Exactly this.
12 years of Tory shit and instead of holding them to account the big story is always what the opposition do or don't do.
I'm fucking sick of it.
Do you want to discuss boring politics? (16 Viewers)
- Thread starter mrtrench
- Start date
Exactly this.
12 years of Tory shit and instead of holding them to account the big story is always what the opposition do or don't do.
I'm fucking sick of it.
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
As I have said before, putting things like VAT cuts to the Commons to force the government to argue against helping reduce living and business costs
Sky Blue Pete
Well-Known Member
Yep good example
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
He should set the narrative. Come at it from a H & S perspective which despite what the right wing press are saying is a big part of this dispute.
Make it known hes concerned about the publics safety. Do something to show he's got the ordinary man's back for fucks sake.
If he can't get behind the working man in a cost of living crisis after years of austerity then he's a lost cause as Labour leader in my eyes.
I voted for Blair, I voted for Corbyn, but I can't see myself voting for this charlatan.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
Who's not holding them to account?
Almost everyone on here who is having a go at Starmer also slates Johnson and the cabinet.
You seem to think if people hate Johnson they should just hand Starmer their vote. Why? What's he done so far to earn it?
Edit - apologies, think your comment was more aimed at the press and I agree, Johnson and his cronies get away with murder.
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Mick Lynch deals very well with these dickhead journalists
Ian1779
Well-Known Member
No - they want Labour to be not be a Tory tribute party.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
So many of these jobs are safety critical anyway. The idea someone from an agency can just rock up and crack on with it is nonsense.
Sky Blue Pete
Well-Known Member
Shame - sorry I mean that’s a shame. I voted for Blair and Corbyn too and will willingly vote for the only alternative available to the charlatans currently destroying our country. Whilst supporting articulating the message that others need to understand before voting
Grendel
Well-Known Member
He has zero conviction he’s the opposite of a conviction politician
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
So the government’s position is they can’t justify a wage rise for rail workers because it will be a driver of inflation.
Meanwhile in unrelated other news the government is said to be seriously considering scrapping the bonus cap for bankers. This must be one of those Brexit benefits that we were ALL expecting.
Meanwhile in unrelated other news the government is said to be seriously considering scrapping the bonus cap for bankers. This must be one of those Brexit benefits that we were ALL expecting.
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
It isn't just about pay and it's silly to just talk about pay as that is what the Tories want the focus to be on. Labour have been completely silent as far as I'm aware on the other underlying reasons behind the strike which are proposed cuts to services and maintenance.
Hang on .
Didn't they cut some levy or tax on banks only just a year ago ?
Grendel
Well-Known Member
They will win Wakefield very easily and that’s enough to show “parties don’t matter eh lads” the fact it’s been a labour seat every single time other than 2019 doesn’t matter of course
Labour should be 15 to 20 points ahead. They could form a government even if they dug out Blair and Brown - Starmer is a disaster
It’s each to their own who they want to support. I don’t trust either side in terms of how they are presenting their case in the media. It’s also difficult to get a decent balanced article on the subject.
Basic logic suggests, whatever rises rail workers receive is likely to feed through to an increase in prices. If it’s correct that trains are still operating at 25% less than pre pandemic levels and there’s no acceptance of redundancies/efficiencies then the price rises will be higher than pre pandemic due to less paying customers. The alternative is more public subsidy and I know Fernando won’t agree with me, but usually that will ultimately feed through to increased taxes.
Id have liked to have seen a sliding scale offer whereby those on lower salaries maybe offered a higher rise/one off bonus as current inflation is likely to impact them harder (although I appreciate this isn’t always the case). The talk about removing ticket offices appears to make sense where they aren’t being utilised. If automation/efficiencies can be brought in to help to keep a lid on future ticket prices then again I’d support that even if it means redundancies…heartless I know
What would be totally unacceptable (and unfortunately I reckon likely to happen unless government intervenes) is not to give inflationary rises to workers but then still push prices up in the usual annual inflation + rise !
Basic logic suggests, whatever rises rail workers receive is likely to feed through to an increase in prices. If it’s correct that trains are still operating at 25% less than pre pandemic levels and there’s no acceptance of redundancies/efficiencies then the price rises will be higher than pre pandemic due to less paying customers. The alternative is more public subsidy and I know Fernando won’t agree with me, but usually that will ultimately feed through to increased taxes.
Id have liked to have seen a sliding scale offer whereby those on lower salaries maybe offered a higher rise/one off bonus as current inflation is likely to impact them harder (although I appreciate this isn’t always the case). The talk about removing ticket offices appears to make sense where they aren’t being utilised. If automation/efficiencies can be brought in to help to keep a lid on future ticket prices then again I’d support that even if it means redundancies…heartless I know
What would be totally unacceptable (and unfortunately I reckon likely to happen unless government intervenes) is not to give inflationary rises to workers but then still push prices up in the usual annual inflation + rise !
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
The Mails “Builders are all turning WOKE because they have feelings” headline designed at driving the phoney culture war is backfiring. They’ve pissed the construction industry, industry bodies, charities linked to the construction industry and charities such as Samaritans off. Turns out the construction industry has the highest suicide rates amongst working males of any profession and the things that the Mail has determined to be WOKE on behalf of their readership are the tools being used to deal with mental health issues in the industry.
Last edited:
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Always tacitly on the government’s side eh Steve
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
As far as I understand it Steve the strike is about what’s happening with Network Rail which is owned by the government. They’ve cut their funding (which in itself is moronic as Network Rail is the thing that keeps the British rail system classed as one of the best in the world, basically it’s the safest in the world because of Network Rail which keeps the trains running . I’m sure we all remember that it was taken into public ownership after the Hatfield rail crash caused by a lack of investment in the infrastructure), trying to get Network Rail to cut the number of employees and increase the working hours of those remaining. Other parts of the industry are striking in solidarity. This is austerity all over again and history has showed us that sadly doesn’t work full stop but in the rail industry it is quite literally deadly. If they hadn’t spanked billions on failures such as the test and trace which only purpose was to give Dido Harding something to do, or written off billions for the unusable PPE contracts that they gave their mates and numerous vanity projects then maybe, just maybe we wouldn’t be using austerity measures on railways, we wouldn’t be here, the high skilled high paid workers in that industry (wasn’t Boris just bragging that this was the model for the economy at PMQ’s just last week?) wouldn’t be fighting for their jobs, pay and conditions to maintain one of the safest rail systems in the world.
Ian1779
Well-Known Member
It’s also worth pointing out that there is only 1 more main GCSE exam left (GCSE Physics) there are actually very few exams of any description left to do - mostly things like Home Languages and extra Maths qualifications like Stats or Further Maths…. So it’s not quite the wide scale problem suggested here.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
Why was no one talking about inflation when MPs were gifting themselves a 2k us pay rise not long ago?
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
They did. It costs the treasury about £4B a year, every year. Which IIRC is about double the budget cut that Network Rail are having imposed on them by the same treasury. Socialism is for the elites, not the plebs.
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
I'm quite liking this Mick Lynch fella. Polite, but direct..
Haha, nothing to do with governments side, more sharing my views/thoughts even if it goes against the grain. I’ve offered what I thought would’ve been a sensible/fair solution and also what I think will happen and would take the piss (hardly supporting the governments stance in either case, more just how the average person might view it)
I agree that any cuts when we should be spending more on public transport to encourage people off the road is crazy. I’ve never understood successive governments approaches…it’s all beat the driver rather than let’s make the alternatives better. This needs significant spending on infrastructure. That’s not why the rail workers are striking though
Think that was 2.7%. Not sure they were worth even that as many didn’t have to sit during the pandemic
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
it is while the rail workers are striking, what is a rail service if it isn't infrastructure
My point being that if they got offered 10% they wouldn’t strike about the other stuff. When I said infrastructure i was talking about improving lines and services on them. I think the government (wrongly in my view - just for you BSB !) has pumped all that cash into HS2. HS2 or rail infrastructure generally, this should’ve been focussed on the north down (rather than London up)
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Your point being you've made something up
Northants Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
The way he handed Kay Burley her arse this morning was a joy.
His casual swatting away of 2 Tory Mps blandly reciting CCHQ script was another must watch.
No doubt the Daily Mail are going through his bins as we speak
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
The man has played a blinder with the media