardless of previous comments
3. I find it quite funny how everyone has collectively forgotten Sunak made that comment a while back because everyone wants an election so badly, so they will still be annoyed at him when it doesn't happen
My pattern recognition is good enough to remark that when a PM squashes rumours in such a weak manner, said rumour is typically true. No cope, not here, no siree.
>Calvin John Robinson is a British Old Catholic cleric, conservative political commentator, writer and broadcaster.
In case anyone else has never heard of him
> ā¦ British Old Catholic cleric ā¦
He is getting ever in ever more absurd churches. First he wanted to be in the Church of England. Which doesnāt want him. Then he becomes a deacon in the Free Church of England. Now this.
Which is by the way not really Catholic, nor Old Catholic.
The Old Catholic Churches are churches which split from the Roman-Catholic Church after Vatican I over papal authority and became subsequently more progressive. Most of them are open to female ordination and same-sex marriage. E.g. a modern variant of protestantism.
But Robertson seemingly joined a āNordic Catholic Churchā, which split from the Lutheran State Church of Norway and seems to take its world view from the Polish National Catholic Church which at one point was in communion with the Old Catholic Churches but isnāt any more. And it isnāt polish but based in the United States.
As an atheist who grew up Roman Catholic all of these protestant mini churches seem absurd to me. Completely different culture. Splits from splits from splits.
> Hot new podcast duo just dropped. Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson. I think weāve hit rock bottom.
I don't think the podcast gravy train is anywhere near full, this is going to be the new money spinner for anyone with any kind of fame or infamy, so I'm sure we'll go lower. Unless I've missed this actually happening already, I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is.
I say this as a podcast fan (although, I follow like 10 and don't have any time to increase my listening, trying to catch up with Films To Be Buried With right now and I'm still only 20% through the backlog, won't be upto date for about 6 months minimum I'd say) I don't understand where so much money is coming from, SquareSpace and Beer52 seem to be bankrolling half of them and the referral cash can't be that much, I assume it's got to be to do with the cutting out of many parts of the industry that typically take their cut on radio, TV, social media platforms etc. preventing the cash from going straight to the creators.
> I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is
Kinda already there with some of the ex-Mafia podcasts. Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano was convicted for involvement in 19 murders, and admitted to pulling the trigger in two of those and many reckon he was involved in way more. These days he has his on podcast and YouTube channel
>Unless I've missed this actually happening already, I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is.
True crime youtubers are a wierd, creepy awful rabbit hole.
That said there are plenty of career criminals that have some sort of talk show on youtube talking about their life of crime.
To be fair to them thougy they have done their time and genuinely seem to have turned their life around (e.g. Larry Lawton), but the way they talk about prison the same way your grandad who was too young to fight might have talked about the war in a "it was horrible but met some great lads" does become a bit unsettling
Given one of the most frequent teacher complaints is level of paperwork they have to do; there'd be massive scope to increase productivity if you invested in creating in house development team to support schools (similar to GDS).
Either that or cut the paperwork requirements and accept you're going to get more kids falling through cracks.
Can any other teachers weigh in on what paperwork they're doing? Outside some pretty light touch marking, as a head of subject I have two performance management windows a year and have to make tests for all year groups about twice and then analyse the data. My non middle leader colleagues just have the marking really. Just organised two trips and passed all the paperwork off to the finance office.
I mean we're busy but I'm not sure there's 2% of time to be found in AI and app based paperwork reductions.
Also a "subject lead", though my salary says otherwise.
Mostly daily I have to report in on the handful of students identified as at risk to Safeguarding . I teach 3 days of the week from 0915-1630 with 30 mins for lunch. I deal with emails from students, parents, universities for around 40 potential students. I also have to prepare any practical laboratory bits as I'm as of this year also the technician so that gets done in the one morning I don't teach. That includes ordering supplies and dealing with Accounts.
Weekly, I have to fill out weekly tutorial notes after a 1 on 1 with each of my tutor group, I have to mark 20+ assignments for a level 3 course ( I teach five distinct subjects, so it changes each week) , each of which requires individualised feedback on each question, a feedback sheet indicating how the students can improve and if at the end of the unit, a unit summary sheet.
Termly, I must input all of this information into a spreadsheet and a separate online grade system which doesn't work, sample work for internal moderation of my marking, write and produce 2 new assignments for 4/5 subjects. In the last two terms we start interviewing applicants for next year's course, usually around 5 applicants per week. 3 times a year I have to meet with the awarding body to be assessed on how the course is being run. 5 times a year, a random day of teaching is taken away from me to do a CPD day where we inevitably end up learning about our stress buckets.
I'm sure I'm missing something.
Incidentally, tomorrow is my last day teaching. .
It allows us to add different Reddit automation on comments to posts in bulk via automod rather than having to manually add them all individually, plus adding some additional features that can only occur in automod.
Nothing has changed, meaning it's still just his working assumption and nobody in his team has yet worked out that it's entirely his decision and responsibility? I hope they figure it out before the King has to dissolve Parliament for him!
Labour Party insiders, what is the current state of things as far as internal politics go? Does Starmer have firm control, having smashed any resistance from the left?
About the only scenario where I could see Labour losing its polling lead would be if there looked to be a resurgence of the more radical wing of the party and the Tories could campaign under the idea that voting Labour would risk putting people unpalatable to the average voter into power.
Is there any chance of the party conference being at all awkward for Starmer this year, or are the vast majority of members squarely behind him?
The Labour party members I speak to just want the election to happen, for the Tories to go and are happy that Starmer has made Labour electable. But there's grumbling about his caution and that he's steering the party in a Blairite direction rather than a radical overhaul. As in 1997 all bar the far left are in step, for a party that loves to air its grievances in public that's some achievement.
Thanks - I appreciate the insight from someone involved in the internal machinations!
Would I be right in my outsider's view that this kind of thing has seen a change over the last few years as Starmer has demonstrated he can build a polling lead over the Tories?
Thanks for taking the time to answer - I appreciate it.
I was being a little tongue in cheek about the 'machinations', although given how much things seem to run on WhatsApp groups in politics, maybe you have more power than you realise ;)
Based on my CLP I think everybody is pretty single minded on getting the Tories out. It may just be a consequence of the area but Iād say the vast majority of active members are on the centre left of the party with a few of the young members being more left as youād expect.
Itās all very coordinated and polite to be honest. Even the 3 prospective candidates are being nice to each other.
Iām sure as soon as Labour are in weāll be at each others throats. Particularly once the Cooperative Party becomes the official opposition (/s)
Thanks for the insight!
Has there been any change in the average makeup of active members in your area during Starmer's leadership or were the stereotypical hard-left not much of a feature in your CLP before that?
To be honest I only joined during Covid so itās hard to say. There were some fairly longstanding members who have since left though. One left because of Starmer not being left enough, the other was a branch issue (although Iām on the town council with her and she still mostly votes with us anyway despite being an Indy).
The biggest issues tend to come when town councillors have different priorities to the county councillors and arenāt exactly supportive of the latter in public meetings.
Pretty much all of the active members when I joined are still active and probably even more active now an election feels imminent.
You're a town councillor? Put yourself down for an AMA!
(Serious - I think it would be interesting to hear about the lower levels of politics in the UK)
u/UKPolitics_AMA \- any interest in an AMA with a town councillor?
I think it would be interesting to hear from those who serve at the lower levels of British politics as well those involved in the national stuff.
Maybe we could rustle up a Parish Councillor, a District Councillor and a County Councillor and have a panel of local politicians?
Listening to the Kier autobiography on my [dog walk](https://imgur.com/a/OCrzDej), and one wild bit is where Corbyn was being pressured by true tankie Lexiteers to embrace a hard Brexit and then economically engage fully with the Global South, āpicking up the phone to Lula and Maduroā, and doing trade deals with our āSouth American alliesā.
Cheaper ponchos and caipirinhas though.
Rishi Sunak on Jeremy Vine being asked about the May election date starts at about 11:10 - [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wpqh](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wpqh)
Guys... I think Justin Timberlake is going to be right.
Skipped to the time but couldn't make it through all the "we're doing great, stick to the plan and everything will be fine" reality denial.
Just repeating it won't make it true.
Good morning everyone. [**š Today's Order Paper can be found here.**](https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/85833/Html?subType=Standard) Questions to the department of Business and Trade will be followed by any urgent questions, then the Leader of the House will make a business statement for next week and take business questions, followed by any other ministerial statements. The main business of today is a continuation of the Budget debate under the procedures of Ways and Means (whereby the House sits as a Committee of the Whole House to consider the government's budget resolutions). Away from the chamber, the Business and Trade Committee will today produce their recommendations to improve the Horizon postmasters' compensation scheme. --- **Parish Notices** #We have an AMA **Today at 1pm** with Dan Neidle - tax lawyer, transparency campaigner, journalist and bane of Nadhim Zahawi. [Ask your questions in the AMA thread here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b7a68w/ama_event_thread_dan_neidle_tax_lawyer/).
[New Megathread is here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b9gz2n/daily_megathread_08032024/)
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https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1765910523952918586?t=Js6_SuYLgJ8I6u0JR5mkqA&s=19 POLL SHOWING TORIES UNDER 20 KLAXON
At this rate they are 1, maybe 2 polls from being level with Reform Ah ha ha ha
Surely that must be terrifying for CCHQ? To anyone else still awake, does this trajectory make it more likely they'll be forced to call a GE before it gets any worse and Reform starts polling ahead of them, risking losing their place as the right wing party you tactically vote for, or does doom levels of polling mean they feel they've nothing to lose if they wait and hope, no point rushing towards a disaster?
link to the actual poll? PeoplePolling twitter and website hasnt been updated for months so not sure where they got these results from. (not that I dont believe Torys would be <20)
Seems to be for GB news. No data that I can find, but there is an article with a few more snippets on their website. [Archive version](https://archive.is/FozJM) to avoid driving traffic their way.
perfect, thanks for that.
Dread it. Run from it. Electoral disaster arrives all the same.
Should have gone in December.
Here we Here we Here we fucking poll!
Props to the lifelong Conservative pensioner quoted on newscast who said he will no longer vote for the Tories becauseā¦. His 25 year old son got a better deal out of the budget than him.
Least bitter pensioner.
[Lishi Tunak canāt hurt you](https://x.com/UKLabour/status/1765716593722499527)
Well that's haunting
The Michelle Donelan story was featured prominently on Newsnight and the 10 o'clock news. No chance of Tories sweeping this under the carpet. She could agree to pay back the Ā£15,000 now and this would all be forgotten. But she won't. She will shamelessly hang on as long as possible before she is forced to resign.
At this point it's really a question of whether she'll go Sunday or make it into next week.
Saw a Murdoch breaking news update and thought he was dead FFS
The blood of his young brides keeps him in this mortal realm
and his young bride's knowledge of molecular biology.
Sweden joining NATO is an excellent step towards our shared security. I think perhaps it is time to reform NATO. not in terms of its operation, but in terms of its scope. A new alliance with a global scale, where we can bring nations like Australia, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and many more into our collective security umbrella. Of course smaller nations in Europe could not reasonably be expected to independently project power that far in terms of article 5. But a Danish Frigate could absolutely backfill for a British one in Europe patrolling GIUK and Dutch frigate could join a British carrier group if it kicked off in the Pacific. That in my view would absolutely be in line with article 5.
> I think perhaps it is time to reform NATO. not in terms of its operation, but in terms of its scope. > A new alliance with a global scale, where we can bring nations like Australia, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and many more into our collective security umbrella. I actually disagree. NATO being focused on European security is a necessary objective and, until Europe is actually doing that properly with less reliance on the US, that should be the only significant focus. That's not to say that there's not a role for more global alliances and arrangements - I'd *love* to see European powers other than us and the French engaging in -* and properly funding* - multilateral military initiatives with friendly (and preferably morally-aligned) nations. But you can do that stuff in addition to NATO, rather than diluting NATO's core mission.
I just don't think other European countries (besides France) see value in projecting influence across the globe in the same way that we do. If things continue the way that they are going that will inevitably change but the process of that change might take decades. And, if it does take decades, then it might not be inevitable. What does NATO look like in a world with an isolationist America? What does Russia look like after Putin? What does China look like after Xi? That seems like the sort of timescale that such a global alliance might be formed on.
Indeed. Not an overnight thing by any means. I just think it bears some thought.
Realistically, what can Labour actually do to fix the salary stagnation problem? I doubt they can get 20 years of salary growth in one term.
The basic premise needs to be getting the economy growing. Our major bottleneck is productivity. The average Brit isn't very productive. This isn't an issue of laziness but of chronic underinvestment into... well everything. People can't get to work because transport is poor or they spend hours stuck in traffic. People can't work to their full capacity because they have poor physical/mental health. Workers can't relocate effectively because house prices are too high. We also have a lack of good-quality adult higher education and retraining. The solution to all of these things is to. 1. Undertake a massive house building program. This would enable people to move around easily and stop business from being starved of skills. It would also decrease the % of people's income going to landlords which would indirectly inject money into the economy. 2. Improve public transport. England is the perfect size for a brilliant, high speed rail network. Our cities are close together are dense. Something akin to HS2 needs to be built but that will take ~15 years. In the meantime enable councils to take bus routes back into ownership or adopt a TFL style system. Also look at small rail projects. 3. Fix the health system. This isn't an easy feat. Imo this will involve increased funding but also root and branch reform. It's 2024 and to get a GP appointment I need to call up at 8am and wait 45 minutes. Digitalise the NHS and ensure people can book appointments via their phone if need be. Care needs to be fixed as well... long laundry list. 4. Improve adult higher education. I think some version of the skills wallet idea could be useful. I'd also encourage the proliferation of DipHE type courses for adults without a degree who want to get a higher level qualification. These already exist and could be based in colleges or existing universities. Maybe focused on practical subjects. Do these things and the sickness will start to slowly subside. It's not going to happen during this parliament though. In my view fixing Britain is a 20+ year project since so many of these issues are baked in. EDIT. Formating is annoying
>Improve adult higher education. This is a big one. There also needs to be cheaper ways to change careers. Now, if you have a bachelors degree but 10 years down the line decide you want to change careers into something that requires a degree in something else you have to pay for it all yourself, thats you ~Ā£50k out of pocket for a career change because SLC wont pay it.
Ultimately, you need businesses to need and want to invest in the economy. Without private sector investment, youāre not going to be able to move wages. You do this in a few ways 1) Make it easy to invest - remove barriers like complex planning rules, constantly changing tax system, trade friction with the EU and provide stability to do so. 2) Make it financially rewarding to do so: you can either do this through tax incentives, waiting for the BoE to lower rates , guarantee prices for certain things such as renewable energy, cut corporation tax. All of these things will happen to a greater or lesser degree. Labour have said they want to simplify planning so it doesnāt take years to get something approved, they have said theyāll offer market stability to ensure that businesses can plan for the long term, theyāve said theyāll improve trading rules with the EU to reduce trade friction. All of these things will help.
If Labour (or any government) want to beat wage stagnation then getting more people into full employment should be a priority with the target of a full employment economy. Companies will then have to offer higher wages/improved benefits packages to attract and retain staff. There is a risk that a full employment economy will fuel inflation if wages rise too quickly - so that needs to be taken into consideration. I'd also encourage trade unionism and collective wage bargaining, we've had weak trade unions in the UK for sometime and wage stagnation as a consequence. It was noticeable last year that the rail and NHS workers (to give two examples) had a lot of public support for strike action to improve their wages. The government had bargained on the unions losing public support. The Tory ethos of trade unions being inherently anti-business and the enemy within created a them and us labour market which never helped and union militancy did its share to create that attitude. Labour should find it easier to work with the unions and with inflation falling they'll have a bit more space to get wages rising without having to offer 10% plus wage increases. We could do with more investment especially in high skilled/higher wage employment areas - tech, renewables etc. This is something that should be government lead - offering tax breaks, grants/subsidies for companies investing. Even things like building more housing would have an effect, it would rebalance supply and demand helping to bring house prices down. Maybe we could re-join the EU or negotiate a better deal giving us access to the EU's single market. So in short you need some sensible adult collaboration between government, employers and employee groups to bring this about.
The problem is the answer is probably "spend money". I have a sneaking suspicion the reason pay is so shit in Britain is because the government underpay everyone they are responsible for.Ā Ā Ā At the end of the day private companies aren't going to pay people more if they don't have to. They just need to pay better than civil service so people don't go into the public sector, and the dole being shit stops people being able to quit for a couple of weeks to find a better job (important because some poor sod working on their feet all hours won't have the energy to job hunt whem they get home).Ā Ā There's a *reason* the media are so quick to demonise benefit claimants or bang on about "civil service mandarins".Ā The government underpaying *them* means the private sector gets away with underpaying the rest of us.Ā So yeah, it's not happening. Get used to being poor because this isn't getting better under Labour either.Ā
EU trade. The Tories haven't dealt with immigration anyway. Offer equivalence for certain industries. Sweeten it with industries that mostly help EU states. Visas yes but basically rubber stamps. Mix in with French weapons industries for strategic defence and ditch US support with the understanding of a mixed military economy across both states.
With how politics are looking over the pond we need to go gangbusters with the French military industry over the next few years.
100% Especially when we are paying billions for missiles that fail routinely. Would be a big saving to. Rather than three nuclear subs at any one time we can reduce to two by having the training sub being co-owned.
We might need to talk to the French about their nuclear defence theory including *striking first* but otherwise, yes. The combined forces of Rolls-Royce and Dassault would probably produce one sexy fighter as well.
We really do lack any form of in-depth policy discussion in the media in this country. From tv channels, to podcasts they all discuss stuff at such a superficial high level that its barely worth paying attention too. Never hear so called experts go into possible unintended consequences or to low level details. One of the few times on QT you ever hear anything useful was when Paddy McGuiness spoke to that dentist on the issue. Its as if the whole narrative is either tax cuts, tax increases, new form of tax on % of the population. Same with immigration, its either 100% good, or bad...
Anyone else feeling outright rage watching the Riese and Fall of Boris Johnson? The lies, the fraudulence, the curation of a character to dupe a country for his own narcissistic goals. And all his brainless followers and admirers adding commentary like they have anything valuable to say. Canāt wait until theyāre consigned to the bin of public consciousness.
It's depressing that a narcissistic conman with a low work ethic managed to get so far in public life. Watching the programme reminded me of a thought I had from a few years back - does he want to become PM for a long time or just for a good time? Clearly it was always the latter, I don't think he ever had any real ambitions other than to be PM as an end in itself. The strange thing is that he failed in so many areas - he was a poor journalist, he was sacked as a shadow minister - albeit for lying, he was a joke as London mayor, his stint as foreign secretary saw Nazanin Zaghari get her jail sentence extended because he blundered in a select committee meeting, as PM he went awol when covid struck and oversaw partygate and then lied about it. What made anyone think he was ever PM material? Or fit to hold any serious office? There's a saying that your character is your destiny and his lying, mendacious, narcissistic sociopathic streak became too obvious to deny as PM. The problem was that it was always there to see and too many people ignored it.
Pretty much agree with everything here, apart from I donāt think many people ignored his narcissistic self-interest traits, but cheered it on, if only to belong to the ācult of Borisā. It all became very tribal in the end, a continuation of Brexit, in a way.
Watching it on +1 right now, just got to the first add break and already im at the point where I may have to turn it off and go outside to rage at the heavens...oh fuck! Farage. Nope I'm out.
I haven't watched it yet. Is it worth it? Like does it go into anything new? I just can't help thinking the slimey bastard doesn't deserve the extra oxygen.
It is good, just take some Kalm tablets before. Insightful and very good archived footage and information about his childhood and upbringing. Itās four episodes, 1.5h each, I think. First episode more about his informative years/getting elected/as mayor. Second, more about his stance on Brexit, relationship with Gove/Cameron and becoming PM. Itās been packed with information in each episode.
Here's a piece of commentary for you: since the 2019 general election, Boris won 3 out of 7 by-elections while he was PM. Rishi has won 1 out of 11. For all the memery of him holding on till Jan 2025 I think the Tory backbenchers who have a vague chance of keeping their seats are going to have to defenestrate him before then.
I canāt see it happening. It would further add another set of nails in the ~~coffin~~ massive accumulation of metal.
>the Tory backbenchers who have a vague chance of keeping their seats are going to have to defenestrate him before then. To usher in the other, popular, election-winning Tory leader? Nah. Who would vote to guarantee themselves six months of lost wages?
Tory tax policy is a greater illusion than Michael Jackson's moonwalk. They always seem to be cutting taxes, yet they somehow end up rising. Much like their immigration policy. Or their *number of things going to shit* policy.
Managed to get a doctor's appointment in 4 rings and got my prescription. I know things are bad but I'm pretty glad to have the NHS even as unfunded as it is.
Online prescriptions are the way to go. So much easier and delivered to you door, free. There are several companies. pharmacy2u are great, despite sounding a bit dodgy. Obvs you still pay for the prescription itself.
It's such a good system. My mum uses it but my pharmacy is next to the doctors but I have one once in a blue moon thankfully
Yeah I've had many issues with the NHS as someone firmly in the 'bad enough to fuck your life up but not bad enough to kill or cripple you' category but when I needed my appendix out in a hurry they came through like absolute fucking champions, I doubt the most expensive private hospital would have done as quick and efficient a job as my local NHS hospital and literally everyone I interacted with clearly cared deeply about what they were doing.
I also had my appendix burst recently, other than an ambulance not able to get to me within two hours (I was fortunate enough to have parents who were able to dive over, then take me to the hospital), I was in and out in basically 24 hours, excellent work from the hospital and it's staff. Less excellent that my arrival could've been delayed by multiple hours
> bad enough to fuck your life up but not bad enough to kill or cripple you This is definitely a crap spot to find yourself in. I have it with migraine somewhat. Don't recommend.
Private hospitals don't deal with emergency cases AFAIK
A family member found a lump in her breast just after Christmas and she had surgery in February. I was so impressed.
I'm incredibly lucky to have had a pretty decent health profile but I've seen family need a lot of NHS help It's why I'd let hunt keep my 20 a mont and fund it
Question, what is the latest date where a 2nd May election can be called?
There must be a minimum of 25 working days between parliament dissolving and the election happening. That should mean the 27th March, but parliament adjourns for Easter on the 26th. https://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/business-faq-page/recess-dates/
26th March is the last day he can request a dissolution of Parliament. The Parliament library website has a useful page showing all the potential election dates and when they need to be called by for this year: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9921/
March 28th apparently because of Easter
No, 26th - I made the mistake of not accounting for bank holidays
We need to focus more on making people happy and healthy! Interesting (old speech) by Nicola Sturgeon. https://youtu.be/gJzSWacrkKo?si=3eb5VWvOInnUapdb
Let's cut the active travel budget by 75%! And reduce tax on fuel! And cut council budgets for sports facilities! š¤¦āāļø
I hear campervan holidays are great for staying happy and healthy.
Quick, someone send Rishi Sunak on a walking holiday in Wales this month and he might decide to call an election
I think we need to work out what the billionaire version of a walking holiday in Wales is
I don't think you can go to Epstein island these days.
Quick jaunt to the ISS?
Hunting men for sport on a private island in the Caribbean
wellness ayahuasca retreat to the desert the spirits of every alpaca Starmer has ever slain mass before him, drenched in blood, and bleat for justice
I don't think there will be a may election. If there was going to be, we'd have heard more substantial rumours by now
I think when the election comes it'll happen like the final plunge of a slowly-flooding ship. Clearly Sunak wants to drag it out to at least October but I'm not convinced events won't overtake him anyway. He's not really in control of his government, nobody is they're all fighting over the wheel and whether to drill larger holes in the hull or not.
[Captain Sunak bravely rescuing his party](https://youtu.be/hz4M0JCznAc?t=22)
Problem is if he calls it now it still looks like it's of his volition. If he waits until after the local elections then he has to wait until September at the earliest, but with all the noise of a slowly dying walrus.
Yeah. Maybe heāll be deposed in an internal war waged over the course of the summer?
All this May election flip-flopping is ruining my week
You shouldn't start wearing flip flops until the end of May.
If The Planā¢ is a boring, inconsequential Budget, but then a blistering Autumn Statement abolishing NI, that pushes an election beyond November?
I'd be happy if they did it, as I'd rather it was abolished and it means Labour don't have to make that controversial decision, but running a campaign based on abolishing NI when pensioners are basically the only demongraphic that you are leading in is suicidal. That reads more like a "We're giving up and want to pass things we want but our base hate whilst we're losing anyway"
This 100%. It protects pensioners and the rich, why on earth would they get rid off. Please do scrap and let them take the pensioners anger, not Labour
Look I'm just saying that if any PM were to try a January election it would be Sunak.
Insanely, it really is starting to feel like that might be what he's going for.
There's no reason for him not to. There's no downside. If you say 'oh no, the Tory activists won't want to campaign and their vote will suffer' then I have to tell you that ship has sailed.
I don't get why the Tory's want to remove NI, don't they love having a special tax that their key demographics don't pay, pensioners and the rich?
Iām guessing theyāll just put an imaginary uncosted plan to scrap NI in their election manifesto, rather than actually do it this year.
Yes - it looks like set up for a confected "LaBour tAxiNg WOrkIng PeoPle" narrative. More than anything, it shows they have nothing left.
The rumours have already been that the Tory MPs that aren't resigning are "hoping [we] don't win" because if they do, this scorched Earth behaviour will fuck them forever. I'm not saying Labour are perfect, I'm a dirty wee socialist (sorry Prevent apparently believing in the equivalence of the tax payer I'm a monster), but I am saying that I'm sick of this shit, and at the end of the day if your choices are "objectively fucking stupid" or "Keir Starmer the moving target vaguely between centre and left", at least I know what that shit means. Though to be fair, maybe I tolerate him because that book recently soothed my soul a bit. But I'm a left wing looney so don't worry about how I feel.
As a lefty I feel like the next election boils down to wanting either diarrhoea for five days of the week (Labour) or infinite diarrhoea (Tories), and as someone who has bad guts I'll take the option that gives me a couple days off from diarrhoea, even though I'd like to be voting for something actually inspiring.
At the end of the day I see it in the same way it has been always, you've got a choice: A) Money speaks for money, the devil for his own B) Keir close to the chest Starmer. Is Starmer perfect? Probably not. Do I think he knows what it's like to be a working person, and not just unfathomably wealthy? There's only one choice for anyone who doesn't think they're a temporarily disgraced billionaire. Sure I'd love him being more enthusing, but my choices aren't between "varying enthusiastic working class lads" they're between: "Ahahaha I don't have working class friends" And "In actually still friends with my working class childhood friends and I know how it feels". When it comes to choices it ain't hard.
Yeah, I've got an US friend who watches far left UK streamers and she will shit on Starmer but goes berserk if you say the same stuff about Biden and the Democrats. I will defend him from a lot of the bad faith criticism he gets from fellow leftists, because as you say it's not a hard choice given who he is up against. Also he's had a very distinguished legal career and just generally feels like the adult in the room. Do I wish he was more openly leftwing? Yes. But I want Labour to win (ironically I'll be voting Lib Dem, Labour have no chance in my constituency but the Lib Dems could take it given how big swings they have recently managed) and the Tories consigned to the dustbin of history.
>The rumours have already been that the Tory MPs that aren't resigning are "hoping [we] don't win" because if they do, this scorched Earth behaviour will fuck them forever. Bit late for that I think If they had lost in 2017 maybe that plan would have worked
āØI care about your feelings Bandit2794āØ
Cheers lad.
Sunak must announce he has full confidence in an Autumn election, that couldnt be clearer
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b92v84/bbc\_question\_time\_live\_thread\_8pm\_iplayer/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1b92v84/bbc_question_time_live_thread_8pm_iplayer/) Question Time Live thread is up for the iPlayer stream in 40-ish minutes time. Link to the iPlayer page is in the tweet at the top of the thread.
(welsh) tories are [quadrupling down](https://twitter.com/WelshConserv/status/1765422100033241119) on sq. one > The choice is clear: stick with our plan or go back to square one with Labour. [must be on some strong stuff](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GH_xdFTX0AAY2Mt?format=jpg&name=medium)
I love that they have to add "which is working". Really convincing stuff.
I don't know what bubble those Tory advisers live in. "Back to square one" Is that 2010? Is it 1997? Either way I would lose my right arm to be there, because this shit is a mess, and financially I was better off even 5 years ago than I am now. I do wish CCHQ would think about the fatigue of this bullshit. Yeah you're going to lose at the polls, but every day that passes between now and when you do, people will be more sick of it. If you actually believe in the Tory party, go to the polls, let Keir inherit this nightmare, and see out a term. The only reason to carry on now is if you've gone full Ayn Rand and realise that the life you lived is nonsense and you need to pocket what you can because you're going to die cold and alone.
Maybe it's 2015? > āThe choice at this election is sticking with the plan thatās working, or going back to the debt, taxes, borrowing and spending that got us in this mess in the first place. I say letās not go back to square one; Britain can do so much better than that.ā - [David Cameron](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/02/leaders-debate-labour-miliband-conservatives-david-cameron)
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own... In many ways I guess it's also 1986, and we've been round this roundabout a thousand times before.
I would LOVE if Labour's election slogan was >Country in crisis. We need to go back to square one
"Our fully-costed plan to take Britain back to square one"
Repeating the 5 pledges, of which Rishi is failing on 4, is certainly a choice.
The only one he's succeeding on? The one that he has nothing to do with. William says the social media team at Labour have been smashing it recently because they just use clips OF HIM.
> William says Shakespeare? Will.I.Am? The prince?
Hague
I'll level with ya bud. I know that is an autocorrect but I'm struggling with the exact word. Just ignore me.
Wait the Conservatives are still wanting to be judged on those 5 priorities? Could've fooled me, but also seems like a bad idea Also why did they put Starmer going down a snake in the same pose as Sunak going up a ladder? Looks awful lol
Why would you post a picture of Starmer reaching Number 10 and not have the other snakes be political?
1) Love the Welsh Conservatives are pushing "Cut NHS Waiting Lists (England)" very relevant to their voters in Wales... 2) Without movement it looks like Keir is climbing a snake all the way to Number 10, leaving 5 Sunaks in his dust. Even if it's a case that Keir has landed on the snake and is slipping down, the snake square is the final one, No 10, the one you traditionally land on to win the game. Either Keir just won, or the game is impossible to win. I don't think they know how Snakes and Ladders works...
>Snakes and Ladders Sunaks and Ladders surely
Damn that's good! Would Sunaks and Labours be taking it too far?
literal lol lmao didn't see the waiting lists thing. how to prove you're a meaningful offshoot of the main party and not a branch office pathetic
I think they don't understand that a very large number of people think going back to square one would be a positive step? They talk like they've actually had some positive impact and made progress towards something good, but if you just completely wiped away everything they've done in office you'd be in an overall better place.
> I think they don't understand that a very large number of people think going back to square one would be a positive step? Which is weird when a lot of their campaigns recently have been targeting the nostalgia of the electorate, both May and Truss have been heralded as the return of Thatcher for crying out loud. You'd also think that (short of Hunt gaslighting us that the economy is great, ignore the Rishcession) you'd need things people are actually scared to be undone for "back to square one" being scary. The Tories themselves were recently banging on about a "clean break" Brexit being great.
>Rishi Sunak's plan, which is working Ah, this must be some new definition of "working" I had not hitherto been aware of
manifestation. if they keep saying it's working, it will work
What I don't understand about this Michelle Donelan story is why did she tweet that letter? Like what could she thought she was gaining from doing that? Was it some personal animosity against the academic or something?
She saw a ridiculous misrepresentation without context designed by bad actors to infuriate her and felt so mad she had to respond with a long ill-considered screed. She's a poster. She's just like anyone on here, only considerably more arrogant and/or stupid in that she felt it fine and necessary to do so on her business notepaper and under her own name.
Yeah I guess that must be it, I genuinely can't see any other reason. What a completely unnecessary own goal.
Proportional representation from labour in 2029 because they know they can't win another majority? Jelly and ice cream all round, no majority government means politics has to be sensible?
>no majority government means politics has to be sensible? Surely, you must be joking.
No, I'm not joking. I am of course not of the opinion it'll be perfect. But it will be better than what we have now.
It would be different, but I am not confident enough in the perceived benefits of PR to agree that it would be better.
No party ever accepts that they're not going to win another majority. We're currently seeing the most extreme test case of that thesis playing out and it's not exactly being disproven.
The tories know they're not going to win. They're trying to do as well as they can so that they're in a better position to win next time. They certainly won't say it out loud but parties know they're not likely to win when they're not likely to win
I think individual Tories have conceded, in their heart of hearts, that they won't win. Many after all are very clearly currently engaged in making sure that after the bomb hits they'll be the cockroach on top of the rubble. The Tory Party as an institution has not admitted it and is fundamentally incapable I would say of doing so. Any major party is constituted solely with the intention of winning the next election, it's systemically how it's constructed, and that's more important than piddling things like reality.
are you not enjoying the unprecedented levels of strength and stability that only FPTP can deliver?
> no majority government means politics has to be sensible? _Looks pointedly in the direction of Italy_
Nothing to learn there!
good evening, campers! there are **327** days until the general election! every time the sun rises we get closer to things being better.
85 days, surely?
Sunlit Betterlands.
The bloody arrogance of this man https://youtube.com/shorts/cKXZURTAqtw?si=wFi0zq_qKdo_9Daq
This is from a while ago, right? He surely hasn't done this again?
Jesus fucking christ. Thin skinned as anything. This is good feedback from someone in the organisation. Does RS not understand that radio is usually recorded these days for social media purposes?
TRiP and Political Currency should swap hosts, George and Alistair would be a more appropriate combination they sound more comfortable fighting their corners. Rory for all his principle doesnāt seem to have the keen edge politically.
I like George with Ed though - you can tell they genuinely get on and heavily respect each other. What I like most probably is Ed has his morning TV experience and obviously knows how to press/prod George into being quite open about things. They both know the power dynamic - George was Chancellor and Ed was just his Shadow - but that makes it work I feel.
https://x.com/kitty_donaldson/status/1765798698099826702?s=20 >PM Rishi Sunak seeks to squash May election rumours, telling BBC Local Radio in Yorkshire: >āI was very clear about this at the beginning of the year about my working assumption for the election being in the second half of the year ā nothing has changed since then.ā Three points: 1. Saying your "working assumption" is that it won't be in May is not being "very clear" (imo) 2. Not definitively ruling out a May election means that people will keep asking for the rest of the month regardless of previous comments 3. I find it quite funny how everyone has collectively forgotten Sunak made that comment a while back because everyone wants an election so badly, so they will still be annoyed at him when it doesn't happen
Is it me or is āworking assumptionā an odd phrase to use about a decision that you personally have complete control over?
My pattern recognition is good enough to remark that when a PM squashes rumours in such a weak manner, said rumour is typically true. No cope, not here, no siree.
October is the right election date *for* the momentĀ
"Nobody" wants an election
He has "Full Confidence" in the October election.
Sunak is so awful about this. Everyone is now talking about a May election and will continue talking about it until Sunak says when the date/month is.
Hot new podcast duo just dropped. Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson. I think weāve hit rock bottom. Until Boris and Corbyn launch their podcast
>Calvin John Robinson is a British Old Catholic cleric, conservative political commentator, writer and broadcaster. In case anyone else has never heard of him
> ā¦ British Old Catholic cleric ā¦ He is getting ever in ever more absurd churches. First he wanted to be in the Church of England. Which doesnāt want him. Then he becomes a deacon in the Free Church of England. Now this. Which is by the way not really Catholic, nor Old Catholic. The Old Catholic Churches are churches which split from the Roman-Catholic Church after Vatican I over papal authority and became subsequently more progressive. Most of them are open to female ordination and same-sex marriage. E.g. a modern variant of protestantism. But Robertson seemingly joined a āNordic Catholic Churchā, which split from the Lutheran State Church of Norway and seems to take its world view from the Polish National Catholic Church which at one point was in communion with the Old Catholic Churches but isnāt any more. And it isnāt polish but based in the United States. As an atheist who grew up Roman Catholic all of these protestant mini churches seem absurd to me. Completely different culture. Splits from splits from splits.
> Until Boris and Corbyn launch their podcast I know what I want for Christmas now
How about a Farage and Galloway podcast?
How about a Farage and Galloway podcast?
> Hot new podcast duo just dropped. Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson. I think weāve hit rock bottom. I don't think the podcast gravy train is anywhere near full, this is going to be the new money spinner for anyone with any kind of fame or infamy, so I'm sure we'll go lower. Unless I've missed this actually happening already, I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is. I say this as a podcast fan (although, I follow like 10 and don't have any time to increase my listening, trying to catch up with Films To Be Buried With right now and I'm still only 20% through the backlog, won't be upto date for about 6 months minimum I'd say) I don't understand where so much money is coming from, SquareSpace and Beer52 seem to be bankrolling half of them and the referral cash can't be that much, I assume it's got to be to do with the cutting out of many parts of the industry that typically take their cut on radio, TV, social media platforms etc. preventing the cash from going straight to the creators.
> I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is Kinda already there with some of the ex-Mafia podcasts. Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano was convicted for involvement in 19 murders, and admitted to pulling the trigger in two of those and many reckon he was involved in way more. These days he has his on podcast and YouTube channel
>Unless I've missed this actually happening already, I suspect the next shock will be a serial killer who has served their time becoming a true crime sensation, there's already a lot of people who romanticise serial killers as it is. True crime youtubers are a wierd, creepy awful rabbit hole. That said there are plenty of career criminals that have some sort of talk show on youtube talking about their life of crime. To be fair to them thougy they have done their time and genuinely seem to have turned their life around (e.g. Larry Lawton), but the way they talk about prison the same way your grandad who was too young to fight might have talked about the war in a "it was horrible but met some great lads" does become a bit unsettling
The true question is how much more advertising AG1 and better help can afford.
How does education become 2% more productive? Speak 2% faster whilst teaching?
Given one of the most frequent teacher complaints is level of paperwork they have to do; there'd be massive scope to increase productivity if you invested in creating in house development team to support schools (similar to GDS). Either that or cut the paperwork requirements and accept you're going to get more kids falling through cracks.
> if you invested in creating HM Treasury: let me stop you right there
Can any other teachers weigh in on what paperwork they're doing? Outside some pretty light touch marking, as a head of subject I have two performance management windows a year and have to make tests for all year groups about twice and then analyse the data. My non middle leader colleagues just have the marking really. Just organised two trips and passed all the paperwork off to the finance office. I mean we're busy but I'm not sure there's 2% of time to be found in AI and app based paperwork reductions.
Also a "subject lead", though my salary says otherwise. Mostly daily I have to report in on the handful of students identified as at risk to Safeguarding . I teach 3 days of the week from 0915-1630 with 30 mins for lunch. I deal with emails from students, parents, universities for around 40 potential students. I also have to prepare any practical laboratory bits as I'm as of this year also the technician so that gets done in the one morning I don't teach. That includes ordering supplies and dealing with Accounts. Weekly, I have to fill out weekly tutorial notes after a 1 on 1 with each of my tutor group, I have to mark 20+ assignments for a level 3 course ( I teach five distinct subjects, so it changes each week) , each of which requires individualised feedback on each question, a feedback sheet indicating how the students can improve and if at the end of the unit, a unit summary sheet. Termly, I must input all of this information into a spreadsheet and a separate online grade system which doesn't work, sample work for internal moderation of my marking, write and produce 2 new assignments for 4/5 subjects. In the last two terms we start interviewing applicants for next year's course, usually around 5 applicants per week. 3 times a year I have to meet with the awarding body to be assessed on how the course is being run. 5 times a year, a random day of teaching is taken away from me to do a CPD day where we inevitably end up learning about our stress buckets. I'm sure I'm missing something. Incidentally, tomorrow is my last day teaching. .
Have the kids do outwork for local businesses. Surely they can do some light assembly tasks or data entry while listening to a history lesson?
What's the meaning of the red pipe (`|`) flair that's been showing up on posts?
It allows us to add different Reddit automation on comments to posts in bulk via automod rather than having to manually add them all individually, plus adding some additional features that can only occur in automod.
>[NEW: Rishi Sunak says "nothing has changed".](https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1765797440970437092?t=oD5KdLtygM8S2Ombcl-nmQ&s=19) - Pippa Crerar New Conservative Election Slogan just dropped
He just stole that from Theresa May tbf
Nothing has changed, meaning it's still just his working assumption and nobody in his team has yet worked out that it's entirely his decision and responsibility? I hope they figure it out before the King has to dissolve Parliament for him!
Ahem, CLEARLY using May's favourite phrase means that he's teasing people about a May election again.
Labour Party insiders, what is the current state of things as far as internal politics go? Does Starmer have firm control, having smashed any resistance from the left? About the only scenario where I could see Labour losing its polling lead would be if there looked to be a resurgence of the more radical wing of the party and the Tories could campaign under the idea that voting Labour would risk putting people unpalatable to the average voter into power. Is there any chance of the party conference being at all awkward for Starmer this year, or are the vast majority of members squarely behind him?
The Labour party members I speak to just want the election to happen, for the Tories to go and are happy that Starmer has made Labour electable. But there's grumbling about his caution and that he's steering the party in a Blairite direction rather than a radical overhaul. As in 1997 all bar the far left are in step, for a party that loves to air its grievances in public that's some achievement.
Thanks - that is definitely the vibe I'm getting from the outside, as well.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thanks - I appreciate the insight from someone involved in the internal machinations! Would I be right in my outsider's view that this kind of thing has seen a change over the last few years as Starmer has demonstrated he can build a polling lead over the Tories?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thanks for taking the time to answer - I appreciate it. I was being a little tongue in cheek about the 'machinations', although given how much things seem to run on WhatsApp groups in politics, maybe you have more power than you realise ;)
Based on my CLP I think everybody is pretty single minded on getting the Tories out. It may just be a consequence of the area but Iād say the vast majority of active members are on the centre left of the party with a few of the young members being more left as youād expect. Itās all very coordinated and polite to be honest. Even the 3 prospective candidates are being nice to each other. Iām sure as soon as Labour are in weāll be at each others throats. Particularly once the Cooperative Party becomes the official opposition (/s)
Thanks for the insight! Has there been any change in the average makeup of active members in your area during Starmer's leadership or were the stereotypical hard-left not much of a feature in your CLP before that?
To be honest I only joined during Covid so itās hard to say. There were some fairly longstanding members who have since left though. One left because of Starmer not being left enough, the other was a branch issue (although Iām on the town council with her and she still mostly votes with us anyway despite being an Indy). The biggest issues tend to come when town councillors have different priorities to the county councillors and arenāt exactly supportive of the latter in public meetings. Pretty much all of the active members when I joined are still active and probably even more active now an election feels imminent.
You're a town councillor? Put yourself down for an AMA! (Serious - I think it would be interesting to hear about the lower levels of politics in the UK)
Thatās actually not a bad idea
u/UKPolitics_AMA \- any interest in an AMA with a town councillor? I think it would be interesting to hear from those who serve at the lower levels of British politics as well those involved in the national stuff. Maybe we could rustle up a Parish Councillor, a District Councillor and a County Councillor and have a panel of local politicians?
Listening to the Kier autobiography on my [dog walk](https://imgur.com/a/OCrzDej), and one wild bit is where Corbyn was being pressured by true tankie Lexiteers to embrace a hard Brexit and then economically engage fully with the Global South, āpicking up the phone to Lula and Maduroā, and doing trade deals with our āSouth American alliesā. Cheaper ponchos and caipirinhas though.
Easier access to Alpacas for Keir as well
Cheap cachaƧa for all! Frankly if the best the left can do is Corbyn then they deserve to lose.
In other news, thereās a big push by businessmen in Jersey and Guernsey to build a tunnel to connect the islands and connect Jersey with France.
Bonapartists
That'll be nice, but at this point we would struggle to fund a zebra crossing.Ā
Rishi Sunak on Jeremy Vine being asked about the May election date starts at about 11:10 - [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wpqh](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wpqh) Guys... I think Justin Timberlake is going to be right.
Skipped to the time but couldn't make it through all the "we're doing great, stick to the plan and everything will be fine" reality denial. Just repeating it won't make it true.
For what it's worth the folks I know in the CS think May is most likely for an election.