The I cant believe it’s not politics thread.

[Patrick]

38 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Would agree that Sunak is the only one who to say anything remotely sensible at this point. Anybody advocating for corporation tax cuts during the current cost of living crisis is evil imo. 
 

Also Shapps doesn’t seem too bad compared to the rest. Tugenhadt is a nutter even though he’s apparently a ‘centrist’. 

Shapps is a former online fraudster, the guy shouldn't even be allowed to be an MP.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/15/grant-shapps-admits-he-had-second-job-as-millioniare-web-marketer-while-mp

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2015/mar/16/grant-shapps-business-mp-conservative-chairman-michael-green

[Bellend Sebastian]

11 minutes ago, pSinatra said:

 Had pretty much the same conversation with my old girl. I make a point of not mentioning politics as that usually ends up with me grabbing my car keys & clearing off.

 

She said "what about Boris then?". I said, "you voted for them". Her justification was something about getting Brexit done. A woman who just about has a stroke every time she's in Asda.  How everyone speaks in a foreign language, ignorant of the fact that it has zero impact on her life in any way.

 

"How's Brexit working out for you then?"  She offered Covid as a reason why it's gone completely tits up. You mean the "perfect get out of jail free card & he still managed to fvck everything up".

 

Where's my car keys?

I feel your pain.

 

The political and media establishment's ability to get folk absolutely frothing at the mouth about things that probably wouldn't cross their mind otherwise, and oddly sanguine about things that directly affect them is quite impressive really

[Fazzer 7]

I think it’ll end up between Mordaunt and Sunak. My money is on Mordaunt. That may change if what was mentioned this lunchtime,turns into reality, which was that the final vote may not be opened up to the 180k Tory membership. If that were to happen it surely smacks of corruption, no surprises there then and Sunak gets it. 

[Daggers]

[Daggers]

 

[Guest Kopfkino]

On 07/07/2022 at 22:47, Kopfkino said:

I wonder if the leadership election might uncover someone that actually has something interesting to say and whether there might be any actual ideas to discuss. I don’t hold out hope looking at the intellectual wet wipes likely to be involved.

 

Since Corbyn and McDonnell ****ed off there’s nobody prominent in British politics who actually has anything to say, no big picture ideas people. Just psychodrama and people pointing at psychodrama and getting really angry. 
 

It’s why Macron is good. People might not like him but he’s about the only major leader that has anything to actually say.
 

Just give me a world of Wilson, Thatcher, Brown, people who actually had something to say and project some big picture ideas.

There’s absolutely zero chance of it is there?

 

Early days but they’re all too busy drivelling on about tax cuts apart from the bloke who has actually had a handle on the treasury for the last 2 years. But then he’s got absolutely no ideas or seemingly anything else to say anyway - just continuity Osborne, albeit the only one who is at least being honest

 

Dont even know why they’re all banging on about tax cuts. The people that will decide are all 70 and paying no tax anyway. Just tell them you’ll ban all housebuilding and will plant a few trees and you’ve won ffs.

 

Sure Starmer just has to sit in cruise control rn but he’s had two significant speeches in a week and said the square root of naff all. 
 

 

Edited 11 July 2022 by Kopfkino

[Guest]

They should decide it with a Tory Power Stance contest, whichever candidate can plant their feet the widest without losing their balance and falling over wins

[fox_up_north]

Something I would dearly love to see educated and accepted in this country: it's ok to be wrong and to make mistakes but it's how you learn from them and respond.

 

If you voted for X and it hasn't worked out, it's ok to say that. If you believed in Y and it turns out it's not particularly acceptable, it's ok to admit that.

 

After leaving Leicester, I grew up in rural Lincolnshire for a bit and developed some beliefs in how the country should be run that only reflected what I experienced through rural, white viewpoints. It was when I moved to a more northern, urban area that I saw all sorts of things which showed my previous viewpoints didn't quite add up.

 

This goes for both sides, by the way. 

[BenTheFox]

I've seen avid Corbyn supporters being rather bitter towards Starmer for pledging to scrap charitable status for private schools because it's a 'Corbyn policy'. He can't win with some of them, can he? Surely they should just be happy that he is pledging something that they supposedly support? It really doesn't do their claims of not being some sort of cult many favours. 

Edited 11 July 2022 by BenTheFox

[Foxdiamond]

I see Johnson is likely to handout gongs to the likes of Dorries. I know these honours lists are not new but just reiterates what a carve up this country allows. Rewards for nothing more than bootlicking the PM. 

[StanSP]

Still not as many leaks as the Tory Party give out

 

[yorkie1999]

Odd how all the PM candidates are promising tax cuts. 

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Kopfkino said:

There’s absolutely zero chance of it is there?

 

Early days but they’re all too busy drivelling on about tax cuts apart from the bloke who has actually had a handle on the treasury for the last 2 years. But then he’s got absolutely no ideas or seemingly anything else to say anyway - just continuity Osborne, albeit the only one who is at least being honest

 

Dont even know why they’re all banging on about tax cuts. The people that will decide are all 70 and paying no tax anyway. Just tell them you’ll ban all housebuilding and will plant a few trees and you’ve won ffs.

 

Sure Starmer just has to sit in cruise control rn but he’s had two significant speeches in a week and said the square root of naff all. 
 

 

 

He announced two policies today as far as I could see? The tax on private schools, and plans to recruit 8,500 mental health professionals by closing a tax loophole on private equity.

 

Apologies if they've been announced before, I've certainly not seen them.

[Corky]

7 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

If you're wondering why the Tory leadership candidates are going on about 'wokeism' or whatever they call it, when we touched on the leadership contest during a quick catch up with my mum, she excitedly noted that one of the candidates, who she couldn't name, was 'going to sort out all that woke rubbish' and would therefore 'get my vote'.

 

Needless to say, the extent that 'woke issues' affect my mother on a day to day basis is questionable, but through her choice of media she is now convinced that this is pretty much the most important challenge we face in 2022 and it needs to be tackled head on.

 

I simply wrapped up the conversation and went and got myself a can

 

 

 

It is a trivial issue nobody really cares about but it can act as a disguise for doing sod all about important matters.

[Daggers]

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, BenTheFox said:

I've seen avid Corbyn supporters being rather bitter towards Starmer for <anything>

It’s a cult.

[Captain...]

6 hours ago, Fazzer 7 said:

Net zero in this country needs tweaking. You can’t escape the fact that in terms of emissions we’re one of the smallest contributors. Yet it seems we’re taking more extreme measures than most, whilst the biggest players carry on with business pretty much as normal. 

Exactly and why should I pick up my dog's shit? It's only a little dog. There's a Chinese family down round with a massive Saint Bernard leaving giant turds everywhere so why should I pick my bulldog's little curlers? 

[NasPb]

Got a chuckle out of this

 

[Foxdiamond]

19 hours ago, Dunge said:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/10/conservative-leadership-candidates-the-runners-and-riders-in-full
 

Based on this, I’d have to agree. She looks terrible.

I see Braverman wants to attack welfare. A nice soft target the loony right of the party will love

 

 

 

[kenny]

6 hours ago, Lionator said:

Would agree that Sunak is the only one who to say anything remotely sensible at this point. Anybody advocating for corporation tax cuts during the current cost of living crisis is evil imo. 
 

Also Shapps doesn’t seem too bad compared to the rest. Tugenhadt is a nutter even though he’s apparently a ‘centrist’. 

The corporation tax cuts will be aimed at the average SME which won't be taking it in at all. I suspect we will see many go out of business in the next 12 months and they will need support.

 

A school of thought  is that you only pay tax on the profits, if there are none, it doesn't matter what the rate is. Might as well put it up to 30%.

 

[kenny]

6 hours ago, leicsmac said:

With respect, this is a red herring for two key reasons.

 

The first is one that Dunge and Kenny have elaborated on above.

 

The second (more important one imo) is that the effects of climate change are hardly likely to respect national borders and so even if the "biggest players" are "carrying on as normal" (which they're not, can supply evidence for this if needed), not taking these "extreme" measures and engaging them in a communal race to the bottom is hardly a great strategy.

 

The effects are coming for everyone on Earth - whether they choose to be an ostrich about it (thanks Big Nige) or not. The more everyone does, as little as it may be, the better chance we might have as a species.

 

Can you unpack this a little bit, if you have the time and inclination?

I'm of the opinion that we live in a global, consumerist society that will not accept any reduction in living standards.

 

We can improve the greeness of what we do, but in practice its buying crap we don't need, that's designed to be thrown away and doing things we don't need to do that's the crux of it.

 

We can slow the rate that carbon is produced but I doubt we can reverse what is happening. We also can't stop the global population increasing.

[Lionator]

Labour FIFTEEN points ahead in the polls.

 

Owen Jones: https://twitter.com/owenjones84/status/1546536866459140097?s=21&t=RFrbxlvp_8LekPcNTkxMeQ

[TamworthFoxes]

2 hours ago, Captain... said:

Exactly and why should I pick up my dog's shit? It's only a little dog. There's a Chinese family down round with a massive Saint Bernard leaving giant turds everywhere so why should I pick my bulldog's little curlers? 

Exactly mate, I totally agree. I never pick up my dogs shit either. I bend down and pretend I might if someone else is around but as soon as they have gone I walk away fast. I thought I was the only one. 👍👍

[urban.spaceman]

14 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Labour FIFTEEN points ahead in the polls.

 

Owen Jones: https://twitter.com/owenjones84/status/1546536866459140097?s=21&t=RFrbxlvp_8LekPcNTkxMeQ

The comments on there are truly amazing. The way they cling so strongly onto 2017 as if it was some sort of masterstroke by Corbyn - he still ****ing lost. And then lost again really, really ****ing badly.

 

They especially couldn't cope with this reply:

 

 

 

[fox_up_north]

Oh god, that guy really is a moron. The party YOU want to win is ahead, by a considerable distance. 

 

Britain is not, and never had been, a left of centre nation. Not saying whether that's a good or bad thing but what it means is that policies that, on paper, appear "left" won't win. Stick "decriminalise drugs" on a manifesto and you'll hand it to the other parties. But put "tackle drugs with harsh sentences for dealers and support to get people off drugs" down there, you've got yourself a winner.