Westminster Politics

Yeah but covid was unprecedented and we needed to act swiftly to ensure we were all protected which is why we couldn't tender as usual.

The swift action of Boris and the lads ensured that we could guaranteed PPE for the UK in a very competitive market and we should be thankful that the tories and their close contacts were able to help support the nation.

Plus let's not forget that we had the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe. What an achievement! Without that we wouldn't be where we are today.

Rather than cynically focus on dodgy ppe we should be focusing on the good ppe. And let's not forget all the man hours which went into clapping key workers. You don't catch me striking to get a rebate for the time I spent clapping. People need to be more positive.

/s

It was certainly an unprecedented opportunity to rob people blind. Biggest theft from taxpayers that we'll probably ever see. And not a single person behind bars for it.
 
This must be a parody. Your first paragraph shows that you are far, far closer to being a Tory voter than I ever will be.

The whole system needs tearing down and rebuilding and I refuse to vote for an establishment stooge who is only advocating for more of the same.

I am not a Tory voter because I will dig out my ID and head to the polls to put Labour in the polling box.

You are a Tory apologizer because you are accusing a Labour leader of threatening to become the face of Toryism for which you will actively vote in the Tories (by not voting) so as to stop that nasty Labour man from becoming a Tory. :wenger:
 
I don't think this is the answer. At the upcoming locals, I'll be voting Green. I expect Labour will get in where I am in Manchester, they almost always do, but I'll be writing to my MP to explain why I can't currently vote for Labour. Will it make a difference? Almost certainly not, but it's better to try and do something about the situation we're in than completely abstaining.
My consistency elected the greens last time and its been an unmitigated disaster, during a cost of living crisis the idiots spent £1,000,000 + on trees in planters throughout hightown, and put them in a bunch of the few existing parking spaces, and another £1,000,000 on 500 yards of cycle lane that goes the wrong way up a one way street, and just spits out into traffic at both ends
 
My consistency elected the greens last time and its been an unmitigated disaster, during a cost of living crisis the idiots spent £1,000,000 + on trees in planters throughout hightown, and put them in a bunch of the few existing parking spaces, and another £1,000,000 on 500 yards of cycle lane that goes the wrong way up a one way street, and just spits out into traffic at both ends
:lol:
 
that goes the wrong way up a one way street,
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Tuesday 18 April 2023 - JOINT PRESS RELEASE by Éditions La Fabrique (Paris) and Verso Books (London)


We are writing this press release to protest at the scandalous treatment of the French citizen Mr. Ernest Moret, foreign rights manager for the French publisher Editions La Fabrique and the [well known science fiction] author Alain Damasio (Editions La Volte).


Ernest Moret came to London yesterday evening 17 April by Eurostar for the London Book Fair, which takes place at Olympia over 3 days from 18-20 April. Ernest had over thirty appointments planned with foreign publishers and had a return ticket to Paris for Friday 21 April. He is invited to the reception this evening at the French Institute at which the French Ambassador will be present.


On arrival at St Pancras Station, Ernest was pulled aside by police officers acting under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and detained for questioning without a lawyer present, allegedly to determine whether he was engaged in terrorist acts or in possession of material for use in terrorism.


The police officers claimed that Ernest had participated in demonstrations in France as a justification for this act - a quite remarkably inappropriate statement for a British police officer to make and which seems to clearly indicate complicity between French and British authorities on this matter.


It was demanded that he give up his phone and pass codes to the officers, with no justification or explanation offered. This morning, Ernest was formally arrested and transferred to a police station, accused of obstruction because of his refusal to give up his pass codes. He remains in police custody.


We consider these actions to be outrageous and unjustifiable infringements of basic principles of the freedom of expression and an example of the abuse of anti-terrorism laws.


We consider that this assault on the freedom of expression of a publisher is yet another manifestation of the slide towards repressive and authoritarian measures taken by the current French government in the face of widespread popular discontent and protest. It is crucial for all defenders of basic democratic values to express in the strongest terms that we find this intolerable and outrageous.


There will be a protest at the French Institute in London at 7pm. We call on the French Ambassador, Helene Duchene, to request Ernest’s immediate release. There will also be a simultaneous protest at the British Embassy in Paris

https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/bl...ions-la-fabrique-paris-and-verso-books-london

British justice in action.
 
That anyone can believe that Labour don’t have policy and direction to make things better… is evidence of the right wing press (ie everything bar one or two publications) suggesting as much.

Labour stated policy and targeted doctrine is still left of Blair and Brown. It’s not even close either.
The fact that anyone can believe a word Starmer says after he back tracked on his leadership pledges is evidence of naivety.
 
A shop was ransacked during riots, someone decided to walk in to it and take goods.

They were prosecuted because a crime had been committed, both theft and burglary carry sentences that can go over 16 months. A Home Office decision on immigration is separate to the CPS.

Of course the book on Starmer would also have pointed out details leading to sentencing in order to not mislead:

"Anderson Fernandes He is aged 21 and pleaded Guilty to Burglary at the bakery, Patiserrie Valerie. He had been in the Manchester to attend a hearing at the Magistrates’ Court and stayed in the city

4centre when he saw the disorder developing. He found himself in St Annes’s Square and went into the bakery which had been broken into by others. He helped himself to an ice cream and thought about handing out cones to the crowd. He also pleaded Guilty to Handling a Dyson vacuum cleaner which was found still in its box at his home. This is unrelated to the current disorder. He has previous convictions, Violent Disorder in April 2009 for which he received a Community Order which he breached in July 2009. Common Assault and Assault S47 in February 2010 for which he received another Community Order which he breached in May

2010. The offence itself is at the lower end of the range in terms of gravity but his position is aggravated by his previous convictions. I can find no reason to go below the 2 year starting point in his case. The appropriate sentence therefore is 16 months for the offence of burglary. There will be a concurrent sentence of 3 months for the offence of handling the vacuum cleaner.''

But of course "Starmer got him deported for a lick of ice cream that he then gave away."
Nothing to do with a history of violent convictions and non-compliance with non custodial sentences, as well as thinking to loot right after attending court about another offence.
 
Fair enough if that's how you want to look at it but you can't blame me for being slightly worried that a man who pushed for tougher sentences for trivial offences is potentially going to be PM in a country where protesting is illegal.

The fact you consider looting a trivial offence following mass national disorder is more worrying.
 
I don't really see how anyone can argue that the BBC isn't a propaganda arm for the Tories when the leading headline on the BBC News app is literally them quoting an attack line from a Conservative Party press release almost unedited. It's absolutely blatant.
 
My consistency elected the greens last time and its been an unmitigated disaster, during a cost of living crisis the idiots spent £1,000,000 + on trees in planters throughout hightown, and put them in a bunch of the few existing parking spaces, and another £1,000,000 on 500 yards of cycle lane that goes the wrong way up a one way street, and just spits out into traffic at both ends

That doesn't sound dissimilar to how Labour have managed the city centre to be fair, in fact some of those examples are exactly the same... see Northern Quarter cycle lanes for details. No way the Greens get in here, I'd rather just give a vote elsewhere than not vote at all.
 
The fact you consider looting a trivial offence following mass national disorder is more worrying.

Particularly when he left out the fact that the offender had a history of offences including violent disorder, ABH, common assault and handling stolen goods while also not complying with non-custodial sentences.
 
Not seen that comparison before. Honestly Sunak comes across as more polished than Starmer. I can see why his personal ratings are so much higher than the Tories. Shades of John Major in 1992?
Agree. For all their reactionary little Englander stuff, Sunak reminds me of more a US democrat than anything in the current Tory Party(He did spend a good amount of time in the America).

Will be interesting to see what happens during election campaigning and tv interviews/debates. Tbh even putting aside Starmer shift in politics just on a pure presentation level Starmer has got worse since 2019.
 
Agree. For all their reactionary little Englander stuff, Sunak reminds me of more a US democrat than anything in the current Tory Party(He did spend a good amount of time in the America).

Will be interesting to see what happens during election campaigning and tv interviews/debates. Tbh even putting aside Starmer shift in politics just on a pure presentation level Starmer has got worse since 2019.
It's bad when Sunak is seen is a charisma void post-Johnson, but still has more charisma and charm than Starmer.
 
Good ol brexit, imagine screwing yourself over with cost of living because you don't like dark skined foreigners...

Actions have consequences, you need to feel the pain to avoid repeated mistakes. The (largely white, and some dickheaded brown :rolleyes: ) pensioners that voted for this will now not be eating well.

Darwinism.
 
I had never seen the Suella Braverman video until now. Fecking outrageous comment. If I said something like that, I would be sacked on the spot and rightfully so.
I am boiling. :mad:

 
You guys see the latest inflation data? We deserve this pain.

Still over 10% in the UK while it’s under 7% in the eurozone. What’s the difference? It’s an obvious question to put to Hunt or Sunak as they can’t blame the war in Ukraine or Covid.
 
You guys see the latest inflation data? We deserve this pain.
The crazy thing about it is that inflation should be taking care of itself. Inflation being the measurement of price growth rather than the measurement of price itself - nobody expects things to get cheaper - that would be deflation but Sunak had been counting on inflation to burn out naturally, because that’s what it does - only apparently it’s not.
 
Still over 10% in the UK while it’s under 7% in the eurozone. What’s the difference? It’s an obvious question to put to Hunt or Sunak as they can’t blame the war in Ukraine or Covid.
Yet they still will as well as people asking for wage rises.
 
Is Lindsay Hoyle the worst speaker that the house has ever had?

There's been alot of talk in recent years about how there is a clear lack of respect and dignity in the commons these days and it's no coincidence that it coincides with Lindsay Hoyles reign.

Just catching up on PMQ again today and the house is out of control as usual and Lindsay sits there laughing alongside the tory bench.

Warning after warning comes but he never does shit. Makes my blood boil watching PMQs.

Starmer performed well today in my opinion.
 
Is Lindsay Hoyle the worst speaker that the house has ever had?

There's been alot of talk in recent years about how there is a clear lack of respect and dignity in the commons these days and it's no coincidence that it coincides with Lindsay Hoyles reign.

Just catching up on PMQ again today and the house is out of control as usual and Lindsay sits there laughing alongside the tory bench.

Warning after warning comes but he never does shit. Makes my blood boil watching PMQs.

Starmer performed well today in my opinion.

I think someone is itching to get the teas in! Keep that up, Mr Hatchetman, and I'll be requesting some biscuits as well!

Prime Minister!
 
Is Lindsay Hoyle the worst speaker that the house has ever had?

There's been alot of talk in recent years about how there is a clear lack of respect and dignity in the commons these days and it's no coincidence that it coincides with Lindsay Hoyles reign.

Just catching up on PMQ again today and the house is out of control as usual and Lindsay sits there laughing alongside the tory bench.

Warning after warning comes but he never does shit. Makes my blood boil watching PMQs.

Starmer performed well today in my opinion.

He's absolutely spineless, but tbf before this current crop of tories, politicians in this country at least respected convention and the like. So it's hard to compare him to past speakers apart from Bercow really who had a very different way of handling it. Our lack of a written constitution means that people who ignore tradition and convention can get away with an awful lot with a parliamentary majority
 
Hoyle is interested in one thing and one thing only and that’s a nice seat in the House of Lords when he retires. He has absolutely zero motivation to upset those that have the power to put him in that position.