I mean they didn’t before did they? It was just Steve taking the mick as per. Unless I’ve missed something.
General Election 2024
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I mean they didn’t before did they? It was just Steve taking the mick as per. Unless I’ve missed something.
Oooh I had no idea!
The REF has many flaws, but it's presumption is that research is valuable in and of itself; it doesn't necessarily have to link to teaching. In any case, REF is a fraction of universities income amd only about half of REF finding is related to research outputs. Each cycle adds more weight to non-academic impact of research, e.g. the economy.
Right. We don't know whether racism is at play or to what degree it's playing a role but that there is a perception amongst a good chunk of people - many of them serious people - that racism is a factor, should mean we at least give it proper consideration.
I get that there is frustration towards the constant, negative nancy, Starmer haters on here, particularly for the big Labour supporters. But it should be possible to express your contemp for us, without also downplaying genuine concerns about racism.
Well it's hard to say for sure, but I imagine an awful lot of people graduating with a relevant degree would have been in exactly the same position as you, just 3 or 4 years later on. And skint.
Having been through the whole nonsense to masters level, and having lectured at a half decent university on and off for a couple of years, I can honestly say most of it is wank and filler.
University has to be academic - that's a requirement - but most subjects aren't academic. So everything's shoehorned in to make it more academic... It's nonsense. It's a money grab.
But that's the system. Employers buy in to it, and we've all gone along with it. It's a bollocks really. Just my two cents!
That migration graph post 2020 is truly incredible.
Eh? What’s this? Feels like there is more to this somehow
If people want to go, and are happy to take on the costs, then what business is it of yours?
Whether the vote goes red or blue, baby boomers will win the general election
Baby boomers are being courted with financial inducements from both main political parties. Millennials and Gen Z, not so much. Here we assess the intergenerational impact of the election so far.
Baby boomers are being courted with financial inducements from both main political parties. Millennials and Gen Z, not so much. Here we assess the intergenerational impact of the election so far.
Pensions
Rishi Sunak has promised to increase the state pension every year by the higher of inflation, earnings or 2.5%, known as the triple lock. In addition, he said a Conservative government would return to the pre-2010 era, when pensioners enjoyed a higher income tax threshold, safeguarding those who live on the state pension from paying tax.
Under this offer, workers eligible for state benefits will pay tax on their payments if they cross the £12,570 threshold, but pensions will be protected from taxation.
Working-age benefits are means-tested, while the state pension is not, allowing even very rich pensioners to claim it.
Investment
Labour has subscribed to the Conservative budget rule that commits the government to reduce debt as a proportion of national annual income (GDP) before the end of the next parliament. This rule is widely considered to limit the level of investment that a government can embark on, and Labour has squeezed plans for investment spending to meet the rule.
Conservative ministers believe that public debt is a burden on future generations. Most economists would disagree, arguing that if debt is used for investment, then the dividends to future generations outweigh the costs.
Housing
Labour has pledged to “rip up” planning rules that prevent developers from building new homes. It has questioned the preservation of green belt land around major conurbations, arguing that there are good reasons to build homes in areas that are currently protected.
Conservative ministers have subscribed to housebuilding targets but failed to meet them over the last decade.
Both parties rely on private sector developers to increase the supply of homes, offering a mix of subsidies and incentives to promote growth. However, private housebuilders are known to regulate supply to maintain high house values, leaving many millennials to pay much higher rent and mortgage costs than previous generations.
Education
Schools budgets are under pressure. A survey published by the Sutton Trust in April found that 46% of all schools in England were cutting back on support staff because of financial difficulties.
Labour will apply VAT to private schools, and schools will receive more money, although the amount is not specified. The shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has not ruled out increasing university fees and has refused to commit to extra funding for FE colleges. University fees are expected to rise if the Conservatives are re-elected.
The Conservatives have a childcare scheme that started in April and is supposed to ramp up over the next two years. But the National Audit Office recently revealed the Department for Education had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as “amber/red problematic”.
Labour is expected to continue the scheme, although the costs of private childcare have rocketed, and for many it is unaffordable despite the subsidy.
Under this offer, workers eligible for state benefits will pay tax on their payments if they cross the £12,570 threshold, but pensions will be protected from taxation.
Working-age benefits are means-tested, while the state pension is not, allowing even very rich pensioners to claim it.
Investment
Labour has subscribed to the Conservative budget rule that commits the government to reduce debt as a proportion of national annual income (GDP) before the end of the next parliament. This rule is widely considered to limit the level of investment that a government can embark on, and Labour has squeezed plans for investment spending to meet the rule.
Conservative ministers believe that public debt is a burden on future generations. Most economists would disagree, arguing that if debt is used for investment, then the dividends to future generations outweigh the costs.
Housing
Labour has pledged to “rip up” planning rules that prevent developers from building new homes. It has questioned the preservation of green belt land around major conurbations, arguing that there are good reasons to build homes in areas that are currently protected.
Conservative ministers have subscribed to housebuilding targets but failed to meet them over the last decade.
Both parties rely on private sector developers to increase the supply of homes, offering a mix of subsidies and incentives to promote growth. However, private housebuilders are known to regulate supply to maintain high house values, leaving many millennials to pay much higher rent and mortgage costs than previous generations.
Education
Schools budgets are under pressure. A survey published by the Sutton Trust in April found that 46% of all schools in England were cutting back on support staff because of financial difficulties.
Labour will apply VAT to private schools, and schools will receive more money, although the amount is not specified. The shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has not ruled out increasing university fees and has refused to commit to extra funding for FE colleges. University fees are expected to rise if the Conservatives are re-elected.
The Conservatives have a childcare scheme that started in April and is supposed to ramp up over the next two years. But the National Audit Office recently revealed the Department for Education had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as “amber/red problematic”.
Labour is expected to continue the scheme, although the costs of private childcare have rocketed, and for many it is unaffordable despite the subsidy.
I remember 1992 so I live in perpetual fear of 6 million shy Tories turning up on election day. That said, it is surprising that the polls haven't narrowed yet. I expected some movement to the Tories.
Without a doubt a lot of the reform vote showing in polling will end up with the Tories as the campaign intensifies.
I reckon a nervy 12-14pt lead in the polls in the final days. That kind of assumes a standard Tory campaign though and I'm not sure Sunak has that in him.
Opinium tries to model the "don't knows" aka shy tories, but I get what you mean
It amazes me that the Tories have so high a vote. What would they have to do to lose these voters? Hard for them to feck things up more than thry have already. And how can anyone live with themselves aligning with Reform?
Labour are very far from perfect but still .....
And why aren't the Greens doing better?
I learnt a long time ago that my values and what I think is right or wrong does not entirely align with a huge chunk of the population.
Regarding the Greens: Because they're really incompetent at the national level and their grassroots attraction is all fart and no poo.
Fringe party with a history of some truly insane candidates.
However, FPTP tends to shape your vote towards the major parties if you are desperate for an actual change in government and/or throwing a vote away for protest voting. If you are in a Labour/Tory heavy seat FPTP would actually incentivise you to either vote for the major party in protest or stay home.
Preference voting gives leeway to preference minor parties because your vote will always matter down the line at some point. In Aus, Greens 1. and ALP 2. can boost minor party first preferences, but you know where the vote actually ends up.
"Read my lips" is pure partridge.
The problem is that if there would be just a few spaces, you know who would go there. The rich people. Free high education should be available to everyone and have the choice. And educate people about overeducating yourself
That will happen, but some of that vote will break to Reform too.
No-one should be happy with a 450 seat government. Regardless of the party.
What if rather than the public moving from Labour to the Tories, the public actually stays still and instead Labour move over to the Tories?
This was two hours ago:
Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper has claimed the issue with Diane Abbott over whether she can run in the upcoming general election has been “resolved” after days of back and forth.
Asked on Sky News whether she expects Ms Abbott to be the Labour candidate for Hackney and Stoke Newington after a row over whether this would be permitted, the shadow home secretary said: “I assume so. Yes.
“I mean, I’m very glad it’s been resolved for Diane. She continues to be a very important figure in the Labour Party.”
Cheers. I’m guessing the tweet I posted is someone leaking news against Starmer. The labour right only know about attacking. Just because they’ve finished with the left of the party doesn’t mean they will stop imo.
I'm all for training British people to do jobs but will that bring immigration down? Why they hang these albatrosses round their necks I'll never know. They didn't even need to make any promises, just say they have a policy designed to get British people into better, more skilled jobs. There doesn't need to be a negative associated with that.
That's a bit of spin from Kier because immigration numbers will come down regardless of who wins due to the recent changes to sponsor visas that took effect in March.
- The baseline minimum salary to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa has increased from £26,200 to £38,700
- The minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa has risen from £18,600 to to £29,000
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It would also be sensible to remove foreign student numbers from the immigration figures.
Sorry - I wasn't trying to contradict the tweet. I think the Times story is believable. I wouldn't bet against the public backing of Abbott whilst trying to get her to voluntarily resign.
Yeah agree.
Yes, it's unhelpful.
Frankly the sooner the argument is back to being made for the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism the better, but first port of call is being in power as right wing media sets the narrative for now
I did try to find out but it does seem like a politician pretending to be standing for other parties.
There is some tiny small print in the corner of the ads that says he is a MP for the conservatives party. Guessing it’s a attempt at a joke. Very bizarre and stupid joke.
Thanks for this.
Oh I didn’t think you were. It must be chaos in Labour HQ at the moment due to the Abbott stance. They are probably trying a million different stances.
The crazy thing is the Labour Left would hardly kicked up a fuss in a Labour government. It so self inflicted from Starmer.
Election fraud claims being reviewed by police
Police are reviewing claims of election fraud they have received relating to "concerns around marketing material".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1eewd5xgjgo
Ends in an apology to the Tory.
But a number of leftwing MPs told the Sunday Times that offers were made for them to give up their seats. Abbott was widely expected by Labour MPs to announce her retirement and be given a peerage, until a Labour source briefed last week that she would be banned from standing and Abbott said she still intended to fight to be a candidate.
After a row which dominated last week’s election cycle, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said Abbott was free to stand as a Labour candidate. But Chakrabarti, Labour’s former shadow attorney general, said her friend was taking a few days to consider her options before Tuesday’s meeting of the national executive committee to finally rubber stamp all the candidates.
Labour has announced a flurry of candidates in safe seats who are close allies of the Labour leader and been instrumental in overhauling the party since Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
They include six members of Labour’s national executive committee – the body responsible for vetting and approving candidates – including the committee’s chair, James Asser in West Ham and Beckton, and Luke Akehurst in North Durham, a key organiser in Labour to Win, which organises support to maintain centrist influence in constituencies and in conference votes.
Others who have been key to Starmer’s project have been given candidacies in safe seats, including Josh Simons, who is the director of Labour Together, the thinktank behind Starmer’s leadership bid, Alex Barros-Curtis, Labour’s head of legal who was key to the expulsion of Corbyn and a number of legal battles with former staff, and the Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell in Swansea West.
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...abour-allegedly-entices-leftwing-mps-to-leave
After a row which dominated last week’s election cycle, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said Abbott was free to stand as a Labour candidate. But Chakrabarti, Labour’s former shadow attorney general, said her friend was taking a few days to consider her options before Tuesday’s meeting of the national executive committee to finally rubber stamp all the candidates.
Labour has announced a flurry of candidates in safe seats who are close allies of the Labour leader and been instrumental in overhauling the party since Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
They include six members of Labour’s national executive committee – the body responsible for vetting and approving candidates – including the committee’s chair, James Asser in West Ham and Beckton, and Luke Akehurst in North Durham, a key organiser in Labour to Win, which organises support to maintain centrist influence in constituencies and in conference votes.
Others who have been key to Starmer’s project have been given candidacies in safe seats, including Josh Simons, who is the director of Labour Together, the thinktank behind Starmer’s leadership bid, Alex Barros-Curtis, Labour’s head of legal who was key to the expulsion of Corbyn and a number of legal battles with former staff, and the Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell in Swansea West.
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...abour-allegedly-entices-leftwing-mps-to-leave
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