UK Politics Thread part II

[Jimbuna]

I'm all for giving her a chance and hopefully she will do better than that of Germany's 'efforts' for their citizens.

Soaring household bills look set to be subsidised by energy companies using government-backed loans.

It's thought the government plans to freeze household bills at their current level for roughly 18 months.

Small business are also expected to be offered some relief in the plan set to be announced on Thursday.

Incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss used her victory speech on Monday to pledge to "deliver on the energy crisis" - with a price freeze widely expected.

Energy bills are rocketing and the cap on prices will go up on 1 October, meaning a typical British household is set to pay £3,549 a year on gas and electricity.

Energy bosses have insisted for some time that a government-backed superfund from which they could borrow to subsidise bills "is the only game in town".

Under such a plan, the government would guarantee loans to energy companies that would be used to freeze or at least lower bills this winter and beyond. These loans would be repaid from bills over the next 10 to 20 years.

Scottish Power has said that freezing all bills at the current price cap of £1,971 for two years would cost nearly £100bn.

However, Dermot Nolan, former chief executive of energy regulator Ofgem, warned that this estimate could be "conservative", and also questioned how much it would benefit the most vulnerable.

"This kind of price freeze means that a multimillionaire will get exactly the same level of protection as everybody else," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I hope that at the very least the £400 that is currently being given to more vulnerable people is kept, and hopefully extended," he added.

He said there were a number of questions about what a price freeze would mean in practice, including how long the support would last, and whether it would mean higher energy bills over time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62801913

[Jimbuna]

One alternative.....Heaven help us.

[Jimbuna]

Two in the same day.

[Skybird]

She must govern against her party, and against her people, and against the EU.

Her party still favours Johnson, massively. Her people, I read only 13% would vote for her, she would loose against Starmer. She is expected and demanded to attack the EU agreements, but if she does that, the UK gets what it in no way currently is fit for: a trade war, and that after corona, war, inflation, energy prices. A killer crisis.

That all is so self-contradictory, I cannot see her to succeed.

If she becomes a turncoat again and appeases the EU (,mind you, orogoinally she was a remainer), her party will hate her. If she sticks with her promises and goes against the EU, she will crush the UK.

We will never know if and how Brexit would have worked out if these many crisis would not have coincided with it. But now all these crisis are there, and Brexit in the midst of it. "Women and children first."

And there is potential for more conflict with the EU. The UK is a country with many household boilers and gas heaters, and a big consumer of gas. And while it has quite some natural gas and imports lots of LNG, it has little reserve storage facilities, and so depends desperately on a constant flow of incoming/newly produced gas, its storage capacity is 13 times smaller than that of Germany. Its likely that in winter the UK will and need to cut the supplies it exports to Europe via pipelines to Belgium and Holland, therefore. And that will not be appreciated in Brussels and countries on the continent. I see the conflict as inevitable.


(Germany has the by far biggest storage capacity in all Europe, but even if these are filled up, that gas would not bring us over the winter - it still needs constant imports of gas).

[mapuc]

And the Labour party weren't "On the side of oil and gas companies" When they had to key to number 10 ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

She must govern against her party, and against her people, and against the EU.

Her party still favours Johnson, massively. Her people, I read only 13% would vote for her, she would loose against Starmer. She is expected and demanded to attack the EU agreements, but if she does that, the UK gets what it in no way currently is fit for: a trade war, and that after corona, war, inflation, energy prices. A killer crisis.

That all is so self-contradictory, I cannot see her to succeed.

If she becomes a turncoat again and appeases the EU (,mind you, orogoinally she was a remainer), her party will hate her. If she sticks with her promises and goes against the EU, she will crush the UK.

We will never know if and how Brexit would have worked out if these many crisis would not have coincided with it. But now all these crisis are there, and Brexit in the midst of it. "Women and children first."

Tis often called 'Caught between a rock and a hard place'

[Jimbuna]

Same show, different clown.

[Catfish]

^ love the blue sign .. russian money and laundering it is safe in Switzerland and London

You wrote "Give her a chance", ok and what else can you and we do?
And if she screws it up exactly what will happen? Nothing.
Honestly after some of her speeches and what was written i think she is not quite right in her head.
The dialogue/interview with Sunak was such a clear win for Sunak that I do not understand the outcome of the vote.
(But then of course i understand, it always is about donations and advantages given to those really in charge).

Yes yes, a chance, maybe she will disprove the critics. I hope so, we could all need it, even the rest of Europe and the EU.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

^ love the blue sign .. russian money and laundering it is safe in Switzerland and London

You wrote "Give her a chance", ok and what else can you and we do?
And if she screws it up exactly what will happen? Nothing.
Honestly after some of her speeches and what was written i think she is not quite right in her head.
The dialogue/interview with Sunak was such a clear win for Sunak that I do not understand the outcome of the vote.
(But then of course i understand, it always is about donations and advantages given to those really in charge).

Yes yes, a chance, maybe she will disprove the critics. I hope so, we could all need it, even the rest of Europe and the EU.

Totally agree Kai but what is the alternative?

[Skybird]

Same like in Germany. None of them all is suitable to lead a government or country.

I red a comparison between Thatcher and Truss somewhere today, after that it is clear to me that Truss does not even rank close to Thatcher. Thatcher was a rational and deep thinker, and she called surprisignly many people into her closest circle of advisors and cabinet who did not agree at all with her. She did so because she did not want servile Yes-sayers, but "opponents" asking her questiosn and giving her different views toi her own, that she then considered (and rejected mostly , but not for no reason). Truss does exactly the opposite , she only collects Yes-sayers and loyalists around her so far. I also have not heard anything from her that gave me the impression that she is an especially bright light. And certainly no rational deep thinker.

Give her a chance? Why not. In an endless universe anythign seems to be possible, so why not this.

I would not have had Sunak either btw. As I said: nobody suitable in sight, nowhere. Not in the UK, not in germany, not on EU level. All political cabinets seem to have been called up by Madame Tussaud these days.

[Jimbuna]

New cabinet: Who is in Liz Truss's top team?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62796077

[Jimbuna]

Liz Truss and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have clashed over how to fund energy bills support at her first Prime Minister's Questions.

Truss promised to help people with soaring energy bills, but ruled out a new windfall tax on energy producers.

But Sir Keir said "the money's got to come from somewhere" after Truss also pledged to cut taxes.

The PM has vowed to increase energy supply with more North Sea gas and nuclear energy stations.

Her government is set to announce a package of support with energy bills tomorrow and her cabinet discussed this during its first meeting this morning.

Truss has appointed the most diverse cabinet in history, with no white men in any of the top four jobs.

She has appointed Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor, James Cleverly as foreign secretary and Suella Braverman as home secretary.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced plans to cap average household energy bills at £2,500 a year from October.

The support will last for two years, she announces in the Commons, saying "this is the moment to be bold"

A typical household's gas and electricity bill had been due to rise from £1,971 to £3,549 in October.

Businesses are also getting a support package for six months which will provide "equivalent support"

After the six-month period, further support will be targeted at "vulnerable industries", Truss says.

The government is also lifting the ban on fracking - which involves extracting gas and oil from shale rock.

[mapuc]

It was wrong of me to post this on the day of the British Queen Elizabeth death

Markus