What can we do to change the minds of decision makers and people in general to actually do something about preparing for the forthcoming economic/energy crises (the ones after this one!)?
Mark wrote: ↑03 Nov 2022, 15:15
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen faces five-day Commons suspension for breaking lobbying rules - as he is also blasted for 'completely unacceptable' attempt to pressure Parliament's standards commissioner into letting him off: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... rules.html
Yet another rotten apple.....
Do they any good ones in the barrel ?
Interesting dealings with the family home.
He previously owned the property himself but sold it to the family firm for £1.5million in 2012.
Mr Bridgen, 57, had been locked in a long legal wrangle with AB Produce, headed by his estranged younger brother Paul, 55.
and
While living in the 18th century home, which includes a sauna, swimming pool and 5.5 acres of land, the MP also reportedly refused to pay rent or bills for water and electricity.
Tory party average poll rating has now dipped below the previous low point before Truss resigned. The only poll released since Christmas puts them back down on 19%. Interestingly, Labour has not recovered to where it was during that Truss low point. The gains have gone to Reform Party, Greens and SNP.
dustiswhatweare wrote: ↑04 Jan 2023, 14:43
It seems the Tories have run out of two things. Ideas, and (remotely competent) leaders.
Would dearly love to see a PR system of voting.
I don't think Rishi Sunak is particularly incompetent, especially compared to the last two occupants of 10 Downing Street. But he has clearly run out of both ideas and options. There really is only one thing he can do to make things better, and that is increase taxation on the rich in order to try to plug some of the holes in public services. Which he can't do, because that is the one thing that will do the most to alienate the 20% of the population that still intends to vote tory. This country needs a non-tory government, and I believe the longer we wait for a general election, the worse the result will be for the tories. He should have called an election last year.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
If Sunak had called an election we would now be looking at 5 years of a Labour Party with enough majority to pass whatever they dreamed up. I can't imagine what it would be like.
Catweazle wrote: ↑04 Jan 2023, 17:35
If Sunak had called an election we would now be looking at 5 years of a Labour Party with enough majority to pass whatever they dreamed up. I can't imagine what it would be like.
You won't have to in 2 years time. Labour won't even need a spectacularly large majority to do most of what they want to, because it will be supported by the SNP and libdems. Neither of those would vote against the abolition of the House of Lords, for example, or modest increases in public spending.
Right now I am struggling to imagine how the tories could recover even to the point of a hung parliament. I can't even imagine what a tory manifesto or campaign will look like either.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
One thing Sunak shouldn't have done is promise to reduce the number of boat people. He might be able to return most of the Albanians that come here and that might discourage others from coming but the only way that he can reduce the numbers from the rest of the world is by addressing the drivers of migration from those countries. People will continue to arrive in southern and eastern Europe and European governments will encourage them to come to the UK if they want to because it makes life easier for them.
The only way that we can address the migration from many countries is to get money into the pockets of the poor people so that the middle classes, who are the ones migrating, can make a decent living where they are. One thing that needs to be done is to address the levels of corruption and government violence in those countries but it is something that we can't address. If we did look like addressing that successfully someone like Putin or china would step in to stop the reduction in corruption chaos because the Russian and Chinese governments thrive on corrupt/violent governments in third world countries.
I also wonder just how much of the strike action under way in the UK is fomented by Russia in some way.
kenneal - lagger wrote: ↑05 Jan 2023, 02:47
One thing Sunak shouldn't have done is promise to reduce the number of boat people. He might be able to return most of the Albanians that come here and that might discourage others from coming but the only way that he can reduce the numbers from the rest of the world is by addressing the drivers of migration from those countries. People will continue to arrive in southern and eastern Europe and European governments will encourage them to come to the UK if they want to because it makes life easier for them.
Passing a law which makes it impossible for people to stay if they arrived by boat will sort the problem out, I believe. If they know they won't be able to stay, then they will stop coming.
I also wonder just how much of the strike action under way in the UK is fomented by Russia in some way.
I don't. Russia doesn't need to foment this. To be honest I am surprised you made this comment. Suggests you are as out of touch as typical tory voters, even though you aren't. People are striking because they are desperate. They do not need Russian trolls to tell them this.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
Oh come on Ken that hoary old chestnut sounds like a Daily Mail headline!
I would wager that the only Russian formenting is due to to pals of Putin.
They are having their dirty money laundered by their tory chums in the city of London,
which thrives on corrupt/violent governments in third world countries!
Overconfidence, not just expert overconfidence but general overconfidence,
is one of the most common illusions we experience. Stan Robinson