UK Politics Thread part II

[Jimbuna]

Even more so when there is no credible opposition waiting in the wings.

[Catfish]

Was told by a friend who just came back from Wales (lives in Germany now) that the price for one piece of butter is at 4,5 pounds ? This is ~ 5 Euro?!
Inflation here is also running high, but it is for a major part artificial, lots of companies raise prices and jump the train; there never was a better excuse for rip offs
And do not expect prices will fall back when the situation gets back to normal

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Catfish

And do not expect prices will fall back when the situation gets back to normal

Dont worry, the Bundesbank yesterday announced it expects (=hopes for) "normal inflation" again not before 2025.
According to Skybird they got promoted to the ranks of "optimist" for that.
And there never is something normal about inflation. Its always politically, artificially wanted, to do away with state debts made by politicians.

[Catfish]

State debts, wars and any "real" inflation reasons can be understood, what i HATE is all the companies jumping the bandwagon because everything is obviously made in Ukraine or China, from screws to butter. All good capitalism of course. F'n copycats and freeloaders!

I already posted this in the prepper thread:

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Was told by a friend who just came back from Wales (lives in Germany now) that the price for one piece of butter is at 4,5 pounds ? This is ~ 5 Euro?!
Inflation here is also running high, but it is for a major part artificial, lots of companies raise prices and jump the train; there never was a better excuse for rip offs
And do not expect prices will fall back when the situation gets back to normal

True that

[les green01]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

True that

sounds like you need to make your owned

[Jimbuna]

UK economy shrank more than previously thought

The UK economy shrank by more than first thought in the three months to September, revised figures show.

The economy contracted by 0.3%, compared with a previous estimate of 0.2%, as business investment performed worse than first thought, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Growth figures for the first half of 2022 have also been revised down.

The UK is forecast to fall into recession in the final three months of the year as soaring prices hit growth.

A country is considered to be in recession when its economy shrinks for two three-month periods - or quarters - in a row. Typically companies make less money, pay falls and unemployment rises, leaving the government with less money in tax to use on public services.

Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: "Our revised figures show the economy performed slightly less well over the last year than we previously estimated", with manufacturing "notably weaker".

He added that household incomes, when accounting for rising prices, continued to fall, and household spending "fell for the first time since the final Covid-19 lockdown in the spring of 2021".

The ONS said that gross domestic product (GDP) - the measure of the size of the economy - was now estimated to be 0.8% below where it was before the pandemic struck, downwardly revised from the previous estimate of 0.4% below.

The economy has been hit as surging energy and food prices push inflation - the rate at which prices rise - to its highest level in 40 years.

It means that consumers are spending less and businesses are cutting investment.

Along with its revision for the July-to-September period, the ONS said the economy also grew less than first estimated in the first half of the year - expanding by 0.6% in the first quarter and 0.1% in the second quarter.

The ONS has previously said growth stood at 0.7% and 0.2% in those quarters respectively.

It is not unusual for the ONS to revise its growth estimates. It produces a first estimate of GDP about 40 days after the quarter in question, at which point only about 60% of the data is available, so the figure is revised later as more information comes in.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64062548

[Skybird]

Some Scots weep, others fume!
https://www.dw.com/en/pricey-japanes...ree/a-64197281

[Jimbuna]

Whisky, can't stomach the stuff, far too harsh yet Irish I can put up with, far smoother in taste.

[Jimbuna]

Workers over 50 encouraged to end early retirement

The government is considering plans to coax retired middle-aged workers back into jobs to boost the economy.

Older people who have given up work could be offered what is being dubbed a "midlife MoT" to entice them back into employment, the Times reports.

The paper says the MoT would assess finances and opportunities for work.

It follows a recent House of Lords committee finding that a wave of early retirement following the pandemic has caused a huge labour shortage.

The report by the influential economic affairs committee examined the jump in economic inactivity - the number of people not in work or looking for work - and rising vacancies since 2020.

Economic inactivity has increased by 565,000 people since the start of the pandemic, according to the analysis.

The report highlighted retirement, increased sickness, changes to migration and the UK's aging population all contributed to the current tightness in the labour market.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64083802

Good luck with that, I jumped ship in 2010 but I'm happy to suggest those politicians who advocate this are quite welcome to finding second jobs.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Whisky, can't stomach the stuff, far too harsh yet Irish I can put up with, far smoother in taste.

So think I, with a few exceptions, though I have a malt just two or three times a year (tendency falling ) . Dalwhinny and Jameson being my favourites since years, both being of the milder branches and so I got one from Ireland and one from Scotland.

[Jimbuna]

For me it is Jameson or Bushmills.

[Jimbuna]

Putin's ally makes bizarre prediction UK will rejoin EU in 2023 only for bloc to collapse

The former Russian Prime Minister also predicted Elon Musk will become US President and Northern Ireland will separate from the rest of the UK.

Vladimir Putin's ally Dmitry Medvedev claimed the UK will rejoin the EU and soon after the bloc will collapse. In a series of tweets in which he made a number of bizarre predictions for 2023, the former Russian Prime Minister said he expects a Fourth Reich will be created with "Germany and its satellites, i.e., Poland, the Baltic states, Czechia, Slovakia, the Kiev Republic and other outcasts".

He added the above countries would then go into war with France.

He tweeted: "On the New Year’s Eve, everybody’s into making predictions

"Many come up with futuristic hypotheses, as if competing to single out the wildest, and even the most absurd ones.

"Here’s our humble contribution.

"What can happen in 2023: 1. Oil price will rise to $150 a barrel, and gas price will top $5.000 per 1.000 cubic meters

"2. The UK will rejoin the EU

"3. The EU will collapse after the UK’s return; Euro will drop out of use as the former EU currency

"4. Poland and Hungary will occupy western regions of the formerly existing Ukraine

"5. The Fourth Reich will be created, encompassing the territory of Germany and its satellites, i.e., Poland, the Baltic states, Czechia, Slovakia, the Kiev Republic, and other outcasts

"6. War will break out between France and the Fourth Reich. Europe will be divided, Poland repartitioned in the process

"7. Northern Ireland will separate from the UK and join the Republic of Ireland

"8. Civil war will break out in the US, California. and Texas becoming independent states as a result. Texas and Mexico will form an allied state. Elon Musk’ll win the presidential election in a number of states which, after the new Civil War’s end, will have been given to the GOP

"9. All the largest stock markets and financial activity will leave the US and Europe and move to Asia

"10. The Bretton Woods system of monetary management will collapse, leading to the IMF and World Bank crash. Euro and Dollar will stop circulating as the global reserve currencies. Digital fiat currencies will be actively used instead."

The deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council has been making apocalyptic predictions on the Ukraine war since Russia began its attack on Kyiv.

Earlier this month, Mr Medvedev said NATO allies could soon become "legitimate targets" of Russian forces.

According to him, during the conflict with Ukraine, issues of legal military purposes are interpreted differently. At the same time, there are "rules of conduct in times of war (jus in bello), which originate in sacred sources."

He listed the criteria of another nation's army which he believes would classify them as legitimate targets.

The first would be "any enemy troops (legal combatants and illegal combatants) that are not officially withdrawn from its armed forces."

They would also be: "Any military and auxiliary equipment of the enemy" and "any objects related to military infrastructure, as well as civilian infrastructure that contributes to the achievement of military goals."

The deputy head of the Security Council attributed bridges, transport stations, roads, energy facilities, factories and workshops, at least partially fulfilling military orders, to the last point.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...ions-elon-musk

[Jimbuna]

Scotland to be stripped of its army if Sturgeon's independence dream succeeds

Scotland would be stripped of its army if it became independent, a Scottish foreign policy expert has said, explaining that even Scottish divisions of the UK armed forces are owned by the Government in Westminster. Professor Azeem Ibrahim told Express.co.uk the armed forces would be automatically repatriated to the UK Government if Scotland became independent as, by law, they are "owned and controlled by Westminster".

Professor Ibrahim, Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, said Scotland would be forced to engage in negotiations over the armed forces, but would have no guarantees of ending up with Scottish divisions of the army.

Speaking to Express.co.uk about the Scottish army, the foreign policy expert said: "There is a bit of a misunderstanding that the Scottish divisions would be part of Scotland [after independence].

"The reality is that everything - the entire security establishment, the military intelligence, everything - by law is owned and controlled by Westminster.

"Anything Scotland gets would be subject to negotiations.

"In practice, everything is controlled by Westminster, which is controlled by the UK Government. What Scotland gets will be down to negotiations."

But while Scottish independence would have a detrimental impact on Scottish security according to Professor Ibrahim, the UK Government last week warned that independence could have a negative impact on the UK's security as a whole.

Last week, the Scottish Affairs Committee opened up an inquiry into Scotland's role in UK defence of the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

Pete Wishart, chair of the committee, said Scotland is "the heart of the UK's military capabilities", raising questions for what would happen if the devolved nation were to break away from the UK.

He said that the security of the North Atlantic and the surrounding countries "has never been so important in modern times".

The "mini-inquiry" will identify what the UK Government can do to further bolster North Atlantic and Arctic defence capabilities in Scotland, while the Scottish Affairs Committee will examine Scotland's role in the UK Government's Arctic Strategy, which was published in March 2022.

Mr Wishart said: "From the navy to the RAF, Scotland is the heart of the UK's military capabilities.

"As the world is exposed to increased geopolitical tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the security of the North Atlantic and the surrounding countries has never been so important in modern times.

"The UK Government's Arctic Strategy, published earlier this year, recognises this and outlines how the UK is operating in new ways to adapt to any threats.

"Our Committee will be examining the role that Scottish-based defence capabilities will play in this changing landscape, and how the Arctic Strategy is being delivered in Scotland."

Professor Ibrahim said Scotland plays "an absolutely integral part of the security apparatus of the UK".

But he questioned whether it would be able to "maintain the same level of defence as it currently enjoys" if it were to become independent.

Last year, defence expert John Gower claimed that Trident may be forced overseas or halted if Scotland gains independence because key Trident assets - such as the Faslane submarine base, the warhead loading site at Coulport, and nearby testing ranges - are all located in Scotland or Scottish waters.

Mr Gower, a rear admiral at the time of the 2014 independence referendum, concluded in a European Leadership Network paper: "A Scottish secession would therefore generate fundamental operational and fiscal issues for the UK's nuclear deterrent."

The SNP and the Ministry of Defence have been contacted for comment.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...6f730ca3af240b

[Jimbuna]

Knighthoods for MPs who caused Boris Johnson headaches

Two MPs who caused trouble for ex-PM Boris Johnson have received knighthoods in the New Year Honours list.

Labour's Chris Bryant and Conservative Julian Lewis, who chair the standards and intelligence committees respectively, have both been honoured.

Sir Tom Scholar, the top Treasury civil servant sacked by former PM Liz Truss, becomes a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

Ex-minister and COP26 president Alok Sharma also receives a knighthood.

Sir Alok led the UK's efforts to secure a deal at last year's climate conference in Glasgow.

Another former Conservative minister, Andrew Stephenson, is made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

And there is an OBE for former sport minister Helen Grant, the Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald.

Sir Chris said he was "very shocked" by his knighthood.

"I have no idea how this comes about," he added.

The MP has represented the Rhondda constituency in Wales since 2001.

As chair of the Committee on Standards, he led the cross-party group of MPs who recommended suspending Conservative Owen Paterson from the House of Commons for 30 days after the MP was found to have breached lobbying rules.

The government's botched effort to help Mr Paterson avoid the punishment is widely seen as the first in a string of scandals that eventually led to Mr Johnson's resignation.

At the time Sir Chris was fiercely critical of the government, describing attempts to change the rules governing MPs' behaviour as "the very definition of injustice".

He also attacked the government over Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street, saying No 10 had become "a cesspit, full of arrogant, entitled narcissists".

Sir Chris told PA News he was "surprised" to be receiving a knighthood and said it was an honour for the whole of the Committee on Standards.

"Everybody told me that the Standards Committee would be a quiet backwater," he said.

"It hasn't felt like that. I try, as does the whole committee, to set party allegiance to one side.

"Obviously the Owen Paterson moment threw a massive boulder in the middle of an icy pond but I hope the new code of conduct we agreed just before Christmas will set Parliament back on the straight and narrow."

He added that he hoped the honour would help highlight his work on acquired brain injury.

Sir Julian has represented New Forest East in Hampshire since 1997 and during his time in Parliament has served as a shadow minister and chair of the defence committee.

He was kicked out of the Conservative parliamentary party in July 2020 after successfully standing against another Tory MP, Chris Grayling, to lead the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Mr Grayling was believed to be Mr Johnson's preferred candidate but the other MPs, concerned the committee's independence could be undermined, voted for Sir Julian instead.

Sir Julian was re-admitted into the party six months later.

As committee chair, he published a long-anticipated report into Russian activity in the UK, which accused the government of "badly" underestimating the Russian threat.

The honour for Sir Tom Scholar comes just three months after he was fired as the top-ranking Treasury civil servant by Liz Truss.

During her leadership campaign Ms Truss had been critical of the Treasury, saying it was not sufficiently focused on boosting growth.

Sir Tom's sacking was seen as proof of Ms Truss's determination to change what she called the "Treasury orthodoxy".

Elsewhere, the senior civil servant at the Home Office, Matthew Rycroft, receives a knighthood and Lord Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary, is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Damehoods have been awarded to the UK's ambassadors in Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, and Russia, Deborah Bronnert.

Helen Grant, Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald and a former vice chair of the Conservative Party, is made an OBE.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64126704