Youtube comments of David McCulloch (@davidmcculloch8490).

  1. This insight is chilling. What is even more chilling? The fact that other western world leaders behave like Netanyahu's puppets.
    1300
  2. Respect to the Jews who stand in support of Palestine. You are genuine human beings, worthy of your creed.
    794
  3. Tory Britain is not only broken, it is being dismantled piece by piece. Excused and enabled by the Tory media. All credit to Mick.
    766
  4. At least one of the wealthiest gave a Naz1 salute, showing the real nature of Trump and his oligarchs.
    689
  5. Follow the money and the trail gets dirty, while we are feeding at the trough. I'm disgusted by our country and our complicit politicians. Great reporting and research.
    668
  6. Piers Morgan: the empty vessel that makes most noise.
    636
  7. Two very enlightened and respectful people. I have never heard a conversation such as this with absolutely no interruptions. Both good listeners discussing a complex situation in a manner that escapes our power-crazed politicians. A great discussion.
    582
  8. Sunak: "she made a mistake." Integrity and professionalism says: she got found out and should face the consequences as mentioned by Ms Cooper.
    523
  9. Anyone who gets on the nerves of the idiots in government has my support. The worst government ever, aspiring to fascism and using the police for political ends. (Shades of Thatcher and the miners' strike)
    471
  10. Boris Johnson's first words: "you can trust me..." That's called a danger signal.
    419
  11. The NHS is probably the greatest example of an organisation suffering from tampering by politicians advised by business consultants. From the Salmon report to Lansley's obsession with outsourcing, resulting in longer waiting lists and a top-heavy management structure. [Politicians + business consultants = a fatal combination.]
    405
  12. Braverman shopping for a new constituency? How about Rwanda?
    403
  13. Grace's last book Stolen gives a massive clue to the main obstacle in dismantling neoliberalism. It's termed financialisation. Money is no longer used to fuel the real economy, but as a tool for speculation in the accumulation of wealth for the few.
    395
  14. Neither this government nor the Home Office are fit for purpose. Unless that purpose is to divide society for the benefit if their puppeteers.
    389
  15. The silence of the MSM is damning. They have no answer.
    377
  16. An inspirational young woman offering hope for the future. As an old guy I respect the young generation. My grandchildren inspire me. We should listen to them, work with them and support them.
    363
  17. Ultimate respect to Martin Lewis. Without his intervention, reported by James, how would we know of this level of corporate corruption? We have a governing party sponsored by business, supported by an oligarch media to complete a cosy club of the financial elite.
    354
  18. Mick is clear, concise and honest. Compare that with the obfuscation, evasion, downright lies and waffle from this government and ask who can I trust most? Enough is enough.
    344
  19. Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto is proving to have offered the best opportunity we missed. Next time, don't listen to our corrupt media.
    333
  20. Brexit is not done, but we have been done by brexit. That was always the intention of the chorus of liars.
    312
  21. Who would have thought that a serial liar and narcissist would do untold damage to the country? Why would we expect him to go gracefully?
    302
  22. The fact that this party takes sociopathy to a new level surprises me. The fact that many condone it amazes me.
    302
  23. Mick in full flow, as articulate, calm and reasoned as ever. If only business would work with unions, we would see an improvement in business efficiency, customer service and a stronger economy.
    291
  24. "Never trusted Labour" in managing the economy is voting by slogan. Labour has consistently borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories. Ask yourself a simple question: Have you been better off under Labour? For the many, the answer is a resounding Yes. Yet the Tories have consistently increased the national debt while habitually resorting to austerity.
    289
  25. Well said, David Lammy. Dealt with a dumbed down interviewer intent on populism. Conclusive proof that we need a written constitution, approved by a people's assembly, with a written behavioural code enforced independently.
    269
  26. Says the narcissist who hailed Liz Truss delivering "the best Conservative budget since 1986". The serial scammer rides again.
    267
  27. When the Tories make a promise, expect the exact opposite: levelling up...
    262
  28. In 2020 I asked a question: who would be operationally stupid enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic? Answer: someone who wanted to shift the blame for his crap deal. We are living with this disaster every day and will continue to do so until our politicians admit facts and the media report them.
    256
  29. Someone finding Farage genuine? Do they remember Brexit? Beware of the charlatan who appeals to the hard of thinking.
    244
  30. The rich also got richer after the crash, as much of the newly-created money flowed in their directions through loans to buy up assets, which they rent back to us at extortionate rates. Gary Stevenson explains this in his videos.
    241
  31. Poignant and accurate on every point, Rob. With Brexiters in denial (it's the wrong brexit; or we haven't done brexit) we are the butt of the joke that we created. As usual, there is no honesty from our two largest parties, leaving us in deadlock and decline. The campaign of lies and deceit was successful, yet there is no redress (economic or legal) for the chief liars. The root cause: our political system is not fit for purpose. Who will fix it?
    237
  32. Pity that those who voted to keep the foreigners out didn't realise they would become foreigners when visiting EU countries.
    237
  33. "You can't expect anyone in an environment like number 10..." To follow guidance. That's for the plebs. What a bloody narcissist.
    233
  34. Hardly surprising when we simply don't have democracy. Votes are not equal and many consider their vote wasted. With a minority (43.6%) vote returning a large parliamentary majority, our system is unrepresentative and thus undemocratic. We live in an elective dictatorship and need PR to achieve democracy through equal votes.
    231
  35. As one pensioner who certainly won't vote Tory, I'm not surprised by this. At least the sociopathic incompetents are consistent.
    225
  36. The irony to me was people voting for an aspirational name: "reform", without realising their policies would reform us into a banana republic. A group of sad brexiter rejects and chancers peddling more snake oil.
    220
  37. Johnson doesn't have a plan. He's a drifter and an opportunist. He drifts between a series of reactions prompted by headlines. He sees some wages going up, prompted by supply and demand, and claims it's a plan to build a high wage, high skilled economy. Perhaps he should explain that to nurses and care workers.
    220
  38. We are getting to a stage where a national strike is not only likely, it's inevitable if the majority are to afford a reasonable standard of living. Otherwise let's doff our caps and vote for the incompetent sociopaths who have brought this country to its knees. Never have three words been so accurate and poignant: enough is enough.
    207
  39. I stand with South Africa, in shame of my country (the UK). All life is precious, as is freedom.
    206
  40. And Farage hailed it as the best Conservative budget since 1986. We can guess whose interests Foghorn is supporting.
    200
  41. Michael "err ehm" Gove takes time to think up his b.s. and serial obfuscation. He loves to hear the sound of his own voice while throwing others under the bus. A snake in the long grass. A classic example of our unfit governance.
    199
  42. Some expect a miracle or adult leadership from the man who wanted to direct funding to richer areas from poorer ones. The man who presided over shrinking trade and a drop in real incomes. The man reluctant to tax windfall profits while increasing National Insurance for every individual - hitting the poorest hardest. May I heartily recommend critical thought and a dose of realism, while getting ready for more austerity.
    196
  43. Simple fact: it's hard for an individual to beat a team. After our fantasy of Global Britain finally met reality we have the first step towards sanity.
    195
  44. Sunak promised integrity, professionalism and accountability. He is delivering corruption, incompetence and opacity.
    189
  45. He is paying the price of reinstating a sociopathic incompetent to do his dirty work.
    189
  46. Three nil! Three footballers (and ex-footballers) hold the government to account far more effectively than the mainstream media. Gary Lineker, John Barnes and Marcus Rashford - huge respect to you. BBC - shame on you.
    189
  47. Being born before the second world war ended, I never expected to see the growth of fascism in my own country while the mainstream media remained silent.
    189
  48. Two of the world's most despicable beings in one room. One offers to "help" the people of Gaza by taking over their homeland for his own profit. The other, a criminal who has devastated their homeland, sits smugly by, knowing the spoils will be shared with him.
    188
  49. America may have become the world joke yet again but the consequences are not a laughing matter. With our single transferable party system in the UK, we could well slide into fascism. We need people who care about humanity to come together.
    186
  50. He's like the mad villain in a Bond movie. Absolutely barking.
    184
  51. So much truth in this clip. A question of priorities and will. The stark difference between the reactions to the financial crash and the future of our race is alarming. It's as though people can only think short-term and see what's in front of their nose.
    183
  52. Look up the definition of Sociopath and you have the perfect description of Boris Johnson.
    178
  53. We'd had enough of experts. Now it's the turn of the financial vultures, picking over the carcass of an austerity-impoverished economy. Britain is broken.
    177
  54. She'll get us moving: in the wrong direction, over the cliff edge.
    173
  55. Kemi, Demi-Semi would win the award for arrogance, even against such stiff Tory opposition. She oozes arrogance and condescension from every pore.
    170
  56. Marching towards the dark state of fascism.
    169
  57. The last remark from the chair was despicable. The 2019 manifesto offered hope and Starmer should be proud to support it, and bloody well say so. Will stop the spiv's pathetic attempt at division and cut the slimy ground from under him.
    168
  58. Hard to move to the right of fascism. Does anyone remember Buffoon's promise that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's?
    168
  59. "Resources are tight" for public sector workers. Yet when it comes to politicians, Tory mates and bankers....
    167
  60. This morning I read that such a questionnaire was sent to No 10, with a warning that it must be answered honestly. Can't such clever detectives understand the risk of the recipient being a serial liar?
    166
  61. In one sentence: our parliamentary system is broken and is totally unfit for purpose. The serial lying continues, with Little Spiv and Suella Blabbermouth leading the way.
    165
  62. In reality, Global Britain is morphing into Little England. Why? In negotiations, the desparate party is in the weaker position. That would be us after leaving the world's largest trading bloc.
    165
  63. My only disagreement on language is describing "our democracy." Britain is, in reality, an elective dictatorship. Democracy means government by the people and such a system can either be direct or representative. Our system is unrepresentative, and thus undemocratic. We simply have deliberate mismanagement (masquerading as government) by the elite for the benefit of the few.
    164
  64. I am not just ashamed of my country. I'm disgusted by my country. We have never been in such need of a clean-up, starting with this government being ousted then followed by electoral reform.
    164
  65. Always loved Omid's humour. Now I respect his values and his humanity. A great soul.
    160
  66. Well, Joe, Israel's action is against the law. How about talking to Bibi? How can this be anti-semitic when Jewish people join the protest?
    159
  67. James Timpson is a breath of fresh air. He is well qualified for his role and acts responsibly. A welcome change from 14 years of Tory (often planned) incompetence.
    159
  68. Promising integrity, professionalism and accountability. Delivering corruption, incompetence and opacity. The ultimate little spiv.
    157
  69. Great to hear this young woman speaking the truth, as ever. Gives me hope for the future of our country, in spite of so much greed and sleaze in our current government.
    156
  70. The nightmare continues. She appoints someone who buggered up the health service and now, as chancellor, Hunt may engineer the privatisation of the NHS, as in the policy pamphlet he co-authored in 2005.
    156
  71. But we haven't done brexit properly according to Tice and Farage. Translation: we haven't done enough national harm for the benefit of disaster capitalists.
    153
  72. Watering down a motion to put less shit in the rivers, to water companies is a pun. To us, it's a health hazard. The greatest health hazard over the last 13 years has been a Tory government.
    151
  73. By what stretch of imagination can someone judge that "Boris has done such a good job?" The man is an abject disaster.
    147
  74. We are seeing more of the dangers of a political party funded by business. We lived in the Fylde and felt the tremors of fracking tests. The case simply does not stand up.
    144
  75. The little spiv was "crystal clear" until it was pointed out that Scotland's democracy is collateral damage. Now he has put another nail in the coffin of the union.
    142
  76. Kudos to Andrew Marr since joining LBC. He is finally holding the government to account. Great reporting.
    142
  77. The Tories love corruption while they benefit from it. "There is no such thing as society," said Thatcher. It has been replaced with greed.
    138
  78. The brexit cult members are easily recognisable: they use the word "remoaner" without realising it actually has proven to mean a realist.
    137
  79. Describing Trump as "transactional" is shorthand for his corruption.
    137
  80. Braverman would make a great leader...of the opposition. That would be great for the party in government. She can't debate; doesn't even turn up when the going gets tough; and has the worst record of any home secretary - yes, even worse than Patel.
    137
  81. This great soul speaks for humanity while our politicians desert us. Respect to you, Lowkey.
    134
  82. Johnson was delusional; Truss is deranged.
    133
  83. For anyone who needs reminding: the Tories don't find solutions that benefit society; they use symbolism to divide and rule, while maintaining power to serve their mates and string-pullers.
    133
  84. I got this on my feed in the UK. What a great video; relevant to world affairs and the blatant corruption in western politics.
    132
  85. Remember the oven-ready deal? Levelling up? Integrity, professionalism and accountability? Finally, even some of the hard of thinking voters begin to see the lies. Well done for your work in exposing the Tory garbage, Rob.
    131
  86. I had an interesting exchange of comments with a Brexiter this week. After failing to answer the two most poignant questions (asking to name a brexit benefit or how long is long-term?) he resorted to asserting that we hadn't yet left the EU. The withdrawal from reality is so severe that such acolytes are apparently living under a stone. But then looking back on the serial liars - having had enough of experts and denouncing reasoned facts as project fear - it's easy to comprehend the reality of the brexit sh1t-show.
    131
  87. Does anyone remember Johnson's lie that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's? Naturally, if Johnson said it, this result became inevitable.
    129
  88. The qualifications to become a Tory minister are privilege and entitlement, along with the inability to run a p1ss-up in a brewery.
    128
  89. There is one thing he won't ban, as a cast-iron certainty: lying in the House of Commons.
    127
  90. The greatest truths are often delivered to an empty house. Shame on our unfit parliament. Credit to Scousers.
    127
  91. Such a strange upside-down world, where corporations are more powerful than governments. While financialisation makes workers in the real economy poorer, with money markets becoming a legalised casino. And guess who pays for their mistakes?
    127
  92. Johnson proved beyond reasonable doubt that parliament is not fit for purpose. Our pretence of democracy is a sham.
    127
  93. Tories breaking the law! What a shocking suggestion. Perhaps only in a limited and specific way? Manslaughter rather than murder?
    125
  94. Johnson has a simple rule: I make a promise, therefore I break it. The man goes beyond buffoonery.
    124
  95. I was gratified to hear that King Chuck had received a cool (extra) 45 mill while we as humble subjects lost our winter fuel payment. I guess the ensuing anger raised my body temperature for the rest of winter.
    124
  96. We not only sell off our assets at rock-bottom rates for corporate greed, we bailout the companies when things get rough. The root cause being: a political party funded by business.
    124
  97. Usual Tory smoke and mirrors. Being seen to do something, but never enough. Given that he never follows through his promises, the Tories end up doing nothing.
    124
  98. The prospect of a long term plan from a government with a track record of 14 years of incompetence and chaos is hardly appealing.
    124
  99. It's no surprise that the Tories hate scrutiny, even after the Prime Spiv primised "accountability."
    121
  100. The appointment of McVile is an admission that the government has lacked common sense for the past 13 years. Another Sunak own goal from his place of desperation.
    121
  101. Ministers should be forced to pay the costs of this madness from their own pockets. Or send them to Rwanda if they default.
    120
  102. When Truss is "very clear" and blinking like a frenzied rabbit, she is lying. Would love to see her debating Nicola, to identify the real "attention seeker."
    116
  103. Johnson doesn't recognise rules. Nor does he understand responsibility.
    115
  104. To believe that Brexit is going well, requires an imagination bordering on mindless delusion.
    115
  105. When considering that we wanted Brexit and knew about it as soon as EU countries. The question remains: why were we not prepared when the EU were? The answer from the British government, to excuse their operational incompetence: shift the blame.
    115
  106. How could he accuse Mr Integrity, Professionalism and Accountability of talking rubbish. Let's be fair, they are both Tories, ergo they talk horseshit.
    115
  107. If Sunak is so proud of his government's record, why not call an election? It seems that most of us understand and live with stark reality
    114
  108. As yourself a simple question: could the government get away with smearing unions without a complicit media? Always worth checking the alternative media: DDN, Novara and The Canary. The Tories movement towards fascism depends on manufacturing consent through a complicit media.
    114
  109. Wise words, professor. Hopefully this level of enlightenment will reach the right ears. Thanks for what you do. Always good to think of others.
    113
  110. I would find more honesty in her being asked how it feels to be part of a f***ing useless government.
    111
  111. A great analysis. I have always identified three reasons to vote Tory: greed and self-interest; intellectual laziness; plain stupidity. Enter the populists and serial liars...
    109
  112. There are three types of Tory voter in our elective dictatorship: self-interested; intellectually lazy; or plain stupid. As we suffer Tory economic mismanagement, more may realise that the Tories make them poorer.
    109
  113. Let's have honesty: rename PMQs as Prime Minister's Evasions. For perverse entertainment only. How often will Johnson be allowed to trot out the same lies without being required to correct the record?
    106
  114. Don't forget the bigger picture: we need PR to oust the Tories in a general election. Labour must support PR and work with other parties.
    106
  115. JRM as minister for Brexit opportunity is pure irony bordering on world class comedy. The Victorian Pencil is a wazzock.
    106
  116. "Levelling up" was described by Cummings as a vacuous slogan. The reality will prove to be levelling down. The Tory campaigning machine is also well funded - often with dodgy money and targeted social media campaigns; the latter being outside electoral commission scrutiny (which is being reined in by the Tories in any event.) The stark reality is that many will vote on a catchy slogan rather than proven achievement.
    106
  117. For the fans who excused Johnson by saying "he saw us through Covid and he got Brexit done," the full picture will be revealed. We know what a success brexit was (lol) and now we will see Johnson's incompetence in all its glory.
    105
  118. Mick is pure class. Articulate, poignant and factual. Head and shoulders above our tame media and politicians supporting corporate greed.
    105
  119. What Raab really meant is that peerages are awarded in recognition of their contribution to the Tory party. The man is at least as vacuous as his leader.
    105
  120. Paying for the Daily Fail is a 'TAX' on insanity.
    104
  121. The words of Carl Jung perhaps best describe the psychology of the Leave campaign: "Thinking is hard, that's why most people judge." Blaming the EU for our own incompetent governance was all too easy.
    104
  122. Douglas Ross must be used to laughter: he leads with his jaw in the Scottish parliament.
    103
  123. I have consistently maintained that Brexit is the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. Made worse by the operational lunacy of completing Brexit during a pandemic - so our narcissistic and inept PM could deflect the blame. Like many, I have seen the defence of "it was never about economics." In response: it's a pity the Leave campaign didn't say that. We are now at a stage where desparate people are defending the indefensible. There is a clear and obvious solution: rejoin the CU and the single market.
    102
  124. Perfect summary on all counts: a failure to govern in an elective dictatorship. We need real democracy: PR and more devolution as Andy suggests.
    102
  125. The Rwanda wheeze was never in the last Tory manifesto. There is no democratic mandate. It is NOT the people's choice. A vacuous scheme originated by Johnson and Patel.
    102
  126. The required reform is simple: stop MPs from taking secondary paid jobs. Also stop paid lobbying. Wonder if that cropped up in the debate?
    100
  127. "Israel feels threatened!" Threatened that they can't get their own way without the support of compliant governments? Threatened that we will call out their slaughter? Do they doubt that Palestinians feel threatened?
    100
  128. I would love to assign the Tories to the dustbin of history, but without PR, they will be back with their extreme greed and madness.
    100
  129. A tax on employment while promising growth: a kindergarten error.
    99
  130. Daily Fail: the voice of desperation. Why should facts get in the way of their fantasies?
    98
  131. Kemi Demi Semi losing her parliamentary seat would be the ultimate poetic justice. Less vacuous arrogance in parliament would be our gain.
    97
  132. The stench of this symbolises the British establishment. The little people must doff their caps while the powerful rule with operational incompetence and arrogance. It's also important to follow the money: dodgy donations, etc? As an IT project, this was an example of corporate power and professional ineptitude, with opacity protecting personal and corporate interests.
    96
  133. The Brexit shit-show is reminiscent of the British government attitude: we don't prepare, we muddle through as the international joke that we are.
    95
  134. I'm far from thrilled. Doing whatever it takes to get the Tories out is hardy a transformative outcome. Without real democracy, we are reduced to voting tactically. Yes, I'll do whatever it takes, then campaign for PR.
    94
  135. Johnson's speciality: how to discredit a country while sending it down the toilet. We have gone beyond an international joke.
    93
  136. If Amazon is such a great place to work, why not sack these clueless execs and trust the workers to run the operation?
    91
  137. Finding a suitable excuse for bigots to suspend the assembly takes time.
    91
  138. When caught out, Johnson promises just enough to be seen to do something. Then when the heat dies down, he does nothing, or the opposite of what he had promised when under pressure.
    90
  139. Absolutely true. Inequality also stifles growth, as money in the pay packet of the average person is largely spent in the domestic economy. Money in the bank accounts of the rich is either moved offshore, spent on luxury goods, or used to buy assets to rent back to us at excessive prices. The rich extract more from society; that's how they become rich.
    90
  140. Given that the purpose of the license is to fund the BBC, surely viewing only BBC programmes should be prohibited without a license. A complete travesty.
    90
  141. So many blaming the EU for the lack of Brexit unicorns. The delusion of Little England.
    89
  142. I love the irony of naming these bills. The Retained EU Law Bill, when the default was to abolish the laws rather than retain them. The Illegal Migration Bill, when the illegal part is the bill rather than the migration.
    88
  143. Couldn't say it better or clearer than that, prof. Yanis: Jullian Assange is dying for our right to know what governments are doing behind our back. That's chilling, yet how many even know of it? I'm disgusted by my country.
    87
  144. Mick, the voice of reason. The press indeed is a disgrace, condoned by Cameron not implementing Leveson to leave the joke of self-regulation.
    87
  145. Many of us have heard of the Tory (ex-Etonian) affinity with pigs. Historical note: the lauded creativity of Peppa pig happened while we were EU members. At least Johnson found his intellectual level.
    87
  146. The usual Johnson answer consisting of two components: blaming Labour and making a false claim. 1) how can he condone the Tory record after they consistently borrow more and pay back less than Labour. 2) the fastest growth in the G7...actually one of the lowest. At least Rayner treats him like the spoiled brat he is.
    84
  147. This driver needs a mandatory course on defensive driving and a fine (and points) for endangering other road users. The same should apply to anyone caught tailgating imo.
    84
  148. If any of my fellow pensioners are inclined to vote Tory. Just remember: Hunt has cut NI - something we don't pay. Yet has frozen personal allowances on tax, so we are shafted.
    84
  149. Therein lies the problem. Who is responsible for the ministerial code and how can an offender be expelled from parliament or suitably punished? Britain is broken.
    84
  150. Not only the greatest act of national self-harm in my lifetime, but yet another tool to exacerbate the financial class war.
    84
  151. The fact that such oligarchs can manufacture consent is chilling. Regrettably it doesn't make people think for themselves and think analytically. Very revealing.
    83
  152. Every week that goes by, I marvel at our ability to take back control. Who would have expected it?
    83
  153. Much of this corruption has been exposed by the Good Law Project. The government's answer: spaff more public money on an expensive legal defence of their dodgy dealings. Enough is enough.
    83
  154. With Johnson, we needed leadership and got theatre; we needed clarity and got obfuscation; we needed responsibility and got play-acting; we needed honesty and got serial lies. Just remembering some of the lines: "oven-ready deal...get Brexit done...levelling up...there were no parties..." This hearing is a test of our parliamentary system - a relic of a sick joke? Watch this space.
    83
  155. Newsflash! Global Britain is now a world leader on two fronts: 1) as a haven for tax avoiders and dark money and 2) a haven for smugglers
    82
  156. It's great to be a pensioner under this government. The Tories have (since 2010) eroded the differential in the income tax threshold; suspended the triple lock; frozen the winter fuel allowance. Yet still we hear friends - decent people - excusing and defending these moronic charlatans. It's great that after seven decades on this planet, some of us are ashamed of our country. Having lived through times of cooperation and community, to now see division and disharmony - triggered by Brexit and propagated by a cabal of sociopaths whose only ability is to use divide and rule. The identification of a common enemy and the deflection of blame being a classic tool of fascism. An elective dictatorship that assumes no responsibility... only entitlement and the proliferation of blame. Britain is broken.
    81
  157. If anyone doubts Deform's priorities, look at Nigel's diary. Probably spent more time licking Trump's boots than representing his constituents.
    80
  158. So Sunak's budget of "optimism" is trumpeted while real data are hidden.
    80
  159. Another example of our flawed planning process. Totally agree about the lack of consultation, which apparently amounts to a failure in the council's duty of care. There is the wider question of why we allow such installations before adequate research of potential health risks is completed.
    79
  160. The money spent on Tice's private education was hardly an investment. Regularly embarrassed by interviewers when he can't answer a simple question, after gaining inordinate publicity in spite of having no seats nor previous credibility in his past party guises. Reform: the grifters who would reform us into a banana republic without the bananas.
    79
  161.  @Kiwi5441-l4h  negotiated big investment stimulus and green investment. Dollar strong. As opposed to Brexshit Britain.
    79
  162. Anyone who has read the Russia Report will recognise the veracity of this video. Why would Russia even listen to Little England when they have us on a string?
    78
  163. Nicola: the most formidable and articulate politician in Britain. Makes our Westminster cabal look like kindergarten. At least DRoss will have fewer nightmares.
    78
  164. The same people who applaud the prosecution of climate protesters, somehow find a way of excusing mindless violence as some working lads having a few too many drinks. They somehow think the law should be applied accordingly.
    78
  165. If you want to manufacture consent, don't speak truth to the people. Create an alternative universe and insist it's reality.
    78
  166. The Tories are fairly and squarely to blame for the state of the NHS and should be chucked in prison for treason. Enough is enough. I support the nurses. (Don't remember a politician looking after me when I needed help.)
    78
  167. Great information. We have boycotted some products from Tory donors but interesting to learn of more. The funding of political parties by large business and the fact that MPs can take second jobs with them is more than grubby; it's overtly corrupt. Some rail against unions funding Labour yet ignore this palm-greasing cronyism. Time to wake up and smell the coffee, but not Tory funding brands.
    77
  168. As part of my humble upbringing, it was normal to believe we had "betters." Then, after the benefit of education, life experience and working alongside some of those deemed "betters," I learned that so many were promoted beyond their competence and mistook hubris for confidence. Never buy the story of subjugation and inequality. The wisest and best consistently show humility and humanity.
    77
  169. Perhaps the Tories have woken to the fact that the ERG and other sponsorship groups (that they like to call Think Tanks) have had too much power and have taken them in the wrong direction.
    77
  170. It seems that only those who cooperate with the powerful to destroy the minority so the rich can have even more are allowed this level of publicity and public anger. We couldn't have two better examples in Farage and Jeremy Corbyn. The latter being allowed nowhere near power because he cared about people, and fought for his beliefs. Respect to Peter for this report.
    77
  171. "The will of the people" gives Sunak no mandate for two reasons. 1) only 43.6% verified votes supported the Tories, thus they are minority elected 2) This crazy plan was NOT in their manifesto. They have no specific mandate.
    76
  172. Ed Davey has been the voice of reason and shown the bottle to call out the risks with the orange charlatan. Starmer should work closely with him.
    76
  173. Jacob Rees Mogg: another fine advert for private education. Comes through one of the most expensive education systems, only to show world beating stupidity. Reminds me of someone else with a similar track record.
    75
  174. I actually find this both reassuring and frustrating. Hardly surprising that with our undemocratic elective dictatorship so many are disenfranchised with politics and governance. I never supported Brexit. Not only was the economic case flawed, but who would trust our austerity-obsessed Tory government to take back control? Don't stereotype us oldies: I'm in my eighth decade and want the best for my grandchildren, so we try to look forward, not back at our dubious history.
    75
  175. The house of the entitled, appointed from the house of ill repute.
    75
  176. Growth is largely restricted by inequality. Put money in the pockets of the average citizens and they spend it in the local economy. Put it in the bank accounts of the wealthiest and they either move it offshore or buy assets to rent back to us at extortionate prices.
    75
  177. Brexit offers conclusive proof that Xenophobia is bad for the economy. Trading freely with our neighbours is logical and natural.
    74
  178. The longer Johnson stays, the less credible he is shown to be. He may be an international joke, but unfortunately the joke is on us.
    74
  179. "Win the battle against inflation" by driving some into poverty and homelessness, while shareholders and execs get record rewards to increase their wealth. Fiscal austerity increases inequality as the rich will never let a crisis go to waste.
    72
  180. I propose a state visit to Clacton, with Farage carrying his bag. At least Nigel would be there for one day. Trump and his MAGA-MORONS are dangerous comedy.
    72
  181. Kemi is never BadEnough, however hard she tries. (Her vacuous arrogance makes her worse by the day.)
    72
  182. It's also for us, the people not affiliated with unions (I'm actually retired) to get behind this movement. Most union leaders have a great working knowledge of their industries and are responsible and professional. Respect to the movement. You have my support.
    71
  183. Just waiting for King Charles to say: "My government has decided to bugger off."
    70
  184. Great report, Rob. This Fail article was accurately debunked by The Canary, which poignantly called the Fail a shit-rag. Personally, I'm infuriated by the language when calling a pension a benefit (apparently because it's paid from the DWP budget) What did I pay for? Oh yes, my higher rate taxes and NI went to our crooked government.
    70
  185. Ironically, the man who left the infamous note, Liam Byrne, understands the core problem: inequality; and has written the book The Inequality of Wealth. I'm amazed that Starmer is listening to Reeves and has appointed her over real talent in his party. He also seems to be ignoring progressive economists, such as Richard and Torsten Bell (who is now an MP) Labour seem to be in hock to corporate and investor demands and needs.
    70
  186. Why does he hold this perception that there was there less of an outcry about the Hamas slaughter of Jewish people? Because of the speed and scale of retaliation by Israel; the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people. The relative numbers: the eye for the eye? 1400 deaths versus 13000 deaths.
    70
  187. More public money spaffed on another brexit disastrous misdirection. Brexit has achieved one growth, in the size of the policy dustbin.
    69
  188. The only "integrity" shown by Sunak is speaking his biggest lie first. Integrity replaced by sleaze, professionalism by serial lies and accountability by by hiding in a bunker.
    69
  189. We suffer a cesspit, rather than a democratic institution. 1) Jeremy Corbyn had the right idea in banning second jobs, other than for purposes of maintaining professional qualifications. 2) Direct funding to MPs from business should be banned. 3) Any MP with a relative or close associate with a financial interest offering a potential conflict of interest should be forced to recuse themselves in voting on an associated matter. We need to clean up politics.
    69
  190. Shows that the level of journalism by the Fail is at least as low as Tory party politics.
    68
  191. At least the actions of this serial liar are consistent. His body language morphs from sitting like a cowed sack of spuds when Starmer speaks, to perpetual head shaking when Ian Blackford skewers him. Always finally resorting to blaming others and denying personal responsibility. The worst leader in modern history.
    68
  192. The workers are striking while the Tories are revolting.
    66
  193. Many of the execs of fortune 500 companies are sociopathic, which chimes with your comment.
    66
  194. Spot on, Eddie. Neoliberalism has done what was intended: by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more, thus exacerbating inequality. Trickle down is a myth: we need flow-down to achieve growth.
    66
  195. Brexit has delivered one notable achievement: making us an international joke
    65
  196. This does not affect me personally, yet I'm appalled. It was inevitable and obvious. Send EU workers back and create a shortage of trained labour through market forces. As a consequence: 'take any job, plebs. Think of the poor tax payer.' Welcome to the system that persuades the poor to vote for the rich to have more while labelling people who have paid into the system as benefit scroungers. I recall that a certain Jeremy Corbyn was going to replace UC with a system fit for purpose. Instead we got Brexit done BADLY to benefit the disaster capitalist and tax avoider while labelling those who suffer as scroungers. Britain is broken.
    65
  197. For those who said: "Poor Boris, he's trying his best in difficult circumstances," we can see how he has succeeded: as an incompetent, serial liar, a buffoon supported by a cabinet of charlatans. Never mind, if Tories break the law, they don't worry as they deem themselves above it. Will they sleep at night after causing so many unnecessary deaths? Perhaps as sociopaths, they will.
    65
  198. The corruption of FIFA knows no bounds. Perhaps an armband CLEAN UP FIFA would be most appropriate.
    64
  199. Talking the talk is a start, but will mean nothing if we don't see the right action soon.
    64
  200. Johnson gets one award from me: the prime minister who has caused the most mayhem in the last 7 decades. A harmful Brexit; murder through mismanagement of the pandemic; levelling down the country; a cost of living crisis; electoral reform to achieve dictatorship; fewer rights to protest; a shrinking NHS and failing public services due to outsourcing. Not a comprehensive list but enough to show why Johnson failed in every previous job but was voted in by the gullible or self-interested.
    63
  201. Priti Shitty as leader would be a dream made in heaven. One picture of her smirk on the campaign literature of all opposition parties would consign the Tories to the dustbin of history.
    62
  202. The first reaction is to watch the cyclist's position, from the way the video was shot. Watching the car closely, I agree with you and the police. The motorist should be driving defensively: both position and speed too aggressive.
    62
  203. "Come together" while banking bonuses are now uncapped, non-doms have tax exemptions and the banking levy is reduced from 8% to 3%.
    62
  204. Rishi SunkUs and his nodding dog chancellor really are a duo. It's as if the Tories were fiscally competent for the last 14 years.
    61
  205. Many of the "top ten" tactics coincidentally used in the promotion of fascism. The worst possible leader at the worst time.
    61
  206. Experience shows us that when Johnson parrots a slogan, we should expect the opposite. In reality: levelling down. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery, Rob.
    60
  207. Huge respect to Jeremy Corbyn. A genuine human being who would not sell his soul to become Prime Minister. Instead we have a corrupt charlatan.
    60
  208. Sunak has shown as a masterpiece of failure and delusion. He is so far out of touch, he expects the majority of us to find him and his cabal of comedy charlatans credible.
    60
  209. Then it was clearly stupid, in Frost's words, to complete Brexit "in extreme haste at a time of uncertainty." But then the ulterior motive was to deflect from the disaster by blaming Covid.
    59
  210. Carrying on from Nichola Sturgeon who made Farage look like an idiotic schoolboy in debates. Well done Scotland.
    59
  211. Time for a honest party slogan. Conservatives: we simply don't give a sh1t.
    58
  212. "Confronting challenges." Who will pay for that, Rishi? btw. still waiting for a "stronger NHS..."
    58
  213. Hard as toffee Steve wants to change the rules. After narrowly winning one vote, let's change the rules so we dont lose the next. The classic infantile syndrome of taking his bat home.
    58
  214. Never expect Johnson to take responsibility for anything. Who- with any understanding of reality- would complete Brexit during a pandemic? That would take a useless narcissistic populist who knows that Brexit is a farce and could blame everything on the pandemic. Hopefully time is running out for this incompetent government, but don't hold your breath.
    57
  215. Hardly a shock after 14 years of Tory fiscal and operational incompetence. But if he is setting us up for more austerity under Tory fiscal rules, he should get a new chancellor with transformative policies. The choice of picking on pensioners instead of taxing wealth or hitting profiteering energy companies, was pathetic and vindictive.
    57
  216. Inevitable when we live in an elective dictatorship with a minority-elected government. Britain is not a democracy when the proportion of votes that would vote this government out actually give them seats in the commons. 56.4% of votes for all other parties have produced 56% of seats for the Tories. The exact opposite of what we voted for.
    57
  217. The amazing thing to me is why Trump supporters can't understand why we see America as a joke under his presidency.
    57
  218. We had a school building programme. In 2010, Michael Gove put a red pen through Labour's building schools for the future plans. Never forget the price of austerity.
    57
  219. I propose a new quiz game for judging cabinet ministers called Incompetent or Liar? A case in point: Therese Coffey. Either she doesn't understand how Universal Credit works or she is deliberately misleading (hence lying) This behaviour is so typical of Johnson's corrupt cabal.
    57
  220. He cites the words "never again" while his army is perpetrating just that: a repetition of genocide. Rhetoric does not answer nor dispute fact.
    56
  221. Credit where credit is due: hit the nail bang on the head. The body language of Buffoon and his front bench said a lot. The real question is whether voters can be arsed to listen to facts or even question the Tories abject record. Or will they swallow the soundbites and garbage from the Daily Fail? We have suffered the worst possible government at the worst possible time. And that's some record after 12 years of Tory-inflicted misery.
    56
  222. The Forager is the definition of a serial scammer. A true charlatan.
    56
  223. ​ @trytellingthetruth.2068 "One size fits all!" How? Were we forced to take the Euro? Must all countries apply the same VAT rate? Must all countries apply the same bank base rate? Please stop talking bollocks.
    56
  224. Little Spiv has survived by gaslighting. Why would we expect competent governance when Sunak has already doomed the talks to failure?
    55
  225. I guess you could end that comment at "he's mad." Trump is a raging psycho.
    55
  226. "Corporatisation" is dangerous. We have companies with more power than governments and corporate courts ruling on trading agreements. The worker is being exploited until many won't be needed through mechanisation and the proliferation of AI. Don't let the b'stards grind you down. Enough is enough.
    55
  227. Honesty requires a level of humility. Johnson has neither.
    54
  228. Having so many such "work meetings" clearly explains the clarity of government decision-making.
    54
  229. And Nigel is such a modest chap. After all, when it comes to brexit, it's someone else's fault. The grifter is always the victim.
    54
  230. Last night I had a dream. Our government had, after all, been telling the truth. We had believed in Brexit and realised its wonderful opportunities, finding ourselves in a land of plenty. Our meritocracy had produced a country of hard-working high achievers, and many had culinary skills to produce nutritious meals from readily available and affordable produce. This morning I woke up to a cold house and a startling realisation: same Tory sh1t; different day.
    52
  231. Does anyone remember "integrity, professionalism and accountability?" Where does ignoring international and domestic law fit into that statement? A desperate little spiv hellbent on the road to fascism.
    52
  232. Love the first background: Mogg and Foghorn having a welcome cuppa after a hard day of lying.
    51
  233. Thatcher wanted to take us back to Victorian values. Her party obviously knew what she meant: many now experience Victorian poverty.
    51
  234. Sunak extols the unique arrangement for NI. So unique, it's exactly what they (and we) had before brexshit. He also takes credit for a lane system, apparently proposed two years ago by the EU and rejected by us.
    50
  235. This is what humanity in an artist looks and sounds like. RESPECT to Lowkey and hope for all Palestinians seeking peace and freedom.
    50
  236. Just like Farage
    50
  237. Such hubris. George Useless showed no contrition on Marr this morning. No apology; still an insistence that the process needs changing. Sleaze is an ingrained Tory habit with Johnson's cabal in charge.
    50
  238. At last an MP who understands reality. Growth is impaired in an unequal society. We get trickle down when we need flow down to fix public services. Get ready for more false promises in the budget, unless Reeves and Starmer are listening to Clive and the many progressive economists instead, of corporate lobby groups.
    49
  239. As a retired person, let me disabuse Tory-supporting pensioners about their claims of being the low tax party. When Cameron took office, personal allowances (or the taxable threshold) for pensioners were higher, acknowledging the fact that we had paid tax throughout our working lives. This was gradually eroded, until the threshold for workers caught up because of inflation afjustments. Not content with robbing pensioners once, the Tories have frozen personal allowances for all of us, so we are shafted along with workers. At least 20% if any rise in state pensions will go back to government. This is how Tories reward a lifetime of hard and honest work.
    49
  240. Natural progression for The Convict. The man who has single-handedly done more economic harm to Britain than any leader in recent memory.
    48
  241. When I think that our political system is bad...
    46
  242. British businesses should learn their place: they are there to be blamed by government, whose job is to negotiate a crappy deal then leave business to clean up the mess. Getting Brexit done...BADLY
    46
  243. Great that Sunak took a solution proposed by the EU a couple of years ago, to claim the credit. Now he extols something we had and no longer benefit from. Perhaps he is a slow learner? Or a poor liar? Either way, he has cooperated with the EU - a refreshing change from Johnson and Frost.
    45
  244. Sadly true, and I'm glad you said the quiet part out loud. We will not be returning to austerity because we never left it. As a pensioner losing the WFA, I can attest to the irony of her claim. Growth from hope - the business-friendly party with a begging bowl...expect more PFI when we need government-led investment. No plans to tax wealth? No plans to address inequality, which is stifling growth? Sadly, a speech written by AI and delivered by a robot.
    45
  245. When a former banker becomes Health Minister, only to assume the role of a dictator.
    45
  246. Sunak equates banker's bonuses with financial stability. That's a stretch; and if it were true would prove that bankers hold us to ransom.
    45
  247. Never expect accountability from councils or government. That would expose us to the danger of transparency and democracy.
    45
  248. "The British media fails..." says it all. Somehow I doubt that Starmer will implement Leveson, if the media acts in his interests.
    45
  249. A brilliant report, with huge respect to AF. So many are brainwashed. I remember many obsessing about the fact that Jeremy Corbyn wouldn't press the nuclear button when it was obvious that he would tackle our greatest threat to life: climate change. Creating peace and cooperation is far more effective than any threat.. Thanks for the great report, DDN.
    45
  250. ​ @sduk451 Then tax their assets, as recommended by the patriotic millionaires. Also tax the income from wealth at the same rate as work income. It will then be possible to increase personal allowances to help the lower paid.
    45
  251. No second jobs (other than in very exceptional circumstances where it is necessary to retain their profession, such as in medicine.) Second jobs often raise a conflict of interest. Also no paid lobbying.
    45
  252. Pishy Rishi is so pathetic, he takes cluelessness to a new level. Desperation personified.
    44
  253. The well tried tactic of creating flak. Johnson thrives on mayhem; he is too vacuous for details.
    44
  254. "unless we provide a safe route, we are complicit with people smugglers." Poignant words. It seems that it takes the Lords to talk sense...rhetoric only in the Commons.
    44
  255. The new age of Tory desperation was heralded when Lee Anderthal became Deputy Chairman. Now it continues and grows beyond credible belief.
    44
  256. Why would they want him to speak? A couple of sentences in and he would be in full rant about immigration.
    44
  257. If they fitted new taps on one sink in a hospital, the Tories would probably claim that in the fantasy statistics from their alternate universe.
    44
  258. OMG! If it's more transparent now, how bad was it then? Scrutiny and transparency are words with a different meaning for politicians and professional journalists.
    44
  259. Making money work for society is a novel idea, because the financial sector is consumed by greed. We need government to work for the people.
    44
  260. A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time. An academic is someone who seeks truth through testing accumulated knowledge. A politician? A power hungry con artist pretending to serve the electorate? The process of consulting is distinctly different from employing a consultant. (Opinion only from someone who previously worked as a consultant.)
    43
  261. ​ @micahbodha6129 doing what the video warned you about...BLAMING CHINA...
    43
  262.  @fizywig  hello pseudonym account. That's Tory rhetoric. The ability to privatise NHS services and deregulate financial markets was enabled under Thatcher as part of neoliberalism. Blair continued with neoliberalism but real income increased by a record amount under his government and NHS waiting lists reduced. As for the financial crash, blame international bankers using dodgy derivatives. Look at fact not Tory rhetoric.
    43
  263. At least the Tories are consistently lavatorial. Taking the p1ss while allowing companies to dump sh1t.
    43
  264. If attempting to identify a liar, save time: first look at a government minister.
    42
  265. Great to see a Party that has torn our country apart with 12 years of austerity and incompetence finally turning in on itself. Never have we so badly needed real democracy.
    42
  266. To me this series of strikes heralds the failure of neoliberalism to spread wealth in society. Forcing real term pay cuts on key public service workers, to achieve a small state and accelerate privatisation. Imposing pay restraint to curb inflation which is caused by costs (mainly of energy and food) pushing upwards, so key workers suffer poverty. In reality, free market capitalism is exposed. It is doing what was intended: increasing inequality!
    42
  267. I'll remember "no austerity" when we pay more for energy and lose our winter fuel allowance. You can't invest in public services to achieve growth by adhering to tax and spend. Total word salad...waiting for the budget.
    42
  268. And their punishment is? Oops! Forgot! Tories are exempt from punishment . Entitlement above justice.
    42
  269. The loss of EU staff in the care sector has also impacted the NHS, with medically fit patients taking up hospital beds due to lack of home care. Leaving the EU was complex, yet we had a government of jingoistic idiots incapable of assessing the impact on professions relying on key EU staff. Instead they simply told the businesses and professions to "believe" in unicorns and sort out their own mess. Johnson got brexit half-done, and badly. We all face the consequences of his operational incompetence. The PR was so successful that most politicians are afraid of saying so and facing reality.
    42
  270. The miners' strike not only lost police the respect of the public. I know of key workers (ambulance staff etc) whose trust was destroyed. The very people who often had to work with police no longer respected them. Frankly, we need a national strike to dismantle this sh1t show.
    41
  271. I would describe this list in two words: wishy-washy. The two simple messages could be making democracy work (electoral reform) and fixing the mess (offering hope after 12 years of Tory mismanagement)
    41
  272. This is Starmer's poll tax moment, delivered early by an inept chancellor. Pathetic, inept, disappointing.
    41
  273. We know Sunak is in trouble when he mentions Islington North, or Jeremy Corbyn, who is twice the person our little spiv could ever aspire to. I sometimes map Labour's last manifesto on the events of the last four years and (albeit hypothetically) couldn't imagine how we could be in a worse position. In fact, quite the opposite.
    41
  274. Is such gutter journalism commensurate with the intellectual level of Daily Fail readers?
    41
  275. Not silence - expect responsible journalism. The name gutter press is well deserved in this instance.
    41
  276. President Moron would qualify as pure comedy if the consequences of his madness weren't so serious. Neoliberalism has failed the majority, as was intended.
    41
  277. Is this their idea of sick humour or sadism? The least trusted profession oppressing the most trusted. Enough is enough.
    41
  278. In government speak, there are no refugees - just "economic migrants" and "illegal immigrants." Don't "economic migrants" work and pay taxes? How can you be a legal immigrant in this country? Where are the safe channels for immigration and for refugees? Welcome to Global Britain (or, in reality, Little England.)
    40
  279. Rayner asking rhetorical questions: Expecting responsible governance and human decency from Johnson's cabal would mean waiting beyond the twelfth of never.
    40
  280. The Ausies have always been world class at taking the rip. They didn't need any help from us, yet we volunteered it.
    40
  281. If I had to choose real brothers in humanity, I would pick Lowkey and Akala every time. Great people, seeking and revealing truth.
    40
  282. The brain of America - tariff man Chump - promises to reduce inflation while imposing tariffs. Perhaps he has a new system of maths.
    40
  283. Yes. The neatest trick was to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more. Orchestrated by an oligarch media, the trick of manufacturing consent.
    39
  284. Reeves is the worst chancellor Starmer could have chosen. A traditional ex-BofE economist devoid of progressive policies. She talks about growrh get suppresses it. Inequality stifles growth and targeted investment stimulates it. As a recipient of one of the worst state pensions in Europe, I'm p1ssed that I must give up a winter fuel allowance while energy companies profiteer. Why not increase the windfall tax on them?
    39
  285. The "vested interest of unions." Little Spiv should listen to Lord Balfe (the one Tory who talks sense) stating that union members are not militants but wealth creators. His proposal to raise public sector pay has met with government silence.
    39
  286. Just imagine what our oligarch media would say if France had left the EU and was doing what "Global Britain" is doing! Yes, we are an international joke.
    38
  287. I have to say there were no shortages in our local Aldi or Sainsbury's this morning, but all food has been nearer to its use by date for the last few months. That said, the excuses are pitiful, and the failure of our media to mention the elephant in the room is subject normal.
    38
  288. Ironically, state media, i.e. the BBC this morning was lauding the increase in vacancies as a natural sign of recovery. They conveniently missed the fact that many workers have left the UK after Brexit. We are starting to see our dependence on freedom of movement. Economists warned us, but then any inconvenient fact was dismissed as Project Fear. Welcome to the world of Project Reality.
    38
  289. This policy of taxation by stealth has hit pensioners even more. There was a higher tax threshold for pensioners when the Tories came to power; now there is no such differential.
    38
  290. Johnson simply is the Eton Mess. Amazing that many in the real world actually fall for it. How many of the 43.6% of voters who supported or accepted him will still defend him?
    38
  291. So what was derided as Project Fear is now part of his cunning plan. Personally I would prefer Baldrick as prime minister.
    38
  292. He was in the minority. Iceland did this but Britain was far too dependant on financial services to do it. The solution has to fit the economy. America also followed us btw
    38
  293. When Johnson promised that our food standards would be at least as high as the EU's, the opposite was inevitable. What else would we expect from a serial liar led by the extreme right of his party.
    38
  294. Brilliant video; chilling facts. Yet our MSM (including state rhetoric service the BBC) stays strangely silent. Both my wife and I have recent experience of needing NHS services. Even after years of Tory austerity and a pandemic, it remains exemplary.
    38
  295. Resistance of MMT is motivated by keeping power in the hands of banks for the imposition of austerity. No politician (in office) in Britain is brave enough to embrace it.
    37
  296. Trump and Vance proving that you have to invite a guest to get a real president in the oval office.
    37
  297. We can't just go for growth and depend on trickle-down, where wealth gushes up and drips down where the richest can't fix the leaks. The private sector is reluctant to invest in the real economy and prefers share buybacks and speculative trading to reward their shareholders. Intervention may well be needed on both counts.
    37
  298. I applaud the courage of Israeli refusers and decry our unfit media. Our media is, yet again, shown to manufacture consent.
    37
  299. Yes. We must celebrate a year of Brexit success, for disaster capitalists at least. Also thankfully for NI, through remaining in the single market. Looking forward to the unicorns of Brexit comedy in 2022.
    37
  300. A carbon capture plant that will process around half of one percent of the CO2 we create. Meanwhile licences to allow more dirty energy for sale on world markets, while we buy it at the international market price. Yes, Rishi is for profit while we pay through the nose.
    36
  301. In Patel's dream fascist state, I'm carrying a prohibited object: my brain and my powers of reasoning to see through the shallow populist b'stards.
    36
  302. Looking forward to higher pay for key workers in our high skilled, high pay economy. Also reimbursement of the Triple Lock as Truss promised in her campaign. But then, life is but a dream and under the Tories a bloody nightmare.
    36
  303. Seems like a necessary step to stop the growth of a rentier economy but hard to do in isolation. Viewing a house as an investment rather than a place to live is deeply engrained in our mindset (certainly in the UK.) Probably because many would be reduced to poverty in old age without it.
    36
  304. Interesting. The government also uses this tactic of outpricing in defending cases of their abuse of public money against the Good Law Project.
    36
  305. Since Thatcher we have done the reverse. Selling off our national assets to foreign companies (some owned by foreign governments) and failing to invest in Britain. We are left with a nation of bankers and speculators, along with relatively few skilled and knowledgeable trades people propping us up. Neoliberalism (free market economics) is extractive by nature. We need change and Richard is telling us how to achieve that.
    36
  306. As soon as Buffoon said he didn't know it was a party he should have been forced to resign for incompetence. A prime minister who can't tell the difference between a work event and a party. The kind of national leader we clearly need. A great example to all.
    36
  307. Her definition of delivering for the people is that of a dictator. We tell them what they want and change the definition as it suits us. Her significant words: " I didn't think" say it all, in spite of being delivered with unassailable arrogance. This incompetent woman makes an art of talking down to others.
    36
  308. If we taught critical thinking in schools, Farage would disappear.
    36
  309. "Just ask the IMF." That would be the very body who say nearly half of inflation is caused by excessive profits. Don't expect the central bank to deal with that. Over to the government...
    35
  310. The Tories have been a disaster for our economy, except (possibly) for the 1%. The immediate dilemma being that Labour can't move hard and fast enough while accepting Tory fiscal rules. We need to clean up parliament and adopt PR, followed by transformative economics. Tax income from weath at the same rate as work income. Also funnel newly-created money into public infrastructure development, rather than letting banks distribute it to the rentier class.
    35
  311. This morning Sunak intends to put us on a crisis footing if he becomes PM. That's the effect of 12 years of Tory rule. How would he work that one into an election campaign?. Team Rishi: we make a crisis out of a drama?
    35
  312. So something at last. Apparently less than Gordon Brown proposed - probably to avoid upsetting Murdoch. As for the Tories... nothing: too busy watching their two rats in a sack spouting a catalogue of fantasy. Expect too little, too late, while blaming someone else. Britain is broken.
    35
  313. The question relates to what will happen in April and Little Spiv talks about the last few months. Meanwhile Europe is keeping bills down while we pursue more dirty energy projects to shred our promises on climate change,.while allowing companies to profiteer on the world energy markets.
    34
  314. Such a poignant message. If we put humanity before greed and lust for power, we find more to unite us than divide us. Thank you for this informative and humane video.
    34
  315. This man is a clear and present danger. A one man disaster zone. Playing hard and fast with lives...YET AGAIN!
    34
  316. And Thatcher in the Falklands. Classic politics over lives.
    34
  317. ​ @Noel-ji8nm THE TROLL IS BACK! Hello, Noel the Troll
    34
  318. Martin Lewis declared, at least a year ago, that "the market is broken". We also find that regulation is a joke and no politician is brave enough to nationalise supply. Politicians work for corporate interets and NOT for the people.
    34
  319. ​ @LarryDavid.blochain Who says he hasn't? Hamas are not supported by all Palestinians. Hamas have not killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. They killed 1400 Jews and have been repeatedly and consistently condemned for that. Since when does self-defence include killing innocent people through indiscriminate slaughter?
    34
  320. First and foremost, Labour should support electoral reform. We need to dismantle our elective dictatorship and achieve real democracy.
    33
  321.  @davidrenton  "Done better!" How???
    33
  322. She is correct: it's his shame. The fact that he abuses his power makes him pathetic scum.
    33
  323. Respect for going there and speaking truth. Our government is reprehensible in supporting such genocide.
    33
  324.  @anteeko  That's a fallacy. Free market "competition" has resulted in costs getting out of control. Outsourcing contracts awarded to mates and money spaffed up the wall. I've worked in both the private and public sector and cost control is a question of governance and discipline because, under what is often called competition, the market is rigged with financialization.
    33
  325. A ruse to keep the debt off balance sheet but we pay through the nose for "rent". We are already owned by corporate interests. Time for real democracy.
    33
  326. To anyone with a comedic sense of poetic justice: a man using the media to seek personal redemption while trusting a piece of work like Oakeshott is classic comeuppance.
    33
  327. To an outside observer, the Brexshit show must be pure comedy. Jeremy (the proverbial) Hunt was asked to justify it and resorted to the usual rhetoric: "we CAN make a success of brexit" yet couldn't explain how, and further how his budget would help. Just unicorns, fluff and nonsense should be the Brexiter's slogan. Desperate times!
    33
  328. I asked at the time, who would be so operationally incompetent to complete brexit during a pandemic? The answer was all too obvious: someone who wanted to deflect from our brexit shitfest by blaming the pandemic. Thankfully that only worked for a short while, but how many excess deaths did it cause?
    32
  329. Sunak's idea of accountability is overwhelming: late in publishing his tax affairs; late in publishing interests. How could we expect a little Spiv to be accountable?
    32
  330. Now we are living through Britannia Unhinged, to quote a response to one of my recent comments.
    32
  331. ​​ @haveyaseenmiwhippet9069  Your tribalism may be clouding your judgement.
    32
  332. Truss's career with Deliveroo not starting well. With JRM as business minister, hardly a surprise.
    32
  333. Being wedded to failed neoliberalism and exacerbating the damage with crass fiscal rules is like tying their hands behind their back when fighting economic battles. A total lack of vision and being devoid of progressive economic policies. I voted tactically for Labour and regret not voting Green.
    32
  334. I believe we are in a void, rather than in any political space. Our economy is in paralysis because of inequality, with politicians lacking the courage to change it. We exist in an elective dictatorship when we need real democracy.
    32
  335. At last, a grain of honesty. Where is the action? Where is the plan?
    32
  336. ​ @onlyme8117 Twaddle Without Any Thought
    32
  337. So poignant. I suspect that Starmer dances to the same tune as Trump and Farage. A follower; not a leader.
    31
  338. Yes. Let's pretend that apartheid never happened and that world events started on the 7th October...
    31
  339. We need society but Starmer brings sociopathy.
    31
  340. If Sunak is so proud of the Tory record, he should call an election. Spewing lies and talking over every questioner while failing to give a single straight answer. A robotic little spiv oozing arrogance.
    31
  341. I totally agree with Phil's approach: treat Marr like an opponent. "Why is that question so important to you? Shouldn't you ask a doctor?
    31
  342. Don't think I'll take lessons from a remnant of scum journalism after these dedicated and undervalued people have helped save my life.
    31
  343. A sign of disappointment in this government is wishing for the return of Theresa May. A sign of desperation is longing for Johnson to stay.
    31
  344. On your last point, I read some of the comments of Jewish Voices for Labour. They agreed with you.
    30
  345. Brilliant analysis, Carol. The most poignant words: taking from the poor to give the already rich ever more. The real intent of neoliberalism.
    30
  346. More likely to fill 100 sheets with the harm caused.
    30
  347. Why would we expect anything different from a government progressing daily towards fascism?
    30
  348. Trickle down economics was successful only in doing what was intended: persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. The mentality of many who work for a living yet don't support the benefit of workers' rights is mystifying. Unions have been enormously beneficial to society.
    30
  349. With so many circumstances outside their control, you have to ask what is within the scope of their operational competence. Perhaps the promotion and exploitation of corruption?
    30
  350. Yes. Both are saying tax wealth to mitigate inequality. The methods are slightly different for technical reasons. I follow both and would recommend both channels.
    30
  351. What else should we expect from a sociopathic operational incompetent? The worst prime minister at the worst possible time. Those of us who survived, live with the consequences.
    29
  352. Kemi is an engineer, yet shows no sign of critical thinking as an MP. The CPTPP offers minimal benefits to trade and the threat of corporate courts. That's some achievement.
    29
  353. For the fog of war, read the lies and propaganda of war. At least this report seems like a honest attempt at factual balance.
    29
  354. Interestingly one pro Brexiter declared it a victory for blue collar socialists. I asked what exactly he had won when in reality the whole country had lost. Strangely, no answer so far...
    29
  355. "It wasn't quite as simple as that!" Johnson had to help his cronies make money from an international disaster, as these b'stards never let a crisis go to waste.
    29
  356. Can't bankrupt a country with a sovereign fiat currency, but he will have a damn good try and drag it in the gutter.
    29
  357. Just imagine being in the cabinet with Buffoon. Not exactly a piece of cake. Would have to be desparate, or a shallow liar, or totally corrupt.
    29
  358. He didn't know he was signing an agreement. He thought it was an oven ready deal for new furnishings, negotiated by Lardy Frost and chosen by Carrie for their execrable flat.
    29
  359. Nicola was correct, and made Farage look like a vacuous schoolboy in the brexit debates.
    29
  360. Great job, Sangita. The Israelis will continue to hint at the carrot of a two state soolution, but there will always be a condition that rules it out. When have they demonstrated real intent for anything other than total destruction of the Palestinians or domonation through apartheid?
    29
  361. "This party acted quickly" after Sunak was dragged along. What a point-scoring Tory wet wipe
    28
  362. Sunak's plan is to keep shouting "Stop the boats," hoping that the world listens and his followers believe this constitutes a plan.
    28
  363. Delete the applause breaks, orchestrated by the two flapping seals behind him, and the speech becomes considerably shorter. Delete the lies and false claims, and you have the shortage speech ever.
    28
  364. Honest Bob is the ideal candidate to maintain the record of always managing to find someone worse as Tory leader.
    28
  365. Why does this p1llock get so much airtime? Bring back Sangita.
    28
  366. Yes. The unicorns were lining up in Brexiter's imagination.
    28
  367. She was auditioning as a Bond villain lol
    28
  368. If Nigel had to pick a team, he would stand on the halfway line, whinging and telling the referee how to do their job. A charlatan never takes responsibility.
    28
  369. When righteous indignation is fuelled by The Sun, we know we are down the crapper.
    28
  370. ​ @gejost a blatant lie, as he doesn't have a heart.
    28
  371. A Chump and a Foghorn in the same room. That room should be a cell.
    28
  372. When taxing income from weath is the politics of envy but attacking Micky Mouse degrees is permitted. Welcome to Tory Britain. Since so much damage has been caused by ex-Etoninans, should we close Eton College?
    27
  373. Conclusively, the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    27
  374. ​ @Noel-ji8nm At it again, Noel?
    27
  375. Brexit: the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. Implemented in the worst possible way, by the worst possible leader, at the worst possible time.
    27
  376. ​ @dalecrocker3213 And thus ignoring democracy as we said the opposite at the ballot box. As for "we", speak for yourself.
    27
  377. The book Bullshit Jobs by the late David Graeber explained how the jobs most useful to society were often low paid. So much for the free market.
    27
  378. Not sure how much she knows, or doesn't... But putting yourself in a straightjacket by accepting Tory fiscal rules and failing to put pressure on the BofE is crass stupidity.
    27
  379. The Tories aspire to fasicsm, yet achieve confusion and show their blatant incompetence.
    27
  380. Brexit has simply caused the proliferation of paperwork, while blaming the EU.
    27
  381. Three key points: 1) Johnson is incapable of working with other parties; 2) Johnson is incapable of making a plan; 3) Johnson is doing nothing to improve social care. 1) Johnson is a sociopath, with no attention to detail and incapable of hosting debate because of his hubris. 2) Johnson does not do (or even grasp) detail. He will not expose his inadequacies by working with others. He does not give a shit about anyone but himself and his grasp of power. 3) His announcement is financial only. Where is the recompense for underpaid care workers and the reorganisation to make things better? As for the £350m a week, Javid said in an LBC interview that it had been used for Covid. He was even stupid enough to mention test and trace and PPE - instances were money has been burned with Tory funders for little or no return. (Check out the Good Law Project, who are winning cases against the government.) We can be sure of two things we a Tory plan: a) the poor will suffer the burden more then the rich; b) their mates and party donors will benefit from outsourced dodgy contracts.
    27
  382. The fact that the Tories cant stick with a leader shows two things: 1) they lack suitable personnel and 2) their governance is abysmal.
    27
  383.  @rww805  would that be the Labour party that has borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories since the second world war?
    27
  384. Rees Mogg has developed the art of speaking through the wrong orifice, with a posh accent that persuades some to doff their cap and deem him credible. He exudes that Eton blend of self importance and vacuous inanity.
    27
  385. At least he is big enough to do it. Who will follow?
    27
  386. Starmer seems to play to the tune of the media oligarchs. Perhaps it's his strategy to use them as campaign managers on the cheap. Don't upset Murdoch; do what Blair did.
    27
  387. One core cause of our dilemma is that the Tories (since Thatcher) have banned the words social housing from our vocabulary.
    26
  388. Pro-cars! Let me tell you about cars, after driving 30,000 miles a year on Britain's road network. The roads are jammed, ill-maintained and inefficient. Travel by train was preferable when possible, while I was working, albeit expensive. If the government wants to help road users, they should improve public transport to take some traffic off the roads. As for the emissions target, we need more rail travel.
    26
  389. I have consistently suggested three reasons for voting Tory: self-interest; intellectual laziness; or plain stupidity. For those who defend Johnson from Sue Gray's conclusions: just the last category is applicable.
    26
  390. The fact that this convicted felon could even stand for president is alarming.
    26
  391. It seems inevitable that Johnson is away training to vaccinate - based on his recent photo ops. Conveniently, they store some vaccines in a fridge.
    26
  392. Sunak is a schoolboy, arriving with an irrelevant script in a grown-up world. Totally out of his depth and unravelling by the minute.
    26
  393. Buffoon and Lord Gormless have painted themselves in a corner. The EU politicians think long term and play the long game. We react like petulant kids. The brexit shit-show goes on.
    26
  394. I can only say, that's the only option I would have to help the woman against an armed man, due to being older and not at full strength and fitness. I would likely do the same thing. Ibrahim was acting as a good citizen. Too many would walk away.
    26
  395. Good that an obvious fact is placed on record. How will voter apathy stand up? (Poor infantile Boris is doing his best...nappy training is so hard for him...)
    26
  396. The misunderstanding is perpetuated by lazy journalism: taking briefings from press releases without analysis or explanation. I have an ongoing debate with the BBC labelling the difference between government spending and tax receipts as debt. It's either a deficit or a surplus, which is entirely different.
    25
  397. Mad as a box of frogs. Twice as clueless and useless.
    25
  398. The key question is whether the EU could trust us, even if there is demonstrable public support.
    25
  399. Of course the answer to free gifts should be No. A Labour PM should also expect to be held to higher standards than a Tory because of our unfit media. Hence, remove any doubt of potential bribery or buying favours.
    25
  400. She is absolutely right. The Tories simply lie about minimum service levels in Europe. They have minimum SAFETY levels, by negotiation, which we already achieve without a strike-busting law. If this legislation happens, time for a general strike - legal or not.
    25
  401. Welcome to a fundamentally corrupt country, heading towards fascism. We need so many things to avoid this inevitable conclusion. Independent governance of standards; a voting system that is truly representative, where all votes count equally; a clearly written constitution, approved by a people's assembly; prohibiting second jobs for MPs, to avoid a conflict of interest. This list represents only a start, so the challenge is tremendous.
    25
  402. ​ @dalecrocker3213 check the meaning of the word incitement
    25
  403. I had an enlightened boss while working in a role from 25 to 12 years ago (before retirement). Although I travelled nationally for site visits, my office work was done from a well equipped home office in Lancashire. I reported in to London and my boss did not want me to be biased towards any region. My productivity was also improved by this arrangement, as I often worked longer hours instead of travelling.
    25
  404. I'm equally disgusted by our tinpot British government.
    25
  405. Most concerning, as the NHS would fall apart without immigrants and professionals from different ethnicities.
    25
  406. That's true of the British media. As for the British public, most don't find the truth because of our corrupt media manufacturing consent.
    24
  407. True. It also says a lot about the power of the oligarch media to manufacture consent.
    24
  408. ​ @billB101 would you call Switzerland weak? Weakness and strength are terms for consumption by the vacuous.
    24
  409. Usual Tory smoke and mirrors. Make no mistake: Sunak is a traditional Tory tax and spend chancellor. We all know who will shoulder the greater tax burden as a proportion of their wealth. You guessed it, the people who can least afford it.
    24
  410. The strongest indication that Starmer values power over true democracy. What in Hell's name does he stand for?
    24
  411.  @Stalker-nv7gi  the short answer is Yes. I lived through those years and saw the damage caused.
    24
  412. Simple strategy against Reform: just ask them to articulate one policy and how they would implement it, rather than aspirations expressed as rhetoric.
    24
  413. Hardly a time for optimism, other than for someone devoid of critical thinking or part of the richest 1%. The worst government in my lifetime (of over 7 decades) I despair for our children and grandchildren. Enough is enough.
    24
  414. The same should go for bonuses.
    24
  415. Perhaps you should tell them that Edwina Currie gave you permission, to get rid of the bad eggs. Lol
    24
  416. Although I applaud Carol's reasoning and her message, on semantics, I must register a disagreement with one word: "first past the post...DEMOCRACY." I regard our system as undemocratic. There are two forms of democracy: direct and representative. Our system is unrepresentative (with minority voting securing a parliamentary majority) and is thus undemocratic imo. NB. Carol advocates PR.
    24
  417. It seems that someone with Jeremy's humanity could not be allowed near power. The system demands sociopaths, controlled by the powerful.
    24
  418. I fundamentally blame the government for commissioning a feeding frenzy. Their excuse of exceptional circumstances is no reason to panic. Firstly, did they consult the specialist procurement professionals? Did they accept the offer of help from the EU? Instead they hung out the bait, knowing that the greediest or most enterprising never let a crisis go to waste and thus offering incentives to their mates. Now they have their pasties. On the one hand, Sunak and Johnson are not prosecuted for conveniently losing key evidence. Whereas this couple may be used as targets of deflection. I'm not defending them; just saying look out for the consequences: who caused the greatest damage and who gets away with it?
    24
  419. We have a government that thrives on confusion, division and chaos. Don't fall for divide and rule. If we truly are a free country, we respect choice and not blackmail.
    24
  420. Can't fix the mistakes without accurately defining them, before finding effective solutions. Now we bring in someone who helped fuel the financial crash and seems wedded to austerity.
    24
  421.  @nathanfurnival8724  "Unelectable." How? It's a simple as sticking a cross in a different box. But first I recommend engaging in critical thinking, ignoring our oligarch media, and making up one's mind on policies and track-record rather than vacuous rhetoric.
    24
  422. Populists have a magic formula, to appeal to the intellectually lazy, the hard of thinking and the plain stupid. The conundrum is that their paying followers fail to ask basic questions: what's in it for them? How will it effect me? What will be left of the country when the "disrupters" stop disrupting? Thanks for your good work, Rob, and so many of us wish you well in dealing with your loss.
    24
  423. Chomsky has been proved right on so many levels. A great hero of mine.
    23
  424.  @wolfgangpreier9160  probably about as long as it will take us to find a brexit benefit
    23
  425. Can Brexiteers actually read? Thought they just swallowed soundbites whole.
    23
  426. Both are aiming at the wrong target. The Tories love an industrial dispute while Starmer and Reeves aim at pensioners to divide and rule. Why not fill the alleged "black hole" by taxing wealth and increasing the windfall tax on energy companies?
    23
  427. It's hard for many of us to believe that some will put greed above human survival. Time to stop believing their excuses.
    23
  428. It would take a Tory liar or someone in a somnambulistic trance to make that claim
    23
  429. And so many blame the fishermen for their vote, without knowing whether most of these employees voted that way, and as though it excuses the government from their crap brexit "oven ready deal."
    23
  430. @@alexander-lc4dr Were you not better off under Labour? Let's start your whataboutery from a position of reality.
    23
  431. Always respected Barry. Now I must add admiration for his humanity and concern.
    23
  432. It must be difficult to select one piece of sh1t over another.
    23
  433.  @candidaprout8441  the sort of delusion associated with a pseudonym account.
    23
  434.  @mikeymc3094  fair point. the solution is surely to make a manifesto a binding contract, based on reasonable endeavour. And anything not in the manifesto must be subject to referendum - other than in a national emergency. Also we need a democratic electoral system (a form of PR) so all votes are equal.
    23
  435. Every Doctor has been campaigning for such a review, and they are not alone. Patient safety should come first, by making sure that practitioners work within their area of competence. With the Tories and crank think tanks, it's all about money and a hatred of state services.
    23
  436. Johnson's Brexit: the greatest act of self-harm committed in modern Britain.
    23
  437. How people find this foghorn of bile even remotely credible is beyond imagination. But then - hold my beer - Trump is the new US president and the Clacton MP shouts in parliament.
    23
  438. If the Labour government was serious about growth, they would also tackle inequality and lead investment rather than going cap in hand, hoping for trickle down.
    22
  439.  @howardgayton2127  yes. And Cameron failed to implement Leveson. Lots of self-interest and short on cajones.
    22
  440. Jacob has the arrogance to declare what the public is interested in, while the rest engage in tomfoolery behind closed doors. Another day, a new group of chancers and charlatans.
    22
  441. Words do matter. Yet they probably matter far less to a sociopath. Society is important and we should work together, against the lunatics who have taken over the asylum.
    22
  442. Wallace has something going for him if he can identify Braverman's incompetence.
    22
  443. Would that be the ship that cut its moorings with Europe and is now floundering rudderless in the high seas? Newsflash! The captain has jumped the ship and they can't agree on a new skipper and can't find anyone capable of plotting a safe course.
    22
  444. Trump seems to hate everything, except cheating at golf.
    22
  445. I don't believe we have democracy, while votes are unequal. Yet now we are in a state of kleptocracy, as explained by Bernie Sanders. Starmer seems gutless in pandering to wealth and power. Time for political and electoral reform (strictly with a small r)
    22
  446. ​ @perfectstorm7379 why not try to work it out for yourself. A poignant example was Farage parading in front of camera. Maybe not on GBN? but you get the idea. GBN is not a news channel...GB Propaganda would be more accurate.
    22
  447. Good to see tribal war amongst Tories. With little to no oppostion, neutered by an unfit parliamentary process, we depend on their self-destruction.
    22
  448. I have only ever seen three reasons: greed and self interest; intellectual laziness; abject stupidity.
    22
  449. Absolutely...nail on head. Electoral reform, using an alliance to get it, is the only viable solution. The Tories have made effective use of our elective dictatorship and this is clearly the best way to stop them.
    22
  450. The paralysis caused by not having a democracy so the system can be manipulated and gamed. Reminds me of Britain.
    22
  451. Are we suffering amnesia? I vauguely recall an offer by France to process applications on their soil so there would be no need to use small boats.
    22
  452. I admire this young woman. One of the few MPs who says it as it is. Buffoon and Smogg are spinning their latest excuse that an increase in public expenditure (such as increased benefits) would be inflationary. Not one interviewer has challenged that and asked them why. Perhaps they didn't explain cost push inflation at Eton. Too busy promoting entitlement.
    22
  453. If I want to clarify the legal position, I ask a qualified lawyer. If our government wants to pretend to do that, it makes a challenge at tax payer's expense. Next, we have a series of excuses for the waiting lists and a promise of new hubs that we can't staff. Different day; same Tory horseshit.
    22
  454. Fully agree. I have previously made a similar comment after reaching the same conclusion. Fartage wants an audience in an echo chamber to spout his bile. When challenged, after the application of critical thinking, he is exposed as a charlatan.
    22
  455. The first part is also true of Britain. We can't afford to support our citizens but the worth and entitlement of the wealthiest and the financial sector is unquestionable and knows no bounds. Bernie is a legend and deserves our respect.
    22
  456. A socialist would not condone and support neoliberalism. A socialist wouldn't assume pensioners have the broadest shoulders. A socialist would not appoint a chancellor who sticks with Tory fiscal rules while refusing to tax wealth.
    22
  457. Who said that? Her job is international development and other options are available. Tax wealth, since we are DEFENDING (as in defence) the assets owned by the richest.
    22
  458. Rees Mogg at his finest. The Victorian pencil sharpened by Penny's sword.
    22
  459.  @netomaape2557  The outcome does not invalidate the process. Truth and reconciliation is a worthwhile goal but one which our government couldn't live with.
    21
  460. When a serial liar makes a promise, expect the opposite. The Tories have successfully levelled down, to benefit the 1%. We know Sunak's priority - he is obsessed with small boats.
    21
  461. Usual smoke and mirrors: you won't lose your home - meaning you won't have to move out. Similar rhetoric to: outsourcing NHS provision to private companies has nothing to do with privatisation. Same gaslighting; different day.
    21
  462. Unfortunately, I don't see our government doing anything transformative or progressive. Too much corporate lobying and funding, with paralysis by oligarch. They will undo some of the blatant stupidity of the Tories, but little more when we urgently need it.
    21
  463. So many things I can't understand and have never experienced as a white male in my eighth decade. If only we could live the dream of the great Martin Luther King, focusing on the content of character. Interesting interview. Two great human beings in an enlightened discussion.
    21
  464. Inevitable, as the Tories keep repeating the same lie.
    21
  465. And the CPTPP uses corporate courts, where companies can sue for loss of profit.
    21
  466. Perhaps another promise of integrity, professionalism and accountability would work well. Or how about getting Brexit undone? Lol
    21
  467. Absolutely true. Does the economy work for banks or are banks to provide a service to the economy?
    21
  468. Some, perhaps many, of us will miss you. At least those of us who thought of ourselves as fellow Europeans. Warm regards from a once half-decent country.
    21
  469.  @guff9567  your pseudonym name is appropriate.
    21
  470. "Got its heart beating again." Love it. Normally our oligarch media is soulless. Now it has been forced to admit reality: for Global Britain read Little England.
    21
  471. Responsible businesses will be responsible employers, looking after their employees. Greedy profiteers will exploit employees.
    21
  472. Government simply retreats when the word "investment" is mentioned. We need a larger state working with and for its citizens.
    20
  473. Great work, prof. You clearly care about society, while calling out the danger of neoliberalism. Change is long overdue and you are one of the few making the case.
    20
  474. Wow! That's not how it's supposed to work. When Global Britain issues visas, everyone should come running because we are such a great country to work in. Still waiting (impatiently) for the unicorns.
    20
  475. Agreed. Pathetic, petty and duplicitous.
    20
  476. ​ @kr050 or the Devil?
    20
  477.  @tariq_sharif  Wouldn't employ her as a barista
    20
  478. After extensive academic and social research, I confirm that our country is totally stuffed. Enough is enough.
    20
  479. Martin Lewis does exemplary work. You can sense his exasperation as our government refuses to adequately support and protect consumers, while continually pandering to their corporate backers.
    20
  480. Does anyone remember the Leveson Report? A certain David Cameron conveniently decided not to implement its recommendations, and allowed the press to remain self-regulating. Perhaps that would have been different had the majority of the MSM habitually scrutinised Tory governments.
    20
  481. The question of whether to vote is muddied by our elective dictatorship. So many believe their vote to be wasted, depending on the area they live in. My solution is to vote only for a party in favour of electoral reform. Destroy the ballot paper if you don't have such a candidate.
    20
  482.  @BENTWOONEZERO  being first is no defence of an inferior performance. We have been overtaken and out-performed on the two items you mention. Britain is broken.
    20
  483. Maybe the Crime Minister couldn't miss another photo op lol
    20
  484. Hardly surprising after completing a reckless Brexit DURING a pandemic. Every offer of help from the EU, during COVID, was refused under the pretence of "world beating" British methods. A lethal cocktail of Johnson's hubris and operational incompetence.
    20
  485. Who would have expected this government to do a half-arsed job based on their record? They way they got "brexit done" was a clue.
    20
  486. The last thing we need is the mindset of a banker in office. The BofE is currently working against the government. We need transformative economics, and banks working for society in support.
    20
  487. ​ @ericritchie6783 It would be amazing if you checked your facts before adding rubbish.
    20
  488. Spot on. Unfortunately you can't confuse a Tory with factual reality, William
    20
  489. ​ @NorthenSoul what has Labour to do with Fartage or Reform?
    20
  490. I'm constantly amazed how easily people buy the Tory rhetoric. It's either because they excel at PR (assisted by the oligarch media) or because people ignore facts and swallow slogans. A friend of mine once used a simple acid test: have you been better off under Labour or Conservatives? By every economic measure, Labour excel: more real growth in incomes, and better stewardship of public funds - Labour have consistently borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories. Just look at our national debt and inequality levels as a quick guide.
    20
  491. It's more about the use and distribution of money. Inequality stifles growth. Put money in the pocket pf the average person and they will spend it in the home economy. Put most of the cash in the hands of the richest and they will either move it offshore or buy assets to rent back to us at extortionate prices. Gary Stevenson of the patriotic millionaires further explains this in his videos.
    20
  492. When I hear the tired rhetoric of blaming Labour I wonder how long it would take a competent government to fix things. Since they have had more than a decade, they should simply resign because of abject incompetence.
    20
  493. Key phrase: manufacturing consent. Aided and abetted by an oligarch media. Enough is enough.
    20
  494. Johnson needs a huge entourage of cleaners behind him to mop up the crap he leaves. The army is growing by the day and the task is now impossible. Small wonder the Tories are finding him a liability.
    19
  495. If they are so confident that they represent the British people, why not call an election or hold a referendum? Perhaps he should define "illegal" and how asylum seekers can arrive legally. Why not start be reading the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees?
    19
  496. The dilemma, imo, is that we don't have real democracy - we have an elective dictatorship (to quote Lord Hailsham). We need a system where all votes are equal and seats are commensurate with votes (PR). We need rules of accountability where a manifesto is a contract and needs referenda to change any significant policy outside it. We need to stop interference at elections and prohibit corporate funding of parties. We need to reform the system and clean up politics to achieve democracy. We also need media reform by implementing Leveson as a start.
    19
  497. ​ @nopants4259  True. And it seems sociopathy is the only characteristic required for appointment to the Tory cabinet.
    19
  498. Our "special relationship" is that of a serf with their master. It's hard to laugh with their foot on our throat.
    19
  499. Some would describe Kemi-Demi-Semi Bad-Enough as confident. I would use the word arrogant. A failure to listen; constantly interrupting to assert vacuous ideology over fact. Look at what she has achieved. Crappy trade deals that prove us to be the desperate party. Her bluff and bluster doesn't work in negotiation. A good negotiator will listen to find potential benefits. Kemi is the ideal champion of Tory desperation.
    19
  500. Self before party is not only dangerous but will tease out the least responsible leader.
    19
  501. Respect to Andrew Feinstein and to South Africa for speaking out and 'walking the walk'.
    19
  502. Like a bloody menagerie. The one who should be expelled of course is the Convict, also known as the Crime Minister.
    19
  503. Never have we so desperately needed Baldrick. Compared with what Johnson's government pass as a plan, Baldrick was an international genius. Johnson's government continually prove that wealth gushes up and drips down only where they can't fix the leaks.
    19
  504. Braverman is quite a piece of work. A qualified lawyer who doesn't understand the law or flouts it for her populistic brand of fascism.
    19
  505. Cowards and incompetents love to punch down. Scared of going after the richest cheats.
    19
  506. And, by extension, their financial prospects.
    19
  507. Inaction Man leading the misguided could hardly end well.
    19
  508.  @angelaharris6577  I absolutely respect the right to choose. I disrespect an oligarch-funded media manufacturing consent. I'm also concerned about the dumbing down of our population and the lack of critical thought. We are individuals with a free will, but our social structure disrespects that for purposes of control. Time to call out the shysters.
    19
  509. Conclusive proof that this government couldn't handle a p1ss-up in a brewery.
    19
  510. After a few decades in I.T. (sad, I know.) I'm hardly surprised that our national systems are failing. Always seem to suffer from an obsession with cost, old technology, poor project management. Requirements probably dictated by politicians instead of competent operational managers?
    19
  511. ​ @onlyme8117  the fact that "remoaner" has been replaced with "realist" makes it bloody hilarious to me.
    19
  512.  @garyshepherd9367  is that your idea of a compliment,.Gary? Or a futile attempt at rhetoric? Our undemocratic system has benefited both parties, but the Tories most often.
    19
  513. Or for treason
    19
  514. Politicians swallow an obsession with "borrowing" as the media talk about the national debt, without taking cognisance of state assets. In reality, when creating money we are borrowing from ourselves, yet no distinction is made for the purposes of forcing a small state and imposing austerity. We are continually being scammed and our politicians are complicit.
    18
  515.  @andylowe3564  perhaps you would see less moaning if you could mention one tangible benefit of Brexit.
    18
  516. Perhaps the honest answer is: you obviously respect my right to vote but I apparently got it wrong in economic terms. What exactly is sovereignty worth, Brexiters? And what exactly do you think it means, after we are prepared to reduce our food standards to get a deal?
    18
  517. Sunak needs to lean on the author of austerity to tell him how to bugger up the country completely.
    18
  518. ​ @JohnArmitage-gs8ej perhaps you should book an appointment at Specsavers, for both optics and audiology. Brexit; the Farage riots, exacerbated by asking loaded questions before checking facts and authenticity; his track record as an MEP... STEP 1: do your research. STEP 2: apply critical thinking. What positive action has Farage contributed to help Britain? Just asking a question...
    18
  519. ​ @peterrauth118 "A benefit to the UK taxpayer" that none of us will see. We will still pay the market price that is inflated through overt profiteering.
    18
  520.  @Noel-ji8nm  I have. How are they compatible? One is about party in-fighting. The other is about breaking international law. Whataboutery doesn't cut it with me. You asked which policies Labour are reversing. I answered with one.
    18
  521. Credit and respect to you, Richard. Follow your dreams and develop your vision. Your work is an inspiration. All the best for 2025.
    18
  522. Brexit was a perfect example of an own goal, as an act of self-harm. There are liars, damned liars, and Tory brexiter politicians.
    18
  523. If Labour have upset this wazzock, they have at least done one thing right.
    18
  524. Such a "safe" and "welcoming" country, yet it offers a deterrent. Tory logic is hard to fathom.
    18
  525. The situation with Truss had one big difference. She wanted to cut taxes for the failed scam of trickle down. We need the opposite: government investment in infrastructure and public services.
    18
  526. If these charlatans are not criminally responsible for manslaughter, the law is not just an ass, its an a**hole. The first responsibility in public office should be care and protection of citizens.
    18
  527.  @mariogmajner6549  perhaps if you stay on subject you may get the idea of poignant logic. Whataboutery is futile.
    18
  528. At least Johnson has a sense of humour, but always at our expense. Paying this clown to cover the government's arse is not exactly commensurate with his job title.
    18
  529. She admits people voted to level up and she deliberately acts to level down.
    18
  530. In negotiations there is a simple question: which party is more desparate? Little England doing deals by numbers: one deal, minimal benefit, tick; another deal, no benefits, tick...
    18
  531. This woman excels in the density scale to achieve absolute opacity. Or in plainer language: as thick as two short planks. Starting this kind of scrutiny at home would be best: test and trace; PPE contracts; etc. After an alleged consultation, the channel that scrutinises them most is to be sold off.
    18
  532. Your statement was chilling accurate. The oligarch media would not agree with you because Johnson was doing the dirty work of their oligarch owners.
    18
  533. And one of the most straight talking. Does it hurt?
    18
  534. And his first blatant lies should always be remembered: integrity, professionalism and accountability. Instead he has delivered corruption, incompetence and obfuscation.
    18
  535. With an aging workforce and stopping free movement, the inevitable happens. As Basil Faulty said: "Specialist subject, bleeding obvious." But then Tories attempt to paint over the obvious with an opaque coat of obfuscation.
    18
  536. @Chris Beckett your comments are as uncaring and as vacuous as your illiteracy.
    18
  537. With the party of the vile in disarray, we need all other parties to commit to PR.
    18
  538. ​ @stumac869 OMG! You have a very convenient and inaccurate memory. What you called "Blairism" left us with record prosperity and the lowest NHS waiting lists. What caused our financial crash? Casino banking, WORLDWIDE!!!
    18
  539. The bigots in the DUP don't understand the concept of power sharing. It requires them to get off their arses and do some work. It requires cooperation. Their politicians shouldn't be paid while effectively taking industrial action. As for media pandering, well said professor Tim.
    18
  540. Russia is returning to a world that Israel hasn't left. Such irony.
    18
  541.  @owainwilliams7993  change well overdue then.
    18
  542. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Troll off, Noel
    18
  543. Another excellent summary from a professor who communicates clearly. Thank you. I remember David Cameron, when PM, praising the British buccaneering spirit. That would be great language for an entitled sociopath who views dodgy trading as a game; but for a national leader? Unfortunately the London laundromat is symptomatic of our attitude to trade: money is king and profiteering is part of the game. Responsibility is for mugs. Del Boy was a saint compared with the charlatans with power. Who will clean up the mess?
    18
  544. He won't face her again. James O'Brien nailed him about 10 years ago and he hasn't been near James since.
    18
  545. I guess if you promote someone beyond their competence, they are easier to control.
    18
  546. The phrase I often use to describe this government is operational incompetence. Sometimes it's deliberate, because after doing nothing they manage to shift the blame with the help of our oligarch media. When judging effective governance for the benefit of the majority, they fail abysmally. Enough is enough.
    18
  547. We have yet to see a government brave enough to embrace modern monetary theory (MMT) and think beyond tax and spend. Our politicians act as though Tricky Dickie (Nixon) didn't abolish the gold reserve, so they can govern in the interests of wealth and capital to keep the rest of us relatively poor. These videos explain the possibilities and cut through government excuses. If only Reeves and Starmer would listen...
    17
  548. Wurzel Gummidge with an Eton hangover and a plummy accent to match.
    17
  549.  @russellmathews3599  He's been offered so many workable options but has refused them all for fear of his backers. He should stay in his bunker and stop causing damage.
    17
  550. Bigots and racists don't know what they are missing. So many of our friends from different ethnicities are wonderful people. The great Martin Luther King said it best about the content of character. His words resonate...a special human being.
    17
  551. The price cap fails to protect consumers as it takes no account of excess profit (only wholesale costs.) Companies took the rip with the last increase, as the cap regulates the unit rate but not the daily supply rate, which was increased substantially. Quite simply, the market is broken, as Martin Lewis has stated.
    17
  552. The perfect example of Johnson's promises: 40 new hospitals promised; 34 roofs near to collapse.
    17
  553. We laugh at our peril, while we suffer this cabal of charlatans.
    17
  554. I would say asset rather than agent. An asset may not know how they are being used, and Putin is playing him like a cheap fiddle.
    17
  555.  @nathaneddy502  even with the skills, would they get a platform? The media machine is intent on manufacturing consent.
    17
  556. ​ @rickross3153 of the country he fled to?
    17
  557.  @theworldaccordingto4555  that's exactly what happened. Good documentary on Al Jazeera called The Labour Files.
    17
  558. Why make something simple, when government can use a ruse to benefit the financial sector, then pay through the nose for it? Our system exists to fund and exacerbate inequality. We even had the insult of Hunt reducing taxation on banks after they took the money. We all work for the banks; they don't work for us.
    17
  559. Welcome to the promised one nation Conservatives, now beginning to see that Johnson is levelling down.
    17
  560. This is an absolute no-brainer. Our current system amounts to an elective dictatorship. Both parties working in conjunction can offer real democracy where all votes count equally. The Tories will be shown to be power crazed after fiddling with electoral boundaries to cling on to power. Add an intention of cleaning up parliamentary standards with independent jurisdiction and the Tories are exposed.
    17
  561. We get less transparency and accountability when we need more, both in government and in commerce. Another great insight, Richard.
    17
  562. Raising interest rates with cost push inflation is another form of austerity: people will be able to afford less. By definition, disposable income will fall and so will demand for essentials, which means some will suffer hunger and poverty. Controlling interest rates with price increases uncontrolled was, in the past, likened to a one-club golfer running the economy. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    17
  563. Sending a tweet isn't a solution; it's known as massaging his own ego.
    17
  564. Bevan certainly had a point.
    17
  565. She struggles to keep a straight face while spouting bollocks yet still exudes arrogance. Missing the first part of the process: the government sets the parameters for the pay review body. What's the point of a recruitment drive when we don't pay NHS staff properly? Shall we train them to move abroad?
    17
  566. Three excellent points. In full agreement.
    17
  567. A phenomenal insight that supports two of my opinions. 1) This level of control (by the powerful) is enabled and supported through our elective dictatorship. We need real democracy. 2) We are simply not allowed transformative government: Corbyn could not be allowed anywhere near power and we are allowed nothing more than Starmer.
    17
  568. Sunak sounds surprised that Labour has learned "spending needs to be paid for" when the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less since the second world war. Perhaps his own party need to learn that lesson.
    17
  569. Their life mission explained in one sentence.
    17
  570. Why would Starmer be sensitive to the referendum that broke electoral rules and was advisory? Especially after evidence of the brexit disaster? Is the oligarch media running government? Does he listen to them above his own MPs? To date, the Labour government has been less worse than the Tories, rather than significantly better. They do not govern for the people but are beholden to corporate interests.
    17
  571. Sunak will keep squirming until he finds an apparently acceptable answer before the DUP again throws their toys out.
    17
  572. True. And to cement this, the government will deregulate financial services, to further exacerbate inequality and to pave the way for another financial crash and impose further austerity.
    17
  573. What the speaker said at the end was alarming. It also showed the urgent need to clean up politics and to learn tolerance. The longer parliament continues as a house of lies with inadequate methods of redress; the longer that blame is shifted and innocent people are targeted, in misdirection, as an excuse; the longer that common enemies are created through rhetoric; then the risk of fuelling hatred - and even the threat of violence - seems inevitable. To make matters worse, we have an oligarch media, largely owned by non-UK tax payers, spouting hatred and shifting blame. There is no defence for putting politicians in physical danger. Yet with divisive rhetoric that fuels hatred, anger is understandable and even inevitable.
    17
  574. Wonder how much our Spiv paid Zelensky to get him out of the hole?
    17
  575. Then don't cry for us. Just laugh at us through pity.
    17
  576. There is the further question of how newly created money is used. When money has been created recently, it has been sloshing around in banks then used by the wealthiest to buy assets, who rent them back to us at extortionate prices. If we created new money for direct investment in infrastructure, that would hold less risk of inflation and wouldn't exacerbate inequality. A stonger infrastructure would also attract new business investment.
    17
  577. Time for the Tories to call an election then...
    17
  578. Richard and Prof Danny Blanchflower have joined together as the Mile End economists to show a better way for Labour. Starmer should listen and engage.
    17
  579. The irony is that it took the combination of a referendum, followed by a minority-elected government in an elective dictatorship to enable this act of self-harm.
    17
  580. How did Kemi measure up to Sunak's promise of "integrity, professionalism and accountability"? Apparently, opinions differ as to whether she is bad enough.
    16
  581.  @Noel-ji8nm  Trolling again, Noel? What would you like to see?
    16
  582. When it comes to operational competence applied to government, the Tories are an abject failure and simply pathetic.
    16
  583. There are always two sides to Johnson's "Global Britain." 1) scoring an own goal in any trade deal. 2) Blaming the opposition and business for not believing in the golden opportunities that exist only in Tory gas lit pretence.
    16
  584. Tried to get the three tenors. Ended up with the three wazzocks.
    16
  585. Sunak is a traditional tax and spend Tory, and has shown who will be hit hardest by the tax (and NI) burden and who will suffer most from austerity.
    16
  586. Johnson's "clarification" consisted of more erms, ahs and uhms than English words. That's the sign of a narcissist squirming. Cowardice and hubris; not clarification.
    16
  587. Footballers and ex-footballers hold this government to account. Doing the job of the mainstream media, whose silence is complicit.
    16
  588. Quite the reverse: the state must regulate and mitigate corporate power. We live in an oligarchy.
    16
  589. Some comments on this extraordinary increase suggest that price can't be controlled. That's either an excuse or an admission of defeat as we suffer cost-push inflation. The short answer is, look at other countries who are making much smaller increases. Also government borrowing does not mean a bigger tax bill - depending on the type of borrowing. Taking QE as an example, one state-owned pocket has effectively "borrowed" from another. The myth of tax and spend disappeared with a fiat economy but the government doesn't want us to know that, so they can blackmail us with austerity. I know this topic is hotly debated but that's largely a power battle, which can be understood by researching MMT (modern monetary theory) Our Tory politicians reach for every excuse possible, as they don't wish to upset their business backers and they continue to use propaganda to make us suffer. Enough is enough.
    16
  590. ​ @lellyparker  There is a simple acid test: were you better off with Labour or a Tory government? Real incomes rose under Labour whereas with the Tories, guess what?
    16
  591. Well done, Harold. First prize for an idiotic comment. Whataboutery is no defence.
    16
  592. This argument was proved by Iceland after the banking crash. Put money in the pockets of the lower paid and they will spend it in the home economy. Put money in the hands of the wealthiest and they will either invest it (some of it offshore) or spend it on assets that offer less growth to the home economy. Assets such as homes often push up house prices, making them unaffordable to the poorest.
    16
  593. A great description. Neoliberalism has been disastrous for society because it has succeeded in its central objective: to get the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We have trickle down when we need flow down for investment in efficient state services and infrastructure.
    16
  594. Judge the (in)competence of our government, permanently in denial, by the number of times they shift the blame.
    16
  595. Braverman was too cowardly to answer a question from the SNP leader as to whether she would declare the survivors illegal.
    16
  596. A classic sociopath
    16
  597. We lived on the Fylde and felt the tremors from fracking. Anyone supporting it should research the amount of environmental damage through fracking in Pennsylvania
    16
  598. And our state media (also known as the BBC) are complicit. Six hour delays at Dover reported this morning, caused by problems with ferry services, weather, and anything but Brexit. Their silence is deafening.
    16
  599. ​ @physiocrat7143 Enjoy your trolling? Tax is not left in a bank; it is spent again and circulates. Taxation also controls inflation.
    16
  600. Our credibility on the international stage sinks further in the mire. Wonder if Little Spiv has noticed that we are an international joke and his wife is providing sick comedy material. Enough is enough. Tories out.
    16
  601. I wish
    16
  602. Yet there will be some delusional followers who will believe his excuses when he shifts blame - even after multiple cock-ups and mayhem.
    16
  603. The kind of observation we need from a political leader: "I've seen no evidence of..." With such an incompetent in charge, we must have enormous international respect.
    16
  604. There is only one word to sum up our government's reactions to this invasion: Pathetic. Yet our state media, known as the BBC, reports Johnson's speech and his act of largesse in allowing the family of Ukranians with settled British status to come into Britain, without mentioning his refusal to waive our sinister visa system during an international emergency.
    16
  605. @Dog boy is that a pathetic attempt at defence from your pseudonym account?
    15
  606. That's a very relevant question, as the Tories have a far worse financial record than Labour. Not only have they consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour (even before the pandemic,) they have managed to burn £126.7 billion of taxpayers' money in this latest parliament (starting with the chief buffoon.) A complicit media is one of the main reasons: manufacturing consent and perpetuating myths and blatant lies.
    15
  607. The term 'responsible capitalism' describes a noble aspiration, but it's proving to be an oxymoron with the irresponsible idiots in charge.
    15
  608. Credit to you for your channel, DB. Always worth listening in. Best regards.
    15
  609. Sunak acts like an animated little spiv while failing to answer a simple question with a straight answer.
    15
  610. Couldn't agree more. In my eighth decade in this country, I'm deeply ashamed.
    15
  611. The key word when describing so many of the effects of Brexit is exacerbation. For other effects, Brexit is simply the sole cause. A simple two-word phrase to describe Brexit in its entirety is sh1t show.
    15
  612. Follow the rules, face the penalties imposed by corporate courts. That's sovereignty in the CPTPP for you.
    15
  613. Glad you are continuing, Rob. One of the most poignant and articulate channels on TY. Personally, I'm in favour of taxing the income from wealth at the same rate as work income, as asset values vary and are harder to determine. Prof Richard Murphy makes such a recommendation.
    15
  614. irony noted
    15
  615. @@alexander-lc4dr So you haven't answered the question. Were you better or worse off?
    15
  616.  @johnrussell3961  yet the majority of us have paid more tax under the Tories while public services are dismantled.
    15
  617. The two national morning TV channels interviewed Zarah Sultana, who eliminated any excuses for delaying the removal of this cap. There are times when politicians should lead and explain, rather than following said public opinion, whipped up by the oligarch media. Does Labour really support inhumanity and poverty? Universal credit itself is a flawed system and should be reformed, instead of extended.
    15
  618. A great explanation. Prof Bill Mitchell (in his book Reclaiming the State) refers to this limit as the productive resources, which probably amounts to the same thing. He also wisely differentiates between the real economy and the financial one. If we spend wisely, such as on the infrastructure and green investment, we not only address under-employment but also help to mitigate climate change.
    15
  619. Yes. That's Johnson's promised high skill, high pay economy.
    15
  620. Are you referring to America?
    15
  621. "Getting to the point." NEWSFLASH! The climate won't wait for us. Global warming must wait while we get to the point.. how reassuring!
    15
  622. Sunak's big announcement was more of the same failed measures. We pay for more border guards on French soil and a detention centre (wow! As early as 2026) All of which has failed before and is far less effective than processing applications on French soil as Labour had suggested. Meanwhile we break international law and become global pariahs. Sunak is some strategist!
    15
  623.  @apollothirteen9236  Indeed. I don't argue otherwise at a personal level. Yet when that's the best option on offer and the real economy suffers, say, at the expense of share buy-backs. The system is far worse for society, and you are either comfortable in exploiting it or otherwise. The debate is about neoliberalism versus other systems. Depends on your attitude to greed and personal values. As for high IQs, our system doesn't reward on that measure. Many of the brightest use their talents for society.
    15
  624. What pain must we suffer to help the tax avoiders and disaster capitalists? The mythical concept of sovereignty is obviously worth it to some. Yet when I explain that Britain was always a sovereign nation with the right to manage our own economy and with our own currency. Somehow that seems to take the wind out of some sails.
    15
  625.  @Fedora_JP  I didn't know because it's simply not true. The first letter is G for Global. Triggered by derivatives: the repackaging of debt invested predominantly in American sub-prime mortgages. Casino banking around the world caused it. More Tory rhetoric unrelated to reality.
    15
  626. Great idea! Shall we start a crowdfunder?
    15
  627. The like is in support. I'm appalled by the hard of thinking who fail to embrace the words of the great Martin Luther King about the content of character.
    15
  628.  @tomsheppard378  you can increase pay all you want but there is a shortage of skilled people. Standing firm means we will have shortages for however long it takes to train enough drivers. How long.wlll that take? Ask the government and wait for their lies.
    15
  629. How? The rail companies, on the other hand, have paid billions in shareholder dividends after taking taxpayer handouts. I submit that you are looking in the wrong direction.
    15
  630. Noone does fantasy like President Moron. Backed by two performing seals, making America the greatest...laughing stock in the world.
    15
  631. I think it's more accurate to say that he's gaming our undemocratic system. We have an elective dictatorship with shoddy parliamentary standards.
    15
  632. Suggesting we have an issue stretches credibility when we are not even asked to show our voting cards at present. A manufactured problem for political ends. Another move towards fascism.
    15
  633. Even if Brexit were a good idea (imo, it was an act of self-harm), the lack of preparation, while constantly changing our ideas on what Brexit meant, was always going to spell disaster. After four decades of a close trading relationship, with supply chains and some production processes closely aligned, planning was absolutely essential. Instead we had government complacency, arrogance and incompetence. Rather than working with business and unions, government muddled along and blamed business for not being ready. In short, who would have been crazy enough to trust these prize wazzocks to take back control? We see the evidence time and time again, in the fourth year of separation.
    15
  634. Some master plan from Airhead Truss! Throughout the process, the EU has used seasoned negotiators, acting as the only adults in the room. Expect more of the same.
    15
  635. Step up to whom? The EU is the most successful peace project in recent history and it takes a treacherous "friend" to sell out to Putin to threaten it. Stepping up for peace is something America has never understood.
    15
  636. Perhaps they just read the headlines. I take your point though.
    14
  637. If Raab can't answer her questions, who's the gormless one?
    14
  638. "Falling behind!" That can't be right; I thought we were world leading in everything.
    14
  639. Johnson warned us in his 2019 election PR. Driving a forklift truck through a wall of blocks and leaving a mess of destruction is illustrative of the real events. He got Brexit part done, and badly, so we are left with the mess. He then buggered off and left it to others, while in a state of perpetual denial.
    14
  640. Are they helping Sun readers to find brexit opportunities?
    14
  641. How critical to this case is computer hacking? If the information was obtained by other methods would he be free? Or is it more a question of America's dirty secrets being exposed and investigative journalism being stifled?
    14
  642. The best news I've heard or read in the last few years. The neoliberal model, propped up by government sociopathy, has failed. The city of London is a club, with its own unelected representative taking a seat in parliament behind the speaker's chair. We need economics for society, and not to preserve the wealth and power of the few. Voices of learning and reason should be consulted by government and listened to. Time for change... We really haven't had enough of experts, as Brexit has proved beyond doubt.
    14
  643. To my knowledge, no government has been brave enough to embrace MMT, probably to maintain the status quo and preserve inequality by keeping power in the hands of the financial sector. I first became aware of MMT by reading Reclaiming the State (Mitchell and Fazi). Neoliberalism has suppressed growth by creatiing inequality and we need a government brave enough to reverse it.
    14
  644. Ordinarily that may be true, but this lot are passing things through while parliament is in recess (Coffey forcing 130,000 more UC claimants to find work is one example) Tories hate scrutiny.
    14
  645. The fact that you recognise this and speak out, suggests you were one of the good guys. The police have a difficult job and political interference undoubtedly makes it harder.
    14
  646. ​ @Noel-ji8nm I recommend counselling for your Starmer complex.
    14
  647. There is so much apathy that many can't believe the danger level in our elective dictatorship. Any alliance must make political reform (both PR and cleaning up politics) front and centre in a campaign. That seems the only hope of persuading people that their vote will count.
    14
  648.  sean sean  don't get that. From what I saw the cyclist was on a clear road before the car overtook him then braked hard. The motorist caused the unsafe distance by pulling in early then brake testing.
    14
  649.  @davidgreen6490  "Asia is the future." Free to exploit cheap labour while we reduce our standards in the race to the bottom. Never known anyone to be so excited about less than a tenth of one percent growth. As for Europe being the past and writing off 27 countries.... Utter bollocks.
    14
  650. It took them 14 years to come up with a plan, yet noone can explain what it is.
    14
  651. ​ @happyChappy96621 I actually think the opposite would happen. If Reform were given a voice in parliament, instead of spreading bile outside, their idiocy would be exposed and many would lose interest.
    14
  652. This is not over. The Met has failed to investigate three gatherings and has been threatened with high court for this failure, unless they start investigations. The Good Law Project are handling this.
    14
  653. We were always facing deregulation after leaving the EU. The Tories preach a high skill high pay economy yet their policies will deliver the polar opposite. Market forces are causing wage inflation in a few sectors in the short term, but deregulation is about the longer term.
    14
  654. So "a dignified resignation" consists of no contrition, and the repetition of the same lies and fantasy of the government's alleged "achievements." Which amount to serial f'kups.
    14
  655. Around 4% of the total population arrived in the last year? Really! Show your workings and source
    14
  656. Starmer seems to be emulating Blair in some respects. Blair offered hope and delivered improvements in the standard of living, in health and education, while failing to reverse neoliberalism and taking us into the disaster that was Iraq. Hard to trust Starmer but it's a question of who he is conning - the true Labour supporters or the oligarch media and string-pullers? A risky game indeed.
    14
  657.  @NeilCWCampbell  personally, I don't. Many voted for brexit with the expectation of staying in the SM and CU. I blame the abject liars who painted multiple rosy pictures. Compassion for the conned in my case - with some exceptions for those who hated foreigners.
    14
  658. Wonder who paid for this appeal by bigots?
    14
  659. Sunak obviously has confidence in his party. MPs who lose their seat will now get state funded support to help them find new jobs. (source: BBC text and website) My heart bleeds...
    14
  660.  @ihavebeenben  Well Kermit the Ben, it's highly relevant. Tory austerity has cost lives yet they accuse strikers of risking such lives.
    14
  661. I've complained online. We should inundate them with complaints. At least Fartage was made to look stupid, yet somehow he will appeal to racists and idiots.
    14
  662.  The Legend of Spitfire Hunter  "failing EU?" Who has the empty shelves.
    14
  663. Then pay that as the pension minimum and we wouldn't need it.
    14
  664. The excuse of tax and spend, used to excuse austerity is the exact opposite of reality: which is spend and tax
    14
  665. Huge respect to those who give up their time freely to save lives.
    14
  666. Whereas letting the economy collapse? Who would have suffered most?
    14
  667. Yes. And making them ever richer
    14
  668. Trump lives on planet Ego and is consumed by greed.
    14
  669. I remarked at the time on the operational stupidity of completing brexit during a pandemic. The underlying reason was obvious: we could blame our brexit disaster on the pandemic.
    14
  670.  @ianl1052  yes. Biden has surprised me... a breath of fresh air.
    14
  671. Actually both. And I support their action. Tory governments have taken the rip over the last 12 years.
    14
  672. This commentary hits the nail on the head. It's all about power and the preservation of failed neoliberalism. The main reason why no government is brave enough to implement MMT (imo) is fear: that the financial markets will rail against it. There is a good reason why Mitchell and Fazi titled their early book on MMT "Reclaiming the State". It's the antidote for neoliberalism, and the best potential solution to its inevitable scourge of inequality, which coincidentally suppresses growth.
    14
  673. Firstly, an apology is meaningless without taking responsibility. That means resignation, not only for an abject breach of his own government rules, but for misleading parliament. Next: all those in breach to pay the fines from their own pocket - no donor bailouts and no expenses claims.
    14
  674. Totally agree. We have an elective dictatorship and need real democracy. A codified constitution approved by a people's assembly is also necessary to achieve democracy and improve parliamentary standards.
    14
  675. Don't worry, they can always find someone worse. Their track record proves it.
    13
  676. A man with a brain, who uses it. Sound like a Scouser, which immediately makes me listen. He should give lessons to Starmer and co, in answering questions directly and with passion. While showing the inanity of the interviewer.
    13
  677.  @woofpet  Yes, there was always an element of greed, albeit tempered by a regard for society. Now greed is applauded by neoliberalism and inequality has accelerated.
    13
  678. Wonder if this will be on the BBC or MSM? Enough is most certainly enough.
    13
  679. ​ @WarAndBusiness Look up the definition of sociopath. It gives a good clue for starters.
    13
  680. The reports on the mianstream media were astounding: they were non-existent.
    13
  681. Using interest rates as the sole tool to control cost-push inflation is like a golfer playing a national championship with a single club in their bag. (To paraphrase Ted Heath.) When Gordon Brown gave this power to the BofE, I could see the benefit of depoliticising it and involving professionals. Unfortunately said professionals applied too light a touch and allowed greed to cause the banking crash. Giving politicians an excuse to blame someone else is always dangerous, so, yes, on balance, government should be involved in setting interest rates. Currently, we work for banks instead of them working for society.
    13
  682. One Tory in parliament, after the last 13 years, is a Tory too many.
    13
  683. With judgement like that, he should be prime minister (of a banana republic...)
    13
  684.  @gambrydew2059  Sadly that's a mathematical fact. "Inflation down" simply means that prices still increase but at a slower rate. Inflation means prices going up; prices going down is deflation.
    13
  685. Prove your first statement, please. Or hide behind your pseudonym account.
    13
  686. Raab admitted that we live in a dictatorship by stating that asking the date he went on holiday was a partisan question. Did anyone explain to him that party politics is partisan; yet a fundamental condition of democracy is transparency? But then, Dover Dom is hardly the sharpest knife in the drawer.
    13
  687. I accept that Labour must keep its powder dry until a real election campaign starts. Their silence on Brexit, however, is infuriating and futile. We are finding such evidence of the economic disaster from Johnson's hard brexit, coupled with the threat of breaking international law, that Labour is failing to take a shot at an open goal. Keep reminding the electorate that Johnson has not only failed to get Brexit done, he is making an absolute mess of it.
    13
  688. If only we had been warned... Remember Project Fear? Now becoming Project Reality.
    13
  689.  @manoo422  are you for real, or just a troll using a pseudonym account?
    13
  690. Good question. Especially when 90% of vehicles are complaint.
    13
  691.  @mariogmajner6549  your point being?
    13
  692. When a "journalist" can't match reported text to headlines, what does that imply about their readership?
    13
  693.  @oliverboughey6328  but railway companies paying huge dividends to shareholders after taxpayer handouts does!
    13
  694. The Tories want a small state and are prepared to dismantle the NHS to achieve it. Johnson said "the NHS is not for sale." In one sense the truth: the Tories will dismantle it piece by piece through outsourcing, then give away the bones of the organisation. A similar argument applies for rail, where the government is compensating operating companies for loss of revenue on strike days. Socialism for the rich; capitalism for the poor.
    13
  695. ​ @californiaraisins8532 Twaddle Without Any Thought
    13
  696. From Global Britain to Desperate Britain. Now we are begging to join NAFTA, with its corporate courts, so Tory donors can sue the government for loss of profits and get more tax payer money. The Brexit shit-show continues.
    13
  697. I hope for cooperation in the next GE - campaigning for PR and cleaning up parliament front and centre. Unfortunately Starmer seems to think he is Blair reincarnated (minus his strength and charisma, in Blair's earlier days) This morning Starmer refused to cooperate with the SNP - not a great start. I despair of his inept leadership. Parties need to unite with a common purpose to reform our undemocratic system.
    13
  698. A poignant and accurate summary. If Labour don't implement PR, the Tories will be back with more extreme cruelty. If Starmer gains power, he needs to grow a pair and embrace modern economics.
    13
  699. ​ @BuIIetBiII  Thus proving the point: a minority (43.6%) vote producing an 80 seat parliamentary majority. That's called elective dictatorship.
    13
  700. I hit the overseas development budget instead of taxing asset wealth for defence of assets. (Mostly owned by oligarchs.) The real meaning behind Starmer's words.
    13
  701. "We're in the control of the markets." The most poignant words of today. I had a debate by exchange of comment on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and our consensus arrived at: would you rather politicians or banks control monetary policy? The fact that we count the right pocket "borrowing" from the left as a national debt keeps the control firmly with the bankers and the markets, so we end up with crumbs from the master's table. (Wow! How can we be in debt to ourselves?) Now, let me think about this: if we had democracy, would I prefer that our elected representatives control monetary policy, or should we leave it to that giant casino called the markets?
    13
  702. I can't resist comparing his oratory to that of our vacuous prime minister. But then, Zelensky was a comedian and comedians have to be poignant and concise with language. The Ukranian president is inspirational. His people deserve peace and freedom.
    13
  703.  @verystripeyzebra  and how that is relevant when businesses suffer from the extra red tape and many have relocated or stopped trading? If you want me to go into the minutia of trading agreements and WTO rules, I can. Many politicians have misrepresented them and my own (brexit-supporting) MP didn't understand them.
    13
  704. A great message. Time to think of others and replace greed with compassion and a sense of community.
    13
  705. While I agree with you, probably only feasible to rejoin the SM and CU in the short to medium term
    13
  706. The whole rail industry could go bust? After paying massive dividends to shareholders. No Tory demands for restraint there from Bodger and Shapps.
    13
  707.  @EthanKristopherHartley  the irony being that we have an undemocratic system, with unequal votes and seats not matching votes. We would need a fit electoral system for both houses. FPTP produces and elective dictatorship.
    13
  708. HMRC having a red flag against Zahawi's tax affairs would be essential to his CV as Tory Chancellor. An obsession with low tax, skeletal public services and greed at the expense of society is in their DNA.
    13
  709. Gove too busy obfuscating and misdirecting to do his job. At least we get less levelling down.
    13
  710. And it's my advisor's fault for not reminding me before every journey that I hadn't to break the speed limit. The moronic idiot defence.
    13
  711. That depends whether you look before 7 October, and Israel has since escalated it. Did 25000 deaths pass your attention?
    13
  712. ​@nikkihamilton4374No. It leaves the mess to Labour, as usual.
    13
  713. We are constantly reminded about the treasury note, ad nauseum. When will we be reminded that the Tories found some money while trebling our national debt, in spite of austerity? Waken up opposition, the media help the other side.
    13
  714. ​ @garyb455  that's a strange statement when the Tories have delivered the highest taxes in 40 years. Why would you let facts get in the way of your prejudices?
    13
  715. Yes. Ironically only a minority enabled it: 43.6% of voters. We need democracy.
    13
  716. The Tories are the worst possible opposition because 6 months of new government is inevitably compared with 14 years of abject incompetence.
    13
  717. So Dizzy Lizzy adopts a plan proposed by the energy companies. For the benefit of ... You guessed it.... corporate profits.
    12
  718.  @frankclarke421  they only go silent when asked to answer a simple question: please name one tangible benefit of Brexit.
    12
  719.  @alanmarr3323  are you for real? What is patriotic about self harm? Perhaps you will reveal a tangible benefit to take our mind off the mayhem. Sorry if you were being ironic.
    12
  720. It took a minority-elected government (with 43.6% of vote share) to conclude the act of leaving. Thus it could be argued that the brexit vote was democratic but the implementation was undemocratic. In reality, we live in an elective dictatorship, where votes are not equal. So governance is not democratic.
    12
  721. Absolutely true...a nation of cap doffers. We need to develop bullsh1t detectors and engage critical thinking.
    12
  722.  @ZWD2011  Yet we will get the worst of it, with the lowest growth in the 20 richest counties - except for Russia. Who could have forecast the operational lunacy of completing Brexit during a pandemic? This act of self harm has exacerbated the problems here.
    12
  723. She was referring to her boss, or her own intellectual laziness.
    12
  724. The Tories have never been a same option for anyone capable of critical thinking. Other than for the selfish or psychopathic.
    12
  725.  @lesleymariewade6405  although I backed Remain, it's hard to blame the voters as distinct from Brexiters. Many Leave voters expected to stay in the SM and the CU, or at least a similar deal. But the shape-shifting Brexiters conned these voters.
    12
  726.  @paologat  Yes. But the havoc will hit the UK hardest. An act of self-harm
    12
  727. ​ @BanalayerPete1972 the acclaimed man of the people. Son of a stockbroker, privately educated, a former commodities trader. Just an ordinary guy then...
    12
  728.  @AlexLee360  How f'king disparaging can you get? And what right do you have to use that tone? A patriot will call out problems and seek reform for the better. Born in this country, and in my eighth decade, I'm deeply ashamed of our jingoistic Little England mentality and seek better for the future of my grandchildren.
    12
  729. Get Foghorn Farage to intervene. The French must respect him enormously after his outstanding work as an MEP. He could also meet the fishermen to whom he promised so much.
    12
  730. Truth to power is a concept the oligarch media won't tolerate. Well tweeted, Gary.
    12
  731. How? Please explain. Also explain how Farage tried to calm the situation. In return, I'll explain to you the meaning of the word delusion.
    12
  732. Yes. To me, he is even worse than Thatcher. At least you knew what you were getting with her. "No such thing as society" and now we have a sociopathic prime minister.
    12
  733. I think they want a small state but with ultimate government power.
    12
  734. Andy, I officially declare you a vacuous wazzock. Just like the person you continually excuse.
    12
  735. Sunak being registered with a GP was not only a smoke screen, it was irrelevant to the question, which was about NHS dentistry. It takes an absolute muppet to come up with such an answer, yet our inept media choose not to pick up on it. Also most private health schemes require a referral from a GP so you have to be registered with one.
    12
  736. Brexit means BrexSHIT is what Theresa May really meant. Abject stupidity.
    12
  737.  @creativecascades1328  so 50 jobs in Northampton for mini moke. Exactly which other firms?
    12
  738. Totally agree and love the fact that you adopt MMT. One of the great gaps in Labour was the fact that they did not advocate MMT principles. Your explanations are clear and concise.
    12
  739. The man named after a giant fart will be a disaster for the environment. Let's listen for the Tories denouncing his "protectionist" policies. Don't hold your breath...
    12
  740. The whole idea was pathetic, vacuous and crazy. A plan that evolved under Johnson, yet Sunak was stupid enough to continue with it. An expensive ruse, funded from public money.
    12
  741. I know the man wants to get elected but far too beige for me. The gap between rich and poor will continue to increase until we dismantle Neoliberalism, as that was its main intent. Who will deliver democracy, rather than our shambolic pretence? We need a system where all votes are equal, also stopping second jobs for MPs and upholding appropriate standards.
    12
  742. Yes, we went from EU funding to levelling down. That's taking back control inaction. (The last word is deliberate.)
    12
  743. ​ @keithcannon5168 you have more faith than most in British justice. "Asking questions" to throw doubt on the police statement; taking unverified false information at face value to suit his agenda. All calculated to incite, hence James O'Brien's apt description of the riots. Don't see Ole Nige suing...do you?
    12
  744. Totally agree, to the extent that I will not vote for a party that fails to support PR. Currently we have an elective dictatorship.
    12
  745. So very true and poignant. The irony is that we have some good progressive economists and other campaigners offering hope. Yet Starmer is sucked into the power vacuum, listening to Blackrock while ignoring the interests of society. Gary Stevenson, Richard Murphy, Stewart Lansley and Liam Byrne MP understand the corrosion of inequality and want to change it. Farage will bring greater inequality, backed by dark money while appealing to the desperate and hard of thinking. We need to find our voice and work together.
    12
  746.  @AdrianNelson1507  No. If we made him the divine ruler he would soon bog off, when faced with the sh1t he helped to create.
    12
  747. How embarrassing. Imagine phoning a radio programme to jump on the bandwagon of something you clearly don't understand.
    12
  748.  @andrewfrancis3591  agreed. I kept it in summary. Paid lobbying should be banned after retirement. If any family member has a paid or investment interest,.it should be declared and the MP banned from voting on any matter that could be linked to the investment or interest.
    12
  749. Yes. And it would be good if we started by having real democracy, instead of an elective dictatorship. We need PR
    12
  750. I couldn't agree more. FPTP is simply undemocratic in my view: there is no such thing as unrepresentative democracy. The party whip is a further impediment to democracy, particularly if it is overused. Seeing compromise as a dirty word may suit oligarch media owners but it is folly because life is a series of compromises in the pursuit of peace, happiness and improvement.
    12
  751. Rights with responsibilities is key. Another case in point was a certain politician "asking questions" publicly before asking them privately to verify fact. Such a person has an agenda and understands the inflammatory nature of their words. They should be shamed in parliament and legally warned or prosecuted. The underlying cause is a media (both social and mainstream) unfit for purpose. These characters know how to game it to feed their ego.
    12
  752. Many of us condone Churchill's actions because he was a man for the time: the kind of dirty b'stard we needed. Albeit a flawed character.
    12
  753. When considering levels of greed (including illegal scams) just remember Thatcher's claim that "There's no such thing as society."
    12
  754.  @evolassunglasses4673  Yes. Straight to the pockets of the few.
    12
  755. ​ @MichaelSmith-ns8ow yet scaled down from Labour's original proposal as opposition
    12
  756. The link: self interest. Btw, it must be a heavy load: carrying Johnson.
    12
  757. ​ @FrankDobermanNoooooo democracy says otherwise.
    12
  758.  @stephengraham1153  it was simply to help Tory party funding by rewarding mates.
    12
  759. We now know what Global Britain means: every problem caused by Brexit is described as a global issue.
    12
  760. The benefits of the single market to a supply chain are enormous. Perhaps Kemi and her mates will build one with the CPTPP lol. Brexit stupidity, yet again, proving that politicians live in an alternate universe.
    12
  761. Churchill minus cigar and brain.
    12
  762. The only thing I applaud in the Tories is their planned disintegration. That said, it would be better if they just buggered off.
    12
  763. ​ @diannemuhling7555 implementing the Jay report...sorting the Tory mess as usual.
    12
  764. The Good Law Project does some great work. Jo Maugham was also part of the Gina Miller action that forced parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit. Plenty of material to investigate with 14 years of Tory incompetence and corruption.
    12
  765. This is enabled by our lack of democracy. We live with what Lord Hailsham termed an elective dictatorship. We need PR (a system where all votes count equally) and independent governance of parliamentary standards.
    12
  766. Sunak and the Tories are to economic competence what Hannibal Lecter was to vegetarianism.
    12
  767. Indeed. Teaching critical thinking would be a good start. Albeit against the interests of dodgy politicians.
    12
  768. There may be change: it will get worse with this scammer in the HofC
    12
  769. A triumph of greed over logic.
    12
  770. ​ @twisteddancer7773  You would need to question the voting system to answer your own query. The Tories were elected on a minority vote: a 43.6% vote share giving an 80 seat majority. The better question to ask yourself: have you been better off under Labour or the Tories?
    11
  771. Or making Liz Truss prime minister.
    11
  772.  @deviousdescent9010  very true. Their ideology is never wrong - even after it's proved wrong. The price of bigotry.
    11
  773. Yes. The problem is, he's delivering mass chaos.
    11
  774. To finish Sunak's speech: "I will work day in, day out, to deliver for you...[the 1%]" Great video, Rob. Poignant and accurate.
    11
  775. Yet another glaring example of the one dubious "success" of Brexit: the triumph of rhetoric over fact.
    11
  776. Good luck. Some of us value immigrants and many contribute so much to our society (except for Tory ministers, who ruin our country in most cases).
    11
  777.  @exposingthepedoleft9463  they would need to be in power.
    11
  778.  @batcollins3714  I can well understand that reaction. Britain will find it extremely difficult to rebuild trust.
    11
  779. Very true. Perhaps we should label it inverse economics.
    11
  780. No accounting for intellectual laziness or stupidity.
    11
  781. @@retiredbore378 troll alert...Noel the troll
    11
  782.  @Marvin-dg8vj  C+R+A+P = usual pseudonym account garbage.
    11
  783. ​​ @adenwellsmith6908 You have identified a deliberate weakness: in the method of accounting. Why is a balance sheet not published, showing state asset values? Fixation on "debt" (largely indebtedness to ourselves) is designed to keep us compliant with the propaganda of neoliberalism.
    11
  784. Mick is pure class.
    11
  785. Yes. They would hate intervention by adults
    11
  786. Water should not be for the extraction of profit. Simple and obvious to most of us.
    11
  787. And apparently the EU's quota has increased even more because the total fish stocks have increased. Now, how are we going to catch and sell this extra fish?
    11
  788. I asked a simple question in discussing brexit. Irrespective of whether brexit had theoretical merits, could I trust this government to take back control? You can probably guess the answer and I refrain from saying "I told you so" to the disillusioned Brexiters.
    11
  789. I expect as inevitable Johnson's failure to answer a single question then trot out a lie in response. Yet despair at a parliamentary system that allows it and is blatantly unfit for purpose.
    11
  790. And which new clowns will enter? We have gone from the sociopathic to the clueless.
    11
  791. Comeuppance is a lovely word - especially reserved for brexiters.
    11
  792. When I was brought up in Britain almost eight decades ago, I never saw a non-white face. Now many of a different skin colour are my friends and make a great contribution to British society. Without them our NHS would fall apart.
    11
  793. It seems that the price of power is working in the interest of capital. The status quo is locked in.
    11
  794. Are you awake, or do mindless bots sleep?
    11
  795.  @mariogmajner6549  so what?
    11
  796. Yes. And completing Brexit during a pandemic was moronic (in operational terms.)
    11
  797. From my recollection, that was Gove, who is not even in government now.
    11
  798. Anyone believing that leaving the EU was a democratic choice, should consider the fact that it took a minority-elected government to deliver this abject conclusion. Not only was the referendum advisory, in constitutional law, but the fact that electoral rules were broken should have made the result void. Now we have a government in denial, with chicken-livered opposition, after Johnson's oven-ready deal buggered up Britain.
    11
  799.  @andyforshaw8489  No. There you go again, Andy, blaming the messenger to divert from truth.
    11
  800. If restricting the families of students "is the biggest single measure" to reduce migration, what does that say about his competence? The little spiv who promised integrity, professionalism and accountability responds with lies, excusing his weak and incompetent governance.
    11
  801.  @serraangel7465  No. Just over one decade: since 2010 after Tory austerity and the removal of bursaries.
    11
  802. He knows how to appeal to stupidity. Appeal to prejudice at the expense of logic and fact.
    11
  803. ​ @ritfloyd If private schools were taken into state control, there would be the same number of places. As for housing, moving does not deplete the housing stock and there would be no need to move in any event
    11
  804. Ah! This committee is missing the point. We have Sovereign Tea - soon to be our greatest export
    11
  805. No point Johnson looking in the mirror. The self-analysis of a narcissist is pointless.
    11
  806. Totally agree, and you have seen it first hand. A close member of my family is also a carer. Respect for what you do.
    11
  807.  @josefschiltz2192  sorry to hear that. The emotional, as well as the physical effort in care work is hard to image for those of us who haven't done it. Underpaid and undervalued, yet vital to society. Kind regards to you.
    11
  808. The pram, rattle, tantrum syndrome.
    11
  809. One U-turn I actually welcome. The original decision was wrong. Not only on moral grounds but also in logic. A vaccine protects the recipient by boosting immunity. Infections may be spread by the vaccinated. I would be reluctant, as a minister, to preach on this question to a qualified doctor. That would be arrogance.
    11
  810. Farage, in charge of the limited company masquerading as a party, admits a failure in their vetting process. Then slopes off for lunch. Anyone spot a scammer?
    11
  811. Easy for a sociopath. They feel no shame and are devoid of empathy.
    11
  812. ​ @madguruJ So, Greens for you? Or just whataboutery?
    11
  813. Mhairi is one of the very best politicians in the UK. She obviously cares about people and wants to make a difference. Perhaps I can add to her description and say the opposite of Woke is a half-asleep arsehole.
    11
  814. He sleeps because he is a sociopath. Respect to you in the teaching profession. Stay safe and healthy.
    11
  815. ​@@Disruptor_Your pseudonym is apt. Your arguments vacuous through posing extreme negatives. What does work, in your opinion?
    11
  816. Simply a list ticking exercise. Another deal done, irrespective of financial benefits (or costs.) Irrespective of conditions and impact on quality. Irrespective of whether corporate courts can sue us. Who will be the desparate party in negotiations?
    11
  817. ​ @Curryking32000 Probably from a credible economist...£40 billion in lost tax revenue from Brexit for starters. Causing Sunak, as chancellor, to raise an extra £46 billion in tax to compensate for lost trade.
    11
  818.  @bigkdog5091  where is the fourth?
    11
  819. Bring on the Tory self-destruction and fetch the popcorn.
    11
  820. Let me help broaden your mind. Many want to come here in peace, to work and to contribute. They may join us in peace.
    11
  821. Look at the Tories track record on the national debt. Cameron's austerity (which he tried to pass off with the lie of efficiency) increased the national debt while cutting public services. Sunak wants more of the same failed policy.
    11
  822. I asked a close friend, a teacher, whether her school was affected by the dodgy concrete. Thankfully, no...just dipping floors and a dodgy roof. The Tories risk lives with their small state and enforced privatisation.
    11
  823. Freedom and peaceful coexistence are two sides of the same coin. From the river to the sea is achieved by a two state solution
    11
  824. Mick giving grown-up advice to the inept chancellor. Hopefully she will listen to him and to the patriotic millionaires, also the Mile End Road economists.
    11
  825. Johnson's default lie about the British vaccine rollout and EMA membership is infuriating. Largely because the opposition doesn't force him to correct it on the parliamentary record.
    11
  826. It's a competition: which cabinet minister can spaff most public money? Truss is winning by at least 11000 miles because of her lunch bills and flights. Wait for the next instalment...
    11
  827. Key words: if Labour go for PR. They need to do that to get my vote.
    11
  828. Appropriate that the first guy had a cap to doff.
    11
  829. With a choice between a jobbie and a turd, we'll still end up in the sh1te.
    11
  830. And closer to home, our elective dictatorship and outdated parliamentary system are unfit for purpose and need urgent reform.
    11
  831. Honest Bob crowing about enforcement visits while the Home Office backlog exceeds 166000. The word "illegal" in the title should be associated with the third word Bill and not the second word Migration. Thankfully Yvette Cooper put the poor wazzock out of his misery. Skewered!!!
    11
  832. Thankfully we're about to experience Johnson's high skill, high pay economy. Lol
    10
  833.  @twisteddancer7773  most often, one more than the other. Look at votes per seat and in the majority of cases, Tories benefit.
    10
  834. Yes. Which is why Johnson was operationally incompetent enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic. The blame game. We also have a compliant media that stays silent.
    10
  835. Western hypocrisy in the pursuit of greed is hardly surprising. Great journalism.
    10
  836. Seeking crumbs of cheese from the master's table. So Sovereign Britain begs from our masters: the EU. Ultimate irony.
    10
  837. But judging from Priti Shitty's reaction, he's now on her hit list.
    10
  838.  @oldgeezer-dg9lq  the obvious first step would be to rejoin the single market and the customs union.
    10
  839. In any "spaffing" competition. This cabinet wins hands down.
    10
  840.  @thread_astaire  a great argument for nationalisation then?
    10
  841. With two looking distinctly uncomfortable at one point.
    10
  842. Gullibility knows no bounds.
    10
  843. Sunak promised integrity, professionalism and accountability. Yet he exudes corruption, incompetence and opacity.
    10
  844. A good start would be to implement Leveson and give our oligarch shit media something to rant about. Get them on the defensive.
    10
  845. ​ @alexgarland2747 Reversing his true title of MP doesn't elevate him beyond the two-bit sh1t-stirring chancer he really is
    10
  846. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Shall we mention Rwanda?
    10
  847.  @maskedavenger2578  facts please, no vacuous rhetoric Mr or Mrs Pseudonym account.
    10
  848.  @davidfoster2006  That's the point, it's simply undemocratic. It's a false mandate, irrespective of party.
    10
  849. ​ @deehaytch8442 Whataboutery is so boring
    10
  850. If he disgusts you "as much as the Tory party," presumably you will vote for neither. The dilemma is, under FPTP we have to vote strategically or our vote is wasted. You have presented the perfect argument for electoral reform.
    10
  851.  @audreymcgready4329  good question. Hard to use the word "reform" as a Tory after 13 years in power. As for the other party, they want to reform the UK as a fascist state.
    10
  852. A true gentleman and statesman. Patient and prepared to accept that Brussels makes mistakes and is prepared to learn lessons. Compare his approach with the arrogance of Farage, forecasting the downfall of the EU as Britain left. That would be the vacuous foghorn who is afraid to meet our fishermen and farmers who he hung out to dry. Respect and admiration for MB: we should work with such people instead of defensively shifting blame. But then we suffer a cabinet of morons led by a buffoon.
    10
  853.  @Richard_Turner  I'm in a similar position because we have yet to see whether Labour supports PR, along with Lib Dems and Greens. My emphasis is on electoral reform. Johnson's imbecilic Brexit would not have happened with PR. I'll vote for any party promoting PR with the most realistic chance of winning in our constituency.
    10
  854. The bluff of Lord Gormless was called and he was found to be holding the jokers. Like a lardy playground bully, caving in when he met more than his match. He was beaten by altruism, with the EU respecting the Good Friday Agreement to uphold peace in Ireland.
    10
  855.  @acthompson9983  your point being? Is it that only Tories are above the law? Please don't give us "they're all the same" rhetoric.
    10
  856. Totally agree. Neoliberalism is key. It has succeeded only in the sense that it has persuaded the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We need fundamental change.
    10
  857. Stay awake while you replay the video and you'll find out.
    10
  858.  @tugpilotsmiffy  then you haven't been looking. Queues at Dover, NI protocol not implemented by Westminster. Economic forecasts from OBR. Adam Posen's comment on the contribution of Brexit to inflation. Shortage of farm Labour. You may not like or even agree with some or all of these, but don't say that noone told you. I, on the other hand, have not heard or seen a single tangible British benefit - except for something about sovereign tea and crappy trade deals.
    10
  859. Couldn't agree more, Richard. It's what makes us human. Greed is not good; ambition is. Many of us find ultimate pleasure in helping others. Some work extremely hard for the benefit of society.
    10
  860. "An ego the size of the Mersey Tunnel" is apt for a coward who wouldn't show up in the streets of Liverpool.
    10
  861.  @Borderman47  I totally agree. It's also revealing that the Brexiters resisted a confirmatory vote - even after their original campaign had broken electoral rules.
    10
  862. ​ @gregorybiestek3431 You clearly aren't an economist, thank heavens. The US has four oligarchs who could pay, yet it imposes poverty instead.
    10
  863. To credit a serial grifter (Farage) with so much power is a pitiful excuse. The champion of brexit who blames everyone else for its failure and has never been elected to parliament is a pathetic last resort.
    10
  864. If the facts are inconvenient or damning, sweep them under the carpet. The sure sign of a fascist (elective) dictatorship.
    10
  865. Unfortunately government constrains us by failing to subscribe to MMT (modern monetary theory) as explained here. Why? I suspect it's about keeping control in the hands of banks to protect the wealth of the few. Why must we work for the benefit of the financial sector when it should work for society? A further dilemma on the state balance sheet is the lack of assets. We have sold them off and most are owned by private companies and foreign governments. This means that we need to use an overdraft for investment, to stimulate growth. Many say that Brown sold off the gold. More serious imo is that Thatcher started a fire sale of our national infrastructure. It was sold far too cheaply for the benefit of private profit and the lie of trickle down.
    10
  866. Time for Reeves to wake up and smell the coffee. Or for Starmer to sack her. Her fiscal rules and reluctance to tax wealth are killing us in any event.
    10
  867. Labour punched down on pensioners and raised a tax on jobs. Instead of taxing asset wealth; and taxing investment income at the same rate as work income.
    10
  868.  @danguee1  Milton Friedman, Sept 13 1970, New York Times article. The theory guarantees inequality. Mathematically it's equivalent to crumbs from the master's table.
    10
  869.  @Noel-ji8nm  Read the definition of socialism, Noel, and you will realise that you are talking bollocks. As for intellectual laziness: Labour has the stronger economic record, which can be easily explained for the economically illiterate majority: have you been better off under Labour or the Tories?
    10
  870. Their treatment of pensioners and WASPI women has been far from good. The rest? A combination of poor communication and a right wing oligarch media. Impose Leveson; stop corporate lobbying and cap political donations. Do something to rebuild some faith in politics.
    10
  871. Just like a bank loan. But then, Sunak was a banker
    10
  872.  @royboy4743  yet one of our best chancellors - credited with saving the world's economies after proactive intervention. And don't mention the gold reserves; that would be desperation.
    10
  873. Learning lessons is no excuse for ignoring the bleeding obvious.
    10
  874. Singapore will verify your claim. Spot on
    10
  875. The highest taxes in 70 years, yet somehow Labour are the party of high taxation!
    10
  876.  @garyb455  I understand your point, but how exactly were we "ruled?" Britain retained its own currency and our own courts and the power of the EU was limited to the operation of the market.
    10
  877. I agree about the urgency. The dilemma is getting one party to mitigate neoliberalism, which was designed to create inequality.
    10
  878.  @iansmith6086  ah! Notices (on lampposts??) Is that adequate consultation? Seems like a flawed planning system.
    10
  879. ​ @Noel-ji8nm BOT ALERT! Stick to the subject, please.
    10
  880. Perhaps Labour could start by publishing the work done by Richard Murphy, showing that the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, making Labour the party of fiscal responsibility.
    10
  881. ​ @DW-indeed ...before checking credible fact and source. Hardly the sign of a responsible MP.
    10
  882. ​ @Leapops never assume that intelligence is commensurate with wealth.
    10
  883. PFI was a wheeze recommended by business consultants to keep asset values off balance sheet. A wheeze that has cost us far more than "borrowing" through bond issues.
    10
  884. The Torygraph making a watertight case for implementing Leveson. Who has the cajones to do it?
    10
  885. Can the north of England join Scotland? Just move the border down.
    10
  886. Yet the bar is set far lower than that and what is the cost of means testing?
    10
  887. My summary of Westminster government is: being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough. Devolution was the right thing, so Westminster did a half-arsed job to keep hold of the strings.
    10
  888. How appropriate. A child's drawing for a business masquerading as a party to appeal to idiots.
    10
  889. By what definition is Mick a "firebrand?" Such sensationalist language! Mick is the voice of reason - calm and reasoned. The extreme voices exist in government and much of the media parrots their rhetoric.
    10
  890. The serial liar Johnson promised that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's. Of course we expected the opposite: Singapore on Thames with no protection for workers or product standards.
    10
  891. Perhaps it's like seeing himself through the mirror. Lol
    10
  892.  @britnatzaredemocracydenier5922  yes. When forecasts agreed to do so. Meanwhile he took urgent action to resolve the international banking crisis.
    10
  893.  @markhackett2302  A banking crisis caused by derivatives, funding sub-prime mortgages mainly in the US and, yes, the city of London was culpable but the problem was international.
    10
  894.  @btd836  Perfectly valid point. They wouldn't get away with it if the media held them to account.
    10
  895. It's always the same question: stupidity or playing dumb to con the public? Either way, politicians follow a narrative that harms prosperity for the majority. Intentionally or inadvertently? Who do they work for?
    10
  896.  @EdgyNumber1  Yes. Where wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the cracks.
    10
  897. Yet your vote can only influence one seat. I'm planning to focus on our own constituency, because anything else is a waste. Helping to influence others, based on my own conviction, is fine, but anything else is a danger to personal mental health by fretting about something that I can't influence by voting.
    10
  898. Johnson has one claim to greatness. The greatest serial liar in politics. Perhaps people have realised he meant Levelling Down. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    10
  899.  @oxymoron02  I'm British and had a relevant vote. In spite of Tory fascism, I'm able to exercise free speech and don't hide behind a pseudonym account.
    10
  900.  @stephenobrien5909  wtf! You think that excuses Johnson? Get real
    10
  901.  @FakeSchrodingersCat  well, you, your cat and I unfortunately disagree about those first two years. There was no excuse for austerity, as the economy was slowly recovering under the Brown administration after the banking crash. Cameron picked two psychos in Osborne and Hunt, to exacerbate inequality through austerity and obliterate the NHS. We had a growing national debt in spite of austerity and public services were diminished. The essence of planned incompetence.
    10
  902. Great speech and about time someone said it in parliament. If in doubt, search the tools of fascism and see how many this government uses. This has been clear to me for a few years and it's refreshing to hear an MP stand up and say it. Look out for the reports of her speech in the mainstream medIa lol (don't hold your breath though.)
    10
  903. Either hardened Brexiters don't understand trade borders and customs or market arrangements, or they deliberately lie. You choose. Same result: we suffer the damage from this act of self-harm.
    10
  904.  @derekharrison1582  Yes. Many people vote Tory through habit. I could explain in detail how their track record is far worse than Labour, but a good friend once applied a simple test: have you been better off under Labour or Tory governments? I know the answer for the vast majority and could give statistics to back it up.
    9
  905. Prof Richard Murphy states that the IFS is wrong on both counts. An obsession with growth, based on the flawed estimated measure called GDP is facile in a world of limited resources. The definition of borrowing and gearing is also dubious if aimed at government "debt". As Gary Stevenson suggests: economics is a discipline that applies complex formulae to flawed assumptions.
    9
  906. Respect to you for volunteering. That makes you the cream of the crop imo
    9
  907. Too many egos in that room. The man-child and the Forager, with Trump as referee, is quite a combination.
    9
  908.  @TheEvertw  and we now know what the Thames is full of, especially with the verbal diaroehea discharged from Parliament.
    9
  909.  @SedriqMiers  what is this great reset I keep hearing about? Do I need to join the fascists? Just curious...
    9
  910.  @Love-Isreal-4U  Don't quite see the relevance of your futile whataboutery. I recommend more meditation to stimulate critical thinking.
    9
  911. The new rule seems crazy. The old one, when turning left, should be clarified, published and enforced.
    9
  912. True. And if only we had real democracy where all votes count equally, hard Brexit (and arguably any form of Brexit) would not have been implemented.
    9
  913.  @Jonnythebaker  well, John, you may think it's a compliment to call someone born in the 40's too young to understand politics. Personally I find it condescending and presumptuous. None of your rhetoric stands up to economic and procedural scrutiny. It's total spin without fact. Carry on baking, it's a skill I admire. Perhaps a union flag on each of your cakes will help recovery from our current lame duck status.
    9
  914. ​ @HandleTier  That's a strange pseudonym account, spouting mindless shite. Evidence needed.
    9
  915. A government of sociopaths doesn't make you a bad mum. Stay strong
    9
  916. Relevance?
    9
  917. Great video. As if anyone capable of critical thinking could doubt Sunak's priorities. Thankfully your explanation has disabused those who are not capable and just choose to swallow the BS.
    9
  918. Indicative these numbers may be but the fact that the government doesn't think things through is irrefutable.
    9
  919.  @run2cat4run  don't buy the government rhetoric.
    9
  920. Ultimately, I believe you are correct but as a start we need PR.
    9
  921. Perfect analogy
    9
  922.  @roywiseman  isn't the whole point of the protocol to preserve peace, while protecting the Good Friday Agreement? Had the UK stayed in the single market and CU there would be no threat to peace and no disruption. Why not direct any blame where it belongs?
    9
  923. Finally, something positive and useful from this government - albeit late. Can't escape the irony of a slimeball politician calling out cowboy builders. Lol.
    9
  924. Johnson is an authority on parties. Some are so good that he can't remember them.
    9
  925. This is the price of an elective dictatorship, where seats don't match votes so that votes are not equal. With true PR, a party with less than half the vote share would never have a majority of seats, and would have to work in partnership or by consensus.
    9
  926. It wouldn't be as bad if they were for responsible business (if they half understood the definition.)
    9
  927. ​ @norwoodboy6048  How does that work when he helped broker peace in the GFA? When he calls out the apartheid state is Israel and becomes antisemitic?
    9
  928.  @liamr194  Pay attention, Liam. If you can't see the evidence and work it out, don't bother voting.
    9
  929.  @liamr194  don't you recognise a suggestion, Liam? Not dictatorship - you have the right to vote of course. Read the economic forecasts from government and other independent economic bodies and you will see that we are expected to become the poor man of Europe again. Largely because of getting Brexit half-done badly. As for Tory austerity - income in real terms has fallen over the last twelve years.
    9
  930. A two party system with neither party able to agree amongst themselves. We need PR.
    9
  931. 70 nuclear candles on his cake?
    9
  932. ​ @Noel-ji8nm And night is day and young is old and white is black. Yawn...
    9
  933.  @basher5013  Small wonder you operate under s pseudonym with such a vacuous comment. How exactly did unions run the country? Thatcher introduced neoliberalism. That was her brief and her sole intent: to increase inequality.
    9
  934. Tory logic. If held to scrutiny, legislate to say they are competent and that night is now called day.
    9
  935. This sh1t show shows the inadequacy of our parliamentary system. Truss is ripping up the Tory manifesto and thus has no mandate for her lunacy. A manifesto should be a binding contract, based on reasonable endeavour and allowing for emergencies, with a referendum required for any major policy change. As for parliamentary behaviour, don't get me started...
    9
  936. Absolutely sound idea and the present level of permitted opacity is alarming. It's as though we are inviting corrupt practices to suit dodgy people in business. Wait a minute! Who funds these parties? Do they work for the people? Without transparency, democracy is a myth.
    9
  937. The Tories specialise in "spaffing" public money. It's part of their DNA, consistent with their sense of entitlement.
    9
  938. ​ @FrankDobermanNoooooo Nigel is closer to Putin. You picked the wrong target.
    9
  939. For a perfect example, watch PMQs. Plenty of material there.
    9
  940.  @BENTWOONEZERO  some whataboutery from you Ben countdown pseudonym. Nothing to do with the subject under discussion but they have cancelled Nordstream 2 and are finding alternative sources while using reserves. We, of course, sold ours off. Any more crap from you on offer? Or will you stick to the original subject?
    9
  941. And he probably will. A haven for crooks and charlatans.
    9
  942.  @pippipster6767  Wisdom accepts that everything has two sides; regrettably you see one and deem that truth.
    9
  943. Just shows the quality of our mainstream media. So intent of manufacturing consent then denying reality when their mindless drivel has backfired
    9
  944. Sadly, we can't expect much with any government wedded to neoliberalism and dancing to the tune of large corporate donors. Inequality stifles growth - a simple formula embedded by neoliberalism. We need a larger state and real investment to expose the lie of tax and spend.
    9
  945.  @andyforshaw8489  if it's such a "well known fact," you will have no problem citing evidence.
    9
  946. But surely the virus should understand British exceptionalism.
    9
  947. The mythical 75% tax figure was quoted by a BBC interviewer this morning, as a government excuse when interviewing a Labour shadow minister. It seems that journalists just buy government propaganda without question or challenge. Another victory for our state media acting as the government's propaganda arm.
    9
  948. Tragic. Somehow the Little Englander mentality was revived by a string of three-word slogans. I'm ashamed of my country and regret that you had to endure such idiocy.
    9
  949. Small state gives us inferior health and education. Since when has society prospered with that? We need change, and your explanation is poignant.
    9
  950.  @simonjohn9525  because without PR the Tories will regain power. If we already had it, they would not be in power after a minority (43.6%) vote.
    9
  951. ​ @petergaskinuk-1785 A petition to implement Leveson would do the job.
    9
  952. You can fool some of the people all of the time. Regrettably too many in Johnson's case.
    9
  953. Misdirection, deflection and obfuscation have long been the main skillset of politians, but the Tories have elevated blatant lying to an industrial scale. Unsurprisingly the mainstream media stays quiet, so we have mass delusion.
    9
  954. Perfect forensic analysis. 👍
    9
  955. Apparently the fines are paltry...probably claimed on MP expenses. Meanwhile those fined £10k should knock on the doors of the courts and demand a refund.
    9
  956. I have consistently identified three possible reasons: self-interest; intellectual laziness; or plain stupidity.
    9
  957. I would assess Braverman as sociopathic and possibly vacuous.
    9
  958. It seems that we have a choice between voting for covid or the flu. I'm voting for flu to keep covid out.
    9
  959. To keep Johnson and Cummings company?
    9
  960.  @timonsolus  Indeed, they are usually promoted beyond their competence level.
    9
  961. The Russia Report (even the redacted version) certainly points in that direction. We have further failed to fix the flaws in our electoral system.
    9
  962.  @Gerhardium  Yes. The free marketeers have a selective memory about what Adam Smith said.
    9
  963. I'm amazed at the archaic parliamentary system that is clearly unfit for purpose. Yet it seems fairly simple to expose Johnson. "You said on the record that no rules were broken, prime minister. Having now read the report.and seen that they were. Do you wish to apologise for misleading parliament (either deliberately or inadvertently) and correct the record?" Surely the speaker would be compelled to see that through.
    9
  964. When did it change? The roots were planted by Thatcher (who did not recognise society) through the neoliberal model - me, me, me. With the possible exception of Major, the Tories have become progressively more decisive, allowing their plutocrat sponsors to perfect the model where the poor vote for the rich to have more. Brexit heralded the rise of populism: having bought the excuses for austerity, a binary choice in a referendum allowed the identification of a common enemy (however fictitious.) Now we are expected to hate the woke generation, lefty lawyers, and the list goes on. Government has learned from the techniques of fascism and moves progressively towards that model. George Orwell nailed it in his novel 1984.
    9
  965. ​ @aituk  publicly funded in many other countries, to achieve consistency.
    9
  966. And preferably on another planet.
    9
  967. We don't have democracy. Our system is a sham. This week we saw a government, bouyed by their success in the use of fascist methods, take three giant steps towards a fascist state. Democracy simply means government by the people. It comes in two forms: representative and direct. We have an unrepresentative system because votes are not equal and a minority vote regularly returns a majority government. This, by pure definition, is simply undemocratic. We are moving from what Lord Hailsham historically described as an elective dictatorship, to a fascist dictatorship, where any scrutiny of government is hidden or removed. Mainstream media ignores this and our opposition are as effective as a chocolate teapot. Britain is broken.
    9
  968.  @gerrabath  the abbreviation matches his vacuous rhetoric.
    9
  969. Led by a little spiv who promised professionalism and integrity in government. You couldn't make it up.
    9
  970. Totally agree. QE is a technical debt as we are effectively borrowing from ourselves. The left pocket borrowing from the right. The government could simply run the equivalent of an overdraft then recover it longer term through taxation.
    9
  971.  @ihavebeenben  wtf are you on? I hold degree level stats so understand numbers and indexation for inflation. Stop trolling.
    9
  972.  @lynnlovattjones4171  ultimately, you are correct. He is paying the price in terms of his leadership and his lack of achievement
    9
  973.  @jumbodoug  Yes. Great skillset and a passion for helping others. An economics degree from LSE with his feet firmly on the ground and an attachment to the realities of life for the majority.
    9
  974. Never has political party been so deserving of cumeuppance
    9
  975. This is the little Spiv who promised professionalism and integrity. Another day; another Tory liar.
    9
  976. Never trust the Tories with the NHS. In fact, never trust the Tories, full stop.
    9
  977. Which politician will be brave enough to listen and modernise education? Gove promised to "drive up standards" with more reliance on learning by rote and exams. This was after Blair had appointed an ex school chief inspector who proposed less reliance on exams and greater use of a more flexible syllabus marked by teacher assessment. (Which Blair inevitably ignored.) Add to this economic and social inequality, damaging the planet's survival for greed, and how do we expect to fill our youth with hope?
    9
  978. Indeed. It's called denial. Reality is to Brexiters what snow is to the equator.
    9
  979. Apparently the remainder that wasn't spaffed on faulty PPE or dodgy contracts is going into the Tory kitty to make up for lost oligarch funding.
    9
  980. Perhaps we should ask that most productive minister (for Brexit opportunities) JRM to explain these benefits. His brains trust - the Sun readers - can possibly help him out.
    9
  981. I share your surprise at Angela Rippon being on this comedy channel, professor. At last the silence is broken on the disaster that is brexit. The mainstream media are no longer silent. Still a lack of scrutiny and a government in denial, but reality is biting.
    9
  982. Yes. Our national wealth is unequally divided, such that the majority would laugh at the suggestion of our national wealth.
    9
  983. A little cowardly spiv alternating between arrogance, squirming, evading and planning his regular absence when at risk of being held to account.
    9
  984. Bot alert
    9
  985. Leveson was not implemented anyway. Cameron (the serial arsewipe) reneged.
    9
  986. We always 'spend what it takes" in a crisis. Unfortunately we don't plan to avoid one and when it comes to public sector pay...usual excuses and economic incompetence.
    9
  987. I can think of another word beginning with D to describe Trump: Deranged. He simply lives in an alternate reality.
    9
  988. Respect to you and your colleagues. Unfortunately these grifters never let a crisis go to waste. Will they be adequately punished? Somehow I doubt it.
    9
  989. ​ @chesterdonnelly1212 you lost, get over it. How does it feel?
    9
  990. It would certainly be an important step towards a real working democracy. Unfortunately, in PMQs there is an obligation solely to RESPOND, which is not the same as giving an answer. Parliament should be dragged into the 21st century.
    9
  991. These are medical professionals and some of our most dedicated people. Don't treat them like village idiots or pawns. We are seeing evidence by the day that Westminster is reserved for idiots and charlatans.
    9
  992. Putin was at the other end of the same large table. Equally torturous, except Macron had to listen to Mad Vlad.
    9
  993. A perfect summary. Additionally the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour. So much for the party of fiscal responsibility.
    9
  994. Yes. It started in 1979...
    9
  995. The balance of power dilemma can only be resolved with electoral reform. With PR, we would not have this hard Brexit and would have a stronger economy. We would also have more trust from EU countries.
    9
  996.  @xkr510  Good decision in the Thatcher years, after she imposed neoliberalism. It has done its worst; the rich have got richer at the expense of the majority, as intended. Thanks for your good wishes and enjoy life in Canada.
    9
  997. Labour needs to do more to tax wealth, as proposed by the Patriotic Millionaires. Whether this farms policy is correct in detail is a moot point. There is still a massive loophole for stately homes. There is still a need to tax investment income at the same rate as work income. Bring on the anger from the oligarch media. These people are more wealth extractors than wealth creators. The more we see of Clarkson and Farage playing to their audience of naivety, the more Labour are on the right track.
    9
  998. ​ @Noel-ji8nm how? Trolling again, Noel?
    9
  999. Implementing Leveson 1 would be a start.
    8
  1000. So accurate. We have a voting system that enables what Lord Hailsham called an elective dictatorship. A parliament that serves as a House of Lies, lacking effective scrutiny. How can we expect anything else when a manifesto is not a contract? Currently the best and most accurate summary on YouTube. Please keep up your good work.
    8
  1001. I guess it's inevitable. Who is going to admit they were wrong after Johnson has got Brexit done...BADLY. He fails to implement the protocol he signed into international law and blames the EU for something he and Lord Gormless negotiated. Their denial started with the words "project fear" and now that fear has translated to fact, their denial increases.
    8
  1002. If she has so much information, why not list the schools affected? Why has this happened at the last minute?
    8
  1003.  @philipprudhomme6967  wonder where he got that idea? The playbook of fascism?
    8
  1004. ​ @laidbackcamper101 what did you lose last time Labour was in power? Most certainly gained as real incomes rose by 14%
    8
  1005.  @lostintranslation1957  REALLY!!! If you can't see the difference in scale, apply critical thinking instead of whataboutery.
    8
  1006. "All the grace of a piglet being castrated" sounds rather Etonian. Wonder if Cameron came to mind?
    8
  1007. Achieving the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime was bad enough. Yet somehow it was trusted to a serial liar and abject buffoon to maximise the disaster.
    8
  1008.  @adistraction2668  BOLD! In taking more from the poorest for the benefit of the richest. Trickle down has failed. Inequality stifles growth.
    8
  1009. Sometimes challenge is counter-productive whereas active listening and reflection is healthy. The questioning and challenge may come later. I'm finding it absorbing.
    8
  1010. Are they hoping for an invitation?
    8
  1011. How, exactly, are they putting patients at risk? The sole purpose of a vaccine is to boost immunity in the recipient. The infection can still be passed on if jabbed. Do you really know better than the doctors who refuse it?
    8
  1012. Dowden missed all of the lessons on economics, just attending the ones on waffle and crappy jokes. Not supported by Martin Lewis; suggested and campaigned for by Martin Lewis. Hunt virtually begged Martin for ideas on his programme last night. A clueless government in meltdown.
    8
  1013. It's hard to spot the Tories end game, other than hanging on to power at all costs. If their intention is to bugger up the country for the benefit of financial vultures, they certainly are world class.
    8
  1014.  @karthikj8969  No, I don't expect handouts. I do expect a responsible trading arrangement with our nearest neighbours instead of killing SMEs through red tape and denying responsibility. I also expect tax justice, while the patriotic millionaires are asking to pay more in tax. I don't expect the burden to fall on the narrowest shoulders. I don't expect an inability to mitigate fuel price inflation while other countries are able and willing to do it. Sunak is a traditional borrow and spend Tory, addicted to austerity to keep taxes low for the wealthiest.
    8
  1015. The Good Law Project has successfully challenged the dodgy Tory VIP lane. At the start of the pandemic we refused the help of the EU, so the Tories could favour their mates. What a sham. Enough is enough.
    8
  1016. ​ @byrnemeister2008 that's taking back control for you
    8
  1017. One of the clues is that Fartage was backing her in a recent interview. Apparently they share the same bucket of bile.
    8
  1018.  @skyblazeeterno  yes. It will have to be in that order, but all parties supporting PR need to cooperate and show the Tories as the only self-interested and undemocratic party.
    8
  1019. The further problem of financialisation adds to this imbalance. When leading companies, such as Apple and Pfizer, spend more on share buy backs than on R&D we see the value of financial services to society being little more than a casino. Yet politicians talk about productivity...
    8
  1020. If you can't spot the difference, don't show yourself up by commenting.
    8
  1021. ​ @pancakeslayer101  hence fewer people required in total. The Amazon PR is pure sophistry.
    8
  1022. I hope the unions involve the general public in their actions. Time to get on the streets and join them. We have gone beyond the point of enough. We've had more than enough.
    8
  1023. At a guess: short term profit.
    8
  1024.  @rogersmithy7032  explain please.
    8
  1025. True. There are so many myths to explode: the party of reward for hard work; the party of responsible economic management; the party of law and order; the party of lying and deceit (oops! The last one was true.)
    8
  1026. Explain how, Harry. Are facts too difficult for you?
    8
  1027. OMG. That takes some imagination. Hard to beat the worst government in my lifetime, led by a sociopathic buffoon.
    8
  1028. ​ @EbenBransome and we all know that trees grow overnight in Trump land.
    8
  1029.  @lesliehall7683  use a search engine to check the tools of fascism and you will get the idea. The identification of a common enemy, disparaging experts, the suppression of the right to protest (as in the latest police bill) are three to give you a head start.
    8
  1030. Johnson's government wouldn't comprehend a plan. Only their PR strategists are capable of one, in manufacturing consent through lies and propaganda. When we turn to operational concepts to make the country work better, expect incompetence and blame.
    8
  1031. Thought I'd reached that point when I stopped paying for the licence at 70. Then after a couple of years, the b'stard Tories stopped the funding for this and blamed the BBC for making us all pay.
    8
  1032.  @infrasleep  Independent experts think otherwise and deem GERS serial fantasy. She will undoubtedly take advice and listen, so perhaps you should write to her. Don't forget to include your qualifications and experience.
    8
  1033.  @kaiser-ki6wp  I was born and raised in England, Tom. Just disgusted with the Tories and ashamed of Little England
    8
  1034. Where is the call for a windfall tax and price regulation? That would be heresy to the Neoliberal Tories, after free market capitalism has failed us again. The silence is deafening.
    8
  1035. It's never a u-turn. It's always an exciting new policy. Such as the exciting new (including some regurgitated) rail and road developments after scrapping HS2. I humbly cite my impeccable source on this matter: Greg Hands.
    8
  1036.  @audreymcgready4329  and closed by Cameron in 2012 because they encouraged smuggling and brought zero benefit.
    8
  1037. ​ @Noel-ji8nm relevance?
    8
  1038.  @peterebel7899  they weren't given the choice of the lawyer and it took a minority (43.6%) to elect the liar because of our undemocratic system.
    8
  1039. Wonder if our state media will report on the 15,000 people in parliament Square? Enough is enough.
    8
  1040.  @Gee-xb7rt  I totally agree, having seen through Thatcher's bs from the start
    8
  1041. That's a pretty impressive list for those living in an alternate universe.
    8
  1042. ​ @Noel-ji8nm there is plenty of money - it's just in the wrong place.
    8
  1043. Presumably, accounting priciples were designed when smaller entities created the majority of world trade. Today the larger companies thrive on opacity, as the rules have become outdated. It's hard to analyse a complex mass; instead it must be broken down into its component parts. It's impossible to get fair play if the most powerful set the rules. A great video by a true professional seeking justice and social fairness. Highly informative, as ever.
    8
  1044. ​ @JosephNZUK Not by all of us, Joseph. Some even recognise the difference he would have made, after suffering the consequences of BoJo and the Tory sociopathic clowns.
    8
  1045. Ironically, this is one of the things that was clearly explained in Cameron's Comic. The case for remain. JIT supply chains are critical for many industries but Global Britain knows best, as a nation of bankers and shop-keepers, having sold off most of our industries. Governed by wazzocks.
    8
  1046. ​ @laidbackcamper101 More time in the USA than in Clacton? Have you seen his time sheets?
    8
  1047. Bringing Jeremy Corbyn into the argument was the greatest own goal ever by Raab. All the media lies about his links with Russia while the Tories were taking back handers from oligarchs and benefiting from their interference in the electoral process. The real and present danger to Britain is the abject buffoon called Johnson.
    8
  1048. Thank you, Richard. I've been aware of your work for a few years and find it valuable and informative. If you help people to cut through the political smoke and mirrors, and discover the false narratives on macro economics, you have helped society in the most effective way possible through your specialist knowledge. You are a great human being and I appreciate your work.
    8
  1049.  @leadfree5  I agree, but suspect he fits the profile of a sociopath.
    8
  1050. Yes, but I would make PR the first priority.
    8
  1051. If it's in the Fail, the police could safely reject the accusation and fine them for wasting police time. Lol
    8
  1052. Those who confuse JRM's posh accent with intelligence will be disabused by this encounter. Game, set and match to Ms Harman (a politocian from a different league.)
    8
  1053.  @smgeraldo  Map on that metric the effects of our elective dictatorship (through FPTP) and you'll have a more complete answer that is conveniently ignored.
    8
  1054.  @englishsteve1465  Perfectly true historically, and Labour are the better managers of the economy, having consistently borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories since the second world war.
    8
  1055. ​ @peterebel7899 Leveson thought otherwise.
    8
  1056. Calling newly-created money part of the national debt is crazy for the reasons you have explained before: how can we borrow from ourselves? This is further exacerbated by allowing commercial banks to issue the money and charge interest on the balancing amount on their books. The Tories created new money to fill holes, and this ended up in banks for use by the wealthiest for asset ownership and rental. If we issued new money specifically for rebuilding our infrastructure, this would cut out the easy route to inequality where we are blackmailed by corporate interests and our politicians are subservient to them.
    8
  1057.  @jimmagspanton669  Here is an uncomfortable fact for your Tory trolling, Jim. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1947. That was also the case before the excuses kicked in (pandemic, Ukraine, Brexit).
    8
  1058. "limited" being the significant and pertinent qualifier. An elective dictatorship, similar to our own, with more frightening consequences
    8
  1059. Exceptional external factors need intervention, rather than blind addiction to the free market. It's a question of political will and choice. We have the worst possible government at the worst possible time.
    8
  1060.  @ritfloyd  So getting rid of tax exemption would force your hand and make you go for state schooling?
    8
  1061. The organisation of gang labour was explained by a certain Labour leader of the time as an issue of employment regulation enforcement and not brexit. Yet so many allowed a serial liar to get brexit half-done and badly in 2019. We now live with the consequences.
    8
  1062. Global Britain. The specialist in clutching defeat from the jaws of victory.
    8
  1063. I first became aware of MMT by reading Reclaiming the State by Mitchell and Fazi. Using the economy for the benefit of society is a novel idea and far removed from neoliberalism. If only...
    8
  1064. Which is also stifling growth.
    8
  1065. She is so "determined" she threw her chancellor under a bus.
    8
  1066. Of course, we all hop on a private jet to go on holiday and why should that right be taken away from us? We have applied to borrow his jet for a family trip to Australia next year and guess what Little Spiv has said...
    8
  1067. The fundamental weakness in our defences is always international travel and lack of distancing. Instead of the delusion of freedom, save lives: stay in Britain and avoid mass gatherings. Transmission will occur, irrespective of vaccine status. Just when we think Covid is receding, a new variant appears, and is spread by international travel
    8
  1068. ​ @mdt105 The cut to winter fuel payments was a novice error. Instead increase the windfall tax on energy companies or cap fuel energy prices properly.
    8
  1069. A lawyer who fails to understand international law, or simply lies about it. Not illegal immigrants. The people organising the dinghies may be "illegal" but asylum seekers are not. The 1951 act does not require asylum seekers to arrive by regular or legal means. Nor are they compelled to stay in the first safe country.
    8
  1070. Definitely robotic. Clueless or bribed?
    8
  1071.  @olmostgudinaf8100  add to that the delusion of empire. I'm one of the oldies who voted remain.
    8
  1072.  @stephenhughes3652  it's strange how such strong scientific argument is not accompanied by adequate research on the actual health effects.
    8
  1073. ​ @lestrem11 Twaddle Without Any Thought
    8
  1074.  @idonthavealoginname  Indeed. And now these chancers have legalised it.
    8
  1075. Highly poignant. Top class.
    8
  1076.  @verystripeyzebra  I understand. Somehow this "friend" has gone rather silent after my last challenge but thanks for your comment.
    8
  1077. Delusional!!!
    8
  1078. Complaining about jam! Brexit was always about jam tomorrow, and "tomorrow" means in a decade or more.
    8
  1079. Get with the times, Rishi. The word "optimism" has been replaced by "sovereignty." The latter is a mythical excuse but is preferable to your abject lies.
    8
  1080. ​ @yalnevatekofreedom5096 "left" of whom or what? Fascism?
    8
  1081. An ethics advisor! About as effective as Satan hiring the pope.
    8
  1082. In which case he should resign because of his incompetence.
    8
  1083. Lord Gormless will keep chipping away at the deal he negotiated and we signed. This is inevitable with a vacuous PM who denies reality and makes it up as he goes along. What a shit-show.
    8
  1084. ​ @LordBikealot if you can't see a difference, don't vote. Why would you?
    8
  1085.  @Epidian  That's your opinion, offered without justification and factual content - unless you consider playground name-calling factual explanation of their failures. We think differently.
    8
  1086.  @baronvonlimbourgh1716  I actually said aligned with rather than joining. That said, freedom of movement will solve our labour shortage and the CU will solve the NI problem at a stroke. The Tories won't agree because they are controlled by an extreme right wing pressure group.
    8
  1087. Very true observation of our economy in general, being inward looking and recycling old assets. We don't invest in ourselves as a country.
    8
  1088. Braverman: my plan isn't working because it's against international law and is a half-arsed joke. So I'll just complain that Labour doesn't have a plan. It's all Labour's fault because the "British people have spoken.". Exactly when and what did the people say? Somehow she missed out 13 years of government failure.
    8
  1089. And this time, leaving the door open to fascists
    8
  1090. Ah, well! Life will get easier for the smugglers with Freeports. Another Tory win.
    8
  1091. I read an interesting and thought-provoking opinion. Having always thought that the media props up this incompetent government, I was challenged by the reverse thought: that the government is delivering the will of the media oligarchs.
    8
  1092. Thanks for such a considered comment. We should never have left and worked in closer union.
    8
  1093.  @tomsheppard378  really?!!!! We left that attitude in wartime. Perhaps austerity was meant to toughen us up, while the 1% took the rip.
    8
  1094. True. Albeit the irony is that austerity saved nothing: the national debt related to GDP doubled, then along came the pandemic...
    8
  1095. @Ryan true, but Germany has no food or fuel shortage. They mange operations better then our inept government.
    8
  1096.  @fe6767  so what? The outcome is more cooperation and better long term planning. The price of democracy is worth paying.
    8
  1097. The law is an ass and British democracy is an oxymoron. This Lord refers to our "constitution," which is a series of uncodified precedents, deliberately opaque for manipulation by the corrupt and powerful. We need democracy, and that must give Scotland the right to self-determination.
    8
  1098. Pie uses the word "democracy" as code for an elective dictatorship in the case of the UK. An 80 seat parliamentary majority from a minority (43.6%) vote.
    8
  1099. And research proves your statement. Search on an article by Richard Murphy: the Tories have always borrowed more and paid back less.
    8
  1100. Being asked to commit to a promise they broke this year but said it was a one-off. What about repaying this year's shortfall. Enough is enough.
    8
  1101. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Troll alert. The bot is back with their garbage.
    8
  1102. Perhaps checking facts would be helpful before trotting out the last part of your post. There are laws against the destruction or defacement of property and these are applied. Now why would the police pick on poor misunderstood Tommy? Something to do with precedent?
    8
  1103. We should make allowances for the fact that Carrie changed his job description. He is now a photo op attendee and a serial party animal. More fun than being a real prime minister.
    8
  1104. And as for Israeli genocide? One "terrorist" group against a terrorist state.
    8
  1105. Interesting account name: pseudonym or troll?
    8
  1106.  @PeterPete  that's a fallacy, as not all votes are equal. We have an elective dictatorship. A minority-elected government with an 80 seat majority. We need electoral reform.
    8
  1107. Totally agree. I refuse to support any party that does not intend to deliver electoral reform.
    8
  1108.  @PMMagro  the words were "unregulated capitalism" meaning Neoliberalism. Specifically intended to benefit the 1% and because of the myth of trickle down, the poor will vote for the rich to have more. Still find it a good idea?
    7
  1109. @Wasssup Dawwwg I love that vacuous tag "champagne socialist" It completely misses the point that socialism will make champagne affordable to many, if not all.
    7
  1110. Yes. A bit like PMQs
    7
  1111.  @aryastark634  yes. Ultimately caused by the use of derivatives (the re-parceling of debt) so bankers could fuel greed from dodgy speculation.
    7
  1112. ​ @jonmould2946 and we knew that in 2016? Twaddle Without Any Thought
    7
  1113. Starmer makes some payback while Honest Bob takes 75 grand from an off-shore shell company with no employees. Ban all donations.
    7
  1114. Britain, always famous for queues, is now infamous for them.
    7
  1115.  @canttakeanymore  I totally agree with your analysis of whether the financial system was fixed, yet GM's comparison of the degree of will and the scale of action is valid. Both are influenced by self-interest and the lack of real democracy.
    7
  1116. Hunt is implying the best of both worlds, which only works for the very few. Just like the bollocks he spouted about "Scandinavian quality and Singaporean efficiency." You don't get both: Singaporean efficiency gives Singaporean quality and Scandinavian quality is achieved through investment both in infrastructure and in the sources of production - including a skilled and well paid workforce.
    7
  1117. The danger is in taking things at face value imo. As Gary Stevenson has observed: economics uses complex models, often applied to flawed assumptions. Assumptions and constraints are key.
    7
  1118. Finally a politician who doesn't prevaricate, doesn't mince words and communicates clearly and concisely. Respect to Stephen
    7
  1119. What a surprise! Money over lives for these sociopaths.
    7
  1120.  @onlyme8117  listening is optional Mr or Mrs Pseudonym
    7
  1121. I'm in full agreement, yet when quoting such facts to brexiters they retort that it wasn't about the economy...then mutter something about sovereign tea. When asking them which laws we had to reverse, the silence if deafening. The two questions: what are the benefits? And how long is long-term? Evoke a similar response of silence. Perhaps they haven't heard of the real reason: the EU's anti tax avoidance directive (as explained in Michael Lambert's last video.)
    7
  1122. First Labour must get into office. With few identifiable policies and no clear committment to PR, it's hard to see them turning things around.
    7
  1123. I remember a radio programme in my youth called Hancock's Half Hour. Giving this reprobate any longer in office created a national disaster of excess deaths. Unfortunately the rest of the gang were equally incompetent.
    7
  1124. ​ @MsDamosmum True, if they buy the rhetoric of Braverman and her excuse of indiscriminate slaughter.
    7
  1125. High stakes indeed. Johnson thrives on conflict. The question remains, however, how could this have happened without brexit? And completing it during a pandemic? His crap deal and lack of attention to detail makes up culpable.
    7
  1126. Who would want to sit in that cabinet with so many poisoned chalices being passed around the table? Everything that Johnson touches turns to sh1t. He recruits fall guys and gals.
    7
  1127. Actually they are usually right but their ideas don't suit the powerful and won't be adopted. Show exactly where they are wrong.
    7
  1128. A great, and concise, explanation of MMT. I'm also an advocate after reading Reclaiming the State by Mitchell and fazi. It's a pity that none of our political parties are brave enough to explode the myth on tax and spend. That said, the Tories won't because the class war of austerity is in their DNA.
    7
  1129.  @terryolekszy9486  OMG, Terry, I think we live in different countries. I'm in my eighth decade here and it's never been so bad, with little hope.
    7
  1130. Or growth to benefit the few, while jobs go for the rest.
    7
  1131.  @Richard_Turner  Yes. Johnson promised that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's. So if we retained EU testing kite marks, no problem, but we are stupid enough to adopt our own and manufacturers must test goods for export twice. No, we have not insisted on our own agricultural standards for import, which is why our farmers complain about the Aus and NZ deals. We will get cheaper foods imported, with lower standards permitted.
    7
  1132.  @audreymcgready4329  Yes. Albeit with fiat money the electronic issue of new money has different rules, some of which are deliberately misunderstood and manipulated by politicians using outdated economic theory. My concern is that money is created to bail out corporate greed and political mismanagement, yet somehow we can't afford to do it to pay key workers properly and to spread prosperity through targeted investment.
    7
  1133.  @michaelmayo3127  I agree and said that later in my comment, which is why I cited its failure to spread wealth in society. Trickle down economics is a fallacy and a blatant lie.
    7
  1134. And how would that benefit you or anyone else?
    7
  1135.  @markohenry5891  get behind a fairy tale and stop moaning. Let's force everyone to work full time, even if they are not capable or can't afford or find childcare. Employment is not a numbers game. It depends on circumstances, physical capacity and skills. Facts are inconvenient to Brexiters.
    7
  1136.  @perfectstorm7379  Our economy is not doing bad! We have lost billions from leaving, so it would be doing considerably better. I can supply researched details. Shit in rivers, banned in the EU. People suffering wage poverty. Rip off energy bills. Wake up and smell the coffee.
    7
  1137. Unfortunately he's more interested in donorship. Sod the public, feed the party propaganda machine. Then blame the EU or someone else.
    7
  1138. Nigel's specialist subjects: speaking with forked tongue and running away from a James O'Brien interview.
    7
  1139.  @marvinstorm9153  precisely my point. Waiting for Unicorns?
    7
  1140. We don't need an engineer obsessed with woke when our economy is FUBAR. Fixing the train when the tracks are broken is not the answer we need.
    7
  1141. Yet we took back control. How can that be? We are Sovereign global Britain, our destiny is in our own hands.
    7
  1142. Loves maths; hates facts.
    7
  1143. And you believe that based on a YT video?
    7
  1144.  @EdgarStyles1234  Wrong name, wrong time of day. Wakey, wakey, Edgar
    7
  1145. Yes. And it would good to implement Leveson 1. "Dodgy Dave" refused to do that and now we know why.
    7
  1146. Love Phil's description: "Johnson's latest brain-fart." Perhaps it explains why Johnson constantly farts through his mouth.
    7
  1147.  @miatrue98  absolutely agree.
    7
  1148. The Tories excel in one area: they are always able to find someone worse for the country.
    7
  1149. We voted for at least 95% of EU rules while members and rule makers. Voting against just 2% (approx) and abstaining from a few more. This is the enforcement of flawed ideology by a cabal of lunatics and sadists.
    7
  1150. Oops! Another Tory MP on Priti Shitty's hit list. Just look at her reaction!
    7
  1151. Don't tempt providence: fewer workers rights through "minimum service levels", lower taxes to leave Labour with poorer public services, the Rwanda debacle.
    7
  1152. No. He can't resist taking the rip.
    7
  1153. I once heard a parallel argument that the majority are always wrong. The reasoning being that it takes someone thinking or acting differently to change the course of events or to invent something useful. There is too much conformity and mediocrity around us. Your videos are an inspiration and a breath of fresh air.
    7
  1154. Proof that habits are hard for idiots to break - in spite of judicial enquiries. Blaming Liverpool fans has become the default habit of the establishment.
    7
  1155. @left_blank "stolen taxes" are also taken by evasion, before the point of collection. Tax evasion costs nine times more than benefit cheats. You are falling for misdirection.
    7
  1156.  @andrewharrison1194  it happened when Raab had to resort to attacking Jeremy Corbyn instead of answering a question. An own goal when the clear and present danger to Britain is called Johnson, who was taking dodgy backhanders from Russian oligarchs and benefiting from their electoral interference. Read the Russia Report if in doubt.
    7
  1157. Lee has the habit of saying the wrong words every time he opens his mouth. A perfect candidate for Reform - the party for idiots.
    7
  1158. Tempted to start watching Question Time again. We boycotted it after the audience was inundated with people shouting they knew what they voted for, albeit they hadn't a clue about what Brexit really meant. I'm all for public humiliation of this so-called government.
    7
  1159. At least the foghorn of arrogance and ignorance is consistent: he can't be arsed doing the job but scams the money and uses his position for self promotion. Does anyone remember him as an MEP?
    7
  1160. She qualifies as a resident sociopath, like her boss
    7
  1161. The very people Musk rants about. Emperor Elon is a prize wazzock
    7
  1162. While Farage steeples his fingers like some fake Buddha.
    7
  1163.  @bigbinji6145  So, blame the government. Khan has extended the 2k scrappage scheme and it's possible to buy a complaint car for under 2k on the used market. The owner's cost of living will be reduced because complaint cars will use less fuel.
    7
  1164. ​ @JosephNZUK Name one such "depraved" thing that he allegedly did
    7
  1165. Bernie revealing facts that threaten democracy. Billionaires didn't "make the money themselves". They used others and needed their support. Economic models and academia ignore the distribution of wealth. Applying advanced maths to a world of fantasy is designed to support the extraction of wealth by the few and to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle down.
    7
  1166. To Brexiter apolgists: you won, get over it.
    7
  1167. Indeed. A pretence at democracy.
    7
  1168. Regrettably the prosecution wouldn't work: the assets were undervalued at sale rather than stolen. It's the politicians in public office who should be liable.
    7
  1169. Yes. And the script has nothing to do with the question. Just eyewash
    7
  1170. "The pensioners have the triple lock." No. Not this year, Ian. The Tories have sold us out.
    7
  1171. This is simply the Tory financial class war in action. Anyone in a job that directly benefits people and can be described as an essential service must be regarded as a charity worker with the excuse of "we can't afford it." Surely our applause during the pandemic was enough? Anyone moving money around or playing in the financial markets? We need the best people... Even though these "best people" caused the financial crash through a dodgy financial instrument called derivatives.
    7
  1172.  @ausbrum  I have researched PR extensively and written papers on it. Not a panacea; just real democracy where votes count equally.
    7
  1173. Cutting interest rates? Yes. Also targeted government investment in infrastructure and key services. Yet my concern is that lower interest rates will drive up house prices unless the government invests in quality social housing and caps private rents.
    7
  1174. He's a sociopath.
    7
  1175. The Good Law Project does incredible work. Yet another victory for common sense, proving the law is not always an ass.
    7
  1176. The last part is not necessarily true: it depends on relative valuations.
    7
  1177.  @stevec6427  Yes, it's even harder for young people. We paid for something all our lives that we no longer get. The working generation are paying for something they will never get. That's Tory Britain. Another reason to vote them out.
    7
  1178.  @jimmagspanton669  To compensate for a substantial cost of living increase, yet mitigated by fiscal drag. Yes, I studied economics and understand these robbers.
    7
  1179. So, two parties in this arrangement. One was prepared, but the one that craved separation and triggered it wasn't. Couldn't organise the proverbial.
    7
  1180. If I feel anger at the mindless excuses being trotted out in Johnson's defence, I think about how we must look to other countries abroad. Little England, the most hilarious international joke on the planet.
    7
  1181. At least the Tories are considering the environment in recycling their rubbish. Let's bring back the convict.
    7
  1182. Always expect obfuscation and misdirection from slimy Gove. With Johnson expect the opposite of what he promises: for "levelling up" expect levelling down.
    7
  1183. ​ @StanWatts-u5l Your argument certainly is what you said: "rubbish".
    7
  1184. His official title is The Right Honourable Wazzock
    7
  1185. Based on our location and living in an elective dictatorship, I choose to vote tactically. Purely on policies (and with PR) it would be Green all the way.
    7
  1186. Cameron, Osborne and Hunt. The three sociopathic bringers of austerity and economic incompetence. Sorry, Major was the last decent person in charge of the Tories imo.
    7
  1187. The fact that we implemented an act of self-harm gradually, still makes it harmful, but the harm is inflicted slowly. Perhaps we should call brexit what it is: a sh1t-show.
    7
  1188.  @CC-xn5xi  Then why behave like it? (As I commented.)
    7
  1189. Good to hear that your fluent and articulate videos are continuing, Rob. Yet hardly surprising to hear that Johnson is to make minor breaches of the ministerial code excusable, so ministers don't need to resign. That hardly comes as a surprise from someone who persistently makes serious breaches. This Buffoon is a disgrace to Britain.
    7
  1190.  @dolphin069  actually, I sometimes wonder if it's a version of the Torygraph. Lol
    7
  1191. Hard to fix desperation or stupidity.
    7
  1192. In any event, the point was relative. No reason why we should exacerbate the problem. Totally irrelevant if critical thinking is applied. A bit like, why should you worry about manslaughter when others are committing murder?
    7
  1193. No. That's the antithesis. Listen again and you will understand why.
    7
  1194. Vance in a trance, sounding like a zombie.
    7
  1195. Johnson showed how to game a parliament that is unfit for purpose, where blatant lying can be the norm. Sunak, as the ultimate little spiv, simply continues the habit by stating his biggest lies before he enters the House.
    7
  1196. OMG! A minister who works for Deliveroo but thinks she is delivering in reality while spinning fantasy.
    7
  1197. ​ @trytellingthetruth.2068 whataboutery from a pseudonym account, a living oxymoron.
    7
  1198. There's a clown in every circus, yet the Tories offer nothing other than clowns. Unfortunately they get the last laugh.
    7
  1199. Excellent sequence. You have done great work in your campaign, for the benefit of society. I smiled when you mentioned that Dodgy Dave (the political lobby king) advocated transparency. One of the true ironies of life.
    7
  1200. And still many of their poorer supporters vote for the rich to have more.
    7
  1201. I'm always aware when reading media of their power to manufacture consent. (Read the paper by Chomsky and Herman if in doubt.) The information on social media is amplified by algorithms and recent EU laws are taking account of this. So, ban hate speech and control misinformation but don't ban free speech.
    7
  1202.  @Gary-bz1rf  first, the term "negative trade deficit" actually means a gain (in mathematics) Second, across all trading with the EU, we lose 4% of GDP. In return we gain a pittance with the Aus deal
    7
  1203. It takes decades to become civilised and tolerant as a society. So many individuals have prejudices and it takes constant education and dialogue to beat the use of division and hatred. Well done, Tom. Would I (as a 'normal' male) have the bottle to do what you do? The answer increases my respect for you.
    7
  1204. In spite of seeing the hope offered by Jeremy's manifesto, I have resisted joining Labour because of their persistent in-fighting. The broad church bullshit didn't cut it. Jeremy had a deputy intent on destroying his policies instead of being his backbone and enforcer (Jeremy being a decent person in the dirty business of politics.) A new party is essential.
    7
  1205. Neoliberalism (or the rampant unregulated free market) has one notable success: increasing inequality, which was its original intent. By definition, it has failed the majority of us.
    7
  1206. A system of points based on salary level was typical elitist Tory crap. We have a skills (or occupation) shortage, and to a Tory skills are presumably commensurate with pay. The very people who revere the market seem to think it works as a meritocracy.
    7
  1207. I constantly marvel that ministers who have benefited from the most expensive education system are as thick as mince in operational matters. Perhaps they never read Antonio Gramsci, who espoused pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will. Or to distill it down to the military adage: prepare for the worst, hope for the best. The convenient phrase "project fear" started the denial process, but our incompetent government continues with such denial as its default response - even after project fear has become project fact Their ineptitude knows no bounds. We have long been an international joke.
    7
  1208. Give our government their due. They are world class at one thing: operational incompetence. Nobody buggers things up better than a Tory.
    7
  1209. McVile is pure comedy, to all except those who suffer her madness.
    7
  1210.  @evolassunglasses4673  unfortunately that wasn't necessary. The best description of Britain, I once read, depicted us as a country that started on the road to democracy, went so far, then gave up. Our elective dictatorship is a sham.
    7
  1211. A pub bore and a tinpot bully having a pint. What a party.
    7
  1212.  @johnmacaroni105  the checks were different, as Simon Calder explains. Look beyond the smokescreen. It's not just about Ireland.
    7
  1213.  @ruthwashbrook4759  the mind boggles at your last sentence, Ruth. Trump could probably cause mayhem in an empty room.
    7
  1214.  @garyb455  not true. Explain! The Tories have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since after the second world war.
    7
  1215. A comment to be different from Jenrick for consumption by Tory voters. An election ploy only. Kemi is simply never Bad Enough.
    7
  1216. ​ @stevejones2310 Which begs the question why they would vote Tory. Lol
    7
  1217.  @fe6767  No silver bullet. As for longer term planning, most countries with PR are better at it. I don't buy the logic of a shift to the centre. That depends on individual parties and there is more risk of moving that way under FPTP to make a party electable with the oligarch media and plutocrats. Consider Corbyn - Starmer. With PR and JC as leader we would not be moving towards fascism, as at present.
    7
  1218. Lots of Brexit benefits: all for other countries; hard to find one here. That's taking back control for you.
    7
  1219. When I learned that George Useless is ex-UKIP it explained a lot
    7
  1220. Tax wealth; black hole filled. Simple.
    7
  1221. ​ @julianshepherd2038  taking laws doesn't make us a servant. The laws apply equally to all countries. That's equality. If we don't like the laws, we can't change them. That's the price.
    7
  1222. Perhaps they should explain that to the DUP
    7
  1223. Yes. As Dickens wrote: the main purpose of the law is to make business for itself.
    7
  1224. I would respectfully ask anyone viewing this reel: when was the last time you spoke to a homeless person? Their dehumanisation is playing into Braverman's hands.
    7
  1225. The British exit from sanity into lunacy.
    7
  1226. One is far more credible than the other. The first three letters of the party name give a strong clue.
    7
  1227. Love the concept of Johnson wiping his arse on a white paper. At best, he's a caricature anyway. The worst leader for the worst possible time.
    7
  1228. Immediately after a Tory train wreck.
    7
  1229.  @stewie7338  Perhaps you will explain the relevance of your question.
    7
  1230. Never judge a book by its cover.
    7
  1231. Bringing Hunt the proverbial back was always a sign of Tory desperation. 2022: the year of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, with 3 prime ministers and 5 chancellors. Meanwhile the country sinks while the cabinet and their backers float with the flotsam.
    7
  1232.  @russellmelling4098  Yes, quite a habit of his. Smile while telling a whopper in the hope that his supporters will be entertained by his vacuous crap.
    7
  1233. ​ @peterconnor94 which is why we need PR, where all votes count equally.
    7
  1234.  @GiraffeCrab  Yes. Albeit enabled through a minority vote of 43.6%. our undemocratic electoral system enables this mayhem through an elective dictatorship.
    7
  1235. ​ @jameshutton3960 You fall so easily for divide and rule, created through the politics of envy.
    6
  1236. It worked here with Johnson. Hope it works for the Left in France. The right offer lies and more hardship; they always work for the richest and most powerful.
    6
  1237.  @IcyWun  ??? The guy is in his 90s. Give him a break.
    6
  1238. That statement needs explanation, otherwise its petty slander
    6
  1239. The mindset of finding savings is suggesting that making cuts is more important than making improvements. The mindset of investment is alien to politicians. Listen to EveryDoctor and the people working in the service, rather than imposing top-down symbolism that has always failed the service.
    6
  1240. Shooting the messenger doesn't kill the argument.
    6
  1241.  @richardcory5024  yes. One of the tricks of fascism: the identification of a common enemy. Spreading hate to deflect from the government's incompetence.
    6
  1242.  @LKeet6  Yes. A myth indeed. No logic attached.
    6
  1243. ​ @michaeloconnor9465 The devil is in the detail. Check out Starmer dismantling the Rwanda agreement in yesterday's PMQs. Inevitably, Sunak was clueless, as though he didn't read their own horsesh1t.
    6
  1244.  @shanesloth4419  Yes, Shane. it's know as cost-push inflation from when I studied economics in the dark ages. Sunak allegedly has an MBA so would have covered economics, which makes him a phoney or a liar.
    6
  1245. Yes. They love nationalism, and by extension jingoism, but hate nationalisation.
    6
  1246.  @alanmarr3323  irony noted! I'm coming out of retirement to compete in triathlons then I'll be fit to go fruit-picking next year, after a cabinet of morons led by a buffoon have taken back control.
    6
  1247. A brief history of the Sunak dictatorship: 1) ran out of integrity at his second PMQs, trotting out lies, misinformation and obfuscation. 2) It became apparent that his professionalism amounted to ripping off money for his family as his wife reluctantly gave up her non-dom status then licences and contracts were awarded to favour Infosys. 3) his idea of transparency has consistently amounted to opacity - even after declaring his five pledges that noone voted for. The ultimate little spiv is disappearing up his own orifice.
    6
  1248. The changes to GP pensions encouraged many to leave. Another Tory win for the NHS. never trust a Tory.
    6
  1249. We should have mandated the installation of solar panels on all new houses over the last decade. But then the Tories don't want us to have self-sufficient energy or their backers would lose money.
    6
  1250. Quoting Monty Python as a credible economist? That's desperate. "Loyal followers" or Reform groupies struggling? All of Richard's arguments make sense because the problem has been created by the aftermath. In a word, AUSTERITY.
    6
  1251. By appealing to idiots and being out-debated in the House.
    6
  1252. And stop or heavily reduce outsourcing to private companies
    6
  1253. Seems like you need both.
    6
  1254. OMG! The Tories have outdone themselves: finding someone worse than Johnson. They are so desparate, they may get The Convict back. Dim Lizzy has been explaining Trickle Down economics to the ERG in a mock exam: it's where wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks.
    6
  1255.  @michaelsproat3363  so would you prefer conventional smart dress and vacuous drivel? Look at Raab as a prime example of smartly-dressed incompetence.
    6
  1256. Irony noted.
    6
  1257. So Brexit was not as great a failure as it could have been. That's some measure of success! Didn't see that on the side of a bus.
    6
  1258.  @jmolofsson  agreed. Who would trust Johnson's government and how long will it take to rebuild credibility? As for the UK's elective dictatorship, we need a government intent on reform.
    6
  1259. How many fridges or freezers can he hide in, between photo ops, to cement his legacy? The man is a treacherous disgrace
    6
  1260.  @merkvandermeulen3978  Yes. Obvious to us but so many don't see it.
    6
  1261. Yes. I can only see three reasons: self-interest; intellectual laziness; or abject idiocy.
    6
  1262.  @piccalillipit9211  Yes, it would need PR. After the Russia Report, I never discount the dirty tricks of the Tories.
    6
  1263. So now the EU is faced with an Airhead posturing, instead of Lord Gormless. Their negotiators must be splitting their sides with laughter.
    6
  1264. Oozing arrogance and condescension from every poor is an acquired art. Kemi excels in this, while spouting vacuous sh1te.
    6
  1265. Meanwhile this delusionist ends up in the Lords with a title. Johnson ends up as a highly paid clown; and Gove back in journalism to spin his lies. The law is far removed from justice and the club of public school entitlement continues to thrive unchallenged. Wonder why we are in such a mess?
    6
  1266. Sorry, I don't see this as a game of politics. The SNP has consistently backed South Africa and has called this out consistently. Tell the government to stop supplying arms.
    6
  1267.  @markohenry5891  so make the serfs work harder after taking back control? Your "facts" are rhetoric. How many are working part time? And how can you judge that they can work full time? Does the Daily Fail tell you without evidence? As for pay levels: a simple question of supply and demand that could have been sorted by intervention before Brexit. We have lots of vacancies that can't be filled because we depended on freedom of movement You have two choices: buy the rhetoric or research facts.
    6
  1268. Wow! Getting Smug Mogg to speak the truth was some feat.
    6
  1269. No shortage of Murdoch bile. He can afford to lose money on small-time shows. Here's a tip for viewers: firstly disable your brain, then get angry when they blame everyone but the real culprits.
    6
  1270. Did you say a "Trump bible"? That's one book he hasn't read or learned anything from.
    6
  1271. The Tories never let a crisis go to waste, after creating the crisis in the first place. As for national emergencies: the cost of living crisis; falling real-terms pay levels and failing public services are real ones, which they choose to ignore and obfuscate.
    6
  1272. Yes. We traded under WTO rules with countries outside the EU. Nothing new; just spin.
    6
  1273. Not so much building a city on rock and roll, but on bullsh1t
    6
  1274. ​ @allanburkinshaw why? And which part exactly?
    6
  1275. The Tories are efficient in one area alone: allowing their mates to extract every possible pound from the economy while the rest of us pay for it.
    6
  1276. Surely the answer is to revert to our glorious past. We have a government intent on reverting to the option of feet and inches, and pounds and ounces. Why not expand the manufacture of Penny Farthings and give riding lessons? This great mode of transport would attract tourists and restore our hospitality industry. The minister for the 19th century is looking for brexit opportunities. Feel free to pass this on. He could even wear a top hat while riding, to demonstrate British characteristics.
    6
  1277. While true in the context of its formation, you simply can't ignore the economic advantages of such a large trading bloc. Cooperation benefits both human relationships and economic prosperity.
    6
  1278.  @jackdubz4247  Unfortunately that's the price of real democracy. It would also give a huge green vote in counterbalance. Instead we have an elective dictatorship, with a minority (43.6%) vote resulting in a disastrous brexit.
    6
  1279.  @andrewelphick2304  I'm not one of them...vote in England but admire her abilities.
    6
  1280. Yes. Johnson was another scrounger, taking his MP salary while doing nothing to represent his constituency, yet taking huge fees for writing and speaking assignments from those with more money than sense. One rule for them, Stuart
    6
  1281.  @jyvben1520  no. Can't embroider. Am considering a badge saying "I told you so." Just for laughs.
    6
  1282. Yes, parties need to work together and make both electoral and political reform their main policies. Tory corruption has been exposed and other parties need to promote the solution. Tories also have an abysmal economic record in government and this can also be exposed.
    6
  1283. Don't worry! The Neoliberal dream has worked: inequality has increased; service has deteriorated to the detriment of profit.
    6
  1284. Why not? When research has not been completed?
    6
  1285.  @Noel-ji8nm  He hasn't consulted me, yet
    6
  1286. That's some record as a chancellor. Eat out to spread it about while offering covid support to dodgy businesses then failing to recover the false claims. I even remember some calling him Dishy Rishy. While most have now dicovered he is, and has consistently been, Fishy Rishi.
    6
  1287. ​ @rickross3153 of the country he fled to?
    6
  1288. Is the game finally up? It's hard to know because Johnson's premiership is nothing more than a game to him. Playing for time; hoping that we all have tired of partygate. His own sister asked us to move on. (I wonder why?) Those who excuse Buffoon claim that he "got the big calls right" without mentioning a single success. The longer this clown stays, the greater the damage to our country, which is rapidly deteriorating into Little England.
    6
  1289. Would love to see the Fail score an own goal. Amazing that people actually read their dross.
    6
  1290.  @johnrussell3961  So they made up the rest as they went along...Rwanda; workers' rights; Sunak's five vacuous pledges; etc.
    6
  1291. Tories tax the poor while refusing to tax investment income at the same rate as earned income, for the benefit of... You guessed it: the prime miniature and his rich mates.
    6
  1292. Then you didn't think very hard and for very long. Happy Christmas
    6
  1293.  @tugpilotsmiffy  wtf are you on? Stop trolling.
    6
  1294.  @tugpilotsmiffy  well, Martin, I'll explain why it's obvious. First, you claim that noone had given you a reason against Johnson's brexit. When I gave you a short list, you dismissed it out of hand (without considering the expert sources I mentioned.) That's either abject stupidity or trolling. You choose. You mention counter arguments, yet you have provided none. Grow up and get real, unless facts are too difficult for you (possibly as a Brexiter who dismisses experts in favour of vacuous rhetoric?)
    6
  1295. Then why didn't they change the electoral system to become democratic? Why did the Russia Report expose electoral manipulation? The Tories love one thing: POWER.
    6
  1296. Aptly named PMQs because there are certainly no answers. "highest growth" after the largest drop in the G7 is not something to shout about. But then the worst government in history must grasp at straws.
    6
  1297. I'm with you, Richard. The "centre" has consistently moved to the right (possibly to enable neoliberalism). The High Court has ruled that the government acted illegally in changing the boundaries of peaceful protest by statutory instrument. Lord Walney is also associated with Labour Friends of Israel and makes regular trips to said country. His report lacked any discussion with activist groups. Hardly impartial and each of these points you note could enable fascism. The door is open to the far right to step in and offer fake solutions to people's disgruntlement. We live in dark times.
    6
  1298. The operational lunacy of completing Brexit during a pandemic revealed a simple ulterior motive. To provide an excuse for our brexit ineptitude. Now the Brexiters are stuck with denial of reality.
    6
  1299. Wow! A two for one in this video: a new photographic project - the wonders of Brexit Britain - and more from the fascist and sociopathic Patel. She's a great advert for the benefits of immigration. Does that explain her paranoia?
    6
  1300. Listen to David Lammy's speech at conference. It offers hope.
    6
  1301. Your point being? Are you really in the right job?
    6
  1302. Hopefully with her as the pilot
    6
  1303.  @philthebus  actually very much conservative. The inevitable legacy of Thatcher's neoliberalism where the poor vote for the rich to have more. The first three letters in the party name being highly relevant and descriptive.
    6
  1304. Global Britain proving to be stick-in-the-muds. Anything for our hubris.
    6
  1305. "If he wants to know what conservatives would do..." I think we all know that after the last 14 years, Kemi the clown.
    6
  1306. ​ @billB101 Actually it's neoliberalism.
    6
  1307. Spot on!
    6
  1308.  @jimmagspanton669  No. Not when you look at the cost of living. The greedy dismantle the economy for the extraction of profit. We are now a poor country with a few excessively rich people.
    6
  1309.  @Steve-ho4xb  The Lol is significant. Were you better or worse off under Labour? Simple binary question.
    6
  1310.  @markscott4420  indeed. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, consistently since the second world war and through to just before the pandemic. Their economic record is abysmal.
    6
  1311. True. I would add: to fix the system to make them billionaires.
    6
  1312.  @Alapahauk  Yes. And the last person who wouldn't comply with the puppeteers was disparaged and prohibited from power.
    6
  1313.  @dcikaruga  How, exactly, can Khan "take a shot" at PM? As for "being as wretched" - proof please. Trotting out vacuous nonsense is no defence of the chief Buffoon.
    6
  1314.  @rtee4086  What!!! He has got Brexit part done...BADLY. Otherwise known as a total shit-show.
    6
  1315. Perhaps you will tell her how she is wrong. She advocates tactical voting, which is essential with our FPTP system. She also advocates PR. In what respect do you disagree?
    6
  1316.  @garysmith5025  I agree. Yet surprisingly, after business consultants are involved, another one or two layers of management appear. You don't have to convince me about inefficiency or top-heavy administration. The video (and the book) explains part of the cause.
    6
  1317.  @HumansAreShitFactories  You would have to ask her but no longer possible. It was thought to be about respect and hard work. Also interpreted as keeping the plebs in their place with the threat of the workhouse. Seems like we are heading there.
    6
  1318. @@NajYlib-mc5fo Much as I agree with you on principle, if we don't vote tactically, there is a risk of the Tories governing again. We desperately need PR and electoral reform.
    6
  1319. Too busy going after Ukraine minerals.
    6
  1320. "50 years before we see Brexit benefits" Didn't see that on the side of the bus.
    6
  1321. Thinking of another scam? His Michael Green moment?
    6
  1322. Chris Webb is also an excellent local candidate who works hard for the community. We no longer live in the Fylde but couldn't be happier that the right person is in parliament.
    6
  1323. ​ @Jesters7264 Harder for the self-interested and the hard of thinking. He speaks truth to power.
    6
  1324. Part of the job description
    6
  1325. Can't you comprehend more facts?
    6
  1326.  @marcusbradley2382  what exactly was wrong, Marcus? Will you start a dance of rhetoric and pretend allegations? This form of brexit is a disaster on every level.
    6
  1327.  @asseyez-vous6492  well. Certainly 43.6% of voters would fall in that category. Lol
    6
  1328. Yes, and he even criticised the lifeboat crew that would rescue the drowning man.
    6
  1329. ​ @tendrosstoodross2976  so we didn't help? If we are involved, we share responsibilty.
    6
  1330. Full marks for such a rhetorical question. This is your official school report.
    6
  1331. If I needed an ideal case study in operational incompetence, I would choose the Tory brexit. Albeit there is no shortage of material.
    6
  1332. Coming after pensioners to chuck a little infill into the "black hole" is cowardice. Taxing asset wealth and investment income at the same rate as work income would be brave and transformative, since it would help growth (as explained by the patriotic millionaires).
    6
  1333. Don't give the buggers ideas. Thought we were adopting the theme tune from the Archers as the new anthem, as suggested by Billy Connolly.
    6
  1334.  @leehighland5435  When using the word "thick", always remember that Fartage appeals to idiots
    6
  1335.  @williampatrickfagan7590  Hard to argue against the accuracy of your description, William.
    6
  1336. Before the Truss crash, the interest paid out by government on bonds, for borrowing, was 1.4%. Now, after Trussonomics, it's up at 4%, which is why government is paying more interest.
    6
  1337. "Painful but necessary" said Kwartang. This government causes perpetual pain through their incompetence and sadism. Britain is broken.
    6
  1338. I liked your comment, more in hope than expectation.
    6
  1339. Under all of this lies the inevitability of greed and corruption. The Russia Report explains why Britain is complicit and thus rendered ineffective.
    6
  1340. ​ @ScottishRoss27 there are other methods, as explained by the patriotic millionaires and others. Tax asset wealth over £10 million. Tax investment income at the same rate as work income (including NI).
    6
  1341.  @merkvandermeulen3978  yes. Sorry I didn't think about that. Apologies to Rwandans. You don't know what would hit you.
    6
  1342. Two things suppress growth: inequality and a lack of investment. Regrettably Labour is still a neoliberal government that buys the lies of a dependence on private investment and the privatisation of public services. They may be less extreme than the Tories but, as yet, there are no signs of transformative economic policies. That said, if this one policy is directed against land banking, it is a small encouraging sign. Why not listen to the patriotic millionaires and tax wealth? Let's get the Tory client media spitting feathers.
    6
  1343.  @Gary-bz1rf  Anglo Saxon laws mean the dismantling of workers rights and quality standards. Back to the 18th century. Financial rules to cause money laundering and another financial crash! Is that what you want? Is that what was promised? Utter garbage. Pure fantasy.
    6
  1344.  @stewie7338  ask the police. Whataboutery isn't my speciality...
    6
  1345. Blair has Alistair Campbell to handle Comms. A different league.
    6
  1346. I certainly intend to read the book, which can probably be summarised in four words: never trust a Tory. That said, the details that lead to this conclusion will hold my interest.
    6
  1347. Sunak has set a trap for himself. Another piece of legislation that will not solve the very problem he keeps banging on about, while advertising that Britain disrespects international law. The Home Office is simply not fit for purpose.
    6
  1348. We need to INCREASE public spending. It's called investing in the country. Brexit is sucking money from the economy and denying growth. As for CTTP, let's look forward to corporate courts. Toxic Tories: enough is enough.
    6
  1349.  @garrywynne1218  the NIP is signed into international law and thus can't be changed unilaterally. End of.
    6
  1350. Spot on. The Russia Report was informative.
    6
  1351.  @pauln6803  yes. That's what all of his promises amount to.
    6
  1352. Will they listen? Reform fall apart when subjected to critical thinking.
    6
  1353. ​ @franklamosa374  Yes. Lots of sneezing during those meals.
    6
  1354.  @MrSpleenboy  Yes. In my opinion there are just three reasons to vote Tory: self-interest; intellectual laziness; or abject stupidity. FPTP is also undemocratic: it's neither direct or representative democracy (being unrepresentative as perfectly illustrated with a 43.6% vote producing 56% of seats in the present parliament after the 2019 election.)
    6
  1355. Yes. Johnson used the manual if fascism.
    6
  1356.  @charlessandoval3382  I would probably put them in the last category: plain stupid. Subjective opinion, I know. You make a good point though.
    6
  1357. After wondering for a few years what Sir Starmer stands for, at last a clue. Power at all costs, including joining the Tories in the gutter.
    6
  1358. Albeit she did say she hoped to change fellow reader opinions. Curious?
    6
  1359. ​ @Noel-ji8nm So you would presumably support Corbyn's policy instead of the Tory compounding of the fees?
    6
  1360.  @peterk.6930  Genocide is hardly legitimate self defence. Israel been attacked...while keeping Palestinians captive and running an apartheid state. How many lives have they taken in conflict? How many illegitimate prisoners? Then we disagree, but who is on the right side of international law?
    6
  1361. Don't worry. The secretary of state for obfuscation, misdirection and levelling down is on the case. He'd had enough of experts and is now left holding the begging bowl.
    6
  1362. Wow! That's some background picture: Mr Blobby and his cokehead caricature friend. No shortage of operational incompetence in the Tory party.
    6
  1363. Perhaps he is banning private jets to compensate. Lol
    6
  1364. Blame the man who delivered it. An absolute shambles of a deal, completed during a pandemic.
    6
  1365.  @fe6767  Interesting about NZ. I don't expect utopia, just the absence of the current Tory fascism.
    6
  1366.  @johnjephcote7636  Yes, I read it this morning. Apparently many are to dismantle financial regulation. Ready for the next crash and more austerity. Singapore on Thames.
    6
  1367.  @lestrem11  Then you haven't listened to enough of Phil's videos. He often states facts, along with the source
    6
  1368. Don't worry, Sunak has appointed an ex banker as his ethics advisor. Perhaps he needs investment advice.
    6
  1369. Frost has more hot air and bullshit than a sauna in a farmyard.
    6
  1370. Imo "free Palestine" is NOT an anti-semitic slur. It's anti-zionist and the two are very different. (The Prof David Miller case is relevant.) Anti-semitism is inexcusable and moronic. Many Jews are against Netanyahu's barbarism and all Jews should have the right to live in peace while practicing their religion.
    6
  1371. Tories set the most impressive standards... of corruption. People of the Fylde, please take note.
    6
  1372. Keynesianism existed before the fiat currency. Hence your point is fallacy.
    6
  1373. I don't think Bezos needs this caller as his champion or representative. Lol.
    6
  1374. The Tory school of fantasy economics for numpties illustrated by every candidate. We are suffering predominantly from cost push inflation, caused by international factors such as war and climate change. In pure theory, capping prices would seem ideal, yet it becomes impossible because of globalisation and an addiction to free market economics. We are left with controlling the money supply through interest rates and by increased taxation. Thus reducing demand pull when the real diagnosis is cost push. An effective windfall tax on corporate greed, and a wealth tax could both be used to rebalance the economy and invest in public services and infrastructure. Don't hold your breath. It's sacrilege to the Tories DNA.
    6
  1375. No. It's enough that he's our worst enemy for ruining the country
    6
  1376. Its implementation! Perhaps they should question the type of deal - specifically leaving the single market and rejecting every offer of alliance on standards to date.
    6
  1377. "A dynamic economy" The vacuous buffoon obviously doesn't understand that you don't get a dynamic economy through austerity. You don't get a dynamic economy through reducing disposable income. Even by Tory rhetoric, low taxation stimulates growth. (A fallacy in reality,.of course.) As George Monbiot says, this government has a magic formula, where the poor vote for the rich to have more. You really couldn't make it up...
    6
  1378.  @Daveyboyz1978  that's not what Johnson said. Check the facts pseudonym account.
    6
  1379.  @gordonwilson1631  totally agree, the argument that outsourcing to private companies has nothing to do with privatisation is Tory gaslighting. If we privatise provision yet retain budgetary adminstration, prices go up, control is lost, irrespective of whether just some or all care is free at the point of does not change the question of value to the taxpayer.
    6
  1380. Starmer is fond of pragmatism rather than ideology, which begs the question: what does he stand for? Without ideology, does the end justify the means? Without ideology, the status quo remains intact and we don't get progressive change. Is he simply scared of upsetting Murdoch to the extent of being scared of his own shadow?
    6
  1381. The PFI method of funding public assets was recommended by business consultants to keep the so-called "debt" off the balance sheet. For example, if government issues money (effectively borrowing from itself) it is added to the public debt figure. If we bought hospital buildings or rail stock (for example) we would own an asset to offset said "borrowing". Instead we pay more to companies who fund the asset, paying though the nose for rent so no "public borrowing" is involved. Effectively similar to renting a house, which costs more than buying through a mortgage. (There is no mortgage debt but there is no capital asset to compensate.) The myth is created by this fallacious method of defining public debt. How can we be in debt to ourselves? The myth remains unchallenged to keep power in the hands of banks, when we (through government) own the Bank of England
    6
  1382. As Einstein said: 'The world is a dangerous place to live, not becauae of people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." His description covered a complicit media and the cowed Tory MPs in this instance.
    6
  1383.  @jobbyomoron8478  that's some stretch. How exactly?
    6
  1384. Yes. The Russia Report gives a strong clue. Well done for admitting a mistake; that takes a big person. We all make them yet few admit to it.
    6
  1385. ​ @janwhite6038 Did you miss the explanation of capital in the video?
    6
  1386. ​ @maciej9280 Really! What about British exceptionalism?
    5
  1387.  @luminousfractal420  What exactly can't you calculate? Stats clearly show that the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, since the second world war. Also real incomes (taking account of inflation) have reduced since 2010, against a 12% increase under New Labour. There is so much evidence to dismantle the rhetoric of the Tories and to show their abject incompetence.
    5
  1388.  @h0ttiem0mma  agreed. This is always their hidden agenda. Operational incompetence hiding self-enrichment
    5
  1389.  @RainerMichelle  I totally agree, Michelle, chaos benefits disaster capitalists and tax avoiders. Also let's a fascist government sneak through sinister changes to achieve a one-party state.
    5
  1390. ​ @ronvalente65 Noel-bot is too busy trolling.
    5
  1391. Totally agree. The further we can get from entrenched party positions at local level, the nearer we get to democracy.
    5
  1392. With PR the Tories are toast. With FPTP we will suffer them again.
    5
  1393.  @seang2700  You make a good point but negative voting is a reaction to unfit system where all votes are not equal. Under PR, there would be every reason to vote for what we believe in. Currently we live in an elective dictatorship.
    5
  1394. Nigel is such a man of the people - only when it helps his bank balance and keeps him current. A true con merchant. ❤
    5
  1395. This sovereign tea is garbage, which is why I now drink coffee and green tea.
    5
  1396.  @MelkorPT  i IMO It's the Tories puppeteers who aren't stupid. The cabinet members themselves make stupid statements to appeal to idiots.
    5
  1397. This interview reminds me of the reason why modern football p1sses me off. A money pit creating unfair advantage; cheating; bending the rules; play-acting (sometimes worthy of RADA). Heresy to football fans, I realise, but nevertheless a microcosm of neoliberalism, where the greedy b'stards take it all. Always enjoy listening to Jeremy, one of the relatively few decent human beings in politics.
    5
  1398. Reeves is wrong on two counts imo. 1) Creating new money to invest in state projects (infrastructure and green energy for example) will promote growth. Going cap in hand for corporate investment won't - it will lead to the extraction of profit through rent (PFI contracts being a prime example). 2) Inequality stifles growth. Put money in the pockets of the average worker and they will spend it in the economy; put it in the bank accounts of the wealthiest and they will either move it offshore or buy assets to rent back to us at an extortionate price and boost their own wealth. Stopping the winter fuel allowance for some pensioners instead of increasing the windfall tax on energy companies or taxing wealth (as proposed by the patriotic millionaires) shows an inclination to pander to corporate wealth and inequality. A sure formula for low growth.
    5
  1399. With Johnson at the helm, the term Government plan is an oxymoron.
    5
  1400.  @cliffgaither  The fact that someone is articulate and plausible until facts are examined is how confidence tricksters work. She insists on finishing her statements because she is delivering scripted speil and interviewer intervention may involve scrutiny. This is the same woman who boasts about trade deals that actually benefit other countries and her arguments are exposed in parliamentary sub-committee hearings.
    5
  1401. Why would we expect trouble when rent-a-thug were drafted in to "defend" something that was never under threat? One even perceived a "crisis" but was never asked to explain that. How could a march for peace disrespect the commemoration of the end of a senseless war? Braverman represents bile, confrontation and incompetence.
    5
  1402. A sociopathic, narcissistic, entitled pr**k. Failed at every job and failed upwards.
    5
  1403. The body language of Johnson and Sunak was interesting during Starmer's speech. In a word: discomfort. They spin the guff of being a responsible and fair government, yet behave like naughty schoolboys caught behind the bike shed. Who is stupid enough to believe this useless government?
    5
  1404. Too true. It's an acronym: Sociopathic Corrupt Underhand Manipulators
    5
  1405. If comparing the ratio of media exposure converted to votes, Reform are a waste of space.
    5
  1406. But during her leadership campaign Truss was so clear. She kept saying so and even Joe Lycett agreed. Now as leader she is "genuinely unclear."
    5
  1407.  @Jonnythebaker  back to baking, John, if that's your level of conversation.
    5
  1408. Good point. Conclusive proof that austerity doesn't work. In fact it does the opposite of what is claimed.
    5
  1409. OMG! I thought Johnson was vacuous. Truss beats him hands down.
    5
  1410.  @TheBanana93  you are correct.
    5
  1411.  @christopherblackburn6811  there are also legal proceedings via the Good Law Project.
    5
  1412. That's democracy for you. At least the corruption is openly displayed.
    5
  1413. And wanders onto any film set to spout bile.
    5
  1414. Great work, Lowkey. The stop and search policy was certainly two tier: based on skin colour. Justice should be blind, but it is blinded by social class and influenced by skin colour.
    5
  1415. Hard man or vacuous ranting bully?
    5
  1416. ​ @oneworld1160  Please define "Labour politicking" Or is your statement empty whataboutery?
    5
  1417. Respect to these UK Jews. True humanitarian courage and honesty.
    5
  1418. What a culture shock! A picture of Johnson in boxing gloves. Couldn't knock the skin off a rice pudding, as my mother used to say. He has spent too long fighting fantasy, and lost.
    5
  1419.  @Land-of-reason  would that be when real incomes increased and hospital waiting times reduced? Or are such facts inconvenient? Was the subject of the comment anything to do with Labour? Or are you intent on whataboutery?
    5
  1420.  @romeobravo2023  I'm sure you do, but so many seem incapable of critical thinking. Best regards to you.
    5
  1421. If he didn't know it was against the rules, he's incompetent. If he did, he's a serial liar. Habitually shifting the blame: "I've been assured..." (by whom.) This man should have been nowhere near public office.
    5
  1422.  @MercenaryPen  I guessed that. My comment was meant to be generic rather than personal. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
    5
  1423.  @lestrem11  cherry picking doesn't cut it for me.
    5
  1424. ​ @michaelrch is it stupidity? Or who are they working for? Either way, they are promising growth and constricting it by their economic policies.
    5
  1425. Go back through his videos and LISTEN carefully before talking bollocks. Just a suggestion.
    5
  1426. The joy of British exceptionalism! We are allowed one exception that we fail to honour and implement. Global Britain behaves as a baby throwing it's rattle out if the pram. An international joke.
    5
  1427.  @viper_fan  probably the sewage, only surpassed by Tory bullshit.
    5
  1428. If the Tories concentrated on effective NHS investment, rather than using it as a cash cow for their mates (through outsourcing and for the PPE feeding frenzy) we would have the best health care system in the fhe world.
    5
  1429. Yes. With zero public services.
    5
  1430. ​ @billB101 True. Yet the vast majority now know otherwise.
    5
  1431. It's the same mindset that associates patriotism with flag waving, bowing and scraping, and clinging to history rather than welcoming change. A true patriot is someone who cares enough about their country to change it for the better. The new group of patriotic millionaires are a shining example - they actually want to pay more in tax instead of robbing the poor.
    5
  1432. So much for the Tories claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility. Checking the increase in the national debt during 12 years of austerity was a clue to their incompetence. Now Sunak has put the matter beyond doubt.
    5
  1433. The Tories are revolting. Hopefully in both senses.
    5
  1434. ​ @norwoodboy6048  "According to the Daily Telegraph" says it all and flattens your argument. Did you use a bot in your pseudonym account?
    5
  1435. If that happens, America is toast. Putting your money on that would be questionable. The people need to resist the dictator.
    5
  1436. The only thing that hurts Foghorn is any lack of media attention. Don't encourage the vile bugger!
    5
  1437. Cutting the availability of money through high interest rates during periods of cost-push inflation achieves its objective: exacerbating inequality and keeping power in the hands of the wealthiest.
    5
  1438. For how much longer can we sustain the work for pay model? AI will take jobs and employers will want fewer people to work more hours rather than significantly reducing the working week. We need drastic reform, yet Labour is doubling down on an almost obsolete model.
    5
  1439.  @nicolarse-stubborn  These pictures paint a thousand excuses for illiteracy. Are they from a Tory website?
    5
  1440. The biggest own goal ever was not only achieved by leaving the single market during a pandemic, but also by excluding our largest sector from a trade deal, with the assumption of British exceptionalism.
    5
  1441. Questions are essential to analytical thought. I'll apply a simple question to Reform, after reiterating the question I asked in the Brexit vote: could we trust the Brexiters to take back control? Reform us into what? Same shysters; different occasion.
    5
  1442. Relevance???
    5
  1443. There are better ways to pay for defense. That's her point. Tax wealth.
    5
  1444. Yes. While some believe that Little England has a monopoly on being "reasonable," in spite of our colonialist history.
    5
  1445. Absolutely true. An inability to hold these charlatans to account. They will only accept a friendly forum
    5
  1446. At least an exporter has the comfort of knowing the deal was oven ready. Lol
    5
  1447.  @stockgorilla4999  Would you really expect a business on its arse and needing help to actually complain? Would you expect a compliant Tory media to complain. I certainly heard people questioning and we saw the obvious risk ourselves. Depends where you look, who you listen to, and how hard you question.
    5
  1448. "Learn as much as possible" from the experience. He certainly knew how to avoid prosecution. Being a pathological liar seems to be a key requirement of a Tory cabinet minister. Great to see him skewered by Suzanna, in particular.
    5
  1449. With dubious skills like that, he'll probably become Tory leader.
    5
  1450.  @kaiser-ki6wp  and how you know that? There was a clear majority vote in the Scottish parliament... did you dream that she engineered the vote?
    5
  1451. Perhaps someone should explain the "difference" the guy citing the Vikings and the Normans seeks. The word military (as distinct from military age) explains it, as it is fundamental to most definitions of the word invasion.
    5
  1452. That's one way. Reducing inequality is another.
    5
  1453. To those who believe we have an effective democracy, we live in different worlds. These clowns have made Britain a laughing stock.
    5
  1454. Simple Tory formula: levelling up = levelling down. Clue: a cabinet of abject liars.
    5
  1455.  @themoodyteam  both of the above
    5
  1456. The Tories are obsessed with austerity to achieve a small state and inequality. The dichotomy being that investment in the public infrastructure and rewarding people for productivity instead of creaming profits offer the greatest stimulus of growth. In plain language, this graph shows how the Tories have fkd up Britain.
    5
  1457. Let's be honest and rename PMQs to reflect reality: just call it Prime Minister's Evasions.
    5
  1458. The power of denial by the ignorant - with many choosing to remain so.
    5
  1459.  @Lazarus404  Actually retired after working beyond normal retirement age in a useful career. Yet not stupid enough to believe Tory rhetoric and Daily Fail vacuous reports.
    5
  1460. And if the energy companies say no???? Problem is not solved.
    5
  1461. One skilled builder needs one house yet builds enough for many other families. How is it self-fulfilling?
    5
  1462.  @markramsden5101  The Tory government set the deadline for the mayor to complete this expansion by 2024. As for cricket fields, have you tried bowling a 90mph bouncer while coughing and spluttering from vehicle fumes?
    5
  1463. ​ @peterebel7899 for democracy, read elective dictatorship. For media, read manufacturers of consent.
    5
  1464.  @terryj50  If votes counted equally through PR, I expect more people would vote. So many votes wasted puts some people off. We simply don't have real democracy
    5
  1465.  The Legend of Spitfire Hunter  them why have so many EU countries overtaken us in the proportion of citizens double-jabbed?
    5
  1466. Government simply doesn't understand small business and probably doesn't want to, as it is sponsored and lobbied by corporate interest. The more corporate power, the less diversity in society. I wish Starmer would listen to these videos instead of McSweeney and his gang of charlatans.
    5
  1467. Yes, a list of aspirations is not a plan. The maxim 'pessimism of intellect, optimism of will' has served me well. In planning, expose and analyse the risks and decide how to overcome them. Be positive in implementing a solution.
    5
  1468. ​ @pippipster6767 Never become a peace envoy. It would be the wrong career with that rhetoric. Why not continue to hide behind your pseudonym account and spread bile in the season of goodwill. Who does it help?
    5
  1469. My perception of our political / media relationship was recently challenged. Having believed that our mainstream media manufactures consent, I read a different view: ministers doing the bidding of the right wing press. Perhaps this second view is more accurate. I travel regularly between the river and the sea. The River being Pendle Water and the sea being the Irish Sea, off the Fylde Coast. Yet I can claim to be against racism in all forms (including both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia). Our media is not fit for purpose.
    5
  1470. Too much stereotyping and rhetoric in that comment imo. Where is your evidence? I've seen many similar inefficiencies in the private sector. We often need civil servants to counter stupid brain-farts so of course they favour the status quo or gradual, careful change.
    5
  1471. Another example of government being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough. Where is tidal and solar energy in this mix?
    5
  1472. Starmer can safely attack the implementation of an oven-ready deal that was slammed in the microwave with a faulty setting.
    5
  1473.  @garyb455  then why haven't we "gone further and faster?" Could it be Russian funding and dark money in the capital of corruption called London? Your pathological hatred of the EU is contributing to the mess, instead of identifying the real culprits. Read the Russia Report and waken up.
    5
  1474. A great speech outlining a transformative manifesto. Growth would be an automatic by-product. The danger is in the pushback from Londongrad and the financial markets, currently pulling the strings. The good fight would be hard, but worthwhile for the benefit of society and the survival of the planet. The neoliberal establishment would resist because of pure greed. If Starmer even made a start on this, I would see a ray of hope.
    5
  1475.  @mbarker1958  I agree. Tory fascism.
    5
  1476.  @harryluvessport  that's a strange statement when the reality is opposite. Read the Russia Report to find the real threat to security and democracy.
    5
  1477. And when they come for you? When you suffer fire and rehire with the offer of a cheaper contract?
    5
  1478. Good point. Factual evidence says the opposite. Yet why would this den of thieves bother with something as inconvenient as fact? The MSM keeps spinning their lies for them.
    5
  1479. Trump wants the minerals; ergo peace is a means to an end. Otherwise he would offer a security backstop.
    5
  1480. True. Yet at some point, when they waken up naked as well as clueless, he will run out of road.
    5
  1481. If the far right is the answer, you are either asking the wrong question or looking in the wrong direction because of their populist deflection.
    5
  1482. Wow! Is one of those tossers in the background holding a grafting spade? Would they know what that word means?
    5
  1483.  @paulwilson7234  oops! Sorry. Shouldn't say oven ready without world-beating. The best part was when he slammed his oven-ready deal in the microwave.
    5
  1484.  @gbjanuary  very true. The b'stards never waste an opportunity
    5
  1485. Don't worry! The chancellor and business secretary are meeting with the big energy suppliers today. Don't hold your breath... probably after more party funding.
    5
  1486.  @chrisj2502  Can't spot the difference between heads and tails, Chris? Were you better off under Labour or the Tories?
    5
  1487. The only thing allowed to work is conflict. Why should he agree with that? The only way forward is dialogue, as history shows in Northern Ireland. What else do you think he should fight for?
    5
  1488. ​ @joepaluka9031 That's a stretch. International corporations and oligarchs add to the complexity to stifle competition with their patent lawyers. Why not start there?
    5
  1489. Brexit was a scam, to instigate a crisis that disaster capitalists and tax avoiders could profit from.
    5
  1490.  @steveinjava  perhaps before commenting on Gordon Brown you should read his published plan for fixing the cost of living crisis.
    5
  1491. And that was Labour's proposal in their last manifesto. Just a few necessary exceptions to keep the right to return to practice.
    5
  1492. Tory cabinet members must live in an alternate universe. After leaving the EU, Britain became the desparate party in trade negotiations. A fact of life; the natural course of events to anyone capable of critical thinking.
    5
  1493. ​ @Explosivo55 Twaddle Without Any Thought
    5
  1494. Or any competent journalist holding him to account.
    5
  1495. Respect to this NHS professional for speaking out. The NHS is in a shambolic state and the Tories can't be trusted with it.
    5
  1496. How does that concern us militarily? We are just America's lapdogs.
    5
  1497. Agree. Being seen to be doing something is my summary of our respective government's ineptitude.
    5
  1498. My dilemma is that I will only vote for a party supporting PR yet needing to vote tactically to oust the Tories. Will Labour shape up to this?
    5
  1499. Yes. Fascism is unattractive and dangerous.
    5
  1500. ​ @lestrem11  More whataboutery?
    5
  1501. He has always been Fishy Rishi. Integrity, professionalism and accountability?
    5
  1502. The root cause is always neoliberalism (unregulated capitalism) in such a crisis because greed trumps public service in this model. The icing on the cake is venture capitalism, where the operation is run at arm's length and profits can be siphoned off. Add to that a government in Brexit denial and we have a total shit-show without managed intervention. Welcome to Global Britain.
    5
  1503. And Boris replied....
    5
  1504.  @habi0187  That's probably true. Their definition of skill will reward their mates and fit their privatisation agenda, which they invest in and profit from. A cabal of crooks.
    5
  1505. Rats in a sack. Hardly reassuring that we will be led by the chief rat. Tories out.
    5
  1506.  @mattsyson3980  Yes. The Russia Report also fizzled out although the content was damning
    5
  1507. If you think our politicians can be trusted with health care, read Critical by Dr Julia Grace Patterson.
    5
  1508. Trump: for "transactional" read corrupt.
    5
  1509. I questioned repeatedly who would be stupid enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic? Answer: someone who wanted to blame their crap Brexit deal on the pandemic. And now, the reverse logic is being used to highlight such operational incompetence.
    5
  1510.  @nathanaelsmith3553  I agree with your comments about an advisory referendum, which it was in legal terms. There was no need to 'get Brexit done' during the pandemic. The EU gave us the option for further delay and assistance with PPE etc.
    5
  1511. That's opinion and not proof. So I'll tell you that Tommy is not a victim, he has absconded after a warrant. Not quite the saint or victim your whataboutery suggests.
    5
  1512.  @bisratezra8247  I agree with your comment. Very accurate.
    5
  1513. At least Mark Thatcher got lost with Michelle Mouton for company.
    5
  1514. Farage appeals to idiots. (...add to that the intellectually lazy if you wish?) When asking how his loathsome rhetoric gets so much air time, it's necessary to follow the money. Whose interests is he serving?
    5
  1515.  @tommy5675  good point. I'm acutely aware of it and in full agreement with you
    5
  1516.  @TruthTortoise81  agreed. But I found his questioning trite and DL had to steer it back to a serious level.
    5
  1517. Irony noted.
    5
  1518.  @fredsmith5473 I agree with much of what you say. It takes will to change legacy systems. Not too difficult from that point. Political interference gives the Tories the state media they crave, and we must all pay for it without age exemption. Austerity is a convenient tool to manipulate opinion and create division.
    5
  1519.  @DrinkTheKoolAid62  yet the best means of growing the economy. Government promising growth yet putting wealth in the hands of those who move it offshore.
    5
  1520.  @apollothirteen9236  you should start a comedy club for the hard of thinking.
    5
  1521.  @PaulTalksGamesMags  Yes. The easy answer from some idiots. I usually explain that a true patriot wants to make the country better, and start by facing faults. As Jung said: thinking is difficult, that's why most people judge.
    5
  1522. Sunak now has a choice: which new psycho do I appoint as chancellor?
    5
  1523. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 exactly how is socialism the problem? Have you noticed the unsustainable rise in inequality through neoliberalism?
    5
  1524. But JRM is an exceptional chap, you see. Tories don't tolerate scrutiny, so the Victorian Pencil needs exclusions in his contract. We can't comment on an existing case, we just delay it so Jacob can make some money. She "hears" what John is saying but doesn't listen and act. The manufacturing of consent has never been more blatant, or more serious.
    5
  1525. ​ @seang2700 gotta laugh at whataboutery.
    5
  1526. A patron who charges rents and fleeces the causes he presides over.
    5
  1527. The greatest single act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    5
  1528.  @Gary-bz1rf  pay attention to Phil's video and you will find that the 8% is pure fantasy. I agree with his maths as a most optimistic estimate. We would be lucky to clear 3% from the rest of the world. There is no economic argument for Brexit, as the majority of economists agreed before the vote.
    5
  1529.  @johnwormley5161  Brown was not PM when banks were deregulated. Please check your facts. In any event how was that worse than causing unnecessary deaths and wholesale corruption through cronyism?
    5
  1530. You should be proud of your faith, which has inspired the support of justice. Great video.
    5
  1531.  @steve00alt70  probably. If not Johnson then, yes, they buy the Tory and media headlines without thinking for themselves.
    5
  1532.  @Craig121000  I'm hardly surprised, John, and it's regrettable that you have endured far too many years of Tory cruelty.
    5
  1533. I suspect that Sunak is an anagram of clueless in at least one other language. It certainly applies in parliamentary language.
    5
  1534.  @Epidian  No. You were the one who made accusations and used childish labels. Facts are relevant; childish labels are not.
    5
  1535. I guess the government knows that the only immediate solution is to align to the single market and customs union and their shouters would say: "That's not Brexit." Amazing that it was promised originally by vote leave. But then, don't expect Johnson and his shower to even comprehend a simple operational solution.
    5
  1536.  @garrywynne1218  "legally mandate provision?" What exactly is that? Are you a lawyer?
    5
  1537.  @qasimmir7117  In many cases what you call "superior judgement" is necessary to avoid the result of poor anticipation. Not just the number of years driving, but the number of miles on different roads in different conditions builds experience of safe and defensive driving.
    5
  1538. ​ @perfectstorm7379 Get just what? Are you obsessed with whataboutery?
    5
  1539. ​ @perfectstorm7379 The kind of unsubstantiated bs I've come to expect from a pseudonym account. Please explain...
    5
  1540. And GDP is the least useful measure for the good of society and the protection of the planet.
    5
  1541.  @HB-bl5mn  any volunteers for driving the JCB? LOL
    5
  1542. Such an irony. A government that idolises the free market, which requires freedom of movement, suspends freedom of movement because of their bigotry. Such an intervention requires planning and preparation. This lazy and inept government does not even understand such a concept, let alone implement it. Will it catch them out? Or will our cap-doffing population vote for such abject mindlessness, yet again?
    5
  1543. It's the essence of Tory maths: quote a large figure and hope everyone believes it (taking it at face value.) Where are the journalists to call it out?
    5
  1544.  @CatholicSatan  Interesting. Government does not know the difference between spending and investing, as they obsess about reelection while, currently with this corrupt government, spaffing money to their mates.
    5
  1545.  @housemonkeychill  not "sending them" just not offering a means of assessing them in France because we refused their offer in favour of Rwanda.
    5
  1546. Words without deeds. Stop arms support and Netanyahu may listen to Dodgy Dave.
    5
  1547.  @tartan5075  good question. Don't have much faith in opposition parties at the moment. Too scared of their own shadows.
    5
  1548. As a Brit, I admire this great man and wish we had someone of the same calibre fighting neoliberalism, financialisation and oligarchy. Unfortunately, the fascistic populists get all the media coverage and financial backing, for obvious reasons.
    5
  1549. ​ @perfectstorm7379 did you miss the name "Eton"? It was a specific comment.
    5
  1550.  @peterk.6930  We could say that about many English cities and some other countries. How does that justify the actions of Israel and its most recent history?
    5
  1551.  @ozimandeus  whilst I fully agree, a manifesto should be a binding contract, on the basis of reasonable endeavour. What is not in the manifesto should be the subject of a separate referendum. With exceptions only in a national emergency. The current system is open to abuse and fosters mistrust and disenfranchisement.
    5
  1552. The dilemma is, we got what a minority (of 43.6%) voted for. We simply don't have a democracy.
    5
  1553. Labour can easily maintain the pressure by exposing Johnson's lie one case at a time. In PMQs, tell Johnson that his standards are worse than Labour's proposals by showing the relative number of MPs affected. If Johnson disputes this, name one MP each week in PMQs until he concedes the point.
    5
  1554. The "benefits?" The majority get to drink sovereign tea while the disaster capitalists rip the anus out of the country. (Btw rip the anus is a seldom used and little known technical economic term. Lol)
    5
  1555.  @annenunney9907  may I refer you to my previous comment. Cameron was a disaster but in delivering such a half-arsed brexit Johnson is personally culpable. The fact that he failed in every previous job was a clue that 43.6% of voters chose to ignore. Perhaps we should blame Eton college lol.
    5
  1556. Populism prevails through a simple strategy. Help to stoke and exacerbate a problem; blame someone else; then promise a solution. The promise is always a lie, of course, with the real intention of dictatorship.
    5
  1557.  @lestrem11  I'm not the simpleton, Ben. If the cap fits... Bias is one thing, but the use of facts with supporting evidence of their source is another. Many of Phil's videos have included such data. Perhaps you have difficulty with nuance.
    5
  1558. Wow! A great analysis and a clear explanation. Quite chilling, and no surprise that the UK is complicit. We love to doff our caps to the wealthy, as many buy the fallacy of trickle-down.
    5
  1559. How long would it take for someone like Rob Rinder, with such clarity of thought and considerate humanity to be labelled "woke" by the manufacturers of consent? This hypothetical example of lazy language from the gutter media chills me. Sincere respect to Rob Rinder for sharing his enlightened thoughts. He is a beacon of light.
    5
  1560. Corruption: an essential requirement in the ministerial job description. Extravagance: he deserves it - being an entitled pr1ck. Rule Breaking: what rules? Rules are never followed, nor even recognised, by a sociopath.
    5
  1561. Johnson wants "consistency." In his defence, he is himself consistent: a serial liar and an abject incompetent.
    5
  1562. Doesn't undermine. The fact remains that the political and economic circumstances were not comparable to the UK or other countries similar to ours. In this instance, the historic details detract.
    5
  1563. ​ @trytellingthetruth.2068 Why not take note of your pseudonym account name? Just stop the distortion. The national debt increased dramatically in the last two years of Labour because of the WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS, caused by casino bankers and enabled through the use of derivatives. The Tories have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1948. They have now trebled the national debt, with the pandemic and Brexit being contributory factors; spaffing money and mismanagement making the nightmare complete.
    5
  1564. It gets better: buffoon claims to have a plan, yet a former Tory health secretary has disabused him of that lie. Moving money around to fill a hole is not a plan. A plan is operational, as well as financial. As for his jobs and vacancies claim: British jobs for an absence of British workers, due to his Brexit shit-show. Meanwhile Sunak is laughing while Starmer is explaining the plight of workers. The modern Tory party includes some prize human specimens.
    5
  1565. I have a simple solution: don't watch any of the matches. Don't encourage the buggers.
    5
  1566. Theresa May told us: "brexit means brexit" Such a mine of useful information.
    5
  1567. Don't worry, I believe the Rwanda deal is an exchange system. Perhaps we will get the workers we need from Rwanda. But will we have any choice in the matter? Taking back control is working so well.
    5
  1568. That would be true if we had democracy. Instead we have an elective dictatorship, where a minority (43.6%) vote returned a parliamentary majority because all votes are not equal.
    5
  1569. Truss should make a new appeal for a brain cell donor or two. She trots out vacuous Tory rhetoric with its proven failure rate so that corporate wealth and the richest in society are protected at the expense of the majority who suffer to make society work.
    5
  1570. I share your concern but hope otherwise. The membership needs to apply pressure.
    5
  1571.  @mariogmajner6549  yes. It also meant getting it done badly. Yet since it is not done, Johnson has made a pig's ear of his three-word manifesto.
    5
  1572. We are forced into a loan so the Tories keep their donors.
    5
  1573. I respected Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England. Both he and President Obama understood the stupidity of Brexit (where we left the EU) and time has proved them right.
    5
  1574. Foghorn never speaks in the public interest. Just his own, irrespective of the wider damage. This may prove interesting.
    5
  1575. He believes in AI so much that he buys shares in such a company, then promotes AI. The epitome of Tory public service. You really couldn't make it up.
    5
  1576.  @deehaytch8442  you need to check your facts. The Vienna convention on international treaties says otherwise. An international agreement can't be changed unilaterally, and a point of national law can't be used to override it. Check the latest video by Peter Stefanovic - a trained lawyer. The text is clear.
    5
  1577. Does anyone remember the oven ready deal? That went well then!
    5
  1578. Jacob asking Sun readers for Brexit benefits when he needed look no further than MLP. Perhaps Johnson should recruit her as his 'brexit for fascists' consultant.
    5
  1579. I find it ironic that Westminster attempts to claim the high ground. With its undemocratic electoral system and after talking about sovereignty on leaving the EU, they apply different standards to Scotland which uses a more democratic electoral system. Scotland simply deserves the right to self determination.
    4
  1580.  @teresanaranjo490  It would need to be backed by government action: stop supplying arms for genocide.
    4
  1581. Who are they? The Tories did that with their anti-protest laws. It's called comeuppance
    4
  1582. ​ @gpw203 If you look at Farage's record, it's obvious what Reform would deliver: a banana republic without the bananas, while he extracts the golden nuggets.
    4
  1583. I agree with taxing companies registered outside this country on its turnover in the UK, to stop the intellectual property offshore scam.
    4
  1584. One of the authors of Britannia Unchained proving beyond doubt that it should be classified as a fantasy novel.
    4
  1585. If a revolving door to the tower of London for anyone found lying, I might see some value in their judgement.
    4
  1586. The words "oven ready" and "deal" have parallel meanings. Totally unprepared by government, who take every opportunity to blame businesses for "not believing in the opportunities." Also a crap half-arsed deal that Sunak was forced to patch up.
    4
  1587. Suspect you will always find that hard Brexiters' minds come ready made up. Shouting, rather than intelligent debate, is their forte.
    4
  1588. ​ @JupiterThunder How?
    4
  1589. An unhealthy obsession will small boats would have been an interesting case for Freud. Perhaps they should explain the term: "economic migrants" and how it differs from asylum.
    4
  1590.  @michaeloconnor9465  Which "treaty" do you mean? Labour has explained a different plan to deal with immigration. It happens to be within international law.
    4
  1591. Purpose and information source are key in the critical thinking process when applying it to politics. I suspect that Starmer has been so absorbed in party in-fighting, with his manipulative propagandist McSweeney, that he has looked no further. Why think critically when power is achieved by dancing to the tune of string-pullers and donors? Our political system is a cesspit.
    4
  1592. Excuses don't cut it. Every nation should take responsibility and set an example. We have outsourced our dirty production to China and India and resort to blaming them to wash our hands of responsibility.
    4
  1593. Yes. Please remember that he didn't start the fire, but he trusted the arsonists.
    4
  1594. One intelligent and genuine human being, while we are faced with a government of sociopathic operational incompetents. Enough is enough.
    4
  1595. So easy to find that it has taken over a year to discover only misery and vacuous rhetoric
    4
  1596. If the first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens, then these wazzocks fail abysmally. If the real objective is to create division and inequality, perhaps we have the most dangerous (or successful) government ever.
    4
  1597. Why would an undemocratic limited company value democracy?
    4
  1598. ​ @rohanharridge5579 nor does tribalism
    4
  1599. That has happened in the past but the Tories have decided to freeze them, which is termed Fiscal Drag as explained in the interview.
    4
  1600.  @jobbyomoron8478  Lived through it as well as read it, John. Yet you give no facts to substantiate your claim. Total rhetoric.
    4
  1601.  @jobbyomoron8478  that's strange. You made a claim, I asked you for substantiation. I have many facts but you made the claim. Where are your facts.
    4
  1602.  @jobbyomoron8478  you say that without naming a single fact. Have you heard the term put up or shut up?
    4
  1603.  @vullings1968  I understand the difficulty of repairing the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    4
  1604.  @Jonnythebaker  I could not disagree more. Download and read my free ebook The Real Miracle of Neoliberalism to see why. Don't pretend that the Tories are the party of law and order or sound economic management. They fail spectacularly on both counts. Search on The Good Law Project who are holding them to account through the law.
    4
  1605. A lot of staff for one arse-wipe. Yet still we pay for it.
    4
  1606. Is that why the Tories claim "global Britain?"
    4
  1607.  @denzel270  How, exactly, does that relate to the PM? Whataboutery is pathetic
    4
  1608. Rishi Sunk Us, so he should go. Please take your party with you, into the dustbin of history.
    4
  1609. Well, Bazzer, you are wrong on two counts: 1) women and children also escape to Britain, so stop gaslighting or swallowing the shit from the Fail. 2) a refugee has to right to apply for asylum in the country of their choice. FACT: we take far fewer refugees per capita than most other European countries.
    4
  1610.  @NorfolkSceptic  I'm perfectly aware that short supply or excess demand affect price under normal market forces. This has been exacerbated by conflict and we suffer cost push inflation, compounded by the drive to profiteer and take advantage. Under such exceptional circumstances, you can either leave the market alone, or you can intervene to protect society. Your point about investment is interesting, as we have a cash cow from a captive market and companies choosing dividends and reward over investment. Quite simply and bluntly: the market is broken. To additionally pretend that the green levy is significant is a joke. It's a pittance in relative terms and climate change will not wait for us. We have a government playing footsie with business, in a token break from holiday and infighting, while many face despair.
    4
  1611. The lack of reporting of these levels and the lower take-up rate of the jab are hardly coincidental.
    4
  1612. If seats matched votes, Reform would have more MPs. Yet if votes were geared by the inverse amount of publicity, Reform would be nonentities.
    4
  1613. "Our compassion may be infinite..." Who does this sociopathic serial liar think he is fooling? No wonder he appeals to idiots.
    4
  1614.  @lutappidhakini6166  Of course. But what taxes and in what proportion. Clue: the poorest will carry most of the burden...
    4
  1615.  @spotcatsteve3752  We would be in sh1t street, a third world country.
    4
  1616.  @AS-by8ee  Reform is a limited company for those with limited minds
    4
  1617. Starmer was, at least, tactically naive (imo). Thatcher is like marmite and people react emotionally to her name. For every vote gained, two or three may be lost. The price of Thatcher's entrepreneurship was neoliberalism and the dismantling of society for greed. Did the end justify the means? Also on Wilson, I agree with you, prof. The 60's became a time for hope and optimism and the quality of life improved for many. We also had a close sense of community. Did Starmer expect many to read beyond the headlines? And did he trust the Torygraph to deliver accurate and impartial journalism? The Tories are doing enough to campaign for votes against them. Why fan the flames of tribalism?
    4
  1618. Could it be a subsidiary of Carrefour? Holidays have always Johnson's second priority, with photo ops his first.
    4
  1619. ​ @johngreylove1359 test and trace, Dido Harding.
    4
  1620.  @JD-eq4dp  then who is?
    4
  1621. Don't worry, we're British. We won't plan ahead; we won't take preventative measures; we'll wait until we are in crisis then blame someone else.
    4
  1622. I suggest a spell check before you post such bile. Some idiots may then believe you.
    4
  1623.  @j.4332  Indeed. Yet many Brexiters still use the outdated word. Clinging on to their failed fantasy?
    4
  1624.  @MedusaDislikesPerseus  don't you recognise love when you see it. Love of truth and accountability.
    4
  1625. Attempting to mask ineptitude with arrogance is a strange strategy. Yet it may work with some cap doffers.
    4
  1626. So it's worth paying more for prescription drugs to have him out?
    4
  1627.  @jillybe1873  that's a key question. Over to the Met
    4
  1628. Voters can only take responsibility for their vote, and not for the type of Brexit Johnson got half done.
    4
  1629. Thus stripping away the services we need.
    4
  1630. Hence the term neo fascism.
    4
  1631.  @mariogmajner6549  that's a strange statement when Labour has a better record on the economy and in boosting real incomes, as well as improving public services. Perhaps research and critical thinking will calm your fears.
    4
  1632. Gollum and Spiv: a partnership made in Hell for the demise of our country.
    4
  1633.  @johnwormley5161  but real income increased significantly under Blair and Brown and has reduced since. So do you vote for poverty?
    4
  1634.  @johnwormley5161  total rubbish. Labour has consistently borrowed less and paid back more, while in power. Has the national debt reduced since 2010? No! In spite of Tory austerity, it has increased. You can check the facts for yourself, or look up an explanation by Richard Murphy. I can't share links on YT but the claim of Tory fiscal responsibility is pure rhetoric. BTW I'm not called Jock and was born in England. No need to send me back in a boat.
    4
  1635. ​ @Tonypoolebcfc Who is facing a plausible case of genocide?
    4
  1636.  @johnrussell3961  agreed, but other parties need to make PR a central feature of their manifesto, showing the Tories to be self-interested and undemocratic.
    4
  1637.  @reasonerenlightened2456  another pseudonym troll.
    4
  1638. Hands off Dumbo Hands. He kept saying "there's no money left" while the Tories kept finding more and doubling the national debt as a percentage of GDP - in spite of austerity. And that was before Covid. The Tories are world class at spaffing public money.
    4
  1639. The epitome of joined-up thinking. If only politicians would listen. We need to think differently and stop obsessing over flawed measures (such as GDP) that promote greed and feed destruction. As Gary Stevenson has indicated: economics is a set of protocols involving complex formulae based on flawed assumptions.
    4
  1640.  @markohenry5891  setting us free by stopping freedom of movement? Curious and curiouser.
    4
  1641.  @perfectstorm7379  That's an excuse for your lack of answer.
    4
  1642.  @marjoriesherrington2772  Really! Deals that will result in less than a tenth of 1% GDP. After losing a full 4% in EU trade. We are the desperate party in negotiations and both Australia and New Zealand are laughing at us. As for facing corporate courts when CPTPP goes sour...and to think we moaned about Brussels
    4
  1643.  @jimmagspanton669  what misinformation was that? What did I say about our waterways that was inaccurate? "Events cancelled" means the French have taken it seriously, to do something about it. We wait until athletes get ill from our shitty rivers. Your whataboutery does not excuse our inept and corrupt government. It does not make us any better. Btw, it's the River Seine.
    4
  1644. Having sociopathic tendencies helps.
    4
  1645. Yes. If we take our eye off the ball we are apt to forget divide and rule. It's habitual learned behaviour for those in power.
    4
  1646.  @bluefarie10  yes. When wealth gushes up and drips down where the wealthy can't fix the leaks.
    4
  1647.  @geraldhewing2076  I totally agree. The point I'm making is that WTO is not what Rees Mogg and his cronies pretend. It's the default option when no trade agreements exist.
    4
  1648. Nice attempt at deflection. The government's lame excuse of following the science was utter bollocks. That said, all should be reviewed, taking cognisance of the fact that advisers advise and that's the limit of their responsibility.
    4
  1649.  @sneakyone9865  Plausible, and reminiscent of A Very British Coup (by Chris Mullin.)
    4
  1650. ​ @chatham43  so dishonesty is justified in the pursuit of power and enabled by voters excusing it.
    4
  1651.  @liamr194  As you say, no single version of the truth. Early UK growth can be viewed as spectacular when measured against pandemic levels, as we had an exceptionally low base after an equally spectacular decline. When measured against pre-pandemic levels, however, not so great and projected to be worse for good reasons. As for Brexit: Just imagine the operational lunacy of completing it during a pandemic. Unless the reason was to shift the blame from an act of self-harm. I will never blame our performance solely on brexit, rather arguing that it exacerbates, instead of being the sole cause of, economic harm. Clearly it is doing far more harm than good by every economic measure. Johnson was always going to "get brexit done"... BADLY. In that respect, he succeeded to help the ERG and disaster capitalists. Btw my remark about voting was intentionally flippant. And I'm not inclined to compare unemployment rates because national measurement criteria differ and we can't compare like with like.
    4
  1652.  @liamr194  I've only read the beginning of your comments: 1) the EU offered us an extension to Brexit completion and cooperation in supplying PPE. Instead we chose the "oven ready deal" and dodgy PPE at inflated prices from Tory cronies. (Check the good law Project) 2) the EU didn't drive a wedge... We chose to leave the single market and customs union and Johnson's half baked deal has been met with as much flexibility as possible from the EU - while protecting the SM. As for your arguments on the "power of sterling" I couldn't disagree more. It hasn't thrived under austerity and the government hasn't a single clue on reality or economic policy. We will never agree, because you choose to blame the parties the Tories deflect against. "Relative poverty being conflated!!!" Utter garbage...
    4
  1653. A few years ago, when adjusted for cost of living and related to GDP per capita, the UK ranked 17th in the world. Not so rosy by any measure.
    4
  1654. The government has lost the plot. Shapps is not alone. Enough is enough.
    4
  1655. Operation red tape, wrapped round a parcel from Sue Gray. The worst government in my lifetime.
    4
  1656.  @jellslixcy6168  imo that's bollocks. Judged to the extent that they have been returned by a minority vote on each occasion. A vote share of 43.6% returning an 80 seat majority is not judgement; it's injustice. If we allow governments to do the opposite of what was in their manifesto, without the consent of the electorate, the system is more than flawed.
    4
  1657. One Tory down, the rest of the party to go. Twelve years of damage is more than enough.
    4
  1658. Thanks for what you do, barrister. Good and helpful work from the best of motives.
    4
  1659. ​ @hurri7720 which alternative is that? The party that has borrowed less and paid back more? Have you been better off under the Tories?
    4
  1660.  @stephengraham1153  I agree, Stephen. Unfortunately we need to vote tactically to get the Tories out. With PR, I would vote Green given the present choices.
    4
  1661.  @piccalillipit9211  an absolutely accurate description of a Tory lie.
    4
  1662.  @carmenking4810  Don't know, Carmen. Wouldn't read their rubbish if they paid me.
    4
  1663. Thus proving that, in essence, a bully is a coward.
    4
  1664. @Stuart Russell whataboutery is no answer. Would that be when Labour were in power? My comment relates to government.
    4
  1665. ​ @daveburton5970 It's a question of volume, Dave. Do you really think that more wouldn't turn up for a free meal? Couldn't our vacuous ministers work that one out?
    4
  1666.  @dweamy1  No. Although we live in semi-rural Lancashire, we met up with one other family and ate at an outdoor table for one meal. No adverse effects but we didn't take it as party time (apparently unlike the reprobates in Downing Street.)
    4
  1667. Perhaps they bought the myth of British exceptionalism.
    4
  1668. She did add AND WHAT THEY STAND FOR. Slight change of context.
    4
  1669.  @johnrussell3961  True. Also a manifesto is not a contract and a serial liar such as Johnson could rip it up anyway.
    4
  1670.  @pt4005  Sources please, Mr or Mrs Pseudonym
    4
  1671.  @xtc2v  And who proposes that in the UK? Please answer or bot off.
    4
  1672. The John Barnes interview was poignant and revealing. It seems that ex-footballers hold this government to account...doing the job of the MSM?
    4
  1673. My gut is so full of royal reporting - the extremes of propaganda and hatred - that it's turning to bile.
    4
  1674. Sunak really has lost his marbles. His credibility now has a minus rating.
    4
  1675. @left_blank You work to make shareholders and CEO''s lives better. So if I own shares in your company?
    4
  1676. ​ @bereal6590 with such parental stupidity, I regret to say that I would declare myself adopted.lol
    4
  1677. Don't give them ideas.
    4
  1678. Which, coincidentally, explains the demise of Jeremy Corbyn. One of the very few politicians showing honesty and integrity. We are left with puppets.
    4
  1679. ​@user-zk9xe3wm3vWho had a far better record. Does your troll bot memory actually work?
    4
  1680. Johnson always was, and still remains, a clear and present danger. Amazing how many swallowed the media deflection towards Corbyn, who wanted the best for the majority of the population.
    4
  1681. I agree with tactical voting, except if Labour fails to support PR. I intend to vote for the party supporting PR with a realistic chance of defeating the Tories in our area. Otherwise I'll spoil the ballot paper by writing something like "Electoral reform - PR for real democracy" across it.
    4
  1682. ​ @gazza595 And if you don't see how the Tories are using fascistic methods, you need to do more research.
    4
  1683. Tax wealth, since we will be defending the assets owned by the wealthiest. Prof Richard Murphy did an informative YT video this.
    4
  1684. We maintain this is not related to Israel but who told the Houthis? What prompted their attacks? Has anyone asked them? Had we not backed Israel, would our ships be attacked? If Israel stopped the madness, would the Houthis still attack shipping? Niavety or plain lies from Westminster?
    4
  1685. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Read and digest the Russia Report.
    4
  1686. Compare the responsibility of that statement with Farage, undermining the police explanation and appealing to mindless morons. Who is the patriot?
    4
  1687. Hopefully the majority will see through the bullshit and learn how to find out.
    4
  1688.  @davidcooks2379  I think it may be something to do with the fact that pensioners have paid in to the system for 50 years and are rewarded with a pittance.
    4
  1689. Yes. And we should define borrowing. The right pocket borrowing from the left is deemed a debt by the OBR, but how can a country be in debt to itself? The world bank and the OECD have a different idea but our politicians use the narrative that best justifies austerity.
    4
  1690. OMG! You somehow made be feel like Lord Fauntleroy as I got my first car around 1965 for the princely sum of £150. I carried a set of tools in the boot, as was probably the norm then.
    4
  1691.  @tomsheppard378  don't worry. From Dizy Lizzy, either Labour or the French will be blamed. One vacuous statement after another.
    4
  1692.  @darthwiizius  you have a point, unless a memory transplant is possible.
    4
  1693. Not a fan of glueing hands to motorways, but Insulate Britain had a simple and sound message. Insulation saves energy costs and protects the environment. A quick win. Wonder why the government is so silent?
    4
  1694. ​ @Noel-ji8nm The Starmer-obsessed troll is back.
    4
  1695. ​ @icarus877 Irrelevance from a pseudonym account. How strange...
    4
  1696. Imo Reeves is a traditional economist who still buys the lie of trickle-down. Also Starmer is beholden to corporate sponsors
    4
  1697. This morning I responded to the consultation on MSLs for ambulance workers. My closing statement on how it could be improved said it all: stop asking leading questions based on political ideology rather than fact. Also publish how to respond, after I found the consultation by accident.
    4
  1698. ​ Trixie K  so don't vote, if you can't see a difference.
    4
  1699. Has he condoned or condemned it? Heard of bad apples? Parliament needs cleaning up
    4
  1700. We have a minister for common sense and probably one for bog rolls but when it comes to the disabled...
    4
  1701.  @BENTWOONEZERO  stop trolling with rubbish. Stay on subject. No facts from you. Are you running a wazzock account?
    4
  1702. Going for growth after a budget to do the opposite. A tax on jobs and failing to effectively tax wealth. Investment dependent on Blackrock and private companies that will extract profit. If we can do it, we can afford it, declared Keynes. Reeves is constrained by fiscal rules, originated by Tories creating a time bomb. We can't afford it, says Reeves all-too-often.
    4
  1703. William, there is no reply option on your comment. I believe the "like" part is the language of social media. Personally I like the truth, which is so often hidden or distorted by the mainstream media. Rob does an excellent job. Top class in clarity of content.
    4
  1704. So Labour not supporting a bill is an excuse? Who exactly has a parliamentary majority? Hunt cites Paul Johnson (a traditional tax and spend economist) and shies away from modern monetary policy for the purpose of investment in the infrastructure. Who has caused the mess of austerity plus cronyism on steroids? That would be the Tories.
    4
  1705. Excellent analysis. To quote Carl Jung: Wisdom accepts that all things have two sides.
    4
  1706. Stupidity often hides behind a pseudonym
    4
  1707. I take your point. Yet after 43.6% of voters supporting Johnson, the majority (56.4%) are also paying the same price. We need democracy.
    4
  1708.  @derekmulready1523  is that why Johnson talked about a tunnel? Lol
    4
  1709. Perhaps you should ask Johnson why he didn't sign up to the Dublin Agreement.
    4
  1710.  @the1andonlytitch  True. By "turn on democracy" I suspect you mean dismantling it. Britain has a head start with its elective dictatorship and a government aspiring to fascism.
    4
  1711. Johnson's acts of desperation are heightening resentment. If Gray excuses him, expect a shit storm. His supporters, of course, will say "they're all the same." Welcome to broken Britain, the biggest international joke on the planet.
    4
  1712.  @Nickle314  who, exactly, are you talking about? Who "created the mess?"
    4
  1713. FFS. Have you not had the snow and ice? No milder than last year.
    4
  1714. After all comments, it seems obvious that Labour should not campaign for a specific type of PR. Any referendum should simply ask: would you prefer a system where all votes are equal and seats match votes, or should we keep the present system? Any system meeting these criteria is suitable.
    4
  1715.  @lennylaa1686  go learn basic economics.
    4
  1716.  @joemoore8047  Your mind-blowing factual argument makes YT worthwhile.
    4
  1717.  @simonglancy7070  I agree that we need media reform, after Cameron failed to implement Leveson. Imo PR is most essential to stop neoliberal extremists getting back in.
    4
  1718.  @factstrumpprejudice6740  I used it specifically because of its relevance. Read the 10 conditions to promote fascism and check how many the Tories are using.
    4
  1719. Hoist by his own petard, in classic style. A good liar must have a good memory.
    4
  1720. This Sovereign Tea is proving extremely expensive. It also tastes awful and induces delusion.
    4
  1721.  @bertieblade7852  I think, as a married man, he knows that. But how is the relevant and is it more important than economic policy and, for example, using a windfall tax to help the cost of living crisis?
    4
  1722. Yet another Johnson lie: we do not have the highest percentage of fully vaccinated people: currently 3rd behind Canada and Spain. Some roadmap! Johnson couldn't find his way to the land of sensibility.
    4
  1723. Loathsome Leadsom badgering to justify Tory rhetoric. 1) the Tories haven't made work pay; they have made not working not pay (through penalties and unprofessional assessments) and effectively subsidised low incomes to keep real pay low. 2) people don't pay for my pension and it isn't a benefit. What have I paid for during 50 years of work? Do I pay for my own private pension and someone else pays for my state pension? NO!!! I have paid for both.
    4
  1724.  @georgebodley8068  I didn't say that I agreed with Labour's policies, only mentioned their superior economic and social record. Blair was a neoliberal and I fundamentally disagree with the ideology.
    4
  1725. Small wonder the Tories and Network Rail are losing the PR battle. Just look into the eyes of liars. Wonder how their pay rises compare btw
    4
  1726. Bloody Hell! Has Johnson found another empty freezer to hide in?
    4
  1727. Johnson shows his mental level yet again. Vacuous, delusional and infantile. Britain is broken.
    4
  1728.  @inthegym4679  there is a massive difference. The EU were prepared with border checks from the beginning. We have not fully implemented them, after three delays because of obvious consequences. We knew the rules on leaving the single market: we become a third country, yet our government and many of their supporters blame the EU and expect us to still be treated as members of a club we left. In short, the EU were prepared; while Johnson's oven-ready deal is stood freezing in a microwave.
    4
  1729. Perhaps I could recommend a book to Mad Nads, explaining the real cause of her distress. The Assault on Truth by Peter Oborne.
    4
  1730.  @jimmagspanton669  My, my, you do live in a dream world. Real incomes rose by a record amount under Labour. Our company imposed austerity, with cost of living rises.
    4
  1731. If only Sir Starmer would listen to Richard and Tax Justice UK instead of his ex-BofE economist. Time for politicians to grow some cajones! Creating new money to fill holes and avert disasters has been all-too-common; yet had we created it for investment in the infrastructure, we would be far healthier and wealthier. Depending on trickle-down has always been a lie designed to exacerbate inequality. It has gone too far.
    4
  1732. Tories exhorting; makes a change from extorting.
    4
  1733.  @epschronos  Who rules Gaza with military force? Who called Palestinians human animals? Any clues there? Listen to Mico Paled; he explains the reality. Your pseudonym account is noted btw
    4
  1734.  @lervish1966  relevance?
    4
  1735.  @ascgazz  simple solutions but lack of will and too many obstacles from people with a vested interest.
    4
  1736.  @barrymcguinness2087  I couldn't agree more, Barry. I'm also a grandparent and despair for the future of our grandchildren. We need a serious reset with a real democratic system instead of this elective dictatorship.
    4
  1737. Unfortunately that doesn't happen with sociopaths.
    4
  1738.  @steveozone4910  You have a point about the people, Steve. My personal preference is a written constitution and regulations on parliamentary standards being approved by a people's assembly. Thereafter, we need independent experts (probably lawyers) upholding the constitution and ruling on breaches of conduct without political interference.
    4
  1739. If, as Martin Lewis correctly said: "the market is broken," we need a radical solution. Yet here we are with a government afraid of upsetting powerful business; an opposition leader who is ready to offer a temporary solution for fear of upsetting Murdoch; and only a former prime minister and chancellor able to speak out with a sensible plan. Unlike New York, parliament does sleep, and for long periods. We have a demob-happy leader and two rats in a sack fighting to take over with no plan to fix the crisis. Of course Jeremy Corbyn is right. He understands the word conscientious.
    4
  1740.  @brentmeistergeneral6074  Don't get me started on that. Of course a simple binary vote is democratic, PROVIDED spending rules and electoral rules are followed. Also a referendum is legally advisory, unless the statute is altered; otherwise parliament is sovereign. It took a minority-elected government to deliver something that would otherwise seem democratic - had it not been so open-ended and distorted.
    4
  1741. The contest of comedy worth watching is, who has the greater ego: Trump or Musk? (President Moron or Space Karen?)
    4
  1742. As a landscape photographer, I spend time in the environment that she will bugger up.
    4
  1743.  @Lee_303  and it took four meetings for Johnson to get the idea that he was expected to attend, and even chair the meeting.
    4
  1744. The EU showing unity and taking the lead, while Little England claims to be world beating. We do have a point: world leaders in corruption and incompetence. An international sick joke.
    4
  1745. The Russia Report made it clear. The Tories are complicit and rendered ineffective as a government in this situation. Why should we be surprised?
    4
  1746. It should be just a start... many others involved. Life in the fast lane takes on a different meaning.
    4
  1747. Yes. The prisons would be full and would need more staff from the EU. LOL
    4
  1748. Characteristics are key. Not every conceivable qualifying person
    4
  1749. The New Conservatives: yet another populist fascist-aspiring group? Following the perverse formula of the hard right: 1) drive people into poverty and desperation; 2) offer hope by pretending that what we did was right, we just need to go harder and faster; 3) identify a common enemy to blame, as an excuse for government ineptitude 4) change laws to avoid scrutiny 5) game our elective dictatorship to gain power and impose more extreme policies. "Tory scum" was an understatement.
    4
  1750. We had had enough of experts. Those words should be tattooed on Gove's forehead. The ex-Murdoch man excelled again.
    4
  1751. It took another Tory to dismantle Braverman during a three minute interview on Sky news. Baroness Warsi exposed Braverman's incompetence and her use of divide and rule as a smoke screen. In two words, Braverman is barking mad, and her boss is weak
    4
  1752.  @ray-wm7yd  Great list. Thank you.
    4
  1753. ​ @albert7311  what exactly are "popukations?"
    4
  1754. Irony or ironies! The perfect place for his foot to land while inspecting the Brexit sh1tshow. Before seizing the promised opportunities, it's necessary to clean up the mess. Doubt that it will be Johnson's next photo op.
    4
  1755. Yes. All of the above.
    4
  1756. The dilemma is, you can't "do it by the ballot box" when the government has the same proportion of seats as the votes AGAINST THEM. Unfortunately in our elective dictatorship people resort to extremes.
    4
  1757.  @paulsaunders6536  good point. He profits from such irony.
    4
  1758. Such MPs are not allowed near power, yet there are more than a few.
    4
  1759. ​ @ster2600 which will actually help growth by putting more money in the economy and the government will get a large proportion back in tax as explained in yesterday's video
    4
  1760. Of course Dories disrespects the truth: she's a Tory in Johnson's cabinet. Part of the job description. Lol.
    4
  1761.  @roberttownrow3606  Thanks for the info. The Tories habitually lie. Johnson was no exception, he was one of many serial liars.
    4
  1762. There were other ways to fill the alleged "black hole" and they were far better options. Listen to the patriotic millionaires; listen to the Mile End Road economists. Tax asset wealth; tax capital gains at the same rate as work income. Cut the lame excuses and address inequality to stimulate growth.
    4
  1763. The wonder of Johnson's cabinet: an incompetent replacing a promoted airhead.
    4
  1764.  @billpugh58  Not all, Bill. I know people close to me who had other reasons and views. That's stereotyping.
    4
  1765.  @Buckets1000  I realise. They sealed our fate for their own flawed ideological ends.
    4
  1766.  @dougbritton3239  equally true. I guess the pursuit of power is a given with this corrupt cabal
    4
  1767.  @markmoran916  the irony is, some with good degrees. More about manufactured consent in my opinion.
    4
  1768. Amazing that the words "social housing" have disappeared from the vocaulary of the Tories and Labour.
    4
  1769. Hunt's idea of double entry bookkeeping was promising funding and failing to allocate money. On the other side of the ledger, he blamed civil servants.
    4
  1770. Welcome to a world where customers are no longer treated a human beings. Customer service has become an oxymoron, in the case of many large companies.
    4
  1771.  @joecater894  investment does not depend on whether the bankers stay here. It's more a question of ROI. A healthy infrastructure, highly qualified workers, good health and education in support. We are too obsessed with 'financialisation' through brainwashing and the rhetoric spread by disaster capitalists. It may have escaped your attention that Paris has overtaken London in financial trading. Offering tax concessions will not heal the damage of Brexit. We even have a group called the patriotic millionaires who are offering to pay higher taxes.
    4
  1772. Is that an excuse to do nothing? Why has our relatively rich country gone down the drain in the last 13 years?
    4
  1773.  @maykolee  The question is irrelevant. If you want charity to begin at home, must it stop there? Don't fall for divide and rule. The Tories create a problem so they can shift blame.
    4
  1774. In our humble residence, with two of us in our eighth decade, we have assigned King Chuck and his family to Bullshit Corner.
    4
  1775. I always find the word "protectionism" interesting. Used as an insult when the first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens. Protecting us from corporate excesses and exploitation for the extraction of profits? I wish!
    4
  1776. So how many wonderful deals would you have done, Nigel? We go into negotiations as the desperate party, having left the world's largest trading bloc. Most of our deals were carried over from the EU in any event.
    4
  1777. Let me whisper something to you. Stop advertising by trolling.
    4
  1778. Some MPs have interesting priorities in this cess pit called Westminster.
    4
  1779. ​ @kevinwells768 agreed. And also implement Leveson 1, which Cameron failed to do.
    4
  1780. That's good, but how many read local papers these days?
    4
  1781. ​ @willieckaslike  what is an "economic migrant?" A work of government fiction?
    4
  1782. Even more vacuous and operationally incompetent than Johnson.
    4
  1783. Fully agree. We refuse to use automatic tills because they ultimately result in people being labelled "benefit scroungers."
    4
  1784.  @evaahh9584  I take your point. Regrettably that's not the BBC. Seems more like state media every day. Only my opinion, of course.
    4
  1785. Was there a typo? Toad or turd?
    4
  1786. As does the entire party
    4
  1787. The positive versus the negative. A refreshing change from Chump's serial whinging and fart1ng through his mouth.
    4
  1788. This winter of discontent shows two things to me: (1) the lack of democracy in our elective dictatorship, where a minority-elected government can erode freedom; (2) the failure of neoliberalism, after it has been stress tested by a pandemic and an invasion. Poverty is increasing while the rich get richer. In one sense that's not failure because neoliberalism was designed to exacerbate inequality.
    4
  1789. A poignant question. Not so much about the infrastructure, but about the ownership and control of the infrastructure.
    4
  1790. Refine the crass fiscal rules; redefine "borrowing" when we effectively borrow from ourselves and cut the interest rate paid to high street banks to hold reserves. Increase the bank levy, reduced by the Tories before they buggered off. Listen to the pariotic millionaires and tax high asset wealth.
    4
  1791. Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster. Who would have trusted a lying charlatan to take back control? (Apparently 43.6% of voters...)
    4
  1792. The key factor of financialisation can't be over-emphasised, as Grace Blakeley articulates in her book Vulture Capitalism. When companies go public, their emphasis is on financial markets, leading two of the largest companies (Apple and Pfizer) to spend more on share buybacks than on R&D. Banks also spending more effort and resource on speculation, rather than on direct investment, results in the most dangerous "blob"...i.e. the financial one.
    4
  1793.  Barry Jones  Trump remoaners? How did he vote for Brexit? You seem to have lost it, Barry. As for "sovereignty," the UK voted against EU laws on only 2% if occasions. We helped to make 2466 of the laws since 1999. You are supporting brexit bollocks.
    4
  1794. Since the Tories have lost so many messages, let's send them a clear one come the election.
    4
  1795.  @Brithoa  hiding in a bloody freezer and making excuses for early inaction. Missing COBRA meetings. The man is an abject buffoon.
    4
  1796. Wow! That's called reluctance to see facts. Keep listening to Phil.
    4
  1797.  @merkvandermeulen3978  Yes. The common denominator being that we have become the desperate party in negotiations after leaving the largest trading bloc.
    4
  1798. Incompetence bordering on depravity. Enough is beyond enough.
    4
  1799. The fact is that the centre has moved further right to accommodate the lies of neoliberalism and vulture capitalism. I'm pretty much in the same space as you, Richard. There is such a thing as society and cooperation has enabled our survival as a species.
    4
  1800. A picture advert for the chancer you would least like to share a pint with.
    4
  1801.  @nutri-gains6535  We ascribe to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. When you learn about this, please explain who has entered illegally.
    4
  1802. That's the problem with Fridays...known as POETS day (ps off early, etc)
    4
  1803. While I agree that Labour should have opposed the dodgy result, they don't take primary blame. They weren't in power.
    4
  1804.  @Gary-bz1rf  Perhaps you will explain the basis in fact for that assumption. You have shifted ground from flawed economic fantasy to a false perception of EU law. What is your source? The Daily Fail? In any event we have always lived under UK law with the power of the ECJ limited to regulations n of the single market. Perhaps I should be drinking Sovereign Tea to understand that mindset.
    4
  1805.  @fredplat467  Interesting that so may people peddling vacuous sh1te hide behind a pseudonym (e.g. Truth Grenade.) Someone extolling the virtues of CPTPP which uses corporate courts, to which we surrender sovereignty as well as being the desparate party in any trade negotiations. Brexiters must continually move the argument to "opportunities" based on fantasy because they can't find a single tangible benefit of Brexit.
    4
  1806. Wrong goal for this government: they need obscurity and dishonesty.
    4
  1807. Brilliant analysis, Rob. This week we had another 11 billion spaffed on increased interest rates, on real borrowing, while Sunak was asleep at the wheel. Johnson, the broken shopping trolley, has exacerbated the Tories already bad financial record. This is the party that claims to be fiscally responsible, yet had consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour. They somehow seem to be world beating in running up a national debt. A gang of operationally incompetent charlatans, who somehow make the poor pay for the rich to have more. (It's as though that was intentional.)
    4
  1808.  @ihavebeenben  Don't know any fiddlers; personally I played brass. Strikes are a last resort, with an intransigent minority-elected government holding a large parliamentary majority and further intent on dismantling the NHS, along with other public services. Perhaps you should contact your MP with other suggestions and see how far you get.
    4
  1809.  @ihavebeenben  Then what do you suggest, after a 13 years of austerity, expensive outsourcing and the failed neoliberal ideology? Don't tell me what the answer isn't. I can't do anything about it. Put your suggestions to your MP. The strikes are democratic. Our electoral system isn't.
    4
  1810. So far as campaigning goes, forget Brexit and push electoral reform. First we need a form of PR and secondly cleaning up parliamentary standards by removing the opportunities for corruption - second jobs, dark money and other conflicts of interest. With PR, this crap Brexit deal would not have happened. We have a minority-elected government with a massive parliamentary majority, driven by dodgy funding and extreme pressure groups. Expose the corruption and campaign for fairness - front and centre.
    4
  1811. That is the case for the greedy or deluded poor.
    4
  1812. Perfectly true. The model of working for income is unsustainable as the use of AI grows.
    4
  1813. The greatest act of self harm in my lifetime will haunt the Tories, while we suffer the consequences.
    4
  1814. An immigration points system by numbers - based on salary level - is a stimulus to levelling down. The lower paid jobs are left and anyone not taking them will be labeled lazy or benefit scroungers. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    4
  1815. A simple explanation of the Brexit shit-show. "Project Fear" has been replaced with a "Brexit obsession" by hard Brexiters in perpetual denial. Compliant journalists supporting a government that has continued with the successful tactic of getting the poor to vote for the rich to have more. Welcome to the state of malaise in Global Britain.
    4
  1816. With the same purpose as any other weapons: predominantly a threat to preserve the balance of power.
    4
  1817. Give Johnson his due: his talents as party host and facilitator of photo ops are limitless.
    4
  1818. Just stop at the words "Brexit damage" and you have it in one. The arrogance of this xenophobic Little Englander mentality is staggering.
    4
  1819.  @Curryking32000  Yes. I think you should list them in the form of a balance sheet. Then factor in the loss in the value of the pound after the vote and all lost income against the expenses saved. Also add back the extra we had to pay to rejoin some of the initiatives. Enjoy your curries while doing the exercise. Simple question to cut to the chase: Do you feel better off financially after leaving?
    4
  1820. Couldn't agree more. Labour should campaign on PR, as part of their manifesto. Then implement it to achieve democracy and stop our elective dictatorship before the next election in their tenure.
    4
  1821. The Tories consistently are seen to be doing something, rarely the right thing, never enough.
    4
  1822.  @epilotdk  I realise it's not exclusive. I have experienced good and bad. Somehow when government gets involved we get only bad.
    4
  1823. Seems like brexit was a mistake after all. How long will it take him to see and admit the obvious through joined-up thinking?
    4
  1824. The searing arrogance of Kemi fails to mask the fact that she is never BadEnough. She perpetually finds a way to get worse.
    4
  1825.  @leoninocat5070  Who knows, but mass slaughter is not the solution.
    4
  1826.  @disct1597  actually 43.6% vote share in 2019 but still a minority. I agree with your argument.
    4
  1827. Not pro-business enough to stimulate real investment. The party of oppressive austerity.
    4
  1828. The kind of equity proposed in this video would also encourage growth. Trickle down is a lie: we have seen periods of higher growth after government-led investment. Put an extra £100 in the pocket of the average working family and they will spend it the local economy. Put the equivalent total in the accounts of the richest and they will either move it offshore or buy assets to rent back to us at extortionate prices. As the patriotic millionaires remind us: inequality stifles growth.
    4
  1829.  @ohgosh5892  I agree, which is why it's not truly democratic. How can the will of the people be achieved through strategic voting? At present I would vote Green but in our area, it would be wasted.
    4
  1830. I've heard that pathetic argument so often. Have you heard of divide and rule?
    4
  1831. Wow! So the gangmasters give them free mobiles. Your inside info is incredible.
    4
  1832. Gordon Brown has. The current party is silent.
    4
  1833. To sell up to whom, and will the sold houses still be available for rent, or even purchase under a preferential mortgage?
    4
  1834.  @willrichardson519  agreed. Separate subject and equally necessary. Including the dismantling of neoliberalism.
    4
  1835. ​ @sunamori So, a professor of economics talking bullsh1t? Guess who I'm more inclined to listen to...
    4
  1836. Wonder how many opposed to working from home have a financial interest in commercial properties? The obsession with micro management could be another factor of course.
    4
  1837.  @ScruffyTubbles  compassionate!!! The Tories should check the definition of the word. There is nothing compassionate about neoliberalism and the movement towards fascism.
    4
  1838. George Monbiot wrote a paper on returning land to the commons. It won't happen but I find some logic and social justice in the argument. Property developers also engage in land banking because they can.
    4
  1839.  @lestrem11  so, resorting to personal abuse now. The sign of desperation. I pointed out the difference between bias and substantiated fact. Told you that you don't comprehend nuance. From the fool with two degree-level qualified and over 7 decades of experience. Happy trolling.
    4
  1840. ​ @physiocrat7143 True. And with politicians afraid of their perceived reaction of nebulous "markets" we have the reverse: the lack of investment in state services and infrastructure
    4
  1841. "Must have got these trousers mixed up with Michael Gove's" Classic! Both have the same fuddled brains.
    4
  1842.  @tomfinney3416  every day. Finally we can see hope for our grandchildren. We missed the chance of Jeremy and Bernie - the oligarch media and the wealthiest 1% derailed that. Now, without any radical and progressive politician , enter the union movement. Respect to you all.
    4
  1843. ​ @Noel-ji8nm One borrows more money and pays back less, while claiming to be the party of economic responsibility while they make us poorer. That would be the Tories and it's one notable difference.
    4
  1844. The celebration of an empty foghorn after his contribution to the greatest act of self-harm. Look at his actions, not his rhetoric.
    4
  1845. Why would we take something that is proven and works when we can put money in donor's pockets to reinvent the wheel with an inferior solution? Whoops, we need party funds and kick-backs? This government has raised the level of corruption to an industrial scale. It's in their sleezy DNA.
    4
  1846. ​@JacksonFairweatherThe fact that it used solely for speculation and we need a regulated currency for trade?
    4
  1847. Shouting in capitals from a pseudonym account. Impressive!
    4
  1848. When short of fuel, the public waken up and start panic buying, so the government is forced to change course on temporary visas. Why not on food? Perhaps because we have not seen empty shelves: just short of some items but able to substitute. What will it take to change public opinion? Perhaps a barren Christmas with no lights and heating? Who knows in lethargic Global Britain?
    4
  1849. Little Spiv talks about "aspiration" yet fails to understand that aspiration is best served by a meritocracy and not a loaded education system. He will never answer a single question. A waste of space.
    4
  1850. Perhaps it's his obsession with Murdoch and the Tory client media. Blair had an unfortunate habit of obsessing over their reaction to his comnunications. If we really want to improve the country, do the opposite and upset the hard right loons, who would limit such opportunities to the privileged few. We are becoming more insular by the day.
    4
  1851. What a cosy little arrangement between Ofwat and corporate interests, all for the purpose of shifting debt exposure while rewarding shareholders. With the taxpayer losing out yet again. The two Labour MPs showed this up by effective forensic questioning. In spite of this little merry-go-round, for how much longer will we have shit in our water?
    4
  1852. Government does set planning rules. Such rules are outdated and procedures are both inefficient and open to abuse.
    4
  1853. Openness: he fails to answer a single question - just the imaginary ones the interviewer should have asked him. Integrity: he lies in the House. Accountability: he makes his own rules.
    4
  1854. I agree. Cost push inflation is an integral part of this conundrum and cooperation is far more effective than trade barriers or red tape.
    4
  1855.  @charlessandoval3382  the house of lords has limited powers and can be ultimately overruled by the commons. No assumptions on my part: how could we have achieved a hard Brexit when only the ERG controlled Johnson cabal pushed it after they were elected with a minority of votes? Simple maths.
    4
  1856. Similarly in Scotland.
    4
  1857. They must continually lie about a proposition that was always based on lies.
    4
  1858. Respect to the peace-loving citizens of Israel. May your voices be heard.
    4
  1859. The battle of egos in the land of greed.
    4
  1860. Tactical voting requires two simple tests: 1) how badly do you want to get rid of the Tories? and 2) are you prepared to hold your nose?
    4
  1861. The rhetoric that lower taxes stimulate growth is not only disproved by history, it's consistent with the vacuous lie of trickle down. Growth has been at its highest when taxation was high. The difference: investment in the infrastructure and state services. The Tories have a track record of selling off our national assets then begging corporations to invest as a reward for low taxation. Guess what? The corporations trouser the profits and make a small donation to the Tories to keep them sweet. Perhaps a windfall tax followed by investment incentives would work better. (Just an idea...)
    4
  1862. You insight also gives the path to growth and national prosperity. Government is in the pocket of corporate interests.
    4
  1863. And Jeremy has just spoke in support of Gary. A measure of JC the human being.
    4
  1864.  @deehaytch8442  and over international law, which regulates a signed agreement between two countries? Guess you aren't a lawyer lol
    4
  1865. The aspiring fascist has graduated from Hitler to Putin.
    4
  1866. For anyone who has sincerely served the public and benefited society. That is reward enough. Ban all titles, apart from academic honours. Sorry if I've offended the serial cap-doffers and flag-shaggers.
    4
  1867. I found Liam Fox a great source of comedy during the Brexit campaign. Like the Daily Fail, his claims were totally divorced from reality.
    4
  1868. Am I dreaming? Or did we have a similar resolution before? And didn't the Toe Rags (oops! the Tories) make similar legislation last year? More bullshit, same inept government.
    4
  1869. If only votes mattered and counted equally in our elective dictatorship.
    3
  1870.  @rotwang2000  "alien" have you visited? Tolerance is a great characteristic.
    3
  1871. And that's an excuse?
    3
  1872. Johnson displays every characteristic that a responsible leader must not have, but a dictator inevitably does. A sociopathic narcissist.
    3
  1873.  @IcyWun  when have you heard him "talk(ing) shit?"
    3
  1874.  @TobyDogger  I don't accept such vacuous nonsense from a pseudonym account. What false statements are referring to. I'm not against capitalism per se; just neoliberalism. Socialist countries embrace capitalism in a mixed economy. Just stop misconstruing my statements and spouting failed and disproved rhetoric.
    3
  1875. The fact that local elections are taken as a reliable indicator of voting for a government suggests a lack of democracy. Party politics at a local level gets in the way of government by (in our system for) the people. Local governance becomes tribal by putting party politics before operational matters.
    3
  1876. ​ @twisteddancer7773  so parliamentary procedure is not fit for purpose. So what?
    3
  1877. Perhaps the word "strategy" is slightly flattering. Couldn't plan a p1ss up in a brewery.
    3
  1878. Except for Palestine
    3
  1879.  @lohphat  Yes. And an undemocratic system, as it took only a minority of voters (43.6%) to get them there.
    3
  1880. Anyone failing to listen to (or read) his words and apply fact-checking and critical thinking needs to engage a brain.
    3
  1881.  @garymitchell5899  and deservedly so
    3
  1882.  @gunner678  a disgusting Little Englander attitude prevails amongst idiots, who have become more dangerous after realising that they fell for a lie. Although ironically they won't admit it. The Brexiters have poked a stick in a hornet's nest.
    3
  1883. Publicity comes easy to the Forager. When he shouts "jump", the tame populist media ask "how high?"
    3
  1884. And this morning Hunt (the proverbial) brazened out the BBC interview. Pretending this didn't happen. The Tories live in an alternate universe, where Sunak has a plan and it's working. If his plan is to destroy the country, I would have to agree.
    3
  1885.  @grtcara8386  The same way you give the execs a 20+% rise and fat dividends to shareholders.
    3
  1886. As "strictly time limited" as our border checks, including those required under the NI protocol. Oops! That's probably my "brexit obsession" to quote Shapps. But then, all Ministers must believe in the Brexshit tooth fairy.
    3
  1887. Most of us agreed with Basil Fawlty (specialist subject, bleeding obvious) so far as Zahawi was concerned. To Little Spiv (the puppet prime minister) tax avoidance is normal behaviour
    3
  1888. Do you listen regularly? Solutions are proposed regularly, as they were in this video.
    3
  1889. Never expect honesty or integrity from a serial scammer. Many voters don't engage in critical thinking and it's easier to appeal to their prejudice than persuade them with logic.
    3
  1890. I agree about imminent turmoil. The Russia Report gave all the clues we needed, yet, somehow, the Tories kept the lid on it; inevitably aided by the oligarch media.
    3
  1891.  @prout7569  most economists would disagree with you. We chose to let businesses take advantage and failed to regulate by keeping minimum wage low. Corbyn was honest about that and the illegal processes, while the Tories used it to divert blame to the workers from the EU. You can't blame Corbyn when the Tories have been in power, imposing austerity, for over a decade.
    3
  1892.  @stu281 The BBC! You expect state media to reveal the facts? Shelves are fairly full in our supermarkets but that is partly through substitution, to stop panic buying. There are some items missing and fresh food is looking less fresh, getting near its sell-by. Freedom of movement is allied to free trade because it exploits market forces, by minimising regulation. Not defending it, just explaining fact. This government has shown how not to implement change. A classic case study.
    3
  1893.  @exposingthepedoleft9463  don't answer incognito accounts. Too much trolling
    3
  1894. Priti Shitty is to freedom what Johnson is to truth. Two aspiring fascists in a cabal of charlatans.
    3
  1895. Farage is not a man of the people. He is a slimy grifter and his opponents need to expose him as such.
    3
  1896.  @christopherbrowne736  No. Being capable of analytical thought to identify bullshit matters most. You find her persuasive. I find her vacuous and arrogant. Opinions differ.
    3
  1897.  @_Meriwether  Yet it's grown to an industrial level in the last 13 years and accelerated since Johnson.
    3
  1898.  @Royboy50  That depends how you define "highest." Certainly that issue was most serious, but now the volume of lies is off the scale. It's hard, in fact, to find a single straight or truthful answer from this Tory government.
    3
  1899. This incident is great deflection for the government. Fetch me the sick bucket indeed.
    3
  1900. There is sweet irony in the timing of this vote: it took a few boos at the Jubilee service to swing it. Misleading parliament and breaking the law apparently mattered less than fragile public opinion. Says a lot about the Tory party and our broken parliamentary system. Some even trot out the facile excuse of Johnson getting the big calls right - somehow justified by a series of inane lies or a failure to look at relevant facts. Britain is broken.
    3
  1901. The neoliberal (free market) project is meeting its objective: exacerbating inequality. Its miracle: persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    3
  1902. No. Trump's own interests first. America a distant second. That's harming America in the case of tariffs.
    3
  1903.  @mr_civil  Absolutely agree. They are treating people as idiots. Hoping that many won't understand that it's a method of increasing tax to make us poorer in real terms.
    3
  1904.  @jobbyomoron8478  think you may be whitewashing history, John. Exactly how?
    3
  1905. In relation to Brexit, yes. In terms of social and economic policy, to the 19th, or even the 18th, century.
    3
  1906.  @ricardosmythe2548  as opposed to doing what we don't need, you mean? Fracking is NOT a solution. I would welcome something for the common good instead of protecting corporate profits and repaying party funders. Energy security is a myth as private companies would sell anything we produce on the global market.
    3
  1907.  @creativecascades1328  GB News being the doyen of impartial reporting of course!
    3
  1908.  @MartinParnham  Yes. It only took a minute to kill them, m'lod, therefore we should all move on.
    3
  1909. Both, in the case of government. A combination depending on the individual voter.
    3
  1910.  @onlyme8117  who exactly are you referring to?
    3
  1911.  @malalie1  good points. The dilemma is whether we will have a Labour government under Starmer. Most likely an electoral pact leading to a coalition to overcome this elective dictatorship that favours the Tories.
    3
  1912.  @Jonnythebaker  agree about Maggie. As for the EU, I totally disagree. We helped to make and support over 4000 laws while opposing some 20 odd and abstaining some 30 odd times. We were full members with our own currency, yet still people trot out the evil or dysfunctional EU crap. I used one acid test: would I trust our government to "take back control" having researched the economic and social consequences. You can probably guess which answer I arrived at.
    3
  1913.  @Jonnythebaker  didn't "nearly bankrupt us, John. We've had a fiat currency since 71. Thus not possible to bankrupt us.
    3
  1914. Shall we call them money laundries? Or explain to the government the definition of madness: repeating the same process and expecting a different result. Perhaps they should ask Cameron why he scrapped Free Ports.
    3
  1915. These sociopathic buggers live in an alternative universe. A government of charlatans.
    3
  1916. Listen to his speech in Scotland today. Meanwhile, what about the guy in power?
    3
  1917. So accurate about a top-down model. We have an elective dictatorship, and not a democracy. The Preston project is a good example of working together at a local level, described in the book Paint Your Town Red.
    3
  1918. Bringing back the king of liars after the prince has failed. Only a Tory could come up with that one.
    3
  1919. Labour willingly accept a straight jacket and chains under the pretence of no money. They are doing nothing except begging for investment from profiteering companies and cutting rules designed to protect us. Invest in the infrastructure and tax wealth. Grow some cajones.
    3
  1920. I've consistently described Buffoon as a clear and present danger, since before the last election. While legally permissible evidence is still hidden, the important evidence is in plain sight: Britain is broken.
    3
  1921.  @LewieLeway  I'm acutely aware how politics works. But did Blair claim it to be the will of the people? I also know how democracy SHOULD work. (Btw you should check the spelling of Tony's surname)
    3
  1922. Johnson is a sick joke and an international disgrace. Britain is broken.
    3
  1923.  @EnochPowellsLibrarian  Alan Sugar compared Corbyn to Hitler. The main point being, they both breached impartiality.
    3
  1924. Total respect to Mick Lynch. So cool and articulate. He shames the Government's lies. The scale of our undemocratic system is frightening: (1) it took a minority (43.6%) vote to create an 80 seat majority in parliament; (2) while pretending to have a parliamentary system, we have wall to wall media coverage of a campaign of presidential proportions. With the result decided by fewer than a quarter -million people. We laughingly pretend this is democracy. In reality, an elective dictatorship.
    3
  1925. Another publicity stunt by a cabal of narcissists with racism at their core.
    3
  1926. Unfortunately his "message" is articulating problems then offering no (or worse still fake) solutions. It's easier to be a disrupter; it chimes with the desperate and hard of thinking.
    3
  1927. We are expected to accept this as normal Tory behaviour, judging from the lack of media reaction.
    3
  1928. ​ @daniellarson3068 Indeed. That's a low bar and he is well above it.
    3
  1929. Q: Did you attend any parties? A: I'm not aware of any parties Q: Did you attend any parties without being aware of them? A: Possibly. I sleepwalk occasionally, an essential quality in a cabinet minister.
    3
  1930. The acid test: what difference will it make?
    3
  1931.  @letsgobrandon5502  Who is "she" and what did she do? Truss and Farage hold to the lie of trickle down. Perhaps you can work out what that means for you, and most certainly for the majority.
    3
  1932. Tories have consistently promoted the illusion that outsourcing to private companies has nothing to do with privatisation of the NHS. Even their reasoning - that providing all treatment is free at the point of use, the NHS remains public - is a fallacy as we pay more and lose control of standards and quality. The NHS should be run entirely as a public body. The rot started in the seventies, then became more corrosive after Lansley under Cameron's inept government.
    3
  1933. Britain is mired in shit as we have a turd and a jobbie fighting for Tory leadership.
    3
  1934.  Yurt Dweller  Spoken with the usual clarity and logic of a pseudonym account.
    3
  1935. ​ @physiocrat7143 actually the exact opposite. Please learn how free trade works.
    3
  1936. The Tories don't have a strategy. Unless doing nothing and blaming the workers is a strategy to help the richest. Meanwhile let's just uncap banker's bonuses and give banks more tax breaks while dismantling regulations to speed another financial crash. Enough is enough.
    3
  1937. Based solely on his performance, this wazzock PM should have gone long ago. Unfortunately with our tainted and undemocratic system, life isn't like that.
    3
  1938. The far right value "free speech" only if they control the narrative. Owning the platform and fixing the algorithm is like speaking freely without offering an equal right of response. One-sided communication is not free speech. It's known as propaganda.
    3
  1939. And replace them with what?
    3
  1940. Spoken like a true troll hiding behind a pseudonym account.
    3
  1941. ​ @skyblazeeterno And government can abuse that thinking by making it a false assumption.
    3
  1942. I'm in absolute agreement on all the points you raise. Great comment.
    3
  1943. The Tories could inherit a number of three word slogans. Scared of fact; hiding from truth; intent on power.
    3
  1944. The Tories are big on promises, but on delivery... (You probably guessed it.)
    3
  1945. Don't worry. MSM reporting is also minimal in Britain. We also have family in Oz, a lovely country. Enjoy.
    3
  1946.  @garytyme9384  perhaps you should explain that to the people who paid the fines. Hint: don't take the bar exams.
    3
  1947. The Tories are perpetually annoying to anyone engaging critical thinking. Only idiots are left buying their story after 14 years of misery through their incompetence.
    3
  1948.  @welshgit  I voted remain, yet accept that many who voted leave were misled. The blame for this abject brexit belongs fairly and squarely with politicians. We will not agree on this because I refuse to fall for the deflection used by abject liars.
    3
  1949. No. Representing the people is the essence of representative democracy. The clue is in the name.
    3
  1950.  @charlessandoval3382  flawed how? Don't confuse our elective dictatorship with democracy.
    3
  1951. ​ @RochefortTrappist If you can do maths, that's still less than a half of 1%
    3
  1952. Agreed. But Murdoch wouldn't approve.
    3
  1953. Who exactly are "they" and "their?"
    3
  1954.  @markohenry5891  wow. Have we banned zero hours contracts? Free of decent food standards so we can have hormone beef. What "silly rules" are you referring to?
    3
  1955.  @perfectstorm7379  I note your excuse in anticipation of damning fact. Brexit will not be delivered correctly because that concept is theoretical. Welcome to the real world where we are losing £40 billion in tax revenue from lost trade (OBR on Brexit effect - 4% reduction in GDP) Smaller companies moving to the EU or closing because of extra red tape that we were supposed to save. Companies moving offices to the EU. As for disputing the figures - name the source. In the rea world we don't call the shots. We trade, and now enter deals as the desperate party.
    3
  1956.  @jimmagspanton669  I live in the UK, and it's the only government I have a chance of holding to account. All I've seen in the last 13 years is deterioration and degeneration. I would love to see a sign of hope for our children and grandchildren. Without major reform, Britain is FUBAR.
    3
  1957. Perhaps those who knew what they voted for would now explain it to the rest of us, before judging their expectations in the light of reality. The greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. Spawned by liars; enabled by incompetents.
    3
  1958. Australia also allows the choice of "none of the above."
    3
  1959. I always attempt to apply critical thinking to our media reports, after reading Chomsky on manufacturing consent. There is also the question of deflection: keep the royal headlines running to distract from the government dismantling the NHS.
    3
  1960. The age of misinformation was exposed in the Russia Report, evidenced from the Brexit referendum. Social media was gamed by Cambridge Analytica, yet still the results stood. More misinformation on social media to get Johnson in power, exacerbated by the Tories neutering the Electoral Commission. This happens on steroids in America, proving the tools of fascism are alive and dangerously all too well.
    3
  1961.  @peterebel7899  That seems chillingly accurate.
    3
  1962.  @jiversteve  he also had a better plan
    3
  1963.  @gingerfish90  So who will? Please don't suggest the Tories. The last Labour government raised prosperity, with real incomes increasing significantly over their term in office.
    3
  1964. Musk once again showing that wealth is not commensurate with intelligence.
    3
  1965. Since it's an exchange policy, perhaps we will get someone else on the return flight. Could make the cabinet meeting more interesting.
    3
  1966.  @DMG00111-p  that's not what Mo Mowlam said, as you obviously don't know
    3
  1967. Apparently we are all missing the point: poor Matt is a victim. He should not be the scapgoat. The whole of Johnson's cabal should be in the tower, or imprisoned as would be the case of a company director for corporate manslaughter.
    3
  1968. Hardly surprising that KS failed to answer Marr's first question. Perhaps Keir didn't ask it in Europe because of his own denial and evasion.
    3
  1969. So interested in your comment on neoliberalism. Time was always going to run out on the neat trick of getting the poor to vote for the rich to have more. An illusion can only last so long. Great video.
    3
  1970. ​ @ausbrum That depends on the type of PR system chosen. MPs will be held to account and can be kicked out, as has happened recently...no difference in principle under PR
    3
  1971.  @jgmediting7770  I agree, the lighter the regulation and the more we allow dodgy financial instruments and complexity, the more we fuel greed and inequality. It's intentional.
    3
  1972. Truss is either a puppet for the hard right or an economic illiterate, or both. The Tory obsession with reduced taxation at the expense of national infrastructural investment is a sure way of reducing confidence.
    3
  1973.  @nicolarse-stubborn  what does that make DRoss?
    3
  1974.  @josuuv  while you, on the other hand, possess ultimate wisdom. Opinion is just that: not right; not wrong; just a different view of the same thing.
    3
  1975.  @josuuv  don't need an excuse. It's called opinion. Are you with the thought police?
    3
  1976. ​ @shinkansenshinkansend8316  Also the fact that the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, per year in power. Labour has the better financial record.
    3
  1977. It was never going to work. Johnson was going to slam his "oven ready deal" in the microwave. A vacuous buffoon accompanied by Lord Gormless (Frost) What a team!
    3
  1978. The new salary threshold will stop us filling mid- to lower-paid jobs, so the government will attempt to victimise "lazy" Brits for not working (irrespective of suitability or physical ability). Who would have trusted these incompetent charlatans to take back control?
    3
  1979. Austerity was designed to increase inequality while secretly growing the national debt. It was a failure for society but the Tories probably think there is no such thing as society (as declared by their supreme icon Thatcher.) They shifted the language that the deficit was reducing - meaning the national debt was growing by a smaller amount. Such operational incompetence is a hallmark of Tory scum.
    3
  1980. That's what should happen to achieve democracy. A manifesto should be a contract based on reasonable endeavour. Currently it's just a statement of intent with no binding obligation or consequences.
    3
  1981. ​ @jonmould2946 Please explain... Otherwise empty rhetoric
    3
  1982. ​ @skyblazeeterno that's on income, not wealth, as explained in the video
    3
  1983. Good old British exceptionalism.
    3
  1984. No!!! I would at least have wanted a dodgy contract for my company before I took it.
    3
  1985.  @peterebel7899  please substitute elective dictatorship for democracy. In that respect I agree with Lord Hailsham.
    3
  1986.  @seang2700  too much time in Wetherspoons? Lol
    3
  1987. Pity Starmer didn't equally support the Forde report. This report, however, has a greater impact on law and order and shows the Tories to be operationally incompetent, as ever.
    3
  1988. A great video. We never had real democracy, where all votes are equal. Add this level of corruption through dark money and our governance is a sham. Who will break the mold?
    3
  1989.  @sandersson2813  that's blx. Lazy thinking or obfuscation. We had growth in real incomes under Blair and Brown.
    3
  1990. After recovering from eat out to spread it about, we have struggling businesses that can't get staff. Another brexit win.
    3
  1991.  @Boghopper9999  "support", yes. More about opportunism, tagging on to a policy campaigned for by Lib Dems many years ago.
    3
  1992. So much for Johnson's high skill, high pay economy. Johnson thrives on mayhem and creates flak. His default setting is to shift blame and fail to accept responsibility. Who has Shapps blamed? The Workers for being selfish. Why would the unions welcome his intervention? Same Tory sh1t; different day.
    3
  1993. Just more government symbolism. Being seen to offer big projects to grab headlines. Why must our politicians be seen to do something? Rarely the right thing. Never enough. Why not go for rhe simple and obvious things and do them well?
    3
  1994. It would only work if they listened.
    3
  1995.  @thegoat11111  As someone who is old enough, I agree, albeit with reservations. Labour had to subscribe to the neoliberal agenda or they would not be allowed near power. The result, a move to the right in the form of New Labour. Now we have Labour accepting the fiscal rules set by the OBR (introduced by Cameron and Osborne) and thus wedded to the austerity of the right. The "centre" of the seventies happily accepted a mixed economy, where only a maniac would privatise essential services. Now any such suggestions is criticised as Marxism or communism. We have fallen for the bullshit.
    3
  1996.  @haroldhorsefly1368  yes. A pity Leave were dishonest in their campaign about the time it would take to realise their promised benefits. Now they are in denial and our prospects seem poor without honesty and decisive action. I obviously want our country to succeed for my children and grandchildren, but the arrogance of people like Johnson and Farage is making us an international joke when we need to cooperate with other countries, including the EU. Barnier has been honest about this, whereas our politicians are hooked on vacuous slogans and empty rhetoric.
    3
  1997. The Tories have succeeded. Thatcher promised a return to Victorian values. Now we know what she meant: economic values, where the poor suffer abject poverty, doffing their caps while the richest hoover up more wealth.
    3
  1998. Listening to Fartage is a sign of desperation and stupidity; a deficit of critical thinking. That said, so is listening to the Tory hard right.
    3
  1999.  @YouD0ntSay  I agree. Somehow our governments have failed to behave like Europeans and have maintenance a Little Englander mentality. Whenever visiting European countries, we have found warmth and friendship yet our governments have maintained British exceptionalism.
    3
  2000. Perhaps employers are anticipating AI and treating new employees like robots. A good manager will accept that people are human and should not be expected to fit their stereotypes. Abilities are a separate matter but a mix of personality types is healthy in most organisations.
    3
  2001.  @peteroneill2991  I agree. Usual smoke and mirrors. Tory MPs depend on sleaze for a second income that they regard as a divine entitlement.
    3
  2002. Where is the action on land banking? Where are the plans to build social housing? Where is the workforce to build? Just asking questions.
    3
  2003. Be careful! Facts confuse Tories. Your comments are spot on.
    3
  2004.  @j.harrison6744  I was actually born and live in England. Yet such a percentage is broadly commensurate with the relative population sizes. How is this relevant in any event to the Rwanda issue?
    3
  2005. ​ @brunosmith6925 and his tax rate as a proportion of income and wealth was...?
    3
  2006. Great quote and so poignant.
    3
  2007. Didn't we have a solution called freedom of movement? (Perhaps I imagined that?)
    3
  2008.  @davidgreen6490  Yes. I realised that. Probably a part rebuild to fix RAAC will also count. There is an alternative name for a Johnson promise: it's known as a lie.
    3
  2009. I believe the key to be motivation. A good friend cooks amazing cuisine yet would not cook professionally because she would lose her passion. My approach to photography, as a retired hobbyist, allows the luxury of not equating time with money. Creativity requires freedom and self motivation. Financialisation constrains society for the greed of the few.
    3
  2010. ​ @fredatlas4396 it will fund the winter fuel allowance and other subsidies
    3
  2011. Why would anyone expect critical thinking or responsible governance after hearing Johnson's vacuous pomposity?
    3
  2012. ​ @Dubya-i3v No help for the brainwashed.
    3
  2013.  @zakdee2732  don't know of his recent work. His book Natives was a phenomenal piece of work imo
    3
  2014. Farage can claim one thing in his favour: excessive publicity, far in excess of democratic proportionality and beyond any pretence of media balance
    3
  2015.  @johndonson1603  with Richard Tice at the helm? The choice is yours to make but I find the suggestion pure comedy. Good luck.
    3
  2016. Instead of such sound and well-founded guidelines we had vacuous slogans: brexit means brexit; we know what we voted for; that's not Brexit (in the case of the single market and CU after that was documented in campaign literature) We were always destined to fail in negotiations with such an inept cabal in charge. Slogans may win elections but they don't deliver workable policies.
    3
  2017. When it becomes obvious what you are voting for, there are no excuses for abject idiocy.
    3
  2018. "who cares???" You obviously don't care about the offence of misleading parliament? About Johnson taking the p1ss out of people suffering the indignity of separation from gravely ill loved ones? About the incompetence and hubris of a serial liar in government? Answer: I CARE, AND SO DO MANY OTHERS. Is that clear enough?
    3
  2019. Very little optimism over Labour's economic plans. We have gone from the sociopathic (Tories) to the clueless.
    3
  2020. The Tories can't stop behaving like rats in a sack. That's the result of 12 years of their mismanagement.
    3
  2021. How is council tax corrupt? Should we not pay for council services?
    3
  2022. The Tories always game the system. Coincidentally weakening the powers of the Electoral Commission, which had no jurisdiction over social media campaigning, which they also abuse.
    3
  2023.  @funkimunky1  That's debatable when many of the larger corporations were nationalised industries. Global companies have power on a much larger scale.
    3
  2024.  @rodneycooperLMSCoach  thanks for sharing. Experience may have made us equally cynical about the standards of British management, or leadership.
    3
  2025.  @ohgosh5892  a Ponzi scheme indeed. Apparently people are paying for our pensions. After paying tax and NI for 50 years (part of the time at a higher rate) was I paying for someone else? We were never told that was part of the deal.
    3
  2026. Thought Churchill drank brandy. He saved the whisky for me lol
    3
  2027. That's some achievement.
    3
  2028. Building a sustainable environment can also help growth, yet growth is not infinite.
    3
  2029. Sunak proved his understanding of Johnson's true intent when he said "levelling up." Divert more money to your mates. Lol
    3
  2030. There is only one key question for me: are there enough voters in red wall seats who are stupid enough to excuse the serial liar and abject buffoon Johnson?
    3
  2031. The right wing obsession with tax is bloody hilarious to anyone with even half a brain. If choosing the location for a business, would the business owner obsess about his or her tax? Or would they look at the quality of the infrastructure: transport; education and health services? And the availability of skilled and qualified Labour?
    3
  2032.  @sidonio123  and what of those who are exempt or ill from the vaccine itself? Have those suffering not paid tax and NI all their lives? Think this through Mr or Mrs Pseudonym.
    3
  2033. The Tories now stand for desperation.
    3
  2034. It's concerning that she thinks she has anything in common with Labour. Carry on at this rate and there will be no need for an election. If we had a democratic voting system, an election would be worthwhile.
    3
  2035. The words "as ever" ignore the achievements of the last Labour government in health and education.
    3
  2036. Perfectly factual. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war. They are NOT the party of responsible fiscal management. Real incomes rose significantly under Blair and Brown (around 12% in real terms) yet have fallen since Tory austerity prevailed. Too many turkeys vote for Christmas after swallowing media propaganda.
    3
  2037. The plea of such a sensible and humane person will likely be ignored by a sociopath such as Braverman. She exists to foster dissent and hatred in her sad life, which is a game of power devoid of empathy. Her wet dream may be civil unrest on armistice day (perhaps instigated by fascistic bother boys), so she can blame the Palestinian supporters. It's hard to imagine how low this piece of human excrement, with her record of abject incompetence, can stoop.
    3
  2038. Agreed. Using QE to fill black holes and benefit the rich is a disaster. Using it for investment in our infrastructure would be a different story, yet that option is dismissed out of hand.
    3
  2039. An unhinged president taking America outside the rule of law. How has this happened? Where is real democracy and legality?
    3
  2040. Absolutely! Tax income from wealth at the same rate as work income.
    3
  2041.  @BAmalakas  no answer from the racist then?
    3
  2042.  @andyforshaw8489  more mindless trolling, Andy. Utter blx. There is strong support for the NHS but the Tories can't be trusted with it.
    3
  2043. Putin made a gross miscalculation. If he had a fair point about the expansion of NATO on his borders, he has effectively driven more countries to join.
    3
  2044. Love your sense of irony. The man is a vacuous buffoon.
    3
  2045. Farage is a serial whinger, continually stirring dissent. His ego can't stand the pushback of forensic questioning or serious journalism.
    3
  2046. Brexiters adore sovereignty, until other countries apply it and they realise it's not an exclusive British right.
    3
  2047. That's an admission of defeat, as the market is rigged by financialisation
    3
  2048. @Satoshi Nakamoto Well "sunshine" that's not the case with asylum seekers, under international legislation. As for legal channels, what are they and why are processes broken?
    3
  2049. Lack of critical thinking enables manufactured consent. I even saw the Telegraph suggesting Johnson appeared before a kangaroo court. Priceless.
    3
  2050. Hunt as chancellor? Zero knowledge of economics; graduated in cheap political point scoring.
    3
  2051. Reclaiming the State by Mitchell and Fazi
    3
  2052. I agree with the assessment of Felicity Mercer, Johnny Mercer's wife: Truss is indeed an imbecile. Enough said.
    3
  2053.  @terryj50  I disagree, Terry. Personally, I vote. Yet accept as a valid complaint that for many it's a waste of time without a real democratic system. I would even go to the extent of writing PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION across my ballot paper and spoiling it, but many just won't bother.
    3
  2054. The Tories will go no further than a token gesture. They are intent on being seen to do something; never the right thing; never enough.
    3
  2055. Levelling up everywhere, provided there's a Tory MP with a narrow majority.
    3
  2056. When the population can be manipulated to continue supporting a government creating and stirring up a new crisis each week, we are in a scary state.
    3
  2057. And adding more to that category to join them.
    3
  2058. Government now has to take smaller steps on the road to fascism, but make no mistake: they are still resolutely travelling that road.
    3
  2059. ​ @metallitech If you mean mentally bloated through arrogance, I have to agree. I have only heard vacuous sh1te from any of said Tory ministers.
    3
  2060. Brilliant. That's real levelling up. Making this compulsive parliamentary viewing would call Johnson's bluff.
    3
  2061. And next: a recycled Shapps. At least he could have reappeared under a different name.
    3
  2062. The history of incompetence and treachery is alarming. 1) Cameron following an advisory vote after support by a minority of the electorate because about a quarter of the registered voters didn't turn out. 2) A catalogue of lies and deceit creating the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. 3) Still the liars and deceivers are given airtime to spout their vacuous excuses instead of being held to account for nothing less than treason.
    3
  2063. "The real problem is..." The Tory government.
    3
  2064. At least the rest of the world can now acknowledge us as world class or world leading: in comedy. The Tories are a laugh a minute. Unfortunately the majority of us (UK citizens) suffer while the rest of the world laughs. World-class irony. The ultimate shit show.
    3
  2065. Freedom for them. Control of others. That's what 43.6% of voters elected.
    3
  2066. Perhaps he should tell Little Spiv (Sunak)
    3
  2067. This woman is an example of what the Tories think of the average intelligence of Londoners. You cannot be serious! To quote a former tennis player.
    3
  2068.  @TonklinFallen  I agree that Blair did more good things than bad and he left us in a far better state. That said, PFI contracts as a disciple of neoliberalism weren't great. It's been downhill ever since.
    3
  2069. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 another of my replies failed to post. Are you against any form of state intervention after seeing the results of the last 14 years, the inevitable result of neoliberalism?
    3
  2070.  @andyforshaw8489  so one isolated case presents conclusive evidence? And that being a local council? Just stop trotting out rubbish based on mindless stereotyping.
    3
  2071.  @clayface563  perfectly true. In fact at government level the Tories have a far worse financial record: having borrowed more and paid back less across government since the second world war.
    3
  2072. ​ @spiritualdeath101  our life won't improve until we have real democracy with a fair voting system, and accountability of those in power.
    3
  2073.  @markcarlon8558  How much money do you think they get? Why not let them work while their claim is assessed? How much to send one person to Rwanda? Is it worth the half-billion, and counting, spent on this vacuous symbolism? Check some facts. The Daily Fail is full of sh1te.
    3
  2074.  @Jonnythebaker  calm down, John. Give some credit and respect to Scotland.
    3
  2075. The UK government speciality of can-kicking continues into 2022. The personnel are irrelevant: from Lord Gormless to Airhead Truss, the act of posturing like a spoiled brat cuts no ice with the adult and experienced EU team. The largely untested IT system for import control will bring bliss and happiness, but only to idiots who will blame the EU for treating us as a third country. Happy New Year.
    3
  2076. An excuse. We asked for immigrants to come and work yet failed (and now fail abysmally) to provide the infrastructure.
    3
  2077. Sunak: "So where do you see yourself in five years?" Recipient: "Don't know, trying to get through each day." Sunak: "I worked in finance myself, and we are moving the hub out of London." Recipient: "You seem to be moving it to the EU, which is why I lost my job." Sunak: "We are creating new opportunities in Global Britain." Recipient: "I've heard about the unicorns, but I can't eat them and I'm hungry." Sunak: "Who is next for my Christmas counselling?"
    3
  2078. Yes, we need cooperation. Putin has played Trump like a cheap violin. Complaining about his treatment from previous presidents to appeal to Trump's hubris and make President Moron an asset for life. (Asset Krasnov?). We should work with our neighbours in the interests of peace and prosperity.
    3
  2079. Never has an act been so ironically named: the illegal immigration act. It's the act that is likely to be deemed illegal in the context if international law.
    3
  2080. Today showed that Johnson and Sunak have one thing in common: they don't read relevant and important paperwork; just wing it and spout sh1te is clearly Tory government policy.
    3
  2081.  @bipolarminddroppings  yes. Perhaps we should send him on the front line and see the size of the laundry bill on his expenses. As for being useful, Johnson would make a good doorstop.
    3
  2082. As Lord Hailsham once said, we suffer an elective dictatorship. The status quo is preserved by government being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough. Tinkering at the edges when we need reform, to stop Reform getting in.
    3
  2083. Such an airhead. Johnson's goal is to fund ministers less capable than himself. Most of us would consider that an impossible task, but hats off - it's the one thing he makes a good fist of.
    3
  2084. @Tom think you are falling for divide and rule, Tom. It won't cost you any more...just ensure the 1% pay minimal tax.
    3
  2085. And what scale is that? Does it excuse thuggery and violence?
    3
  2086.  @jazzx251  so bugger devolution then?
    3
  2087.  @SlowhandGreg  I agree, Greg. And thanks to Johnson's brexit we have far fewer social care workers.
    3
  2088. Don't be an observer. Write to complain to the BBC. Overwhelm them. When logging a complaint or observation, you must now wait for an email then verify it, or your post will be discounted. We pay for this service and deserve better.
    3
  2089. Then you have missed the point. World markets and inflation are always present and relevant
    3
  2090.  @gbjanuary  enough is beyond enough.
    3
  2091. And to think I wondered how it could get worse than Johnson. Truss is a five-star vacuous wazzock.
    3
  2092. @thefastandthedead1769 That may be partly true, although tactical voting is needed to get this lot out. We need a fair and democratic voting system.
    3
  2093. If Sunak has genuinely lost such messages, he should be fired for negligence. If he has deleted them, he should be fired suppressing evidence.
    3
  2094. The man-child aspiring Bond villian would be pure comedy for his vacuous stupidity if he wasn't so dangerous.
    3
  2095. ​ @DropdudeJohn Your last statement is a vacuous generalisation from your pseudonym account. In language you may understand: tarring everyone with the same brush.
    3
  2096. Tell that to the nurses
    3
  2097. Read Liam Byrne's The Inequality of Wealth. (Just a clue...) There other Labour MPs in parliament
    3
  2098. Thanks for the clarification. I suspect that some politicians may deliberately conflate the two acts of protest and damage as an excuse to abandon EHCR.
    3
  2099.  @inthegym4679  I blame the Johnson government for getting Brexit part-done badly. This was permitted with a minority vote at the last election. An elective dictatorship rather than democracy.
    3
  2100.  @howardcoles3537  Totally agree, but so many fall for it with the support of the MSM
    3
  2101. ​ @markasbury1084  You wouldn't. It's a question of supply and demand. The price of houses, however, will increase if we don't build enough and people will stay homeless. Self over society?
    3
  2102. I suspect this next week may become known as the demise of the little spiv week.
    3
  2103. ​ @DavidGraeberWasRight Then to get PR, the first step is tactical voting.
    3
  2104.  @blankroomsoup666  a radio is not a synchronous communication device; a phone is. If the phone can be used in voice activation mode, hands-free, then it is safer to operate it.
    3
  2105. ​ @FakeSchrodingersCat An independent Scotland would have its attractions.
    3
  2106.  @killpridebeforepridekillsy6504  "To live" meaning imposing rule through force and applying apartheid. Welcome to reality. You can play the victim for so long...
    3
  2107. Now we know that Global Britain means establishing new markets at the furthest points of the globe while shrinking our local markets.
    3
  2108.  @creativecascades1328  you may think that passes as a plausible excuse. I base my statement on fact: comparing the actions of Johnson's government with previous ones, and looking at their record of abject mismanagement.
    3
  2109. Then, surely, that's a badge of honour. I mean: the Daily Fail, hardly the doyen of impartiality.
    3
  2110. My stock response is the same to such comment. So why do you bother to vote if you can't tell the difference?
    3
  2111.  Laura UK   not true. My definition was from the Oxford dictionary, what's your source? Irrespective of who was in power, we have had an elective dictatorship. In fact the term was coined by Lord Hailsham after New Labour won power.
    3
  2112.  Laura UK   Personally I agree with Lord Hailsham's explanation of an elective dictatorship, with his researched facts.
    3
  2113.  Laura UK   from the Concise version: a state having government by all the people, direct or representative... Hardly by all the people when not all votes count equally; hardly representative when seats don't match votes. Hence I agree with Lord Hailsham's logic.
    3
  2114. If you want responsible journalism, call The Scum. Lol
    3
  2115. Good question. More chance of an irresponsible and incompetent minister with this shower. But first they would have to admit the issue - just like an alcoholic.
    3
  2116. The "Prime Chancellor," to quote Matt Green's satire, is an austerity acolyte who buggered up the NHS. Now as chancellor he can continue diminishing the service to make it ripe for privatisation.
    3
  2117.  @hayleyxyz  it was Milton Friedman in 1970
    3
  2118. We are working tirelessly (to give more money to our mates) We are putting more resources in (and noone will ask us where the money will come from (they only ask that question of Labour.) Dowdy is the same as other Tory minister: don't answer a question; blame Labour; and talk bollocks.
    3
  2119. Good step forward. A move towards real democracy.
    3
  2120. As Dr Martin Luther King said...not the colour of the skin, the content of the personality. We need to learn to live as equal human beings. A harder lesson for some than others. As an older white male, I can't fully comprehend how such racial abuse feels, but I can never excuse it.
    3
  2121. Well. That's all that matters then, to someone with the mental age of seven.
    3
  2122. Even that's a relief from the last 14 years of nightmare, resulting from Tory operational and economic incompetence.
    3
  2123. @charleswhite758 Evidence? What is an economic migrant and how do we know without processing the applications? By what definition are we "full"? The population density of the UK is far from the highest in the world.
    3
  2124.  @Talus-hallux1  good to see one beneficiary, apart from the disaster capitalists.
    3
  2125. Mandelson also mentioned in the Post Office scandal this morning. Making a name for himself yet again.
    3
  2126.  @tomgl6684  Because the logic is flawed. You spread Covid when you catch the infection, vaccinated or not. When it "develops" as you put it, the symptoms are identified and you isolate.
    3
  2127. The words no return to austerity after means testing the WFA is insulting. The Unions gave a clear warning on this ineptitude but Reeves ploughed on. We need actions and many will watch her budget with interest.
    3
  2128. The far right don't want to make the life of the average citizen better. Instead they want to fuel anger and falsely shift blame to gain power. How do I know? Farage "asked questions" without verifying source and fact in such a way they threw doubt on the police statement. He knew the likely outcome and intended to achieve it.
    3
  2129. MPs are certainly paid enough imo. To the extent that second jobs should be banned. If they really do work for us, other sources of income or donations clearly risk a conflict of interest and should be banned. (With minor exceptions to maintain professional quakifications possibly allowed.)
    3
  2130. Who would have guessed that flu spreads in winter? Different day; another Tory shyster.
    3
  2131. Hunt will take us from Britannia Unhinged to what he knows: austerity and an excuse for more privatisation. How about NHS privatisation as in his 2005 policy paper? This sneering specimen is dangerous. He buggered up the NHS and failed to prepare us for a potential pandemic. We all know where that left us.
    3
  2132. ​ @adamstanford2549 Perhaps a jar of marmite would make a better PM. It would be less divisive.
    3
  2133. ​ @adamstanford2549 yet lack critical thinking skills, which conman Fartage plays on.
    3
  2134. ​ @1697djh the human one is enough for sociopaths. Troll off...
    3
  2135. Truss will blame the French. Lol
    3
  2136.  @FranzBieberkopf  Indeed. It would be hard to complete an exhaustive list between us.
    3
  2137. Honest Bob accusing Labour of having no plan! Does he think he is in opposition? Perhaps he is looking ahead? But then he talks like a UKIP reject with the same vacuous b.s. that has led to the worst of both worlds: a failure to control numbers and a shortage of key skills. If they have a plan, it's the wrong one or it isn't being implemented.
    3
  2138. What? You still believe in the tooth fairy? Who would be the desperate party in any such negotiations? What do we have to offer except delusion?
    3
  2139. "Balance" and "affordability" didn't seem to be an issue in the barristers' strike. After a one day strike, a 15% pay award... As for the "record investment," it barely makes up for a lack of funding over the last 13 years, let one matching the increase in investment regularly made by New Labour. If the government insists by funding the rises from tax , tax non doms and tax wealth. We are suffering cost-push inflation, hence the inflation excuse is bollocks. A catalogue of trite excuses from an operationally incompetent sociopathic government.
    3
  2140. As falsely applied to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour. To all Jews who seek peace and harmony with their neighbours, I offer respect.
    3
  2141.  @dolphin069  Don't understand the term Woke. It's bollocks...used in misdirection. Should we leave those in power asleep at the wheel?
    3
  2142.  @dolphin069  Our whole system is anti-meritocracy with ex-public school pupils revered for their contacts and posh accents while their operational incompetence is excused. As for race and gender, history shows a reason for any sensitivity and perceived over-compensation. Woke: a word for consumption by the vacuous to deflect from the incompetence of the powerful.
    3
  2143. When will we demand operational competence over empty rhetoric and populism from our politicians? As soon as a politician declares that we have had enough of experts, we are a step closer to fascism. We need experts to judge the politicians' effectiveness. We need politicians to listen to experts to deliver the best for society. Braverman and this abject government were warned about the inadequacy of this centre and were more concerned with outsourcing their sociopathy to Rwanda.
    3
  2144. Johnson not only creeps towards fascism at home, he craves world domination. Why not call the new union the buffoonery.
    3
  2145. "Maintain public confidence." You have to gain it before you can maintain it. Sunak is proving to be yet another liar, promising integrity and professionalism. The only word these wazzocks understand is ENTITLEMENT.
    3
  2146. Depends where they end up; they are p1ssing off many in the left of their party, some of whom may vote Green.
    3
  2147.  @nickwalters5380  regards and respect to Cornwall. A glorious landscape we should all be proud of. Even us occasional visitors.
    3
  2148. Truss is clear about one fact: she is working for the richest and condones increasing inequality. Change is long overdue.
    3
  2149.  @ericritchie6783  Seems irrelevant. Employers in our country were surely expected to pay our minimum wage rates to EU citizens working here. Again, lack of enforcement for greed? This was a minor issue in the greater scheme of things. Where is the research to show relative causes of voting leave?
    3
  2150.  @joecater894  Not that tired old blackmail chestnut. Noone should be "busted down" - just pay their fair share. As for the levy, it was imposed after the banking crash to pay back the bailout and suppress casino banking. Let's just deregulate and cause another crash.
    3
  2151.  @kynn884  different country, different economy. We don't use other tools that are available and Johnson uses the threat of an interest rate rise as an excuse to suppress public services and state support.
    3
  2152.  @gavinturner5565  then England will be begging to join Scotland. Or at least we in the north will. Apologies; my Scottish ancestry is showing.
    3
  2153. Great explanation: clear and concise. I've often thought that we could easily solve the offshore, intellectual property dodge by taxing companies registered outside the UK on traded turnover, as the EU threatened with large tech companies. Would be interested in your informed opinion. Thanks for what you do.
    3
  2154. At least our government is consistent in its ineptitude. Denying the harms of brexit while effectively ignoring climate change by pretending to invest in green yet subsidising dirty energy.
    3
  2155. ​ @leeeastwood6368 Which was proposed in Leveson 1.
    3
  2156. Our son in Australia commented that Spitting Image would no longer work because all government ministers are now caricatures.
    3
  2157. What a lineup: Braverman and Truss touted as leaders. Quite a sh1t-show. It's always the right ideas in the wrong way: economy; brexit; etc. At least the right notes played in the wrong order are more entertaining.
    3
  2158. So true. Britain is hardly an example for good. We operate an elective dictatorship, where many votes are wasted; are lacking in parliamentary standards with minimal scrutiny; operate an adversarial system of governance at times when cooperation is needed (even overdue) and appear to reward lying and cheating along with the breach of international law.
    3
  2159.  @TruthTortoise81  Trite and populist, as I said. DL had to shift the tone in his answers. Crappy journalism in my opinion, which is why I rarely spend time on the MSM.
    3
  2160.  @jinankalo9386  thought it was Sovereign Tea. Been looking in the shops but can only find toy unicorns.
    3
  2161. ​ @PeterPete  Yet, apparently, that route isn't working. What have we done to help repatriation?
    3
  2162.  @PeterPete  Regrettably, we meddle and others pay the price. Braverman herself is clueless about safe processes, and instead drafts legislation about as useful as a lead balloon.
    3
  2163.  @evaahh9584  "Publicly funded" does not necessarily mean a license, with vague exclusions.
    3
  2164. Absolutely essential for real democracy, which, after all, means government by the people. Yes, that definition shows how far we are from actual democracy.
    3
  2165.  @TheEvertw  very smart to spot the analogy
    3
  2166. True. Neither do they understand cost push inflation.
    3
  2167. Surely that depends on your constituency. Whichever party is most likely to get rid of the Tories
    3
  2168. And as for our Prime Miniature and Foreign secretary? The ones in power... All of our politicians are complicit in this genocide.
    3
  2169. Hardly surprising, as logistics companies work on slender margins. The industry is highly competitive. On Brexit in general, I wouldn't trust this government to manage our bog rolls, never mind expecting them to take back control.
    3
  2170.  @sparking2016  I did say I'm not ashamed; just absolutely disgusted. You really think Labour has a magic bullet and will use it? I'm disgusted by their reaction to the Gaza situation. Will they reform the electoral system and clean up parliamentary standards? Lots to do...
    3
  2171.  @Driver2616  good question. If so, it's undoubtedly against the international law that we signed up to.
    3
  2172. Johnson has made a mockery of our archaic system and continues to do so. The lack of a codified constitution; an undemocratic voting system where votes are not equal; lack of effective independent scrutiny. All of which allow politicians to flourish through incompetence. In that regard alone, he has led the way.
    3
  2173. ​ @Petersworld77 I think you'll find that he speaks about income from capital gains being taxed at the same rate as work income. As does prof Richard Murphy.
    3
  2174. Say it as it is, Phil: "Pissed as farts" in Downing Street. That may be their default behaviour, which would explain their ineptitude.
    3
  2175. Don't forget: more money in the pocket of bankers, after removing the pay cap on banker's bonuses, gives growth. Increasing the pay of workers is inflationary. Tory scum.
    3
  2176. "millionaire pensioners!" Are you for f'ing real? How many of those are there?
    3
  2177. Probably did more to uncover the real Nigel Farage than any other interview. Proof that researched facts beat bluff and bluster. Watching this in June 24 after reading James's book How They Broke Britain then seeing one of the main culprits who is still given oxygen in our unfit media.
    3
  2178. Why not? Perhaps the repercussions from the most powerful asset owners who would resist bonds, along with the oligarch client media. Labour should grow sone cajones and work in the national interest. In short, the new government should listen to you, Richard, and a few others, like Gary Stevenson and the patriotic millionaires.
    3
  2179. BadEnough doesn't know the difference between freedom of movement and open borders. She is a bigger embarrassment than her party of failure.
    3
  2180. Always someone else's fault. "Huge challenges" that they exacerbated by leaving the Dublin accord and cutting border security personnel under Cameron's austerity.
    3
  2181. Another one bites the dust. Mad Nads crying again. Just go and shut up, Nads. Enough is enough.
    3
  2182. A plank talking about the planks of education policy. Such irony.
    3
  2183. Make solar panels mandatory on all new homes (with few technical exceptions?). The ambitious housing target is a great time to do what should have been done a decade or more ago.
    3
  2184.  @realhorrorshow8547  yes. I also read that somewhere. Knowing how our deals help other countries more than us, it would be logical.
    3
  2185.  @ab-ym3bf  I agree. Johnson hand picked a cabinet of vacuous puppets to achieve these ends though.
    3
  2186. Second homes for MPs are a disgrace, as are second jobs. Put them up in halls of residence while working in London.
    3
  2187. This morning I read that the EU found the existing checks of agricultural products unfit for purpose. It seems from the outside that the DUP are appealing to bigoted idiots to get votes. A mirror image of UKIP? Wonder if Foghorn Farage will join in and bugger things up?
    3
  2188. A fair analysis, Phil. Are Lord Gormless and Buffoon taking the EU for a ride? Or is the EU playing the long game, knowing they are winning trade? Don't forget that the majority in NI were against Brexit. It's only the bigots shouting for it. Meanwhile we are getting nearer to a united Ireland and a dismantled UK. This will be Buffoon's legacy.
    3
  2189. Evidence that the Tories clearly love scrutiny. Lol
    3
  2190. Anyone with knowledge of economics and the ability to apply critical thought would not vote Tory. They have repeatedly borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1947. As for Reform, the tinpot racists with a leader who said that Truss had delivered the best Conservative budget since 1986...we know where that would go for anyone but the richest 1%.
    3
  2191. She certainly had a point about taking gifts while continuing with the two child benefit cap and means testing the WFA. Driven by greed and power while crapping on the vulnerable?
    3
  2192. This is one such misfortune. Transitioning from Tory ineptitude to Deform UK.
    3
  2193. We can easily guess which category the cabinet members belong to.
    3
  2194. ​ @GeekfromYorkshire Really! You'll find that they have got it half done, and badly
    3
  2195. Government extols Global Britain, yet acts like Little England. An international joke.
    3
  2196. The pound has also fallen against the Euro. And for Brexiters, we still buy a lot from Europe and will pay more. Another own goal.
    3
  2197. What else would we expect with the worst possible leader at the worst possible time?
    3
  2198. ​ @chester6343 unfortunately your argument doesn't apply to the richest, when it should.
    3
  2199.  @davekelley4076  Your personal insults show desperation. Read the definition and spot the trends.
    3
  2200.  @davekelley4076  wow! Such a high level of debate. I know how to spell, just need to proof read typos after auto correct. I also know how to spell disparaging, and the meaning of the word.
    3
  2201. Frost's bizarre logic, supported by Sunak's dithering, is probably: let's stop people dying from cold by producing more dirty energy. 1) that same dirty energy would be sold on the world market for profit and would still be unaffordable for many. 2) The same dirty energy would exacerbate climate change and literally fuel more deaths from extreme heat. Now I question Sunak's claim about maths education and humbly suggest that we should teach critical thinking. It seems obvious that public schools teach lying, based on the performance of this inept cabal.
    3
  2202.  @I-am-theStorm  I understand about JC, but the 80 seat majority is commensurate with the votes AGAINST the Tories. That's not democracy. Too much infighting from Labour also contributed.
    3
  2203.  @imagecollections6665  how would JC and Diane Abbott have destroyed the UK with a costed economic plan? As for the difference in times, the global economic crash was also exceptional. So, yes, I can say that with figures to back it up.
    3
  2204. Because most are tenants. Did you miss the point: landowners rather than farmers.
    3
  2205. An ethical and moral guy!!?? This is a man with two fixed penalty notices (showing a disdain for rules) who promised integrity and professionalism. A man who persistently lies in the house of commons and expects his ministers to repeat glaring proven lies. A man who fails to answer a single question in parliament while resorting to petulant counter accusations. In short, a little spiv and a grifter.
    3
  2206. The support for Reform Limited is the result of desperation. They offer a home for the desperate and the hard-of-thinking because they get wall-to-wall media coverage. Gary and other progressives have a solution that no politician will touch for fear of upsetting the string-pullers. Gary explains the reform that would really benefit society. If only we had real democracy...
    3
  2207.  @agt155  So what? My comment was about Martin Lewis. JO'B was the enabler. Where is your evidence about his wealth? And how is your comment relevant at all? He runs one of the few programmes that holds the government to account.
    3
  2208. Labour simply needs to hammer the fact that Government is getting Brexit done BADLY. A simple line of attack with numerous examples.
    3
  2209.  @esecallum  Yes. He said he is a Muslim. So what? So are some of our best friends.
    3
  2210. No comment on brown envelopes. There should be an onus on local authorities to provide sufficient parking on a new development, instead of planners allowing builders to cram more housing for profit. Once again the government is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted and penalising the easy target: motorists.
    3
  2211. A clear and prescient analysis, as ever. The best description I read of Britain was a country that started on the road to democracy, went so far, then gave up. We live in an elective dictatorship, rather than a real democracy, and have ended up transitioning from the sociopathic to the manipulated incompetent. We desperately need PR.
    3
  2212.  @skinless333x2  The company is effectively hiring (or renting) a person's labour. Either word is transferable. Signing a contract is hardly comforting in the gig economy or when companies impose fire and rehire and Government fails to outlaw it.
    3
  2213. Yes. And the taper rate applies to a minority of UC claimants. Meanwhile the rest lose a measly £20 a week at a time if roaring (Brexit) inflation.
    3
  2214.  @garrywynne1218  read Vienna articles 26 and 27 again and stop trying to defend the indefensible.
    3
  2215. Great video. Not being overly materialistic after a fairly well-paid career, I feel pity for those who are so insecure that a car or clothes give them some kind of status. What does that say about confidence and self-belief? What does it say about priorities? To me, enjoyment starts by making the best of our abilities, and the most of our possessions. Why not strive to continuously develop the content of our personality, as the great Dr Martin Luther King said in a different context?
    3
  2216. ​​ @DavidEdwards-uf5lg Ah! Whataboutery. Did you know he's not in power?
    3
  2217. Who would have expected a serial liar, followed by two other leaders of the party of brigands, to fulfil manifesto promises? Even their three-word election slogan is not fulfilled, as we wait for the disruption of border checks and suffer the fallout daily.
    3
  2218. It seems that Starmer is afraid of his own shadow, or is it fear of Murdoch?
    3
  2219.  @EthanKristopherHartley  good point. Perhaps experts advising a people's assembly in the second house. Needs thought and alternative ideas.
    3
  2220. Yet that argument is amplified by the oligarch and Reform-kissing media. The cost of living and quality of life matter most to the majority.
    3
  2221. ​ @Noel-ji8nm  "Stomped home" with a minority (43.6%) vote share. Perhaps you should study maths, Noel. We live with an elective dictatorship.
    3
  2222.  @yorkiegilly4355  if there was supporting evidence of your vacuous comment, I would agree
    3
  2223. Democracy is a fantasy. In whose name is this happening with complicit support? We live in an oligarchy.
    3
  2224. Yes, we morphed from compassion to greed, heralded by Thatcher...there is no such thing as society. I see the stated aggression as control by the greediest and most sociopathic. Some such as President Moron, with his messiah complex, aspire to dictatorship.
    3
  2225. How?
    3
  2226. No. Gordon Brown does though
    3
  2227.  @viper_fan  Thankfully, mine hasn't changed colour...still current.
    3
  2228. Never expect a charlatan and convicted criminal to fulfill a promise.
    3
  2229. Ask your MP!!!
    3
  2230. It's been obvious to me for a many years that Tory values go beyond applauding ambition, they promote rampant greed. A party mired in corruption; waging a financial class war by making a common enemy of anyone that does not profit their interests; taking money from any source - irrespective of legality or morality. A cabal of brigands and charlatans - apparently above the law.
    3
  2231. That's a strange place to keep Sovereign Tea
    3
  2232. I sometimes toy with a hypothetical question: would Johnson have completed Brexit after Russia invaded Ukraine? If yes: either he is operationally incompetent or he wanted to hide his crap deal. If no, why complete it during a pandemic?
    3
  2233.  @bigkdog5091  I try to spell in English; not gibberish.
    3
  2234.  @indricotherium4802  Yes. I restricted my comments to Tory voters (rather than Tories per se) but your description is perhaps equally true of them.
    3
  2235. They have lied. Check the national debt by date. The Tories have been borrowing to increase the debt while imposing austerity.
    3
  2236. It's disappointing that the opposition fails to attack such incompetence and corruption. Campaigning lawyers and pressure groups do a better job but the oligarch press also props up the Tories.
    3
  2237. I'll forgive Starmer for wearing the gear because it p1ssed off the Torygraph. Just wish that he and his crowd would get a grip of modern economics (specifically MMT).
    3
  2238. To a Tory apologist minister, issues are always too complex and difficult. While most of us echo Basil Fawlty's words: specialist subject, bleeding obvious.
    3
  2239. The Convict has been buggering up the country since the day he failed upwards into power. I'm more concerned about getting rid of this government of charlatans than Johnson alone. If his demise helps that cause, that's great.
    3
  2240. What are they taking with them? Leaving their assets? Tax the assets, as Germany does, according to one comment. We could well win with cheaper housing if their asset prices fall.
    3
  2241. A copy of the prime minister. Refuse to go and blame others. A cabinet of incompetent charlatans.
    3
  2242. Sounds like the ultimate in ethical savings. Why not?
    3
  2243.  @Shagnasty1956  Then the process of manufacturing consent has worked. Respecting a human being for letting someone drown is a step on the road to excusing manslaughter. Your choice.
    3
  2244.  @liamc9425  such repartee. Guess you weren't a great pupil at school. Never too late to learn critical thinking and tolerance.
    3
  2245. Jess said everything about how populist scams work, with the scammers appealing to prejudice. Fartage and his crew live to exacerbate hatred by appealing to idiots for their own ends. They are not patriots and they do not represent any redeeming features of our broken country. They use mindless thugs to further their narcissistic intent on fascistic power.
    3
  2246. I love comeuppance. It doesn't put fuel in my tank but at least I can laugh while walking.
    3
  2247. Boris Johnson has no plan. He doesn't understand details. Just two simple rules on policy: the poor will be hit harder then the rich; and Tory funders and backers will get a bigger slice of the pie, with dodgy contracts.
    3
  2248. Such a brilliant insight: well researched, thorough and poignant. Who would have thought that government defies accounting convention and regular maths for its own political ends? Who would have thought that government can't be bothered to keep its accounts up-to-date? Who would have expected such opacity and deliberate confusion to hide reality? We are led by charlatans. Being led by donkeys would be an improvement.
    3
  2249. After completing the form I contacted our new Labour MP to comment on its prescriptive nature. Further requesting local consultation with citizens assemblies. Also my concern with outsourcing being pushed by Milburn; and the better alternative of listening to the manifesto proposed by Every Doctor (led by Dr Julia Grace Patterson).
    3
  2250. Allow me to support your post by adding a suggestion. Apart from the fact that our electoral system amounts to an elective dictatorship, with a minority-elected government holding a substantial parliamentary majority. After installing PR we could solve this matter (or at least mitigate it) by making a manifesto a binding contract - on the basis of reasonable endeavour. Anything outside the manifesto would be subject to a referendum, other than in a national emergency.
    3
  2251. ​ @PeterPete With a party enabled by an elective dictatorship.
    3
  2252. ​ @benwilson6145  meaning who?
    3
  2253. ​ robertholden3524 Here you go, craving free advertising. Reported
    3
  2254. ​ @arandmorgan I would even say that neoliberalism and financialisation have made the original form of capitalism seem like socialism. The spivs ensured that the poor voted for the rich to have even more. Now the myths are exposed.
    3
  2255. Good person how? His hubris knows no bounds. A total sociopath. What exactly are his good qualities?
    3
  2256. Starmer seems to work for the string-pullers and donors. He has the right chancellor to do that and consequently ends up with the wrong policies for the country
    3
  2257.  @Detector1977  Yes. They also believed in unicorns.
    3
  2258. Personally I don't blame the Qataris. The corruption starts with FIFA. Surely climate and the freedom of both players and fans (without the curtailment of liberty) are key factors in the hosting decision.
    3
  2259. Braverman: a raving lunatic in a cabinet of sociopaths.
    3
  2260. Brexit: a classic example of manufactured consent. Built on lies. Electoral rules reached. A campaign fuelled by dodgy funding. The shape of Leave shifting to a harder and more damaging result, after the vote. Dismissal of fact. Implementation by an incompetent and sociopathic wazzock. How could it get worse? We could let Truss loose in Northern Ireland.
    3
  2261. Starmer emulating Jeremy Corbyn's pledge and his takedown of Braverman was second only to Baroness Warsi in her interview on Sky.
    3
  2262. Yet he is in hock to Russian oligarchs. A bluffer with an oversized ego.
    3
  2263. And now the BBC has revealed that 17 schools had RAAC in 2010. The rebuilding funds were allocated by Labour then Gove put a red pen tbrough it. Never forget the "benefits" of austerity.
    3
  2264. A corrupt government in an elective dictatorship, leading our country towards fascism. Welcome to Global Britain.
    3
  2265. But we are not grabbing the opportunities, according to the Brexiters. No, we are handing them to the EU so they are more accessible in the single market. Who would have thought...?
    3
  2266. ​@Jethro-q6uWow! Advice from a pseudonym account. Don't think I'll take it since no justification is offered.
    3
  2267. Rob conclusively proving that a northern accent is hardest to imitate. I'm a northerner and struggle to imitate a Geordie accent. Lol
    3
  2268. Johnson: our great Churchillian buffoon. The international joke. The worst prime minister in modern history.
    3
  2269. The words proof and pudding trash your argument, which is based on opposite dogma
    3
  2270. If Johnson is judged on fantaay and entertainment, his writing may be applauded by some. If judged on fact, read Peter Oborne's Assault on Truth before judging.
    3
  2271. I can well understand the Tory obsession with the word "deliver". They certainly have done that: misery through austerity; serial lying; corruption; spaffing public money and operational mismanagement while exacerbating inequality.
    3
  2272. If we get growth through financialisation, we get even greater inequality. Perversely, inequality stifles growth. Whereas extra money in the pay packets of the majority spent in the local economy means the benefits are shared.
    3
  2273. Many are paid to manufacture consent for the Tories.
    3
  2274.  @XTSu-sl1bb  I told you to think for yourself. Try again then let me know. The clue to mine starts with a meeting in Mont Pelerin in 1947. Search for an article by George Monbiot on the subject and you will see why Eddie gave that speech.
    3
  2275.  @davidcolley7714  Not that old chestnut, David. Must I regurgitate the obvious Brexit counter argument. If you believe in democracy, you must accept the right to self-determination. Simple logic imo.
    3
  2276. "We've had enough of experts" and now we are in the mire.
    3
  2277. We may well be laughing at fascism with Trump and Musk, and the outcome of that...
    3
  2278. Thought the EU was expected to have broken up by now. Lol
    3
  2279.  @berniv7375  Here endeth the sermon of St Berni?
    3
  2280. Twaddle Without Any Thought.
    3
  2281.  @noohoozfurra  thank you. We need to do what we can to call these charlatans out.
    3
  2282. Her excuse to the committee chair was, you keep asking me the same questions. Not bright enough to realise, that's because she can't answer a single one. The Tories set a low bar on operational competence, yet Braverman is below the level of abysmal.
    3
  2283. Ian being polite about the fact that Farage knows how to appeal to idiots. It's far easier to appeal to prejudice than to persuade with logic.
    3
  2284.  @lynnlovattjones4171  too busy manufacturing consent
    3
  2285.  @tomasa-m5643  in one sense, yes. The wrong time for the oligarchs with real power. But will there ever be a right time for anyone challenging their greed?
    3
  2286. In reality it was. There was no legislation to change the fact that parliament is sovereign. I believe in hindsight that Labour made a mistake in honouring the vote until the electoral commission had investigated fouls. There were two: exceeding a spending cap and misuse of personal data.
    3
  2287. Another example of Brexit showing the importance of Global Britain. Back in your box, Moggie.
    3
  2288. Or a bucket, to water it down and sell it at inflated profit.
    3
  2289.  @drakehound2244  absolutely true. Our government couldn't organise the proverbial
    3
  2290. Starmer is the embodiment of what the powerful will allow us. Transformative policies are simply disallowed by those who pull the strings of our elective dictatorship. We live in Brierfield and the Labour councillors have been particularly helpful. Party politics erode democracy at local level (imo) and we should vote for the best people as our representatives. At national level, we need tactical voting while suffering this undemocratic FPTP system.
    3
  2291. ​ @RobinHarris-nf4yv wait for the budget before saying that. In the meantime, ask pensioners. We need investment, and not tax and spend. Otherwise austerity becomes embedded by the neoliberal lie of tax and spend.
    3
  2292.  @trytellingthetruth.2068  I've answered your comment that included context. Saw the short one first. I must say, your idea of "truth" is novel. About as accurate as resorting to the treasury note. Neoliberalism and Financialisation are the underlying causes. As for the Tory years, the lie of austerity to exacerbate inequality kicks in and leaves us ill-prepared for a pandemic.
    3
  2293. Quite telling that Reform UK is SHOUTED. Hardly the party of rational thought - Farage has always appealed to the hard of thinking. (Remeber Brexit...no longer his fault...)
    3
  2294. That's the principle of blackmail. Who is leaving? And what are they taking with them? Just vague accusations and no answers. We can't tax the rich, blah, blah...pathetic!
    3
  2295. Yes. It's ironic that the party of lies and obfuscation claims to be so "clear"
    3
  2296. Theresa May deliberately mispronounced her explanation: "Brexit means Brexshit." The EU planned and were prepared. We, on the other hand, just denied reality. Global Britain is the sickest international joke.
    3
  2297.  @redboyjan  "they" meaning just 43.6% of voters, resulting in a parliamentary majority because of our elective dictatorship.
    3
  2298.  @canuck3169  Grow up. He's not stupid enough to fall for that. He recruits rent-a-thug, alerted by social media. Is it a coincidence that the thugs are never far away? Protecting a cenotaph from what?
    3
  2299. ​ @primeministerelec  not all in hotels. Only used because the Home Office fails to process claims and the dozen camps are full. As for soldiers, why does the mainstream media fail to report this while fixating on dinghies? We should certainly look after ex service people.
    3
  2300.  @markdean3401  if not big enough to apologise, find a lame excuse.
    3
  2301. Never a single tangible benefit. Only ideological rhetoric that can't be substantiated. (Eg. "Freedom" resulting in more paperwork at borders) The greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    3
  2302. Great video. We now know for sure that the Daily Mail officially qualifies as gutter press.
    3
  2303. Looking forward to Perth?
    3
  2304. "Get Brexit done" said Johnson, and he got only part of it done BADLY. A paltry reward to those who voted for a slogan-spouting vacuous buffoon.
    3
  2305.  @charlessandoval3382  I'm for an elected house of lords as well as PR instead of our elective dictatorship
    3
  2306.  @billybatts8283  learn the definition of the word exacerbate. That's the Brexit effect here. Compounding our problems.
    3
  2307. This Tory government is best summarised in a single word, coined by Angela Rayner but subsequently withdrawn - as hard truth incorrectly often is for the protection of the establishment. The party of SCUM.
    3
  2308.  @keplermission4947  Yes. Must remember to tug my forelock for the useless b'stard. While he takes the rip out of all of us.
    3
  2309. Dizzy Lizzy is all about growth. She means what she says: growth in inequality, the growing wealth of the rich; and growth in the number and the severity of Tory lies.
    3
  2310.  @vxicepickxv  ironic that many Tories revere Adam Smith as an advocate of the free market. The dilemma is, we face a rigged market.
    3
  2311.  @colinsmith8891  no, Colin. We bale out their cock ups while energy companies fund their dodgy campaigns and keep them in power.
    3
  2312.  @Redsleather  likewise
    3
  2313.  @baabaabaa2293  Yes. The distortion of fact for the purpose of manufacturing consent.
    3
  2314. ​ @Urbanhunter49  How and why? Did I just dream that real incomes increased by over 12% during the last Labour government, yet have declined by 3% with the 12 years of Tory mismanagement?
    3
  2315. ​ @bhaktimak8091  And that would be?
    3
  2316. The coincidence of a serial liar exposing a little spiv is hilarious. Great to see the Tories in free-fall.
    3
  2317. An absolutely revealing and informative interview with a man of intelligence and responsibility. I've always believed that the police have a difficult job, doing something that most of us couldn't cope with.
    3
  2318. HS2 was always a vanity project and the financial case did not stack up. We need better cross country links, instead of transport being London centric.
    3
  2319.  @martinthehibby9305  spot on Martin. We need to reform parliamentary standards as well as the voting system. Westminster is simply unfit for purpose.
    3
  2320. I agree with your take on history, prof. The greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    3
  2321. Good to learn that the rules also apply to BMWs lol.
    3
  2322. The only Brexit benefits are to be found in the bank accounts of disaster capitalists.
    3
  2323. A competition of ineptitude versus idiocy. When in doubt, resort to more extreme fascism.
    3
  2324. When Johnson says he has a plan, he means making it up as he goes along. He is never proactive. All government policies fall under the category of being seen to do something. Their usual trick is to quote large sums of expenditure, relatively smaller than before , but then who will know? Or bother to find out?
    3
  2325. I could tell you a few war stories, but I was only a few months old when it ended lol
    2
  2326. ​ @robertsmith9810  wow! And you think the Tories have produced a successful PM in the last 13 years?
    2
  2327. "Swift and decisive action" from Sunak yet none of the ministers can bring themselves to say the relevant word and call Anderson's words what they were: islamophobic. Take ownership; take responsibility; stop lying.
    2
  2328.  @stewie7338  "Remainers" have become rejoiners because they can do maths. Whereas Reform supporters let a Trump-worshipping charlatan do their thinking for them.
    2
  2329. An expensive (65 billion) distraction that we will all end up paying for. Same Tory arrogance; different day.
    2
  2330. Wow! We keep finding these brexit benefits and people are surprised that British exceptionalism was a myth.
    2
  2331. Farage has only one skill set: the ability to appeal to idiots through spouting bile. Put him under pressure and expect him to do something useful: and the disaster he sows is someone else's fault.
    2
  2332. I wish. Sadly there are many delusional people, the intellectually lazy, the jingoistic idiots who will still support this cabal of morons.
    2
  2333. ​ @rogerwilco2  Nail on head there, Roger. To quote Lord Hailsham, we operate an elective dictatorship (which by definition is NOT DEMOCRACY)
    2
  2334. It was one vote, yet ironically it could not have been fulfilled with a fit democratic parliamentary system. Not only did the Brexit campaign break electoral rules, it needed a minority elected government (with a 43.6% vote share giving an 80 seat majority) to complete an act of ineptitude for the benefit of disaster capitalists and tax avoiders. I asked an additional question in the referendum: did I trust our government of charlatans to take back control? The lesson for each of us is simple: never trust a Tory.
    2
  2335. Wow! Is that irony? Tommy ten-names is a fascist, not a patriot.
    2
  2336. Whom would you rank first?
    2
  2337. Are they Trump's peacekeepers?
    2
  2338. Sunak is to economics what Hannibal Lecter is to cuisine. His pretence that public sector pay fuels inflation and his failure to distinguish between borrowing to fill holes and for targeted investment is risible. Perhaps he missed the economics module in his (alleged) MBA. The man is a little spiv playing at leadership.
    2
  2339. The Tories have successfully turned Britain into an economic sh1thole for the majority. Their planned incompetence knows no bounds.
    2
  2340. Perhaps we should reserve the CA mark for the quality of sh1t in rivers. Classic British comedy.
    2
  2341.  @IcyWun  not aware of those interviews. As you say, done great work in the past.
    2
  2342.  @atheosmachina  OMG. You have a jaundiced view of society. Not everyone is primarily motivated by money. Some hard working people are motivated by helping others and making a contribution to society. They also deserve the odd glass of champagne imo. We need balance and intervention to achieve general prosperity. The neoliberal model has failed the majority, as was intended. It is being shown as unfit for purpose in these turbulent times. The term champagne socialist is both trite and vacuous imo. It shows a lack of imagination and intellect. Btw "any socialist country..." Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland. Not exactly bankrupt. Furthermore, socialism isn't against the profit incentive. It ensures that the people are engaged in society and are rewarded equitably. In short, a balanced economy.
    2
  2343.  @TobyDogger  bollocks. You are conflating communism with socialism. Check the difference. Since when have we aspired to become China? Scandinavian countries have a mixed economy, which is what all of our politicians have supported in the last 50 years. Just a difference in balance, with socialism giving more power to the people and reward to the many through equality of opportunity. I note a pseudonym account, which is consistent with your muddled thinking.
    2
  2344.  @TobyDogger  depends what you mean by socialist. A parliament with a socialist majority follows such policies. Communism is distinctly different and in many cases is not democratic. Our system is not a meritocracy that magically rewards hard work. It has become neoliberal and has shown unfit for purpose when hit by war and a virus.
    2
  2345. The Tories are the party of mayhem and incompetence. The cost-benefit case for HS2 never stacked up; it was dependent on a tenuous valuation of extra capacity and the budget was unrealistic. We needed HS3 before HS2, as cross-country routes are most desperately in need of improvement. The Tories certainly excel at spaffing public money on useless projects.
    2
  2346. Time for a new reserve currency. Especially if President Moron wins this battle.
    2
  2347. She wrote a paper! That must have been a short one: the Tory ideals of human rights wouldn't fill a page.
    2
  2348. Hardly surprising that such a contemptible and contemptuous wazzock is found guilty of contempt.
    2
  2349. "Failings." That should be in the Guinness book of records for classic understatement.
    2
  2350. A murderous cabal is my best summation of this government. Throwing a ring of protection around care homes (a blatant lie,) faulty PPE, failure to close our borders early. All resulted in excess deaths during the pandemic and we clapped for medical staff while they risked their lives. Now the Tories hide behind an independent pay body for which the set the terms of reference and the available budget. A cabal of liars, determined to dismantle the NHS and give health care to their backers and string-pullers. What must they do to be guilty of treason?
    2
  2351.  @jonathandonley3299  The disparity between "never" and "a very long time" gives us some hope for the future. Never say never. But, yes, a long time and a change of attitude.
    2
  2352. Spaffer and Spiv were quite a team. One playing the congenial buffoon while the other engaged in opaque dealings. Spiv then moved on to promise integrity, professionalism and accountability while delivering dishonesty, incompetence and opacity. Tory scum personified.
    2
  2353. My default view is: never trust a Tory. The fact that they are losing the PR battle, however, may change their attitude. The underlying dynamics are: the least trusted profession taking on the most trusted.
    2
  2354. We indeed have a "special relationship" with America. That relationship is unequal. (Just like a slave has a special relationship with their owner.) Anyone believing otherwise is niave enough to think "little Britain" is an equal partner with the most powerful nation in the world. Trump may seem stupid, yet he is smart enough to use our inbred arrogance.
    2
  2355. Farage is so successful in appealing to idiots, he gets them as candidates. Please remember, however, that it's never old Nige's fault, he is always the victim.
    2
  2356. This is Israel taking "immediate and effective measures". Spreading unverified propaganda swallowed by the West. The timing of this accusation is a big clue: immediately after the ICJ statement. The most notable terrorism is perpetrated by Israel. It's called state terrorism. I'm disgusted by our government and the main opposition party leadership.
    2
  2357. The truth exposed: a sham consultation to enable private profiteering from an inferior public service. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    2
  2358.  @AngelsOfAresED  good point. I guess their excuse is that someone else is stopping them delivering their perfect Brexit. But since they have "taken back control," that argument falls flat. Unfortunately not many will ask the same question you raised...too busy in denial.
    2
  2359. Since when did it become acceptable for the sixth richest country to treat so many of its citizens like this? Perhaps when Thatcher declared 'there is no such thing as society?' Tory scum.
    2
  2360.  @nancyjackson3909  not all the same. That's intellectual laziness
    2
  2361. Highly illuminating and interesting. In many respects financial capitalism supports neoliberalism, as rules have been abandoned to allow a free-for-all. Professor Bill Mitchell distinguishes between the Real Economy and.the financial markets that allow instruments such as futures and derivatives - the latter of which enabled the financial crash. In old economic textbooks money had three purposes: a means of exchange; a means of storing wealth; and a means of accounting. Financial capitalism gives money a life of its own and it becomes the ultimate instrument of control. We need regulation and control to reduce inequality. As you point out, the law enables this form of exploitation. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Your videos are inspirational.
    2
  2362. It's not Truss; it's the Tory election machine. Focus on that - anticipate the dirty tricks; be firm and clear. Strategists making work for themselves?
    2
  2363. Ironic that we have to look to America for such accurate reporting. After Thatcher declared Blair as her major success, Starmer is repeating the trick by embracing Tory (and the Tory-launched the OBR's) fiscal rules. More division; more inequality; more oxygen for the idiot supporters of the far right. Hard to be optimistic for our future prospects.
    2
  2364. "I get it and I've listened." Too late after the event, with £65 billion wasted. Listening and thinking things through BEFORE taking action is what we should expect if the Tories were half competent.
    2
  2365.  @grtcara8386  what a strange statement. First, I'm retired. Second and most important, you have illustrated the benefit of collective bargaining. It's why we have unions.
    2
  2366.  @ianchisholm5756  a good example of why critical thinking should be taught in schools.
    2
  2367. Absolutely true. With politicians more intent on deflection and misdirection, using the minutiae of meaningless detail to achieve it. With an oligarch media manufacturing consent. With disengagement in politics, largely because of our elective dictatorship where votes are unequal. With corporate lobbyists and opaque think tanks pulling the strings of government while voters are placated or ignored. Our country regresses into a third world cesspit with despair winning over optimism. We need positive change.
    2
  2368. Smart borders by the dumbest government in recent history?
    2
  2369. ​ @Nickelodeon81 Which Will would that be? Will Scarlet or Will I Am?
    2
  2370. Wow! That background picture! Is Johnson moonlighting? I'm so used to seeing him in a high vis jacket, I thought he had a new job. Or yet another photo op?
    2
  2371. Vacuous and shallow. As much use as a tin vessel. The Tories have actually found someone more useless than Johnson.
    2
  2372.  @stu281  what! Is that an attempt at comedy? A government that adores the free market yet is against freedom of movement when it suits their ulterior motives. Neoliberal acolytes who now blame employers for paying low wages. So we stop freedom of movement while ignoring an impact assessment called Operation Yellowhammer, which clearly warned of this disaster yet the government tried to hide it. I'm no fan of globalization - it's a neoliberal race to the bottom -but Global Britain is ready to take advantage while making a total cock of Brexit.
    2
  2373.  @prout7569  yes, I'm aware that JC was originally against the EU. He supported remain because he couldn't trust the Tories to deliver a responsible brexit, which has proven to be the case. The way to stop poverty wages is to impose a real living wage. If we allow the unregulated market to set pay, fair pay will give way to supply and demand. We had the choice of a two year moratorium on freedom of movement with the EU, but failed to delay it until we could police the illegal use of labour. We habitually blame others for government incompetence.
    2
  2374.  @smokego4808  total fantasy. Ask the Scottish fisherman, who have lost out on Brexit. They are either sailing the extra distance to Norway to get a decent price or stopping sales to the EU because of the extra cost. As for Article 16, it relates solely to the NI protocol and only allows adjustment for a specific reason. Lord Gormless doesn't understand it and deliberately misquotes it in a poor attempt at bravado. The fishing industry has been sold down the river and are accusing Johnson of betrayal. Cornwall is further losing £100million a year in EU funding,.replaced by £5m a year from Johnson's cabal. Own goal there, sorry!
    2
  2375.  @Noel-ji8nm  News alert for the troll: he's not in power.
    2
  2376.  @Noel-ji8nm  So how can dictatorship work when not in power? Just stop trolling with nonsense.
    2
  2377. Spot on! PR should be front and centre, along with cleaning up political standards (second jobs, conflict of interest, etc) Without PR we don't have democracy, we have an elective dictatorship. Labour won't win a working majority in the present system. Accept reality and move on.
    2
  2378. The danger and lunacy of the sunset clause in the Retained EU Law Bill is being exposed by Which? The lengths these disaster capitalists and tax avoiders will go to after we supported 95% of EU laws shows the fallacy of the brexit argument and the extent of the con. This week we have been unable to get necessary medicines (bringing back another memory of project fear) and the whole country is falling apart around us. Personally, I could never trust this cabal of charlatans to take back control and, like most of us, live with the consequences. It would be great to see a political party with some cajones and effective PR. Otherwise the swivel-eyed loons will fill the media space yet again.
    2
  2379. Jeremy is right on so many levels. Particularly inequality, which Gary Stevenson (a successful ex-financial trader) maintains is killing the economy. Who do our politicians speak for? So many speak for the richest and most powerful.
    2
  2380. That's why we need PR.
    2
  2381. Truss has no answers because she believes in the Britannia Unchained fallacy. Let the market rip, privatise everything and accelerate the rate of inequality. Tax cuts simply don't stimulate growth. Investment in the country does. This airhead is even more dangerous than Johnson. The ERG's wet dream.
    2
  2382.  @David.attenbruh  Love the humour. Her vacuous application of economics was hardly intelligent. She was certainly funny, because she believed the rubbish she spouted.
    2
  2383.  @SammyInnit  thanks. I thought that was the case. Sometimes the linking of replies goes wrong, I've had a similar experience.
    2
  2384. As someone who drove many miles in my work, I found rubber-neckers (even without a phone) equally hazardous.
    2
  2385. Paint a picture of alternate reality and expect the gullible to swallow the crap. That's integrity, professionalism and accountability for you.
    2
  2386. Fiat currency having backing and a reliable promise to pay. Spot the difference?
    2
  2387. Selling off water was nothing less than treason imo. Thatcher and her neoliberal agenda became a race to the bottom, as it persuaded the poor to vote for the rich to have more. Time to regain the state, but who is brave enough?
    2
  2388.  @ianthomas739  Totally agree. We have a government stoking division to hide their incompetence.
    2
  2389. First, we need real democracy, fit governance and accountability. Also stop corporate political funding. Then, yes, in economic management we need a larger state. The state being there to prop up corporate failures is socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. The "free market" is rigged in reality.
    2
  2390. Brexit: the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. The government afraid to admit it; northern mayor's attempting to mitigate it. At least some are showing realism. Brexiters waffling on about WTO without understanding it and living in unicorn land. Britain is broken.
    2
  2391. The adverse effect on the car industry was even explained in Cameron's Comic. (His Noddy guide to EU benefits.) Does anyone remember the response? Project Fear?
    2
  2392.  @isidroramos1073  good comment.
    2
  2393. Desperate times call for desperate idiocy: enter the haunted pencil.
    2
  2394.  @taffyman6089  I agree. We wouldn't be trusted at present. Would be a medium term aim.
    2
  2395. Perhaps you called it out before the law was passed, when used as an excuse against Just Stop Oil and other environmental protests. Amazing how we complain when it affects the hard right. Unfortunately there is a precedent with poor misunderstood Tommy: Wherever he goes, rent-a-thug follows.
    2
  2396. After turning right???
    2
  2397.  @stephengraham1153  I also read it the same way
    2
  2398. To conflate democracy with sovereignty is ironic, when we have an undemocratic system that functions as an elective dictatorship. To mention the two words in the same breath illustrates British hypocrisy.
    2
  2399. The very window dressing you would expect from Hunt, the chief psychopath. Helping the 1% with their pension pot. Jam tomorrow for those who need childcare. A 9 billion tax benefit to the larger companies under the pretence of encouraging capital investment. The Tory credo of lower taxes encouraging growth is economic illiteracy, proven by history as record growth happened with higher taxation. Meanwhile tax freepay is frozen so we all suffer, as the average pay in real terns won't return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027 (according to the government's own statistical body) Enough is enough.
    2
  2400. According to Johnson, our Brexit glass is always half full even after him draining it, with the contents sloshing in his stomach.
    2
  2401. Learn to distinguish fact from rubbish
    2
  2402. The real threat imo is neoliberalism: the promise that the free market will fix everything. The neoliberals love to quote Adam Smith, who wrote his Wealth of Nations when economies were smaller and globalisation was a non-event. Most competition is now distorted (being unequal) and is further rigged by financialisation. The modern model exacerbates inequality with the lie of trickle-down. A means of persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. Richard does some great work and I enjoy his clarity of thought. A great video
    2
  2403. Perhaps we will see a second reserve currency to scupper America's exclusive advantage.
    2
  2404. Totally agree with your reasoning but would change the emphasis in campaigning. Delivering democracy and cleaning up politics should be the central message Political reform should come front and centre: including PR and tightening parliamentary standards to prohibit second jobs and dark funding and thus remove the conflict of interest. Labours last manifesto alluded to the second part, yet they failed to campaign for it.
    2
  2405.  @creativecascades1328  listen to the interview. Where is your creativity going now? Blaming JO'B for Johnson's misdemeanours?
    2
  2406. More conclusive proof of Johnson's lies and narcissism. When will the electorate waken up? Perhaps when we see his lies and incompetence exposed by the opposition?
    2
  2407. Deform UK Ltd is the answer only if you are incapable of critical thinking.
    2
  2408. Hardly surprising that the oligarch owned media is supporting the very party that failed to implement Leveson. Of course they did... truth and transparency are not in their interest.
    2
  2409.  Vova Putin  thankfully you don't make that decision. Good luck
    2
  2410.  @Jonnythebaker  not much chance of meeting your aspirations with Buffoon's government, John. We need real democracy and fundamental reform. As for Thatcher, the servant of neoliberalism, don't get me started.
    2
  2411.  @Jonnythebaker  John, I don't have the time for long text. What are you talking about when you suggest the single currency nearly bankrupted us? Also about monetary control? Please bear in mind I qualified in degree-level economics and your comments are fallacious. We kept our own currency with a sovereign right to issue money. As for NI. We signed an agreement, failed to implement it, continually bleat about it after the EU has shown flexibility, and our inept and lying government blames the EU. The OBR (the government's own department) has projected the cost of Brexit and commons committees struggle to find a single benefit. Meanwhile, NI stays in the single market and prospers. This was the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. We will never agree on the matter, so good luck finding the promised Unicorns. I despair for my grandchildren who will have to live with the crap.
    2
  2412.  @Jonnythebaker  yes will need it. Enjoy your baking, as I resume my love of photography tomorrow.
    2
  2413. ​ @BENTWOONEZERO who mentioned suing voters?
    2
  2414.  @BENTWOONEZERO  That's a party, not the electorate
    2
  2415. Yes, it has changed since the brexit vote because a tribal division was their best hope of power after failed austerity. When you end up with turds in a cesspit, whoever rises to the top will be a turd.
    2
  2416. Deform UK. The party appealing to the desperate and idiotic. They would remove YOUR human rights and dismantle OUR NHS.
    2
  2417. "I have not seen..." says the American politician turning a blind eye. Meanwhile our politicians equate self-defence with mass slaughter. Israel is the real terrorist: a terrorist state. Our political leaders are cowardly thugs in suits.
    2
  2418. Jeremy was proved to be right by the Russia Report. He consistently fights for peace and reconciliation and accepts that there are two sides to everything. Such a danger to the powerful that he was smeared to promote a sociopathic buffoon.
    2
  2419. A difficult decision for the Tories: finding a diamond from a crock of sh1t. Come election time, they can always depend on their innate sense of survival and dodgy smear campaigns. (No mention of Alok Sharma?)
    2
  2420. Seems like a conflict of interest. A bit like trusting an MP to answer a question honestly. Lol
    2
  2421. ​ @adamstanford2549 I suspect not...too busy changing the President's and VP's nappies (or diapers).
    2
  2422. We simply CANNOT trust the Tories with any public services. These useless buggers were voted in by a minority (43.6% vote share) and act like tinpot dictators in our pretence at democracy.
    2
  2423. "Let me finish!" (I must deliver my script.) The war cry of puppet ministers in a government of operational incompetence.
    2
  2424. It would be hard to get what he wanted from Brexit, when brexit wasn't defined then Johnson slammed an oven-ready deal in the microwave. That said, he will probably find a way of mitigating tax and screwing his employees.
    2
  2425. A perfect example of needing PR is this brexit mess. Although 52% voted for brexit, it took a minority-elected government (with a 43.6% vote sharing giving an 80 seat parliamentary majority) to deliver a half-baked act of self-harm.
    2
  2426. The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable, as Oscar Wilde once said. Humour hiding inhumanity and Labour should do the job properly this time.
    2
  2427. Andrew Neil; Alan Sugar. Neither of them sacked.
    2
  2428. How? You need to explain that bullshit
    2
  2429. ​ @Sjb-on5xt Don't worry. No need for the note. They'll just borrow more money then blame Labour
    2
  2430. Outsourcing is not abdication.
    2
  2431.  @ruthwhall3020  I agree. As a pensioner who would never vote Tory, I wonder if they suffer from Daily Fail addiction.
    2
  2432. The triple lock: a manifesto commitment broken in 2022. Hunt the proverbial wishes to continue that precedent. Never trust a Tory.
    2
  2433. Newsflash! Nadine Dories is responsible for counting the votes. Will she mysteriously end up as PM?
    2
  2434. You have made me see the semicolon in a new light. Good luck, professor. Stay safe and well.
    2
  2435. Enough is enough. Unregulated free market capitalism has left so many living on the edge, one pay cheque from poverty, so profit can be maximised and shareholders can take a dividend. It's fragility is exposed. Tory ideology is a sham, supported by a plethora of lies and a compliant media. We have suffered them too long.
    2
  2436. So you judge the validity of his argument from a point of personal prejudice. Don't join the legal profession. I humbly recommend a course in critical thinking.
    2
  2437. We've had enough of experts. Where have I heard that before? A government afraid of scrutiny.
    2
  2438. Trump has turned America into a lawless country and government into a sh1t-show.
    2
  2439. I wonder if the Tory sh1trags are campaigning for the implementation of Leveson, and the commissioning of Leveson 2? Lol. Both are well overdue.
    2
  2440. If so may "external factors" are outside government control and they show inadequate intervention, we must question their competence or their choices. Either way, they should resign. But this is a Tory government in an elective dictatorship. Welcome to Global Britain.
    2
  2441. The Tories will continue to replace idiots with morons because they can. They are working towards a one party state. Their campaigns use fake websites, a plethora of lies and deceit. Labour should campaign to deliver democracy and clean up the political system, front and centre. Expose the Tories dodgy contracts and use of fascist methods as well as their crappy track record. That, in my opinion, is campaigning for real change.
    2
  2442. It would be hilarious to see Tommy sharing a cell with Foghorn Farage. The ultimate battle of egos.
    2
  2443. At least 30p Lee takes the heat from the little spiv (Sunak) who can stay in his bunker.
    2
  2444.  @joeyclarkejoey6212  to become a banana republic without the bananas.
    2
  2445.  @smoosview6103  not what I read and understand.
    2
  2446. Personally I always question pseudonym accounts and give them less credence. This is after experiencing their content ... often extreme: either vacuous rhetoric or irrelevant shape-shifting verbosity. Perhaps someone will disabuse my perception.
    2
  2447.  @pollyparrot8759  fair enough. I'm sure your posts are lucid. In which case I would certainly answer you. Thanks for sharing.
    2
  2448. When Johnson says "we are on your side," he is addressing Tory donors and the financial elite. Anyone else who believes this proven serial liar, must be devoid of critical thinking or just plainly stupid.
    2
  2449. Would we have had Brexit without Russian interference and if electoral rules had been followed? A rhetorical question and here is another: did Brexiters commit treason? Just asking questions.
    2
  2450. HS2: offering conclusive proof that the Tories can't manage a p1ss-up in a brewery.
    2
  2451.  @steveparker8065  Good stuff, Steve. Great to hear from you.
    2
  2452. Raab was skewered by Angela R, who used damning facts, only for Raab to resort to lies. Raab genuinely earns the description of Tory scum.
    2
  2453. The joy of an elective dictatorship heading towards fascism on the only express train running - the train of Tory corruption.
    2
  2454. The conservatives have earned a five word slogan, which should be mandatory on all of their literature and in any form of presentation. Tories don't give a sh1t. Led by a serial lair and incompetent buffoon; staying above the law, by excusing a criminal act. Johnson has not even heard that ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law. He just expects his supporters to excuse him while he robs them blind.
    2
  2455. Great research, Lowkey. A few decades ago, my grandad had a crude but accurate expression that neatly summarises such power and corruption: 'they all p1ss in the same pot." Following the money is very instructive.
    2
  2456.  @chatham43  "Moaning!" The only ones left in this state are the Brexit apologists. I simply differentiate fact from fiction.
    2
  2457. Sorry. Fails on the heading for me. They were allegedly "defending" it from a fictitious event, so because it didn't need defending, they committed acts of aggression. That's what tiresome thugs do.
    2
  2458. The facts are obvious to anyone applying critical thinking. THE TORIES CAN'T BE TRUSTED WITH PUBLIC SERVICES. It's as simple as that.
    2
  2459. ​ @dub604 Actually 43.6% of verified votes for the Tories. Yet your figure ignores the turnout and relates to the voting population.
    2
  2460.  @NECinho  true. That would certainly be the case if we had real democracy instead of our elective dictatorship.
    2
  2461. Wonder which Abba songs were most appropriate? Money, money, money... Spaffed away? Waterloo.. Johnson has met his Waterloo?
    2
  2462. Food AND medicine shortages. So much for Project Fear and having enough of experts. Who trusted Johnson to take back control?
    2
  2463.  @terrysmith5168  perhaps you will explain how it was true and face the legal action. Step up and be a coward like Johnson
    2
  2464.  @dm32904  Yes. The hangover of the Neoliberal delusion.
    2
  2465. Good to see Labour being proactive. Captain Foresight and his team?
    2
  2466. Starmer should certainly make an example of this whinging little spiv, showing his unfitness and propensity to lie. My guess is, he won't.
    2
  2467. Yes. Still they allow wiggle room by regulating the unit price while allowing companies to significantly increase the daily supply charge. The market is broken.
    2
  2468. REMEMBER!!! The government would love you to blame the farmers. It's called misdirection. Who was going to "take back control"?
    2
  2469.  @L9MN4sTCUk  Yes. Thanks, I forgot that. We have family in Australia and I love the country and the Aussie humour.
    2
  2470. Classic government seeking to "alleviate pressure" in a crisis of their making. The Tories are seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough.
    2
  2471. The Fail: the epitome of investigative journalism, for idiots.
    2
  2472. A government distracted by looking the wrong way - towards Rwanda.
    2
  2473.  @andresvillarreal9271  Good points...you speak from experience.
    2
  2474. Reform UK... for the worse. Bile and rhetoric over fact. Surprising how it appeals to idiots or the mentally lazy.
    2
  2475. Hardly reassuring to learn that the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime was caused by our useless politicians when one of my reasons for voting remain was: could I trust this shower to take back control? Foghorn Farage is so transparent and obvious; why does he get air time?
    2
  2476. The YT interview of Farage by James O'Brien is well worth watching. 10 years ago but still revealing. The fascistic charlatan should also be judged on his record... Brexit; sciving his way though life as an MEP...
    2
  2477. A catalogue of lies. Lying about the benefits - speaking out against them was project fear. Lying about the consequences - shifting blame by deflection to the pandemic and Putin. Lying about the unicorns - we just aren't believing enough; be patient it will take a couple of decades (didn't see that on a bus.) One lie covering the consequences of another. New day, bigger lie. It's what Tories do.
    2
  2478. No. They're only interested in any protestors.
    2
  2479. Sit down, prime minister, until you have something sensible to say. Johnson spent the rest of his parliamentary time seated.
    2
  2480. Lord Gormless should take note: the agreement made no provision for British exceptionalism.
    2
  2481. Yes, Brexit was masked by the pandemic... DELIBERATELY. The operational incompetence of completing brexit during a pandemic was the choice of a serial liar and charlatan who could conveniently blame his crap brexit arrangement on the pandemic.
    2
  2482. In spite of all this evidence, we have a government in denial and Brexiters still trying to order their sovereign tea. Hardly surprising after I asked so many people: could you trust a government that can't organise a p1ss-up in a brewery to take back control?
    2
  2483. The Tories simply can't be trusted with the NHS. Kick them out if you want a working and affordable health system.
    2
  2484. Same wiffle waffle, different day
    2
  2485.  @geoffpoole483  very true. To state the same legal standing is cuckoo land stuff. Interviewers can also read reactions.
    2
  2486. With the ERG on one side and the DUP on the other, Little Spiv could be mincemeat. Tomorrow is a other day.
    2
  2487. Trump picks the best people. Lol. Vance is a registered f'kwit.
    2
  2488. Yes. Vote for the people who helped create this abject mess and wouldn't recognise a plan if it bit them in the anus. I'm all for wasting a vote and pandering to mindless populism.
    2
  2489. ​ @manoo422 Remember, Labour is not in power. How exactly does this qualify as a tsunami? Where is your considered and quantified evidence? What do you consider to be the root cause?
    2
  2490.  @charlessandoval3382  well, Charles, you haven't answered my question but to get back to your original point: Pragmatism is about getting things done and approach and methodology. It's not the essence of democracy because a dictator can be pragmatic.
    2
  2491.  @pablosaintmarr3223  totally agree. I agreed with Lord Hailsham, who described our system an elective dictatorship. Yes, the devolved parliaments have a diluted form of PR, which is more democratic.
    2
  2492. History repeats itself: blame Liverpool. Remember Hillsborough. At least our media are not complicit.
    2
  2493.  @johnwormley5161  I'm not a politician, hence never in power. Disparaging my intelligence without facts shows who is acting dumb. I won't quote my qualifications or experience, you prefer to listen to rhetoric anyway. Good luck with your delusion.
    2
  2494.  @johnwormley5161  prove those allegations. Corbyn was NOT an antisemite. Total bullshit. Where is your evidence.
    2
  2495.  @johnwormley5161  believe the lies if you wish. We did have a say as one of the three largest partners. You obviously think increased poverty is worth losing the alleged rules for. Only to give in to other countries for crap trade deals. Name one dictat or rule that harmed us. Btw I'm not called Jock. Should I call you Worm? Or shall we stay with adult conversation?
    2
  2496. I propose a new party for this alignment, named FWF (The party of f*c*wits and fascists)
    2
  2497. Hardly surprising from a party funded by business. Wherever there is corruption, the Tories are never far away.
    2
  2498. This is why Brexit was BrexSHIT. Never let a cabal of morons take back control.
    2
  2499. I believe it was Robert Kennedy who suggested that GDP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile. It also estimates, rather than measures it, which makes the slogan of growth even more vacuous. Perhaps Starmer is in thrall to the private sector because of sponsorships and donations. Stop corporate and oligarch funding and this suspicion will be addressed.
    2
  2500. Adopting "some socialism" will always be a short term act from Tories. Obscene austerity and a financial class war is in their DNA.
    2
  2501.  @huwzebediahthomas9193  Yes, Huw. I agree about the manipulation. The media has manufactured consent throughout and the manipulation of social media is making things worse. Neoliberalism has been around since the early 80s, through Thatcher and Reagan (after its launch by Pinochet in Chile) and the whole sh1tfest is used to feed the greed of the few.
    2
  2502.  @kyorin6526  Totally agree, Kyorin
    2
  2503. The man with a plan didn't check the weather forecast or use an umbrella. Had his flunkies disowned him? Surely one of them should have rushed out with a brolly? I'm not big on symbolism but Pishy Rishi is now followed by Slimeball Gove leaving the sinking ship, known as HMS Sh1tfest. Enough is beyond enough.
    2
  2504. Insane enough to complete a hard Brexit DURING A PANDEMIC. A circus of clowns mismanaging a disaster.
    2
  2505. Bravo, Lowkey. More class research. Shining light on the dark forces enabling apartheid, oppression and genocide. About time we woke up and listened.
    2
  2506.  @boxtradums0073  totally agree.
    2
  2507. Imo this was tactically inept and stupid of Starmer. For every vote he gains, he may lose two or more. The name of Thatcher triggers emotions. The price of entrepreneurial gain was neoliberalism and the dismantling of society for greed. Does the end justify the means? Starmer could stay quiet and get votes; the present Tory cabinet of imbeciles is doing his work for him.
    2
  2508. So the fact that Streeting reveres Milburn as a successful former health secretary gives Milburn the right to use his contacts to make a pile of money by selling his services back for profit. I would have more confidence in Streeting if he consulted Dr Julia Grace Patterson of Every Doctor, who campaigns for a vibrant public health service.
    2
  2509. To me, the perfect cocktail of Sociopathic ministers and the fanatical pursuit of 'small state' to achieve a vacuous ideology.
    2
  2510.  @markohenry5891  three.
    2
  2511.  @jonb4155  when losing a debate, resort to stereotyping or personal insult.
    2
  2512.  @chatham43  The voice of understatement there. Please don't associate me with the modern Tory party. Thankfully I have no vote for either of these two turds.
    2
  2513.  @nigelaston2546  I form my own opinions. Too many Brexiter sheep
    2
  2514. Starmer must welcome this news. A Tory leader dripping with arrogance and condescension would be an ideal opponent in the House.
    2
  2515. ​ @NotMarkKnopfler why not read Richard's report before making uninformed assumptions.
    2
  2516. A government of arrogance and incompetence. Thus morning, a refusal to apologise for their mishandling, after a damning report. The compliant media stay quiet about current levels. Stay quiet about Covid and don't mention the B word. These twin strategies are working as our population remains ignorant.
    2
  2517. Here is a tip in return. If that's the best advice you can give; shut up and p1ss off.
    2
  2518. Sunak is showing to be a little spiv. A grifter who helped to stoke the financial crash as a banker then subscribe to austerity as chancellor. He will be gradually and systematically exposed.
    2
  2519. His successor is supporting his narrative about the civil service in an attempt at misdirection. The Tories expect blind obedience, rather than professionalism in questioning or testing their policies. As a true bully boy, Raab suffers insecurity, which is hardly surprising given his track record.
    2
  2520. You clearly haven't earned enough to pay for advertising. Lol
    2
  2521.  @marjoriesherrington2772  So, it's a projection when it doesn't suit you. Why do you think we are paying the highest tax in 40 years? Something to do with taxes from trading being down? Equally the tenuous "benefits" of our deals are an estimate. Guess you think they're on the low side? Companies leaving the UK is also a fallacy, then? Aukus!!!??? Struth! What financial benefit are bloody submarines? More Brexiter desperation.
    2
  2522. This government will do nothing, until one minute before disaster hour - and then just enough to be seen to be doing something, so they can blame someone else.
    2
  2523. Hardly surprising with a government unfit for purpose. Our system and the establishment in general stink of rot.
    2
  2524. Absolutely inevitable. The result of the operational stupidity of completing Brexit during a pandemic. Done deliberately, of course, so Buffoon could blame the consequences of his inane Brexit on the pandemic.
    2
  2525. It's like a rerun of a national nightmare. The grifters who pushed for Brexit then blamed someone else when it went wrong are selling more snake oil. It seems that they get an unlimited amount of media coverage to help their scam.
    2
  2526. Yet doesn't have to stop there. Grow up and think.
    2
  2527. The Tories have a worse economic record than Labour, yet they, aided by their complicit media cronies, pretend to be the party of sound economics. The Tories have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war.
    2
  2528. What utter vacuous sh1te. The ten year excuse conveniently wasn't mentioned in the Leave campaign. It was all about no detrimental effects and unicorns. Their Sovereign Tea is tasting bitter
    2
  2529. Rishi Sunk Us, and finally people are seeing the consequential meaning of his name.
    2
  2530. Suella chickens out, so Honest Bob has his arse held to the fire. Cowardice compounding abject incompetence.
    2
  2531. They don't just follow the money. Just the whiff of money is enough. Turds in a cesspit of hatred.
    2
  2532. Should have stopped at "the prime minister has a huge wealth..." Which is why he doesn't understand what life is like for the many. As for "inflation busting pay rises" in the public sector - perhaps James Not So will explain how that will fuel inflation, when leading economists have exposed the lie.
    2
  2533. Apparently Johnson and his sociopathic government voted down a proposal to make fire and rehire illegal. Now the petulant brat pretends he will do something about this travesty. What a charlatan.
    2
  2534. Yes. Inflation means prices going up. Deflation is prices going down (the latter also being known as a miracle. Lol).
    2
  2535. A one-off payment this year followed by 19% next year may just about deal with inflation. Anything less would be an insult, such that Sunak would need to go back to school for maths education.
    2
  2536. A government that chooses to "get Brexit done" during a pandemic is either incompetent or sociopathic. In most instances Brexit has exacerbated problems that were difficult enough during recovery. The true intent was to deflect blame for the Brexit shit-show; an act of self-harm that we must all pay for. The logical answer is to rejoin the SM and CU but our disaster capitalists and tax avoiders won't allow that.
    2
  2537.  @davidwilliams116  and what data did other countries use? How did the tests differ from ours? Johnson wanted to be first. Who made that decision? You are attempting to deflect responsibility.
    2
  2538. Only a moron would believe that keeping this brexit safe will help us.
    2
  2539. What a useless speaker. Stop the shouting from the baying prats on the Tory benches. Shut the f up or get out. Then let her speak. Johnson's corruption is exposed at every turn
    2
  2540. How does it pose risks?
    2
  2541. And at home, some far right delusionals believe that we will get a great trade deal from the unstable MAGA-moron. Somehow America will give special arrangements to Little Britain, rather than shafting us as a small island, drifted apart from the EU.
    2
  2542. OMG! She used the word "intelligence" as a member of the dumbest presidency ever.
    2
  2543. ​ @andrewjones-productions  and Labour's incompetence was?
    2
  2544. ​@user-SubvurzIVSo you favour Lib Dems or Greens? There are other choices. Were you or your parents better off under the last Labour government or during the last 13years of the Tories?
    2
  2545. It would take a moron to fill the vacuum left by Johnson. Yet when we hear the promises of these two, the Tories have no shortage of morons. Britain is broken.
    2
  2546. Populism appeals to prejudice and ignorance by articulating problems then offering fake solitions that feed the identified prejudice through vacuous rhetoric.
    2
  2547. ​ @BlahBlahBlah-x3h not true. It would avoid another Tory government and the path towards fascism.
    2
  2548. Not just the rail workers "holding the public to ransom" in Tory rhetoric speak. When will the government of scum realise that the neoliberal (unregulated free market) model is unfit for purpose and enough is enough?
    2
  2549. The Tories are so desperate, they will repeat the lie about the vaccine rollout until it's accepted as truth. Sunak even repeats it in the House, without being forced to correct the record. Meanwhile Britain is forecast to face economic decline, at a worse rate than Russia.
    2
  2550.  @digitalimager4946  No. I'm exaggerating for comic effect. She would need to open her mouth and spout her usual bile to convince some that she is a nasty incompetent.
    2
  2551. Of course. Brexit was a political decision based on a flawed ideology. Surprise, surprise! Project Fear has become Project Fact after the fishing industry was sold out by Johnson and Frost.
    2
  2552.  @incurableromantic4006  not quite so funny when their complaint is upheld and an apology is issued. That's real justice.
    2
  2553. He thinks his party is "completely united!" So the 11 rebels were fiction? The "flaws" in his plan pointed out by the Tory lunatics didn't happen. He is like an entitled child trying to captain a sinking ship called HMS Lunacy.
    2
  2554. Kemi adopting a convenient memory, which will undoubtedly extend to her crap trade deals. Wait for them to suddenly be blamed on Labour...
    2
  2555. Not the only favour Putin can call in. Putin's oligarchs rescued some of Trump's hotels. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton.
    2
  2556. Nigel follows his friend Donald. Donald follows Mad Vlad, another of Nigel's heros. All fascists and dictators together.
    2
  2557. When it comes to defence, or war and conflict, we can't "trust the market". When we find an ally turning into a dictator, we must call them out as a bully. Trump says we must increase military spending. We should increase our tax on American companies trading here. Eg: Amazon gets off lightly; tax them on UK turnover.
    2
  2558. Most of us know what a Johnson means to an American. Buffoon is certainly a vacuous tool.
    2
  2559. We need PR, although I'm not sure that STV is the best system to ensure that seats are commensurate with votes. In any referendum we should concentrate on the core principle with a question such as: do you believe all votes should count equally in our voting system?
    2
  2560. ​ @harry.flashman  None so blind as those who don't want to see
    2
  2561. A big idea is one thing; a bad idea is another. Brexit is a catastrophe.
    2
  2562. I wonder how much of this cabal's activities amount to planned incompetence for the sake of disaster capitalists. Yes, that's the level of my question: whether their incompetence is planned or accidental.
    2
  2563. Says a lot about the quality of investigative journalism at the Fail. Do people get paid to read this rag?
    2
  2564. We live in an elective dictatorship, rather than a democracy. A parliament of lies, that can't be effectively called out. Dark think tanks, with influence bought and paid for. All propping up failed neoliberalism, as you say. The ultimate danger being that the fascists are calling out the failure and offering a false diagnosis and solutions that would reinforce neoliberal inequality. A frightening prospect with few offering hope.
    2
  2565. Don't worry: when one piece of shit leaves, a turd steps in. It will be just the same for their fund raisers and funders.
    2
  2566. Such a happy infectious soul who espoused Christian values. RIP great soul.
    2
  2567. ​ @EdJames-tb9oz Who is offering socialism? Perhaps you should circulate a leaflet
    2
  2568. A great explanation after a clumsy statement from David Lammy.
    2
  2569. Yes. When will those who excuse him realise that his best will never be enough. The man is operationally incompetent and a serial liar. He is single-handedly making Britain an international joke.
    2
  2570. But the rules don't apply to Boris, you see. His entitlement eradicates any normal consequences. A sociopath makes his own rules and plays the game by them.
    2
  2571.  @marcusbradley3081  Your observations are devoid of fact. Have you been better off under Tories (who have borrowed more and paid back less to increase the national debt) or Labour with more responsible financial management and greater equality of opportunity? Rhetoric says one thing; facts show the opposite. In real terms, we have not yet got back to 2007 income levels, while the richest 1% have more than doubled their wealth. That's some achievement from a party of charlatans obsessed with austerity and inequality.
    2
  2572.  @marcusbradley3081  how, exactly, when track records show the opposite?
    2
  2573.  @bernardedwards8461  Looking long term, it's in Labour's interest. Otherwise the Tories will be back with more austerity. We need to break the cycle.
    2
  2574. Meanwhile Johnson is sniping from the sidelines in a newspaper article, defending his half-baked oven-ready deal that he was foolish enough to stick in the microwave. Classic comedy, while the DUP runs them ragged.
    2
  2575. I believe it's called self regulation. The Cameron government refused to implement Leveson, so the shit-show of the oligarch press continues.
    2
  2576.  @michaelgamble6476  No stereotyping there, Michael. Is that an excuse to do nothing?
    2
  2577. Industrial scale corruption and the fact that voters don't seem to care, sum up the situation perfectly. Perhaps the best response is: why do you vote if you think all politicians are the same?
    2
  2578. I agree, yet the irony is that the Tories raise taxes while siphoning off the wealth for the 1%. Tax under the Tories is the highest for 40 years.
    2
  2579. Fiscal management matters in determining the exchange rate of the pound, which is about confidence. Spaffing money on faulty PPE was hardly likely to inspire confidence; investment in the public infrastructure and green solutions might well help.
    2
  2580. I would love to borrow Johnson's rose-coloured glasses for a week. But then I wouldn't be able to sleep, as donning them requires eradication of a conscience. Buffoon is a sick joke: we will do all we can... except tax business windfalls. We are all suffering, plebs, but you will suffer more than others. Can't p1ss off our donors. This is a financial class war; nothing to do with the Ukraine war where I get my photo ops.
    2
  2581. There are very few MPs exuding integrity and professionalism. Caroline Lucas would be at the top of my list.
    2
  2582. Either the laughingly titled Minister for Brexit opportunities is too stupid to understand how trade works, or he is as big a liar as his boss. It's the same binary decision with both Johnson and Mogg: liar or incompetent? Or possibly a combination of both.
    2
  2583. ​ @TheSashapooch More sense from a comic than most MSM so-called news.
    2
  2584. Chris Bryant did confirm that Sunak has indeed delivered: poverty, public debt, inflation, a broken health service and a catalogue of excuses. Little Spiv is just another Tory liar and grifter.
    2
  2585. We have the perfect recipe for frustration through manufactured consent and the absence of scrutiny. Our unfit and outdated parliamentary system is a beacon for it. Hopefully we will achieve peaceful reform in the near future, before the ugly alternative starts. Thanks for being a voice of reason, professor Tim.
    2
  2586. Now let's have the full script: "Noone works harder [AT PARTYING] in government than the prime minister."
    2
  2587. To those who voted for the Tories to "take back control". You now know you were conned. Please remember that when voting. Yet beware of the charlatans who pushed for Brexit and are now after your vote. The grifters in the limited company called Reform UK are culpable. It was their fault because Brexit was always an illusion.
    2
  2588.  @markwelch3564  the job of many is to manufacture consent.
    2
  2589. The far right imo don't criticise neoliberalism so much as articulate the problems it creates and offer false solutions. Farage and co thrive on inequality and their egos would permit nothing less than being the entitled ones and the natual leaders of their distorted world. The left must uncover the lies of neoliberalism and offer a real alternative. We have two great people in Richard and Danny B. How can we work to support them? Perhaps get in front of our MPs...
    2
  2590. You have to question a system where a convicted criminal can not only stand for the office of president, but can buy support to become president. Time for change, America? The British system is bad but Donnie the mafia boss makes us look like amateur hour.
    2
  2591. Think you'll find that was started by Thatcher and continued by New Labour (not old.)
    2
  2592. Actually billions, not millions?
    2
  2593. It takes a dictator to tell the people what our priorities are. Then to tell the electorate they have made a mistake in voting. Rishi has SunkUs.
    2
  2594. I'm not pro-royal but always attempt to remove the filters that mainstream media use to manufacture consent. Our oligarch press is a disgrace.
    2
  2595.  @himoffthequakeroatbox4320  Oh, I get it. The unacceptable stereotype; the great collective.
    2
  2596.  @garywithers852  The only reassurance is that it took fewer than half of votes (43.6% of those who bothered to vote) to elect this shower.
    2
  2597. If Kwasi has studied economic history, he has been reading a fantasy novel. The drivel in Britannia Unchained is disproven by history, which shows that periods of highest growth have coincided with high tax rates. Growth is driven by investment and putting money in the pockets of the people who will spend it in our economy. Any growth driven by money markets will end up in the pockets of the few and will likely cause a financial crash after deregulation. Neoliberalism is designed to exacerbate inequality.
    2
  2598. 'The main purpose of the law is to make business for itself" to quote Dickens in Bleak House. Plenty of business through our corrupt government in a faux democracy.
    2
  2599. "Imbeciles in the cabinet" says it all, very succinctly. Who, indeed, would complete Brexit during a pandemic?
    2
  2600. The NHS is simply unsafe in Tory hands. Enough is enough.
    2
  2601. That would be some feat from a 30 page comic. lol
    2
  2602. Desperate times! Dodgy Dave and James Not So. Back comes the author of austerity to join his psycho mate Hunt. The man who enabled the brexit vote but couldn't be arsed to apply rules and safeguards. An admission that the Tories are short of elected MPs fit for cabinet office. Hardly a great strategy, other than taking publicity from Blabbermouth.
    2
  2603.  @douglasmacari8707  No beef...just a question. Voting for neither may feed FPTP, rather than electoral reform. It may also let the Tories back in. That depends where you live.
    2
  2604.  @lawrencebishton9071  English, please...
    2
  2605.  @stephengraham1153  delivering PR may be a saving grace. Yet I do agree with you.
    2
  2606. Only within our productive capacity (of full employment) or we risk devaluation. There is also the question of how the money is used and its potential effect on inflation.
    2
  2607. The dilemma is that we already have a dictatorship. It was aptly termed an elective dictatorship by Lord Hailsham. A system where votes don't count equally. Government that works for power and not for the people. We need fundamental reform to have a fair crack at democracy, instead of moving from one form of dictatorship to another, made obvious by a single figurehead.
    2
  2608. Farage: the serial whinger who has only achieved destruction.
    2
  2609. Who can understand the power of populism? It's as though the electorate have disengaged brains for entertainment. Why is the opposition sleeping?
    2
  2610.  @1chish  WRONG. We do not have the fastest growth in the G7. We are one the slowest nations in recovering from the economic shock of Covid. Another Johnson lie parroted. As for economic facts, you have ignored them and spouted rhetoric. The usual ploy for someone with a pseudonym account.
    2
  2611.  @artherfocksake1312  "left?" What exactly is left about Buffoon? He has shown no inclination to dismantle Neoliberalism, which was designed to make the rich even richer, and the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    2
  2612. Tory operational incompetence knows no bounds. Spread lies to identify a common enemy; suffer the consequences of divorce from a trading bloc and blame someone else; exacerbate inequality; create economic chaos then blame the party in government over a decade ago. Use a compliant media to spread lies and propaganda; if manufactured consent fails, promise unicorns and pretend it's just as bad in other countries. Under any circumstances, don't pay crucial public sector workers what they deserve, to pretend that we need more privatisation for national prosperity. Enough is beyond enough.
    2
  2613. Noone needs to: the Tories print and burn money like it's going out of fashion. The party of tax and waste
    2
  2614. "The DUP should listen" says it all.
    2
  2615.  @monotech20.14  what? Fascists with guns? Seems scary.
    2
  2616.  @Happin3ess  if your question is addressed to me, my answer is plain and clear. We need to hold the government to account, unlike the mainstream media. I could answer with a catalogue of disaster and operational incompetence from Johnson's government. But that would be a long read, unlike government soundbites which the media deem acceptable. Instead I included a simple factual statement intent on reform rather than destruction.
    2
  2617. As opposed to President Moron selling out to Russia. That's relevance to the hard of thinking.
    2
  2618. When will we have fit parliamentary procedures? When verified facts are stated to expose lies or misinformation, correcting the record should be mandatory, and enforced. Parliament is a haven for liars.
    2
  2619. She wasn't 16 when she went. Thus not hypocritical.
    2
  2620. Nigel needs no training in scamming idiots and spouting bile against immigrants. He could train the fascists in talking horsesh1t.
    2
  2621. The bigots are losing! The EU is acting reasonably and flexibly. Meanwhile the British Government is throwing the toys out of the pram, while trade between southern and northern Ireland is increasing at the expense of England. The DUP is behaving like an ex-pat on steroids - who has been living in the EU and now has a limited right to do so. Who is going to win in the long run? Don't forget that the majority in NI voted Remain.
    2
  2622. A lie of course. Tell that to our nurses. An accident of supply and demand after Brexit.
    2
  2623. Welcome to "Global Britain." The world leader in serial incompetence, demoted to an obscure fascist state.
    2
  2624. Why is it that Hunt's stated smile appears to me like a sneer.
    2
  2625. ​ @garywithers852 The second fact explains the first. The Fail manufactures consent for the hard of reasoning.
    2
  2626. Unfortunately Labour agreed to follow Tory fiscal rules so they have an inbuilt mandate for austerity. I'm disappointed - even disgusted - that they did follow the lessons of the party of economic incompetence. Move over, Labour is now the party of business with record funding, so it's their turn to screw us.
    2
  2627. No. Actually you are bright enough to disregard the crap. I'm sure you have qualities as a human being.
    2
  2628.  @johnrussell3961  absolutely agree
    2
  2629. Musk is living proof that wealth is not commensurate with intelligence.
    2
  2630. ​ @Zodliness got me there! They win hands down
    2
  2631. Yes. That was also suggested by Gordon Brown.
    2
  2632. You want growth, invest in infrastructure and public services. Simple formula, proven continuously.
    2
  2633. The word 'plan' enters Johnson's vocabulary, but not his inept governance. His track record is to be seen to do something - always too little, too late, or by spaffing some money that will make little difference. At least his government shows the inadequacy of our media.
    2
  2634. Absolutely agree. There is no such thing as unrepresentative democracy; it's simply undemocratic. (Democracy entails government by the people). After the Johnson campaign of lies, the number of seats in parliament were commensurate with the proportion of votes AGAINST the Tories. Hence, we had the exact opposite of what we voted for. Britain was aptly described as a country that started on the road to democracy, went so far, then gave up. This should be the first of Starmer's pledges: implementing a democratic voting system and cleaning up parliamentary standards. Get rid of our present elective dictatorship.
    2
  2635.  @olivere5497  Are you aware of the 1948 and 1951 treaties dealing with asylum and refugees? Little Englanders need to open their eyes.
    2
  2636.  @j.harrison6744  Really! By what metric? Our population density is mental rather than physical. Where is your evidence? Where are the independent studies? Your rhetoric matches some of the populists who trade bs over fact.
    2
  2637. Anyone accepting trickle down economics believes in the moral virtue of crumbs from the master's table.
    2
  2638. Which means, by logical definition, there is no centre. Perhaps a course in critical thinking will help you.
    2
  2639.  @andyd2528  Being whom? Did you get that shite from the Daily Fail? Name one Jewish person who accused Jeremy Corbyn personally of being antisemitic. Find the source and I'll give you hundreds who thanked him for helping their community.
    2
  2640. Sunak's reaction is hardly surprising, but my disappointment with Starmer continues. He copies Blair in so many ways, instead of learning from Blair's mistakes, as well as the good he did. I understand the power of the media (currently reading Macolm Dean's account of them repeatedly putting Democracy Under Attack). Yet when opinion polls so clearly show the folly of brexit, why not announce a policy of offering the best opportunities for our younger citizens?
    2
  2641. Inflation means prices going up. How can increasing public sector pay contribute to this? What prices go up? The only effect is on the extra spending power increasing demand but inflation also depends on supply and availability. More money in the pockets of employees also stimulates growth. Sunak and Hunt failed to explain cost-push inflation because of external factors. (But then Hunt probably didn't understand it.)
    2
  2642. Who is most valuable to society: a medic or a tinpot administrator? Who do we pay most to? Welcome to Tory Britain. It was amazing how quickly the government resolved the barrister's strike. Yet somehow the NHS is less important.
    2
  2643. Trump is certainly in hock to Putin's oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton. I believe asset is a more accurate description, as assets often don't know how they are being used in many instances. It's too easy to use President Moron by appealing to his vanity.
    2
  2644. We are now suffering predominantly from cost push inflation but our neoliberal government won't take steps to control prices. They worship the market daily - the same market that is failing us for the benefit of speculators.
    2
  2645. ​ @qetoun evidence?
    2
  2646. The denial is already happening with brexiters: we haven't got brexit; we haven't got the brexit we wanted; it hasn't been completed yet. What else did they expect with a simple binary choice on a complex matter? Did they really trust this cabal of shysters to take back control?
    2
  2647. If Starmer is playing a clever game to pacify Murdoch etc al... Great. But will that happen? Labour is also promising growth, yet inequality stifles growth. Put more money in the pockets of the lower paid and they will spend it in the local economy. Put it in the bank of the wealthiest and it will end up offshore or in buying new assets to rent to the rest of us at extortionate prices.
    2
  2648. ​ @bush_wookie_9606 he obviously heard about the significance of gold in a fiat economy before you and many inept journalists did. What do you think it cost us?
    2
  2649. The longer Buffoon stays, the less credible the Tories become. With their abject record, the facts speak for themselves.
    2
  2650. Welcome to the sunny uplands of Global Britain - without food. Never mind: the Brexiters knew what they voted for. Now they have it, they are in perpetual denial.
    2
  2651. Relevance being ?????
    2
  2652. Taking a holiday from reality in a government divorced from reality. Enough is enough.
    2
  2653. With rats in a sack contesting the leadership of the fascist party, will Fishy Rishi become the Chief Rat?
    2
  2654.  @peterebel7899  Brits are not happy with it. You don't speak for me and many others who object to an elective dictatorship.
    2
  2655. Listen to his rambling speeches and he seems narcissistic and deranged. The EU needs to speed up its approval processes because it affected one of his business projects. No grudges there from the narcissist. The danger is exacerbated by the sycophants around him, and the support of his pardoned thugs.
    2
  2656. ​ @dougnico2492 Some good things, yes. But PFI contracts were another disaster. Blair's "third way" (manipulated and delivered by management consultants) delivered profit to private companies running public services and we continue to foot the bill.
    2
  2657.  @dougnico2492  I'm aware of that. On balance, Blair and Brown were a good team. A pity he was wedded to neoliberalism but nevertheless the majority were far better off.
    2
  2658. Grow the economy and build the infrastructure? Yes, they are not mutually exclusive if we tax income from wealth at the same rate as income from work, while reducing tax on income for the lowest paid. The economy will grow as people spend more in it, while the infrastructure is being improved to support it.
    2
  2659.  @sigiriya5149  Yes. That's because the EU organised suitable measures before we left and have been pragmatic in implementing the NI protocol to protect the GFI. Buffoon, on the other hand, finds brexit far from done, with border checks only part implemented, while attempting to dismantle an agreement he negotiated and signed, and trying to blame the EU for his serial incompetence. In short, Johnson has got brexit half done, badly.
    2
  2660. Yet we, the customers, are paying the price. The farmers we conned and we pay the price in monetary and quality standards.
    2
  2661. Don't panic! We have 150 army tankers about to go on standby. Oh! and we have just taken back the running of Southeastern rail because of a.blip in our beloved franchise model. See, we are a responsible government, looking after you.
    2
  2662. Lord Gormless, the infamous bully, is proving to be a coward (as with most bullies.) Is Gove trying to be the adult? Perhaps he is campaigning for leadership while Johnson is floundering? Global Britain is like a rudderless ship sent out to deter refugees in the channel.
    2
  2663. I find it ironic that it took our undemocratic system to enable Johnson's brexit. After a referendum showed a small majority in favour of leaving the EU, noone knew what that entailed because our future trading relationship with the bloc was unknown. It then took a minority-elected government to deliver this half-arsed arrangement and cause economic harm. When will our politicians face reality and lead the voting public by the nose through honesty and the researched facts revealed by the very experts that our flag-shaggers are afraid of?
    2
  2664. As a working class northern lad made not-so-good, through free higher education and becoming capable of critical thought, I recognise the unfitness of our media. Publications showing "democracy under attack" by Malcolm Dean and "Manufacturing consent" by Chomsky and Herman reveal the unfitness of said gutter media. The powerful need this level of distortion to prop up an undemocratic "elective dictatorship" exposed ny Lord Hailsham and consistently campaigned against. Perceived "class" and cap-doffing support the cesspit that somehow puts the so-called elite above justice while corruption is rife. Their principle method: simple deflection through false accusation and blame shifting.
    2
  2665. ​ @starwood213 Not "de-banked," offered an alternative account
    2
  2666. ​ @lectorintellegat "De-banked?" Offered an alternative account!
    2
  2667. Well done. Admire your vision and the stand you are taking.
    2
  2668. First, we don't have democracy: we have a minority-elected government in an elective dictatorship. This shameful system allows and hides corruption. If it is eventually exposed, it's covered up as a honest mistake. One rule for them...
    2
  2669. ​ @Noel-ji8nm You heard that from a troll with a Starmer complex
    2
  2670. If frontline services wouldn't be cut by a fifth reduction, how inefficient was government in the first place? The Tories want small state and zero accountability from ministers.
    2
  2671. How about building quality social housing to mitigate the shortage and stop the richest people getting their grubby mitts on them?
    2
  2672. ​ @bigbinji6145 statement or question?
    2
  2673. ​ @BlackGriffin195 Because he took the job in the EU parliament. Should his constituents sue him for fraud?
    2
  2674.  @davidgreen6490  You sound like a politician saying "noone voted to..." You simply don't know. You know what you voted for and what some others have told you they voted for. But none of us know what everyone voted for, or against.
    2
  2675.  @m4rkscott Please don't repeat the "punished" claptrap. We were warned of the consequences of being a third country and being treated as other third countries. The response: project fear and we've had enough of experts. Inane excuses from an operationally incompetent government.
    2
  2676. Great comment about Simon Cowell, professor. Perhaps Truss is hoping to learn from him how to profit from populism.
    2
  2677.  @a13xdunlop  read the Russia report. You may then find this comment exaggerated but not entirely unfounded.
    2
  2678. A celebration of the ridiculous by the stupid.
    2
  2679. The Fail offers gutter press for those who will disengage their brain.
    2
  2680. James Not So, the trailblazer of Tory intellect. The natural product of a cabal originating from a serial liar, a master of inane slogans and vacuous rhetoric. A member of a cabinet of operational incompetence. Who trusted this shower to take back control? How many regret that support?
    2
  2681. Yes. I've seen that also in so many businesses. Not exclusively the Home Office. Perhaps the level of political interference and selection based on the perception of "class" or subservience has something to do with it.
    2
  2682. Things will change, in a limited and cosmetic way. We won't get responsible governance without PR and parliamentary reform.
    2
  2683.  @rhysholdaway  well done for making good use of it.
    2
  2684. Watching the Tories imploding is virtually world-class entertainment. Until I remember the harm they have cased our country.
    2
  2685. The limited company with the aspirational name (Reform UK) is a haven of desperation for the gullible. Voters should remember what their shareholders did when trusted with their vote as they morphed from UKIP. Grifters and charlatans of the lowest order. Scum personified.
    2
  2686.  @Dubya-i3v  Presume you mean Truss? Or is that self confession?
    2
  2687.  @Lazarus404  One based on known fact. The other on a vacuous assumption about someone you don't know.
    2
  2688.  @Dubya-i3v  How infantile. What I've come to expect from a pseudonym account
    2
  2689. The Tories should be renamed the backlog party. A record number of asylum seekers; crumbling concrete in schools and hospitals creating a repair backlog. Record national debt (a repayment backlog). Shit in rivers (a pollution backlog). A lack of housing (a building backlog). And scrapping HS2 (an infrastructure backlog).
    2
  2690. "A greenwash festival" sounds about right. Setting targets with no obligation to keep them; a wall of capital with no plan of how it should be directed. A pathetic track record to inspire zero confidence in politicians. Previous targets missed while billionaires pollute the planet at a whim. Who can say it better than "blah blah blah?"
    2
  2691. Add to that their increased powers over the Electoral Commission. The EC's figures in 2019 actually showed a reduction in valid postal votes...very dubious after the media reported an increase (I guess the Labour votes somehow disappeared) Some also seemed to have advanced knowledge of postal voting results.
    2
  2692. The dynamic duo of president moron and the man-child Bond villain Elon are beyond unhinged. Yet nevertheless dangerous.
    2
  2693. Johnson can't stand scrutiny so why would he, or his party of rogues and incompetents, accept an enquiry?
    2
  2694. Not the government. The payment of government "debt" is increased by the same high rate on bonds, influenced by the high int rate and quantitative tightening.
    2
  2695. Ah, well, we'll just have to eat less, use less, and buy less so the rich can get richer while we suffer a drop in living standards. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    2
  2696. GB News appeals to idiots. Ofcom fails to deter from the manufacturing of consent. Our mainstream media is pathetic. Alternative media offers far more meaningful information, with the ability to verify the source. (personal opinion, of course)
    2
  2697. Yes, we need a mixed economy and there is such a thing as society. We need to redefine and rebalance then work together.
    2
  2698. So what? Was Hunt? Even ministers don't have to be professionally qualified.
    2
  2699. Bernie is the best president America never had. He clearly explains how any working people voting for Trump have been conned.
    2
  2700.  @Paradoxolog  Democracy means government by the people and there is no such thing as unrepresentative democracy. The Tories keep saying they are delivering for the people, but after 43.6% of voters electing them and making new policy on the fly, without referenda, how can that be construed as democracy? It's as Lord Hailsham said in the past: an elective dictatorship.
    2
  2701. I've been waiting for a journalist, or even an opposition MP, to ask such questions, armed with suitable facts to challenge the answer. Now I'm waiting for this exchange to be reported in the MSM... not holding my breath...
    2
  2702. How many demonstrations of our lack of democracy and the need for fundamental reform do we need? We had a minority elected buffoon spouting three word slogans who got brexit part-done (and badly) while a pandemic was raging. Now we have Britannia Unhinged personified, about to be stabilised by the prat who messed up the NHS and believes in health privatisation. All of this enabled by an elective dictatorship where votes are unequal and a 43.6% support produces an 80 seat majority.
    2
  2703. Can't you work out why? Who hired rent-a-thug?
    2
  2704. It's never corruption to a Tory brain, it's entitlement.
    2
  2705. How?
    2
  2706.  @BAmalakas  No. That was a suspicion, caused by your lack of explanation. Why not answer my original question? Are you a purveyor of soundbites?
    2
  2707. The Little England mentality is all pervasive, while pretending to be Global Britain. Same Tory crap, different day.
    2
  2708. By offering him an alternative bank account. How would that work?
    2
  2709.  @zoedaisy1499  what was wrong with his policies? Or have you swallowed the media tripe?
    2
  2710.  @StuartJ  I'm specifically against unregulated free market capitalism, which is creating inequality as intended. As for the brain drain; Britain invites it.
    2
  2711.  @StuartJ  when devoid of factual argument, use a childlike emoji
    2
  2712.  @zoedaisy1499  wtf has that to do with it? You think we have an effective deterrent against fiction. That takes some imagination.
    2
  2713. Watch out for the words "let me be clear" or some variation of that statement. It usually means, I'm about to change direction or bend fact, or engage in misdirection or obfuscation. There is no 't' at the end of Truss.
    2
  2714. Negotiation by media works only one way: in support of government. Quote a massive number and say it's unaffordable. When we look at the even more massive numbers spent on failed PPE and a non-existent test and trace system, on arms for Ukraine, on consultants hired by government, we get perspective, which conveniently the media ignores. This morning I read that 40% of newly-trained doctors leave the NHS. The government's lazy and blatant excuse: the majority stay. If you were managing an economy and had 40% of key workers leaving; would you expect to be fired?
    2
  2715. I guess like most acts of self-harm: bitter sweet. Bitter for most. Sweet only for masochists.
    2
  2716. So if the Little Englanders think they won something. How come we all suffer the consequences? Yet the alleged winners must look through rose coloured glasses to search for any sign of victory, or search for an act of greater self harm to pursue it?
    2
  2717. I have a simple solution: don't watch any of the matches. Don't encourage the buggers.
    2
  2718. Many voters are fickle. Because Sunak is rich and an ex banker (not an economist) they expect him to make us wealthier. They don't look at his record as a casino trader nor his propensity to foster inequality through his tax and spend policies. Wait until the 17 November when the axe will fall...
    2
  2719. We now see an opposition in desperation because of their incompetence. Their lies are being exposed...drip, drip, drip, with an avalanche to follow. Unfortunately Labour hang on to the neoliberal fallacy. If only they would listen to the patriotic millionaires and the Mile End Road economists. I have never known our country to be in such dire need of reform. (The last word is definitely NOT a noun.)
    2
  2720. @Satoshi Nakamoto are you suggesting that refugees are criminals? Or simply that they should be treated as such?
    2
  2721. Hardly surprising that this lazy and narcissistic object didn't understand a customs union. He gets through with bluff and bluster and is surrounded by forelock tugging idiots in his cabinet.
    2
  2722. It's as though pictures of King Chuck in a gold coach will help us forget that the country is being dismantled by a cabal of sociopaths. Sunak bleats about "the people's priorities" that he made up. (Sounds a bit like your average dictator to me.) Happy coronation day.
    2
  2723. Truss and her fantasy economics from Britannia Unhinged. Will she pick another co-author of her fantasy novel as chancellor? How about Raab, since the Tories always find someone worse?
    2
  2724.  @markwelch3564  Maybe. Although she may wish to hand him the poisoned chalice.
    2
  2725.  @nicodesmidt4034  Yes. It's known as manufacturing consent.
    2
  2726.  @williampatrickfagan7590  yes. That's constitutional fact. Unfortunately the reality is that electoral campaigns have become more 'presidential' and people are distracted by personal smear campaigns. How many even read the Labour manifesto or attacked their policies?
    2
  2727. Will be interesting to see what shape the "investment" takes. Cap in hand for PFI contracts and the continuation of freeports and free zones is a tax avoider's and vulture capitalist's paradise.
    2
  2728. Labour is too scared to address the real problem: neoliberalism...designed to create inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    2
  2729.  @elbmw  Yes. I suspected that, yet hoped that if enough of us did it... Feint hope I suspect with our sham democracy.
    2
  2730. "Have I got a deal for you" said Chief Chump. If the orange one regained power, guess who would be the desperate party? After 13 years of austerity and economic incompetence, exacerbated by an act of self-harm in leaving the EU, we hear fantasy rhetoric from government while most of us grow poorer. 2024 is the time to grow up and face facts.
    2
  2731. Funny how the political content has appeared on this channel after a new government took power. Did I miss it under the Tories? Was this an issue then?
    2
  2732. So we have a journalist excusing the government by reiterating their gaslighting. And a politician surprised that Johnson has broken a promise. "Levelling up" would have meant building HS3 BEFORE HS2.
    2
  2733. Seemed like a choice between a bad cold or a dose of Covid. The right use a glaringly obvious tactic: cause or exacerbate problems, blame someone else and pretend to offer a solution. The alleged solution, of course, will be harmful because it's lie for the gullible.
    2
  2734. For Global Britain, read Little England. That's the reality of government policy.
    2
  2735. Why would such an entitled arse-wipe admit a mistake? Austerity WEAKENED the economy and Hunt wanted health privatisation. Tory (operationally incompetent) scum.
    2
  2736. Brilliant plan, professor. Her alter ego Liv Struss might be in with a shout, after seeing her satire video.
    2
  2737.  @olivier2553  possible. Planned inefficiency to hide their crap deal?
    2
  2738.  @darthwiizius  ??? Doing the best for the country. Not playing a game. Sod what they expect.
    2
  2739.  @tarlochankaliroy1030  But this is Starmer's Labour and he has dropped the New from the title. Blair used New Labour.
    2
  2740.  @tygrahof9268  probably just those down to their last million.
    2
  2741. Fishy Rishi, the perfect leader of the party of corruption. His special skill is turning a blind eye to his mates. They are no longer content with scraping the barrel; they dig deep in the cesspit of corruption.
    2
  2742. The Tories stand for desperation.
    2
  2743. Numbers are important and are one side of the coin. The other is organisation; not just using people for the extraction of profit but upgrading the infrastructure to accommodate population growth. Let's start with the basic premise that politicians can't run a p1ss-up in a brewery.
    2
  2744. Would Buffoon regard this as a badge of honour, in his perverted sociopathic brain?
    2
  2745. As a nation of muddlers, why would we expect a government that even understands the concept of a plan? Where was the impact assessment of the loss of freedom of movement, by industry? Where was our preparation for border controls? This week Johnson revealed his "plan" - promised three years ago - to fix social care. Where was the plan? Just raising taxation to allegedly fix social care and clear the NHS backlog, without a methodology, or even a guarantee or timetable of this being achieved, is not a plan. It's just taxation by stealth to ensure that poorer people are disproportionately hit. There was no plan for brexit, just a declaration followed by a clusterf**k.
    2
  2746. The acid test is that real incomes will get back to pre-pandemic levels in 2027. Hence ask the simple question: where you better off under Labour or the Tories? Smoke and mirrors says it all.
    2
  2747. To those who excuse him, may I politely suggest banning your Daily Fail subscription and facing reality.
    2
  2748. A party beyond its use-by date (well past its sell-by.) The stench of scum is overwhelming.
    2
  2749. Little Spiv fails to answer a single question at PMQs and resorts to lies. Nothing new there. His cabinet consists chiefly of leftovers: rearranging turds in a cesspit is hardly surprising with a party of talentless sociopaths.
    2
  2750. I love pseudonym accounts spouting "wisdom" from on high.
    2
  2751. The old rules of giving way to pedestrians already in the road were sensible, and I clearly understood and respected them as a motorist. On such a change of rules, the government should surely educate, with TV adverts or short programmes on such changes. Otherwise we may get serious injuries or even fatalities.
    2
  2752. Perhaps we should vote for a British relic in competition. Rees Mogg is my starter for ten points.
    2
  2753. Great analysis. Love your description of Johnson's idea of taking back control. Instead of maintaining close cooperation with our neighbours, the slogan appeals to jingoistic flag-waving idiots who pine for the days of empire. All for the benefit of disaster capitalists and tax avoiders. The reality is, the world has changed and Britain is becoming Little England. Time for realism and sensible government.
    2
  2754. Conclusive proof that Farage appeals to idiots. Firstly, he explains the increase in UK population over a 25 year period, and links it to immigration. Life expectancy has also increased and we've had more births than deaths. As our population ages, we need more workers to contribute to the economy. Immigration then becomes useful. We also need more hospitals and schools. Government has failed to invest. Farage uses his vacuous rhetoric to promote his racist agenda. Perhaps the Foghorn should be made to face fishermen and farmers, after they were sold down the river from Brexit.
    2
  2755.  @billgreen8966  How exactly have we suffered "illegal" immigration? To what extent? And what difference has it made to the size of our population? Of course we must control immigration with a sensible and humane process. We also benefited from freedom of movement in the EU - both ways. As well as educational exchange and sharing scientific research. Foghorn Farage blamed everything on immigration and his vacuous rhetoric worked. Interestingly, he was out-debated and made to look stupid by so many people, but still he kept getting the gigs.
    2
  2756. Starmer is so afraid of upsetting anyone, he stands for nothing and is unidentified. A "leader" who follows the tune of racists and fascistic morons instead of setting progressive policies.
    2
  2757. This man is a prize wazzock. In the perfect party for his vacuous inanity. Promoted to deputy chairman to parade his ignorance. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    2
  2758. How long has his cafe been open and who did he take over from?
    2
  2759. No such people as refugees in Tory rhetoric. Otherwise "Global Britain" is contravening UN rules to please racist gammons. (How surprising!) Misdirection and gaslighting: a Tory speciality.
    2
  2760. The level of denial is astounding. It's almost as though Brexiters take the Daily Fail as gospel and put whatever intellect they had in a deep freeze. Fact: Brexiters don't do critical thinking.
    2
  2761. Whatever Johnson says, expect the opposite: levelling up means levelling down; getting Brexit done means half doing the job and causing economic decline; the world beating test and trace system went well didn't it? What else should we expect from a lying buffoon?
    2
  2762. Our little spiv throws quite a tantrum. Toys thrown out of the pram has nothing on him. He probably wondered, why all the fuss about a game of marbles? Until he read half of the history and stopped where the flag shaggers told him to.
    2
  2763. True. I nfortunately Blair sipped it too.
    2
  2764. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 Without state intervention we get neoliberalism. A scam to persuade the poor for the rich to have more. Why hate the state, assuming we had democracy it would work for the people. The free market works for the few and reduces standards for the extraction of profit. Which is why some intervention is needed.
    2
  2765.  @graceical2822  My pleasure. I was pleasantly surprised.
    2
  2766. However we define Johnson, he is the worst possible leader at the worst possible time. In comparing him with the characteristics of a sociopath, he fits neatly. The man would be an interesting project for a psychotherapist.
    2
  2767. "Enforce US law" Wow! What about international law? The word enforce is replaced by beg when Netanyahu is involved.
    2
  2768. At least someone has cause to love him. Here it's only the idiots.
    2
  2769.  @Nickle314  and that always comes down to failed neoliberalism.
    2
  2770.  @webchimp  another reason to nationalise then
    2
  2771. IF Labour takes power, they should not constrain government with Tory fiscal rules, which were designed to exacerbate inequality and hollow out state services. They should pursue tax justice and embrace progressive economics. There are many credible and useful sources (rather than politicians): Tax Justice UK; Professors Bill Mitchell and Richard Murphy; as examples. Recent history gives vital clues: we have used QE (to issue new money) only to fill holes - the financial crash; covid; Trussonomics and Brexit - yet we have never used it for investment in vital state services, which would grow the economy. Grow some cajones! Embrace modern economics and tax justice. Neoliberalism has failed (WITH A CAPITAL F)
    2
  2772. A great summary. I have to laugh when I hear of hard right people complaining about the woke left media. Most of them devoid of critical thinking and some without two brain cells to work together. The root of the problem is FPTP and the lack of effective parliamentary governance. An elective dictatorship giving seats in a chamber lies. Small wonder many are disenfranchised with British politics.
    2
  2773. PR can give the strongest constituency link, with area panels so each voter can talk to the MP of their choice.
    2
  2774.  @paulsmith5018  of course. Who else?
    2
  2775. This profiteering cabal never lets a crisis go to waste. How about prosecution for treason?
    2
  2776. Many voters proving that you can't fix stupid.
    2
  2777. Shows Tory values. Forgive me for feeling less concerned about an egomaniac being mildly inconvenienced while people starve and the homeless can't get a basic bank account. This level of media deflection is nauseating.
    2
  2778.  @richardcooke7909  They don't have to be "awesome" to express valid and relevant points. How is that a valid argument?
    2
  2779.  @andyforshaw8489  Let's go through some critical thinking then, Andy. 1) when did that happen? 2) when was bankruptcy declared? 3) do you understand the difference between council and government finance?
    2
  2780.  @andyforshaw8489  yes. I answered that post and when I introduce some critical questions you go strangely silent.
    2
  2781.  @andyforshaw8489  Christ on a bike! You sound like Johnson and in support of his minority-elected dictatorship. When faced with forensic questions, claim them irrelevant and go off at a tangent talking vacuous sh1te. End of discussion.
    2
  2782. Send the b'stard on an SAS-led training weekend and film him. Lol
    2
  2783. Define illegally.
    2
  2784.  @callumblake9003  I agree. When did I say otherwise? The 1948 human rights act and the 1951 convention on refugees make that clear.
    2
  2785.  @bigbinji6145  Interesting that you pick a country that took over 2 million refugees in 2022 alone. Compare that to the UK...at least four times more. In case you are averse to factual reality, Rwanda is taking just 200 a year from us and is entitled to ship to us a unlimited number. How does that work out? Facts are inconvenient to those using pseudonym accounts. Are you allergic to them?
    2
  2786. We have derisory pensions if compared to more prosperous European countries. Also the Government broke it's promise by suspending the triple lock this year. There is justification, and I say that as a pensioner who has never voted Tory. Free market capitalism has failed the majority, so the rich can have ever more. We need a financial reset with a change of government. You can question the government's motives and their priorities, but don't question the justification. That encourages divide and rule.
    2
  2787.  @JoelJoel321  I agree with that, but asking 'where is the justification?' is the question that will lead to divide and conquer. The justification is obvious, yet no stronger than the case for fair pay, instead of poverty wages to help shareholder greed.
    2
  2788.  @lightweightben  and as Robert Peston said last night: you can make the same argument for nurses, teachers and care workers. Paying them more doesn't push up product costs. Your argument of more demand, however, is valid. But then we need more growth. At the moment we have no growth with high inflation.
    2
  2789. The Tories govern by operational incompetence, supported by lies and deflection. The question remains whether such incompetence is deliberate, to feed the financial vultures picking over the carcass that was Britain. Only the self- interested, intellectually lazy or plain stupid could excuse their mess and support them.
    2
  2790. Glad we could help Aus out. We have close family there.
    2
  2791. Schools should teach critical thinking. Politicians seeking continuous power must dumb down the population. Thus he should become the Secretary of State for stupidity.
    2
  2792. The law is, indeed, ridiculous. Yet unfortunately there is a precedent with poor misunderstood Tommy. Wherever he goes, rent-a-thug follows.
    2
  2793.  @derekmulready1523  Did the visit spawn Scott Morrison?
    2
  2794. Bonehead will be sorely missed in parliament, at least by any Tory loons.
    2
  2795.  @deconstructedluxury1964  yes. I'm not sure it was undone by the referendum as many who voted leave were in favour of a continuing free-trade agreement with the EU and the continuation of free movement. As a remain voter, I know many who voted leave yet are appalled by the Johnson deal and its implementation.
    2
  2796. Little Spiv has emerged from his bunker to make five promises that amount to nothing, yet is afraid to meet with Mick Lynch and Pat Cullen. Most of his "promises" are inevitable in the natural course of events. His smoke and mirrors amount to the usual Tory bullshit while Britain is breaking daily from his operational incompetence.
    2
  2797. May as well have written Britannia Unchained in crayon. An ode to failed neoliberalism and the lie of trickle down economics. Trust the market and worship it daily. Strip down the state to its minimum while using public money that bail out business. The pretence that this country is a meritocracy. Give me a break. (From an idle northerner lol)
    2
  2798.  @candidaprout8441  ????
    2
  2799. Reform consist of two propagandists appealing to the desperate or idiotic. Plus a group of MPs who are themselves idiots, to be identified with as representatives.
    2
  2800. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time. Johnson's hubris and corruption know no bounds.
    2
  2801. Truss is Britannia Unhinged on steroids. Her mind must be a cesspit in permanent turmoil.
    2
  2802. A cabal of sociopaths.
    2
  2803. And the breaking news is that the government is planning to remove restrictions on city bosses pay while asking for wage restraint in the public sector. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    2
  2804. I can think of nothing more revolting, or wasteful, than Trump addressing parliament with Farage as his lapdog - under the condition that Ole Nige must wear that ridiculous cap.
    2
  2805. A pincher and a whip. Classic Tory perverse comedy? Same old Tories; same scum.
    2
  2806. Shows the Tory disconnect with logic; reiterated in the vacuous lament by the Fail. Who appointed Sue Gray to investigate partygate? From my recollection it was Johnson. So Johnson started this Labour plot? How devilishly clever!
    2
  2807. ​ @fburton8 whose interests exactly?
    2
  2808. 2023: the year when the term "Tory sleaze" was officially redefined as "Tory corruption." Who cares? In what other occupation would they get away with this?
    2
  2809. A succinct and accurate summary, Phil. Achieved by a minority-elected government in an archaic system that produces an elective dictatorship (as highlighted in the past by Lord Hailsham).
    2
  2810. Perhaps if the media stopped courting the charlatan...
    2
  2811. ​ @Maugirl2 how has it gone too far?
    2
  2812. ​ @ziggysawdust5407  please note: he said England. So that would include Celts, Vikings, Eastern Europeans, Jewish refugees and others. You couldn't just count the non-whites in said figures. Perhaps in return you would define British values (which Farage is reluctant to do)
    2
  2813. ​ @marksmith9218 And after certain individuals profited from globalisation, a code for cheap labour, did they ask you and would you expect them to?
    2
  2814. ​ @captaintruth who are the "then" (sic) who are different to us? And who, exactly, are "us"? This appears to be a complex question to Farage, Robinson, LeeAnderthal and the scammers who appeal to idiots for their own ends. Perhaps you will answer for them...
    2
  2815. ​ @bensmith3846 And what is that? Pie and chips? Arseholes wrapped in a union flag? Please define it. I'm confused after living and adapting to change for nearly eight decades. Funnily, I've found there is more to unite us as human beings, than divide us as morons.
    2
  2816. Then surely the answer is simple: 1) create new money for targeted investment in infrastructure and services. 2) tax wealth.
    2
  2817. So we can't blame a traitor selling out to oligarch interest? Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton. Trump features for good reason.
    2
  2818. Sunak is like a squeaky little mouse in PMQs. Irritated by scrutiny. Unable to answer a single question. Repeating false and irrelevant accusations in response. At least he continues to prove that the session is unfit for purpose and amounts to an absolute sh1tfest.
    2
  2819. The main channels of NHS waste imo are (1) outsourcing to private companies - including paying thousands of pounds per shift for an agency nurse or doctor. (2) excessive prices of big pharma.
    2
  2820. Agree with your list. We will inevitably need to start with political reform to stand a chance of fulfilling it.
    2
  2821. When reading the Express, it becomes obvious why Cameron failed to implement the Leveson report. After all, their party must continue to appeal to idiots.
    2
  2822. Of course it's difficult to disentangle the effects of Covid and Brexit, which is why Johnson was operationally stupid enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic.
    2
  2823. Absolutely proven, since doing the same thing and expecting a different result is a classic symptom.
    2
  2824. How dangerous will the little poison bottle get as his desperation grows? Putin had an argument against NATO expansion; he lost the argument after this idiotic invasion.
    2
  2825. The dollar is also the world's reserve currency so the dynamics are different.
    2
  2826.  @SimplySketchyGT  seems feasible. Doubted that a qualified lawyer could be so vacuous.
    2
  2827. Brexit: built by Brexiters on sand that keeps shifting. Now, it is evident that it causes self-harm, so "it was never about economics - it was all about sovereignty" according to its defendants. Never saw that on the side of a bus. There was never a clear plan. The greatest act of self-harm just morphs into its most sinister shape daily.
    2
  2828. Presumably the job description of a soldier includes fixing government cock-ups. I can't help thinking that this government uses planned incompetence to rip apart this country, perhaps for the benefit of disaster capitalists and vultures.
    2
  2829. Which excuses the Tories how?
    2
  2830.  @haveyaseenmiwhippet9069  in the absence of meaningful and relevant fact, spout bollocks instead of answering the question. Good try Mr or Mrs pseudonym.
    2
  2831. Who was more accurate: Rayner or Cromwell? One called the Tories "scum" the other referred to a House of "sordid prostitutes." Johnson has dragged sleaze to a new level of depravity. His sense of entitlement knows no bounds.
    2
  2832.  @carol-f8f7d  interesting. The Tories always have dubious contacts. A party of liars, charlatans and rogues.
    2
  2833. Global Britain is like Billy no mates. Johnson refereed to France as "our good friends." So that's how he treats his friends! Meanwhile the US has a second lapdog called Australia. Our world is getting smaller.
    2
  2834. Let's celebrate the use of secretive corporate courts in this deal (barring exceptions with Aus and NZ). That's taking back control for you.
    2
  2835.  @elrjames7799  "Glib" is the right word. Brand makes no pretence of sharing such conditions. He may understand it from past experience. Thus no hypocrisy. Lazy language; an attempt to exclude valid opinion.
    2
  2836. Yes. We took back control to launder more money.
    2
  2837. Copying Johnson's strategy in a limited and specific way. Johnson ignored the question and talked wiffle waffle bollocks. Truss just repeats her script - usually about subsidising energy costs. Utterly clueless.
    2
  2838.  @craig3533  So he should parrot what Starmer and Sunak are saying when he has explained why that isn't good enough. Start with a compromise and you will end up with less then a tenth of what is needed, while lives are being lost. The pursuit of ideals led to the Good Friday Agreement. We had a few pauses and guess what? They didn't hold and we needed one and then another, and then many more. Listen to what JC says about the inadequacy of a pause and you may understand.
    2
  2839. Government by gimmick to appeal to the brain dead.
    2
  2840. The ruse started in the 1980s. Neoliberalism was designed to exacerbate inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle down. It has failed society while benefiting the richest. Remember Thatcher's words: There is no such thing as society? We now live in an oligarchy, inching towards fascism.
    2
  2841. So the Brexiters claimed that we would get rid of EU red tape and beurocracy. Pity they weren't required to explain what would replace it. Yet another own goal.
    2
  2842. We are paying for these Tory range wars, after some paid with their lives for government incompetence. The battle between a serial liar and a ittle spiv is armchair theatre.
    2
  2843. As Gove mentioned, of course this government has had enough of experts, they govern by rhetoric and vacuous slogans, and blatantly dismiss factual argument.
    2
  2844.  @inthegym4679  agree with the last part. The Tories, in particular, wage an economic class war. Don't understand what you mean by "either side" though.
    2
  2845.  @pseudonayme7717  I don't doubt the level of neoliberalism worldwide. Yet leaving the SM and CU was an act of self-harm. We have exacerbated problems through it.
    2
  2846. Never, ever, pretend that America has real democracy. Money doesn't just matter more than votes; it buys them and reigns supreme.
    2
  2847.  @billB101  I understand that he was the economist. Yet the master plan was designed by some of the most powerful people at Mont Pelerin in 1947. Pinochet was the first, followed by Thatcher then Reagan. They were puppets for the most powerful.
    2
  2848.  @badgerpitful  Your first sentence invalidates the argument. Key word: if. If your assets lose value, your Labour may gain, depending on supply and demand, as opposed to the value of capital assets. The same applies in a capitalist economy.
    2
  2849. Check out the traits of a sociopath and you have virtually the perfect description of Buffoon.
    2
  2850. Remember the simple rules: Johnson, the serial liar, is the victim.
    2
  2851. Like everyone, she made mistakes. I found her humanity in the refugee crisis both brave and compelling. Compare her approach with Patel and Johnson - populist British leaders - and we find a true stateswoman in Merkel.
    2
  2852. Yes. Coincidentally, anyone speaking against Zionist oppression becomes antisemitic, as was the case with Jeremy Corbyn (see the Labour Files)
    2
  2853.  @margemaple6091  Yes, they get away with it in our elective dictatorship.
    2
  2854. Perhaps the Tories are going green by recycling rubbish.
    2
  2855.  @battybibliophile-Clare  I understand and feel the same, based on conviction. The dilemma is, anything but a tactical vote is wasted in our constituency (in our elective dictatorship) and I'll do whatever it takes to get these wazzocks out.
    2
  2856.  @jimmagspanton669  Which comment is that, Jim? Resorting to name calling is not only infantile, it devalues your argument.
    2
  2857.  @battybibliophile-Clare  I agree and would go as far as to say that our system is undemocratic, as all votes are not equal. What Lord Hailsham termed an elective dictatorship. We need electoral and parliamentary reform to deliver real democracy.
    2
  2858. Truss could stop at the phrase: "I don't think." It's questionable whether she is capable of rational thought.
    2
  2859. President moron at it before he takes office. Hardly surprising for a narcissistic would-be dictator.
    2
  2860. With a £35b reduction in tax revenue and a £65b bailout from the Bank of England we now know the starting price of their fantasy economics: £100billion. Get ready for more failed austerity.
    2
  2861. Our establishment conflates two opposites, to muddy reality as an attempt at a feeble excuse. The dilemma is, the media are too skilled for the nieve, or those devoid of critical thinking. Well exposed, James.
    2
  2862. ​ @edwardbernthal160 Dangerous to do that without scrutiny.
    2
  2863. ​ @DavidGraeberWasRight On which issues exactly? Yes, I admired David Graeber but are you suggesting voting Tory or for another alternative. Where are Labour to the right of this cabal?
    2
  2864.  @DavidGraeberWasRight  So, how is that to the right of the Tories? Starmer is a disappointment but in our constituency it's the choice of Tory or Tory light.
    2
  2865.  @blankroomsoup666  I'm not defending the law. You asked the difference. Operating a phone rather than a built in radio with steering wheel controls creates more distraction - unless using voice controls or hands free operation. Personally I stop to make or take a call unless using hands free. Your choice.
    2
  2866.  @blankroomsoup666  I agree that the last part is stupid. Not convinced that fiddling with a phone is as easy as adjusting a built in sound system though. The acid test is whether you can drive with due care and attention I guess
    2
  2867.  @thomassundling3423  respect to you, Sweden.
    2
  2868. The Tory cabinet: a triumph of arrogance over operational competence.
    2
  2869. He farted that through his mouth yesterday, along with contradictory statements. The guy is unhinged.
    2
  2870. Get ready for the Hunt and Fishy budget shit show. Austerity leads to economic decline, at a time when we are suffering a recession. Fishy the spiv will trot out something about making the hard decisions while screwing those who can least afford it. Enough is enough.
    2
  2871. A government that rewards corruption on an industrial scale. Just compare the punishment for a company director behaving similarly. At the very least banned from a directorship for 7 years. Most likely a prison sentence. Whereas a cabinet minister? Probably promotion with the taxpayer paying any fine. Welcome to Global Britain: the laughing stock of the world.
    2
  2872. A serial liar deliberately misleading parliament! Who would believe it? Let's spaff more public money to find out.
    2
  2873. Starmer's Labour is all we are allowed by the most powerful string pullers. The proof? It took a record low vote (in proportionate terms) to achieve a massive parliamentary majority. An elective dictatorship denying our right to real democracy for the purpose of preserving inequality. I'm disgusted by Starmer and his ilk. They will continue the same pattern of government: being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough.
    2
  2874. Land banking is the main problem; Jeremy Corbyn proposed the answer.
    2
  2875.  @julielevinge266  ???
    2
  2876. These Tory heroes are really such victims. Bawling and crying instead of owning the consequences of their behaviour. A sociopath is never wrong. It's always someone else's fault. Civil servants are paid professionals. Appointed to guide, question, challenge and scrutinise. Some challenge with these morons in charge. If the incompetent baby doesn't get his own way, they are stopping the job of government. (Perhaps they were explaining the significance of Dover to Raab?)
    2
  2877. ​ @Noel-ji8nm trolling again.
    2
  2878. Big assumption there, Ian: "if Nigel Farage is correct." Most of his rhetoric does not stand scrutiny. But then, most of our media allows his statements to go unchallenged.
    2
  2879. When Johnson has finished trotting out his mechanical lies and is asked a single factual question, he refers it to his new spokesperson: Sue Gray. "What day is it, prime minister?" "Erm, ah, yes, ask Sue Gray." This serial wazzock has become an international joke of legend.
    2
  2880. Let's not worry: Sunak is proud of brexit and his government's record. With a PM so obviously in touch, how can we fail?
    2
  2881. When Farage can extract himself from Trump's anus, he may eventually realise he is looking at a twin Russian asset.
    2
  2882. Thankfully not all. It took only 43.6% of those who actually voted to give this shower of shite this level of power in our elective dictatorship
    2
  2883. Newsflash! If you reshuffle a pile of sh1t, you still end up with a pile of sh1t.
    2
  2884. Our corrupt system tolerates a serial liar and incompetent buffoon as leader. The US system ramps that corruption up by a hundred notches, by tolerating state actors pursuing world domination.
    2
  2885.  Laura UK   depending on which definition you apply and whether you add logical test to definition. The second point you quote is so vague it could mean a small select group voting for a single representative, who gains equal or even greater power than the representative of a larger group, which is precisely what happens in our system.
    2
  2886.  @Ma55ey  That would not have been the case in the last election. But why do it? To achieve real democracy instead of an elective dictatorship (by making all votes equal.) With such government by consensus we would not have this extreme brexit (the Tories having a minority vote share and would have had only 43.6% of seats.)
    2
  2887. "stop the boats" how? And do what with their occupants? Won't hold my breath while waiting for an explanation featuring joined-up thinking. How many asylum seekers did we have in 2018, while part of the Dublin Agreement? Another brexit win.
    2
  2888. Saw this a couple of days ago and was repulsed by both his values and the vacuous stupidity of Starmer's position.
    2
  2889. We sell off our assets in the real economy, to concentrate on dodgy dealings in questionable financial instruments, fuelled by dark money. That's the essence of Global Britain.
    2
  2890. Who would have thought that leaving the EU without a clear vision and a plan would cause this damage? The core question was always: leave and do what?
    2
  2891. Great video. Reality TV being an oxymoron and critical thinking replaced with mindless slogans and meaningless sound-bites, we sleepwalk into inane compliance in Tory Britain.
    2
  2892. Totally agree with your analysis. Individual (non-Tory) parties need to accept the possible and forget their individual pursuit of power. In campaigning, however, they should promote political reform. Not only PR but cleaning up standards (removing dark money and conflict of interest.) If people see unity in this area, they may start to believe that democracy can be delivered.
    2
  2893.  @Fuliginosus  Love the irony. Some will certainly do that.
    2
  2894. The only person prepared to do that couldn't be allowed near power. (Something about anti-semitism and the nuclear button if memory serves?) The answers are there, as you suggest. Starmer seems to have sold his soul.
    2
  2895. If you want sense, don't interview a bonehead. The sign of a spent force.
    2
  2896. The first time I've heard a business person pretending that the working time directive is onerous while finally admitting that her problem was not being able to compel workers to exceed it. It's called worker protection, you selfish idiots. If a company can't manage such simple records, they shouldn't be in business.
    2
  2897. Similar message from Mick Lynch and Sharon Graham. Labour is listening to the wrong people. Unions, patriotic millionaires and the Mile End Road economists have the right answers.
    2
  2898. After 13 years of Tory intentional mismanagement to break the NHS, Barclay criticises Streeting's plan. Perhaps he will be shocked to know that it's up to the government in power to implement a plan. Never trust a Tory.
    2
  2899. A Cobra meeting is the hallmark of a prime minister in a hiding. A negotiation meeting would stop the need for such a meeting. Sunak is a weak coward; a little spiv hiding in a bunker, while Truss emerges to publish her excuses and Johnson pretends to be our international envoy. This is the party of mayhem. Supposedly running the country. Devoid of leadership. Full of confusion and mayhem. They haven't a bloody clue.
    2
  2900.  @micksmith1812  Troll alert. Noel is at it again. He has an infantile fascination with Starmer.
    2
  2901.  @badomen9057  And what are the Tories saying about Gaza? Nothing different from Starmer. I received a letter from the cabinet office, effectively excusing Israel and Sunak is failing to call them out. Vote Tory and you endorse more austerity and poverty. Haven't you seen enough over the past 13 years to prove their incompetence?
    2
  2902.  @DrMattiLabbratt  don't waste time with Noel the troll. Ask for his sources...
    2
  2903.  @DrMattiLabbratt  I agree with you and habitually check three points of reference myself. I have encountered Noel's trolling repeatedly in the past and have found that his points amount to fantasy when challenged. As for Starmer and the Saville incident, Full Fact explained the truth and even Johnson corrected the lie.
    2
  2904. PMQs is a farce, but Rayner nailed the useless moron. Raab does less damage on the beach
    2
  2905. If the MAGA crowd claim "moral integrity", you know they are sociopathic. Farage is the perfect speaker to promote bile and hatred to morons.
    2
  2906. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 That's not necessarily true, depending on how the newly created currency is used. If used for public infrastructure and services there is little or no inflation.
    2
  2907. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 That's known as a con...the choice of the government
    2
  2908. ​ @psiphon2808 Depends on the amount created, how it is used, and the productive capacity of the country (full employment).
    2
  2909.  @zenster1097  only honest ones, if their rhetoric about a deterrent works.
    2
  2910. Financial institutions have far too much power, and pay too little in tax. We are working for banks when they should work for society.
    2
  2911. Farage will do anything for publicity and self-promotion. The behavioural pattern that contributed to the Farage Riots.
    2
  2912.  @Leapops  that's because you may expect deflection, which you get all the time from politicians, when RM is giving examples of how fascism grows and affects us.
    2
  2913. Then tax wealth instead of hitting the vulnerable.
    2
  2914. Kemi's stupidity is exceeded only by her arrogance.
    2
  2915. What are the Tories looking for? The unicorns promised by Brexiters? Moon dust? Magic powder? Support from brainwashed morons who could never vote for anyone else? After systematically destroying the country over the last 14 years, leaving the carcass for financial vultures to strip it, will they get what they deserve?
    2
  2916. Is there a single day where the unhinged Trump doesn't pick a fight?
    2
  2917. He sells a few to idiots, then blames someone else when the wheels fall off. (Proof = Brexit)
    2
  2918. The Tories long to perpetuate the lie of trickle-down because it suits their richest backers. We need flow down for a strong economy with good public services.
    2
  2919.  @jimcrelm9478  I agree about the media... Currently reading Manufacturing Consent and am acutely aware of our complicit media. What do you want, revolution followed by dictatorship? Battle on the village green and and survival of the fittest? You keep saying what won't work. What will? Btw it took years of planning dating from a meeting in 1947 to implement neoliberalism and reinforce it with a doctrine that impels the poor to vote for the rich to have more. After war comes chaos - history shows that
    2
  2920.  @JOzzie-u8z  Such vacuous bravery from a pseudonym account. Troll off
    2
  2921. It seems that you have identified the only way we will get change. We need to build a mechanism from the ground floor upwards. Unions? Yes. But perhaps we need to get together and launch people's assemblies. Make Votes Matter is one such campaign we should build on.
    2
  2922. Did people really know what they were voting for? Were they blinded by a three word slogan without looking at the suitability of Johnson and his cabal, not only to deliver it but to govern our ailing country? We have moved from a gaslighting media to Tory misdirection on an industrial scale. Finally the penny is dropping for many. Britain is indeed broken. What will it take to get rid of this charlatan and the untrustworthy Tories?
    2
  2923. Hardly surprising as neoliberalism is exposed as a sham, after a pandemic and a crisis created by military invasion have made life impossible for many while the richest 1% get even richer.
    2
  2924. Perhaps someone should explain to him that brains and beauty are not mutually exclusive. Nor must people be compartmentalised.
    2
  2925. Just imagine the operational stupidity of completing Brexit during a pandemic! Who would do that and why?
    2
  2926.  @kaymish6178  I absolutely agree. The irony being that America has one of the worst health systems in the world. Health care is not a right in America, greed rules.
    2
  2927.  @andrewharris3900  so privatisation. Who will run the NHS and who will determine the amount and collect the money? And for those who can't afford to pay? I suggest listening to Bernie Sanders' comments before pursuing that one. We already have private options btw, many of us got them through our employers... personally, I didn't resent paying into the state system - just the meddling and dismantling of it
    2
  2928.  freebeerfordworkers  yes. I've found the same thing. A money spinner - always multiple visits, tests and consultations. An absolute scam.
    2
  2929. The amazing thing is that some electors consider this normal (and by implication acceptable.) Another Tory minister, same sh1t.
    2
  2930. Their corruption is a badge of honour. The sleaziest and most inept government in my lifetime.
    2
  2931. Is this woman mentally unbalanced, plain stupid or just a blatant liar? Innocent Jewish people were indeed massacred, but the protests are about the seven thousand innocent Palestinians who have been slaughtered in revenge. All too easy for a Tory numpty to conveniently miss that fact.
    2
  2932. Corruption!! Look at the work of the Good Law Project and the amount of our taxes spent by the Tory government in defence of their corruption and cronyism. I applaud the fact that the EU is dealing with this.
    2
  2933. Wow! Rees Mogg has an easy ticket finding Brexit opportunities. Unfortunately most of them prove beneficial to EU countries.
    2
  2934.  @HumansAreShitFactories  Helpful Tip: when you see a reply, read beyond the first line and consider the response. Within in, you will find an explanation. If that's not clear, I have replied in full and I'm not "one of those..." who you would love to stereotype
    2
  2935.  @HumansAreShitFactories  as you seem to have missed my response. Her comment was "about respect and hard work. Also interpreted as keeping the plebs in their place with the threat of the workhouse. Seems like we are heading there." Hope that's clear enough.
    2
  2936. ​ @mwd331 I agree. Unless PR is implemented immediately in the next parliament.
    2
  2937. Johnson with a hairdryer; Trump with bleach. Now we know why they both appeal to idiots: they live with the same mindset.
    2
  2938. The idiocy of completing Brexit during a pandemic was obvious to anyone with the remotest sense of operational competence. Buffoon simply wanted to blame the pandemic for his disastrous "oven ready deal." Now, after 12 years of failed Tory austerity, we are facing austerity 2. Hunt and Little Spiv will tinker with tax and spend to placate the financial markets, while failing to invest in our infrastructure and with no plan for recovery. Enough is enough.
    2
  2939. Did just farmers have the vote? Such mindless twaddle.
    2
  2940. Reform have no sound economic policies, harping back to something long gone and no longer achievable after Nixon ditched the gold standard and the world changed. Inevitably Reform apologists criticise QE, yet their "policies" would grind the majority into poverty. As you say, QE saved a potential disaster. The problem has been the aftermath, imposing austerity and causing most of the new money to end up with the richest, while banks were let off the hook instead of changing their operating structure. Reform are at least consistent: a cabal of charlatans appealing to the hard of thinking.
    2
  2941. Trickle Down: the reality being that wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the cracks.
    2
  2942. That detail isn't necessary. Just fill it with three word slogans and the odd two word lie (e.g. levelling down) thrown in. (Sorry for the mistake. I added a true slogan in brackets)
    2
  2943.  @jim-es8qk  Why a written and codified constitution? Are you really asking that, seriously? As for reforming our elective dictatorship and the politically appointed house of lords? To deliver an effective democracy and qualified scrutiny.
    2
  2944.  @jim-es8qk  I disagree. For whom? Promoting confusion and propping up an elective dictatorship through opacity. Perhaps you will come out from hiding behind your pseudonym account and develop beyond mono-sylables.
    2
  2945.  @jim-es8qk  I don't exchange dialogue with pseudonym accounts. Your statements aren't substantiated.
    2
  2946.  @janetrees2482  also get rid of titles. Our country is a sick joke.
    2
  2947. What kind of naive moron would believe the promises of a little spiv? The man who promised integrity and professionalism in politics is spouting at least as man lies in the House as Johnson.
    2
  2948. The Tories always dismantling industry. They prefer an economy based on dirty money and a lack of regulation for banking.
    2
  2949. Sunak conveniently dismisses as "opinion" the projections of the very body whose work he bases his budget on. Well, here's an opinion on his budget and the standard of Tory fiscal management. Choose any of the following words or phrases at your discretion: propaganda; incompetence; smoke and mirrors; oppression of the poor; low taxation for the rich; privatisation for funders' profit; sociopaths in suits; the great pretenders; debt followed by austerity. In short, abject incompetence.
    2
  2950.  @tzaph67  we also live in the UK. If anyone had failed as spectacularly as the Tories, in a democracy they would be history.
    2
  2951. Would be interesting to know how Corbyn would be dangerous. Wonder what escaped him about Johnson and Russian money. What in JC's Labour manifesto didn't he like about Corbynism? Another Daily Fail reader?
    2
  2952. Such an iconic structure. This emblem and the Geordie people deserve the best. (Levelling up, Sunak?)
    2
  2953. By any logical and moral standards, these charlatans are guilty of one crime against the population. It's a simple seven-letter word...TREASON
    2
  2954. Interesting last paragraph and you may have a point. I believe the reality is opposite. Only three reasons to vote Tory: self interest; intellectual laziness; or abject stupidity.
    2
  2955. True: albeit the BofE is not technically independent. It has autonomy over interest rates.
    2
  2956.  @royboy4743  apologies
    2
  2957. Brexit: a triumph of fantasy over fact, for the benefit of disaster capitalists.
    2
  2958. Yes. It's simply expected of you.
    2
  2959. The fact that Braverman is popular among Tory voters shows their psychological sickness. At least, as an incompetent and an aspiring fascist she fits in this cabinet.
    2
  2960. Ah! But we aspire to be Global Britain, not intergalactic Britain. I mean, just look at the success of British projects. Lol
    2
  2961. Don't expect a government led by slogans to have any plan. Get Brexit done (meant do it badly) Depending on media support means reaction to headlines and being seen to do something. Unfortunately always too little too late, and often the inappropriate thing.
    2
  2962. Absolutely true. The demise started with Thatcher's declaration that there is no such thing as society. We have replaced it with greed and exploitation.
    2
  2963. A phenomenal video. George Monbiot traced the history of neoliberalism to a meeting in Mont Pelerin, in 1947 (which I reiteraterated in a free ebook on neoliberalism). Neoliberalism was designed to exacerbate inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. A success for the few; a disaster for society. Please keep up your good work, Richard.
    2
  2964. Never underistimate the power of identifying a common enemy, as the fictitious primary actor in a problem you have helped to cause through your planned incompetence.
    2
  2965. Look at recent history and you will know.
    2
  2966. Psychos and sociopaths will do that.
    2
  2967. Evidence please, bot
    2
  2968. BoJoke caves in to anyone threatening his power. He imposes hardship on the vulnerable while protecting his puppet masters and donors. The classic signs of a pathetic bully.
    2
  2969.  @aizac91  Agreed. It's a generalisation but enough leaders to make it chilling.
    2
  2970. The people suffering the greatest level of denial are the politicians, who rarely admit a mistake. Professional liars with the oligarch media helping them manufacture consent. We suffer an elective dictatorship that enabled this disaster. It took a minority elected government to implement this act of self harm.
    2
  2971. The truth is, we didn't vote for this Tory brexit. A small majority of people voted to leave the EU; then a minority (43.6%) of voters elected the Tories to "get brexit done." In consequence, Johnson got brexit half-done badly. Never trust a lying buffoon with a fake sledge hammer.
    2
  2972. If she is still being paid as an MP, that should be regarded as theft (or at least a breach of contract.) In what other line of work could you get away with this?
    2
  2973. We might move on when those who won, finally get over it and face reality.
    2
  2974. For "in receipt of new information," read: "we have been found out." We are dealing with a little spiv, playing at prime minister.
    2
  2975. This wazzock is so addicted to lying, it's hard to believe he isn't delusional.
    2
  2976. Wow! Is Jacob about to find some unicorns? Cutting the cost of imports while other countries apply tariffs to our exports. How will that affect our trade balance, Jacob?
    2
  2977. Dowdy is yet another incompetent Tory apologist. The leader of the enquiry asked for the information. Its that simple.
    2
  2978. Not subsidised; we own shares, which we could sell.
    2
  2979. @Tom listen to the recording and work it out. If you can't, go back to school, do not pass go, and challenge the buffoon to repeat his words in public.
    2
  2980. Beware! The Tories always manage to find someone worse. Sunak would be replaced by pure poison.
    2
  2981. Don't worry! He will emphasise that he has a plan, and presumably the recession will be part of it. A cabal of incompetence led by a moron.
    2
  2982. We rejected a decent human being for a lying buffoon who offered mayhem and destruction. That's the power of the oligarch media ... it's called manufactured consent.
    2
  2983. Define "independent." But first read the letter of instruction to the pay body from Sajid Javid.
    2
  2984. I was once told that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I have now learned that the road to Dover is paved with vacuous lies.
    2
  2985.  @Morbidia  Yes, the revolving door, often between news and politics. How these wazzocks manufacture consent is both surprising and concerning.
    2
  2986.  @leroysimon5692  Good comment. I watched the three episodes and they are revealing.
    2
  2987. ​@SheilaBloom.Pathetic whataboutery. Please try harder.
    2
  2988.  @Thematt11  a close contest then?
    2
  2989. The Tories have one plan. It's called planned operational incompetence. React with too little, too late. Being seen to do something; never the right thing; never enough. Don't act in the best interests of society. Do whatever their string pullers and funders demand, to exacerbate inequality and gradually adopt fascism.
    2
  2990.  @mikemullen8174  all five! Is counting really your strong point? As I said, it depends where he ends up. He may disappear up his own orifice. My vote will be tactical, as I'm not inspired by a single policy from anyone. It's damage limitation imo.
    2
  2991.  @Lindafoy11  I agree and have said nothing different. I intend to hold my nose and vote tactically.
    2
  2992. When does Fartage sit in silence and wait his turn to speak? They obviously don't teach manners at private school. The charlatan is being exposed, piece by piece, while he farts through his mouth in the media.
    2
  2993.  @billpugh58  Not all. I know people who voted for other reasons. The majority, perhaps. Not all.
    2
  2994. There are no "healthy poll ratings" for Deform UK. A limited company and not a democratic organisation. A cabal of charlatans appealing to the desperate and hard of thinking. Farage's latest scam for consumption by idiots.
    2
  2995. I find it ironic that a government empowered through a minority vote (43.6% of verified votes) feels qualified to tell us what the British people want. All of this while trotting our rhetoric in defence of an unworkable and illegal policy. What I really want is real democracy and a new government.
    2
  2996. She will certainly fail in any attempt to ration idiocy in her Tory cabinet.
    2
  2997.  @ellied.violet7372  good point. Perhaps even Johnson is incapable.
    2
  2998. Without the excessive self-promotion of a narcissist, and the compliance of the MSM, Farage would be as irrelevant as he deserves to be.
    2
  2999. I have consistently argued that Britain is broken, thanks to Tory austerity, an abject brexit and their fiscal incompetence. Think of the Tories as asset strippers: breaking up any national assets, selling them off in pieces for short-term profit, and leaving a shell of society that works to support the greed of the wealthiest. The Tories don't work for the benefit of society, after Thatcher declared 'there is no such thing..' They work to feed an insatiable appetite for funding to sustain power, working as puppets for the few who act as sadists to the many.
    2
  3000. There were too many clues of the inevitability of this mess. At the simplest level, when someone claims "we've had enough of experts", what are they hiding? Who would jave trusted the inept cabal at Westminster to "take back control"? Now we know...too late.
    2
  3001. Neoliberalism, or trickle down economics, was aptly described as a hustle that pretends to be a philosophy.
    2
  3002. Labour' s argument need not be about Brexit per se. More about the operational incompetence of completing Brexit during a pandemic and the fact that Johnson has got Brexit part-done and badly.
    2
  3003. Housing is symptomatic of the state of our country and the consequence of 13 years of Tory government. In a single acronym: FUBAR
    2
  3004.  @Jack-fs2im  depends what you mean by "right" and how you define society. Perhaps considering the effects of Neoliberalism, which she imposed, will add insight.
    2
  3005. When a buffoon blunders, send in George Useless
    2
  3006. Please don't give up, Rob. Otherwise, what are we left with? A mainstream media that fails to mention the fascist bills, which you covered so poignantly in last week's video. I listen regularly to yourself, Michael, Phil and Max, and you shine a light of factual reality on our dark landscape, that is otherwise plagued by a media that manufactures consent. The dilemma is coverage. How can we help to increase it? Must we depend on social media algorithms? Perhaps if a few of us wrote to advisers in Labour or other parties committed to democracy, encouraging them to watch your videos.
    2
  3007.  @charlesvanderhoog7056  in our case, we are rapidly becoming obscure, which Oscar as an Irishman may have loved.
    2
  3008. Are you part of the pay review body? If so, please read Sajid Javid's briefing that set the constraints you must consider.
    2
  3009.  @powderandpaint14  absolutely agree.
    2
  3010. Johnson will not solve the problem. It's of his own making, so he'll deny it and attempt to shift blame.
    2
  3011. He will undoubtedly get his hands slapped and will stay in power. How long did it drag on with Johnson? And still ongoing with Raab. This is the little Spiv who promised integrity, professionalism and accountability. The joke of the year is about to unfold. Tories take the p1ss while scoffing at us as taxpayers.
    2
  3012. As ever, customers will pay; shareholders won't. What's the point of privatisation when the market is clearly broken?
    2
  3013. America can't be trusted as anyone's ally with an unfit system of government and a moron in charge.
    2
  3014.  @imconfused1237  and the millions of pages are where? How many checks on public health? Who funded the research? I'm not saying 5g is good or bad. Just questioning the amount of verification and transparency. Moreover, who put this eyesore on a pavement? Aesthetics are important, as are obstructions.
    2
  3015. Gammons simply don't talk about the cock-ups they supported: HS2; Brexit; austerity; inequality. Their vow of silence ignores fact while creating an alternate reality. Rhetoric over critical thinking. Why must our politicians cower in fear of calling out mistakes?
    2
  3016. Who suggested it was?
    2
  3017. Patel the arrogant vacuous sociopath, pushing a populist policy devoid of logic. Now the dodgy dealings are exposed she attempts to rise above the law, backed by a government threatening to leave the ECHR (which has nothing to do with the EU and which we helped to form.)
    2
  3018. What was wrong with his reasoning? No answers, and guess who is the clown.
    2
  3019. Reform is a cesspit of recycled ideas from operationally clueless morons who appeal to idiots.
    2
  3020. What a bloody circus. I would have renamed this session Prime Minister's Evasions but now believe it to be Prime Minister's Fantasies. In reality, Johnson is getting on with the job of ruining the country beyond repair. Is this buffoon a plant? Seems the only plausible explanation to such an incompetent and sociopathic wazzock being in charge.
    2
  3021.  @carol-f8f7d  good to know. I have never voted Tory in my life and don't intend to start after they consistently mess up the country. The only half decent Tory was John Major but even he did not get my support.
    2
  3022. Hall is a vacuous lunatic. The perfect Tory candidate.
    2
  3023.  @stshnie  perhaps, on reflection, the interviewer was setting him up to show the fallacy of shallow populism. In which case, well done.
    2
  3024. Two charlatans high on power and celebrity. If asked difficult questions, they crumble.
    2
  3025. Loathsome clearly enjoying her sovereign tea, presumably as an antidote to magic mushrooms based on the crap she spouts.
    2
  3026.  @PeterPete  it's not one thing or the other, Pete it's taking responsibility in a managed and regulated way. Something this government either doesn't understand or is incapable of.
    2
  3027. @Daniel Wood listen again to the video. We made money out of hosting it and from participation
    2
  3028.  @jamescartwright2871  of course. We generally got good value from our EU contribution, as in the case of the EASA. Going it alone will cost us ten times more. Still looking forward to the red bus £350 million a week for the NHS?
    2
  3029. ​ @fitzstv8506 Full endorsement from me. You have raised the most important issue: we need PR
    2
  3030. Perhaps that string of nonsense was called rambling about Ireland, from America.
    2
  3031. He's not racist, he just cant stand foreigners. Nigel: the wazzock who appeals to idiots.
    2
  3032.  @CGKBettz3  Or greed to reduce the number of staff for more profit.
    2
  3033. Farage talking about trashing your own country is pure irony. Always possible to predict these sanctimonious pricks who jump to the defence of our state-funded dysfunctional family.
    2
  3034.  @fredsmith5473  I understand the history. Your point being?
    2
  3035. Tory MPs see Johnson as a "tool" because that's what he is - a useless one.
    2
  3036. Great that Maajid faces fact, irrespective of religion and culture. Thankfully we have close friends who are Muslim and he is not alone in calling this out.
    2
  3037. Conclusive proof that brexit is sh*t. As for writing to my Tory MP...no reply.
    2
  3038. The timing adds to the irrelevance and stupidity of this announcement. With health and social services cut to the bone, where is the support to get more people earning or learning? With the introduction of AI, there will be fewer jobs and the work for pay economic model will become outdated. We will need redistribution to mitigate inequality and improve the quality of life. We will need new solutions, such as Universal Basic Income to make society work effectively. Resorting to the old right-wing tropes shows that Starmer's Labour has no long term solutions for the benefit of society.
    2
  3039. Poignant analysis, professor. Exposing such vacuous behaviour from the cheerleader for the Johnsonian populist cabal.
    2
  3040. They have: clearly and often.
    2
  3041.  @parvathynayer354  That would be the same furlough reluctantly implemented by Sunak after union campaigning. As for eat out, it was a great way to spread the virus. As for paying back, the main burden falls on the lower earners in proportionate terms. Sunak is a traditional Tory, wedded to austerity and inequality. Let's see how he intends to achieve what is euphemistically called balancing the books.
    2
  3042. Johnson knows so little about so much, it becomes obvious why he has a dumb-ass cabinet in permanent denial.
    2
  3043. The mental picture of hedge fund managers stealing our coconuts brought a wry smile. Until I saw its serious side. The hedge fund managers took a greater slice of GDP, then assets, then productive investment gave way to their speculation. They then took the food from our mouths and we were left with coconuts, and guess what?
    2
  3044. This government doesn't know its anus from its elbow, why would they know the likely date? Meanwhile they are Hellbent on destroying the country.
    2
  3045. Fine the water industry until they become worthless then take water into public ownership.
    2
  3046. Tories behaving like baying prats. How unusual.
    2
  3047.  @PaulTalksGamesMags  I understand, and the only way for me to help get rid of them is to vote Labour in our constituency, after boundary changes. We need electoral reform to achieve real democracy.
    2
  3048.  @sparking2016  Thanks for telling me what I said. Clairvoyance is a skill. The word "just" meant it had gone beyond shame. Yet I doubt Labour's will and ambition. Being wedded to old tax and spend economics and a lack of ambition on tax justice ties one hand behind their back by imposing unnecessary financial constraints. Delivering growth is hard in the current international environment. No intention to deliver PR, apparently against the will of the membership. Voting for the lesser of two evils is my opinion, and I hope for a far better future for our grandchildren.
    2
  3049. A party intent on delivering public services through a privatised free market, while coincidentally taking donations from those same private companies is not only dubious, but is the absolute epitome of corruption. (Coincidentally that last word can't be used in parliament.)
    2
  3050. A reduction of 30% would need more than improved "efficiency" - which is often code for stripping quality or reducing service and increasing profits.
    2
  3051.  @robmule4647  is that the sum total of your reasoning?
    2
  3052.  @Samnoid  Yes. It's his ultimate distraction. Forget the fact that we need more immigrants after Brexit, which was obvious to many of us. Forget the fact that we need more immigrant workers to compensate for our ageing population. We also need key skills, as it takes time to train replacements.
    2
  3053. It's the season of goodwill, for all except the sociopathic Tory cabinet.
    2
  3054. There are a few others. Yet JC stands out as a decent human being.
    2
  3055. ​ @a-c-carpentry Then why do you support them? Do you approve of the ECHR?
    2
  3056. The Tories want a small state to exacerbate inequality. When we need the services, they won't be there, or they will be next to useless. The rich won't care because they will pay for what they need. Thatcher warned us: there is no such thing as society. I support the workers; they deserve fair reward and a decent standard of living. Enough is enough.
    2
  3057. I have yet to hear a brexiter owning their mistake. Even Foghorn Farage admitted it isn't working but then that's someone else's fault. There's a place for such treacherous cowards: the Tower of London.
    2
  3058. I agree. Yet accepting Tory fiscal rules is handcuffing government in sorting out the mess.
    2
  3059. You would be correct only if the Tories get back in. We need electoral and parliamentary reform to unleash the power of real democracy
    2
  3060. Loathsome Leadsom failing to get a one word answer. Now she knows how it feels at PMQs with her shifty boss. People who get rewarded for failure are called MPs - taking second jobs (some at £10k a day.)
    2
  3061. Higher interest rates alone will not rectify cost push inflation. The BofE is like a golfer with a single club on his (or her) bag. The government hides behind the free market and shifts blame to the bank.
    2
  3062. Didn't hear him say "stop the super-yachts." Perhaps he would if some of the oligarchs offered to fund an asylum processing centre.
    2
  3063.  @djtaylorutube  I'll take that correction. Good point.
    2
  3064.  Barry Jones  and that has helped us, how? A trade bloc uses rules to achieve fair trade, as well as protecting workers rights and product standards. CETA, for example, uses corporate courts. The real reason was the EU anti tax avoidance directive. Little England is isolated.
    2
  3065. Relevance? There were better methods of funding.
    2
  3066. Deform UK depend on their intellectually-challenged followers having "had enough of experts". It worked once (with Brexit) and now that's someone else's fault. The hallmark of a scammer.
    2
  3067. By due process, the Tories mean: we make it up as we go along.
    2
  3068.  @TinTin01234  garbage
    2
  3069. Tories love scrutiny... of others but not of themselves.
    2
  3070. For integrity, professionalism and accountability, read corruption, incompetence and obfuscation.
    2
  3071. Surely setting aside a percentage of land for rotation is good practice. Recovery and crop rotation.
    2
  3072. Trickle Down economics. Where wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks.
    2
  3073. At least we have the comfort of seeing union flags at every government briefing. Who needs success when you can wave a flag and sing Rule Britannia? Who can comprehend the mindset of Little Englanders? The mindset that says, if someone else has a perceived problem it makes us feel better?
    2
  3074. Brexit is consistent with the ironic miracle of neoliberalism: where the poor vote for the rich to have more. Brexit was designed to ignite this fire: by dismantling protections of worker rights and product standards so the free market can rip. We can look forward to a low tax, poverty pay society, as was always intended by Johnson's verminous cabal.
    2
  3075. Yes, Mr George Useless, trading blocs have rules. Some even allow corporate courts. The world of reality presents a shock to brexiters and idiots.
    2
  3076. Tories don't do detail. They grandstand and spout vacuous rhetoric then blame someone else when things goes wrong. Thankfully (for them) the garbage media covers for them, so the issues remain while they go round in ever-decreasing circles.
    2
  3077.  @vladimirputin4822  Yes. And that was a fantasy. We always had control over our borders outside the EU. Freedom of movement applied only to the EU.
    2
  3078. Effective protest needs disruption. Otherwise, with our establishment-supporting media feeding on sensationalism, people don't take notice.
    2
  3079. Wow! More Brexit wins by the day...for the EU. Global Britain must be impressing our European neighbours.
    2
  3080. Wow! Johnson has clearly read the Buffoon's Guide to Economics. He talks about borrowing affecting interest rates. This from a government that 'printed' money to fund a failed test and trace system; that bought unusable PPE after paying over the odds. BlowJoke doesn't understand the difference between borrowing and QE. Inflation affects interest rates, and using a windfall tax to offset cost push inflation will have the opposite effect.
    2
  3081. No, Mr Bessent stooge. Noone makes that much money themselves, btw. They need the efforts of others, in support, and coincidentally get government contracts to accelerate their wealth. Such a pathetic and vacuous stooge.
    2
  3082. I'm tired of hearing "they're all the same" from the people who refused to vote for Jeremy Corbyn, who is distinctly different.
    2
  3083. Of course the Tories won't clean up and regulate political donations. Corruption is a badge of honour to them. Nor will they reform our undemocratic electoral system because they benefit from our elective dictatorship.
    2
  3084. This b'stard should be in the Tower of London, as an example of how a self-interested traitor can bugger up a country.
    2
  3085. Or would she be the Barking Baroness?
    2
  3086. He throws so many people under the bus, he must be calling Stagecoach to bring more new buses.
    2
  3087. He says charity begins at home then contradicts that by saying there is none: we can't afford to run this country for our own people, blah, blah. Why not? The sixth wealthiest country in the world should be able to do both. Blame Tory mismanagement.
    2
  3088.  @YouD0ntSay  Potentially Scotland, NI and Wales leaving the Union, thanks to Johnson's hubris and incompetence.
    2
  3089. The economy has "turned a corner." More like a U-turn during 13 years of Tory incompetence.
    2
  3090.  @GeorgeGwiazda  Parliament makes the law, which is scrutinised by the Law Lords and tested in courts by trained judges. Otherwise we have dictatorship. International law "is a joke" only to a jingoist with no sense of international responsibility, which is why Britain has become an international joke in its own right.
    2
  3091.  @Reprint001  don't you mean that noone would be worse than Johnson?
    2
  3092. The only common denominator I can find is so-called class. Must have the right accent and background. Must be part of the game to see how far you can go in conning the electorate.
    2
  3093. Give the man a break. He can't tell the difference between work and a party. With such judgement... The mind boggles.
    2
  3094. "root and branch" sends shivers...the language of politicians...code for doing the square root of sod all.
    2
  3095.  @Gary-bz1rf  you don't? His sums are accurate.
    2
  3096. You don't solve an immigration problem by failing to process applications and blaming the immigrants. You solve it by processing applications and returning "illegals" while letting the genuine applicants contribute to the economy. The opposite of what the Tories did.
    2
  3097.  @johnwormley5161  how can you say he is worse when not in power? I'm not a fan of Starmer but your reply lacks logic
    2
  3098. This video has confirmed my worst fears. I suspected that Rachel Reeves did not have the right answers as a traditional ex-BofE economist. If Labour is determined to avoid rocking the boat, the cargo will be loaded more unevenly, through inequality, and the result won't be pretty - at least for most of us. Perhaps someone in Labour will listen to Gary Stevenson, Richard and other well-qualified experts and learn the simple lesson: INEQUALITY STIFLES GROWTH. We saw what an over-reliance on deregulated financial services did in 2008.
    2
  3099. Uphold trial by jury. Ban trial by government.
    2
  3100. Twaddle Without Any Thought
    2
  3101. Thought that was Marxism.
    2
  3102.  @davekelley4076  if you feel qualified to make that judgement, the word arrogance comes to mind. "Low level and patronising?" I simply commented on our government's progression towards fascism and you attempted deflection, which is not only against the pure definition of the word but unsubstantiated. Shall we choose water pistols at 25 paces or simply forget the exchange? I'm less concerned about a typo than a government that is suppressing peaceful protest, is afraid to be held to account and is threatening the powers of the judiciary.
    2
  3103. Yes. A common lesson from the book of fascism: the identification of a common enemy.
    2
  3104. Henning is a class act.
    2
  3105.  @Craig121000  nice to see some trolling, John. Keep shifting your opinion if you have nothing better to do.
    2
  3106.  @Jay-gr9ij  And how, exactly, was Brexit going to achieve that? Every credible economic forecast said the opposite.
    2
  3107.  @coldestbeer  keep drinking the beer if that's the best you can come up with.
    2
  3108.  @ihavebeenben  I heard, Ben, but you didn't. Striking was the LAST resort... The last step. Don't blame the unions, blame government negligence and incompetence.
    2
  3109. Which is exactly what politicians don't want. We would develop a bs detector.
    2
  3110. "Erm...the PM wasn't at the party; Raab wasn't at the party. The report of the party was hearsay." Perhaps it was attended by the ghosts of austerity and incompetence. Plenty of those in the Tory party.
    2
  3111. Or to take a positive position, as more immigrants have contributed to the economy and the population has grown, why haven't we built more housing? Net zero is crass stupidity with an ageing population. If net zero immigration is the answer, you are asking the wrong question. Land banking is the real problem, greed the culprit.
    2
  3112. The Tories have engendered a habit of choosing a leader who fails upwards. Perhaps malleability comes with incompetence. A toy of the ERG?
    2
  3113. A Tory minister talking about the "moral component" is most repulsive. Johnson's cabinet has a strange idea of morality.
    2
  3114. Don't mention brexit!! The media stays silent. Wonder if the rejoin march will make state media (our 100 year old BBC) So much of our recent demise can be traced back to the divide and rule campaign of hatred in 2016. This lunacy is enabled by our undemocratic electoral system that allowed a minority (43.6%) of validated votes to permit Johnson to fk up the country.
    2
  3115. Dom, of course, did nothing wrong. The egotistic gutter rat who couldn't find his way to Specsavers yet acted like a supreme dictator, propping up his buffoon of a boss. A key actor in this fiasco of incompetence.
    2
  3116. Parliament is simply unfit for purpose. An elective dictatorship enabling power in a place that can be gamed. No need to answer questions, just to respond. An invitation, rather than a requirement to correct the record after honest mistakes or even cynical lies. Second jobs allowed and conflicts of interest excused or pardoned. Tribism rather than frank and open debate. This is not rule by (or even on behalf of) the people. I.e. It's not real democracy.
    2
  3117. The stupidity of this caller explains why Johnson completed withdrawal from the EU during a pandemic. He buys Johnson's excuses for our act of stupidly by blaming the pandemic. Brexiters certainly appeal to idiots.
    2
  3118. Great research. I'm wondering if it's mandatory to be a pervert to get on in the party of scum.
    2
  3119. There is a world of difference between anti-zionism and anti-semitism. Conflating the two suits thugs like Netanyahu to continue murdering innocent civilians.
    2
  3120.  @agt155  since he's a radio presenter, it amounts to the same thing. His job is talking, but he holds the Convict and his cabal to account. What is the relevance of your comment? More whataboutery?
    2
  3121.  @agt155  and how does that invalidate the disclosed facts? No mitigation there. Just whataboutery.
    2
  3122.  @agt155  thanks for the admission. One day I'll explain it to you in single syllables.
    2
  3123.  @agt155  don't listen to trolls from pseudonym accounts. Stop wasting my time.
    2
  3124.  @agt155  continuing to show your intellectual level. Mindless trolling
    2
  3125. I also associated the two: both effective leaders and, sadly, the brutality of politics has taken its toll.
    2
  3126. Someone needs to school the vacuous buffoon. A product of the most expensive education system turns out to be a vacuous prat. Never mind, the electorate will keep doffing their caps.
    2
  3127. We continually and consistently find that none of our procedures are fit for purpose. Not only parliamentary procedures, but in business where systems have been outgrown by globalisation. We now have monopolies undreamt of, with little or no attempt to control them, to accommodate the scam of neoliberalism. It's as though the world of commerce, services and trading has been designed for rogues and charlatans. The mythical "market" is an entitty that noone understands and noone may tamper with, while the rogues bend it to their will.
    2
  3128.  @petrovonoccymro9063  so Starmer was bluffing, and your knowledge exceeds his? As I said, we should be in the single market and the CU if that is the only option. Other countries have deals that were referenced in the campaign, yet we have ended up with the worst possible option.
    2
  3129.  @petrovonoccymro9063  then we agree. That's why we have the most dangerous and inept government in history. The hard right are pulling Johnson's strings.
    2
  3130. ​ @PineApple-bs8rt hardly surprising that such a comment comes from a pseudonym account. Have you never heard of in-work poverty? Just stop trolling and apply critical thinking.
    2
  3131.  @PineApple-bs8rt  No, a troll resists critical thinking and uses rhetoric or insult as a substitute for factual argument. Where are your facts?
    2
  3132. Brexiters in permanent denial. They denounced Project Fear and are now swallowing Project Reality. Britain is broken.
    2
  3133.  @garrywynne1218  I have read it. You seem to have misunderstood it, based on the media rhetoric. It is literally a means of triggering discussion to request perceived remedial action; and not a tool of threat.
    2
  3134. Most Scots have more sense than voting to Deform the UK.
    2
  3135. Johnson's cabal of charlatans did not stop at hiding the truth, they added new lies.
    2
  3136. A cabal of sociopathic incompetents. Not difficult to find a fool of the week in the Tory cabinet.
    2
  3137. I recommend the use of the Off button. This greasy wazzock gets too much publicity for his vacuous bile.
    2
  3138. The most divisive government ever complaining about divisive tactics and some kind of manufactured fear. Conveniently, the word Gaza is ignored. 30,000 deaths and counting while little Rishi lectures from Downing Street.
    2
  3139. Another "world beating" shitty little deal. Over promise and under deliver: the Tory method.
    2
  3140. Interesting perspective on unions. If unions focus, almost exclusively on workers' rights, and secondly on quality standards that benefit consumers, they are likely to get more members. Some are definitely turned off by the politicisation of unions, while the erosion of their rights is ignored. Good message: we need solidarity in the fight against Neoliberal oppression.
    2
  3141. More homes, less affordable through increased interest rates. A failure to build the quota of affordable homes and no mention of social housing. Btw has anyone noticed the economy "powering ahead?" Or did it happen for just a few minutes and pass me by?
    2
  3142. I believe that's true. The representative of the city even has a chair in parliament, behind the speaker's chair, according to an article by George Monbiot some years ago.
    2
  3143. Couldn't agree more. The problem with signing up to neoliberalism and the lie of trickle down, in attempting to be a carbon copy of Blair and using his advisors, is that Murdoch and the oligarch media mob lead you by the nose. A further sign is that Leveson will also be shelved.
    2
  3144. This country is stitched up through corruption driven by greed. "Global Britain" is imploding. We need nothing short of revolution (hopefully through peaceful means) to clean up our political system. Currently we are FUBAR.
    2
  3145. I guess it depends on the American sense of humour. Who would take us seriously now?
    2
  3146. He means "we (the f'kwits) love MAGA"
    2
  3147. It would hurt the Tories more than Labour, as the votes required per Commons Seat was considerably less for the Tories and so they would lose out under PR. Thus Labour needs to vote for real democracy or the Tories will benefit far more in the long term from this crooked system, as history proves. They have been in power far more often and gamed the system to their advantage.
    2
  3148. ​ @vincentblack7467 The two are not necessarily related and you have offered no examples of the first. As for the second: Newsflash! Brexit has happened and is not relevant to this discussion. What's wrong with Mick's comments in this interview?
    2
  3149. Truss will keep repeating the lie that low taxation stimulates growth until at least a few idiots believe it and journalist continue to print it. She still lives under the delusion of Britannia Unchained. History proves the reverse. Starmer got it right: reheated George Osborne plans. Prepare for more Tory economic sadism.
    2
  3150. Deform UK Ltd talking about anything will be exposed as garbage when they face pushback and scrutiny from a competent journalist. Their "manifesto" was the ultimate in supporting the greatest lie in economics: neoliberalism and trickle down.
    2
  3151.  @peterebel7899  here you go again with your delusional statement. A minority-elected government in an elective dictatorship. Total garbage.
    2
  3152. Respect to Lowkey, a great soul.
    2
  3153. The first qualification of a Brexiter is serial delusion. The second is hubris backed by minimal ability.
    2
  3154. Cameron is proof that Tories recycle their rubbish. A true party of scum.
    2
  3155. Sunak is so desperate, he is using Cummings and courting Farage. What a trio of charlatans.
    2
  3156. But they are fraternal, according to Smogg. No rules apply to their fraternity. (Perhaps no women were allowed. Who knows?)
    2
  3157.  @omcg9086  ohhh yes!
    2
  3158. Probably not as sinister as the package which the Prime Chancellor (to quote Matt Green) is about to deliver with his sadistic cuts.
    2
  3159.  @SlowhandGreg  I agree. No argument from me. I have a single example in this chain.
    2
  3160. Specialist subject, bleeding obvious. Setting us up for more psychopathic austerity. The strikes are a result of cost-push inflation, which can be resolved by controlling prices and rebalancing the economy. As for the independent pay body: they are anything but independent (appointed by politicians.) Why is this moron not challenged? He blanches at the most gentle questions and offers lame excuses in response.
    2
  3161. In most professions we have a job description and there are reprisals for breaching it. Seems this doesn't apply to our sham democracy. Enough is enough.
    2
  3162. Buffoon so rattled that he mentioned the triple lock, which the Tories suspended in a year it is most needed. He then trots out his usual fantasy and lies.
    2
  3163. If this leads to a greater say for devolved countries and more autonomy for regions, then there is some point. That's a big IF, however, and I'm not holding my breath. Seems like a fudge.
    2
  3164. When a brexiter claims a benefit, the act is best summarised in a single word: desperation.
    2
  3165. Delivering misery for the people of Scotland, to share the mess with England.
    2
  3166. Absolutely. This shower got away with their incompetence through our elective dictatorship.
    2
  3167. For the word "policy" read gaslighting. In the last 12 years the Tories had one policy: screw the public through austerity. Use words like efficiency to replace austerity and pretend that the minimum wage has become a living wage after a pittance of an increase. After the sham is exposed, use vacuous three word slogans instead of a policy statement and pretend that aspirations towards a failed ideology represents a working policy. This party of scum is a sham.
    2
  3168. ​ @kwakkers68 accurate on so many levels. 👍
    2
  3169. ​ @Globaldave1970 Don't bank on it after the one-man-band has to face scrutiny.
    2
  3170. And we probably help by pumping sh1t in our waters.
    2
  3171. Many of us don't happily live in Britain. The whole country is depressed, divided and governed by minority-elected idiots. We must tolerate the Tory government until the significant majority of the electorate wake up and smell the coffee.
    2
  3172. Perhaps the differentiator of whether we can see a specialist through self referral is whether we can pay for a private appointment. Labour should speak with GPs and consultant specialists before opening their mouths. Such crass stupidity must be pure gold for the Tories.
    2
  3173. Never worry; to the Brexit cultists these figures are wrong. They don't suit their warped ideology because we don't see what they see: the unicorns and the myths. Anyone with experience of negotiation will look for the weak points. So ask yourself: who is the desperate party?
    2
  3174. Yes. Brexit was indeed bullshit.
    2
  3175. At least they are showing all of their world-beating qualities together: incompetence, arrogance, laziness, obfuscation, ineptitude... How can so many poor leadership qualities be held by so few? Some handpicked cabinet! An international joke.
    2
  3176.  @cujimmi  You have hardly expressed an opinion. Instead played devil's advocate, explaining what won't work. The fact that you have no answers and ask questions of people not charged with government responsibility reveals the inadequacy of government and your inability to hold them to account. Perhaps you should fess up and give some constructive ideas.
    2
  3177. ​ @jimbob-robob  An unfortunate comparison, as the infantile parties sit in Downing Street
    2
  3178. Sunak is the embodiment of cluelessness.
    2
  3179. The usual Tory ploy of being seen to do something is becoming so transparent that some are finally waking up to it. A minor miracle - even the media are reporting it.
    2
  3180. Absolutely! Nail on the head... Divide and rule would give way to basic humanity. Couldn't agree more.
    2
  3181.  @ENGLISHISBEST  our system uses people then eschews them when they have contributed to society and deserve retirement with dignity, health and happiness.
    2
  3182. While not subscribing to our cap-doffing bullshit, I have deep admiration for the Queen's dedication to public service. As a democrat in recognition of that public service I would welcome a codified constitution and the installation of real democracy. Instead I suspect that the Tory cabinet will hide behind the publicity their malicious policies, some of which breach their 2019 election manifesto. Time, in recognition of and in respect to the monarch, to fix Britain instead of proving our country is broken. Some of us still live in hope.
    2
  3183.  @epilotdk  Sorry to hear that. Britain now has the double whammy of Brexit border checks, which depend on systems to avoid queues.
    2
  3184. And now we see Tory corruption, incompetence and opacity writ large.
    2
  3185. I find that correct spelling adds to the credibility of a post. (Morol???) Is that supposed to excuse Johnson?
    2
  3186. She coauthored Britannia Unchained. One of the fanatical neoliberal crowd. But you can add Turnip Dom to that crowd. As for having the strength and capability to lead? So far she has proved to be an airhead.
    2
  3187. Some might call the cabinet a rogues' gallery. I would say that their new prime ministers have simply rearranged turds in a cesspit. Sunak is an entitled Spiv with paper-thin skin, who is rattled so easily at PMQs that he responds with vacuous counter-claims while avoiding every single question. He has even resorted to calling Jeremy Corbyn (while breaking parliamentary etiquette) and claiming record house building under a Tory mayor, who coincidentally benefited from the housing investment of a Labour government. Little Spiv specialises in own goals in his desperation and non-existent leadership. This shambolic 12 years of Tory rule is beyond abysmal, it is criminal is in its level of planned incompetence.
    2
  3188.  @raysummers2075  whereas as you see an alternate one, deliberately ignoring factual evidence.
    2
  3189. It was the only way he could get back on Question Time to feed his narcissism. At least if he gets in parliament, he would be made to look stupid on the few occasions he could be arsed to attend. (An assumption based on his record as an MEP.)
    2
  3190. More free advertising?
    2
  3191. True. The joke is most certainly on us. Buffoon delivers misery, but your video sweetens the pill.
    2
  3192. A great idea. Imo electoral reform is the most important issue and needs to happen soonest. It's too easy to get hung up on which system rather than the simple principle of: do you agree with changing our electoral system so that all votes count equally? If a referendum is used to start things moving, such a simple question works best.
    2
  3193. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton if you doubt how dangerous this moron is. As for the pretence of American democracy...
    2
  3194.  @leoninocat5070  That was the simple part 70 years ago and since, the complexities have occurred. If you think the solution is simple, why not contact the UN? They may value some help.
    2
  3195. Johnson is afraid of scrutiny: a sociopathic, narcissistic coward.
    2
  3196. I strongly suspect it is. By what definition is Mick a "firebrand?" The extremes come from the Tory government.
    2
  3197. Wow! The Brexit cult members must be reeling after this article. Those who deny every projection from credible financial sources and believe our trade deals with the other side of the world will make us successful beyond dreams. Another strike for reality over fantasy.
    2
  3198. If freedom of speech gave an equal voice and an equal right of response, the far right would disappear up their own rat-pipe.
    2
  3199.  @hilarymiseroy  How was it unlimited? And have you noticed that immigration has increased to compensate for freedom of movement? An own goal and total lies. We had greater control of our borders through the Dublin accord.
    2
  3200.  @corn985  I'm sure the clueless Brexiters - intoxicated by their Sovereign Tea - will tell you that taking back control is going well.
    2
  3201. The obvious reason for politicians wittering on about the national debt is to scare us into believing it must be paid so we must suffer austerity. A political ploy exploited by the very party that has borrowed the most and paid back least: the Tories.
    2
  3202. In 2019 I saw three reasons why people vote Tory: self-interest or greed; intellectual laziness; or abject stupidity. Now, with this buffoon, we are left with only the last one - abject stupidity.
    2
  3203. The fact that the Tory media supported such fantasy economics shows the paucity of credible reasoning in the people who feed the intellectually lazy.
    2
  3204. A country run by bandits, applauded and supported by morons.
    2
  3205. The people who have made things "worth his while" (for Trump) are Russian oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton.
    2
  3206. Absolutely true. Economic models fail to analyse distribution and the effect of inequality. We ignore the fact that it is stifling growth. Money in the hands of working people is spent in our domestic economy. Money in the accounts of the wealthiest is taken offshore or used for assets, to rent back at inflated prices. Meanwhile we are killing the planet through greed in the process.
    2
  3207. The fact that The Fail is our country's biggest seller says a lot about British journalism and says even more about the IQ of its readership.
    2
  3208. The Tories keeping a straight face when pretending to be the party of economic competence is risible. Another day; more money spaffed.
    2
  3209. Undoubtedly Johnson is too busy "dealing with a war" by grabbing photo ops in Ukraine.
    2
  3210. Kwarteng and Truss put their names to a fantasy novel called Britannia Unchained. They then recklessly apply its vacuous nonsense. We all get poorer, except for the richest. Which is the sole intent of neoliberalism and its trickle down nonsense. All of this ultimately enabled by 43.6% of voters who were lied to.
    2
  3211. ​ @adenwellsmith6908 You can't limit the route to real democracy and banning an elective dictatorship.
    2
  3212. ​@dondoodatI agree in essence, except we have a contradiction aspiring towards an UNREPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, as votes are not equal and seats are not commensurate with votes. What Lord Hailsham termed an elective dictatorship.
    2
  3213. Tories: like rats in a sack.
    2
  3214. George is like marmite, yet he has a point on Gaza. Both of our main parties are complicit in genocide.
    2
  3215. Amazing how Chump becomes the victim, whinging like a baby on TV. Meanwhile his clone Johnson resigns, claiming similar victimhood. Enough is enough.
    2
  3216. The Rwanda arrangement was a Johnson stunt that Sunak felt compelled to support. A stunt based on vacuous sophistry, involving squandering public money to finance a pretence.
    2
  3217. ​ @jamesberry5578 Now look at the number of seats by Greens and Lib Dems and the picture changes.
    2
  3218. ​ @jamesberry5578 the argument was not resolved with a choice between an elective dictatorship and a diluted pretence at PR.
    2
  3219. I'll never "get over" the fact that all political parties agreed to honour a result after electoral rules were broken by one party. That's a sell-out of real democracy to populism. A vote that was purely advisory in legal terms. We have morphed to a system of manufactured consent through populism, with a minority-elected dictatorship able to break promises at will. Welcome to Global Britain.
    2
  3220. In which event Labour must implement PR, or the cycle of disasters will continue.
    2
  3221. Marmite is about right. Deform UK are toxic.
    2
  3222. Mad Vlad becoming Billy No-Mates is an international crisis. Will someone please talk to him at his long table.
    2
  3223.  @johnrussell3961  Absolutely, businesses don't want disruption or red tape in the supply chain.
    2
  3224. It's nothing less than a cock-up. Alarm: a black hole! (ALLEGEDLY...) Who do we turn to to fill it? Not the wealthy; not profiteering energy companies; not by taxing investment income at the same rate as work income. No. Let's hit the pensioners. A black hole of 22 billion, now has an infill of 1.6 billion? Pathetic!
    2
  3225.  @JohnSmall314  the Tories pitch themselves as the party of aspiration and some buy the lie.
    2
  3226.  @markmerry1471  would that be the money wasted on test and trace and faulty PPE? Which money did they "give away." Don't mention selling gold; you will be walking into a trap.
    2
  3227.  @ogribiker8535  I'm not naive enough to credit such a master stroke without inside knowledge. Starmer really should grow some cajones.
    2
  3228.  @mrsthatcher9815  "gave away..." Who spaffed money on test and trace and faulty PPE?
    2
  3229. Such government is permitted through an undemocratic electoral system, aptly termed and elective dictatorship by Lord Hailsham. Truss is also shredding the 2019 manifesto, which should be a binding contract.
    2
  3230. Such a desperate and clueless little spiv, now in meltdown.
    2
  3231. Sunak moves from one gimmick to another, knowing someone else will clear up the mess. Rishi has SunkUs.
    2
  3232. Deform UK: the limited company led by scammers. The "party" for the hard of thinking.
    2
  3233. "Let me be clear" from Dizzy means I'm about to tell a lie. With Johnson, a lie was his default response. At least he had some natty vacuous slogans. Truss will default to the cheese scandal. A gang of charlatans.
    2
  3234.  @fe6767  Suspect a general disillusionment as life is getting harder for all but the richest. Which was the intent of neoliberalism.
    2
  3235.  @Showbizboy  so that's the sort of thing this country needs to distract from government incompetence. Clearly it's more important than solving our broken economy after 12 years of failed austerity. Utter garbage.
    2
  3236.  @Showbizboy  the whole point of PR is government by consensus - a key feature of democracy. You clearly favour dictatorship where a minority-elected government can pass Draconian laws.
    2
  3237.  @Showbizboy  the same argument applies. Not democratic.
    2
  3238.  @paulies5407  a minority is less than 50%. I use it in a mathematical sense meaning less than half of the total number - irrespective of the number of parties or entities. Our undemocratic system changes the meaning in the sense that you use it. I suggest that you listen and consider instead of using pathetic insults.
    2
  3239.  @Showbizboy  no. The effect was described in my original post. We live in an elective dictatorship.
    2
  3240. They knew what they voted for. Yet we knew more because we listened to the experts while applying analytical thought. They won, yet haven't got over it.
    2
  3241. We are all allowed one mistake. Good for you.
    2
  3242. That's simplistic. They listened to one item and did less than they should, so they are seen to be doing something.
    2
  3243. The misdirection of "sacrifice on the alter of net zero" is so typical of an oligarch media supporting a government of serial liars. One lie leads to another. I would love to see a televised public hearing where the brexit campaigners are made to listen to their lies. If they try to excuse these lies, then off for a day in the stocks...
    2
  3244. NI is not ring-fenced. It is ostensibly collected for pensions and the NHS but is not separated from tax monies so everything collected by government is effectively taxation.
    2
  3245. The Tories simply don't give a shiny shit - unless their hold on power is threatened. They will always do just enough to be seen to be doing something. Never the right thing; never enough to solve a problem; never enough to penalise the rich and powerful. They are truly the party of scum.
    2
  3246. What's the point of a parliament where lies and misinformation can be spouted yet noone has the authority to adjudicate on the accuracy or otherwise of quoted information? Let's change the mandatory form of address to the right dishonourable...
    2
  3247. Tory government's default setting: corruption. What else should we expect?
    2
  3248. If these are teething problems, we must have more teeth than a shark. Consistent proof of the stupidity of completing Brexit during a pandemic. (other then to blame this crappy Brexit on the pandemic, of course.)
    2
  3249. Tory "truths" are becoming self-evident. The party of business - only the businesses of their donors. The party of low taxation - only in supporting tax mitigation for the very rich. The party of strong government - cowering to the richest and bullying the vulnerable after labelling them scroungers or misfits. Global Britain - the lapdog of the US in foreign policy; acting as Little England to become a sick joke on the international stage.
    2
  3250. A cynical ploy to make it harder to achieve closer union with the EU (or even rejoin). Will we capitulate on the use of corporate courts (a feature of the CPTPP)? So much for sovereignty, as we go cap in hand as the desperate party to trade with countries on the other side of the world. Is this really what Brexiters voted for?
    2
  3251.  @comealongcomealong4480  When the term "economic migrants" is used interchangeably with "refugees", we have to suspect government obfuscation. The one way to find out is to process the applications. Instead the government exacerbates the problem to shift blame.
    2
  3252.  @zazhou  Bearing in mind that the Tories had a minority of votes (43.6%) to gain an 80 seat majority, we must allow for our distorted undemocratic system. It further depends on the constituency - whether the seat is safe in Toryland. We then get cabinet ministers whose skill set ends at obfuscation and lies. They end up promoted beyond their competence by default. In short, our country is FUBAR.
    2
  3253.  @michaelwallden7261  I was commenting on what I saw and heard. Do you realise that we have a right to criticise those in public office and to hold them to account. Try it sometime, it's part of the process of maturing.
    2
  3254. To describe America and the UK as democratic countries is an insult to the word. Our leaders listen to Netanyahu while ignoring the electorate and manipulating opinion. Most seriously, our systems of elective dictatorship permit this.
    2
  3255. So that's Johnson's formula for responsible leadership? This buffoon is a clear and present danger to humanity. He is the one who should be behind lock and key.
    2
  3256. Neoliberalism is indeed at the root of our problems, yet noone is brave enough to dismantle it. It has created inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more through the lie of trickle down. Its arch disciple declared that there was no such thing as society, when the very survival of our species has been achieved through cooperation and collective effort. The biggest single threat of climate change is best addressed by working together, which is why the oligarchs work to exacerbate it or deny it: they simply never have enough.
    2
  3257.  @pansepot1490  true. That's because he exceeded the £150k budget, from public money, so he's not even in the contest, led by Truss.
    2
  3258. Depends on the balance of power in your oligarchy
    2
  3259. ​ @CurtOntheRadio Using the word "rubbish" then writing rubbish is not a great trait. All votes are not equal; elections are tampered with; the powers of the electoral commission have been weakened. No. The public does not elect the politicians. We live in an elective dictatorship.
    2
  3260.  @michaelcorleone7598  would he break your mafia? Not great for gang business, whereas Johnson enabled it.
    2
  3261. Beware! We thought there could be noone worse than Patel, then we got Blabbermouth. Who could the Tories dig up next?
    2
  3262. Truss should be "absolutely committed" for the sake of our country. The woman seems certifiable.
    2
  3263. ​ @audreymcgready4329  Failing upwards like her predecessor. Wonder if he got there on his back or his front?
    2
  3264. Freedom of speech for them. Police incompetence if they oppose them. Remember the Farage Riots?
    2
  3265. Lord Gormless and Buffoon were always on thin ice. Now they are sinking. No credibility; bluster and bullshit. This is Little England pretending to be Global Britain.
    2
  3266. Give the guy a break! An entitled Tory can't rub along on an £85k annual salary. His boss is a little spiv, what else would we expect?
    2
  3267. Bring on the battle of egos. Keep the two narcissists preoccupied.
    2
  3268.  @danielwebb8402  I'm pretty ambivalent on the side issue of grammar schools, which you raised. It didn't enter this parliamentary debate and Little Spiv avoided the main issue. It depends what replaces grammar schools. I managed to gain two degree level qualifications after secondary school (through family circumstances.) Now retired after a successful and mostly enjoyable career, which school I went to became less important than what I attained through advanced education and experience. Equality of opportunity should be the aspiration imo.
    2
  3269. The SNP once again the best opposition in the House. Pure facts, showing the brazen incompetence and sleaze of the Tories.
    2
  3270.  @Kwippy  Yes. And Johnson completed Brexit during the pandemic in an attempt to hide the brexit disaster. A time when we needed cooperation to deal with the pandemic.
    2
  3271.  @trytellingthetruth.2068  relevance?
    2
  3272.  @trytellingthetruth.2068  More than double then? Wow! Also depends on reference points.
    2
  3273. I learned in degree-level stats to always question base assumptions. The so-called cost benefit for HS2 is a classic example of statistical sophistry. GERS is now exposed as yet another. There are lies, damned lies and statistics. Yet the lies are increased exponentially when politicians get involved.
    2
  3274. Keir will do whatever pleases Rupert... It's a puppet!!!
    2
  3275. Interesting that you should mention interest rates when this morning's news trumpets a fall in inflation to 1.7%, which is below the BofE's 2% target. Meanwhile mortgages and borrowing remain exorbitant. We work for the financial sector; it doesn't work for us.
    2
  3276. Little Spiv (Sunak) has just rearranged turds from the same Tory cesspit. We still end up with a cabinet of sociopaths.
    2
  3277.  @muhabwahby  that question was asked and answered by the Palestinian leader (who is against Hamas.) Israel does not want a two-state solution. They want control through apartheid. Many Jews in Britain also understand this.
    2
  3278. No economic benefits...all about sovereignty. Don't recall seeing that on the side of a bus from the cesspit of charlatans.
    2
  3279. Trump is a lunatic maverick but the danger is that he appeals to idiots, many of whom will buy his excuses and shift blame.
    2
  3280. Or hiding in a fridge?
    2
  3281.  @marlonblade007  now that gets interesting. Perhaps not in a literal sense. We could deport the b'stard to a former colony.
    2
  3282. Conclusive proof that privatisation of energy works... FOR THE RICHEST IN SOCIETY. Tory scum.
    2
  3283. ​ @curryattack8985 Inflation is not a given...not as inevitable as you make out.
    2
  3284.  @mattwilliams9758  The dilemma is that voting for a party supporting PR is considered a wasted vote, because the very system that would deliver real democracy works against them to ensure our elective dictatorship. The Tories and to a lesser extent Labour benefit from the status quo. If Labour genuinely cared about the country, they would support PR to show the Tory cabal as pariahs, and break their hold on oligarch-supported power.
    2
  3285. Facts are inconvenient to a charlatan, now installed as President Moron.
    2
  3286. Apparently pfizer have spent more on share buybacks than on R&D recently. Big pharma and the profit motive are damaging to health and wellbeing.
    2
  3287. This "savage" didn't order the killing of 30000 people. There is a criminal in charge on the other side. Two wrongs don't make a right.
    2
  3288.  @jobbyomoron8478  your point of whataboutery being?
    2
  3289. @Rishi This read their 2019 manifesto and work it out.
    2
  3290. Perhaps she wants a flat tax and a pay ratio, so execs can only earn, say, 40 times the lowest paid. Oops! I'm dreaming...lol
    2
  3291. Whitehall codename: Priti Shitty. Characteristic: sociopath. That's all Johnson needs on a CV. Tory corruption has reached an industrial scale, yet voters excuse it as "they're all the same." Rhetorical question to these voters: "then why do you bother to vote if they are all the same?"
    2
  3292. Not quite the Christmas present most of us want.
    2
  3293. Anyone believing the mainstream media is either naive, gullible or stupid. They spin the narrative that suits their oligarch owners. Thankfully we have alternatives available on YouTube.
    2
  3294. ​ @garyb455 More failed right wing dogma. Look at privatised services. Absolute bollocks without evidence.
    2
  3295. Starmer has chosen the wrong chancellor and has shown political amateurism. Reeves is hardly a transformative economist, who decided to fill an alleged "black hole" by calling on pensioners to chuck in a few shovels of infill instead of taxing wealth, as proposed by the patriotic millionaires and the Mile End Road economists. This at a time when energy prices are increasing (already being the highest in Europe) and we have some of the worst pensions in Europe. Picking on pensioners is cowardly, not tough. Tackling corporate profiteering and taxing investment income at the same rate as work income would be tough...and transformative.
    2
  3296. So, how is taking back control going, Rishi? Government by miscreants and charlatans is making us world beating on the comedy circuit.
    2
  3297. You missed the key point: it's difficult and expensive BUT there is a better way to get the desired result.
    2
  3298. Christ! You must have a sad life. Just reported your hate speech.
    2
  3299. Don't worry. Brexiters live in a world of alternate reality. Coming next week: the announcement of a new language - Newspeak. Never question a cult member. David Davis promised that there were no downsides to brexit, only upsides. Now our trade deals are being undervalued by government bodies and financial organisations: they will bring prosperity and the loss in EU trade is a lie. You really have to question what these cult members are smoking. Now the fact that we pay for this bullsh1t propaganda is called taking the rip.
    2
  3300. This is symptomatic of the cabal, spawned by Johnson, that would interfere with the natural course of justice. Or change the law if it goes against them. In short, there is a simple rule: this Tory government can't take scrutiny.
    2
  3301. Never accuse the Tories of responsible government. They will maximise damage and shift blame for the sake of power.
    2
  3302.  @colinwishbone4437  certainly not from the fantasy novel Britannia Unchained. The markets have sussed that one.
    2
  3303. After speaking his one and only truth, Johnson has Lord Gormless (Frost) threatening to cock up the trading arrangement.
    2
  3304. Totally support you and respect to your profession but I would love to see Britain become a democratic society. Don't suppress knowledge, teach critical thinking.
    2
  3305.  @rocketsurgeon2135  you have just explained why we need real democracy. Wales and Scotland have a diluted form of PR. England will remain as the stick in the mud until the electorate demand reform. Don't make excuses...your rockets won't fly.
    2
  3306.  @stshnie  Yes. Unfortunately Reeves is a traditional Bank of England economist and Labour should grow some cajones, after listening to Prof Bill Mitchell or Prof Richard Murphy. Their political dilemma is resistance from banks, who would cede some power to government and be in danger of getting back to offering a service, rather than being the controllers.
    2
  3307.  @MG-df8mw  Yes. We needed the building but the method of finance cost us more by putting a chain around our necks because of the out-of-date method of defining national debt (which I understand the world bank disagrees with).
    2
  3308. Not all. Checked your facts.
    2
  3309. This poignant analysis illustrates just how unfit for purpose our parliamentary system is. How often has there been a blatant need to correct the record (including the bullshit spouted by the little spiv who promised integrity and professionalism in politics)? Yet no such corrections are demanded or required. The fact that serial liars, narcissists and psychopaths can game the system makes the word Democracy a sick joke. I'm not holding my breath for the Johnson result.
    2
  3310. Highly informative. Great video. The secrecy is chilling, borne of self interest and pure greed.
    2
  3311. But surely Sunak mentioned that he has a plan. Noone asks him what the plan is. On recent results, presumably to drive the country into oblivion, after he and the financial vultures have picked the carcass.
    2
  3312. Russian democracy is certainly different. We have an elective dictatorship, which they have interfered with. They have a poisonous little dictator that we can do sod all about.
    2
  3313.  @robinstreets1792  how?
    2
  3314. "Not a big deal" (breaking international law) says the serial liar Johnson, with his usual smirk. Who would trust Britain? Who would even believe this buffoon?
    2
  3315. Johnson's interesting body language: slumping like a sack of spuds. Exposed as a serial liar and an abject buffoon, yet accurate language is not allowed in our unfit parliamentary system.
    2
  3316. Amazing how Tory leaders get progressively worse. I shudder at the thought of the next one.
    2
  3317. What a shame, Nigel. Donald wanted his mini-me there, and not his "close friend". Boris is fun. You are a serial whinger. Yes, Boris was a sh1t leader. But you are an aspiring sh1t leader. Trump will make America (not so) great again. Whereas you intend to deform the UK.
    2
  3318. Many of us living in the UK are amazed at the mindset of our dumbed down population, exploited by a system that allows a minority (43.6% of verified votes) to return an 80 seat parliamentary majority and thus allow this madness.
    2
  3319. Didn't Dom say it from his deckchair?
    2
  3320. Don't call them liars, even after a catalogue of lies and "misinformation" and the regular assault on truth. Shall we call them charlatans? Or cheats? Or serial incompetents? Personally, I'll settle for liars.
    2
  3321. Surely that depends on what you do with it.
    2
  3322. They needed us more than we needed them and everyone would rush to deal with global Britain. Anyone saying otherwise was a "Remoaner" engaging in "project fear." Now we have the greatest act of self harm in modern history.
    2
  3323. At least we have one golden opportunity to be world-beating. If only we could harness the hot air and bullshit created by Johnson and his cabal in Westminster.
    2
  3324. I find it hard to choose between two turds floating in a cesspit. It's also a waste of time when the cesspit needs clearing.
    2
  3325. While we swallow Tory economic fantasy and the OBR uses perverse logic to value the national debt, austerity will be used to increase inequality and put workers in their place.
    2
  3326.  @supersai4198  no new wallpaper then? And that invalidates her message how?
    2
  3327.  @halmanklushosetandimera  who exactly do you mean? Perhaps you will engage in critical thought and share your wisdom.
    2
  3328. Welcome to Project Reality, where we have become the desparate party in negotiations after leaving the world's largest trading bloc. Who could possibly have seen that coming?
    2
  3329. ​ @Andrew-rc3vh How is his promise of integrity, professionalism and accountability going?
    2
  3330.  @Andrew-rc3vh  If the best one we have doesn't understand inflation with (allegedly) an MBA, we are in the proverbial. Making overt lies about minimum "service levels" in France, when their protocols are about negotiated safety levels during strikes. I really do despair.
    2
  3331.  @Andrew-rc3vh  Sunak's specific lie on inflation was the effect of public sector pay rises. Most economists agree this to be zero (or at worst minimal, depending on subsequent demand pull inflation.) I studied economics at a similar level to the MBA syllabus and Sunak either missed the module or he is blatantly lying. Sorry, the man is a spiv imo. Btw. Why is our inflation higher than most? His Brexit denial and our inability to control energy prices are risible.
    2
  3332.  @ibrahimchowdhury2469  Complicit by silence? Or do you think by active support?
    2
  3333.  @bhaktimak8091  So don't vote if you resent career politicians; the country is swarming with them.
    2
  3334. Phil is one of the good ones. Max Robespierre, Owen Jones and the weekly Truth to Power channel are other good sources.
    2
  3335. If we held all the cards, how badly have we handled negotiations?
    2
  3336. Farage is a publicity machine that appeals to the hard of thinking or idiots.
    2
  3337. A trade deal with the US. A laughable pipe-dream. What clout will Little England have as the desparate party after leaving the EU?
    2
  3338. Trump has made "deals" with Putin's People when they bailed him out to buy his failing hotels. Now he is in hock to Putin and is massaging his own ego by Tweeting.
    2
  3339.  @markwelch3564  I respect your opinion, Mark. For me, "perfect be[ing] the enemy of the good" is a cliche for accepting the status quo when we need change to deliver democracy. Britain started on that road many years ago, went so far, then gave up. We have taken second or third best far too long.
    2
  3340.  @californiadreamin8423  ask him. Even though your question is not directly relevent, here is my opinion on your whataboutery. Imo Labour should have held fire on the brexit referendum until the Electoral Commission had checked for irregularities. After the exposed breaches, they should have demanded another vote. Hindsight is wonderful.
    2
  3341. ​ @grahambretman4010 Noel is a bot
    2
  3342. How vacuous must we be to believe that measuring in feet and inches and weighing in pounds and ounces shows some kind of patriotism and a win for Brexit? Throwing away a logical decimal system in favour of one using odd fractions is as bonkers as using a bucket for an umbrella to get better sound effects. A real patriot wants to reform their country for the better, instead of turning the clock back to embrace stupidity.
    2
  3343. Yes. They also have a problem with people who are well-read and engage critical thinking.
    2
  3344.  @CounterSpice  no. That would require fantasy instead of critical thinking.
    2
  3345. Define "defensive purposes", Keir. When a country commits war crimes, they have gone beyond such purposes and have forfeited the right to buy arms for potential misuse. Arms can't be categories as such, arms are principally for killing, absolute whitewashing.
    2
  3346. The centre is a nebulous concept that has been moving to the right since Thatcher. Why? Because neoliberalism has placed even more power and wealth in the hands of the few. We need parliamentary and electoral reform to stimulate voter engagement. Thus making room for conviction politics.
    2
  3347. Cummings, the man who couldn't find his way to Specsavers, trusted by a sociopathic buffoon to act as his overlord. With power should come responsibility and accountability. Just watch these sociopathic incompetents escape.
    2
  3348. I struggle to even imagine what the mainstream media would say if Labour were presiding over such a mess. After a decade of austerity, we had a half-baked brexit completed during a pandemic, money spaffed on faulty PPE and a non-existent test and trace system, serial rule-breaking, sleaze and lying, regressively worse leaders, fantasy economics embodied in a mini-budget crashing the pound, more bale-outs from the Bank of England adding to the national debt. Now we are left with a traditional austerity-loving Tory taking power over our finances, after previously buggering up the NHS and working towards its privatisation. Just image the shower of shit falling on Labour from the mainstream media. The Tories have shown their operational incompetence from a gang of sociopaths.
    2
  3349. Wow! That car wash was impressive. Beats our hose pipe and even our power wash.
    2
  3350. Incompetence is one thing, corruption is yet another. The Tories qualify on both counts. Tory scum. Enough is enough.
    2
  3351. ​ @mfh848 how many of those from your extensive research?
    1
  3352. Advice given by one dangerous raving fascist lunatic to another. Clacton must be a boring and lonely place...
    1
  3353. Welcome to truth and harsh reality. We need electoral reform. Under our pressnt system (which Lord Hailsham poignantly labelled an elective dictatorship) if we vote for what we believe in, so many votes are wasted. The stench of 13 years of Tory governace may be reduced to a whiff under Starmer's Labour. Without fundamental change, we will recycle a cesspool of liars, chancers and puppets for the powerful.
    1
  3354. The neatest trick of neoliberalism: persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  3355.  @stewie7338  at least Reform voters might understand them. Hardly a bonus though.
    1
  3356. The media that is asleep to government incompetence or corruption are the most likely to call out "woke" behaviour.
    1
  3357. At least Johnson is consistent. Getting Brexit done BADLY...no planning and preparation. Denying the border between GB and NI, then signing an agreement to acknowledge it, yet failing to implement the necessary checks. More than a year to prepare in Afghanistan - again no preparation and planning. We have become an international joke through his ineptitude...the result of voting for a caricature populist. The Tories care only about power, so they can line the pockets of their sponsors and themselves.
    1
  3358. The word "smart" used by a vacuous politician is so reassuring. If the benefit of going straight is welcoming paying taxes then the reverse should apply. Let's lock up the tax avoiders and the Tory cabinet which facilitates low taxes for the rich.
    1
  3359. Wow! A miscalculation from Mad Vlad? Does he even know how many Russian soldiers it takes to change a lightbulb?
    1
  3360. Theresa May was really strong and stable if compared with Johnson's "Lithium 12" cabinet. Hard to even imagine anything worse. But hush my mouth, the Tories will probably find it...one challenge they can actually rise to.
    1
  3361. It also appears that the Labour motion demanded an immediate of return of hostages held by Hamas. What about the return of those held by Israel? Some accused of being terrorists without credible evidence. We defer to Israeli propaganda and paranoia without balance. The SNP motion was simple, direct and unambiguous...a good starting point after debate.
    1
  3362. It funny that you never claimed two-tier policing when stop and search was used disproportionately for any non-whites. Where is the evidence of this right wing excuse? Vandals are not victims. They are damaging property and threatening life.
    1
  3363. ​ @tayclift5322 Farage is treated with kid gloves and gets media attention when he farts through his mouth. How is he a victim ?
    1
  3364. Typical Johnson. Laughs at those who supported him. Classic gaslighting: I'm breaking my promise but I'm giving you more. A leader of idiots, for idiots.
    1
  3365.  @alanbarker2279  Absolutely, I realise that but Cameron and all leaders agreed to respect the vote without condition - even though electoral rules were broken. Cameron did a half-baked job then sold out.
    1
  3366.  @atomiccritter6492  look a bit further and you will see the direct relationship.
    1
  3367.  @nickedwards2904  how was the single market not free? Free from tariffs and paperwork. Free movement of people.
    1
  3368.  @nickedwards2904  a question of cost/benefit. Most economists think we got good value. Now we are paying sweeteners to companies to stay, and staffing money on dodgy contracts to Tory donors. It's called engineering opinion by revealing selective facts. After painting false claims on the brexit bus.
    1
  3369.  @nickedwards2904  then perhaps you will be pleased that this unproven rhetoric has prevailed and we have taken back control to show that project fear is actually Project Fact. "ripping us off" with a funding formula that was consistent and we were too dumb to question? Too late now, insanity has prevailed and we have got Brexit part-dome BADLY.
    1
  3370. Thought we had the aliens in government?
    1
  3371. OMG! I don't recognise this prat on the background image without his high vis jacket.
    1
  3372. A government obsessed with small state and a cheerleader for rampant profiteering. Joining the dots, bankers' kids will get the best education after the bonus cap is removed.
    1
  3373. ​ @gpw203 Thomas Sowell was talking bollocks. Voting Reform would increase poverty for the majority , as Farage, Tice and co extract more for the richest (their own perceived class), dismantle the NHS and other state services, while repeating the lie of trickle down. The problem of mass inequality was started deliberately by Thatcher and her neoliberal fantasy. Anyone who has lived through these times would find it hard to dispute the fact that they have been better off under Labour, which has a far better economic record: having borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories since 1947.
    1
  3374. Wow! Baroness Casey is formidable. Cool, factual, reasoned and articulate. Her abilities are in stark contrast to current government ministers and so many self-obsessed politicians. Well worth listening to.
    1
  3375. Tories are still running the economy as though trickle down is a reality. Those of us who are awake fully understand that wealth gushes up and drips down where the cracks haven't been mended by the 1%
    1
  3376. Truss' lunacy amounted to: the woke and the left present dangers to society, and I aspire to fascism. Where have we seen the identification of a common enemy to gain power? Any takers...
    1
  3377. And removing the last vestige of social housing stock in the process. Back to the dark days of Thatcher, promoting mini capitalists.
    1
  3378.  @jonemery8324  what a surprise. Truth revealed. Good comment. 👍
    1
  3379.  @tommorgan7599  Yes. That's certainly a factor. Yet while housing is left to the marketplace, greenbelts will be the first choice as the cheapest option to build. The ownership and price of land is also a key contributory factor. With planning for need, instead purely for profit, we could do far better.
    1
  3380. I suspect kickbacks from constituents to Tory MPs. We got the party line in response from our local (regrettably Tory) MP after pointing out the dictatorial standpoint of the government. I'd like to think this has happened in other constituencies and both comments and pressure group petitions have made Sunak think twice.
    1
  3381. @Wasssup Dawwwg I don't answer crap from pseudonym accounts. Ask him.
    1
  3382.  @Macron87  Well,.Mr (or Ms?) French president pseudonym, imo history proves him right, particularly since the imposition of neoliberalism.
    1
  3383. Shock and panic were two relevant and poignant words in this explanation. It's as if our system was built for speculation by drama queens (or kings). I remember Ted Heath described the BofE attempting to control inflation by interest rates alone as being a akin to a golfer with just one club in their bag. How can we hope to control inflation without some form of price control? Yes, we suffer the effects of inflation if income (and capital) doesn't keep up with prices but inequality produces the greater detriment to growth and social prosperity.
    1
  3384. A "compassionate and generous country" to money launderers and tax avoiders is what Sunak means. Has he seen the food banks? The homelessness? The wage poverty? The spiv sits in a tower of entitlement and just talks abject bollocks.
    1
  3385. The Tories must have been used to Leeanderthal saying something stupid. This time he said something stupid and racist, causing mayhem for the party of populist misfits.
    1
  3386. The last election was the desperate voting for the clueless. Now only idiots would vote for this pile of sh1t.
    1
  3387. Gove's "natural inclination is to forgive" a donor who has paid £10 million. We now know the price of Tory forgiveness. Gove's blink rate increased at the mention of giving the money back. The slimeball at his despicable worst.
    1
  3388. Amazing that the words Project Fear don't crop up so much after Operation Yellowhammer .
    1
  3389. It's an inevitable fact that Labour policitians are held to a higher standard. (Where is the furore about Jenrick's latest £75k bung?) Starmer worked within the rules but the rules should be changed FOR ALL politicians.
    1
  3390. Keep repeating the accusation that Farage is a fake patriot. The best way to call out his flag-shagging zombie followers. Deform UK are charlatans.
    1
  3391. Oops! said Buffoon. Someone found the note and they could even read my writing.
    1
  3392. Starmer needs to go with PR immediately. Otherwise the Tory sh1t will rise to the surface and they will be back.
    1
  3393. Who would have trusted these wazzocks to take back control? Working out well isn't it?
    1
  3394. The Tories are the party of environmental sh1t. Air pollution, forget it; rules on building in protected areas to mitigate water pollution, ripped up. Live for profit; die in filth. Let's see some honesty in campaign slogans
    1
  3395. Well, he did join the party of populist frauds. Led by the ultimate charlatan.
    1
  3396. OMG! The headline picture of that odious little git speaks of headbanger. Time for new year fun?
    1
  3397. How? And at what cost of admin?
    1
  3398. To me, this is more than a comms problem, it's a lack of vision and bottle. Who set the alleged "fiscal rules"? The Tories. Sunak and co are leading Labour by the nose. The simple response to Tory scaremongering: really! Why would you listen to the government that spaffed over £100 billion? Labour should ditch the BofE austerity mentality of Reeves and listen to modern economists on tax justice and MMT. The present definition of "borrowing" and "debt" is a fallacy designed to keep bankers in control while spreading fear so the many can have less and the rich can have ever more. Time for Starmer and co to grow some cajones.
    1
  3399. Why should they worry? Their deputy party chairman can help them budget. He knows the true value of 30 pence. Hypocritical wazzocks.
    1
  3400. Global Britain is officially a laughing stock. Do we hold a strong negotiating position?
    1
  3401.  @idiotbuster8662  can't ask him now...sadly decreased. But in my opinion, all of the above.
    1
  3402. Don't forget your red briefcase when performing a quick exit, stage right, Rishi. His appeal is that of a spinless snivelling coward. Just what the Tories need.
    1
  3403. Hardly a surprise with a parliament acting as the House of Lies. No requirement to speak truth; a lack of scrutiny; a cosy Westminster village covering up fact and truth for the sake of power. Whenever I hear the word "democracy" as a description of our system, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Credit to real journalists who expose truth. We don't have enough, but I salute you.
    1
  3404. Their last term resulted in sh1t in rivers. Their next would mean sh1t in the streets.
    1
  3405.  @andrewkenny4633  Good luck with that, Andrew. The architects of brexit are busy arguing amongst themselves and won't take ownership. They are operationally incompetent and make a living by shifting blame.
    1
  3406. A freak show is chillingly accurate. I once said that there are three reasons to vote Tory. Now, after this sh1t-show, I see only two: self interest or abject stupidity. Intellectual laziness has gone; only the most stupid would fall for this crap.
    1
  3407. Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  3408. Very true: hygiene and motivation factors as in Hertzberg's theory of motivation. Or the hierarchy of needs according to Maslow. Brings back the motivational theory I learned some decades ago. The short summary imo: There is such a thing as society, and greed is often a prohibiter of happiness rather than an enabler.
    1
  3409. Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  3410. Sending 200 people each year to Rwanda is supposed to be a deterrent! This while we take problem cases in return. Clearly Starmer read the agreement forged by idiots, whereas Sunak doesn't know his arse feom his elbow.
    1
  3411. The Tories keep recycling their personnel, only to show that after 13 years of economic and operational incompetence, they cling to the same excuses and lies.
    1
  3412. Sir Starmer succumbing to populism. More Tory light rhetoric.
    1
  3413. ​ @JohnSmall314  what narrow minded twaddle. Corbyn would have stopped dirty Russian money whereas the Tories were dragged kicking and screaming to make a pathetic attempt and acted too late. You choose to ignore economic policy and the brexit disaster in your comment. This is not kindergarten war games - this is Tory government fascism in action.
    1
  3414. Reform UK through propaganda. Deform UK through policies. The essence of scammers in action.
    1
  3415. "A political storm" perpetuated by media when we are well past the statute of limitations and the media oligarchs escape tax. Pathetic!
    1
  3416. Wow! You have to admire the level of British journalism. The Express must be the go-to comic for the foolish or intellectually lazy.
    1
  3417. Another week; another Tory scandal. Never have a I known a government so mired in corruption and full of hubris that many accept their behaviour as normality. Our government positively reeks of corruption. Calling them Tory scum was the understatement of the decade. Yet still a complicit media protect them. Our country is F.U.B.A.R (fkd up beyond all recognition.)
    1
  3418. Let me paraphrase the expert in plain language. JRM is talking bollocks and Truss believes that Britannia Unchained is more than a fantasy novel.
    1
  3419. the Tory's economic record was based on propaganda. They have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour.
    1
  3420. Sunak marries into money then shows his first priority: growing the hand that feeds him. Our political system is fair game. A sham democracy with neglible accountability and a pretence at governance for the benefit of the greedy.
    1
  3421. You really couldn't make it up. He is so enmeshed in bullshit, he can't even hear the laughter, let alone understand it.
    1
  3422. On the one hand, disappointing that the EU backed off; on the other, they are the honourable party that rises above Johnson's and Frost's petty antics.
    1
  3423. Ferrari is a sick joke. Perhaps he should suggest that the secretary of state picks the strike dates. Lol. The unions are not causing disruption; they are exercising their democratic right. The government is causing the blockage and thus bears sole responsibility for any disruption.
    1
  3424. ​ @bernardm2528 Which polls? Trump will bring him down.
    1
  3425. Johnson and his cabal have always used fascist methods. Hardly surprising that they crave dictatorial power.
    1
  3426. Forgive my despondency, but there is little cause for celebration. Every day the Tories stay in power, Labour chooses to water down any ambition for recovery and transformation. Meanwhile the Tories have changed electoral boundaries and introduced voter ID. Their use of social media to game the lack of voting regulation will undoubtedly be dirtier than in 2019 (remember the fake "fact site"?) Our parliamentary and electoral rules are based on the "good chap" principle, and anyone believing that this cabal of charlatans and chancers qualifies, needs to arrange a visit to the psychologist.
    1
  3427. Saying "mistakes were made" is not an apology; it's either an accusation or an admission. Getting ready for more failed austerity in this Tory shit show.
    1
  3428. At least this lunatic is making it obvious to our polticians that the Israeli state is perpetuating conflict. How can UK support continue? Call it out and stop supplying arms.
    1
  3429. It seems that by staying bland, Starmer is on a winner. Sunak keeps repeating a lie, hoping it becomes truth. Farage does what fascists do: keeps appealing to the desperate with false solutions, while picking their pockets. Other parties are available; thankfully towards the left of the loons.
    1
  3430. The term "elective dictatorship," originally coined by Lord Hailsham, has proven to be more poignant over the last 13 years: votes being unequal; liars not forced to correct the record; ministers surviving corruption; the ability to turn motions into toothless acts before they are put to a vote. A complete lack of effective scrutiny. Parliament is unfit for purpose.
    1
  3431. Johnson has done us one service: proving that parliament is unfit for purpose. A place where lies can't be called out. Where liars are invited to correct the record - it is not demanded. Where sources of information are not explained and unverified if challenged. Decisions are made from rhetoric, misdirection and plain lies. Our country is a disgrace.
    1
  3432. Lots of people with low expectations. Enough is enough.
    1
  3433. Yet, perhaps it takes a conwoman to call out a serial conman.
    1
  3434. The unhinged member for idiots is right about "being here to fix problems". Fixing problems the government has created requires a sensible solution. That's where the wheels fall off...
    1
  3435. Says a lot about Trump's regard for his country when he keeps confidential papers in the loo; and Johnson's when he takes the huff, is profligate with critical information, ignores parliamentary rules, and writes for a Tory shitrag. It's all about self, self, self with such egotists.
    1
  3436. It's baffling. One of the miracles of neoliberal economics and the trickle down lie, which persuaded the poor to vote for the rich to have more. The miracle is, the Tories have the worse economic record.
    1
  3437.  @ianrogerburton1670  all of which was a lie.
    1
  3438.  @tomfinney3416  Yes, manufactured consent has a lot to do with it. A media propping up incompetence and distorting reality instead of holding the government to account.
    1
  3439. When launching neoliberalism in the UK, Thatcher declared that there is no such thing as society. Effectively replacing socialism with sociopathy. The lie of trickle down has made the majority poorer, while embedding competition on a rigged playing field. Neoliberalism is failing the majority, and is failing society.
    1
  3440. He quotes an out of date act that was amended by statutory instrument - courtesy of failing Grayling - in the hope of evading true fact and to be seen to be doing something. This is the buffoon who stopped the proposal to make fire and rehire illegal. Johnson is a disgrace.
    1
  3441. ​ @AlienatedNortherner And where is the risk of that? The fascists are backed by a complicit media.
    1
  3442. What action did the government take to reduce inflation? Did I miss something, as I thought the action was taken by the Bank of England? Perhaps if this government stooge stopped banging on the lectern he would sound less desperate. As for investment in green solutions: they would help growth by creating jobs and reducing energy bills from better insulation. A little inconvenient to the profits of dirty energy companies and Tory mates, perhaps, but nevertheless an enabler of growth. The Tory formula of low taxes = growth is bullsh1t, as history shows. The periods of highest growth have coincided with high taxation. Perhaps someone will ask these clowns to explain their "plan" as it is resulting in the country falling apart.
    1
  3443. Yes. The wonder of neoliberal and media brainwashing is, it persuades the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  3444. Well, at least the poor victims would be identifiable. Tw*ts in hats; the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.
    1
  3445. Not just Tory scum; but Tory scum with weak leadership.
    1
  3446. Don't worry, Rees Mogg listens only to Sun readers. The Brexiters told us that experts spouted Project Fear. Look where that got us.
    1
  3447. And this morning the BBC site used publicity straight from Trump's white house team. Implying that Ukraine was, reluctantly, accepting peace without American security support. No mention of Russia continuing attacks - obviously not ready for peace. No mention of America withdrawing support. Just Trump propaganda.
    1
  3448. Leave blocking to the DUP. You can always depend on bigots and dinosaurs.
    1
  3449. The Tories simply must pick fights: divide and rule is in their DNA
    1
  3450. That's such a disappointment. I was hoping that Foghorn would have to bugger off. Still, they would stream him on one of the TV channels for idiots.
    1
  3451. Hardly surprising yet nevertheless highly informative. If only government would listen to you and other progressives, rather than McSweeney, business lobbyists and obscure (thoughtless) think tanks
    1
  3452. President Moron loves those executive orders. Lol.
    1
  3453.  @stuartpaul9211  You completely miss the point, Stuart. It's about proportions and balance. The last word being critical to the preservation of nature.
    1
  3454.  @stuartpaul9211 I suspect we are looking in different directions, Stuart. 1) solar takes up valuable land only because we fail to put it on houses so profits can be made by suppliers. 2) energy independence is an excuse, as the new licences will take on average 28 years to materialise into production. 3) Within that time, by 2030, the world will be uninhabitable for 1 billion people, causing a huge refugee problem. 4) there is little or no mention of hydro energy. 5) most of the energy we produce is exported to maximise profit at world market prices. Had Sunak promised a nationalised resource, for home use, the excuse would at least be more plausible.
    1
  3455.  @jjefferyworboys8138  so many glorious opportunities in this meritocracy. Are you for real
    1
  3456.  @jjefferyworboys8138  don't think you are fit for jury service, sunshine. Just go spread cheer somewhere else, perhaps in the fascist party.
    1
  3457. Well done, Mick. Tory ideology is perverted. Its purpose is not to serve the people and benefit national prosperity and efficiency. Instead they wish to exacerbate inequality, as demanded by their string pullers and funders.
    1
  3458. I have never heard such eyewash, yet interviewers fail to call out this charlatan. (1) the pay body is not independent, as budgets are set by government, as are the terms of reference. (2) the letter from Sajid Javid, setting the terms for the 2022 pay round, clearly stated that funding for recruitment must be allowed. (3) Since we were short of 32000 nurses in 2021 and while there has been recruitment, nurses are leaving in droves, why not use the cash budgeted for recruitment to pay nurses more? Then we may have fewer leaving and avoid a crisis down the line. (4) At any event, medical staff should be paid well and if the government claim we can't afford it, they have failed in their duty of care and should be prosecuted for negligence.
    1
  3459. The Tories are revolting. But then many of us knew that decades ago.
    1
  3460. The modern Tory party is so far divorced from reality that their ideas of policy are pure comedy, of the most sinister kind.
    1
  3461.  @tonygange7636  I take it that you refer to Tory intent? Doors opened to globalism with Freeports as a starter? Concurrently dismantling workers rights in the race to the bottom? Globalisation results in the equalisation of poverty so the few can have ever more.
    1
  3462.  @alanmarr3323  got me there. I was lying like Johnson
    1
  3463.  @prout7569  really! If people take offered jobs they are not stealing. Now we have admitting the mistake by offering 5000 visas. How many takers?
    1
  3464.  @prout7569  Corbyn spoke against the illegal exploitation of freedom of movement, not FoM per se. I agree about Starmer, but am more concerned about the present: a cabinet of morons led by a buffoon.
    1
  3465.  @smokego4808  you think that was a benefit of brexit? Tell that to the nurses. Demand exceeds supply, price of labour goes up, costs go up, prices of goods go up. Inflation affects everyone, including those on poverty pay and those getting.a below inflation rise. Is that really a benefit or a poor consequence?
    1
  3466.  @smokego4808  which businesses have moved from Ireland to the UK? Many have opened branches in EU countries. We have lost £600 million a week since the referendum, from analyses by Goldman Sachs. Our exports to the EU have reduced while imports have increased. Another own goal exposed.
    1
  3467.  @smokego4808  think you will find that's part of a G7 arrangement on minimum corp tax levels and nothing to do with Brexit. The balance sheet of "Brexit benefits" is heavily in deficit.
    1
  3468.  @smokego4808  ps the only change specifically for Brexit is not being able to claim relief on interest paid to banks or stock exchanges etc in the UK. The rest is about the G7 deal. Set against that NI are buying more from Ireland and.less from the UK. Brexshit.is costing us dearly!
    1
  3469.  @smokego4808  but the the UK is and the EU has accepted the same tax arrangements. I've explained the only reported Irish tax arrangement directly attributable to Brexit. Where are the others?
    1
  3470.  @smokego4808  ps. The G7 (Minimum 15% corp tax) is now approved by OECD and Ireland is about to adopt it in any event. I'm curious to know why you think we will benefit through tax from Brexit, especially when we have failed to implement border controls and HMRC say this had cost £800 million in lost revenue over a period of a few months.
    1
  3471.  @smokego4808  so, Smoke, how many such companies are there? How will they account for it? And how much will go the other way in the reverse scenario? Only a benefit if we gain more than we lose. Also where did you get this information? Do you think it changed when we became a third country? Or as part of Sunak's agreement with G7? So far the balance sheet is massively against Brexit. We are losing on import duty and in the balance of trade. In financial terms, Brexit is a disaster.
    1
  3472.  @smokego4808  before I elaborate, what are your sources? The only changes affected by Brexit that I can find are about VAT on exports - something entirely different.
    1
  3473. When Musk farts through his mouth, it's free speech. When someone criticises the man-child, they must explain their audacity. Welcome to the age of newspeak.
    1
  3474.  @middleman9183  what then does "everything" mean when sovereignty is not defined?
    1
  3475. Means testing the winter fuel allowance will not fill any black hole. It will chuck in a spade full of rubble: 1.5 billion in a hole of 22 billion. Taxing wealth would easily fill it. Listen to the patriotic millionaires and the Mile End Road economists. Starmer and Reeves have messed up...crass stupidity.
    1
  3476. The government creates an alternative universe because they can't admit the reality of this one. Britain is screwed.
    1
  3477.  @Noel-ji8nm  Just seen the childish insult from your troll account. More Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  3478. Why expect a Reform supporter to look at Full Fact when they live in a world of fantasy and do little more than shout and whinge from the sidelines?
    1
  3479. The perceived problem of immigration is manufactured: by the right wing press, the Tories and Reform in parliament constantly bleating about it while not processing applications and letting the problem grow. Neither parliament nor the media are fit for purpose and both need reforming.
    1
  3480. Our Little Spiv (also known as Sunak) spins the lie that we are a compassionate country and are passing this bill to help refugees. Who is stupid enough to fall for these lies? Government is so devoid of ideas that they must blame people fleeing persecution for their own operational incompetence.
    1
  3481. Reform is obsessed with immigration. Somehow I'm more concerned with the traitors who sold off our assets to foreign companies. We all have our bugbears...
    1
  3482. If you doubt that our political system is broken and that British democracy is a fallacy, just check whether these words from a novel resonate with you. This is a spoken by a powerful string-puller: "Those of us who control public opinion have a special part to play in bringing the nation back to its senses."
    1
  3483. And much of it disappeared under the Tories.
    1
  3484. It's revealing when aspiring fascists react to being identified and called out. I commented in 2019 that Johnson (and Trump in the US) used tools from the playbook of fascism. The first signs appeared with the denouncment of experts in the Brexshit referendum campaign and continued in general electionerring. Now the Tories are going full-on fascist by making judges the enemy of the people and overriding both international and domestic justice. These dangerous crooks have no shame.
    1
  3485. Twaddle Without Any Thought.
    1
  3486.  @leehenry5764  have you joined the 30p racists? Labour has nothing to do with this. You have fallen for Tory misdirection. Leeanderthal's comments were islamophobic. Sunak can't bring himself to say the word; he leaves others to do his dirty work and make pathetic excuses. London is nearly 200 miles away from Rochdale.
    1
  3487. Great to see integrity, professionalism and accountability in action. Now what will happen to the buggers who smeared tge committee? What happens in the instance of contempt of court, for example?
    1
  3488. Sunak is so obsessed with "the people's priorities" that he shows the hallmark of dictatorship. Tell the people what they should want and pretend to deliver it.
    1
  3489. Sunak has been very helpful...to the other parties. Making five pledges and telling us they are our priorities. Failing to deliver on any of them. Spinning lies about the cause of inflation and imposing poverty in pretence of a cure. Hiding from scrutiny in favour of photo ops where he can parrot his five pledges. That's leadership for you.
    1
  3490. Clearly reasoned and well explained. Thanks for this level of enlightenment. It's hardly surprising that our government, in a faux democracy, supports tax havens . They are more concerned with the pursuit of power than perfect competition and deride the rule of law through cronyism.
    1
  3491. Will one interviewer please ask Farage what he means by British values?
    1
  3492. The Tories are fake patriots. They don't give a shiny sh1t about the country. They are interested only in power and control, to benefit the 1%. If Labour don't implement a form of PR, we will see the Tory disaster repeated in another five years because of the time it will take to clear the mess. This is a financial class war and I also have doubts about Sir Starmer.
    1
  3493. Trump is the result of an unfit and undemocratic system being bought and manipulated. The lunatics are now in charge of the asylum.
    1
  3494. Clarkson is the ultimate gammon with a platform for his prejudice and ignorance. The "benefits" of populism personified.
    1
  3495. "a government of empty-headed sychophants." Perfect description. The most vacuous prime minister in recent history with a cabal of incompetent sociopaths. Supported by a Brexit supporting media, intent on hiding its lies and mistakes.
    1
  3496. ​ @jimmagspanton669  Think the INTERNATIONAL BANKING CRASH had something to do with leaving us busted. Keep spreading Tory bollocks if you want to raise a laugh.
    1
  3497. ​ @evolassunglasses4673 yet has coincidentally been adopted by far right dictators in recent history
    1
  3498. Fantastic reporting of the truth, which is chilling. When we supported the lame excuse of Israeli self-defence morphing into genocide, I was disgusted and ashamed. When we immediately cut off aid without questioning Israel's cynical ploy after the ICJ ruling, I was mortified by the extent of our depravity. If our politicians challenge or question Israeli propaganda, they are anti-semitic. If politicians fail to support or condone their inhumanity, their careers are ended. How can we stand by and neither do nor say anything? We are relegated from international joke to complicit lapdog. What does Britain stand for? In whose name and interests do our corrupt and depraved politicians act? NOT IN MY NAME.
    1
  3499. When rhetoric and bigotry trump logic and common sense, this is what we get. Welcome to the Brexit shit-show.
    1
  3500. So much of our mainstream media is laughable to anyone with an enquiring mind, but serious when you consider that the majority just swallow it and don't think critically.
    1
  3501. So much of this activity already exposed by the Good Law Project. The homework is easy: read Bringing Down Goliath.
    1
  3502. If only we had real democracy instead of an elective dictatorship.
    1
  3503. Johnson was allowed to spout slogans without being questioned on policy by the oligarch media. Today I read news of the difference in average life expectancy between Blackpool and Kensington & Chelsea. The difference is 27 years. Levelling up has some way to go. Meanwhile Johnson and his cabal continue levelling down.
    1
  3504. So, your savings go. Business depends on banks. Your mortgage? Are you living in Cuckooland?
    1
  3505. In one sense, this was a failure: Who knew what they were protesting about? The MSM hid this information and I only learned the reason for protest from your video
    1
  3506. ​ @bensisko2443 It hasn't started. The wealthy pay a lower proportion of their income and assets in tax.
    1
  3507. Labour came to power by promising very little other than being slightly less sh1t than the failed Tories. It seems they don't want to upset the oligarch media and their string-pullers, who throw money at them to be the party of business. Their lack of identity and clear vision will be their downfall, as you say. We could well end up with a fascistic crowd in charge, as we see more hatred and intolerance.
    1
  3508. The present situation is enabled by our undemocratic system. If all votes were considered equal, the Tories would have no mandate for Johnson's manifesto: his policies were supported by a minority (43.6%) of registered valid votes. The fact that we don't have a presidential system means that a party can change its leader - thus changing the PM. What is more serious is the fact that a manifesto commitment can be changed without a referendum and even without parliamentary scrutiny. This present sh1t-show is inevitable in our elective dictatorship.
    1
  3509. The Tories already have a strategy: Make excuses; deflect blame; and spin fantasy about their hypothetical achievements. And some will be stupid enough to fall for it.
    1
  3510. The perfect brainwashing exercise was planned in 1947, by the Mont Pelerin Society. The myth of neoliberalism - persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We need reform. Britain is broken.
    1
  3511. @bob ross problems getting fuel and also some goods ... Having to accept substitutes is common
    1
  3512.  @sdwone  Yes. It's although greed is more important than life itself. Defies rational thought.
    1
  3513. More money for the NHS means money directed to private companies for outsourcing. Thousands per shift paid to agencies when hospitals are short of doctors and nurses. The Tories should be prosecuted for treason.
    1
  3514. Little Spiv could qualify as a comedy act. Unfortunately, we bear the brunt of his incompetence and the joke is on us, the voters.
    1
  3515. So here we have an ex-banker with a financial interest in health, who as health secretary put the squeeze on NHS pay through his letter of instruction to the pay review body. This fine specimen of Tory Britain is hopefully giving a master class in how to lose an election. I haven't had enough of the Tories, I've had more than enough of the Tories. They have consistently buggered up our country for the many. They should be consigned to the chopping block of history.
    1
  3516. Wouldn't say "squirming." Sunak has been steeped in privilege to insulate himself with arrogance. As a sociopathic Tory, he knows no shame. The man is a little Spiv.
    1
  3517. Were the two air-headed goons behind Trump competing to see who could jump up first and applaud like a seal? Two wazzocks applauding a moron?
    1
  3518. You can safely stop at Sunak evades questions... When has he answered one?
    1
  3519. Applying advanced maths to a world of fantasy seems mad. Yet what if it's intentional, and planned? The neoliberal model was designed to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle-down. Part of that was changing the economics syllabus...enter Friedman and the Chicago Boys. Restricting the model to averages and fixating on interest rates was all about the "free market", which is actually rigged by financialisation. Ted Heath once said that the sole use of interest rates to control inflation was like a professional golfer competing with just one club in their bag. No attempt to regulate prices when we have cost push inflation. Friedmans "market" can't have that. The model is designed to support exploitation by the rich and powerful imo. It also keeps politicians in line.
    1
  3520. Sunak is so divorced from reality, he doesn't stop at misleading parliament, he spins alternative reality. Not just Tory scum; Tory incompetent scum.
    1
  3521. If this bill happens, we need a national strike - against present law if necessary. Our local Tory MP conveniently failed to see the distinction between minimum safety levels (agreed with unions in many EU countries) and minimum service levels; using the lame argument that we need service levels to achieve safety. I explained the difference: if government has the power to set minimum SERVICE LEVELS, they may well be set above safety requirements to render a strike useless. Yes, our government likes to treat us as idiots.
    1
  3522. George Monbiot offers so many answers and articulates them clearly. Electoral reform and cleaning up financial corruption should indeed be the start point, yet Starmer is articulating no real alternative; no vision other than a safe pair of hands when we need systemic change.
    1
  3523. Johnson has a thick skin to match his vacuous brain. The antithesis of a real leader.
    1
  3524. Self determination denied by the Westminster elective dictatorship. Let's not pretend that Britain has democracy. We don't even have a codified constitution. Rule by opacity does not deliver democracy - it requires transparency.
    1
  3525. Are they making drugs for robots now?
    1
  3526. ​ @DW-indeed an antidote for real democracy. The enforcement of an elective dictatorship.
    1
  3527. Never trust the Tories, especially with the NHS. They are dismantling all public services piece by piece, while wasting £126.7 billion since the pandemic and using our taxes to defend their misuse of public money against legal challenge. When it comes to adequately rewarding workers, they lie, cheat and abuse their power.
    1
  3528.  @SammyInnit  Indeed. I didn't suggest she was...just responded to the originator.
    1
  3529.  @cliffgaither  convincing! To whom? Anyone incapable of critical thinking.
    1
  3530. ​ @Love-Isreal-4U  What is "lefty?" Someone who disagrees with fascism? I actually applaud the teaching of the Delai Lama, so you should be pleased.
    1
  3531. ​ @rjkmusicmedia  You must be joking!!! Looking out for poor people, how? Green solutions will save money on energy. They pretend to apply a windfall tax, with loopholes allowing greed inflation for energy companies. They are looking out for their backers (the dirty energy companies.) Who will look out when we fail to tackle climate change and suffer mass invasion by refugees because of food and water shortages? They are also pretending that we can't afford the associated tax bill, yet fail to tax wealth and investment income at the same rate as work income. They are baiting, to stimulate conflict through a hollow pretence. Don't fall for it! You say you are centre left. Stop pretending. Btw perhaps you will explain your claim that the huge costs imposed by Labour
    1
  3532.  @christopherbrowne736  The content! Would that be her vacuous lies in response? The confidence to answer coherently is fine, but Bad-enough talks down out of habit, even when spouting drivel. The Tories are doing people a favour by abandoning policies that save money and create jobs while cleaning up the planet. The people they are really helping are their dirty-energy backers and the investments of Sunak's father in law.
    1
  3533.  @christopherbrowne736  I simply leave it to the asleep brigade to defend the vacuous arrogance of Bad-enough. Keep talking bollocks to give us a laugh. Where exactly did she defend the fictitious figure spouted by her party? Some fictitious economist incapable of showing their calculations and assumptions. Give me a bloody break!
    1
  3534.  @Tayl-top  For smart, read vacuous.
    1
  3535.  @rg1360  I blame Putin for causing the conditions that led to cost push inflation. I blame our government for their lack of remedial action, when compared with France and other EU governments. We have a government of sociopathic incompetents. Mad Vlad didn't cause that.
    1
  3536.  @rg1360  your assumption about the devalued pound is not correct if funding done in the right way. France has controlled prices rather than giving handouts. Our government is scared of this approach because of their obsession with free market neoliberalism. The market will not fix this for us.
    1
  3537.  @rg1360  Read about how money is created and how QE was used then the possibilities become obvious. Also about 40% of our gas comes from the North sea, with the rest of this production sold on the open market at profit. We are reaping the cost of privatisation and the encouragement of profiteering. We need to move towards a balanced economy and kick out the government obsessed with neoliberalism, which promotes inequality. This government does not have the will or the nous to find a long term solution for the benefit of the population. They are constrained by the outdated reasoning of tax and spend.
    1
  3538.  @rg1360  I have a different understanding of QE and its effects on inflation. Who do you think imposes the "allowance?" The affect on inflation will depend on how spent and used. The Exchequer and Audits Act of 1866 says by law the BoE must make any payments the government instructs it to. How do you think Macron is keeping the rise at 4% if so impotent on price? Someone is fooling here. You keep saying what can't be done: government excuse or lack of will is my only question. No such word as can't.
    1
  3539. Sunak or his advisors can't even be arsed to check the current news. He claimed "the economy is growing" after it shrank by 0.3% last month. The arrogant a'hole is like a fish on a hook: flapping around yet getting nowhere.
    1
  3540. This idiot caller has not heard the term manufactured consent. Did she follow the mainstream media during the election campaign while Johnson was hiding in a freezer?
    1
  3541. The Tories and cult brexiters have one thing in common: the arrogance to believe that they didn't do the stupid things badly enough.
    1
  3542.  @alanhat5252  How, exactly? You really think this country works well? I can't see much that we have done well in the last decade in particular and imo we are FUBAR
    1
  3543. Typical Johnson. Spaffing public money in his defence then resigning like a lazy coward. A right wing party, led by charlatans to appeal to idiots. Political reality is stranger than fiction
    1
  3544. America being led by a moron is a far more poignant vision. In hock to Putin.
    1
  3545. Sunak's claim of ending "the free movement of people" applied only to EU citizens. We've always had the right to control immigration beyond that, and the Tory half-done, half-baked brexit didn't change it - apart from creating a shortage of workers. Little Spiv is attempting to bamboozle idiots.
    1
  3546.  @Poonannyish  No. Most get away with it...numerous examples. Johnson not only deliberately misled the House, he impugned the committee, breached confidence after being given preliminary findings and was complicit in a campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of committee members.
    1
  3547.  @armondtanz  relevance???
    1
  3548.  @primeministerelec  Anyone has a right to call out a liar if evidence exists. The evidence seems incontrovertible in Sunak's case.
    1
  3549. Hardly surprising that an aspiring fascist took office because the hard right know how to appeal to idiots. The despicable part? The number of oligarchs and leaders who suck up to the narcissistic criminal with an ego the size of the universe but a competence level below Musk's on video games.
    1
  3550. More public money spaffed in the pursuit of government fascism. Tory scum.
    1
  3551. Yes, it has trebled. Even Labour misses the elephant in the room: Brexit and the lack of free movement. The 20% wage discount was a race to the bottom and hidden as a grift in the brexit campaign.
    1
  3552. The fact that he felt it necessary to say this to an international gathering makes Britain more than a laughing stock. Johnson is a disaster on legs.
    1
  3553. One lie too many?
    1
  3554. Little Spiv and Cruella Suella think they are descendants of King Canute. Will stopping the boats include stopping super yachts awash with Tory donors? Somehow I suspect their obsession is specific and limited.
    1
  3555. If the subject of immigration was banned from that conference for a single day, the conference would last all of ten minutes. What's the collective noun for a group of f'kwits?
    1
  3556. Trump is feeding his own hubris. Everyone is at fault in dealing with Putin, except the great hero, President Moron, whose business was rescued by Putin's oligarchs. Life for the great orange one is such a wheeze.
    1
  3557. The Tories perpetually turn a drama into a crisis. They create the drama by spaffing public money, while we suffer the crisis.
    1
  3558. The longer the Tories remain in power, the more promises Labour will water down or the more they will pander to neoliberal values. Add to that the dirty tricks from Tories...who knows?
    1
  3559. When you commit to the same fiscal rules as the party that almost destroyed the NHS, what does the word "reform" mean? Austerity? Top-down management? More expensive business consultants? PFI contracts costing more in the long run? Dependence on private investment, resulting in the extraction of profit to cost us more? The first six years of Tory-led government apparently put us 20% behind Europe in health funding per capita. Fixes will not come free of charge by waving a magic wand. Starmer should listen to Dr Julia Grace Patterson rather than Milburn, who has used health provision as a cash cow.
    1
  3560. It's around a 100 times easier to appeal to prejudice than to persuade with logic. Enter the populists from Reform, whose skill set os appealing to idiots.
    1
  3561. Brainless Tory MPs appeal to idiots in the electorate through sloganising populism. Which is why they are good at campaigning. Their default setting is to appeal to greed and use fear.
    1
  3562. The great Noam Chomsky explained how the media manufactures consent. Now, oligarchs just buy up publications and channels to spread propaganda under the pretence of free speech. Trump, on the other hand, just prohibits access to anyone who upsets his ego. The age of information also brings misinformation and disinformation. Never has critical thinking been more vital. Thankfully, Richard and others offer this regularly and consistently.
    1
  3563.  @UAPJedi  Have they adopted a new currency?
    1
  3564.  @trident6547  other countries have such an arrangement.
    1
  3565. Let's keep it simple. Just issue a bullshit buzzer then noone would hear the delusional crap that Cleverly spouted.
    1
  3566. I'm sure her inter-personal skills would have gone down well at McDonald's
    1
  3567. Tory corruption: world class. Call 10 Downing Street for more details.
    1
  3568. It appears that Johnson's abject incompetence and serial lies are his good points if compared to his corrupt practices and dodgy connections. This buffoon is a clear and present danger. The worst prime minister in modern history.
    1
  3569. The problem with the hard-of-thinking is, they will cheer on Fartage for hurting others more, while they suffer the pain he causes. Farage is NOT a man of the people. Learn about his past.
    1
  3570. What a difference a day makes: during the morning, Shapps is spouting rubbish to excuse refusing visas. Later, during the same day, Buffoon gives in. Meanwhile the most objectionable politician - also known as Priti Shitty - removes.her objection. The most inept and incompetent government in history.
    1
  3571. Johnson is (and has always been while PM) a narcissist. He cares only about his popularity, assessed by media reports and fuelled by habitual photo ops. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    1
  3572. If Johnson is shown to have misled parliament (either inadvertently or deliberately) after full facts are revealed, then refuses to correct the record. Who can kick him out after breaching rules? Therein lies the problem with our shit-show masquerading as democracy.
    1
  3573. Farage and Lowe. The battle of two turds, unsuccessfully attempting to unblock a progressively filling loo, while turning the country into a cesspit.
    1
  3574. The Tories have their fall guy. The psychopath who buggered up the NHS; the disciple of failed trickle down economics who is scared of the non-doms leaving; the man who witnessed the pain of austerity under Cameron and stepped forward to impose it yet again. The apologist for Brexit, who claims that being in the single market was against the Brexit vote. (Did anyone see that on the ballot paper?) Meanwhile his boss, Little Spiv, escapes to COP to learn that we have become an international joke. Enough is enough.
    1
  3575. There is one common characteristic of our trade deals: we are the desparate party. A delusional and incompetent government.
    1
  3576. Anyone who trusted this corrupt cabal of charlatans (laughingly known as government) to take back control will feel conned and lied to. Charges of treason would seem appropriate - yet unattainable. Our establishment is mired in corruption.
    1
  3577. The UK government is making Project Fear a reality of life. When leaving a trading arrangement after four decades and trusting the free market to sort itself out, this is what we get. Britain is broken.
    1
  3578.  @jjefferyworboys8138 The art of responsible government is balance: with the protection of life coming first. Eat out to spread it about was foolhardy.
    1
  3579. "Cannibalise the compassion" of British people. The top prize for this, winning a gold plaque by a clear margin, goes to our sociopathic Tory government.
    1
  3580. The difference is: Johnson misled the House. Enough is enough.
    1
  3581.  @ricardosmythe2548  so what? Should Sovereign Britain do the same? Or will hard Brexiters excuse this government of charlatans for breaking their promise?
    1
  3582.  @truth2power  indeed. They make a strong case for nationalisation of key resources.
    1
  3583. Another idiot condoning fascism. Wonder who he votes for?
    1
  3584. It's not just up to Ukraine, James. It's also up to NATO. Perhaps we should look at the mechanics and the intent of NATO before making a judgement. That said, Mad Vlad was wrong to invade.
    1
  3585.  @Tree.fiddy.  It's also up to NATO whether they invite or encourage membership. Don't be naive. We only hear one side of the argument,. especially while the arms industry flourishes. I don't condone what Putin did but the argument is never as simplistic as portrayed. Btw, I used to eat your product as a kid in the dark ages.
    1
  3586. The Tories need a dumbed-down population to swallow their sh1t. Sunak's MBA was clearly a fake or a waste because he doesn't understand inflation.
    1
  3587. Totally impractical in our local area - an old Lancashire mill town with many narrow streets and virtually no common parking areas. Even newer estates lack both adequate road with and visitor parking facilities, allowing developers to cram more housing for profit. Put more onus and local authorities to plan for adequate parking, instead of penalising the motorist. To me the law should stop cars totally blocking the pavement: allowing enough room for a pram or a wheelchair. Totally banning pavement parking will simply cause traffic chaos in many areas. Once again, Planet Westminster is divorced from reality. Yet another government consultation that was poorly published and dependent on a Web search, when not all users have internet access or find out in time. Such a consultation is simply a sham.
    1
  3588.  @FFVoyager  are you volunteering as a parking attendant?
    1
  3589.  Christopher Moore  then the simple solution is to allow enough room for prams or wheelchairs. Simple enough to legislate. Parking on a 2ft wide pavement should be banned
    1
  3590.  Christopher Moore  then don't change the law. Just enforce it.
    1
  3591.  @Jonnythebaker  don't know. The gold reserve was abandoned by the US under tricky Dickie, we followed suit. Fiat currency dates back to 1000AD in China. It changes the landscape of economics because tax and spend (as extolled by Thatcher) is an outdated concept.
    1
  3592.  @JoolsTwo  he was asleep on the front bench when the stats were released.
    1
  3593. Suspect they would rather let us starve and blame the EU.
    1
  3594. "The strength of the market!" Typical Tory crap. The market is for profit; service is about public need. Anyone spot a disconnect or conflict? That's why we need responsible government intervention, from a government asleep at the wheel.
    1
  3595. Rats in a sack. Incompetents fighting for relevance. What a sh1t-show
    1
  3596. Farage is the classic heckler who the desperate and hard-of-thinking turn to. Carping from the sidelines, shifting blame and promising the earth. Put him under scrutiny and he falls apart. Every party he has formed, has fallen apart. Every cause he supports is poison, yet the result is someone else's fault. It takes propaganda by a complicit media to run his scam and dark money to support it. Ban second jobs for MPs and Nigel may well disappear.
    1
  3597. A channel for idiots funded by oligarchs.
    1
  3598. This woman needs professional psychological assessment. Why let international law get in the way of Tory fascist aspirations? Tory scum.
    1
  3599. Trump's government ny idiocy is so blatant that is begs a simple question: If Donny isn't a Russian asset, how could he damage the country more if he was?
    1
  3600.  @kincaidwolf5184  Thatcher was the architect of Neoliberalism - the root cause of inequality and poverty. She sold off our assets. Denounced society and promoted greed. If that's success, it's the success of a raving psychopath.
    1
  3601. Johnson's plans are half as cunning as Baldrick's and twice as vacuous.
    1
  3602. Amazing that HMRC will negotiate with tax Dodgers, then come to an arrangement. Would they do that for poorer people? Or will they repay a penalty for their cock-ups to people on PAYE? So many "honest mistakes" from the rich and powerful. One would suspect that we should question their competence and ban them from public office... (Don't hold your breath.)
    1
  3603. It hardly seems coincidental that CEOs of large companies work for the shareholders and many are, by nature, sociopathic. The old adage of the customer being king has given way to outsourcing customer service to automated call centres, to the point where it becomes an oxymoron.
    1
  3604. The Tories are divided but won't let that blow their chance of power (unlike Labour under Jeremy C.) I read of a think tank named Bright Blue actually suggesting a minimum income to replace the creaking benefits system, then found from their Website that they are against neoliberalism. Unfortunately those paying most to the piper are calling the tune.
    1
  3605. Another day of the Johnson government. Another step closer to fascism. Any new committee should be independent, chaired by a judge if necessary. If an MP has abused their position, they should be fired. A month suspension is a joke. Secondary incomes should be banned, they invariably cause a conflict of interest. Somehow we will end up with the opposite. More corruption...a government above the law.
    1
  3606. A free-for-all, for the extraction of profit. A race to the bottom for workers rights and trading standards. Tufton Street: the home of insane sociopathy.
    1
  3607. At least one Labour MP standing up for the workforce. The rail network is broken: incompetent management and an unfit system. Time for public ownership and fair pay. Enough is enough.
    1
  3608. Not a pretty sight. Well done in sabotaging the channel for idiots.
    1
  3609. The word "hopefully" was significant. She has no strategy in her world of fantasy, explained in Britannia Unchained. The Tory's last resort is always the fictitious "Spongers" when most recipients of benefit are working, causing us to subside employers.
    1
  3610.  @gHGhej  I guess they studied lots of Tory voters. Lol
    1
  3611.  @gHGhej  Not superiority: opinions differ and I expressed mine.
    1
  3612.  @gHGhej  I do, and did, Chris. You have said nothing to change my mind. Not all research is sacred; sometimes it's flawed. Keep taking the high ground as you wish.
    1
  3613.  @delcamelot  yes. The spongers who take cash for lobbying and those who benefitted from the dodgy Covid PPE contracts. The tax evaders, who cost us nine times more than the false benefit claimants. The government that stops refugees from working while taking over a year to assess their claim. Send the real spongers to Rwanda and see how they like that safe country. It seems we have a basis for agreement based on fact
    1
  3614. ​ @Noel-ji8nm  Is that a rhetorical question? Baroness Warsi explained it in her attack on Braverman.
    1
  3615.  @celiacresswell6909  just what seven years of experience taught me. Why?
    1
  3616.  @celiacresswell6909  no.
    1
  3617.  @bla7091  So things have changed since my experience from a few decades ago. The nasty, greedy, self-serving b'stards get everywhere.
    1
  3618.  @bla7091  sounds all too familiar. Interesting yet regrettable.
    1
  3619. With Gove, we have to wonder which of his statements are coke-fuelled fantasy or slippery obfuscation. As for truth and accountability: forget it. Not just Tory scum; Tory lying scum.
    1
  3620. We are not even there; excusing Israel's actions as self defence is more pathetic than pretending we have an effective democracy and competent government.
    1
  3621. After reading an informed commentary about Sue Gray, Johnson has put an able civil servant in an impossible position. This infantile buffoon will throw anyone under the bus. He has a bucket of whitewash ready, before her report is released. Britain is broken.
    1
  3622. The thing about the modern Tories, at least since the brexit vote, is that when you have turds in a cesspit, whoever rises to the top will be just another turd.
    1
  3623. The only growth most of us will see is in prices, as inflation makes us poorer while incomes and pensions lag behind. The disaster capitalists, however, will benefit from our misery while tax avoiders come to our new Freeports to recruit slave labour feeding on crumbs from the master's table. That's the real intent of "growth, growth, growth." In a nutshell: growth in inequality.
    1
  3624. A great human being with a great mind. So sad that critical thinking is not taught in schools. To hold on to power, these sociopaths must dumb down the population.
    1
  3625. If Braverman resigns, who next? I thought they couldn't find anyone worse than Priti Shitty then along came this Tory excrement.
    1
  3626.  @stephenisom6089  and the comparable shortages in other countries? Zero or minimal. Wonder why? Check out the word exacerbation. Brexit is such a good example, it could be used in the Oxford English Dictionary description.
    1
  3627.  @stephenisom6089  I listen to people who live there: three EU countries. Thought "remoaner" had gone out of fashion after Project Fear was confirmed as Project Reality. As for misfits: they are now the majority after polls confirmed that 59% think we should rejoin. Just a polite suggestion to change your rhetoric.
    1
  3628. How many splinter groups are there? New Conservatives; Real Conservatives: Desperate Conservatives. Then we have the Thoughtless Tanks and SPADS propping them up. Has anyone done an efficiency study? The party is just an expensive waste of oxygen.
    1
  3629. If you are docking a barge as a symbol of brainwashed division, choose an area populated by idiots. Thankfully the lady teacher was one exception, but how many learn from her?
    1
  3630.  @f.zijlstra9195  agree about the electorate. The opposition can remind the speaker to demand that the record is corrected, as proven lies are regularly repeated. Noone pushes the procedure to its limits, to show how unfit this charlatan is for office, and to continually remind the public what 43.6% of voters supported.
    1
  3631.  @AaronOkeanos  Being a vote winner is not the question. Would it be a vote loser? If it's presented correctly, such as reforming our system of governance to clean up standards and make all votes count equally, how would that turn people off? As for the second term, that's not a certainty. Unfortunately, nor is any promise of Starmer's. Jam tomorrow doesn't cut it.
    1
  3632. Thought serial lying was part of his job description. Tory turds have cost us dear.
    1
  3633. Not enough time to name all the benefits, so I won't name one. I'll just spout rhetoric and unicorns.
    1
  3634. Prof Richard Murphy believes that the high interest rate on bonds is created through quantitative tightening. Selling back the bonds they held to create new money, thus forcing the interest rate up and the bond value down. The BofE is effectively creating the mess to force austerity and should be told to stop selling off the bonds. We also need to tax back wealth to redress the balance, as you say.
    1
  3635. To get rid of the worst possible government at the worst possible time, the fight should be on corruption. Cleaning up behavioural standards, making parliament fit for purpose and replacing our elective dictatorship with a democratic voting system. There is so much evidence of Tory tampering and corruption to bring to a campaign. Britain is broken.
    1
  3636. Exactly how? Such a pathetic excuse spawned by intellectual laziness.
    1
  3637.  @lovemussb1940  unfortunately that's intellectual laziness. If you can't see the difference, don't vote.
    1
  3638.  @lovemussb1940  I don't expect coherence from a pseudonym account. Read the reports for yourself, look at the source, and see if you can spot the difference in scale. I'm no fan of Starmer but they are not all the same. Johnson's government has raised the level of corruption to an industrial scale. The worst by far in my lifetime.
    1
  3639. ​ @blahbleh5671 please stop the inane bullsh1t. It's vacuous in the extreme.
    1
  3640. ​ @paullambert8183 Yet the immigrants are proven to contribute to the economy, so whose fault is it?
    1
  3641. "Trump has a game plan..." Really? The plan may work in his alternate universe, yet it's so secret, he can't explain it. In reality, it's crass stupidity: threatening tariffs while reducing inflation; the exact opposite of reality because Trump doesn't even know how tariffs work. Tariffs are paid by the importer, with price increases passed to the consumer.
    1
  3642. Why has Farage never won a parliamentary seat? Because he's marmite. Why does Farage succeed as a serial moaner with false solutions? Because he knows how to appeal to the gullible and to idiots.
    1
  3643.  @RoryMacdonald-pfff  careful!. You are not judge and jury on this matter. You are one citizen with an opinion.
    1
  3644. Wisdom accepts that everything has two sides, yet our mainstream media predominantly excuses Israel.
    1
  3645. If so good with the economy, why have the Tories borrowed more and paid back less than Labour? That's before the pandemic started and dating from the second world war. Delivering delusion and fantasy - the real Tory record.
    1
  3646.  @howler6490  as the minister with sociopathic disorders, Patel sets the policies and carries ultimate responsibility. The last word being omitted from Tory vocabulary.
    1
  3647. ​@Ali Al-Mahdi Interesting. Do you think that breathing the wind and drinking the piss from the house of commons would have a similar effect?
    1
  3648. Our inflation is predominantly cost push. Wrong solution!
    1
  3649. Although I love Britain, I have felt more shame than pride for many years. Now, through wholesale corruption in our populist government, we have reached the level of depravity. Britain is broken.
    1
  3650. So true. We get growth and many kids stay in poverty? This Labour government is the most arse-about-face crew in our shambolic state. It seems the price of power is pandering to neoliberal values, for the benefit of the wealthiest. I'm sure that the average person with a pile of debt and struggling to bring up a family will be heartened by improved growth while they don't see a single benefit. Trickle down is an elaborate lie: designed to get the poor to vote for the rich to have even more.
    1
  3651. Financialisation is also killing world prosperity and quality of life. Two of the largest conglomerates, Pfizer and Apple, now spend more on share buy-backs than on R&D. It seems that we work for the financial sector; it does not work for us. Land-banking is another external contributory factor, and should be prohibited.
    1
  3652. The danger with smart technology being proposed by dumb wazzocks is that it never offers an appropriate solution.
    1
  3653. Now we all pay for their stupidity: supporting a cabal of disaster capitalists promoting the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    1
  3654. I'm sure Richard also knows that, but he speaks in plain English.
    1
  3655. The Farage factor is a sign of desperation. The party with an aspirational name, in reality a limited company, that would make life harder for all except the 1%. Farage hailed the Liz Truss budget as the best Conservative budget since 1986. A neoliberal snake, either clueless on economics or just running another scam.
    1
  3656. I sometimes wonder if it's planned operational incompetence. Talking about sticking to the plan, when noone asks them to explain said plan. Here is my guess at the Tories 10 point plan: 1) create a problem 2) show surprise and implement a "solution" to make it worse 3) blame...lefty lawyers, the wokeratery, the EU, the victims themselves, the opposition, civil servants... 4) deny any and all responsibility 5) spaff lots of public money to your mates on a new "solution" 6) repeat step 5 as often as you can get away with it 7) start a smear campaign as a diversion 8) make this matter an absolute priority, making a solemn pledge, diverting attention while the country is going to rack and ruin. 9) hide in a bunker while milking more public money 10) bugger up something else to divert attention ad repeat the entire process.
    1
  3657. Habib is one of the most repulsive morons in politics. Yet he gets the same disproportionate media time as the rest of the vacuous party / limited company (laughingly known as Reform)
    1
  3658.  @NSW-ye3xw  So what? Our constitution (such as it is) says we elect a party and they elect a leader. We don't have a presidential system. We need an election after serial Tory incompetence and corruption.
    1
  3659.  @markdyer2574  Don't understand your question. Nothing to do with race. Johnson was useless as shown by the COVID enquiry. Just another example. The last 13 years of Tory government have been abysmal.
    1
  3660. ​ @Noel-ji8nm hello, troll
    1
  3661. ​ @Globaldave1970 Did you learn that reaction in the school playground?
    1
  3662. Welcome to a Tory contrived, fascist Police state. Global Britain behaving like Little England. Small minds and loud voices: a dangerous combination.
    1
  3663. The Tories are making a different kind of preparation by throwing more money at a campaign of lies. Last Monday (20 Nov) they passed a change by statutory instrument: increasing the general election spending cap from £19.5 million to £35 million, as well as increasing the donations declaration level from £7500 to £11180. Never underestimate the dirty tricks of Tory scum.
    1
  3664. Don't expect this Tory government to have a plan or a strategy (at least until it comes to electioneering.) They operate on whim and laughing gas.
    1
  3665. Don't panic! Johnson has taken back control. British sovereignty is now being handed to a kangaroo court.
    1
  3666. The question is not whether Johnson is a serial liar; it's just a question of who he lied to. He said there was no trade border in the Irish Sea then signed an agreement to implement one but failed to do so. Was he lying to the electorate or to the E? If the latter and the EU continues to act as the only adults, Joe Biden and other potential trade partners will be taking careful note. Buffoon has made us an international laughing stock.
    1
  3667. Vance is the "diplomat" you get when a moron resumes the presidency and appoints useful idiots who won't challenge him. Putin can control Trump after blaming other presidents to appeal to the orange one's hubris, to turn him into an effective asset. (If in doubt, read Putin's People by Catherine Belton.)
    1
  3668. ​ @ace-zq8pm Perhaps you will define communism, from your bot pseudonym account.
    1
  3669. And to think that this morning LBC gave us the treachery of Farage. Ukraine is finding its true friends.
    1
  3670. Remembering that Cameron failed to implement Leveson, who knows the consequences? The oligarch media is a sham, constantly manufacturing consent.
    1
  3671. They probably follow the publicity dynamics, so Farage becomes an obsession while their half-sensible voters would vote Lib Dem. Note: I have assumed that no sensible voters would entertain the Tories.
    1
  3672. Donald Trump is a danger to humanity and an advert for insanity. What kind of political system allows a convicted felon to even stand for president?
    1
  3673. Vive la Macron. The alternatives of the far right are unbearable.
    1
  3674. The Tories are refining what they already do. The Russia Report was informative. A social media campaign targeted red wall seats at the last election, ramped up a week before polling date so the fake posts would not be taken down. Policing of the electoral system is fragmented, and the Tories have apparently diminished the (already inadequate) powers of the Electoral Commission. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  3675. Proof that our parliamentary system is unfit for purpose. Not allowed to call out a lie. Yet a proven inaccuracy or deliberate lie need not be corrected for the record. Tell a blatant lie and redress is voluntary. Even a serial liar must be addressed as "the right honourable..." A perfect system for spivs and charlatans.
    1
  3676. Yet, in response, Reeves has imposed austerity...more Osborne than Keynes. Tax wealth. As a pensioner forfeiting a winter fuel payment, I'm p1ssed that she didn't increase the windfall tax on profiteering energy companies. Again, the poorer end of society must pay.
    1
  3677. The Tories may allow sh1t in our rivers, but at least they recycle crap in the cabinet.
    1
  3678. There was never an economic argument for Brexit, except for the disaster capitalists relegating us to Singapore on Thames.
    1
  3679. Ultimate confidence is built by government investment. The strength of the dollar reflects Biden's green funding and economic stimulus. Whereas Truss is borrowing to protect corporate profits. Where is the investment in British infrastructure? Begging corporations to invest instead of paying more to execs and shareholders has failed us, yet the Tories keep up the same bullshit rhetoric.
    1
  3680. The biggest con in recent history and still people defend it without fact. It seems that a significant proportion of the population think in slogans and readily accept them.
    1
  3681. So arrogant and entitled: all faults are to be owned by others. Look who 43.6% of voters elected...
    1
  3682. Absolutely brilliant video. The country is controlled by bankers, acting in the interests of the 1%. Banking is no longer a service: we work for banks. I use the term "banks" to denote the financial "blob" that works in the interests of wealth, with politicians controlled through lobbying and effective bribery. The real driving force is greed, at the expense of society.
    1
  3683. Led by a madman us an accurate analysis, Phil. Johnson is not only pis**d with power, he can't even recognise anyone or anything that fails to support his ego. Unfortunately we have an undemocratic system that allows him.
    1
  3684.  @adistraction2668  or just tax justice.
    1
  3685.  SGM280  The early hours are not for me: I'll wait until I can be arsed watching the depressing rubbish. If Farage ends up in parliament, he won't bother doing the work; just shouting bile then disappearing to feather his nest. He is offering the exact opposite of what the country needs economically.
    1
  3686.  @AS-by8ee  perhaps they will recognise the word "for"
    1
  3687.  @AS-by8ee  tell that to Farage and Tice
    1
  3688.  @letsgobrandon5502  ???
    1
  3689.  @footballoldboy4818  FDR's fix was the exact opposite of Truss. He raised money for state intervention before the neoliberal lie of trickle-down was invented and taxation was at an all-time high for the wealthiest. Truss wanted small state, low tax for the richest and was for inequality, which deters growth for all sensible economists, rather than the Tufton Street mob she was led by.
    1
  3690.  @letsgobrandon5502  wtf? You are talking Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  3691. Further proof that state investment in infrastructure must lead, before industrial investment follows. Unfortunately Westminster has been wrecked by greedy idiots who thrive on short-term greed and are operationally incompetent.
    1
  3692. Volvo is a great car. Yet another bloody nose for the Nazi-car brand.
    1
  3693. Yes. As Martin Lewis accurately said: "the market is broken."
    1
  3694. This man has been spoiled beyond sanity, reared as an entitled narcissist and rewarded for his sociopathy. Johnson has consistently been promoted beyond his competence levels, then either sacked or prosecuted, only to move on to increase his earnings and fleece the taxpayer or anyone stupid enough to pay for his extravagant lifestyle. He probably feels cheated and expects pity, as a true sociopath would.
    1
  3695.  @colinsixhitter3303  true. But then Blair was also a neoliberal.
    1
  3696. Johnson is living proof of Chomsky and Herman's model of manufacturing consent. Who else would he write for but a Tory shit-rag?
    1
  3697.  @AminTheMystic  You said that twice. Keep repeating it and you'll eventually believe it.
    1
  3698. @Carl Collins such as? Colditz: the chamber of parliamentary debate?
    1
  3699. It goes beyond the 12 years of economic and social vandalism caused by Tory austerity and economic mismanagement. Our parliamentary system is unfit for purpose and our electoral system is undemocratic. Britain is broken and needs substantial reform.
    1
  3700. Of course they don't want to encourage solar. We become self-sufficient and the suppliers can't change us for what we use from solar. Who funds the Tories? Follow the money.
    1
  3701.  @kevinb9830  Only in Harlem.
    1
  3702. Foreign countries will not "enrich American citizens", Importers will pay the new duties to increase prices and make Americans poorer. President Moron's school of fantasy economics is world-class comedy.
    1
  3703. Don't worry! Our state media will now start to claim success. Only this morning we heard of four arrests! Wow! The Tories have done the square root of bugger all to reverse the damage of leaving the Dublin Accord because of brexit. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot Rwanda! The gangs must be crapping themselves after this "world leading partnership" that's costing a fortune for what? Smoke and mirrors.
    1
  3704. Comments on the far right always get back to immigration. It's as though its the main issue troubling voters when, in reality, it comes a distant third. This is how the far right appeals to the hard of thinking.
    1
  3705.  @piccalillipit9211  spot on!
    1
  3706. Hard to underestimate Reform's votes when they capture so much media coverage. Yet Farage is like marmite: for every supporter he gets at least on hater. The Republican MP for Clacton is hardly seen in his constituency.
    1
  3707. The government doesn't insist on minimum safety levels when nurses often have to run wards without suitable backup. This government, which has starved the NHS with the intention of dismantling it, expects more cover during a strike than they are prepared to fund as a normal process. A cabal of moronic and sociopathic wazzocks.
    1
  3708. Hold the hearing in the Tower of London so the bugger can be locked up afterwards. This buffoon has caused more damage to our country than could be imagined.
    1
  3709. ​ @leet3207 How? Our government has failed to replace the subsidies paid by the EU. They have reduced food standards, while promising the opposite. That's called self harm.
    1
  3710.  @Proudenglishperson  work it out. Or is that expecting too much from a pseudonym troll who can't spell?
    1
  3711. Just to explain, for the benefit of the terminally stupid in the cabinet and the deluded or stupid who support them. The vaccine has not broken the link between infection and death unless it is 109% effective. Otherwise, at best, it has weakened the link.
    1
  3712. And the rest of the sh1t may be on Trump's comedy platform, Lies Antisocial
    1
  3713. Yes. We should accept that we have a mixed economy and find the best mix to solve the big issues mentioned in this video. The most destructive "ism" - neoliberalism - has created inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We should focus on fixing inequality, then debate the dangers of the "ism".
    1
  3714. Reeves, and the government she represents, apparently work in the interests of the city. Government should work in the interests of the country and use the city to service the required investment. The one chair behind the speaker's - unelected and appointed by the City of London - seems to have more power than all of our elected MPs. It is becoming all too clear who this government works for. Either we have gone from 14 years of incompetence to the dawn of clueleness or we have yet another puppet government, owned by the powerful.
    1
  3715. If I could tell you how we could afford it, how is it inevitable
    1
  3716. The real intention of neoliberalism was to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more. The greedy b'stards obviously need more, so guess who will suffer... This is the result of voting for Tory scum.
    1
  3717. ​ @MrWhitmen1981 the two are NOT mutually exclusive.
    1
  3718. ​ @petelawless811 Yes, it's called misdirection.
    1
  3719. I suspect that Kemi is more afraid of critical thinking than education per se.
    1
  3720. This morning the BBC reported that we have allowed 50 visas to Ukrainians. That's some triumph for the psychopathic Priti Shitty and our vacuous sociopathic government.
    1
  3721. Of course the fact that a respected journalist has blown the establishment myth is to be welcomed. A pity that she apparently engaged in the propaganda against Jeremy Corbyn and we ended up on the road to fascism. Better late than never.
    1
  3722.  @FrancisDietPodcast  balderdash. Tell that to any doctor who refused it, Mr or Mrs Pseudonym account.
    1
  3723.  @FrancisDietPodcast  then surely you have to question why, and listen carefully before judging.
    1
  3724.  @oisnowy5368  I suspect that you have a point. I'm far from reassured by Labour's constant infighting and see no evidence of them supporting electoral reform. Britain is broken.
    1
  3725. But in Lady Penny's defence, just imagine if she needed to blow her nose while carrying that toy sword.
    1
  3726.  @englishjona6458  ????
    1
  3727. A shortlist of two turds floating in a cesspit.
    1
  3728. And implement PR so they don't get back.
    1
  3729. Then implement PR so they can't escape
    1
  3730. I applaud and concur with this message. Having written a free ebook on the real miracle of neoliberalism, which was to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle down. Markets are not mysterious entities that should be left untouched. They are rigged, largely because we don't have perfect competition. Society matters, and politicians must be brave enough to regulate for social good.
    1
  3731. Surely the European Central Bank can simply "print" more money, as explained by MMT (modern monetary theory) to make up at least part of the contribution deficit and use this for EU projects. Tax and spend is an outdated concept that is often used as an excuse for austerity.
    1
  3732.  @stephenconway2468  I disagree about the exchange rate, at least beyond the very short term. It's a question of confidence: if the financial community sees issued money used for sensible investment, this will benefit the exchange rate. Austerity has certainly suppressed the exchange rate, say, in the UK.
    1
  3733.  @stephenconway2468  I understand your concerns and those of many traditional economists. Since opinion is divided, we can use Proof of the Pudding as a test. In a.period of 8 months last year, the BofE used QE to issue £450 billion, the £ remained stable. After the financial crash in 2008, QE was used and again the £ remained stable. The greatest shock to the £ was the Brexit vote. It's not populist politicians who like MMT, it's reforming politicians. The main fear is that it will be used to rebuild the state and venture capitalists may lose out. The EU is big enough to rides y storm, but I suspect not brave enough.
    1
  3734.  @stephenconway2468  ps QE is effectively a tool of MMT. It increases the money supply by creating a theoretical debt: where the left pocket owes the right pocket. I recommend Mitchell and Fazi on Reclaiming the State.
    1
  3735.  @stephenconway2468  WRONG! QE involves "printing" more money against newly issued bonds. In the same way, issuing money under MMT does not increase the national debt. It's precisely the same process. Where do you think the "existing money" comes from. As I said, read the work of Bill Mitchell or listen to the YouTube explanations of Richard Murphy.
    1
  3736.  @stephenconway2468  I have given you sources but can't add links to prove my reasoning. We did produce new money twice, in a small part to buy existing bonds but in the larger part newly-created government ones. It seems that we can use QE to prop up failing banks, or for furlough schemes, but not for forward development That's the real reason traditional economists rail against MMT - more control for the financial sector. We will never agree on this, as most economists can't. If the process worked as you describe, banks would have gone bust in 2008. We are a sovereign nation with the right to issue our own fiat currency, and we do when it suits us.
    1
  3737. Do it in orange and Just Stop Oil will be blamed. Could be the start of a criminal trend?
    1
  3738.  @MercenaryPen  if you can't see a difference, don't vote or spoil a ballot paper. At the last election we had very different options, but 43.6% of voters supported a serial liar with a three-word manifesto.
    1
  3739. Surprised they can read his writing, lol. Latin scribble? And they claimed Jeremy Corbyn was a risk. Johnson was always a clear and present danger, in more ways than one.
    1
  3740. It's what they... will... deliver that worries me.
    1
  3741. Thankfully Mick Lynch is on Planet Earth, dealing with fantasists from Planet Westminster. As a passenger, I wouldn't travel on driverless trains. Also the majority of the public support rail nationalisation. It's only career MPs who don't like democracy.
    1
  3742. ​ @Turbogaggers123 Perhaps you should listen closer to these videos. The real problem stopping growth is inequality: the lie of neoliberalism. Persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We now have an extractive economy where the wealthy extract rents and banks inflate interest rates to preserve the value of the assets that are being rented back to us.
    1
  3743. Boris Johnson is not a leader. He's an actor in a bad play. Always seeking photo ops to be front and centre. Hiding in a fridge instead of facing scrutiny. Incapable of understanding detail to form effective strategic policies. Evasive when faced with hard questions and continually shifting blame because of his cowardice. An inflated sense of entitlement fuelled by self obsession. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    1
  3744. His "many great strengths" are those of a true sociopath: lying, deceit, craving constant attention, lack of moral compass, operational incompetence, cowardice, denial. To name but a few.
    1
  3745. Cruella Blabbermouth sent into the lion's den. Tory desperation knows no bounds.
    1
  3746. Anything that p1sses off the media oligarchs, the Tories and the clowns in Reform has a golden starter for ten imo.
    1
  3747. All the arguments amount to deflection. E.g. you can't blame Brexit for shortage of drivers because other countries have shortages, and we have had a shortage for some years 1) brexit has exacerbated the shortage. Why would we make it harder to stay when we were aware of such a shortage? 2) other countries cope because of freedom of movement and cabotage. Clue: we abandoned freedom of movement as part of our brexit deal, so the implementation of Brexit is the cause. Simple facts.
    1
  3748. Does anyone remember Project Fear?
    1
  3749. ​ @charlesjames1442 Only positive effects from leaving FB imo
    1
  3750. I wish! The hard-right neoliberals have developed a magic formula: where the poor vote for the rich to have more - aided by the oligarch-owned mainstream media. It's obvious to anyone using factual judgement that this is the most corrupt and incompetent government in recent history. They thrive on three-word slogans and vacuous rhetoric, while people soak up their inane excuses without question. Such a dilemma is enabled by an electoral system that is totally undemocratic: where a minority-elected government can pass laws that strengthen their hold on power in this electoral dictatorship. We need reform, and that may need revolution. Hopefully a peaceful one.
    1
  3751. The Tory government takes so many lessons from the playbook of fascism. Is this a coincidence? Our electoral system is simply unfit for purpose - it is simply undemocratic.
    1
  3752. Yes. But they never had a mandate, with minority support from 43.6% of voters. Their recklessness is enabled ultimately by an elective dictatorship. We need real democracy.
    1
  3753. Yes. One should resign; the other investigated as a war criminal. Two wrongs don't make a right.
    1
  3754. To put it in perspective, we are a piddling little island that has sold off most of its assets to the highest bidder. Now we are left with sovereignty: hardly a commercial asset in world trade; and a vacuous concept when we are prepared to cede power to corporate courts to get international deals. Johnson's sovereignty involves reducing our food standards and diminishing workers rights. That's how much the majority will benefit from his jingoistic promises.
    1
  3755. The Met finally awakens after the Good Law Project threaten action against them. Now Sue Gray's report could prejudice their investigation. Presumably an admission that they are prone to short cuts and won't investigate fully.
    1
  3756.  @davekelley4076  probably not. Not all sociopaths though.
    1
  3757. Joe Biden has exposed the elephant in the room. At last someone has spoken out. We, on the other hand, have two serial fantasists who authored Britannia Unchained - lauding the unregulated free market that has fulfilled its objective of increasing inequality. Trickle Down economics is the practice whereby wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks. Britain is an international joke.
    1
  3758.  @garybjorkelund9736  Really! Have you seen their policies? These grifters would reform us into a banana republic, without the bananas.
    1
  3759. ​ @loc4725 actually it has. We had record growth when taxation was at its highest. Check the fact.
    1
  3760. "American democracy." Such an oxymoron. A sure system of choosing between an idiot and a wazzock.
    1
  3761.  @jonathanwetherell3609  absolutely agree. We have a minority-elected government in an elective dictatorship (to paraphrase Lord Hailsham)
    1
  3762. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) explains how a sovereign nation can create new money and cannot become bankrupt. Unfortunately we have created new money (through quantitative easing) on three occasions to fill holes from disasters (the banking crash; covid and Trussonomics). Just imagine where we would be if such new money had been created to invest in services and infrastructure. Be bold! Prioritise services and infrastructure over financialisation.
    1
  3763.  @mickeencrua  which is why I said make democracy work... Fixing our broken elective dictatorship while fixing the Tory-created mess.
    1
  3764. Johnson doesn't understand Responsibility. He expects only privilege. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    1
  3765. More about neoliberalism causing the destruction
    1
  3766. One decent and humane person who could never be allowed anywhere near power. Why? What does that say about a country run for oligarchs to extract the last penny of profit while poverty increases? How can we entertain the notion that self-defemce extends to murder of the innocent?
    1
  3767. GB News certainly has a reputation...as a channel for idiots.
    1
  3768. Of course we have! The Westminster Buffoon doesn't give a sh1t about the climate. Just before hosting COP26, we set "world leading" targets, take less than 25% of the actions needed to meet them, and abandon climate rules for a crappy trade deal. What an international joke 'global Britain' is.
    1
  3769. Anyone who states uncomfortable facts is a "remoaner." If I took the time to listen to these idiot channels, I'd wear that badge with pride.
    1
  3770. The Tories wanted a small state since Thatcher and all neoliberals put greed above society. What will change?
    1
  3771. The words "social housing" are banned from the Tory vocabulary. They substitute "affordable housing" but don't compel builders to complete their contracted quota. We then turn to the question of how many MPs are landlords and regard property as a money-making scheme instead of the means of housing the population in safety and comfort? Simple answer = Tory scum. (That's logic not maths, Rishi.)
    1
  3772. ​ @billB101 so you want a race to the bottom?
    1
  3773. An interesting insight from Owen Jones on Theresa May's virtuous speech. TM was the prime minister who employed Johnson as foreign secretary and gave oxygen to the charlatan.
    1
  3774.  @lesliehall7683  The chance of a single party providing it went in 2017. Democracy would involve PR, and government by consensus. The battle against austerity and neoliberalism is immense, because of the vested interests of the rich and powerful. Real democracy, along with improved parliamentary standards, is our only hope. May need pitchforks; who knows?
    1
  3775.  @ferret495  Yes. But I honestly don't know who I will vote for. Anyone but Tory, but will need to be tactical. Also I will only vote for a party that supports PR. It will be hard to get the Tories out as they load the electoral process in their favour.
    1
  3776.  @lesliehall7683  read my answer again. Under our undemocratic FPTP system, I would have to vote tactically. As you say, there is not a single party that stands out, with Tories by far the worst and most dangerous, so we need government by consensus, achieved through a fit electoral system, namely a form of PR. If Labour had a leader intent on reform for the better, the oligarch media and the most powerful people would derail him or her, as happened in 2017 and 2019.
    1
  3777.  @manuelromeroarcos1639  thanks. Not about me; more about the future of the country I was born in and still care about. We need reform to give hope for the future.
    1
  3778.  @manuelromeroarcos1639  I would certainly welcome you as a fellow human being, Manuel. Friendship is the way to beat this fascist cabal, which feeds on hate and distrust.
    1
  3779. Unless it's another of his lies, and this time with some integrity attached to it.
    1
  3780.  @jordanomasuin8023  OMG! You've done the barrister's job for him. If only life were so simplistic.
    1
  3781. More knee-jerk Tory rhetoric. Little Spiv talks about moral fairness without any explanation of how people can "migrate legally" and claim asylum. "People are right to be angry" says Spiv. Great!! I'm f'ing livid... at this government of sociopaths appealing to racist idiots. Enough is enough. Tory scum out.
    1
  3782. Absolutely agree. Labour will be fighting to clean up the mess while wearing handcuffs, unless they drop Tory fiscal rules and change the funding model. They are letting Hunt and his Tory psychos set their agenda.
    1
  3783.  @_____alyptic  agree with the second part but never too late with the will
    1
  3784. Tories and small state, aspiring to return to the days of Dickens. This shower of sh1te are past their sell-by.
    1
  3785. It was all caused by someone else; didn't know what was happening in my own house. The classic case of Worzel Gummidge running the country. His stock answers always come round to vaccines. His favourite subject of refuge.
    1
  3786. What business man would that be? The one who faced multiple bankruptcies? The one who sold out three hotels to Russian oligarchs, who allowed him to keep his name on them? Or perhaps the techbro who f'cked up Twitter to have a propaganda platform? Good luck with these "business men".
    1
  3787.  @ellerose9164  I suspect the most common answer will be Don't Know.
    1
  3788. Truss is a nightmare in robotic form. Who could blame Crazy Kwasi for implementing the incompetence promised by Truss in her vacuous campaign? Britannia Unchained; our economy down the drain.
    1
  3789. President Moron is above everything. Including sanity.
    1
  3790.  @davedixon1637  Because we can't afford to. People were not told to wait a couple of decades for the stated benefits, they were promised unicorns. For how long do we see our standard of living decline while people like Rees Mogg can't name a single benefit and as the desparate party in negotiations we see trade deals making us poorer? Perhaps another referendum based on reality and known facts?
    1
  3791.  @Kurwajegomac  when are you going to realise that people's vote did not determine the outcome (ie the type of Brexit.) That was down to a minority-elected government.
    1
  3792. Tories can't even get their numbers right: one suggesting 30 u-turns, the other mentioning ten specific cases. The reality: no specific cases; just unsubstantiated rhetoric. Sunak keeps using word "plan", presumably in the hope that people might just think he has one. On recent performance, his plan is to make a cock-up a day, while letting the country go to the wall.
    1
  3793. The extreme right follows a common pattern: Clearly articulate a problem while falsely shifting blame to grab power. Only to inflict misery on the majority for their own ends. They have used neoliberalism for their own greed and now blame its failure on someone else.
    1
  3794. Amazing that the sponsors and prophets of brexit take no responsibility; it's always some else's fault. The classic sign of a con merchant. But then, you had to listen to charlatans because we had had enough of experts.
    1
  3795. I love the term "fake patriots." So accurate and poignant. We are brainwashed by the picture of a flag-waving xenophobic conformist as a patriot. When a true patriot welcomes reform to achieve the best for their country.
    1
  3796. Now we see the damage caused by morons "taking back control."
    1
  3797. ​ @ecnalms851 bollocks. Proof needed. There are also different ways of taxing wealth: assets or income from investments...
    1
  3798.  @johnryan7932  That's the thing with research, John. It doesn't stop at the last decade but one. But then, I'm unrealistic in expecting the originator to work that one out.
    1
  3799. ​ @derekmulready1523 We are no longer part of the Dublin Agreement, after leaving the EU. How will the intervention work? The small boats have lots of coastline to access.
    1
  3800. By inceeasing inrerest rates, the BofE is adding to the inflation problem by directly increasing prices: of rent, mortgages and buying capital assets such as cars by borrowing. The illusion that prices will go down if people can afford to buy less, when costs are pushing inflation, is pathetic. It's also pretence and a pure lie. The further pretence that increasing public sector pay will increase inflation is an abject lie and a pathetic excuse for consumption by idiots.
    1
  3801. At least the two buckets of bile are well matched. Must be nice to have a partner as psychopathic as you, Richard.
    1
  3802.  @MelkorPT  it took only a minority of voters (43.6%) to elect this buffoon. So the majority have never supported him when it matters.
    1
  3803.  @grahammelbourne6575  Yes. We need the Tories out.
    1
  3804.  @Youtubechannel-po8cz  that simply means, don't vote. Otherwise you are ignoring your own advice
    1
  3805.  @lolazal1  he can't do anything when not in power but he fails to call it out.
    1
  3806.  @stu281  True. Yet that pales into insignificance after the continuous Tory outsourcing and money spaffed on PPE contracts. Corbyn, on the other hand, proposed reversing the PFI contracts, which were a neoliberal failure. Blair was also a neoliberal. The fact remains that Labour has borrowed less and paid back more then the Tories while in power. The trope of Tory fiscal responsibility is pure rhetoric.
    1
  3807.  @johnwormley5161  what exactly do you think you won? The fact that you attempt to provoke with Daily Fail crap and are unable to contest any single fact suggests a sad mental state. Grow up and stop trolling.
    1
  3808.  @johnwormley5161  the truth is, you have not quoted a single valid fact in response to any post in this thread. END
    1
  3809.  @johnwormley5161  just criticised Johnson's Britain. A fair analysis of Global Britain.
    1
  3810.  @johnwormley5161  so you are blaming the EU? Total garbage. We have always b,een a sovereign nation that can manage its own economy. Since leaving, we have lost between £600 and £800 million weekly. (Source: Goldman Sachs economists) The only culprit for our financial plight is the government. Their own economic advisors have estimated a greater reduction in our GDP from Brexit than from Covid.
    1
  3811.  @johnwormley5161  what makes you think I'm Scottish? Is reading beyond you? I explained in an earlier email. My argument stands because it is factual and can be easily verified. Still waiting for an EU directive that harmed us, when we were part of EU governance.
    1
  3812. It's also what happens when your ally can't be trusted. The war mongering machine of America serving oligarch interest.
    1
  3813.  @dibdab101  Apparently the reciprocal part is an undisclosed and unlimited number of people with mental and physical health problems. More load on the NHS. This was admitted by a senior civil servant in an HoC committee interrogation.
    1
  3814.  @sararichardson737  imo the intended failure of this vacuous plan will create an excuse to dismantle human rights for all of us. Pure symbolism for idiots, yet the media play along.
    1
  3815.  @kriskalpa  Sorry to disabuse you, but the agreement is for 200 each year. Don't swallow the bullshit of these incompetents. Btw it's IF they get the green light to act against international law.
    1
  3816.  @dacorum8053  "The people" being you, and you don't know how many others. This making your statement futile. Believing Farage's lies, whinging and bellyaching hasn't worked out too well, has it? Foghorn appeals to idiots.
    1
  3817. ​ @stewartbunting3568  A sure sign of desperation. Why not vote for a party that will make us better off rather than two conmen in their limited company?
    1
  3818. ​ @leehighland5435 That's pure desperation. From bad to worse.
    1
  3819. ​ @davidc3850 I'm sorry for your desperation. Hopefully you won't regret it because the scammers won't get enough seats.
    1
  3820.  @alfching2499  Good point. We may need a modern and different version but attempting to control cost-push inflation by increasing interest rates is like cutting off an arm when a leg is infected. Why not cap profiteering to reduce prices? We don't have a wage price spiral; we have a profit price spiral
    1
  3821. Well spotted
    1
  3822. She's an operationally incompetent minister and a Tory cabinet member, therefore she is against scrutiny.
    1
  3823. After tasting the proof of the pudding...guess what? The majority can deduce fact from fiction. The lunatics spouting bollocks about sovereign tea are now creating anger. Time for our politicians to catch up?
    1
  3824. Such a cosy little cabal of entitlement and incompetence
    1
  3825. He relied on the mass media smearing of Corbyn to be accurate.
    1
  3826. ​ @slev6592 are you for f'king real? Not everyone can leave; nor should they be forced to leave their homes against international law. Do you apply the same rules to Ukraine? Keep hiding behind your pseudonym account while spouting bile.
    1
  3827. That was explained in the video. The rate of inflation slows down. Otherwise it would need deflation to offset the increase. Inflation happens naturally in the global economy to oil growth in developing countries and through the imbalance of supply and demand.
    1
  3828. ​ @nickryder9669 Just the manufacture of consent through unchallenged propaganda.
    1
  3829. I can think of a few popular candidates for Rwanda: they are members of the Tory cabinet.
    1
  3830.  @grimnir8872  Do you mean the assets leased by the operating companies? Who pays these jokers to operate the franchises now? Public money. Who pays to run the infrastructure? Public money. Don't buy the Daily Fail rhetoric. Public ownership was fully costed in the last Labour manifesto. Instead, 43.6% of the electorate were greedy or deluded enough to support an act of national self-harm.
    1
  3831.  @grimnir8872  The fact remains: the proposal was costed and is imminently achievable. So much of our railways are publicly owned, unfortunately mainly by foreign governments. In terms of finance and economics, I happen to know how it could be achieved without extra tax. Don't buy the Tory lie of tax, spend and borrow. They have the worst financial record in government. Btw Network Rail does the maintenence and is subsidised by taxpayers.
    1
  3832.  @grimnir8872  "Jog on." Is that cutting rhetoric? When did JC explain that? Running costs are paid with fares. That's how private companies also make profits, by increasing fares beyond inflation. Do some simple maths instead of jogging. If the profit element is deducted, prices go down. Btw, which economists made that statement. I actually studied degree-level economics. Vacuous nonsense.
    1
  3833.  @grimnir8872  Socialism works successfully in Scandavian countries, usually as part of a real democracy where votes are equal. On a point of detail, I said qualified at degree level - actually as part of two different professional qualifications, each including economics, one in operational management. I can conclusively assert that this government is the worst in my lifetime: operationally incompetent and vacuous to the extent of not comprehending the word plan.
    1
  3834. Great to see such competence from an MP. All too often, we see the opposite from Tory ministers and rogue CEOs such as Thompson.
    1
  3835. Any sign of competent governance would set the Tory client media in panic mode. They would then find a way of smearing it because they survive on negativity and lies.
    1
  3836. ​ @peterebel7899 Yes. An advisory vote with no usual safeguards in the counting protocol. A usual one being the majority of the voting population needed, rather than a simple majority. Then came the delivery: getting Brexit half done without adequate planning.
    1
  3837. This new broom will recycle the same old Tory dirt. Next: austerity to hurt the least wealthy. Don't forget: we're all in it together. But some are in it more than others.
    1
  3838. If any Deform UK followers believe that Farage would help the working person, look at his voting record on this bill.
    1
  3839. Rules are made for the obedience of fools and the guidance of the wise. (Unfortunately this doesn't work as a defence if caught speeding.)
    1
  3840. The irony of a real human being confronting a barrow boy and grifter.
    1
  3841.  @keegan773  never say never.
    1
  3842. ​ @loremawby3161 if you mean Deform UK, you are delusional.
    1
  3843. The writing was on the wall when Johnson took power. His hubris demanded loyalty, including tolerance of his operational incompetence and obsession with shallow slogans. Now the Tories are bolstered by perpetual lying - protected by a dysfunctional parliament and a compliant media. Enough is beyond enough.
    1
  3844. A shame that the 650 don't get equal publicity.
    1
  3845. We have gone from an unfit mainstream media to the wild west online, where megalomaniacs can buy the right to turn lies into truth.
    1
  3846. At last we are hearing the B-word from the MSM. Still a lack of scrutiny but a government clearly in denial with the thinnest and most pathetic excuses. The elephant is at least being named and exposed in conversation.
    1
  3847. Bernie asks voters to face truth. The powerful shift blame while they steal all the cookies. Question: who makes the rules?
    1
  3848.  @charliemayne800  Wrong. A diluted form of PR was rejected after a low vote turnout because few understand it. As for other countries, England is one of only two countries in Europe without a form of PR. I say England because Scotland and Wales have a restricted version of PR. Westminster runs with an elective dictatorship. Not fantasy; fact. You also mention a "corrupt" Labour government. Wrong party, after the Tories have spaffed money to their mates on a failed test and trace system and face court proceedings for dodgy PPE contracts. The same corrupt government only last week passed three bills that take us towards fascism. Finally, you call Greens lunatics in spite of global warming being near tipping point. I suspect your comments border on brainwashed lunacy.
    1
  3849.  @mariogmajner6549  did I suggest that?
    1
  3850.  @lennylaa1686  PR=Consensus and cooperation with long term planning. Which means real democracy instead of an elective dictatorship. Dictatorship=the strongest form of government that serves the leaders and their cohorts. Yet leaves the majority at their mercy.
    1
  3851. According to Sunak, the term Ceasefire is too simplistic because fighting will recommence afterwards. Really!!! So what we need is a humanitarian pause. Then, by definition, once the supplies are in and people are fed, the slaughter can legitimately continue. What a f'kwit. The ICJ has deemed a plausible case of genocide, yet still we supply arms. If someone commits a misdemeanor at work, they are suspended during investigation. Yet we don't even suspend the supply of arms to a country potentially committing genocide. Demand an unconditional ceasefire NOW.
    1
  3852.  @135Ops  one of whom? That's called mindless stereotyping
    1
  3853.  @sarangistudent8614  Labour "messing it up" by increasing real incomes - only to be reversed by Tory austerity. Reducing hospital waiting times, only for the Tories to tear apart the NHS. The Tories are priceless in messing up our country to reduce us to a banana republic.
    1
  3854.  @atomiccritter6492 I don't waste time on irrelevance from pseudonym accounts.
    1
  3855. Put any turd at the top of a cesspit and it will remain a cesspit.
    1
  3856. And to think that President Moron will be announcing more crass stupidity on Monday, after listening to his billionaire tech-bros this weekend. America has lost any sense of democracy. The lunatics are running the asylum.
    1
  3857. We have long passed that stage. We live with an elective dictatorship.
    1
  3858. The price of Cameron failing to implement Leveson. Since the Sunday Fail-rag got a false confirmation from the Home Secretary, she should be forced to resign.
    1
  3859. Perhaps our cabinet of morons led by a buffoon should read the Operation Yellowhammer report that they tried to hide before denying the effects of Brexit.
    1
  3860. Same old Tories, setting up Labour after they fell for honouring their fiscal rules. Labour should listen to Tax Justice UK. But with Reeves....?
    1
  3861. ​ @Giles69 I agree, albeit it does help to build analytical thinking
    1
  3862.  @Giles69  Where was that suggestion stated or implied? Self-learning works equally well.
    1
  3863. Too honest and humane to lead our depraved country, led by sociopathic puppets of the powerful.
    1
  3864. With the requirement to show ID when voting, along with greater government powers over the Electoral Commission, don't write off the Tories off - in making us a one-party state. If we had real democracy, the Tories would not be in power after a minority vote and we would not have suffered this buffoon and the damage he has caused.
    1
  3865. Socialism has been replaced by sociopathy. Labour in competition to out-tory the Tories. Right wing propaganda sets the narrative.
    1
  3866.  @arfermo853  won what, exactly? The booby prize of the century?
    1
  3867. ​ @goingpostal5858 Always the same blackmail. A few may, most won't.
    1
  3868. Christ on a bike! He even called Tory-arse-licking-Berg impartial. That shows the man's bias. Obviously his opinion is to be respected
    1
  3869. Let's be realistic. Our government couldn't manage a p1ss-up in a brewery. Without Brexit, they wouldn't need to.
    1
  3870. Good report, exposing the usual smoke and mirrors. A target that is not mandatory and without penalty is the usual Tory ploy of being seen to do something. Total moonshine.
    1
  3871. @Oldie But Goodie think you'll find they predominantly target the party in power. That's called satire.
    1
  3872. As Peter Hennessy explained: Johnson has not only broken the law, he has misled parliament and shredded parliamentary standards. Johnson is an abject disgrace who has done us one favour: in showing that our uncodified constitution and the regulation of parliamentary standards are not fit for purpose.
    1
  3873. The most salient question for me (apart from economic arguments) was: could we trust these buggers to take back control? The answer now is obvious to most of the population.
    1
  3874. The Tories are the party of economic incompetence. They habitually shift the tax burden from the rich to the poor. Having borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war.
    1
  3875. The silence and misinformation are, most likely, deliberate to keep control. Perhaps some bribery? A proposed windfall tax on banks resulting in a threat to break the silence? Banks no longer provide a service to society imo.
    1
  3876. It's equally instructive that two of the tools of fascism were used in the Brexit campaign: the identification of a (falsely perceived) common enemy and the disparaging of experts. Perhaps many will spot the trend with Farage and Tice in their obsession with immigration and their denouncement of climate change mitigation. They articulate problems and offer false hope while expanding the coffers of the rich and powerful. True fascistic scammers.
    1
  3877.  @King_Alfred_849  I would stick to burning the cakes if you believe that sh1t. Show some evidence and stop trolling. Btw. If you want real facts, read the latest OECD report.
    1
  3878. Braverman and her weak boss have effectively sent an invitation to every fascist lunatic to disrupt peaceful protest. Blabbermouth effectively spoke up for the far right to stoke hatred and put the Met under pressure.
    1
  3879. Barclay has a difficult job but I don't feel sorry for him. The Tories are intentionally destroying the NHS and it takes a sociopath or a bagman to do their dirty work. They have no plan to benefit society - only their backers and string-pullers.
    1
  3880. You blame QE then go back to 1923, before QE. What muddled thinking. Amazing how fascists and others with a distorted view of history go back to extolling German history.
    1
  3881. Because the alternative has proved worse over the last 14 years and, in economic performance, since the war. It's called tactical voting in an elective dictatorship.
    1
  3882. Couldn't agree more. Neoliberalism has done what was intended: exacerbated division to make the rich richer through the lie of trickle down. We need flow down to fix society; and need to put humanity over greed for the good of our mental health and happiness. Have a great Christmas.
    1
  3883. Anyone who knows that Farage deceived them should know enough to vote for anyone but Tory or Reform. The hard right will never do them any favours, unless they are in the richest 1%.
    1
  3884. Red tape has increased after Brexit. That's project reality.
    1
  3885. Targeted investment stimulates growth. Yet somehow Labour ignores the first key word, to pander to their backers and lobbyists.
    1
  3886.  @royboy1901  Your estimate is wrong. Try again - in units of years
    1
  3887.  @royboy1901  the post was a joke on any case.
    1
  3888.  @mariogmajner6549  We would certainly be better off had JC been our PM. Not sure about polling as the mainstream media smeared him and people bought the stupid lies.
    1
  3889.  @paulwilson7234  if you're going to tell a lie, tell a whopper.
    1
  3890. You can't analyse it that way. Ignore facts, remember unicorns.
    1
  3891. Where there's a will...
    1
  3892. Buses are a public service. The clue is in the word "public" and, for the obvious reasons explained in this video, they should NOT be privatised.
    1
  3893. A half-asleep population, with many more concerned about affording to live. A war in Europe shadowing home affairs - with many facts hidden by a complicit media. How often do we hear Brexit mentioned by the MSM? GASLIGHTING on an industrial scale in a broken nation.
    1
  3894. Someone growing up in poverty, then joining the Tory party to put her, along with 90% of the population, back in poverty. Kind of makes sense (but only if you're a Tory.)
    1
  3895. Wootton likes to get others to do his dirty work while he laughs at them. His lapdog reporter Vacuous Ben stalking people with stupid questions being another case in point. Thankfully Wootten has now been stood down. Respect to Ava.
    1
  3896. While people were spreading false information, a newly elected MP from Clacton was discrediting the police explanation. Who will he blame next time? What have the gullible people of Clacton elected? Most certainly NOT a patriot.
    1
  3897.  @vincentdevitt7685  The irony being that a minority (43.6%) voted for this cabal of incompetence.
    1
  3898. The best and most poignant video I've heard on YouTube. Labour should take this head on. At the very least, show up Johnson's implementation of Brexit. Challenge those who "knew what the voted for." They may have known what the hoped for but clearly didn't understand the implications. How could they when they bought dismissal by slogan: "project fear." Now it's becoming abundantly clear that we are facing project reality.
    1
  3899. Little Spiv banging on about their legislation is nauseating. The situation is dire before strikes are taken into account, yet he responds with excuses about Covid and winter flu and talks about fictitious investment - too little, too late, with no forward planning. The Tories simply can't be trusted with the NHS. THEY FAIL TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF A CRISIS.
    1
  3900. Using interest rates to control cost-push inflation is like cutting off an arm to cure an infected leg. It's a sure recipe for a recession; and an unnecessary one when greed-flation through profiteering is the main compounding cause. Sunak, as a Tory, however, will neither recognise that nor act against it.
    1
  3901. I believe it was Robert Kennedy who declared GDP to be a measure of "everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. Add the fact that GDP is largely estimated, with estimates updated and revised. An obsession with growth in GDP, without applying the Gini coefficient to consider inequality, is a favourite trick of political commentators in the UK. What's the point of growth if it all goes to the 1%?
    1
  3902. I admire your mature and reasoned comment. So refreshing. 👍
    1
  3903. I strongly suspect that government wants a dumbed-down population to continue with their gaslighting. Training in basic economics would prove the Tories to be the party of fiscal incompetence. Kudos to Martin.
    1
  3904. Hardly surprising with a government full of morons who had "had enough of experts". Yet who has held them to account? Brexit is an unmentionable word, at the risk of all main parties being proved culpable.
    1
  3905. The neoliberal con trick: persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  3906. I was once told that journalists don't let facts get in the way of a good story. Now it seems the mainsteam media doesn't let truth get in the way of a bad story. It seems the Israeli zionist government rules the western world. Wisdom accepts there are two sides to everything, said Jung. Keep up the fight, Roger.
    1
  3907.  @HumanProgress  And when people talk about apartheid, they mean oppression of Palestinians by the Israeli state. That's not antisemitism. It's about inhumanity. There is no exclusive right and no get out of jail free card for any nation.
    1
  3908. The charlatan melts when challenged. No substance to his "facts" and when challenged he is exposed. See his interview about a decade ago with James O'Brien. He avoids any repetition.
    1
  3909. Sunak just hasn't learned the point of PMQs. It's for him to answer questions and not to ask them in response. Thankfully the speaker called this out. Little Spiv is a waste of parliamentary space and time.
    1
  3910. "Becoming apparent!" Most of us have seen that since Johnson. Better late than never.
    1
  3911. ​ @dalecrocker3213 Who are "they"? I would hate to read that crass comment if I was defending my sovereign country against an invasion. Trump is after resources. Putin wants some land.
    1
  3912. So he should pander to the ego of the felon? Stuff that for a game of soldiers. Work closely with Europe and just listen to the orange narcissist blabber on.
    1
  3913. Ah, productivity!! I recognise that new excuse, having worked in productivity improvement and in systems for a few decades. Shall we start with the government and address the word negligence. Who is ultimately responsible for the NHS as a public service? According to the Tories they left that responsibility with Labour at the time when funding was adequate and waiting times shorter. Another Tory charlatan exercising planned incompetence to dismantle the NHS.
    1
  3914. We have a TV licence only because of abject Tory government austerity. After they cut the BBC subsidy for over 75s we had to buy one. Now we have the double whammy of them freezing the triple lock on some of the lowest state pensions in Europe. Seeing Buffoon on TV hardly adds to our enjoyment and generally pisses me off. Happy days.
    1
  3915.  @theelmonk  the key word is "proportional". There are a fixed number of seats in parliament, so they are assigned to each party by the proportion of votes. The Tories got the exact proportion of seats as the votes AGAINST them. Under PR they would have had 43.6% of the total seats (say 283 out 650) instead of an 80 seat majority. No more seats in total; just the correct proportion, commensurate with votes.
    1
  3916. After 14 years of Tory government we spend less per capita on health provision than France or Germany and considerably less than the US, so, yes, the NHS is underfunded. Add to that the extraction of profit by private outsource providers and the picture is bleaker. If "reform" means more PFI contracts, that's death by a thousand cuts. If it means more management consultants and political interference, that's a downward slope. If we depend on private investment for the extraction of profit, that will cost us more. Starmer should listen to Dr Julia Grace Patterson and stop listening to Milburn (who has milked money from health services) and invest in a vibrant public service. He will need a new chancellor, of course, led by the patriotic millionaires rather than Londongrad bankers, to work for public good.
    1
  3917. GB News: the channel for idiots.
    1
  3918. It seems that Sue Gray has run out of whitewash. Don't worry, Johnson will redact anything that seems damning.
    1
  3919. "Business acumen" is not the primary quality in government. It can even lead to exploitation.
    1
  3920.  @ecclesmilligan8712  spot on
    1
  3921. Liz wants to see more tax avoidance and corruption. The real intention of said zones.
    1
  3922. Never use the words "journalism" and "GB News" in the same sentence. The word "propaganda" is most relevant to GB News. Ask one key question in making any deal or agreement: who is the desparate party?
    1
  3923. Neoliberalism was always about increased inequality, after persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. It is proving to be unfit, with climate change at a critical level and a pandemic affecting millions of people. We need cooperation. Instead we have the financially powerful stimulating conflict to simply divide and rule.
    1
  3924.  @Noel-ji8nm  I'm acutely aware of those facts, but with our rigged electoral system, there is only one way to get the Tories out. Vote strategically, depending on your constituency.
    1
  3925. No. It tells you that your ally is a snake, selling out to oligarch interest
    1
  3926. The Tories dont have a policy, they have a series if threats, which happen to breach international law. Their alleged "deterrents" never work; they just grab headlines and attempt to shift blame. How comforting to "put in a claim" with a backlog of around 170000 cases and such an incompetent and sociopathic specimen in charge.
    1
  3927. It's everyone's fault except the governments. Blind to the coincidence of timing: the crash happening immediately after the budget announcement. A cabal of barefaced lying incompetents.
    1
  3928. Of course Priti is relevant. Always room for a little sh1t in the party of scum.
    1
  3929. Just learned that the OBR forecast will be published on my birthday. By which time the economy may have crashed. Looking forward to a bitter sweet day of comedy or tragedy.
    1
  3930. Promising green shoots and achieving green chutes. The real Tory record exposed
    1
  3931. With Johnson, it's always the fault or the responsibility of someone else. COP26 is nothing more than a series of photo ops for Johnson.
    1
  3932. Not just the campaign. The introduction of voter ID, changes to electoral boundaries, fiddling with postal votes? Dodgy social media campaigns without adequate regulation. The Tories fight dirty and simply can't be trusted.
    1
  3933. It seems that parliament is not just the House of Lies but some drag it down to a house of ill-repute. In what other career would people get away with so much?
    1
  3934. Interesting, but where is their commitment to PR? We need democracy instead of this elective dictatorship.
    1
  3935.  @georgebodley8068  who exactly are "they?"
    1
  3936.  @adrianwhyatt1425  if you are narrow minded enough to blame a single party, that's your choice. You become an easy target for deflection.
    1
  3937. ​ @evolassunglasses4673  and Tory COUNCILS have bankrupted other areas. Do you know the difference between central and local government?
    1
  3938. Unfortunately a dumbed down population fails to apply critical thinking to a three word slogan. Would you really trust this cabal to "take back control?" Now, of course, we suffer the consequences.
    1
  3939.  @kenwaller670  "democracy" A curious word when we have a minority-elected government. 52% vote Leave; 43.6% vote for the Tories and their idea of Brexit . That's still a deficit and thus undemocratic. It's called an act of self-harm, as we are finding daily.
    1
  3940. ​ @fredfredrickson5436 Yes, perhaps they depend on said holes between the voter's ears.
    1
  3941. Never trust a Tory and never trust the thoughless rubbish from an opaque "think tank".
    1
  3942.  @weird-guy  probably because many relate the words "going down" to prices, rather than inflation, perhaps out of hope. Leaving the prime miniature and his cosy cabal able to lie through their teeth.
    1
  3943. In one sense, I hope Buffoon stays: to raise the level of anger at the Tories by showing the level of their complicity in his corruption. We need the Tories out.
    1
  3944. "Labour together" is an oxymoron run by rats.
    1
  3945. When will people realise that the Tories are NOT fit custodians of the economy, nor of public services? They have run the country into the ground for the last 12 years and imposed the shock of Brexit on an ailing economy during a pandemic.
    1
  3946. And this morning the BBC joined in the propaganda for the richest. How much tax they pay - with no source declared and based on dodgy maths. What wasn't revealed is their total earnings and the proportion of tax paid. Here we go: if Labour tax us, we will leave. The brainwashing of the powerful knows no limits. Inevitably, my complaint is about to go in to the BBC. THANKS for your story, Richard.
    1
  3947. Hardly a surprise to some of us yet immensely welcome. Politicians must pay the price of power. Whatever you think of Jeremy Corbyn, he was a politician with a transformative agenda, who simply couldn't be allowed anywhere near power because the rich and powerful would have to share a bit of their wealth. Enter a manufactured smear campaign, coincidentally after he supported Palestine. The result: Keir Starmer and a shadow cabinet that must play ball.
    1
  3948. Funny to see the inane excuses and craven counter accusations from Johnson's supporters. Even the Barclay Brothers' sh1t rag called it a kangaroo court. Pathetic.
    1
  3949. I doubt the coincidence of the worst health secretary in decades, who wanted to privatise the NHS in a 2005 policy paper, becoming chancellor. Perhaps he intends to complete the job. Hunt also failed to act on a warning about not being prepared for a potential pandemic. The sneering specimen is addicted to austerity for the poorest and socialism for the richest.
    1
  3950. Any analysis would need to take account of constitutional boundary changes and the need for voter ID. Tory manipulation on steroids.
    1
  3951. @Dhaki Shang Your mindless whataboutery is no answer. I recommend applying critical thinking.
    1
  3952.  @incurableromantic4006  is that the most romantic statement you can make? Totally unfactual: no proof or substance.
    1
  3953.  @incurableromantic4006  interesting phrase "don't have the right to." Borrowed from fascism to the detriment of human rights. Who appointed you God?
    1
  3954.  @incurableromantic4006  I'm nothing to do with any "movement." Stay safe in your vivid imagination, concealed by a pseudonym.
    1
  3955. Sunak promises professionalism and integrity. Now he proves to be a lying little spiv. Our parliamentary system is simply unfit for purpose.
    1
  3956. If bad news is associated with Britain, hide it. If bad news relates to other countries, promote it as a tool for deflection.
    1
  3957. Morgan needs an audience to make a living. If he spouts this rubbish, he will get an audience of brain dead idiots.
    1
  3958.  @stephanguitar9778  Opinion backed by...nothing... How so?
    1
  3959. Yes, don't look at detail; just trust the party that gave us twelve years of austerity, economic decline and mounting debt.
    1
  3960. Conclusive proof that our politicians are deaf. Democracy is a myth.
    1
  3961.  @elisaausberlin4838  oops. You failed to spot the irony in my answer
    1
  3962. Sunak is a little spiv, gaming the system to accelerate an already obscene level of inequality. He has become the figurehead of a cabal that is rotten to the core. Yet another great report from George M and Double Down News.
    1
  3963. Facts are "unworthy of the BBC". Tories expect compliant moonshine. Hunt (the grinning sociopath) is set for the double-whammy: after buggering up the NHS, he has screwed the economy for the majority. Paying for the covid debt is his latest excuse, while failing to chase false business claims and to seek compensation for faulty PPE. Reducing the banking levy; failing to tax investment income at the same rate as earned income. No. The poorest must pay; that's the Tory way.
    1
  3964.  @casperwallace9685  Yes. As always, follow the money.
    1
  3965. Not just Tory scum, but Tory murdering scum.
    1
  3966. You can fool some of the people all of the time. Easy when many vote on party lines and don't look at the realities of life, or cause and effect. Populism often precedes fascism, yet few are conscious of the warnings. Johnson is a walking disaster.
    1
  3967. Apparently the police were formed to protect property... mainly of the rich. Back to reality.
    1
  3968. Braverman doesn't know the difference between illegal migrants and refugees. Using the phrase "illegal migration" when around 75% of asylum claims are upheld is not only intellectually lazy; it's inflammatory. Perhaps she will explain how the safe legal routes work, after failing to do so to the HoC sub-committee. Yet another moronic home secretary heading a department unfit for purpose.
    1
  3969. Of course Johnson continually resorts to the booster jab. He always takes credit for vaccines as his only alleged success. In the meantime, the Tories will leave him to enjoy Christmas surrounded by his garish wallpaper, then get the knives out when they have identified a potential vote winner.
    1
  3970. I agree but resent the word "class". The classiest people imo are not the richest or most sociopathic, it's about the content of personality as the great Dr Martin Luther King said. Social class is a misnomer that holds us back.
    1
  3971. So it has taken brexit to prove a simple truth: never trust a Tory.
    1
  3972. The DWP is simply not fit for purpose. Unless that purpose is to withhold support and cause misery. Their procedures are archaic. Interviewers value trick binary questions over medical expertise. We end up with the most sadistic charlatan heading the department, and now they hide from scrutiny. Kick the Tories out.
    1
  3973. Putin has played Trump, the self-styled "great deal-maker", like a cheap fiddle. Complaining about other presidents to appeal to Trump's hubris gives him an effective asset for life. If Trump holds any cards, they are jokers. He has given Putin the aces.
    1
  3974. By the day, we are looking less like Global Britain and more like a sh1tty little island. Don't choke on your sovereign tea. Brexit is bad enough without such a disaster.
    1
  3975. An idiotic video from the party of vacuous populist bile for consumption by idiots. Just had to empty the sick bowl.
    1
  3976. So the Jewish nation, the former target of the bile and hatred of fascism, is using fascism to turn its hatred on Islam. Why tackle the root cause when you can use its effect for power? The danger lies in trusting and promoting the proponents of bile and hatred: a trust misplaced.
    1
  3977. Labour should listen to professors Bill Mitchell and Richard Murphy on the definition of borrowing and debt, and further on addressing inequality. I have little confidence in an ex-BofE economist agreeing to the Tory fiscal plan and rejecting progressive economics. Labour are accepting handcuffs, planted by the Tories.
    1
  3978.  @chrismanners9091  also has a degree in economics
    1
  3979.  @chrismanners9091  so what? What are the factual arguments against his ideas? Prof Bill Mitchell is one of the founders of MMT and while Richard's main specialism is taxation, he also lectures and advocates for a change to the way we define government borrowing. How can we be in debt to ourselves? Is the main line of reasoning. I understand that the IMF agrees with him.
    1
  3980. Labour falling for the scam of financialisation, making the neoliberal "dream" a nightmare for society. Beyond disappointing.
    1
  3981. Yes. The longer we deny the facts, the greater the damage.
    1
  3982.  @TheDAT9  Hello, Mr or Mrs Pseudonym, your point being???
    1
  3983. ​ @evolassunglasses4673  I've heard that argument ad nauseum. If Corbyn was anti-EU then why was his party pro? He respects democracy and tries to accommodate it, which proved in one sense to be a failure. His opinions on the EU were not the problem; Labour's mixed messages were.
    1
  3984. The stench from this government is more execrable than that from any sewer or river where they allow crap to be dumped.
    1
  3985. Spot on, Phil. The populist government appeals to overt racists, by pretending that they are protecting our security if they take in a smaller number in a phased way to screen out the alleged terrorists. Total garbage, of course, but then they appeal to idiots and the self-interested.
    1
  3986. If someone from another planet were to visit Westminster, they would understand what we mean by a shit-show.
    1
  3987. I'm new to Maajid's broadcasts but find his approach enlightened and refreshing. Great points, well made.
    1
  3988. Fact: public sector pay rises don't cause inflation. What prices go up if NHS workers get a pay rise? Answer: none.
    1
  3989.  @Bettys_Eldest  Yes. Clap for business. That would cheer our prime miniature. He would also miss the other obvious fact: more pay in their pockets would help growth. The more wealth to the billionaires, the more is moved offshore.
    1
  3990. Never expect the Tories to do the best for the country. They are fake patriots; intent on power and self-interest, and thus traitors.
    1
  3991. History is against the Tory (Britannia Unchained) bollocks that lower taxes promote growth. The highest periods of growth have been achieved with taxation at its highest (while rebuilding infrastructure and services)
    1
  3992. Agree about PR. What do you suggest regarding the three houses?
    1
  3993. ​ @Saoirse_don_Phalaistín than why has Labour been in power only about a third of the time? Are you suggesting the Tories will deliver PR? Or perhaps we should ignore the Lib Dems and the Greens, who have consistently campaigned for PR and favour the new grifters on the scene, who would reform us into a banana republic without any bananas.
    1
  3994.  @Saoirse_don_Phalaistín  If you reread what I said, you got yourself in a buggers muddle. Who did I say has consistently campaigned for PR? And, yes, Labour certainly should deliver it and stop sitting on the fence.
    1
  3995. "Calm down and listen" to the vacuous raving psycho who doesn't know fact from fiction, after ignoring the advice of her civil servants. She then goes on to excuse making up the criteria on the hoof to confuse the smuggling gangs, who are probably ten times brighter than her.
    1
  3996.  @millwallholdings  context, please????
    1
  3997.  @liamr194  you don't own the high ground, Liam. Neither of us do. Just opinions
    1
  3998. They'll do their dirtiest before they go. The longer they stay, the greater the damage.
    1
  3999. If you follow these cases with the Good Law Project, don't expect the government to put their hands up. They have resisted at every stage, using public money to raise the anti in defence, attempting to bankrupt the Good Law Project. This is the most corrupt government ever.
    1
  4000. Since it's Christmas, I have an idea for Sunak's government. A party game! 13 rounds of musical chairs involving all ministers. Each of the winners will serve as PM for one week in the New Year. That sorts out the first quarter, after which we have a general election.
    1
  4001. What would a nation of cap doffers do without royalty? Lol. Perhaps if we had a codified constitution, we would have a chance of seeming credible.
    1
  4002. ​ @Patch_duress whataboutery is soooo pathetic
    1
  4003. Will they call it UKIP? LOL. Otherwise known as the party for idiots.
    1
  4004. Sunak uses words like "moral and compassionate" while breaking international law. The sure sign of an entitled little Spiv, devoid of humanity and obsessed with power and greed. It's nothing to do with government, but is between the BBC and Lineker, he adds. After the then prime minister appointed the Chair of the BBC who happens to be a Tory funder.
    1
  4005.  @magnuswalker7957  without unions striking we would be considerably worse off. Think of the days of Dickens then move on from the meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947. The Neoliberals have wrested power back again through erosion of union power and establishment of a gig economy. Take what you're given, plebs...probably why real incomes are finally getting back to 2007 levels - except for the 1% of course.
    1
  4006.  @meltedsnowman9637  Yes, I'm aware of that argument but it's a fantasy that trickle-down stimulates growth. Let's assume that more wealth is put in the pockets of the majority and they spend it in country, as opposed to the wealthiest who move it offshore. A recipe for growth, ceteris paribus.
    1
  4007. Instead of feeling smug, we should remember that many who voted Leave have been betrayed. Many expected frictionless trade with the EU by staying in the SM and CU. Johnson was always going to get Brexit done BADLY.
    1
  4008. Seems poetic that you have gammon in the freezer for Christmas, Phil. Perhaps in commemoration of the hard Brexiters being short of supplies?
    1
  4009. Nervous? About prices dropping? How about some of that in Europe by stopping profiteering? Not under the Tories. The poorest will always suffer most.
    1
  4010. If we are so far "out in front" such a "world leading" nation; why are we so deep in the do do? Simple answer: we suffer a delusional wazzock as prime minister. Putin must find this buffoon hilarious.
    1
  4011. Where are these devices safe? What protection must the rider use (helmet, high Vis etc?) What regulations under the highway code? What qualifications to ride? Yet again technology is ahead of our infrastructure and we fail to manage it. People are using them on pavements and roads and currently they are dangerous.
    1
  4012. @left_blank amazing then that NHS expenditure has reduced in real terms. They are high because of failed austerity, a crappy brexit and Tory mismanagement.
    1
  4013.  @vulk_nubium  Yes. It worked better for the EU. How are increased fish stocks related to Brexit?
    1
  4014.  @grant6849  "You lot" being?
    1
  4015. Two Tories, two reasons to spaff public money. Sunak and Johnson were both partying and laughing at the rest of us.
    1
  4016. I'm heartened to see such pathetic comments by my fellow Brits. Goes to show that our country has lost the capacity to think. We might even be stupid enough to support Trump.
    1
  4017. How surprising! The Tories siding with business and profit while the little people suffer. Who would have thought it? A minister dripping with condescension denying such an arrogant statement. We all know that Tory ministers are saints (of the church of corruption and incompetence). What goes around comes around...
    1
  4018. The Tories keep quiet about cost push inflation, so they can let the unregulated market rip and take funding from dirty energy companies.
    1
  4019. "The government understands that people are worried about their finances... we get it..blah blah" The cabinet, however, laughs because they don't give a shiny sh1t.
    1
  4020. We know from our government's operational ineptitude that this will be an expensive disaster. A policy designed to appeal to idiots, racists and xenophobes. Timed to distract from Johnson's law breaking. You really couldn't make this shit up.
    1
  4021. The chief chump with egg on his face? Lol
    1
  4022. The vacuous brain of the Minister for the 1800s is a joy to behold. His condescending attitude on the other hand...
    1
  4023. A government of scammers ignoring crime by scammers.
    1
  4024. Writing for a Tory sh1t-rag causing reputational damage. Pure irony. After all, it was a Tory PM who failed to adequately implement Leveson.
    1
  4025. ​ @Commonsense-u1h Your name appears to be an oxymoron.
    1
  4026. From delusion to insanity. We have an MP calling for the supply chain to collapse so Johnson can rebuild a high wage high skilled economy,.in his dreams. A few pay rises through market forces and suddenly it's a plan. But then all Johnson's "plans" are prompted by current headlines, which is why we see one a week with none delivered.
    1
  4027. Labour is pathetic on strategy, in spite of having the better record in government. Sir Starmer must have splinters in his arse from sitting on the fence. Tory scum winning shows the intellect of voters in this constituency, along with the need for clarity in campaigning.
    1
  4028. Zelensky playing call my bluff. Trump clueless as ever. Putin playing toy soldiers. Meanwhile, lives are being lost while the two chief sociopaths try to carve up the land and the minerals. When I hear "the president wants peace", why am I repulsed?
    1
  4029.  @haraldschuster3067  yes. As a comedy act.
    1
  4030. Ah! The elusive blue passport. Such a brexit benefit.
    1
  4031. Allow me to restate the obvious. The Tories survive on divide and rule. Don't encourage the bu**ers
    1
  4032. Beware: exodus in progress. While their leader steps up with more lies, pretence and operational incompetence.
    1
  4033. Read the body language. Buffoon's head down, Starmer shredding him with facts. Buffoon retorts with lies and flaky rhetoric, failing to answer a single question. Tory front bench looking drained and haggard: give us a break, we have to defend this freak with new lies tomorrow.
    1
  4034. If they go ahead, they will probably call an early election and leave the new government with the mess.
    1
  4035. Is this vacuous prat for real? Struggling to find any words of reassurance after ignoring medical advice. No leadership. Presiding over the highest infection rates in Europe and one of the worst death rates per capita in the world. A sociopathic charlatan.
    1
  4036. Journalists sometimes parrot press briefings because many financial reporter's jobs have gone. I've taken the BBC to task on their definition of debt and still they persist with their parroting.
    1
  4037. Trump is a disrupter who shoots from the hip. He is unpredictable, being driven by ego rather than strategy. When a narcissistic disrupter assumes the responsibility of leadership, he has to coordinate and heal and is in foreign territory. Trump reminds me of an oversized baby in a pram; throwing out the rattle if the world doesn't revolve around him. The dangerous fact: the world revolves around neither him, nor America
    1
  4038. ​ @jonmould2946 how and when?
    1
  4039.  @WhichDoctor1  which is why Thatcher had to break the unions. The conspiracy hatched at Mont Pelerin in 1947, now known as neoliberalism
    1
  4040.  @kevinsyd2012  Where is the independent validation of this? Sounds like Tory or Reform rhetoric. Have you noticed the correlation between record NHS waiting lists (including mental health) and the so-called economically inactive? Time to engage brain?
    1
  4041. If you are saying that Britain is not a meritocracy, I absolutely agree.
    1
  4042.  @shaun8141  in your back yard, then? Read about the damage in Pennsylvania.
    1
  4043. Wonder how many politicians took up Chris's invitation? Suspect there were no cabinet ministers. Our politicians are bought and paid for: listening to consultants such as McKinsey with fake "solutions" such as carbon offset, instead of listening to Chris and his real experts.
    1
  4044. Pure logic, acceptable to anyone with a sense of social justice. Compelling on economic grounds but regrettably not to our Tory government that deliberately increases inequality then justifies it by shifting blame. The latest increase in NI contributions are a primary example.
    1
  4045. No, Sajid, your best has not been good enough. You have been systematically dismantling the NHS because that is the intent of your party. Your whole party stands for greed and operational incompetence, division to increase inequality.
    1
  4046. The threat to our country doesn't come from Russia, or China. It comes from narcissistic greedy wazzocks based in America. President Moron and Space Karen plotting world domination? You couldn't make it up.
    1
  4047. In one sense Johnson has done us a favour, by showing how easily our ancient and decrepit system can be abused. Execrable parliamentary standards, lacking independent control. All being part of an elective dictatorship. Don't forget that Carrie has rewritten his job description...now restricted to photo ops and party entertainer. Also an ardent hunter of empty fridges and freezers.
    1
  4048. Trump, the ultimate narcissist. I thought he was selling the unicorns promised by his mate Foghorn Farage.
    1
  4049. It seems obvious but, for the benefit of MPs who are either short of the ebility to think, or choose to ignore this fact to excuse genocide: A ceasefire IS BILATERAL. That means both sides stop their atrocities.
    1
  4050. Enlightened countries such as Germany see education as an investment, as did Britain in the past. Now our minority elected government wants a dumbed down and compliant population so they spread this fantasy to win a class war.
    1
  4051. Regrettably some of said "decent people" are intellectually lazy and will believe the crap from the Fail and the Torygraph. Some may even be downright stupid or naive. If we had an effective media - holding the government to account - then the decent people may vote differently.
    1
  4052. Wow! This is the first time I've heard Musk attempt to string words together. (I don't listen to the droid in Britain.)The richest man in the world can't speak in sentences nor articulate cojent thought. Apparently, America can't afford social security because people are living longer and they just need to die earlier. Where was that argument in President Moron's campaign? No, Elon, the greatest ponzi scheme is offering government contracts to your companies.
    1
  4053. Waiting for the biggest omissions: taxing asset wealth and taxing investment income at the same rate as work income.
    1
  4054. The real mob controls its puppets in government.
    1
  4055. With an undemocratic voting system and wealthy funders pulling the strings, democracy is a myth. Corporate and overseas donations should be banned, with individual donations capped at £5k in any one year.
    1
  4056. "The new approach" means a scaled-down and partly regurgitated set of plans to replace a mismanaged capital project. Today's "new approach" is to postpone the legislation banning evictions without reason by landlords. With Hands and a Pincher in the same old team, what else would we expect.
    1
  4057.  @garyhowtobluetoothjblheadp3583  I don't fall for stereotyping, Gary
    1
  4058. In a wider context this highlights the stupidity of the far right neoliberal dream of a small state at a time of climate breakdown. We need a fit democracy and a stronger state. There is such a thing as society and we have never needed it more.
    1
  4059. Truss delivering Britannia Unhinged, after co-authoring the fantasy novel Britannia Unchained.
    1
  4060. ​ @terrypietru8012 Nigel's stupid and self-serving comments did that. He is his own worst enemy
    1
  4061. "Total victory" irrespective of "collateral damage" is the hollow victory of a genocidal maniac. What of the future in the next uprising? We should denounce this psychopath and cease support immediately.
    1
  4062.  @theoilandgasresourceportal2132  no wonder you hide behind a pseudonym account. A real patriot will call out faults a d seek reform for the better. Continue your cowardice if you must
    1
  4063. The EU are the adults in the room. Johnson's pathological lying extends to written agreements, making the UK totally untrustworthy and in breach of international law.
    1
  4064.  @keithparker1346  By wasting your vote. In our constituency it's a two horse race between Con and Lab and anything else would be a wasted vote. Thus I'll vote tactically to get rid of this corrupt cabal, however much I resent it.
    1
  4065. After seeing this debacle, why would anyone even consider voting for the grifters who pushed brexit then blamed someone else when it went wrong? The grifters who want to Reform us into a banana republic.
    1
  4066.  @lmaoroflcopter  sources and references?
    1
  4067.  @martinmurphy9679  If you change the rules for all, while in government, you can compete. Show it up for what it is...
    1
  4068. Every problem that has not been caused by brexit, has been exacerbated by brexit.
    1
  4069.  @mister3566  the only lesson we can learn from history is that we repeat the same mistakes.
    1
  4070. Space Karen. The Trump-loving narcissist who will apparently advise Trump on government efficiency if The Chump is elected. Another vote winner for the Democrats?
    1
  4071. Heartless or brainless? Clearly both in the case of Johnson and his cabal of sociopaths.
    1
  4072. ​ @yambo59 Thanks for showing your ignorance.
    1
  4073. ​ @NeilAC78 coming from someone who clearly has lost his direction.
    1
  4074.  @Daylight7.7.7  that blx. Explain! Lazy thinking divorced from fact and reality. Stop trolling with shite.
    1
  4075. ​ @brmh1667 Allow me to disabuse you with inconvenient fact. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, per year in power, since 1947.
    1
  4076. Spent on what? More union flags to shag?
    1
  4077.  @andyinsuffolk  "Real money economies" meaning what? Which countries or a theoretical concept? Inflation (or deflation) is inevitable. Prices go up if costs are pushed in the global market or if supply and demand are out of equilibrium. The money supply is not the only issue.
    1
  4078. ​ @newblackdog7827  So that's a sample of one.
    1
  4079. "It's good for the economy." A statement hiding the biggest lie of all: trickle down economics. The reality: money handed to oligarchs ends up offshore. Money in the pockets of the poorer or middle-income citizens is largely spent in the home economy, growing our national prosperity. The reality of "trickle down" is that wealth gushes up and drips down where the powerful can't fix the leaks.
    1
  4080. Of course he doesn't find it (Johnson's recent earnings) perverse. Sunak is an entitled little spiv in a party of operationally incompetent sociopaths.
    1
  4081. A gathering of desperate lunacy for the operationally incompetent.
    1
  4082. To all fellow pensioners who vote Tory: you are voting for poverty. The cut in NI does nothing for us: we don't pay it. Remember when the Tories came in, personal allowances for pensioners were higher. They used fiscal drag over 10 years ago by freezing the personal allowance for pensioners until it fell into line with that of workers. The Tories want us on our knees.
    1
  4083. These links give us more power to tell Israel to stop the genocide, yet they also reveal the reason why we won't. Well exposed by Lowkey. (What my grandad used to describe as p1ssing in the same pot.)
    1
  4084. Levelling up was an exception, which Cummings described as vacuous. Experience shows it to be yet another of Johnson's lies.
    1
  4085. Rupert Lowe is the answer to whether Deform UK could find someone even more odious than Farage. Charlatans United would be the accurate party name.
    1
  4086. Desparate measures for desparate times. Obviously wanting a deal with each state so we can claim to have done more deals. The fact that they add no economic advantages and more red tape is irrelevant to desparate Brexiters. The Tory sham goes on, and on, and on....
    1
  4087. Dizzy Lizzy dancing to the tune of the bigots who have lost power and failing to accept the obvious solution to border checks: rejoin the SM and the CU
    1
  4088. ​ @DavidCampbell-w4u pathetic whataboutery. Spot the difference in journalistic questioning.
    1
  4089. Same government; another useless wazzock promoted beyond his competence level. Enough is enough.
    1
  4090.  @paulwood7931  I would say fascist rather than communist with our Tory government.
    1
  4091. Sunak smiles constantly because it's just a game to him: you may grill me, Chris, but I can't and won't answer your questions and you can do nothing about it. The ex-head boy should lose house points and have his pay docked. Mr professionalism and integrity, who fails to answer a single question.
    1
  4092. "Doubled" from zero equals zero. From a low base to the present result is still pathetic. The Tories take selective statistics and use relative percentage measures to continue with their gaslighting. No apology, just banging on the lectern from bully boy Dom. When defeated claim "political opportunism" and harp on about small boats. Tory incompetent scum.
    1
  4093. Why should we be surprised at a nation obsessed with history at the expense of efficiency? Efficiency is for the little people, after paying enormous sums of money to business consultants who come up with wheezes such as PFI. Parliamentary procedures are equally archaic when lies can be repeated without the record being corrected. Government is broken and changes should start there.
    1
  4094. With Truss, Anderson and Mogg leading the future of Conservatism, happily they are definitely FUBAR.
    1
  4095. Rishi knows what we need. He told us when he invented his five pledges. Such a robotic moron.
    1
  4096. More proof that the Tory claim to be the party of responsible economic management is bunkum. The Tories have also borrowed more and paid back less than Labour (taken between the second world war and even before the pandemic)
    1
  4097.  @georgejob2156  actually 43.6% of voters. Proving that most of us are just about sane.
    1
  4098.  @ai-d2121  Perfectly true on all but the last statement. A gang of serial incompetents.
    1
  4099.  @Allen236  What about 2010? Whataboutery time, is it?
    1
  4100.  @Allen236  I'm aware of the date. So what?
    1
  4101. A cabal of sociopaths intent on survival. Power crazed morons who could not hold down a real job based on operational ability.
    1
  4102. NI simply shows the benefits of the single market. Thus it's the thorn in the side of Johnson's inept cabal.
    1
  4103. The great values of Madiba live on in Andrew. Politics needs people who care, along with a reform of our voting and parliamentary systems to enable their voice. We have a choice between one fascistic neoliberal party and another lighter neoliberal party. A dose of COVID or the flu...some choice!
    1
  4104. Who is celebrating the words? Listening to and applying critical thinking is enough, and all too rare
    1
  4105.  @wleon4068  Yes. It's almost as though we live in a meritocracy and poverty is a crime. Hateful and spiteful people.
    1
  4106.  @Stalker-nv7gi  No. My recollection of events is factual. Of course I remember the unions. What gave rise to Maggie is the intent of neoliberalism, engineered by the Mont Pelerin Society and first implemented by Pinochet, then by Thatcher and Reagan. It has certainly fulfilled its intent of increasing inequality.
    1
  4107.  @bert454  how is that relevant? More whataboutery? I recall that real incomes increased under the Blair government. NHS waiting lists also reduced. Most are being returned to relative poverty in the last 12 years. Your whataboutery is a pathetic defence of this cabinet of charlatans.
    1
  4108.  @Happin3ess Depends what it was before reading. Perhaps you should reread and think about their factual content.
    1
  4109.  @Happin3ess  would you prefer gentile and servile cap-doffing? Stop trolling with garbage.
    1
  4110.  @Happin3ess  your comments prove that. Stop mindless trolling.
    1
  4111.  @mauricetrotter6010  we all have our own tastes and values.
    1
  4112. Thanks, DDN, for a lightbulb moment. I had researched Neoliberalism, and even written an ebook on the subject, yet failed to understand that it was implemented through military means. Yet again, Jeremy Corbyn is shown to be the opportunity of hope that Britain rejected. Both of these facts have a common denominator: a compliant and rigged media. The blunt fact internationally, is that the greedy b'stards will not give up a cent of their wealth without a fight. And by whatever means they choose to fight, they will fight dirty.
    1
  4113. Trump being more of a Russian asset than "the problem". He would solve this in 24 hours and has acted against Ukraine after his crass bullsh1t was exposed.
    1
  4114. Hence, against democracy.
    1
  4115. Starmer was mystified that immigration could quadruple while growth was virtually non-existent over the last four years. BREXIT is one clear answer: losing freedom of movement while trade has contracted. Starmer is following in the wake of the charlatan Farage instead of making the economy work for the many. He should stop listening to McSweeney.
    1
  4116. And today the Tory Express has accused Johnson of "caving in" after a hundred licences have been issued to French boats over the last couple of days; while the BBC remains silent on that point, saying Macron has called off the threat while talks are continuing. Is this against the law of gravity in our biased media?
    1
  4117.  @archieneill2773  So "oxygen" for the industry was worth excess deaths? The government's priorities are transparent and obvious: lives matter less than profit.
    1
  4118. Johnson doesn't understand the concept of a plan. A list of aspirations is not a plan. At least it goes beyond one of his three word slogans, so perhaps he's having lessons.
    1
  4119.  @Leonnicko  spot on.
    1
  4120.  @nickedwards2904 age determines the legal process. Nothing to do with voting. James was doing his job correctly. Like it or not.
    1
  4121. There was only one word missing from Johnson's slogan, and now the proof is obvious. He's getting Brexit done BADLY.
    1
  4122. Unfortunately the dumb Tory supporters will forget this, if Johnson can ride it out. Richard Burgon is about to submit a bill prohibiting secondary incomes for MPs (other than in exceptional circumstances.) Watch this space...an acid test is due. Burgon's bill was part of the last Labour manifesto. If only...
    1
  4123. Braverman thinks that homelessness is a lifestyle choice, whereas the system that causes it (manipulated, so-called free market capitalism) is imposed on us. Our country is FUBAR
    1
  4124. The frightening part is the level of complicity, otherwise we would see regular reports.
    1
  4125. ​ @Peterthepainter66 yet some fell for the Forager, who appeals to idiots.
    1
  4126. Has he kept a deadline in his life unless writing garbage for a Tory sh1t-rag?
    1
  4127. Yes. Their sense of entitlement exceeds any modicum of public service. Dangerous idiots.
    1
  4128. It's obvious. The Mercedes always has right of way. Lol. Just one more d1ck on the road. No shortage of them. Perhaps an introduction to the concept of defensive driving would help.
    1
  4129. Not only are Brexiters in denial, they are unable to name one tangible benefit of Brexit. After one Brexit supporter said "the benefits of brexit are many," I asked him to name one. You may guess the response...Silence - not even a reply.
    1
  4130. "A free pass to the terrorists!" Would that include Israel's state terrorism? By what logic do we support mass slaughter and pretend it is an act of defence?
    1
  4131. Well. Finally we get comments from vacuous racists attracted to fascism. Go for it...plenty of space for morons on social media.
    1
  4132. The Israelis are obsessed with tunnels, as a convenient excuse: Look! Hamas are hiding everywhere; you can't see them but we know it for a fact. This morning on a BBC text report the Israeli claim about Hamas hiding under a hospital was reported unchallenged. Yet yesterday the reporter explained that Israel had shown no evidence and some of their video "evidence" was inconsistent and changed by the hour. Who is the real aggressor?
    1
  4133. Labour should not simply be pro-business. They should be for responsible business. Mick speaks so much sense, mainly against neoliberalism, which was designed to exacerbate inequality and to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  4134.  @andreaslamers9535  thought he had become prime minister. Lol
    1
  4135.  @andreaslamers9535  sounds accurate. Perfect irony.
    1
  4136. Is this a bragging, or an advertising forum?
    1
  4137. Absolutely! So many politicians have resisted the advice to place less emphasis on testing and more on coaching and assessment, while employers back such rebalancing. The only "can do" attitude is ingrained at elite schools to teach a sense of entitlement, rather than a positive attitude to enhance abilities. I've been lucky enough to engage in music and photography as hobies, and rules are all-pervasive, especially in the latter. Liberation from such implied rules is fun.
    1
  4138.  @Answersonapostcard  Just stop at nauseating. Woke is a word for the vacuous.
    1
  4139. ​ @SlowhandGreg Being seen to something, rarely the right thing, never enough.
    1
  4140. While we extol and reward the pursuit of personal interest and our systems of governance embed confrontation rather than cooperation, what hope have we?
    1
  4141. From the performance of this Tory cabal of incompetence, it seems essential to psychologically test ministerial applicants for an unhealthy obsession with small boats or dinghies.
    1
  4142. Trump and Musk. Two sociopathic morons who use people as pawns in their mindless experiments and ruses. Musk is rich enough to test to destruction then buy sticking plasters to cover the wound. People's lives and wellbeing are more important than two egomaniacs intent on world domination and mass interference. Making America a laughing stock again.
    1
  4143. "Unstable" governments that can do less damage. Brexit being the classic example.
    1
  4144. Irony noted
    1
  4145.  @Deleba333  English is correct whereas the Scots and the majority of northern Irish accepted the relationship and voted against Brexit.
    1
  4146. Yes. But not enough. Staying in the ECHR, scrapping Rwanda, settling strikes were a good start. They then went full Tory.
    1
  4147. Perhaps this joker should learn the concept of a cosmopolitan attitude. Why do these small minded jerks get air time?
    1
  4148. One desparate or destitute person is too many, yet whole communities like this are forgotten - treated as canon fodder of the global economy. While we chase cheaper labour around the world and transport goods to damage the climate, the so-called elite justify this as the only sensible solution. Neoliberalism (or unregulated free market capitalism) is not only the cause of inequality; it is killing the planet. Time for change, or revolution? Enough is beyond enough.
    1
  4149.  @Bungle-UK  relevance?? Where did I say that?
    1
  4150. Who wrote this Trumpian script? A man-child Bond villain taking over the world? (Watching on from the UK, about to be infected by fascism.) Respect to Bernie and his great work.
    1
  4151. We had a minority-elected government appointed in 2019, elected on a manifesto. The party subsequently elects a new leader who comes up with five pledges, pretending they are the will of the people (yet can't be found in the manifesto and noone voted on them.) Sunak's government then transitioned from an elective dictatorship to a blatant dictatorship. Tory scum.
    1
  4152. How surprising! The Tories stoking division and playing on fear. Who would have thought it after Patel's and Braverman's time in the Home office?
    1
  4153. Seems like pure fantasy. A token deal at best as we would be the desparate party. Let's be honest, we need cooperation with the EU instead of conflict. Stop burning bridges and this making ourselves more desparate at the negotiation table.
    1
  4154. These clowns have been part of Johnson's circus that drove the country to its knees, after 12 years of Tory mismanagement. He got brexit half done, and badly; ordered dodgy PPE from Tory donors at inflated prices. Spaffed £37billion on a test and trace system that didn't work. Promised to level up the country while driving it to its knees. These two were complicit, as cabinet members scamming the country. Enough of Tories. Just go!!!
    1
  4155. So many things are "voluntary" in parliament. Telling the truth is voluntary because correcting the record is optional through "invitation." It's called a shit-show.
    1
  4156. Another encouraging sign of adult government. Labour being hidebound by existing fiscal rules ties one hand behind government's back, but this start offers hope in place of childish conflict.
    1
  4157. Ironic that such a pig-headed government has produced a surfeit of pigs, through their inane Brexit. They have the gall to call themselves businesses friendly, after throwing so many businesses under the bus.
    1
  4158. Sunak, not being content with his new version of integrity, professionalism and accountability, where he lies in parliament in a limited and specific way, appoints a wazzock who will tell whoppers. That's Tory leadership for you.
    1
  4159.  @floatingpeaks4584  says who? Have you heard of free speech? If challenged officially, there is a long list - assuming you can't work it out for yourself.
    1
  4160. Yes. Ironically, Cameron failed to implement Leveson and (surprise, surprise) this cabal of charlatans has dropped the changes again after promising to implement them. An unfit media suits the Tories, it largely manufactures consent for them.
    1
  4161. Why would expect a government addicted to the free market to intervene? They grant their donors a divine right to excessive profits. It's a failure of neoliberalism. Or a success if you accept that its intent was to increase inequality.
    1
  4162. Fingers in pies. That's the Tory way. Rewarded for buggering up the country.
    1
  4163. The ultimate election result would be losing these two wazzocks from public life. Rwanda may be their ideal home?
    1
  4164. The House of Commons bar will still be open and Nigel will keep a fake pub in Clacton for his dodgy photo ops. MPs and parasites are not affected.
    1
  4165.  @kyorin6526  since they don't have a good chance of beating the Tories where I live, I doubt it. We need electoral reform and I see Starmer as Tory light. Most probably will spoil my paper by writing proportional representation across it. At the moment, I keep an open mind though.
    1
  4166. @nowherepeople3431 Projected by whom and over what period? Many will be leaving Britain soon, as we decline to Dickensian times.
    1
  4167. @nowherepeople3431 Shall we put that to a referendum, as much of the world's population becomes displaced through climate change? Should we become a pariah state like Russia, as we dismantle human rights? Don't swallow the bullshit and scaremongering. Perhaps if we were to stop sponsoring war and conflict, displacement would reduce. Keep spouting from your pseudonym account as you wish. Where is the evidence for your statements?
    1
  4168. Neoliberalism and globalisation triggered the race to the bottom. Brexit turned it into a sprint.
    1
  4169. The posturing of Lord Gormless and Buffoon is usually heralded by shouting "sovereignty." That's a mythical concept when they are prepared to reduce our food and product standards for the British consumer, to get a crappy trade deal with a distant country.
    1
  4170.  @bokhans  irrelevant!!!!
    1
  4171. We definitely need government to lead with targetted investment, because the private sector won't. Larger companies spend more on share buybacks than on R&D and use financialisation to extract more profit without increasing productivity. The neoliberal "free market" is a myth. The market is rigged and skewed by monopolies and the financial sector using dubious financial instruments at the expense of the real (productive) economy. Inequality is also killing growth.
    1
  4172. Another example that will be used to justify our archaic FPTP system. We should actually see this as a benefit: apart from compromise prohibiting extreme policies, the politicians can do less damage while deciding on government.
    1
  4173. America dances to Netanyahu's tune. Trump is the ultimate weak TACO.
    1
  4174. The Met has finally awoken after the threat of legal action from the Good Law Project.
    1
  4175. When a leader decides on "the people's priorities," its called a dictatorship.
    1
  4176. The level of Government inanity is jaw-dropping. This morning the business secretary refused to loosen immigration rules because it offers "a short-term temporary solution." Well! That took the intelligence of Einstein...a short-term solution is exactly what we need while building for the longer term. His second statement, that we should employ the British workers facing an "uncertain future" after the furlough scheme ends is even more inane. Not everyone has the skill and aptitude to drive a HGV, even after taking 9 months to train. The level of denial is typical of a cabinet that doesn't understand the realities of life and, more seriously, doesn't give a shit.
    1
  4177. @john john I guess you agree with Billy Connolly then: "don't encourage the buggers; don't vote"
    1
  4178. Perfectly summarised. Neoliberalism sold the lie of trickle-down. Note the word "trickle-" rather than flow-down. Doesn't that sound like crumbs from the master's table? The whole agenda is designed to exacerbate inequality, and the Fasicsts will falsely shift blame to harm the people who are "stealing" the crumbs from your biscuit... the immigrants...the poor...the unemployed... Make no mistake, fascists serve the richest and fuel inequality. To them, it's the natural order of things and they would adore the words over Auswitz: arbeit macht frei (work sets us free). The recent Tory governments have been a warm-up act for the sociopaths who could follow.
    1
  4179. Thatcher's mission to destroy unions had a purpose: to implement neoliberalism, which has proved unfit for purpose in times of turbulence - unless that purpose is to create inequality. What is the purpose of the Tory fight against unions? To break Britain so that disaster capitalism and dark money can return more wealth to the super rich? Enough is enough. Mick is a great champion.
    1
  4180. The advent of the fiat currency made money pure fantasy. Add to that the international casinos - called stock exchanges - and we have a game of chance with fantasy currencies. Since capitalist governments want to keep taxes low, tax and spend has become untenable, so national debts increase. Ironically, tax and spend is trotted.out as a fantasy - used to impose austerity. After all, the very wealthiest are allowed to escape taxation. This is how the 1% control the rest of the population and we have to swallow the garbage of corruption. Wake up and smell the coffee, if you can afford it.
    1
  4181. Sunak is either economically illiterate, or a blatant liar, or a combination of the two. The cost of goods is pushing inflation (known as cost-push inflation) caused predominantly by the increased costs of fuel (for energy and transport) and the reduction in the value of the pound, which makes our imported purchases dearer. The opposite (known as demand pull inflation) occurs when there is more money sloshing around than available goods and services. This is not true in current circumstances. People need a rise to match the cost of inflation, to buy what they did before, unless prices are reduced and capped. The only exception to this would be in cases such as a food shortage, where we would have more money than goods. The Tories are suppressing public sector wages so essential workers fall behind and become relatively poorer. Meanwhile exec pay goes through the roof and many companies are making huge profits at our expense. Enough is enough.
    1
  4182. Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  4183. Don't think I'd like the recipe...could end up with their balls.
    1
  4184. Crisis! The Tories are a perpetual crisis. A cabal of incompetent psychos and charlatans. The worst government in my lifetime.
    1
  4185. The problem with Trump's "massive brain" is that many world leaders and most professionals and academics have a considerably larger one. We are set for mayhem.
    1
  4186.  @DropdudeJohn  nothing. I didn't say all ex-footballers did the same thing though.
    1
  4187. More like, the House of Commons is a no-go area for truth and common sense. That I may agree with.
    1
  4188. "A nation that reneged on a previous deal." Wow! Tice gave a perfect example of Britain with the EU. These wazzocks love their sovereign tea, while drinking in La La Land.
    1
  4189. History shows that the Tories are the party of economic mismanagement. They have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, while, under the Tories, average incomes in have reduced in real terms. Vote Tory; vote pain and suffering so the 1% can have more.
    1
  4190. "collateral damage" of 1300% is more than a tragic mistake. They were told by the ICJ. Now we know who are the real human animals.
    1
  4191. Such Tory desperation makes them dangerous, as they habitually shift to the far right with an ill-gained stash in their fighting fund.
    1
  4192. Rwanda is a symbol of Tory governance. The incompetent led by the clueless.
    1
  4193. ​ @nearlyretired7005  another pseudonym account; usual twaddle.
    1
  4194. ​ @lesliehall7683  if you want shit, read the Fail. What evidence did they give?
    1
  4195. I have never heard such bollocks from a professional economist. I despaired when reading this statement on state media and wondered why this wazzock is paid to spout such politically motivated bullshit.
    1
  4196.  @qetoun  The cabinet office supports the prime minister to ensure the effective running of government. Keep up? According to the Gov UK Website, I'm ahead of you sunshine.
    1
  4197.  @qetoun  You will keep lagging behind if you quote rhetoric without factual evidence: who makes laws? Have you heard of parliamentary sovereignty? Where are your facts? Just another pseudonym account for purpose of trolling, just grow up
    1
  4198. Absolutely agree, with respect for the work you do. The Tories expect public services to be run as a charity while they offer outsourced profit opportunities to their mates. Never trust the Tories - especially with the NHS.
    1
  4199. Respect for what you do, BBB. interesting and informative.
    1
  4200. ​ @catherinegrimes2308 How did he get it wrong on the Farage Riots? Accepting gifts (albeit significantly less than Jenrick) is stupid. The winter fuel allowance and a lack of transformative economics is pathetic.
    1
  4201. How great a clue do we need? Neoliberalism (free market capitalism) has failed the majority and is not fit for society.
    1
  4202. The term think tank has become an oxymoron, since most operate as brainwashing cabals. We are fed whatever is best for profit, even if worse for health. State intervention is derided and outsourcing for profit extolled. Greed is not good; it is at the root of so many problems.
    1
  4203. Making a tough or unpopular decision doesn't make it the right one. Listen to the Patriotic Millionaires; listen to the Mile End Road economists. Unfortunately the chancellor is a dinosaur.
    1
  4204. The self-interested, delusional or plain stupid.
    1
  4205. Johnson being seen to do something. Nothing useful because he is the problem - he corrupts everything he touches.
    1
  4206. Sunak's motive? Misdirection? The useful idiot (Anderson) can take the media flak while Little Spiv (Sunak) stays in his gold-plated velvet-cushioned bunker. Integrity, professionalism and accountability? Tory scum.
    1
  4207. Doing everything they can. It will just take 8 years to stop four fifths of untreated sewage being pumped into waterways. No wonder the chief exec has met his target. That's not a target, it's environmental vandalism.
    1
  4208. The Tories avoid the truth to the extent that it's hard to believe they understand it or even recognise it. Whether that is is isn't the case, their puppet masters do, and they work with the MSM to support them, telling enough lies often enough that the truth becomes unrecognisable. I follow a simple rule: whatever they say, suspect the opposite and check facts then apply critical thinking. Enough is enough.
    1
  4209. A moot point since a Reform member has no vote. Pay for the privilege of listening to a treacherous dictator. Another elaborate con by a charlatan.
    1
  4210. Of course it's "looking tough", Joe, because you keep supporting genocide.
    1
  4211. Great comment and so accurate. The string-pullers will not allow anything even approaching socialism and the only way to get it is by changing the electoral system from our current elective dictatorship. We need PR: an essential piece of the jigsaw.
    1
  4212. Tories intent on symbolism to drive hatred and fear. Yet can't even get the symbolism right. Pure comedy gold (except for those lives being affected.)
    1
  4213. Sunak's long term plans are called into question by the Progressive Economy Forum, which states that the alleged £50 billion black hole is actually a £14 billion surplus if different measures are used. Undoubtedly he and Hunt will push the rhetoric that supports austerity and higher taxes (while protecting corporate profiteering and the oligarchs.)
    1
  4214. How far from fascism are we? Living with Johnson as PM is even more dangerous than living with Covid. He wants to pretend we have beaten Covid after originally promising to wrestle it to the ground. This delusional pr1ck is a clear and present danger to Britain.
    1
  4215. ​ @skyblazeeterno why? It's about proportions. The proportion of working people in the economy.
    1
  4216.  @battybibliophile-Clare  Thanks. I've met Noel the Troll before and it seems that he is programmed to ignore my comments.
    1
  4217. Either our parliamentary system is an abject mess or the opposition parties fail to call out Johnson's blatant lies, or both. How many times will the parroted lines from cabinet members go unchallenged, with the Tory ministers not being asked to correct the parliamentary record?
    1
  4218. Sunak is using a scatter gun without knowing where the target is or what it looks like.
    1
  4219. Are Google execs paid to plait fog? No answers. Lots of promised follow-ups. Lots of assurances with no live facts divulged. "We'll get back to you"..."when?"..."as soon as possible" Apparently no clocks or calendars in Google offices.
    1
  4220. Not too sure about your last point but respect your opinion and your experience. It should be seriously investigated and discussed by both professionals and communities.
    1
  4221. The sequence of incompetence goes like this: 1) we suffer a pandemic, 2) we see the real value of key workers to society, 3) our government gets Brexit done during the pandemic, 4) done without an evaluation of which professions depend on freedom of movement and to what extent 5) after such a failure they wash their hands, tell businesses to recruit more Brits, then blame the EU. RESULT: total upheaval ... Papered over by the oligarch media and excused because of the pandemic. The very reason they completed a shambolic Brexit during Covid in the first place. Muppets, however, will excuse them.
    1
  4222.  @britnatzaredemocracydenier5922  a power thing? Depends what you mean by establishment
    1
  4223.  @britnatzaredemocracydenier5922  Slaves to their oligarch masters in the arena of neoliberal capitalism? Puppets may be more accurate. Albeit that doesn't apply to Sharon, who is more of a gladiator.
    1
  4224.  @djsylambert  No. Whatever gave you that idea?
    1
  4225. Hunt subsequently trying to face down his skulduggery by blaming civil servants. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  4226. Galloway is marmite, yet he was right on one point: our two main parties are complicit in a plausible genocide.
    1
  4227. ​ @bobharrison4711 How?
    1
  4228. ​ @davelites8270 You really should keep up to date. Pathetic!!!
    1
  4229.  @simonlevett4776  Ah! Whataboutery doesn't cut it. The other parties have a better record. Tory economic incompetence and corruption abound. Faulty PPE, a non-existent test and trace; contracts to Sunak's family; a record national debt after 14 years of austerity. A party of scammers and serial liars.
    1
  4230. So Dennis Skinner was right. Dodgy Dave started a trend and Buffoon has dragged the Tories further in the mire.
    1
  4231. Why would the Tories hang on to the bitter end? Let me guess. More time to line their pockets through corruption? More time to bugger up the country and make it harder for the next government? More time to offer a few tax bribes? More time to privatise the NHS? Enough is enough.
    1
  4232. ​ @jondarbyshire-s7k A Labour government should implement Leveson to suppress the power of the oligarch media.
    1
  4233. Following a 17.5% rise for Rolls Royce car workers and, in the public domain, a 15% rise for barristers after a day of strikes, it must be galling for nurses to be handed an insult from this government. The Tories then lie about an independent pay body, for which the government sets the budget and the rules then conveniently ignore the fact that their recommendations are advisory. A classic case of the least trusted profession taking on the most trusted.
    1
  4234. Why be so churlish? Just ask how taking back control is going and say: we will fix the mess. As for standards, Johnson repeatedly claimed that our standards will be at least as high as the EUs so we can challenge that lie and say we will protect high standards in any negotiations. Brexit is far from done and Labour need to reinforce that in saying they will tidy up the mess. I'm seeing nothing but infighting from Labour, along with an absence of leadership, and they don't stand a chance unless they put achieving real democracy (including PR) at the centre of their campaign.
    1
  4235. Undoubtedly any major Tory donor will benefit under the pretence of an energy emergency. The far right are already ramping up the rhetoric against net zero.
    1
  4236. The whole honours system is feudal. The days of cap doffing are gone for many of us, except for the flag-shaggers and naturally servile. Enough is enough.
    1
  4237.  @EpicAelflaed  was that a question? I explained them.
    1
  4238. Not difficult to make Johnson look small. A narcissist, a serial liar, unable to take criticism, a totally delusional coward - characteristics of a true sociopath
    1
  4239. @dogkicker100 I somehow suspect it always has been.
    1
  4240.  @ronshilton6744  don't you mean LIBOR. Banks have fkd up the economy. Real incomes increased at a record level under New Labour
    1
  4241.  @sammyjohn9353  you need to check the facts on that. They were explained clearly after Johnson attempted the smear and he had to retract it. Total mindless Tory bullshit
    1
  4242.  @peterebel7899  actually forced medicine. Don't pretend we had a choice and rejected PR. In reality the low voter turnout rejected a fudge.
    1
  4243.  @peterebel7899  research online Lord Hailsham elective dictatorship. It's about Brits suppressing Brits. Control by the few. Votes not counting equally. A 43.6% (minority) vote giving a parliamentary majority (current example). A pretence at democracy.
    1
  4244.  @peterebel7899  wtf are you on? Invade Britain. It's an internal matter: we need to fix our broken country and resist blatant corruption.
    1
  4245.  @jordanphillips1149  How about our serial liar who bodges everything and fails to do what matters? As for Starmer, I'm not a fan but Johnson is a useless charlatan.
    1
  4246.  @peterebel7899  I said the opposite: it is not all Brits. Just a corrupt power hungry cabal.
    1
  4247.  @peterebel7899  WRONG about Britain. Other countries have different systems and ours was imposed without consent. "Brits" didn't choose this corrupt cabal. A minority of those who voted did. When I learned maths, 43.6% was considered a minority. It didn't even change during degree level stats. Thus we don't see the will of the people exercised. This is NOT representative democracy. It is Lord Hailsham said, an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4248.  @happyguilmore4253  yes. Absolutely. That's the requirement to achieve real democracy. Our system has favoured Labour occasionally but the Tories most often. Either way, votes must count equally to achieve representative democracy.
    1
  4249.  @happyguilmore4253 Your words. Not what I said. Not what I meant. Fed up with our lack of democracy and with politicians of all stripes gaming the system. Your attempt at spin or provocation is futile.
    1
  4250. ​ @Noel-ji8nm wrong thread...trolling bot developed a fault?
    1
  4251. "For the first ever time" it shows that you have no plan. Weather patterns have something to do with reducing boat crossings. Sending 100 people each year to Rwanda (with an undisclosed number in return) is NOT A DETERRENT. It's known as a ruse, used as an excuse to dismantle our human rights. Blaming Labour, a party with a real plan, is utter BS. Starmer ripped apart the Rwanda deal in PMQs and Sunak showed how clueless he is.
    1
  4252. Project 2025: a dictatorship superimposed on a faux democracy, making the nation the butt of an international joke.
    1
  4253. The Tories have a plan! Their only plan is to spread misinformation and manage consent through deception. As for reality, Jenrick said that the Tories "plan is starting to work". Note: not that it's working; but is starting to (with little or no evidence to support that statement).
    1
  4254. Starmer's Labour loves pensioners. Intent on killing them off through creeping poverty? So many balls-ups: the WFA, a tax on employment, denying the WASPI women. And now Reeves is intent on weakening bank regulation when 50 economists have warned that this will impede growth.
    1
  4255. Just stop at Brexiters never had a plan.
    1
  4256. He, and his fellow populists, have a magic formula to appeal to idiots and the hard of thinking.
    1
  4257. After 12 years of Tory rule, we have the NHS collapsing and trusts paying agencies thousands for a single shift from a doctor or a nurse. The NHS is simply not safe in Tory hands. Tories out!!!
    1
  4258. Lowe would be a perfect leader for the sh1t-show aspiring to Reform the country. Even some of their hard-of-thinking supporters might recogise a moron.
    1
  4259. Sunak's rampant traditional Toryism exposed. Is Johnson briefing against him? Another of Buffoon's potential challengers gone. A party of moronic charlatans.
    1
  4260. Employment is not a numbers game, yet so many buy the rhetoric. Matching the right skills, knowledge and physical abilities is essential in filling each and every job, yet so many think laziness is the root cause of labour shortages. They probably think that the government had a trained workforce ready for every job vacancy after freedom of movement ended, but unfortunately the trained people caught Covid. Just ask how well we have taken back control and who was responsible.
    1
  4261.  @Dan_1348  That's bollocks: democratically elected!! A cabal of charlatans supported by a minority-elected (43.6%) of voters makes them undemocratically elected in an elective dictatorship. And weren't our laws supposed to be at least as strong as the EU's? - according to the serial liar Johnson.
    1
  4262.  @Dan_1348  No hallowed MPs for me. And none got a majority to do it without consent of other party MPs. That's called real democracy rather than a gang of desparate mavericks wrecking the country.
    1
  4263. Johnson wishes everything away, as any entitled parasite would. First deny the GB/NI border, then sign an agreement to acknowledge it but fail to implement it in the hope that it will vanish. As for funding extra public services. The Tories spin the illusion.of tax and spend, until they wish to fund a vanity project that benefits their sponsors. Then they simply create the money through QE and pretend we have to pay it back. Another illusion designed to support their class war.
    1
  4264. The dangerous morons are appealing to the desperate: Trump in America; Le Pen in France. They promise the earth and the moon, except you would be desperate enough to flee to the moon when they take the earth away after extracting everything for the wealthiest and most powerful. Here, thankfully, we have a poundshop version called Farage.
    1
  4265. When wages increase, it's part of Johnson's plan. When inflation occurs, it's someone else's fault. Buffoon needs lessons in economics and his chancellor needs a refresher.
    1
  4266. Agreed. A great man, sadly missed.
    1
  4267. The lunatic Tory and UKIP immigration argument has always been one of numbers: more people putting pressure on the system. This ignored the fact that none of the net contribution of immigrants was reinvested in infrastructure. "Look over there, they are taking what you worked for!" Total crap when the work and contribution of immigrants is ignored while our infrastructure is dismantled by a government of charlatans. The blame belongs fairly and squarely in one place: that's known as government.
    1
  4268.  @timelwell7002 I agree with you: the intention of neoliberalism was to exacerbate inequality by persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle down.
    1
  4269.  @LL-vk9zc  the comment related to the video, specifically about Johnson, but other candidates could be considered.
    1
  4270. Wouldn't know. I'm colour blind. Both are wazzocks.
    1
  4271. I consistently wonder how Johnson and his cabal get worse by the day. Lower than a snake's belly and smelling worse than horse dung. Scum was a compliment.
    1
  4272. Look at every Tory policy and they take us further back towards the 19th century. Back to the workhouse, plebs. Or stay shackled to your desks. The party of enlightenment lol
    1
  4273.  @lectorintellegat  I didn't say that the bank acted correctly. Whether he should have been offered an alternative account is between them and him. Foghorn's vanity was hurt but to claim he was de-banked or forced to leave the country is the Orwellian part. Banks operate secretly and there is a banking ombudsman. Many homeless people can't even get a basic bank account. Now that's "Orwellian' and concerns me more than an attention seeking wazzock being inconvenienced.
    1
  4274.  @lectorintellegat  No, they did not. But the attention seeking wazzock wasn't "de-banked" or forced to move abroad, as some claim. He was offered an alternative account. We have righteous indignation for Foghorn from the media, while people are going hungry and homeless people can't even get a basic bank account. Anger created by deflection.
    1
  4275. Little Spiv simply can't say Yes. Other than to Tory donors. When challenged with hard fact, he squirms like a true Tory.
    1
  4276. Utter blx! What has this buffoon won? More distrust? Talking garbage in our adversarial parliament while failing to answer a single question. Johnson thrives on theatre at the expense of fact and responsible governance. We are all the losers with this clear and present danger at the helm.
    1
  4277. And what does that say of the morons who fire at them?
    1
  4278. At last people are realising that the myth is precisely that: a myth. If comparing years in power since the second world war, the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour. Our national debt was increasing during the years of austerity. Moreover, real incomes had increased under the last Labour government, only to shrink during 12 years of Tory economic sadism.
    1
  4279.  @johnrussell3961  absolutely agree.
    1
  4280. Those who did not follow the rules were fined by police. As a leader of a minority-elected government he sets an example. The rules were actually written into legislation using emergency powers. I see so many vacuous attempts at defence from pseudonym accounts. Welcome to the world of inanity.
    1
  4281. Welcome to Tory Britain. How many of this soulless party agree with Thatcher's claim that there is no such thing as society? They certainly know how to destroy it.
    1
  4282. Can't pay for petrol; can't fasten a seatbelt. Who is this wazzock running the country?
    1
  4283.  @davidgreen6490  Glad to know you think you are one of the intelligent members of society. Brainwashing certainly works. Enjoy the Chinese manufactured unicorns.
    1
  4284.  @gallyman100  That's probably because the richest don't pay their fair share, while the economy is generally mismanaged.
    1
  4285.  @gallyman100  so, mismanagement rather than corruption
    1
  4286. I agree that the method is wrong, perhaps should be based on income as in the US. But corrupt?
    1
  4287.  @meatabolichealingUK  The wrong method? possibly. Mismanaged? Often. But corrupt???
    1
  4288.  @johnchristopher3544  Evidence, please!!!
    1
  4289.  @johnchristopher3544  Evidence, please...
    1
  4290.  @meatabolichealingUK  Of course not. Unfortunately we can't decide what our personal tax is spent on. The fault is in our undemocratic system. I'm more concerned about the richest avoiding tax and paying proportionately less in tax on investments
    1
  4291.  @johnchristopher3544  Part to vulture capitalism; part to fund mass slaughter? Hard to know with these charlatans.
    1
  4292. The media are here to manufacture consent to whatever suits their oligarch owners. Harry is right. As for our minority-elected government and our undemocratic system, don't get me started.
    1
  4293. Why? The Tories champion business inefficiency for convenience and the maximum extraction of profit. Perhaps they would approve of having every worker on permanent standby, so employers can call on them whenever they are needed.
    1
  4294. The Lib Dems are irrelevant. Labour is no longer a broad church, after culling and suppression by Sir Starmer. The Tories are more toxic than the black death and covid combined. Call me cynical, but hope has almost disappeared in Britain. We need a revolution...hopefully a peaceful one.
    1
  4295. Neoliberalism, finalization, brexit, suppression of protest, leaving EHRC. All part of the plan to return to Victorian conditions. A class war over and won.
    1
  4296. We can't afford a substantial rise for nurses yet we spaff public money on agency nursing, at excessive prices, so we can dismantle the NHS piece by piece. The NHS is not for sale; it's just being dismantled for private profit. Tory scum.
    1
  4297. Let's be fair: someone with a double-barrelled name is allowed to be condescending. In fact, it's mandatory.
    1
  4298. No freedom of speech in fascist Britain then?
    1
  4299.  @kevinnicholson7722  no
    1
  4300.  @theattila567  No. Financialisation followed neoliberalism, so true after 1979
    1
  4301.  @tonygange7636  would that be the same Starmer who said he would resign if fined?
    1
  4302.  @kevinsyd2012  My facts are entirely accurate because many pensioners have additional pensions, such as works pensions, that they contributed to. The sum of all pension earnings is taxable. Do you really think you could survive on the pittance of a state pension?
    1
  4303.  @kevinsyd2012  How are my facts incorrect? I'm aware of how taxation on pensions works and am acutely aware of a differential in free pay before the Tories came to power. I have given pure facts. That differential has been eroded by the austerity loving parasites who tried to pretend that pensioners were loaded. My facts are correct.
    1
  4304. The most effective response: boycott the programme. Another lying Tory wazzock.
    1
  4305. Wonder how much money the Rwanda scam has wasted and how far it would go to paying nurses what they deserve?
    1
  4306. Sunak is a spent force, yet for every month he stays in power Labour seems to water down another pledge and fails to call out Israel. Westminster yields perpetual disappointment. We will be reduced to voting for the leaser of two evils.
    1
  4307.  @boxtradums0073  I agree, but unfortunately the Westminster Parliament affects all UK countries. Until independence is achieved.
    1
  4308. Perhaps he will deign to rearrange the deckchairs on the titanic before he goes. There is some kind of clearout to allow the extreme idiots free reign, as this morning Johnson has been referred to the police for another misdemeanor.
    1
  4309.  @SmartCookie2022  More dumb stuff from your pseudonym account. Investment in green energy creates jobs, as it usually reduces the import of dirty energy. Jobs create spending power and resultant purchases create growth. As a bonus, we help save the planet. You may be happy for your pseudonym cookie to crumble if the planet fries, by which time too late to see sense.
    1
  4310.  @martinmanifold2241  What? Name such a conflict...
    1
  4311.  @BOZ_11  two out of five then?
    1
  4312. Johnson continually proves beyond reasonable doubt that our parliamentary system is unfit for purpose. No independent inquiry; he has the final say on the report; habitually and repeatedly misleading parliament. For how long will we entertain this rogues gallery with the derisory label of democracy?
    1
  4313. The fact that Barclay is hiding in a bunker shows how serious he is about his job. The fact that the government is blase about 40% of newly-qualified doctors leaving the NHS shows that they can't be trusted with our health service. Tories out.
    1
  4314. As one of the pensioners losing the allowance, I'm hardly shocked by the lame neoliberal stupidity of Starmer and Reeves. With an alleged "black hole" of twenty-odd billion quid, these sociopaths come after the very people who are unable to resist, to raise less than two billion to chuck in the alleged hole. Meanwhile ignoring the proposal of the patriotic millionaires to tax wealth. Completely disregarding the fact that passive investment income could be taxed at the same rate as work income. This is at a time when energy prices increase while suppliers continue to profiteer from the highest prices in Europe. I would regard this inanity as symbolism and an act of bullying by pathetic cowards working for their string pullers. (From a voter who supports the few real Labour MPs with a backbone.)
    1
  4315. And next: the return of the convict? Not content with scraping the barrel to find someone even less competent than Johnson, they may resort to portraying him as some kind of hero - the lesser of all evils that they could inflict on the population. Only the desparate, the intellectually lazy or the plain stupid would vote for these wazzocks.
    1
  4316. A chancellor with no basic understanding of economics? Or just a psychopathic liar?
    1
  4317.  @kingdontrump9182  hypocritical King. If you tell me how he could have been worse, I'll give you four ways he would have been better.
    1
  4318. Braverman is not just disgraceful. Both she and Sunak's cabinet are clueless. Announcing an unworkable policy against international law. First we had their world-beating Rwanda policy (which cost a lot, including court fees, for next to nothing) and now her boss smiles as though he has a plan to give the refugees free swimming lessons and chuck them in the channel. The Tories never think things through, nor do joined-up thinking. Just another vacuous announcement for the benefit of idiots and racists.
    1
  4319. I doubt that either our own or the US governments are in this large "middle space" that Andrew so ably describes. Yes, we have rightly offered unconditional support to our Jewish and Muslim population. Yet, apparently, we have voted against the UN proposed ceasefire and America has vetoed it. It seems that our unconditional support is being extended to Netanyahu's extreme government when they are clearly acting against international law. We can't pretend to take the moral high ground while supplying arms to Israel while it is involved in mass slaughter of innocent people. We are not in the middle space; we are complicit in this inhumanity and illegality.
    1
  4320. The Tories are aimless and useless to all except the rich and powerful.
    1
  4321.  @Dubya-i3v  pathetic!!!
    1
  4322. Rwanda is what the Tories aspire to: an authoritarian one-party state. Even without the wise and poignant words of Chris B, just follow the events. The courts declare the Rwanda deal illegal. Up pops a new Home Secretary (named as an oxymoron). After a few days of scribbling on the back of a fag packet he launches a new bill, pandering to the petulance of the little spiv acting as PM. In declaring Rwanda safe by an Act, Sunak assumes dictatorship. Even many Tories couldn't make this sh1t up.
    1
  4323. Fake adverts and a fake Website used by the Tories in their last election campaign. Wonder why Johnson doesn't do anything.
    1
  4324. Truth hurts. So many comments shooting the messenger. Which of Biden's words are factually incorrect? The populist apologists depend on name-calling to discredit the messenger when they can't find any argument against the message. We suffer misinformation and disinformation on an industrial scale. Manufacturing consent for power based on blatant lies under the very lie of "free speech" on platforms using rigged algorithms.
    1
  4325. The Prime Minister is the serial prime offender. Great leadership of Global Britain.
    1
  4326. Perpetuated and, at least, exacerbated by a rigged mainstream media and complicit governments.
    1
  4327.  @Member_zero  "What good will it do?" is a defeatist argument imo. If we take the lead and show China, with the threat of taking back industries if they don't clean up, that would be too much like leadership for our inept and corrupt politicians. I understand that China is developing thorium production. Long term and a potential pipe dream at this stage but so was the wheel if we go back far enough. It's too easy to find excuses while global warming grows.
    1
  4328. Sunak wants to be a polluter, under the pretence of extra houses. The end result: more shit in rivers and as much chance of extra houses as the 40 new hospitals. Meanwhile we subsidise builders to make extra profit.
    1
  4329. The Tories have graduated from the austerity twins (Cameron and Osborne) to the bearer of the poisoned challice (Theresa May) followed by a serial liar who got brexit half done while buggering up the country. A brief interlude from a delusional idiot, obsessed with trickle down and devoid of economic competence. To a little spiv with his psychopathic sidekick who had previously torn apart the NHS. This dynamic duo continues to exacerbate inequality while dismantling public services and parroting five pledges that noone asked for, yet they are failing to deliver.
    1
  4330. A bigot pretending to support democracy after Johnson had a minority mandate (43.6% of verified votes) in the first place.
    1
  4331. Excellent explanation. It's more a question of political will: parties unfortunately believing that low taxation delivers votes and some even spinning that it stimulates growth. Total Fallacy. I also remember a chancellor depending solely on interest rates bring likened to a single-club golfer. The authors of MMT (Mitchell and Fazi) titled their work Reclaiming the State. Unfortunately neoliberals are opposed to that so they can run down state services to keep power in the hands of the 1%. MMT is the perfect vehicle to deliver social justice, but we need the political will to implement it.
    1
  4332. They are making the best argument for public ownership. Only the Tories can't see that. Wonder who their donors are?
    1
  4333. What's a c nut? Lol. A Tory with dyslexia?
    1
  4334.  @antiwoke6888  bullshit! Show your workings. Btw, most can't work until their applications are processed or they could help with building. Tell the Home Office to get their finger out.
    1
  4335. Yes. PR is the key. We have a minority-elected government with a majority commensurate with the votes AGAINST THEM. That's not democracy.
    1
  4336. Your point being? At least you didn't use the pitiful "business model" bullshit.
    1
  4337. How to appeal to an audience of illiterate f'kwits by acting like a man-child. A great lesson from the world's richest wazzock.
    1
  4338. @Tom well, Tom, you have a problem with comprehension. Here's the acid test: would Buffoon repeat his words verbatim outside parliament?
    1
  4339. @Tom you think that's an answer, Tom. Study basic comprehension. If you review your exchanges on this thread, the lack of logic and ownership is obvious.
    1
  4340. @Tom how?
    1
  4341.  @BENTWOONEZERO  meaning???
    1
  4342. Unwise to draw conclusions with such a low turnout. Also with FPTP proportional votes are at best an approximate indicator.
    1
  4343. Thank heaven we don't need, and don't intend, to fly to America.
    1
  4344. And replace it with what? What about the employer's contribution? We can guess who will benefit most (and least...) Another day, another Tory gimmick.
    1
  4345. The pork lobby will support Truss. Will this make her favourite to the party of incompetence and lies?
    1
  4346. One of the more infuriating customer experiences is dealing with outsourced call centres, often abroad. The classic example of business theory meeting practice in a collision.
    1
  4347.  @robertosborne7542  imo a combination of the two. Yet definitely complicit as you say.
    1
  4348.  @MOFFS  how?
    1
  4349.  @lordflashget8780  Yes. What Chomsky and Herman called manufactured consent is very powerful.
    1
  4350.  @videowatchr5565  No point making voting mandatory unless all votes are equal, under PR
    1
  4351. People susceptible to a Tory bribe after 14 years of fiscal incompetence, are either naive, intellectually lazy, or downright crazy. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1947. They are NOT the party of economic competence.
    1
  4352. This is also a price of our elective dictatorship. It took a minority (43.6%) of verified votes to give a serial liar and proven operational incompetent absolute power at a critical time. Many have paid with their lives. The rest of us pay daily.
    1
  4353. Rats in a sack. Hardly reassuring that we will be led by the chief rat. Tories out.
    1
  4354. Sunak is having quite a week: taking a seedy bet on an issue that breaches international law and affects vulnerable people's lives; then making a stupid, childish and scripted, statement and showing no human empathy. Little Rishi the spiv must be an alien or a robot. When he gets away from his spreadsheets he hasn't a clue. His maths on the economy also belong to a parallel universe.
    1
  4355. Trump says he knows lots of words. Here is one that he's facing: COMEUPPANCE
    1
  4356.    ??? Relevance?
    1
  4357.  @Paradoxolog  Democracy means government by the people - in either direct or representative form. Our system is unrepresentative and thus undemocratic. Votes are not equal, so how can that be democratic? I subscribe to the definition of our system by Lord Hailsham (formerly Quintin Hogg, a Tory) as being an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4358. Independent reports suggest that the richest 1% will gain from this budget. Which means the remaining 42.6% of Tory voters should feel betrayed (assuming the said 1% voted Tory.) How many will realise that? Or will they act as moronic sheep?
    1
  4359. Did you really say that? Painting our incompetent government that has wasted £126.7 billion since the start of the pandemic as victims. Strikers lose pay and strike for a reason.
    1
  4360. The immediate concern is high interest rates on "borrowing". Caused or accelerated by the BofE selling bonds for quantitative tightening. Starmer and Reeves should intervene and stop it.
    1
  4361. How many of the 43.6% of voters who elected this mess now regret rejecting hope for a vacuous three-word slogan? Perhaps just those who didn't vote out of greed and have since met reality face to face.
    1
  4362. The sign of great leadership! Back your staff and work as a team. Page 1 of the leadership manual but Dizzy Lizzy is either illiterate or arrogance on steroids.
    1
  4363. @@dogboy5398 Your demanding tone smacks of arrogance. https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/pollution-and-air-quality/ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-london/ulez-frequently-asked-questions/what-evidence-air-pollution-leads-around-4000-premature-deaths
    1
  4364.  @rlxts  And if the stats took account of visiting vehicles, would the ratio change? Probably not, as many drivers would check compliance then use public transport. If the stats are false, what are the true figures and what is the source?
    1
  4365.  @ohnoitisnt  Odd that the government gets off "Scot free" when they have imposed the deadline on the major. Using this to whip up anger for their populist agenda.
    1
  4366.  @suleydaman  Yes. We have to ask why (while taking cognisance of Tory weaponisation). There are adequate public transport alternatives in central London. What about the new areas? Is the compensation from central government adequate? Why not ban polluting vehicles and offer adequate compensation, with suitable alternatives? As usual, the government is being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough. Same blame shifting; different day.
    1
  4367.  @mujomujo3567  Think you will find that the government mandated the expansion as a funding condition. Now they shift the blame.
    1
  4368.  @disgruntledwookie369  So you seem to be suggesting that more vehicles should be prohibited, or pay charges.
    1
  4369. We will find the consequences of an ex prime minister lying under oath. Somehow, I suspect that the said consequences would be different for the rest of society.
    1
  4370. A true testament to a great parliamentarian, albeit from a dodgy source. You have to live the comic media.
    1
  4371. @@user-vf7vp2wk8p No. They left that to the far right rent-a-thugs, who broke through the police barriers and disrespected the honour of those who fought to free us from dictatorship and fascism.
    1
  4372.  @RichardFraser-y9t  apparently it's the highest form of repartee.
    1
  4373. The Tories have honed their ideology so effectively, we don't have small state, we have virtually no state left.
    1
  4374.  @BAmalakas  Which proves nothing. The two are not mutually exclusive. How does a religion fit the said definition? Just bile and bs. Waiting for an explanation.
    1
  4375.  @BAmalakas  you picked one, which was also true of catholicism until relatively recently. So what? Fascism specifically relates to government and politics. Read the definition.
    1
  4376.  @BAmalakas  To describe a religion as politics is trite. How does it fit said definition? You are being as evasive as Farage and Tice.
    1
  4377. A party of grifters now have a little spiv as leader. What an abject shit show.
    1
  4378. So here we are with a choice of Tory or Tory-Light and may eventually get PR, but even that's far from certain. British politics is far from inspiring and Sir Starmer is a disappointment. I shall have to vote tactically come the next election, but, on policies, under the present sh1tfest my choice would be green.
    1
  4379.  @bumblingborisbuffoon6259  which is why I said I'm voting tactically rather than on policy.
    1
  4380. The Lansley report (in 2012) was a charter for profiteers. Steeeting is promising to use the private sector to reduce waiting lists. A repeat of Blair but unfortunately the Tories used this is an excuse for further privatisation. Efficiency savings? Don't get me started! Stop wasting money on management consultants and instill a culture of continuous improvement, consulting the staff on the ground who will suggest improvements from their practical experience.
    1
  4381.  @tez6693  "flawless" and Farage in the same sentence? Not "de-banked" but offered an alternative account. His ego drives a campaign of misdirection.
    1
  4382. "Flawless?" Really!!! He was not "de-banked" but was offered an alternative account. How does that force him out of the country? His ego is driving a campaign of misdirection. I know that's unusual for old Nige. Lol
    1
  4383. If Priti Shitty becomes the voice of reason, the Tory party is embarking on its lunacy phase
    1
  4384. In simple language: Johnson didn't do detail. As a sociopathic wazzock with a short attention span, why would he? Cometh the hour; cometh the idiot. His proud record is reflected in our death count.
    1
  4385.  @andyforshaw8489  I've just explained why Labour won't do that. Recommend a course on critical thinking, instead of mindless trolling.
    1
  4386.  @roughbeast  Yes. For such a powerful force, the oligarch media act in desperation.
    1
  4387.  @maybe-xh8il  so you stop at three word slogans and believe those? Look where that got us.
    1
  4388.  @StuartJ  no. Can't imagine such a hypothetical. Perhaps you will explain your flight of fancy.
    1
  4389.  @StuartJ  thanks for the compliment, Stuart, I hardly qualify as a youngster after 7 decades of life experience. A manifesto giving costed details (beyond three word slogans) is hardly utopia. It's a plan that can become reality, against the wishes of the oligarch media and financial puppet masters.
    1
  4390. A large crisis requiring a large plan, says Blackadder. The Tories don't even have one of Baldrick's cunning plans. Their answer is to brazen it out.
    1
  4391. President Moron, masquerading as King Donald. He is some Canute.
    1
  4392. ​ @ryanwalters6184 is the "Telsa" a new model?
    1
  4393. Labour votes were also obscured (possibly conflated) by tactical voting in our undemocratic system. I voted tactically but under PR, Greens would have had my vote in the last election.
    1
  4394. In response to fact, the man with two names spoke with forked tongue. I hear that nurses would welcome safe working levels every day on wards, especially when they are running a ward alone without adequate support. Of course other countries are affected by the pandemic, but started from a better position with health and care services fit for purpose. The Tories have dismantled the NHS for a decade before the pandemic. They simply can't be trusted with the NHS. Enough is enough.
    1
  4395. Who are 'they"? The sociopathic morons in government?
    1
  4396. A "plan" expecting Hamas to vote for their own destruction is not a plan. Yahoo should cut the rhetoric and seek real and lasting peace. Hamas is the product of an apartheid state.
    1
  4397. True. They are not being caught and swimming freely in our excrement.
    1
  4398. Classic bs
    1
  4399. Let's not have such pesky things as food standards, workers' rights or environmental standards. We'll let the free market rip so the poor will take shit while we have caviar and champagne imported on tap. Didn't see that in the Brexshit campaign. Didn't the serial liar say that our standards would be at least as high as the EUs?
    1
  4400.  @RealMash  too much information. Wouldn't want to know.
    1
  4401. With over 70% of England's water owned by foreign countries, how well is taking back control going?
    1
  4402. Great comparison. He's also lower than a snake's belly.
    1
  4403. There is no such thing as an unrepresentative democracy; it's an elective dictatorship. With a minority (43.6%) of votes producing a majority of seats, the government has no mandate from the people. We need PR, followed by parliamentary reform.
    1
  4404. A self-obsessed sociopath working with a sociopathic serial liar. Quite a combination. The duo that delivered the brexit lie being so operationally incompetent that they couldn't manage a p1ss-up in a brewery. Not exactly the surprise of the year.
    1
  4405. The BBC errs on the side of a state propaganda machine and fails to effectively hold government to account. It should be moderated by media professionals, answerable to a people's assembly, with government arranging funding only. Ken Loach is a hero because of his sincerity and his refusal to conform to the establishment view.
    1
  4406.  @InTheSpotlight755  so what?
    1
  4407.  @InTheSpotlight755  precisely my question to you: relevance or whataboutery?
    1
  4408. Amazing that Sunak didn't pause to consider a wealth or windfall tax when the richest 10 people have seen their wealth double during the Pandemic. Could there be some Tory self-interest at play? The man is as big a joke as the rest of his party. That joke, as ever, is on us.
    1
  4409. Sweet irony. The Tories benefit from Russian dark money and tech manipulation. Yet the plane of the Minister of Pseudonyms is interfered with. Who would let this prat in a cockpit or anywhere near government?
    1
  4410. The Tories use the term "illegal migration" without explanation or defence. That amounts to pure rhetoric for the brain dead, with a complicit media parroting it. The 1951 UN Convention on Refugees makes it clear that there is no obligation to arrive by lawful or regular means when claiming asylum. Yet the Tories allow the application backlog to grow - more than 8 times greater than when they took power - to create a problem and stoke their fascist rhetoric. Sunak is a pathetic little spiv.
    1
  4411. Dr Julia Grace Patterson at Every Doctor is running a campaign, after consultation with medical professionals, to present an alternative strategy against privatisation. Streeting was always going this way after working with Milburn and taking money from private health companies. Never trust a red Tory.
    1
  4412. Long way to go and we won't get the terms we had. A closer relationship has to be the first step, yet Starmer is shit scared of saying so and even the Lib Dems are insipid on the topic.
    1
  4413. The longer Buffoon stays, the better - unless the Tories bugger off. Meanwhile Buffoon will only weaken them and damage any shred of credibility left (in the minds of the stupid, of course.)
    1
  4414. That description suits Britain.
    1
  4415. After his recent flag-sha**ing announcements of bs and bile, Farage has changed his job description to chief sh1t-stirrer.
    1
  4416.  @philipmerewood2298  relevance???
    1
  4417.  @nancyreid2416  Ah! Whataboutery! Would that be the divorce settlement, or for continued cooperation in projects? A legal obligation or cooperation that gives a return is not waste. Unworkable policies driven by vanity and hubris are.
    1
  4418.  @abody499  I think a large proportion is based on a failing economy and hardship, where reality doesn't match the rhetoric of politicians and the excuses of the media. Perhaps you mean the same thing.
    1
  4419.  @adenwellsmith6908  The first two are supposed to happen already, but we create a backlog to manufacture a problem. The last one needs measurement and would include family members. Also we need exceptions for genuine refugees. Rhetoric and symbolism without definition doesn't cut it. The fake solutions I referred to are economic: stripping out social and health services. Reform have no plans; just empty statements, and would reform us into a banana republic without the bananas.
    1
  4420.  @allwelsh  accurate language in the context she used it. Shame she withdrew it later.
    1
  4421.  @allwelsh  don't see double standards: one comment was opinion, the other was baseless accusation and misogyny. Not that I'm a fan of Rayner, just hate the gutter press.
    1
  4422. Only a weasel could offer such an "apology." Matt continues to seek forgiveness. Our parliament is a disgrace.
    1
  4423. The real reason exposed! Tories want to bring the health service to its knees, as an excuse for more privatisation. Emulating the worst model in the world: the American model. Because of their ideological pursuit of neoliberalism, to benefit only the 1%
    1
  4424.  @elgrandjefe4661  I don't know whether it's just clumsy or planned incompetence to help disaster capitalists. In following politics more closely since retirement I can't believe with this shower of sociopathic incompetents get away with.
    1
  4425. But Johnson said: "No checks between GB and NI, or NI and GB" So did he lie when he said it, or when he signed the agreement? Buffoon is a clear and present danger - propped up by an incompetent cabinet.
    1
  4426. The heading could stop at "Johnson incapable." Our lazy and inept buffoon has his strings pulled by Russian oligarchs, Tory donors, right wing pressure groups, and is backed and tolerated by these groups while he can create a vacuum for them to exploit and profit from. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    1
  4427. After selling your soul, you are still in the control of the rich and powerful. If Starmer supports and implements PR, he has my support. It's the first and most necessary step in tackling corruption.
    1
  4428. 300 pages of obfuscation describing a bucket of whitewash. I remember Cummings talking about Johnson's vacuous "levelling up" promise. Perhaps Dom has spotted that two-word slogans don't work, whereas the right three words successfully con the public. The Tory strategy is being seen to do something, while achieving sod all - apart from putting money in the pockets of their backers.
    1
  4429. The picture of a psychopath with a fixed smile is nauseating, especially when his knowledge of economics is abysmal. You got relief, you pay for it while the richest amass fortunes in investment income, taxed at a lower rate. Hunt and the Tories will always make the wrong choices for the many to benefit the few (their string-pullers.)
    1
  4430. Rwanda is a money pit for the gullible Tories intent on symbolism.
    1
  4431. Taking back control always meant make it up as you go along.
    1
  4432. There is one consolation from these channels (under investigation) that appeal to idiots. They have a small audience, so fewer idiots than I'd suspected.
    1
  4433. The downside is you can't set your own interest rates or use QE to issue money for capital projects. You are dependent on EU fiscal policy
    1
  4434.  @davidmcintyre8145  "collapse" is an overstatement with a fiat currency. Moving to the Euro is changing one set of austerity rules for another. Scotland would benefit from its own currency, to set its own interest rates and monetary policy. Worst case, the Euro as you say.
    1
  4435.  @davidmcintyre8145  not sure how much of a say after the experience of Greece. The EU is a better option that "Global Britain" though.
    1
  4436.  @davidmcintyre8145  agreed. But still the ideal is own currency, then Scotland can set interest rates and use QE, as the video explains.
    1
  4437. A house of...corrupt actors, liars, law breakers, charlatans, misogynists, sex offenders, incompetents... the list goes on. A government to be deeply ashamed of, other than for the intellectually challenged or the greedy and self-interested.
    1
  4438. This Tory government is beyond contempt. They are not only arrogant but so brazen, they have made a fine art of taking the piss and laughing in our faces while we pay the legal costs of their vanity.
    1
  4439. Johnson is the Eton mess. A puppet of the financially powerful. A bully of the vulnerable. A coward to the 1%.
    1
  4440. An intellectual genius appealing to the crime miniature. Is this the party of comedy?
    1
  4441. This government wants to run down the NHS to justify privatisation. Instead of stupid league tables they should work with GP leaders to explain why telephone consultations are needed, and to improve the booking system to accommodate them.
    1
  4442. Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  4443. The Tories lurching further right into extremism or even fascism is a real and present danger. Such extremists galvanise resentment by helping to cause a problem, clearly articulating it, shifting blame to its victims then offering an artificial "solution" that benefits the powerful while subjugating many of their own voters to greater inequality and poverty. The ultimate con.
    1
  4444. In the Neoliberal agenda, profit levels are not questioned. They are not only a right, they're inevitable. Noone in their right mind believes the twaddle of trickle down. But questioning excessive profits is a step too far. We are brainwashed against it.
    1
  4445. The sequence has been catastrophic: Johnson the serial liar and operational incompetent; followed by the lunacy of trickle-down Truss; and now the spiv who promised integrity, professionalism and accountability, then delivers corruption, incompetence and opacity. ENOUGH IS BEYOND ENOUGH after 14 years of these rogues and liars.
    1
  4446. Even idiots are entitled to a vote and it's a law of nature that someone as vacuous and crazy as Habib will appeal to some idiots. Farage, on the other hand, is the master of appealing to idiots, who may be too lazy to look at his track record of promises and delivery. Vote Reform for fascism in a banana republic.
    1
  4447. Anyone listening to the catalogue of Tory lies would see through them when looking at the size of their bills and a diminishing bank balance. That's without the application of critical thought, which makes the Tories a spent cabal of charlatans.
    1
  4448. I'm reading a newly released book called Critical - why the NHS is being betrayed... and anyone reading it will realise that the Tories can't be trusted with the NHS. Sadly, after hearing Streeting, Labour's approach is questionable. If opposition parties get their act together, they have an open door on this most important issue. Public services have been dismantled under the Tories and opposition parties need to hold them to account then work with experts to offer hope for the future. Going from a Tory mess to austerity light is simply not a viable option.
    1
  4449. Nothing is accepted as the fault of Brexit because we must believe in Unicorns and wait patiently for 10 years to see the benefits.
    1
  4450. It seems that the Tories have a master plan. To bring Britain to its knees. Ripe for disaster capitalism and asset stripping. A casino for unregulated banking with the rest of the population relegated to serfdom. Tory scum.
    1
  4451.  @creativecascades1328  Not true. Other EU countries are seeing growth, so real incomes are at least matching inflation. True, Brexit is "neither here nor there" for them. It's just crippling us - exports down, small businesses going under with high costs and brexit paperwork. The mainstream media stay silent, to protect a government that was operationally stupid enough to complete brexit during a pandemic, so they could shift the blame for their abject incompetence. You may also hear Bodger Johnson and Dim Lizzy Truss bleating about the NI protocol... Neither here not there.... "Oven ready deal..." Join the airport queues or line up with the lorries at Dover and carry that banner. You won't be popular. At least the first part of your pseudonym account is accurate: creative excuses to the point of denial.
    1
  4452.  @creativecascades1328  rebounds from a lower low during the pandemic. The base figure is critical in any comparison to anyone understanding stats. Real incomes in the UK, on the other hand...
    1
  4453.  @NetZeroNo  not that old trope about gold reserves again, Foxy. I won't bother answering if you have been too lazy to research why. We now have a fiat currency. Welcome to the 21st century.
    1
  4454.  @ralphmillais5237  we need RESPONSIBLE government, resulting from real democracy instead of our elective dictatorship.
    1
  4455.  @creativecascades1328  not very creative are you. Examples with references please. Looking at this thread, you don't even read replies, let alone consider them. Where will your ground shift next? Do you use a random garbage generator in our posts?
    1
  4456.  @creativecascades1328  show me the facts. Who are attempting to escape France? Don't answer refugees because you will fall in a trap the size of a pit. Without facts, your rhetoric is spoonfed sh1te. You are the gullible bot. Btw, I don't support Starmer but his misdemeanours don't even register on the scale of BoJoke's
    1
  4457.  @johnokeeffe6014  Personally I prefer real democracy, starting with PR, a codified constitution and a parliamentary procedure that is fit for purpose. We assume honour and fair play, allowing liars and rogues to run rampant.
    1
  4458. How surprising that Foghorn renews his obsession with immigration, after hanging around his friend Donald like a groupie. Pathetic!!!
    1
  4459.  @taffyman6089  Yes. So surprising that the most powerful trading bloc in the world didn't fold against a single country pretending to be a global trading power.
    1
  4460. Does JRM have a bigger brain than Donald Trump? Or am I thinking of Donald Duck?
    1
  4461. Imagine the Tories removing or restricting any human rights. Who would have believed it? Tory scum.
    1
  4462. There was always one catch to Brexit: how could we trust a cabinet of morons to take back control?
    1
  4463. ​ @Silverlining.16 the world quakes when President Moron farts through his mouth. Pull the other one...
    1
  4464. Tories don't understand negotiation, which is why they won't face competent unions. They depend on servility to use divide and rule.
    1
  4465. Johnson would ditch any law that doesn't suit him in his populist agenda, towards his pursuit of fascism. His populism appeals to idiots, then he depends on the oligarch media to manufacture consent.
    1
  4466. ​ @christophermoor1186 lazy sophistry. If you want to see someone blurring the line, the Farage Riots are instructive. Deliberately throwing doubt on the police, while excusing thugs. Making false accusations based on race without verifying fact. We have media channels adopting that as policy.
    1
  4467. There is even suspicion that Farage will join them as the new leader. The party of scum will undoubtedly get the leader they deserve.
    1
  4468. There is always room for idiots under the populist leadership of Tice and Farage. Only the desperate would vote for their stupidity. Remember Brexit? Not their fault, of course...
    1
  4469. How would that work? What cost of admin?
    1
  4470. How dare Mad Nads attack the paragon of integrity, professionalism and accountability? The man who allegedly gained an MBA without understanding inflation. The very chancellor who presided over £21 billion of waste and fraud (over 2 years) with his mate Johnson as PM.
    1
  4471. Brexit: a series of lies for consumption by the ignorant or intellectually lazy. The same can be said of Tory policies. Quite a coincidence that an inept Tory government has evolved the worst Brexit possible.
    1
  4472.  @OghamTheBold  here you go again. A troll with a pseudonym account suggesting bravery but offering vacuous rubbish
    1
  4473. Anyone who doubts this is a cabal of crooked idiots needs either a course in critical thinking or a lobotomy.
    1
  4474. Even Cummings described this two-word slogan as vacuous. Now we can see why the Tories should have asked him for a three-word slogan. "Bucket of whitewash" perhaps? No. Never describe the truth.
    1
  4475. Imo critical thinking is far more important.
    1
  4476. ​ @JasonK-gt8tm which is pure sophistry manufactured by government. Had we paid into a private fund, that would NOT be the case. Don't let them get away with it. Under commercial arrangements that would be fraud.
    1
  4477. The shortage of funding being exposed, the shortfall to be met with smoke and mirrors. Different chancellor, same Tory bullshit and operational incompetence.
    1
  4478. Am I living in a parallel universe or have the Tories been in power for 12 years? In most organisations, with power comes responsibility. Apparently not in politics through our unfit parliament and our undemocratic electoral system. The Bill for Tory mismanagement since the start of the pandemic amounts to £126.7 billion. This follows years of austerity causing an increase to our national debt. This country is morally bankrupt; and would be financially bankrupt without the right to issue money in our fiat currency. Somehow this money is issued when bankers and ministers balls up, yet is never available to pay workers what they deserve.
    1
  4479.  @pippipster6767  What "truth" am I denying?
    1
  4480. No worries. Shapps would be using a pseudonym to confuse them.
    1
  4481. So true. Yet with the media owned by oligarchs for propaganda and politicians in their pocket, who will change it? Regrettably we may risk civil conflict unless people get together to defeat this rigged system by peaceful means. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of conflict.
    1
  4482.  @garethwilliams4467  These companies owe society to compensate for their profiteering. The neoliberal model is a scam.
    1
  4483.  @garethwilliams4467  My reply was deleted, so you don't get an answer to your irrelevant question...
    1
  4484.  @garethwilliams4467  that's the most inane question, intent on deflection. The chancellor is going to the wrong people to fill the hole...go to the profiteering companies regulated by a toothless body.
    1
  4485.  @garethwilliams4467  a good service at reasonable prices. You presumably applaud vulture capitalism.
    1
  4486. Sunak is not a progressive economist. He is a traditional tax and spend Tory, who is intent on improving lives: the lives of the financially elite. This man is even more dangerous than his boss.
    1
  4487. ​ @brianferguson7840 Please! Don't hesitate. Send for the psych nurse. Lol
    1
  4488. ​ @HammyHamster-c2r  Hello, troll account. Do you think Israel has responded proportionately, in self defence, or does killing over 30000 people count as genocide? Do you understand international law?
    1
  4489. ​ @HammyHamster-c2r Israel is NOT attacking Hamas. Israel is killing Palestinians indiscriminately (30000 deaths and counting.) Are you enjoying your pseudonym troll account?
    1
  4490. Johnson is led; he is not a leader. Led by headlines, donors and pressure groups. Starting a trade war when we are suffering shortages is lunacy. Conclusive proof that buffoon has no interest in the British population...only in himself.
    1
  4491.  @JustMe-bx8gu  especially with a voting system that produces an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4492. Now we parade a world class shit show after being an international laughing stock. Who could take us seriously now?
    1
  4493. ​ @dalecrocker3213 About to reappear, if you listen to the far right.
    1
  4494.  @nzothfatherofdream9231  The narrative is incomplete because neither does it say anything about Nakba and the last 40-odd years. But then it's a short video.
    1
  4495. Chastising thw very man who promised integrity, professionalism and accountability for his lack of the first two qualities. Little Spiv should be banned from the house for a week and lose his pay. That's the only way to treat these reprobates. Penalise and shame them.
    1
  4496.  @samn6498  that's curious. When the Tories have a considerably worse record: having borrowed more and paid back less than Labour. Rhetoric over fact.
    1
  4497.  @Duck-wc9de  Yes. But at some point renovation is not viable - especially when the richest puppet-masters make the decisions. Britain is broken.
    1
  4498. ​ @dirtfarmstudio9829 Twaddle Without Any Thought
    1
  4499. Vocabulary is wonderful and is always evolving. I've just learned that the word "transcactional" is code for corruption.
    1
  4500.  @billgreen8966  it's a question of scale: "a few people paying taxes" and "hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants" No mention of refugees of course and no numeric evidence of the two above statements. "Don't bother commenting." Obviously you are against free speech and cogent argument that does not match your preconceptions. Time for evidence!
    1
  4501.  @billgreen8966  so I'm an insult to myself as a taxpayer? The 21000 you mention in 2021 is interesting. Most came by boat and the number increased dramatically after Brexit because we abandoned the Dublin Regulation, also known as the Dublin Accord. The fact that you can't find official figures may well mean that our systems are not fit for purpose. Many estimates are tenuous and sources questionable. Equally you can't assume that so many are not working and are scrounging. The Daily Fail may love this rhetoric but it is devoid of fact. In his classic misdirection, Farage used the EU as an excuse, by denying freedom of movement (what you call legal immigration) as the excuse to remedy our inability to manage what you call illegal immigration. As a UK taxpayer, I'm more incensed about dark money and billionaire oligarchs taking the rip. The classic misdirection, of course, is to blame the "foreigners" - coincidentally labelled as scroungers. I'm all for managing immigration and managing the economy. We have not only demonstrated an inability to do both, we have got worse while people like Foghorn use classic misdirection to increase the wealth of disaster capitalists.
    1
  4502.  @geoffpoole483  Political volatility has nothing to do with it. I'm showing the fallacy of assigning unintended meaning to simple words without understanding context. The media has a habit of taking words out of context to manipulate opinion and our politicians cower in fear.
    1
  4503.  @twisteddancer7773  are you eluding to the fact that the Tories are buggering it up? Even Honest Bob Jenrick got involved at one stage. At least they show a more expensive level of corruption.
    1
  4504.  @twisteddancer7773  not defending them. Just saying that from bad to worse is no comfort. A government that has spaffed billions on faulty PPE and a useless test and trace system; after running up record debts in spite of austerity is hardly an example.
    1
  4505. This Tory government is populating an alternative universe built on fantasy. No point "clearly publishing" a process that doesn't work in an emergency situation. Wait a few weeks for your visa or come and pick fruit - If there is any in season.
    1
  4506.  @paulheath7407  how, exactly? You can either engage in d1ck swinging or pursue evidence. What came of our approach, other than taking more oligarch money and Tory abuse of Russian electoral interference? Read the Russia report.
    1
  4507. Humming as in smelling from the stench of Tory scum.
    1
  4508. Didn't Rees Mogg say it would take 20 years? Any advance on 20? Somehow they forgot to mention this before the referendum vote. How convenient!
    1
  4509. Bonehead couldn't remember "minute details" after flashing his member. Lol. It seems that this kind of behaviour is a badge of honour in the party of privileged misfits.
    1
  4510. The last part is called sociopathy.
    1
  4511. What this little spiv is saying amounts to: you welcomed my family and I'm sat around the cabinet table to pull up the drawbridge and give 100 free permanent holidays in beautiful Rwanda. Funnily enough, Rwanda is so safe that it acts as a deterrent. In return, Rwanda will send an undisclosed number of people here. This vacuous tokenism will be used as an excuse to dismantle our human rights.
    1
  4512. Will someone please tell President Moron: "Donald, your plan isn't working...because you don't have a plan."
    1
  4513. If you think that Rishi "knows what he's doing," ask yourself, Do you like what he's doing? While he was chancellor, waste and fraud quodrupalled to £21 billion over two years. He, and the Tories, have failed to investigate such fraud. How is his promise of integrity, professionalism and accountability going? The little spiv fails to answer a single question and responds with misinformation or blatant lies.
    1
  4514. Their target voters? The greedy and the brain-dead?
    1
  4515. The Term "the national debt" is relevant only because of the method of accounting where we are in debt to ourselves. Brown didn't crash the economy: you have casino bankers using derivatives to thank for that. Please stop regurgitating Tory lies.
    1
  4516. Great food for thought. We should develop and refine these arguments. Some of the comments below offer sensible building blocks. My own opinion is to be less prescriptive about the system of PR, with a choice of: Do you want a system where all votes count equally instead of a system where seats dont match votes and some votes are wasted? It would then be up to a citizens assembly guided by suitable expertise to decide on the system we adopt. (AV, the list, or a hybrid system)
    1
  4517. Recycling promises to deliver more lies. Q: Why did you not deliver that promise? A:Well, we had the pandemic but if you give us longer, we have the plan... Even the gullible should see through their sh1t; leaving them with the delusional or idiotic as followers.
    1
  4518.  @curtisducati  absolutely! Should have been done for treason. The lie of neoliberalism and trickle down economics. Now regurgitated by Truss, Raab and the Britannia Unchained delusionists.
    1
  4519. Jeremy the proverbial. The man who buggered up the NHS and now about to impose more austerity. The Tory default setting.
    1
  4520. ​ @wolfgangpreier9160  In defence of the voters: we suffer a government inflicted on us by a minority (43.6%) of voters. British stupidity starts with allowing an undemocratic system.
    1
  4521. Is "chasing the new" a consequence of President Moron flooding the zone with sh1t? Government does not entertain. Every action has a consequence and we have to ask who is affected. Clue: the only effect on the oligarchs is their increased wealth...
    1
  4522. Andrew Marr taking a more enlightened view than the (very same} BBC interviewer who repeatedly asked Labour how they were going to pay for it (i.e. their spending plans.) Yet the same question is rarely asked of the party that has borrowed more and paid back least...that would be the Tories. We need transformative economics and Labour could do no better than listen to Prof Richard Murphy on both tax justice and MMT (modern mometary theory.)
    1
  4523. No report on the BBC about the mass demonstration in London in support of the NHS. As John said, they pick and choose. A state service at the call of government. As far as this interview went: John Barnes 3; mainstream media 0
    1
  4524. There's a clown in every circus. There's a bloody buffoon in this one. The 43.6% of voters who supported Johnson must be proud...or angry???
    1
  4525.  @paulsmith5018  yes. And some are in it more than others.
    1
  4526.  @EdwardLindon  a rhetorical question.
    1
  4527. Inequality stifles growth, which is one reason I believe it is necessary to tax wealth. Richard advocates taxing the income from wealth, such as investment income, at a similar rate to work income. His logic seems impeccable. If only Starmer and Reeves would listen...
    1
  4528. Why did Angela Rayner withdraw her poignant comment: TORY SCUM?
    1
  4529. Stamer is clueless as a leader. A dictator who is too busy dictating to strategise. Lead; don't follow Deform UK.
    1
  4530. Sunak has the habit of staying cool while talking pathetic sh1te. This combination displays his callous disinterest.
    1
  4531. While we pay for the legal defence of the person who has done the most damage to Britain in recent history. Chuck the b'sard in the Tower and let him make his protests and speeches from there. Boris the poor victim. Lol.
    1
  4532.  @andyforshaw8489  Perhaps you should read my post again and pay attention to the actual words.
    1
  4533.  @LordOfLight  I suspect you are both right. The argument fed to the voting public was about immigration, to hide the real intent of tax avoidance for disaster capitalists and oligarchs. It's called manufactured consent.
    1
  4534. Johnson has at least shown us two thing: 1) PMQs is pointless because there are no answers given to question; and 2) the parliamentary system is dysfunctional because this serial liar refuses to correct the record after being found out.
    1
  4535. Dead right about the institutions - enabled by our elective dictatorship. We need real democracy and accountability.
    1
  4536.  @MrMarinus18  Fully agree about unchecked neoliberalism. It was always intended to exacerbate inequality and to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more. It has failed in these testing times. And now, according to a BofE economist, we must accept that we are poorer. I doubt this applies to the 1% richest, however.
    1
  4537.  @spiritualdeath101  All thanks to the architect - Maggie (there is no such thing as society) Thatcher.
    1
  4538. ​ @dalecrocker3213 Then he's delusional and unhinged.
    1
  4539. ​ @dalecrocker3213 Then there will be a shortage of supply, thus raising home prices.
    1
  4540. The Tories wanted a dumbed-down, easily fooled and servile population. Does Labour? Can Labour really afford to embrace the fiscal plans of a government that thrived on austerity and the small state?
    1
  4541. Her instruction read: use the correct punctuation while privatising the health service.
    1
  4542. Let's keep up! Have you not heard, the Brexit Foghorn has lost his bank account and that's more important than buggering up the country?
    1
  4543. Welcome to the moron who buggered up the health service. Code: "efficiencies" means austerity.
    1
  4544. No limit to Tory stupidity, displayed daily by cabinet members whose attempts at gaslighting are infantile. Remember, Jacob, only 43.6% of voters elected your inept government and some made that choice through self-interest or intellectual laziness rather than abject stupidity.
    1
  4545. When the Tories say "efficiency", they mean AUSTERITY. Top-down imposition doesn't work. Evidence? The last 14 years of dismantled public services. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1947. Never trust a Tory with our money, the economy, our national health and prosperity.
    1
  4546. ​ @rolyars Indeed. Actually it was planned at a meeting in 1947, at Mont Pelerin. Search online "George Monbiot mont Pelerin 1947"
    1
  4547. Sunak's defence amounts to: nobody warned me, so I acted like a little dictator. He seems to think that an offer that may well double consumer traffic had nothing to do with the increased spread of infection. We actually knew it as eat out to spread it about. He then suggested we were safe with a test and trace system! Pethaps he conveniently forgot that we spaffed £37 billion on a dud? Never trust a Tory.
    1
  4548. She's a Tory. Therefore above the law.
    1
  4549.  @NO-HANDLE.......145  Comparative figures please! Will your bot account process reality?
    1
  4550.  @Sodoff-c2b  your trolling bot needs piling. Pathetic
    1
  4551.  @craigedwards7062  Who are "they"? And are you saying the UK has no space? Pathetic!!
    1
  4552. ​ @EmmaJonesSmith91 Labour supporters? Prejudice preceding bullsh1t. Not everyone is driven by money. Some even work hard for the benefit of society. Trickle down is a con, to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We DO NOT live in a meritocracy.
    1
  4553. ​ @MelbourneMeMe The connection is oligarchs destroying democracy so they can have even more power and money to satisfy their greed.
    1
  4554. I have consistently identified three reasons for voting Tory: self-interest; intellectual laziness; or plain stupidity. I wonder which category this caller belongs to?
    1
  4555. ​ @carolstimpson3799 That Farage is a traitor? How could anyone think that? Especially if they are asleep.
    1
  4556. Top-down government and centralisation lead to sterility and mediocrity. The Treasury and Westminster are proof.
    1
  4557. It seems that all modern Tory governments are on a mission to destroy our country, perhaps for the benefit of disaster capitalists. Little Spiv (their shiny new leader) fails to answer a single question yet repeats a series of different lies while presiding over the same old shit show of operational incompetence.
    1
  4558. Do Starmer and Reeves want to know? Would they be in power if they did? Who pulls the strings of politicians who no longer work for society? Politicians should be consulting specialists like Richard before even mentioning the word "growth".
    1
  4559.  @juliuswi8767  you may be right. But then the interviews could be shorter because in having to explain the lie they wouldn't move on to other bullshit and the interview would be cut.
    1
  4560. If anyone believes that Trump is rational and is working for peace, rather than stealing minerals, they have gone from a status of deceived to stupid after this sh1t-show.
    1
  4561. Read a parroted article on BBC text yesterday. Apparently Johnson's claimed benefit was a saving of 1 billion for businesses. No substantiation of the figure. No detail given. I love our MSM.... Not!
    1
  4562. Global Britain: world leaders in f'king up systems.
    1
  4563. The only thing this "government has lifted" is the level of corruption and incompetence. No wonder Dowdy is proud of their record. The Tory idea of balancing the books is running a record debt, while pushing more people into mortgage poverty. Balancing the books so the rich get richer.
    1
  4564. Starmer constrains government with a useless chancellor and restrictive economic policies. He is aftaid to listen to progressive economists and instead listens to fossils in the treasury.
    1
  4565.  @candidaprout8441 the relevance of your point is?
    1
  4566.  @davidpryle3935  I understand the reluctance and am not qualified to comment on party dynamics - just their stupidity. FPTP has benefited the Tories far more than Labour and with PR, the Tories and their client media would be consigned to the dustbin of history. They have benefited far more than Labour from our elective dictatorship.
    1
  4567.  @timonsolus  I fear you are correct. They are blinded by short term stupidity. The Tories have benefited far more than Labour from our elective dictatorship and would be consigned to the dustbin of history with PR
    1
  4568. For how long will forgiveness of a bumbling populist hold? The level of intellectual laziness and stupidity amongst a proportion of the electorate is chilling. We have friends who depend solely on mainstream media for information, hence are blissfully unaware of reality. Covid us conveniently forgotten, the EU is habitually blamed, gaslighting goes unchallenged. Meanwhile the main opposition parties stay quiet or present no challenge. Britain is in a permanent malaise as we habitually resign ourselves to struggling through a series of crises.
    1
  4569. Yes. And the government are tampering with electoral boundaries to skew FPTP further in their favour. Welcome to our elective dictatorship. To my knowledge, Labour has not been clear about supporting PR, after the block Union vote was against it. We need clarity, with all other parties unambiguously supporting PR and showing the Tories self interest.
    1
  4570. That probably means: "Of course I knew and I'm briefing against him." Buffoon doesn't want any challenge to his leadership.
    1
  4571. I have never read so many vacuous comments from trolls, supporting President Moron. Trump is selling out to oligarch interest. He is in hock to Putin. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton. He is making America a laughing stock, and unworthy of trust. He is also encouraging European unity. (Not going to sell many Teslas in the EU, Elon. What about the Russian market?)
    1
  4572. "How it occurred" is one thing. Why it occurred is another. Buffoon's Trumpian tactics are simply execrable. The useless object should simply go. He is causing untold damage to our country.
    1
  4573. About time! Perhaps the oligarch media will stop hiding facts. The Neoliberal agenda has been a race to the bottom for the majority, so the richest can fuel their incessant greed.
    1
  4574. Same tired Tory excuses and avoidance. Their pretence of being the party of fiscal responsibility is blown; only the brainless would believe it. Their history shows that they have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour. Now they intend to excel, by leading us towards third-world status and more of their failed austerity.
    1
  4575. I'm taking the ball home if I can't be captain. Anyone spot the sumilarity with Johnson?
    1
  4576. Otherwise know as a psychopath.
    1
  4577. ​ @HitchcockTheSnail Free speech is fine when people have an equal voice and the right to respond in equal measure. We need effective media regulation.
    1
  4578.  @dennis8196  join the race to the bottom then. Why do you think unions were formed?
    1
  4579. So we pick a fight with the French fishermen and blame the French for any Christmas shortages. Johnson doesn't give a crap about UK citizens.
    1
  4580. The longer The Convict stays, the greater the damage to this party of charlatans and brigands that has repeatedly damaged our country.
    1
  4581. Seems too much like democracy for the so-called British elite.
    1
  4582.  @Jimmie16  is there one referendum that hasn't offered a binary choice?
    1
  4583. Making America great again by destroying the economy and making it an international laughing stock.
    1
  4584.  @lennylaa1686  yes. That is just one contributory factor. Then follows a further question of how the price rises are handled and who must suffer them.
    1
  4585. We are well beyond this. The only meaningful slogan is: Fix Broken Britain. A lack of democracy needing urgent electoral reform; cleaning up corruption and parliamentary standards; independent scrutiny; equality of opportunity; saving the NHS..etc, etc, etc. We have become such an international joke that we can't even see it ourselves.
    1
  4586. A document "seen by the Mail on Sunday" hardly sounds credible. Especially after their abject reporting. We can always depend on the oligarch dumbed-down press to stir the excrement.
    1
  4587. Perhaps we should send Sunak and his cabinet to a safe country called Rwanda. Lol
    1
  4588. Take a moment to look at the operational aspects of Brexit and you will find denial sponsoring incompetence. After four decades in a trading alliance, leaving and finding alternative solutions was never going to easy. On voicing this, we had accusations of Project Fear, which have proven to be project reality. Any children from 10 onwards studying critical thinking would see through this. Yet somehow a majority voted for this fantasy and now we are left with a government in denial, taking no responsibility after virtually no advanced planning. When will the population wake up and hold them to account?
    1
  4589. What does Elsie cut back on? We are doing...blah blah blah. No answer ... Just bollocks. The same question repeated and still no answer. Windfall tax? Better ask the took fairy. Buffoon wants us all to suffer while the rich get richer. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    1
  4590. Israel: a terrorist state. Pure and simple.
    1
  4591. Always someone else's fault when Gove is responsible. Sorry! Delete the last word. The serial obfuscating weasel never takes responsibility.
    1
  4592. It's not a binary decision. Tax wealth, since that's what we defend: asset wealth.
    1
  4593. Good luck to Jamie. I've often argued that party politics at a local level stifle democracy. Go and prove it, Jamie.
    1
  4594.  @howler6490  spot on there. Do the least possible to be seen to support electoral reform.
    1
  4595. Dodgy Dave is just what Sunak needs to totally destroy his lie of integrity, professionalism and accountability. When in doubt, remember his statement that we are all in this together. He forgot to add that some are in it more than others.
    1
  4596. "Trickle down" A system where wealth gushes up, and drips down where the wealthy can't fix the leaks. (Also known as crumbs from the master's table.)
    1
  4597. Me too, which is why I voted Remain, after I took the time to listen and talk to my sons and adult grandchildren.
    1
  4598.  @joansparky4439  take your point yet how often do many think the status quo benefits them through lazy thinking? If we all were to answer honestly whether we have been better off under Labour or the Tories, the vast majority would find Labour.
    1
  4599. One saw Corbyn as "a genuine voice", so now he has turned to Farage the scammer. The other thinks Reform will make housing more affordable. Has he read their manifesto? Farage is establishment: private education and working in the City as a commodities trader. Farage appeals to idiots, or those devoid of critical thought.
    1
  4600. Trust us, we have a different culture. Get rid of the bill and more may trust you. Labour are making a fine art of fence sitting.
    1
  4601. Johnson's government are "world leading" by one measure: causing the maximum damage to the country.
    1
  4602. @Tom how?
    1
  4603. @Tom that's calling it out, Tom. You, on the other hand, may choose to doff your cap and say nothing. I suggest a course on critical thinking.
    1
  4604. @Tom that's the government, Tom. It's habitual with them. Take that course on critical thinking.
    1
  4605. @Tom started the course yet, Tom. I doubt it with your vacuous statements. Just explain why or stop posting.
    1
  4606. @Tom I didn't say what you think I said. Accurate reading is part of critical thinking. Check the facts. Who started charging for education anyway? Answer: politicians.
    1
  4607. And Sunak claims it makes "common sense." So much for the muddled reasoning of the man leading this country. Little Spiv has graduated to a little idiot to gain the favour of moronic racists.
    1
  4608. The ERG and the swivel-eyed Tory gammons have Johnson on a string. He is running scared and playing to their tune. Apparently Sunak was in the states talking to health providers and insurers, while Johnson's indecision is contributing to the collapse of the NHS (STRANGE COINCIDENCE???) The country needs strong and responsible leadership. The Tories will always place survival and the pursuit of power above that.
    1
  4609. ​ @ziggysawdust5407 Why should they and what should they ask?
    1
  4610. ​ @captaintruth the benefit of Brexit...wow!
    1
  4611. ​ @captaintruth How about explaining British values? I'm confused after being born and raised here almost eighty years ago... WAITING PATIENTLY...
    1
  4612. ​ @scottishrob7119  not all of us, Rob. In fact it took only a minority (43.6%) of voters who turned out to put this cabal of crooks in power.
    1
  4613.  @garryferrington811  my take on it was clear: it gushes up. Neoliberalism is intended to defy the law of gravity.
    1
  4614.  @SirAntoniousBlock  yes. Clearly before its time.
    1
  4615. If Labour need help in campaigning, they should listen to the Ash Sarkar debate with red wall Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns on the economic effect.
    1
  4616. "Embolden Hamas!!!" They would be part of the ceasefire or would lose any international support. His stated "slaughter of Jews" has been followed by tens of thousands of Palestinians being slaughtered. Grow some cajones and call for a ceasefire.
    1
  4617. If we are recognised as a climate change leader, how bad are the rest? Ironic that Johnson had to deny corruption in the very country that is hosting the summit. Blah, blah blah was a prescient summary.
    1
  4618. In any effective and responsible government, Braverman would be on the political scrapheap. Ah! I seem to recall the man who reinstated her had promised integrity and professionalism. Sunak is a little Spiv, backed by a cabinet of psychopaths.
    1
  4619. There is a name for a "tough decision" that affects the vulnerable. It's called bullying. Meanwhile those with the broadest shoulders are left untouched. Tax wealth and tax the income from investments at the same rate as work income. Black hole filled...easy!
    1
  4620. Simple message: we have made a catastrophic mess if taking back control. Why be so cautious?
    1
  4621. Give all public sector workers and MP's expense account and they won't need food banks. Simple!
    1
  4622. Attacking cost push inflation by reducing real incomes is the way of shrinking the economy. The Tories are economic incompetents, liars, or both.
    1
  4623. I can only confirm that her judgement was accurate imo.
    1
  4624. Reality TV is an oxymoron to anyone with a grip on reality. Fluff for the mindless.
    1
  4625. ​ iscadean  True. Never trust a Tory and never trust Labour to resist becoming Tory Light.
    1
  4626.  @malthusXIII-fo3ep  and replaced with?
    1
  4627. Delivering for which people, Rishi? Would that be the energy companies wanting the drilling licences?
    1
  4628. Two charlatans: one towards the end of his third scam (when he can extract himself from Trump's service). The second an alleged bully who is attacking the main shareholder of the company masquerading as democracy. Rats in a sack. Keep eating the popcorn.
    1
  4629. Another Tory proving their inability to understand human beings and even the meaning of the word empathy. Little Spiv is too entitled and narcissistic to apologise.
    1
  4630. After all these shiny promises, how well have we taken back control?
    1
  4631. Seems to be a mistake by the EU. You don't appeal to the better nature of a sociopath. That said: on the international stage, the EU qualifies as the adult; with the UK the petulant child.
    1
  4632. Hardly surprising when Johnson has failed in every previous job. Who would have expected a different result? A serial liar who happens to be operationally incompetent.
    1
  4633. Sunak shown to be a useless and cowardly leader, led by his own pressure groups and dependent on dark think tanks. A pathetic little Spiv revealed.
    1
  4634. Yet again we see our Brexit government in permanent denial. How well is "taking back control" going?
    1
  4635. Who says Parliament should be recalled? Farage? The man who wants a platform for his ego? Who disparaged the police assessment at Southport? Who, as an afterthought, didn't condone violence, yet failed to condemn it. Who warned that the violence would get worse: a coded message for thugs? Next, will he break out the brown uniforms? This man and the thugs he excuses are NOT patriots.
    1
  4636. Trump is in hock to Putin's oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton.
    1
  4637.  @jackn4853  Yes. Regrettably that's the case. We had left before the 2019 election but have moved to an area where the sheep vote Tory. Yet it took only a minority (43.6%) of the electorate to give The Convict a stonking majority in our rigged system.
    1
  4638. Fishy Rishi, campaigning for Chief Rat. The party of deceit, with consent manufactured by the mainstream media.
    1
  4639. So he effectively says that HS2 was a white elephant, after spaffing multi-billions to travel faster between London and the midlands. As for the allocated money, undoubtedly to be directed at bribes for Tory votes, making this week the Toady party conference. A little spiv winding up the festival of GB News. The ultimate sh1t-show.
    1
  4640. The real travesty is the amount of publicity and frenzied activity when Foghorn Farage makes a scene. I'm less concerned about his vanity and more for the simple fact that most homeless people are denied a basic bank account. Foghorn was offered an alternative account.
    1
  4641. More need to see this reality, yet the media are complicit. Cabinet ministers' accusations of "Brexit obsession" are writ large, get Government's brexit denial is hardly mentioned. The pandemic is readily blamed, yet noone points out the stupidity of completing Brexit during a pandemic. We often marvel at our national stupidity level, yet it is fed and watered by the media.
    1
  4642. Don't expect a gammon Brexiter to understand trade. As soon as you mention the EU they cry sovereignty and close their ears.
    1
  4643. After cost push inflation we have rampant profiteering yet still the neoliberal (free market) government will make no attempt to control prices. Instead leaving it to the BofE to raise interest rates and push debts higher.
    1
  4644. Let's stop pretending that we have democracy. Democracy means government by the people and there are two types: direct (such as in Switzerland) and representative. Which means that an unrepresentative system - where 43.6% of votes produce 56% of seats - is simply undemocratic. We have what Lord Hailsham once called an elective dictatorship. We need PR to achieve democracy. As simple as that.
    1
  4645. ​ @roberthughes9527 That's a gift to the incompetent government. The others may be no better, so let's stick with known incompetence and corruption.
    1
  4646. ​ @Blinks77 What policies is that cliche based on? Have you seen their manifesto yet? Other parties are available.
    1
  4647. ​ @Blinks77 so you favour Lib Dems or Greens then?
    1
  4648. ​ @chrisj9700 Can you find JC on a ballot paper, other than as an independent?
    1
  4649. ​ @Blinks77 Other choices are available.
    1
  4650. ​ @chrisj9700 sound public finances! What are you on? To increase national debt while imposing austerity is the gold standard of fiscal incompetence. Delivered Brexit and made us poorer. Who voted for that? If you check facts: the Tories have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war. Economic competence is a lie from the Daily Fail.
    1
  4651.  @MrTidymark  Nothing! About what? Labour had a school rebuilding programme which was scrapped by Gove when the Tories took over. Reducing hospital waiting lists; building more schools; increasing prosperity to achieve a rise in real incomes. That's nothing? Are you trolling or just intellectually challenged?
    1
  4652.  @eddiecalderone  Or how the economy works
    1
  4653.  @eddiecalderone  I agree, Eddie. The economic part is down to media-supported manufactured consent. The Tories have repeatedly borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war. There is only one party asked: how are you going to pay for it? And that's the party with the better financial record. The con trick has worked.
    1
  4654. Net zero my anus! The production will happen somewhere else, thus pollution shifted then add the extra pollution for transport as we import it. Greenpeace also explained that had the government invested in cleaner methods of steel pollution, most of the jobs are saved and we move to real net zero. More Sunak lies and Tory sociopathy. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  4655. When Lowkey does research, he digs deep and uncovers truth. Great work, showing how we are stitched up by external influence with dark money. Our political system prohibits real democracy for the pursuit of power by string-pullers.
    1
  4656. Wow! That thatch on his head is not keeping his brain in place. Another vacuous Tory clown. They keep coming.
    1
  4657.  @johnrussell3961  yes. I've heard it called chumocracy. Just chums who prove useful.
    1
  4658.  curryattack8985  is that where the curry attacks you?
    1
  4659.  @JHatLpool  Yes. it's an oxymoron
    1
  4660. Too many coincidences, protecting power and denying real democracy. Firstly, after Jeremy Corbyn spoke in support of Palestine, Labour had a problem with anti-semitism. Now, when our two main parties support genocide, the protests are fuelled by radical Islam. (Forgetting the fact that some Jews and Christians join the marches.) Enough is enough.
    1
  4661. This slimeball is an apology for our British elective dictatorship.
    1
  4662. "Delivering for the country... The people's priorities". When will the interviewers show Littlw Spiv the opinion polls that say the opposite?
    1
  4663.  @jackthelad612  Should still face the consequences.
    1
  4664. These morons spawned a cabal of operational incompetence, promoting a turd that needs flushing down the toilet (as Alistair Campbell said)
    1
  4665.  @simonjohn9525  sorry, Simon, I tried to reply to someone else, asking the relevance of your post, but somehow it was sent to you. I fully support your comments.
    1
  4666. Perfectly true; albeit our elective dictatorship and oligarch media guarantee alternating power between Tory and Tory light
    1
  4667.  @jamesmcintyre1675  So you think that Britain is the poor man of Europe, since EU countries have systems where votes count equally, as do the Scottish and Welsh assemblies? It says a lot about our country, which started on the road to democracy, went so far, then gave up.
    1
  4668.  @sharonwashington8150  Run by the same people who brought us the ultimate disaster - the Brexshit clown-show - then blamed everyone else. The word "reform" has connotations of hope to some. Until they read the half-arsed policies spluttered by Tice that would reform us into a banana republic. Good luck with that one.
    1
  4669. Yet another Tory chancer. Promising integrity, professionalism and accountability. Delivering corruption, incompetence and opacity.
    1
  4670. The death of a thousand cuts for Sunak, leaving vacuous Dizzy Lizzy in pole position. The race to the bottom for the country.
    1
  4671.  @elrjames7799  if you read his book Revolution you may well think otherwise. Btw you have just proved his point by labelling him a hypocrite.
    1
  4672.  @NoNoNoNopeNopeNopeNo  you have fallen for deflection and proved his point by labelling him a hypocrite.
    1
  4673.  @elrjames7799  "Reality" is that he is proved correct by every accusation of hypocrisy. His personal position is clearly stated in the book. The same lazy logic as in the term Champagne Socialist, as though socialism is not capable of producing wealth. A total disconnect of fact for the purpose of deflection.
    1
  4674.  @elrjames7799  Did I say that? An accusation needs substantiation. There you go again: living right and talking left. Does that mean anyone with what you term left beliefs is excluded from wealth? Wealth is not the preserve of the Right. That's the false indoctrination of neoliberalism. Left is about the distribution of wealth and creating a meritocracy to achieve it.
    1
  4675.  @elrjames7799  I disputed your fundamental statement about "talks left and lives right" as being a total fallacy and lacking in logic. It may shock you to know that wealth is not the preserve of the Right. If you believe that, inequality can't be challenged nor reversed. That's why it's not hypocrisy.
    1
  4676.  @elrjames7799  then it's meaningless false labelling and no proof of hypocrisy. WTF does "live right" mean?
    1
  4677.  @elrjames7799  total blx. Apparently 773 people above don't agree with you so this discussion is utterly pointless, as is your attempt at defining two words used loosely as pure rhetoric.
    1
  4678.  @elrjames7799  is that the best pseudo scientific bs you can come up with? You either value his opinion and agree with his argument or you don't. Your choice. THE END
    1
  4679.  @elrjames7799  stop wasting your time and mine. You have proved Brand right on two points. You either agree with him or you don't. You are now going beyond harassment.
    1
  4680.  @elrjames7799  are you on illegal substances are simply suffering rejection? You have fallen into both traps he set. Work it out for yourself without further comment from me. Good night.
    1
  4681. So predictable of Johnson to lie, yet the speaker did not force him to correct the record and threaten to hold him in contempt, even after the lie was exposed. As for VAT, Germany reduced VAT rates as part of a Covid stimulus package and last time I checked they were in the single market.
    1
  4682. We should soon know. Will it be in the King's Speech? Running government for the benefit of banks and financial institutions is nothing short of blackmail.
    1
  4683.  @nathanielbugg7355  the salary is not enough for travel? What about the generous expenses. Shall we keep perpetuating conflict of interest? Contracts is employment CAN preclude secondary jobs.
    1
  4684.  @ince55ant  I thinks it's known as tales of fantasy. Also know as government spin or just plain bullshit.
    1
  4685. ​ @jamalangeli8122 please explain!!!
    1
  4686. ​ @kiljaeden7663 Yes, it should be arsew1pe. Lol
    1
  4687. They will be back without PR. We need electoral reform
    1
  4688. The prime minister (who apparently doesn't know his arse from his elbow) as asked his ethics advisor to explain what is obvious to most primary kids. Bloody hilarious.
    1
  4689. So much for Johnson's high skill, high pay economy. Is this moron appearing as Michael Green or Grant Shapps? The missing answer to the government's perverted and pathetic defence is brexit.
    1
  4690. And with socialism in the form of bailouts when it goes wrong.
    1
  4691. She did qualify the comment by adding AND WHAT THEY STAND FOR. I fully concur with her comment and respect her opinion.
    1
  4692. Meanwhile we have to accept an unlimited and undisclosed number of people with mental or physical health problems in return. More pressure on the NHS to enable this vacuous symbolism by our government or morons.
    1
  4693. So a government that extols free market capitalism and wholesale privatisation treats the employers as a benefit case. They are subsidised through a strike while honest workers lose their pay.
    1
  4694. I find it hilarious that governments talk about productivity, yet the people who are paid most don't see physical money or do anything more productive than the equivalent of moving numbers around on a spreadsheet. Perhaps the modern economy was adapted by scammers for the benefit of rogues...
    1
  4695. Safe staffing levels are needed without the strikes. Tories fail to accept fact. Sunak is a little spiv with no sensible operational plans. Enough is enough.
    1
  4696. So many lies and inconsistencies from this moronic cabinet. Hiding behind a pay review body which they constrained through a written remit from Sajid Javid (while briefly health minister in his pre-beard days.)
    1
  4697. Electoral reform, absolutely! Not just PR, but cleaning up parliamentary standards after a clearly written constitution approved by a people's assembly. Never a better time after Johnson has demonstrated such wholesale corruption.
    1
  4698. ​ @paulchambers6537 Only the intellectually challenged would celebrate winning an act of self-harm. Steve Bannon is apparently going to get rid of Musk, leaving the orange moron with his sundry idiots.
    1
  4699. I agree, the government is delivering. Unfortunately they are delivering mayhem, inequality and poverty for the many. Dodgy legislation against international law. Allowing more shit in the rivers and attempting even more (thankfully defeated by the Lords.) Penny of the sword sounds deflated and hollow, reminiscent of her cabinet. Tory scum.
    1
  4700. Perhaps we will finally see some "accountability?" Don't bank on it with this Tory cabal led by a little spiv.
    1
  4701. Farage and Tice appeal to idiots by shouting about perceived problems but offering national harm rather than a solution. Does anyone remember brexit?
    1
  4702. Laughing at us! The understatement of the decade. I read one comment that stereotypes us as Sun reading idiots. The Sun has become our national emblem while we are waiting for it to light the uplands.
    1
  4703. While I welcome the change in attitude to one of service and responsible governance, the two child benefit cap is a mistake. When learning who introduced it - two sociopaths called Cameron and Osborne - reversing it becomes a no brainer. Independent studies have shown that it is not encouraging people back into work but is instead increasing poverty.
    1
  4704. Don't recall seeing much about protests on the BBC. Has our state broadcaster fallen asleep? Perhaps Brexit is a pseudonym for silence; or embarrassment. . Lol
    1
  4705.  @alansdorsetfossils4028  I actually wrote an ebook, which you can download for free, called the Real Miracle of Neoliberalism. The miracle being persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  4706. The stupidity of completing the act of self-harm called brexit during a pandemic is the epitome of operational incompetence. Sacking Johnson was the best thing, but then we ended up with another serial liar.
    1
  4707. Another nail in the coffin of a country built for scammers. An elective dictatorship instead of a real democracy. A parliament that fails to expose lies by actively fact checking for truth, then correcting the record. Passive investment income taxed at a lower rate than work income. Wealth protected by complex tax laws backed by expensive accountants and lawyers. A media that manufactures consent so the rich can buy and own "truth". If only we had one political party with the cajones to make the country fit for society instead of patronising greed and rewarding sociopathy. Your videos play their part and our politicians should listen. If only...
    1
  4708. The Tories simply can't be trusted with the NHS. TORY SCUM.
    1
  4709. Martin does great work. Will government fix what's broken or grab new headlines? Somehow I suspect the latter, and we can see an example of their "original and innovative thinking" in the Rwanda scheme. Vacuous nonsense justified with sophistry. Time for politicians to do what they are paid for.
    1
  4710. The IMF is now projecting a forecast British growth of 1.6% - the highest in Europe. This estimate uses a measure that is largely estimated: GDP. If this small "growth" ends up in the bank accounts of the wealthiest, what good is that? Government should focus on what makes lives better.
    1
  4711. With the Tories, it's cost-push inflation and never their fault. Yet when the inflation rate comes down, it's their policies of course. Always pay rises. Let's ignore energy prices and profiteering.
    1
  4712. ​ @colinsmith1288 No. Just their moronic leadership. The cabal of scammers.
    1
  4713. Tim Brexitspoon: the moron who keeps on giving endless hilarity.
    1
  4714.  @jimmagspanton669  There you go with the childish personal insults. That observation holds true for most professions, so you have to apply analytical thought and judge which solution would benefit society the most.
    1
  4715. @Changedmynameagain Who are you addressing? I pointed that out in my original post.
    1
  4716. Apparently the vacuous Johnson is on a constant publicity campaign to justify the brexit lies about the 'evil EU' Now "global Britain" must be world-leading and do things better. Two problems: 1) Operation Moonshot failed to deliver it's world beating test and trace system after spaffing 37 billion on it. 2) Our trade deals are about lowering standards rather than protecting public health and welfare.
    1
  4717. Did he mean historic or histrionic?
    1
  4718. The hard right extremists are skilled in articulating a problem then shifting the blame to the vulnerable. This gets power, but then they must govern and accept some responsibility. As reality dawns, their promises are proven false and their operational incompetence becomes visible. Perhaps many will recognise our British Brexit as a microcosm of this phenomenon.
    1
  4719. The Stormont break has gone on too long. Will the Stormont Brake persuade the bigots to get back to work? If they're on strike, their pay should be withheld.
    1
  4720. Also in making underlying assumptions and understanding constraints. Process is a big word.
    1
  4721. Wonder if the brainless woman and the vacuous Daily Fail favour all women MPs wearing the burqa in parliament. Even Johnson has spoken out against this article. Must be bad.
    1
  4722.  @adenwellsmith6908  How would I know? Croydon is not a government that can produce its own money or change taxation policy. Government finance works differently.
    1
  4723. Fartage is a serial whinger and grifter on a show that some view as entertainment. What could go wrong?
    1
  4724. The laugh of the century was Farage claiming to support critical thinking, in a recent staged interview. Anyone applying structured questions and critical analysis to his bile would take all of five seconds to see through the charlatan. (E.g. you claim not to condone violence, Nigel. Have you actively condemned it?)
    1
  4725. Well, the meetings in London should be a relief to Zalensky after meeting two half-witted half-arsed aspiring gang bosses playing at playground bullies. Asset Krasnov and JJ brainless really are making America great...as an international laughing stock.
    1
  4726. Just like turkeys in a battery farm, voting for Christmas.
    1
  4727. Vance is a more vacuous moron than his boss. Making America a laughing stock by selling out to oligarch interest. Visiting a gang of fascists after insulting Europe. Can they find a brain cell between them?
    1
  4728. "Voted for controlled migration" says Blabbermouth. Where was Rwanda mentioned in the Tory manifesto? "Contol" when the number of outstanding migration applications is growing through Tory incompetence. Another Tory scam exposed. A home secretary who doesn't understand international law.
    1
  4729. ​ @stephenconway2468  Yes. One answer is to simplify the system - eg taxing turnover rather than profit, where the intellectual property scam can be used to mitigate tax.
    1
  4730. Perhaps we should ask the Tories to write a paper on the benefits of regulation. If they come up with nothing, or a lame attempt, send them back to primary school and fire them.
    1
  4731.  @hypsyzygy506  Yes. Something to do with road deaths as cars got faster, so I heard. Are they getting rid of speed limits? I'm sure they will find new brainfarts as the hustings continue.
    1
  4732.  @jeffsimon9594  I also suggest that you look up chicken and egg. They got the publicity BEFORE any proven vote share. Don't you think that helped them? The loss-making right wing channels for idiots offer a platform for them to deliver false hope to the desperate.
    1
  4733. A vacuous buffoon taking the nation for fools. You really couldn't make it up.
    1
  4734. It's all the fault of the government, so I'll make them pay. Such altruism.
    1
  4735. The deranged narcissist turning the White House into the sh1te house.
    1
  4736. We don't. It's an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4737. We don't. We have an elective dictatorship
    1
  4738. This delusional idiot says he is "looking at the big picture" after failing to understand a single detail. 1) Johnson's "amazing victory" was a achieved with a minority (43.6%) vote through our rigged system. 2) He hasn't got Brexit done after being crazy enough to implement it during a pandemic (undoubtedly to use Covid as an excuse.) 3) He has broken electoral promises by suspending the triple lock on pensions and raising NI. 4) He is prepared to maintain the Tory priority of making the poorest people suffer most. 5) he consistency games parliamentary rules by repeatedly lying and failing to correct the record. Add to this list his sociopathic characteristics and ineptitude, to make us the greatest laughing stock on the world stage.
    1
  4739. Labour has yet to win an election. To do that, they need clear policies.
    1
  4740. Add the conundrum of measuring growth by GDP - a flawed estimate at best - and we see stupidity compounded. Quality of life and the reduction of inequality are more feasible goals.
    1
  4741. Abject corruption, revealed in detail by the Good Law Project. The court cases continue.
    1
  4742. After hearing Johnson lie through his teeth in the covid enquiry, his voters must be impressed! No shortage of gullible people, but will he get anywhere near his "landslide" minority vote of 43.6%? Johnson is the architect of our current disasters.
    1
  4743. And I thought our British media was bad... But then, the vile and controlling Murdochs get everywhere.
    1
  4744. Netanyahu is so transparent, yet our leaders support him because of risking false claims of antisemitism. The day after the ICJ rules a plausible case of genocide, Netanyahu conveniently manufactures a claim against the UN aid agency. Western politicians, of course, take the claim at face value and stop sending aid. How convenient! Supporting a power-crazed lunatic engaging in mass murder. Not in my name!
    1
  4745. I once read that Britain is a country that started on rhe road to democracy, went so far, then gave up. We now have a group of MPs that feed off our undemocratic electoral system by dancing to the tune of sponsors and string-pullers. Politics is most certainly broken, with fascistic scammers appealing to many disenfranchised voters.
    1
  4746.  @Marxside  I agree. That's number one for me, before cleaning up parliamentary standards and making MPs behave like human beings.
    1
  4747.  @ascgazz  you are more than welcome. Thanks for your supportive comment
    1
  4748. We will get inflation without growth. Any benefits go to bankers for offshore investment while we get crumbs. Also making not working not pay... more tried and failed Tory bullshit.
    1
  4749. Perhaps the MPs should strike. See how much we would miss them, while they were causing less damage.
    1
  4750. Yes. And the centre keeps moving. A convenient badge of honour is to claim the centre ground without defining it.
    1
  4751. Which leaves us with?
    1
  4752. Inequality stifles growth. How will the government deliver growth with increasing inequality while depending on the lie of trickle down? If we put more money in the pockets of the lower paid, they spend it in the home economy. More money in the accounts of the richest is either moved offshore or spent on assets that they rent back to us at extortionate prices. Neoliberalism was always a lie to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  4753. Growth, based on GDP, is fallacy bordering on stupidity. We need renewal, reinvestment and redistribution, backed by a larger state. Grow some cajones, Keir.
    1
  4754. @@alexander-lc4dr The only way of fixing this country is 1) reform the electoral system and make parliament fit for purpose to achieve real democracy. 2) economic and structural reform, with a reset to stop financialisation and use collective talents while facing reality. We are not a world power and need to cooperate with our nearest neighbours. Will it happen? I doubt it unless we see a miracle.
    1
  4755.  @julielevinge266  ????
    1
  4756.  @sidlittle8658  History says yes. But will they alone have the solutions? NO
    1
  4757.  @IrishLadASMR  relevance?
    1
  4758.  @paulking1396  that's some assumption, obviously based on strenuous academic research. It's also know as whataboutery. In simple language that even a Tory apologist might understand: please stop talking bollocks.
    1
  4759.  @suminshizzles6951  That's debatable, as they are not yet in power. But is it an excuse to vote Tory? Look at both of their records and decide. Facts speak accurately; rhetoric doesn't.
    1
  4760.  @mosheridan7016  Exactly how, based in their record?
    1
  4761.  @mosheridan7016  You evade answering a simple question like a Tory bot. Please explain.
    1
  4762.  @mosheridan7016  What kind of lazy answer is that? It's known as trolling.
    1
  4763.  @mosheridan7016  a non-answer is awareness?
    1
  4764.  @mosheridan7016  I see standing up for workers' rights as positive, being more concerned about a crony government compensating the rail companies for the strikes and failing to accept that privatisation is not working.
    1
  4765.  @mosheridan7016  Now that's a pertinent question with this government in power. They want the bar set to zero.
    1
  4766.  @PamelaD963  are Labour in office? Did I miss something?
    1
  4767. Closed courts while reducing police numbers. Reinstated the latter (except for the cuts in their support staff, not reinstated). Still the courts remain closed and victims face a two year waiting list. Sunak lives in the dreamland he has painted with a bucket of whitewash.
    1
  4768. We suffer government by sociopaths, appealing to idiots and supported by an inflammatory media.
    1
  4769. Also stifling growth; paying interest to banks as government creates new money penalises potential investment in state infrastructure. Meanwhile the Tories rewarded them by reducing the bank levy. Does the economy work for banks? Or do they work for the economy?
    1
  4770.  Johann Sebastian Bach  yes. A conditional statement that was conveniently forgotten for the rest of the interview, with its credibility assumed and unchallenged.
    1
  4771.  Johann Sebastian Bach  "one of those people!" Stereotyping! Logic says that the media in general is intellectually lazy in the pursuit of headlines.
    1
  4772. A good analysis and excellent strategy. Starmer no longer lives in a world where it is sufficient to prove guilt. The fact that lies can't be (or aren't easily) challenged in parliament means that he must draw comparative facts and show real differences. Buffoon gets away with deception and evasion in our broken parliament, so the use of verifiable facts against him is a better strategy.
    1
  4773. ​ @GroundUp-k7o is that an excuse against any form of regulation? Trite.
    1
  4774. ​ @darkcymruchannel5683 implement Leveson. After Cameron chickened out.
    1
  4775. ​ @GroundUp-k7o that assumes that most voters check facts. The scammers, such as Fartage and Space Karen, know that it's easier to appeal to prejudice than to persuade with logic. Meanwhile we have a media spreading garbage, and often failing to challenge blatant lies.
    1
  4776. Expect plenty of three-word slogans. How about integrity, professionalism, accountability? Should be a laugh. Getting brexit undone? We love oil? We hate trains? Inflation means tax?
    1
  4777. Beware of Brexit by numbers: another trade deal (that benefits the partner country more than us) check. Delete an EU standard (and water it down with rubbish) check. The government's checklist of lunacy, to benefit the disaster capitalist and screw the population, flourishes.
    1
  4778. ​ @rossdavies8250  They would rather listen to batshit crazy marginal economists, spouting a failed ideology
    1
  4779. The ugly sight of a spoilt spiv throwing his toys out of the pram, while posturing to idiots in his party. This is government by minority-elected incompetents.
    1
  4780. Musk inadvertently makes the argument for public funding of political parties. Government by oligarchy is simply undemocratic. (They who pay the piper call the tune.)
    1
  4781. ​ @mikemorris3365 That would be the case only if they closed after the rich refused to pay up.
    1
  4782. In the season of goodwill, I find it ironic that our sociopathic government wants us to believe in fictitious opportunities, created by a cataclysmic event fuelled by negativity and hatred.
    1
  4783. When an American senator talks about religion, why does bigotry and hypocrisy follow? This half-wit does not read the room.
    1
  4784. The irony being that our parliamentary system is not democratic. It's an elective dictatorship, as commented by Lord Hailsham in 1976.
    1
  4785.  @timonsolus  then the Tories will stay in power
    1
  4786. And now his brotherhood of a'holes, Deform UK, is falling apart. A public battle between the two odious sh1ts Farage and Lowe is cause for buying in the popcorn.
    1
  4787. I'd like to connect with the PM, by metaphorically connecting my boot with his anus. The Tories are unfit for government, proven over 13 years of their planned incompetence.
    1
  4788. Johnson's promises have a common denominator: they present a photo op. before being conveniently forgotten. Nothing more, nothing less.
    1
  4789. The greatest crisis in the UK is a cabinet of morons led by a buffoon. Who else would make the schoolboy error of completing Brexit during a pandemic? Unless, of course, they wanted to use the pandemic to deflect from their crap deal and cause mayhem and poverty in the process.
    1
  4790. So if he didn't mislead parliament deliberately, he is not intellectually fit to lead the country: not understanding his own rules and not recognising a party. This vacuous buffoon is quite a specimen.
    1
  4791. "in the spirit of openness and humility" That's a laugh coming from this narcissistic serial liar. He will best fulfil his duty by resigning. Faint hope...
    1
  4792. When in a state of desperation, reach for the most tenuous lie and treat the public as idiots.
    1
  4793. Bullshit! The Home Office report disagrees with you. Try facts instead of rhetoric.
    1
  4794.  @Ma55ey  Then Labour are incapable of long-term thinking, as FPTP has been of benefit to the Tories in the majority of cases.
    1
  4795.  @Ma55ey  I know, which is why I'm not as interested in politics so much as democratic governance. Labour has a habit of shooting itself in the foot. The present crop of Tories are scammers.
    1
  4796. A complicit and cheerleading media, promoting the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  4797. The chairman hasn't had a conversation on our doorstep. Sunak is a lying little Spiv. His pretence at being responsible and professional is hollow and transparent.
    1
  4798. This psychotic bugger seems seriously unhinged. The ballot box doesn't work without PR. This moron is a product of our elective dictatorship.
    1
  4799. So the car is self-driving but if you trust it to do its job you could end up in the do-do. Lol.
    1
  4800. The fact that the buffoon thinks we were prepared shows how useless his leadership is.
    1
  4801. I have long held the view that we need a bottom-up management style, by engaging with people actively involved in the life experience under consideration. Consulting with workers on the ground floor; with the doctors and nurses running the NHS; with local people in making political decisions, etc. Top-down is so often an imposition of preconceptions by those in power.
    1
  4802. Probably an accurate analysis. The key word being image. In reality, Sunak is a traditional tax and spend conservative who is intent on loading the greater financial burden on those that can least afford it. A progressive party would make mince meat of this. Unfortunately we don't appear to have a single progressive party.
    1
  4803. After finally making it to parliament, this egomaniac thinks he can rule the world. Fartage is a sick joke.
    1
  4804. A government of arrogant, incompetent, abject clowns. And they have the gall to expect us to take them seriously. Who will the little spiv appoint as his next home secretary?
    1
  4805. Racist wazzocks always play the victim. Even those who incite racism (such as Farage, Robinson and Tice) act shocked and play the victim when found out. As a British-born white person, I embrace the words of the great Martin Luther King, about the content of character. We have many non-white friends and cherish them as people. If only we taught critical thinking in schools...
    1
  4806. A government of liars in permanent denial. Following the science was always an excuse. "Moved quickly" is the biggest lie of all. A catalogue of prevarication and incompetence. The most inept government ever.
    1
  4807. Who could have trusted this shower of excrement to take back control?
    1
  4808. Johnson didn't "clarify" anything. He whitewashed it. His words are on the record and he would be too cowardly to repeat them outside parliament.
    1
  4809. No. We have another form of elective dictatorship to stitch us up.
    1
  4810. Such coincidences are never far away from Johnson. The operationally incompetent, narcissistic serial liar has left a stink of corruption behind. Just another Tory - with hubris.
    1
  4811. Trump's acquiescence to Putin is hardly surprising after he features in Putin's People by Catherine Belton. He is in hock to Putin's oligarchs.
    1
  4812. Great satire. An effective illustration of how Trump appeals to idiots.
    1
  4813. The argument of someone paying for my pension means that the government has mishandled money. If I paid to a private pension, it would be invested for the future. No surprise there.
    1
  4814.  @adamb4667  sources, please?
    1
  4815. Never has a simple phrase exposed such levels of incompetence, corruption and lies. Enough is enough! Enough of Tory economic mismanagement. Enough of dodgy dealings in spaffing public money on faulty PPE and a non-existent test and trace system. Enough of socialism for the rich and capitalism for the rest. Enough of an unfit parliamentary system and a compliant oligarch media. Enough of hypocrisy in applauding for the NHS while cutting their pay. Kick these buggers out and lock them in prison. Enough is indeed enough.
    1
  4816. ​ @pencilpauli9442  I see the risks but disagree in the longer term. The far right parties are a foghorn of protest with no solutions, and are soon exposed - Brexit; Bolsonaro etc. Vacuous rhetoric with no substance. Democracy means rule by the people, for good or ill. We get rid of the present pretence of elective dictatorship. Under PR, brexit would not have been completed.
    1
  4817. Why do you think oligarchs own the media, Iain? Nothing compared with the stitch up of Jeremy Corbyn.
    1
  4818. Perhaps by Good Friday we will have another agreement. Only for the DUP to throw their toys out of the pram.
    1
  4819. As senator Jeff Merkeley commented: if Trump is not a Russian asset, what more could he have done if he was? It seems that President Moron sees the world through Putin's eyes.
    1
  4820. How convenient of Thatcher to use the EU to expedite the neoliberal free market.
    1
  4821. Trump doesn't even understand basic economics. Narcissists don't reward understanding; they reward loyalty and servitude. The Orange Moron is a sociopathic dictator.
    1
  4822. Farage knows that it's a thousand times easier to appeal to prejudice than to persuade with logic. The serial whinger goes unchallenged all-too-often.
    1
  4823. Not so sure about an exam, as the job of politicians is to represent the people who vote for them. The dilemma is that the system supports them doing the exact opposite, in working for the interests of themselves or the few with wealth and power. We have an unfit electoral and parliamentary system and a self-regulated media. Better training in international trade and economics on induction would certainly be useful.
    1
  4824. Who would believe this lying, vacuous, cowardly joke of human excreta?
    1
  4825. Brexiters scraping the barrel has become a national sport. The Daily Fail strikes again. EU "red tape." Let's forget a logical system and promote an illogical one. Why not return to £sd while we are at it? Oh! And print union flags on all pint glasses.
    1
  4826. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Hello, Noel the Troll.
    1
  4827.  @GLYDR  ???
    1
  4828. At least Reform are consistent. They have a policy for nothing and shallow rhetoric for everything.
    1
  4829. ​ @Danny-rc9kj whataboutery fails yet again. The worst half of the stain is Reform (the party of failed vacuous fascists).
    1
  4830. Let's hope that Labour walk the walk by reducing outsourcing. Free at the point of use is an easy test: allowing state-funded private services, run for profit. PFI is an ugly example that has lumbered the NHS with massive debt.
    1
  4831. Just remember while listening to this little spiv, masquerading as a prime minister. This is the man who promised professionalism and integrity in politics. Who wants to be judged on his results.
    1
  4832.  @Abritontheside  Yes. Hardly surprising that Cameron failed to implement Leverson
    1
  4833. Tell Rishi, he can sqeeze more into his day by working on the train. The man is a vacuous plonker.
    1
  4834. I would even say they have done that while dismantling our human rights
    1
  4835.  @manoo422  bullshit. Check the facts, then explain how, which will reveal the lies you have bought in to.
    1
  4836.  @badomen9057  That's not what I said. Read again and apply some thought. Where did I excuse Starmer? I was pointing out the folly of voting Tory. That would be self-inflicted punishment. Other options are available.
    1
  4837.  @Noel-ji8nm  OMG. You really do suffer from Starmer-phobia. So who would you vote for?
    1
  4838.  @Noel-ji8nm  evidence needed from the troll...
    1
  4839. "Not too repetitive" says the person who fails to answer a single question and trots out lies and bullshit, on a playback loop.
    1
  4840. Absolutely. In reality, wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the cracks. The real intent of neoliberalism was to increase inequality.
    1
  4841.  @casperwallace9685  yes. And we trust them to provide the infrastructure and public services? As in the American healthcare system and now the British addiction to private investment after selling off our public services? Not only is the theory pure bullshit, it puts greed above society. Not the world I want. Furthermore, history shows that America achieved its highest growth rates when taxation was highest.
    1
  4842. Seems like an all-too-common syndrome. Political interference and the appointment of box-tickers who must make a name for themselves and justify their existence. This government shows a common trait: being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough. Their idea of leadership is a bullshitter from the right background who has risen beyond their competence level. As Phil says, read the report and apply your own critical thinking. Don't swallow their jobsworth bullshit.
    1
  4843. If the rules are complicated, let's simplify them: no second jobs or secondary income, other than in very exceptional circumstances, such as maintaing clinical skills. As a consequence, no paid lobbying. MPs banned from voting on issues where their family or partners have a financial interest. Clean up the mess. Keep it clean; keep it simple.
    1
  4844. President Moron: the great dictator sitting above the law in his narcissistic cesspit of a mind.
    1
  4845. Anyone excusing Buffoon should check The Lies of Boris Johnson, by Peter Oborne
    1
  4846. May unintentionally work for us if Starmer gets closer to the EU and tells president moron to go forth and multiply.
    1
  4847. Phil's key word "fabrication" is highly relevant. The black hole is fantasy - not only because of the stated fiscal rules but in the way the alleged debt is calculated. Most of it puts us in debt to ourselves! How can that be? The right pocket has borrowed from the left to create this theoretical debt. If that is deemed fallacy, we actually end up with a surplus of £14 billion. The Tories are gaming the system to appease the markets while engaging in their usual sadism for the majority. Enough is enough!
    1
  4848. OMG! Such a natural in front of the camera and joined by the Brexit Foghorn to create comedy gold.
    1
  4849.  @frankbrennan1619  who, exactly is the anti-Semitic Marxist?
    1
  4850. The economy is collapsing because politicians fall down and worship the free market: "you can't tamper with it; we have created something bigger than us that we don't fully understand". Ask an economist and they will give you insights from mathematical models that provide an understanding of market behaviour, while offering no solution. The people with ultimate financial power will bribe (their polite word is "fund") politicians to act in their interests. The politicians, claiming to represent the people, are afraid to intervene with the gods of the market because their financial backers prohibit it. We have a perfect storm and Gary is one of the few human beings who will attempt a solution for the good of humanity. Meanwhile, the sociopaths with ultimate power will use every tactic of resistance. One solution might be real democracy but that is also denied to us.
    1
  4851.  @bumblingborisbuffoon6259  the wazzock slammed an oven ready dish in the microwave.
    1
  4852. Selfish and disgusting behaviour. I'm also appallled by it.
    1
  4853. The idiots in this cabinet would be priceless as comedians, if dismantling the NHS could be a laughing matter. They have taken operational incompetence to a new level. Enough is enough.
    1
  4854. Hardly surprising from the Torygraph
    1
  4855. Truss personifies Britannia Unhinged
    1
  4856. The Tories are ideologically wedded to failed neoliberalism and will apply free-market capitalism over public ownership to benefit their mates and funders. Temporary nationalisation is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Tories out. They simply cant be trusted with public services.
    1
  4857. I fail to understand why Labour MPs don't expose Johnson's lies, by retrospectively repeating them along with proven facts (and source) and formally asking the PM to correct the record. He will be exposed, lie by lie, and will be misleading parliament if he fails to correct each lie. Use the tedious and archaic process against the moron.
    1
  4858. Another unchallenged comment from Useless: "this government has done way more than any other..." More Tory bullshit (world beating...blah, blah) World beating only in lies and mismanagement.
    1
  4859.  @robertsimpson8292  I suspect not. Albeit the membership support PR. So who would expect an undemocratic organisation pushing for democracy.
    1
  4860.  @robertsimpson8292  Managed, yes. Democracy, no. In reality, an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4861.  @benghiskahn3673  A great list there, Benghis, and I'm in full agreement.
    1
  4862.  @jimcrelm9478  With such a "moderate" government, Brexit would not have been completed during a pandemic or in such a slap-dash way, if at all. Parliament would be truly sovereign. More people would vote because fewer votes would be wasted. Most important, the buggers would do less damage and the producers and innovators would be allowed to flourish because dodgy money wouldn't buy power as easily. Yes, we need real change - from the bottom up and middle out.
    1
  4863.  @jimcrelm9478  The underlying problems that caused Brexit would be fixed by real democracy. It was based on a series of lies perpetuated by divide and rule, rather than debate and compromise with subsequent cooperation. In simple language, a parliament of adults, rather than the Westminster kindergarden. The Tories would die without shifting blame, with the fascists of UKIP cheering them on. That's the potential; and the type of governance we should expect and demand. We broadly agree on the problems, but have different ideas of solutions.
    1
  4864.  @IMBlakeley  I suspect that you are right. He smells the intoxicating scent of power. It may be an illusion.
    1
  4865. Probably too many politicians who don't want to be found out. Free markets, by fair means or foul. The Tory wet dream.
    1
  4866. Yes. Supporting the Covid passport was futile. The vaccines and boosters don't stop the spread of the new variant (see recent Guardian article) so mass gatherings should be banned until we get a grip of the new variant.
    1
  4867.  @tonyb9735  you may wish to believe that. I simply quoted reported facts. 7 out of 10 double jabbed and boosted people were infected by the new variant. A small sample. Thus better to stop mass gatherings in the short term As for vaccines in general, they are designed to help immunity but vaccinated people can still spread and catch the virus. The vaccine is intended to stop it getting worse or becoming critical. I understand the argument about the NHS which is why I said passports are not enough.
    1
  4868. In their eyes, the EU was "protectionist" yet Trump's tariffs are a game. Deform UK are clueless.
    1
  4869. Perhaps Buffoon should tell the DUP he "got Brexit done" and they should get back to work. This charlatan is to unhinged, he confused Jeremy Corbyn with his puppet master and chief fund raiser.
    1
  4870. The serial liar Johnson signed an agreement he never intended to keep because, as a charlatan, he listens to bigots. The hard brexit ideology amounted to illogical bile and vacuous rhetoric, so nothing will change while we remain outside the single market.
    1
  4871. This reinforces my reasoning that I couldn't trust the Tories to take back control, even if persuaded by any argument for leaving the EU (which I wasn't.) Our industries were depleted and sold off by Thatcher embracing neoliberal ideology. By leaving the EU, Johnson's cabal are exacerbating this on steroids.
    1
  4872. Back to sadistic austerity by the man who buggered up the NHS. Where do the Tories find these psychos?
    1
  4873.  @johnrussell3961  my take on it was blame. Blame the pandemic to hide the lunacy of Johnson's oven ready deal.
    1
  4874. Truss shows the danger of allowing a few weeks of power to a total delusional backed by a warped think tank. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    1
  4875.  @millwallholdings  and that's some kind of excuse? Whataboutery is a pathetic defence. Are the good people of Millwall stupid enough to believe it?
    1
  4876.  @anteeko NO! It's public healthcare: a public service under government stewardship, yet the Tories break that trust to promote more privatisation for their failed ideological reasons. Ie. We need stewardship, not meddling. (How about a citizens assembly having a say, guided by health experts?) This government should be prosecuted for treason.
    1
  4877.  @myopinionsmayoffendyou  you say the government has very little control, and spending has increased dramatically. By coincidence, almost half of recent spending has been to private companies for outsourced contracts - influenced and directed by government. Join your two statements together and you arrive at the answer.
    1
  4878.  @andrewharris3900  The NHS depends on the public for funding - not politicians. If you offer the choice of opting in or out, many will be denied quality healthcare.
    1
  4879. This is Sunak's government of responsibility and professionalism. Another Tory; another liar.
    1
  4880. In operational terms, only an idiot would complete Brexit during a pandemic. A politician, on the other hand, will use deflection and misdirection to justify their inane dogma. (blaming Covid after they promised a world-beating test and trace system; after slauding a world-leading vaccine rollout. Two such examples that show the Johnson government has made us an international joke.)
    1
  4881. A government in the process of strengthening workers rights is to go cap in hand to a rogue employer for investment? Time to grow some cajones. (Firing McSweeney might be a useful byproduct btw)
    1
  4882. Putin wants the land; Trump wants the minerals. Ukraine outmanoeuvred both with honesty and integrity.
    1
  4883. Tory government speciality: spaffing money up the wall to manage the economy like a leaking bucket. Tory government propaganda: the party of responsible fiscal management. When will voters wake up and smell the coffee?
    1
  4884. I wonder if Farage and Anderson were handing out free booze to get them drunk as an excuse.
    1
  4885. Perhaps she should move to Rwanda to implement her dream policy. Another psychopath in charge of the home office.
    1
  4886. And the bill keeps getting larger. Don't forget a "world leading and innovative" plan designed by morons for racists. A flawed plan to stop a "business model" of smugglers. Did they smugglers present a business plan to their bank manager to get finance lol.
    1
  4887.  @HumansAreShitFactories  please stop showing your mental age, it matches your pseudonym account.
    1
  4888. Farage is successul in getting media attention and making money through being a charlatan. How long has it taken him to get into parliament? How has his beloved brexit worked out? (Of course, it's always someone else's fault.) He can't set up a proper democratic party and vet electoral candidates (again someone else's fault). Nigel is a serial whinger, trading in bile-infused rhetoric, with no workable solutions. Challenge him and he falls apart, a big ego hiding the petulance of a child. A Marmite character who will be more exposed as he shows his support for the wealthy while pretending to be a man of the people - fox hunting and tax avoidance through farm ownership being the latest causes inspiring him to don his yellow trousers and wellies. That's some man of the people - who pay to join his new limited company where they have no voting rights.
    1
  4889.  @jjefferyworboys8138  Dismantling human rights; dehumanising refugees and labelling them illegal migrants ; banning public protests. Read the history of Hitler if you think that's right of centre and then tell us Hitler was a centrist.
    1
  4890.  @lowbrow  evidence, source and timescale, please?
    1
  4891. @charleswhite758 Please learn about the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees before talking such sh1te.
    1
  4892.  @heycidskyja4668  Evidence? And sources, please. Ps. The daily fail doesn't count.
    1
  4893. The silence of our mainstream media is deafening. Perhaps they still have delusions of Global Britain.
    1
  4894. Amazing that it took booing from a crowd of royalists to trigger this vote, which has shown a lack of confidence in Buffoon.
    1
  4895. I don't see a bold vision from Starmer's Labour. In summary, I see Tory light, plus some welcome reform (in the form of devolved powers and abolishing the unelected House of Lords) yet failing to support PR. Perhaps he is playing to the oligarch media.
    1
  4896. We have an elective dictatorship and a complicit media that helps to manufacture consent. Britain is broken.
    1
  4897.  @MichaelSmith-ns8ow  Then who will tell him? Murdoch? The little spiv is spineless and useless.
    1
  4898.  @EdJames-tb9oz  We have to wipe our asses on something, but probably import most of it.
    1
  4899. The Tories have relegated our world status to that of a sordid, shitty country run by privileged idiots.
    1
  4900. Trump's ego dwarfes any grain of intellect he possesses. (Btw what is the measuring movement he does with those hands?)
    1
  4901. The Tories love vacuous empty vessels. Look at Johnson and project... Truss may win the prize for the most operationally incompetent and vacuous.
    1
  4902. I sometimes wonder who's pulling Starmer's strings when he ignores competent people who are exposing the main factor holding us back: financial inequality. Liam Byrne has even written a book titled The Inequality of Wealth. He should also listen to Gary Stevenson and Prof Richard Murphy. Is he working for backers and string pullers?
    1
  4903. Farage was culpable in discrediting the police statement to fuel anger for his own ends.
    1
  4904.  @albert7311  and in the UK?
    1
  4905.  @ppo2424  specialist subject, bleeding obvious, to quote Basil Fawlty
    1
  4906.  @kanedNunable  Yes. Manufactured consent by a compliant media.
    1
  4907. Thankfully the Government has U-turned on this policy today and George Useless intends to place legal responsibility on water companies. Watch this space...
    1
  4908. Just look at the Tory economic record since 2010 (bordering on incompetence and disaster) and vote accordingly.
    1
  4909. Good riddance. We still have too many idiots in parliament, but now one less
    1
  4910. Madder than a box of frogs, carried by a coach load of hatters.
    1
  4911. Actually, the correct term is "Starmer speaks" while Trump farts through his mouth.
    1
  4912. Not one straight answer to a series of simple questions. Every journalist should engage a bullshit buzzer. The noise would be deafening and more entertaining than Barclay's vacuous drivel.
    1
  4913. "A free-loading Tory sponger." So accurate. Johnson has all the characteristics of a populist leader: buffoonery; delusion; incompetence; moral bankruptcy. Enabled by an undemocratic system where a minority of voters return the parliamentary majority of an elective dictatorship.
    1
  4914.  @markbriten6999  and I expected the last word to begin with g
    1
  4915. A government in perpetual denial of fact. Living their own failed rhetoric of Global Britain and Brexit success. Being dragged towards reality when events prove their idiocy. Kicking and screaming after being forced to be seen to do something. Always too little, too late. Little England, the international joke.
    1
  4916. ​ @physiocrat7143 yes they have. Unfortunately not currently in power. Many progressive economists have solutions. Reform have just vacuous rhetoric.
    1
  4917.  @magyarbrit5631  good point. Missed that one.
    1
  4918. Our sociopathic government has only one job: to stop immigration. For everything else they blame others.
    1
  4919. The longer this goes on, the more Theresa May is proved right. Johnson's crazy brexit has destabilised NI, by offering a new excuse for bigots.
    1
  4920.  @emm_arr  I agree. But she did get one thing right about Brexit being a disaster in Northern Ireland.
    1
  4921.  @jim-es8qk  "successful"?? That's delusional. The USA has a written constitution. We are on our arse after being scammed by politicians gaming an elective dictatorship. No point debating with a pseudonym account producing bald statements divorced from reality. Goodbye
    1
  4922.  @jim-es8qk  Because not Al votes count equally and some are wasted. You may be talking to the wrong MP. Read what Lord Hailsham said about it
    1
  4923.  @jim-es8qk  Strong government = elective dictatorship. Johnson got the exact proportion of seats as the votes AGAINST his party. Not only was that undemocratic, it allowed a disaster. Democracy requires consensus and cooperation, to mitigate mayhem.
    1
  4924. I understand your reasoning - except the majority of public opinion says Brexit is not working. Should he wait for Murdoch's endorsement and consent? If you sup with the Devil, you pay a price. He needs to push electoral reform to scupper the Tories.
    1
  4925. ​ @antonyjh1234 really?!!! That depends on whether we invest in destruction or green solutions.
    1
  4926. ​ @carlossaraiva8213 perhaps a rhetorical question.
    1
  4927. All Putin had to do was criticise his treatment by previous presidents and Trump's hubris made him an asset for life. Arguing Putin's case, with this brainless and odious attack dog Vance demanding servility from Zalensky. There was only one president of substance in that room. He came from Ukraine.
    1
  4928.  @desperatelyseekingrealnews  it's called becoming a third country. We knew it would happen if we left the single market and the customs union. We made the choice; we take the consequences.
    1
  4929.  @desperatelyseekingrealnews  not a label, a process used by the EU with all countries outside the single market and the customs union. We knew the consequences. Our inept government made the decision.
    1
  4930. Putin must be under massive pressure in his own country. There are reports that Russian banks are stopping some withdrawals. Their economy is badly damaged, with many Russians suffering financially.
    1
  4931. He will be content with a deck chair in his cell. Lol
    1
  4932. The power of a name, backed by the oligarch media: Reform! Who doesn't think the country needs reform? Yet when we look at the millionaire brexiter rejects behind Reform UK, it becomes obvious that they would reform us into a banana republic while they strip the financial carcass. The right uses a familiar pattern: articulate a problem; shift blame to justify a fake solition; then remove many of the rights of those who voted for them to maximise their own power and control.
    1
  4933. I don't believe that we are a functioning democracy. In an elective dictatorship, and parliament being a house of lies, how can we be?
    1
  4934. Ken made a great point about articulating the dissatisfaction of the working class. It's just what Johnson and Cummings did, after persuading a critical number that Brexit would give them hope. The tactic is simple: promise the moon and deliver less than green cheese. The right has developed an infallible formula, where the poor vote for the rich to have more. We need a true socialist movement, which Labour has now failed to deliver.
    1
  4935. Declaring this could be a simple vote winner with some. Just do it immediately, if gaining power.
    1
  4936. Isn't it the city pushing for this? The government's reaction will be the test.
    1
  4937. We simply can't trust the Tories with ANY public services. Ironically, a successful economy depends on an efficient public infrastructure. So are the Tories deliberately crashing the country?
    1
  4938.  @elliotwilliams7421  then you didn't listen to his words. Are you by implication suggesting that the Tories are more trustworthy? It is it just whataboutery used for deflection?
    1
  4939.  @forestsunset9617  I'm probably of a similar generation as your parents. Perhaps you should tell them that mobile phones and beer don't heat a home, and mobile phones need charging. Britain is broken.
    1
  4940.  @franklingoodwin  Your statement is probably correct while the oligarch media successfully manufactures consent.
    1
  4941. Trial by government is a step too far. Johnson and his cabal aspire to fascism.
    1
  4942. ​ @StanWatts-u5l How? Did you listen to his bullshit? Certainly excusing idiots and siding with Tate. The whinging charlatan bellyaching once again.
    1
  4943. And house prices up, so people have less disposable income. Britain is FUBAR
    1
  4944. If this is what international law counts for, how many law breakers and criminals are in government? Our politicians are useless stooges. Call it out!!!
    1
  4945. Then where are the factual inaccuracies?
    1
  4946.  @lochnessmunster1189  Such a pointless organisation that other nations have copied it with trade deals. Pointless in helping preserve peace and creating economic prosperity while protecting the public through higher product standards and workers' rights. We certainly have a different definition of pointless. I wonder if that's why other EU countries don't agree with your rhetoric.
    1
  4947.  @lochnessmunster1189  really??? Without trade deals we would face duties, border controls and paperwork. Imagine buying from countries with no obligation to label contents, so you don't know what you are eating or using. In deciding workers' rights in-country, you may be buying from a country using child slave labour. Standards and agreements exist for good reasons. They also offer better quality and value. Would you really prefer a race to the bottom?
    1
  4948. ​ @waynebradford7779 Listen and learn. The facts are there
    1
  4949. The behaviour of this government went beyond sleaze a few years ago. They laugh at the law and expect the rest of us to respect it. (Thankfully most of us do for the good of society.) Wilfull destruction of evidence treated as an everyday occurrence by a cabal of entitled charlatans. We should certainly remember this at the ballot box.
    1
  4950. Farage knew the impact of his words. He willingly took the risk of incitement for his own ego and his bank balance. This is NOT a patriot, nor a responsible politician.
    1
  4951. Utter delusion. A certain President Moron picking a fight with Canada and Panama while selling out to Putin. He is making Europe stronger by his ineptitude.
    1
  4952. Politicians use tax and spend as an argument to screw people by imposing austerity. Making ourselves dependant on private investment, under the lie of neoliberalism, not only stifles growth but costs us more in the long run.
    1
  4953. The greatest barrier to growth is inequality. Tax wealth to fill the holes, while stimulating growth.
    1
  4954. ​ @danielpye7738 please pay attention to the videos. The government has the sovereign right to create money through the BofE.
    1
  4955. The main cause is lack of understanding. Many don't even understand school level economics and can't think through the implications of tariffs, because they don't know how they are applied. Even my local MP (sadly Tory) didn't understand the process in a previous exchange of emails.) Let's do it to them; without understanding the implications to us.
    1
  4956.  @lynnmeyers10  In one sense, I agree. Hitler would approve of many western countries aspiring to fascism. Whereas Netanyahu appears to believe in an eye and all limbs for an eye. Many Jews support Palestine in this conflict.
    1
  4957.  @lynnmeyers10  My reply didn't post. So much for free speech. In one sense, I agree. Hitler would approve of western countries moving towards fascism. Netanyahu on the other hand seems to believe in an eye and every lib for an eye.
    1
  4958. The level of brainwashing is scary. Through corporate control. Through financialisation. Enabled with propaganda. Keep it hidden. Keep people dumbed down. Paint facts with whitewash to avoid rebellion. We need to encourage and teach critical thinking.
    1
  4959. Not only is the law an ass, British democracy is an oxymoron. The law lord announcing this referred to our constitution. A laugh in itself because it consists of a series of precedents - uncodified to maintain obscurity and keep control by the few. Democracy is officially declared dead and buried. Britain is broken.
    1
  4960.  @ADifferentBias  My suggestion is approval by a people's assembly, after being drafted by a panel of specialists. A codified constitution can also be updated, provided the authority doesn't rest solely with current politicians. Btw I don't accept that the uncodified constitution prevents control by a few - the few in power change and tamper with the opaque rules for their own end.
    1
  4961.  @emm_arr  which achieves obscurity over transparency
    1
  4962. Why would you want the media at an academy of dark arts? Plotting a dirty tricks campaign after reducing the powers of the electoral commission. This is the little spiv who promised professionalism and integrity.
    1
  4963. Wow! So poignant, professor. I could not agree more. If only we had real democracy with a government willing to engage with you.
    1
  4964. And on last night's Peston, Honest Bob Jenrick claimed that the government has a responsibility to control inflation through squeezing the pay of the workers they bear responsibility for: in the public sector. I have news for you, Bob: (1) rail workers are constrained by public sector pay awards while employed by private companies paying dividends to shareholders from taxpayers' money. (2) why does the government fail to control, or at least intervene in, private sector pay awards, and make no attempt to control prices? (3) if you condone, and even exacerbate, widening pay differentials between the private and public sector, you will have problems in the recruitment and retention of the "best people." (4) Oops! I forgot: you want to release the shackles of banking executive pay because that's where you want "the best people" and to attract investment. That's Tory ideology in a nutshell.
    1
  4965. Cameron: the rat fighting to get back in the sack. Room for Dodgy Dave? Move over...
    1
  4966. ​ @dalecrocker3213 If and when the little sh1t returns, the courts will do that.
    1
  4967. Yes, apparently that's already happened with the trains - services cut from Waterloo - and likely to be implemented at the ports. Another Brexit win. Who would have thought than banning free movement would affect us?
    1
  4968. The stock in trade of the far right is anger. Look over there! It's disgusting! Trust us to sort it out. The perfect antidote: look back at their track record and THINK for yourself.
    1
  4969. Also, it is not more in real terms.
    1
  4970. Trump's act of stupidity was promising to reduce inflation while imposing tariffs. Tariffs are paid by the importer, which pushes prices up. Hence the two are incompatible, unless home industries can fill the supply gap at a competitive price, in which case tariffs won't be needed.
    1
  4971. A government claiming to deliver for the people, after a minority mandate (from 43.6% of verified votes) followed by a list of priorities made up on the fly. The useless b'stards can't even deliver (for the people lol) on their own priorities.
    1
  4972. Perhaps his "friend Donald" will see him or recognise him this time. Lol
    1
  4973. A world-beating laughing stock. Life in the Brexit fast lane is a sh1t show, leading to more queues.
    1
  4974. I urge you: don't be a bystander. Write to the BBC, calling out their bias and cowardice. Afterall we pay for the service. Demand responsible journalism, by expecting them to hold the government to account.
    1
  4975. Trying to outdo Deform UK on immigration is crass stupidity. The cabal that has never been in power can always say that they would do it better. The level of cluelessness in government is phenomenal. Are their brains surgically removed to inhabit Planet Westminster?
    1
  4976.  @tomsheppard378  no answers, Tom. Are you intellectually lazy, stupid or just too arrogant?
    1
  4977. The arrogant foghorn has more than a credibility problem. His opponents should simply ask voters to look where listening to Farage has got us.
    1
  4978. The Tories claim to have tackled inflation: that's price inflation; not profit inflation. The BofE imposes higher interest rates to reduce price inflation. Government fails to penalise profiteering to keep the costs to consumers up.
    1
  4979. ​ @Noel-ji8nm which are those, troll?
    1
  4980. The NHS is NOT safe with this government. They have been chipping away at the NHS, while maintaining that outsourcing to private companies has nothing to do with NHS privatisation. Tony Blair was complicit in this, and played into Tory hands. Labour need to shout this from the rooftops and propose a full publicly run and publicly resourced service.
    1
  4981. Same level of populism, without attention to detail. A truly incompetent government: successful only in leading us towards fascism while ruining the country.
    1
  4982. Pity we can't get the b'stard to lie in court then chuck him in prison for perjury. If Buffoon is above the law,. Britain is beyond broken
    1
  4983.  @fuckbankers  Many, but regrettably not all. Especially those who don't look beyond the Daily Fail headlines
    1
  4984. Ironic that free marketeers rail against protectionism. Yet, in pure economic terms, abandoning free movement is a form of protectionism. Their real reason is, as you say, the reduction of standards and the dismantling of workers rights. Also the protection of tax dodgers in one of the world's money laundering capitals - London (and of course off-shore)
    1
  4985. Simple logic: it's the quality of questions that determine the outcome.
    1
  4986. Neoliberalism was always a con: the dogma of trickle down getting the poor to vote for the rich to have more. There is no perfect competition, especially as it is now skewed by financialisation. Adam Smith's original work assumed a fair and free marketplace and equality of opportunity. Intervention is needed, at the right level for the benefit of society while encouraging and rewarding achievement.
    1
  4987. That explains a lot. Appeals to the intellectually lazy as well as plain idiots.
    1
  4988. ​ @pipster1891 words are surely enough, other than a retirement present.
    1
  4989. At least Johnson is consistent: he has made a mockery of the parliamentary system at every turn. There is a perfect place for this specimen: the Tower of London.
    1
  4990. The response to "have a guess" should be: No, our listeners deserve facts, you tell me. Ferrari is NOT a journalist by any stretch of imagination.
    1
  4991. Certainly not economics. He doesn't understand the causes of inflation.
    1
  4992. That argument surely disregards how the money is used. The last round of QE, to avert the Truss crisis, etc. was left sloshing around in banks, then was largely taken up by housing developers in the private rental market and for land-banking to force up the price of housing. Supposing that extra money was invested in the infrastructure and social services? Not directly causing inflation.
    1
  4993. So America suffers from loose bowels, with none looser than the man named after a fart.
    1
  4994. Mick is pure class. Showing the government for what they are: operational incompetents and serial liars. They would rather stall and spin rhetoric than reach an agreement. Rail management appears to be a stage play where noone knows their part - led by donkeys.
    1
  4995. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  4996. What else should we expect from someone with narcissistic personality disorder, and the characteristics of a sociopath or psychopath. You choose.
    1
  4997. Pedestrian crossings offer a sensible solution to a problem that is exacerbated by the stupidity of the new HC rules. Drivers were always expected to give priority to pedestrians in the process of crossing but this new rule and the inept implementation of it cause chaos.
    1
  4998. Johnson thrives on confrontation because the mainstream media support him while we all suffer the consequences. He does not care about the effect on our lives; only his popularity.
    1
  4999. If the "art of the deal" means giving something away to the one party he engages with - with no concession in return. Then demanding something from the second party he has not even spoken to - with no security guarantees. Trump is a master only in the alternate universe of his deluded supporters. He certainly achieved something in the 24 hours where he promised a result. It's called mayhem.
    1
  5000.  @JP-sm4cs  yes, I realise my comment is sacrilegious to many of his supporters. Soon I won't be able to make it as the Tories suppress free speech
    1
  5001. The concerning fact is that this feckless liar and proven spinner of myths still gets airtime. The wazzock should be in the Tower for treason after causing serial harm to our country, through his bile.
    1
  5002. Economic models will always be bad when they ignore the key measure that influences growth and prosperity: it's called inequality.
    1
  5003. The opacity and collusion of the establishment, for the preservation of power, apparently is limitless. What my grandad used to describe as "p1ssing in the same pot".
    1
  5004.  @frogandspanner  That's an assumption. Some may vote Lib Dem, others may vote Reform. Conversely many many well leave Labour. Don't be blind and deaf to the comments from disillusioned Labour voters. We can argue about clever strategy but people don't react like machines. Starmer is making some world class blunders recently: his naive comment about Thatcher (what reaction did he expect after it was processed through the Torygraph's filter?) His support of Israeli genocide. Streeting's (perhaps misquoted) comments about the NHS. Not safe to make any assumptions...
    1
  5005. Probably to illustrate our lack of democracy. Government rides the scam of our elective dictatorship.
    1
  5006. How desperate or deranged must people be to support this felon and cheat? He talks garbage while continually moving his hands to measure the extent of both his lies and garbage.
    1
  5007. It was always going to be pathetic. Read the Russia Report and the reason is obvious. The worst possible leader at the worst possible time.
    1
  5008.  @fjkelley4774  Yes And they should be prosecuted for it.
    1
  5009. Tory speciality: chuck public money at your supporters and donors, or to buy votes. Screw those who need support and blame them for laziness.
    1
  5010. A sad fact of life in our elective dictatorship is the need to lie. Not all votes are equal; voters in marginal seats must be wooed. Enter Johnson in the last election: one lie after another. Will these desperate voters hold the Tories to account? Or will they buy the inane excuses? It was: the pandemic; the Russian invasion; lefty lawyers; economic migrants taking all the money. Labour should support PR and deliver it. Otherwise this mess will continue to soil the country. The Tories are skilled at gaming the system, in spite of an abject record in government
    1
  5011. Social housing has been banned from our vocabulary since Thatcher. George Clarke did a great documentary on quality social housing in other countries. Bring it here. Make the banks fund long term mortgages below the commercial rate, as in Germany. Cap house price rises to the inflation rate in the short term until we have enough housing to trust the free market. GET A BLOODY GRIP. The market is broken and housing is a basic social need.
    1
  5012. ​ @wiseget-f7e Whereas northern Labour, Green and Lib Dem supporters can see through right wing bullsh1t.
    1
  5013. That should put a nail in their coffin. Only idiots would vote for them.
    1
  5014. This is Britain. Why would we expect a suitable infrastructure for electric vehicle charging before encouraging people to buy them? Let's charge people for overstaying because we can't organise a p1ss-up in a brewery.
    1
  5015. ​ @chrisholmes9284 So because you don't believe anyone, will you give the blatant charlatans a chance? The privately educated establishment scammers who will somehow work for the ordinary people.
    1
  5016. How exactly are we "leading the world in beating Covid" with the highest death rate in Europe and the second highest per capita? Such lies spill easily from Tory lips. Would have been better in saying the prime minister has been clear as mud, and he will probably change his mind tomorrow.
    1
  5017. Abhorrent is an interesting word. I abhor racism. I abhor the behaviour of politicians when stoking division. I abhor gaslighting, masking operational incompetence. I abhor corruption and the spaffing of public money. Coincidentally, I abhor this Tory government.
    1
  5018. When in the sh1t, wheel out a comedy act to defend you. Only the vacuous buffoon could come up with that one.
    1
  5019. Short term productivity or outcomes? If we have better outcomes in health, national productivity improves because we get more people working to their physical and mental capabilities. Support services should be viewed differently by looking at the full context, as explained in this video.
    1
  5020. ​ @bartholomewtott3812 that's exactly what is being proposed. A change of tax rates for fairness and consistency
    1
  5021.  @2000bhoy  plenty in Phil's video and online if you care to check. I'm not prepared to write a book but you can start with Johnson refusing every offer of help (from the EU and other parties) in the pandemic. He has failed to work with local leaders and imposed top-down dictatorship and incompetence. Google the Good Law Project and open your eyes.
    1
  5022.  @2000bhoy  great. Sorry, I misunderstood your comment. Thought you wanted more info.
    1
  5023.  @aryastark634  yes. It's impossible without electoral reform, as they have the same proportion of seats as the vote AGAINST THEM. The exact opposite of what we voted for. We need PR and stronger standards of conduct (removing dark money funding etc) The start would be for all other parties to campaign for electoral reform so the Tories are exposed.
    1
  5024. The Tories want dictatorship: continuously grabbing more power at the centre while suppressing individual democratic rights. Btw. Look at the number in the House - particularly on government benches. Voting from preconception without listening to arguments is not a sign of a healthy democracy.
    1
  5025. Bring it on! The Good Law Project has a stack of evidence and we should now see the law applied for the benefit of society. The Tories are serial scammers, using the British tendency to cap-doffing and our national pandering to elitism.
    1
  5026.  @rabburns1382  not guilty
    1
  5027. I'm amazed at the level of mental illness. That is, the fact that it's not even higher after 14 years of Tory sociopathy and planned incompetence for the benefit of their masters.
    1
  5028. The Tory strategy is consistent and obvious: being seen to do something; rarely the right thing; never enough.
    1
  5029.  @mikeoglen6848  how was it failing? The root cause is Neoliberalism and not the EU.
    1
  5030.  @mikeoglen6848  the inequality package? Or the one promoted on the side of a bus?
    1
  5031. Apparently the gutless little spiv has now ordered an investigation by his ethics advisor. Wonder where he got that idea?
    1
  5032. I suspect the disaster capitalists and money launderers already do.
    1
  5033. Shapps must take the prize for brainfarts. The guy can't even decide on his own name.
    1
  5034. So is failing to "react" as you would define it, a virtue or a fault?
    1
  5035. Government does more than look after money. The exchequer, however, has overall control of state finances and largely dictates the amount of money available, through fiscal and taxation policy.
    1
  5036.  @Jams848484  as one of "you people" my hatred starts and ends with the promotion of fascism and division by an incompetent minority-elected government. In other words, I don't hate the people they want me to. I Just hate the behaviour of the cabal of crooks and charlatans in power.
    1
  5037.  @bereal6590  Likewise. I formed these opinions from higher education and in specialist middle-management jobs. We just don't know how (or perhaps want) to get the best from people.
    1
  5038. And how has she done that? Evidence is needed. We know about the Farage Riots. What about Patel?
    1
  5039. Think Tank is an oxymoron. A group of minds that come ready made up, cluttered with extreme ideology.
    1
  5040.  @Jack-fs2im  That's such a narrow view. What choice did they have when council houses were sold off at preferential prices? Some bought by private landlords. Now the collective consists of private landlords. Society is about far more than housing.
    1
  5041.  @Jack-fs2im  and look at the long term effects of the reduction in social housing, instigated by Thatcher, continued by Blair, followed by Neoliberal governments. Housing is only one aspect.
    1
  5042.  @Jack-fs2im  It took far more than changes in housing to influence our attitudes, as we are fundamentally social animals. Yet society exists when people work together to save lives, when people band together in charitable support. In spite of the promotion of greed and consumerism, there is altruism and society. Thatcher declared a goal demanded by Neoliberalism, instigated at a meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947. If available choices are reduced, it's harder to blame people for the choice they make. Sadly if opportunity is reduced and society fractures, crime increases.
    1
  5043. Yes. The act of levelling means one part goes down while another goes up. Unless , of course, tonnage (or money) is added to the whole so all levels rise.
    1
  5044. Show your workings. Absolute garbage.
    1
  5045.  @michaelshore2300  ????
    1
  5046.  @colinwishbone4437  do some research, Colin. He didn't cause the INTERNATIONAL banking crash.
    1
  5047. Farage knows how to appeal to racists, within legal boundaries. He effectively said that muslims do not share British values, but some and not all muslims. Firstly, what are the mythical British values? If they include respect and tolerance then Farage himself fails that test. We have close muslim friends, whose children are British born and well integrated. Perhaps someone will ask him what British values he is talking about. He was made to look like a vacuous schoolboy in the brexit dabates by Nicola Sturgeon, who told him that the foreigners are not to blame for everything. To my knowledge, xenophobia, bigotry and hatred are not illegal, so farage fuels them for his own gain. The unellected self-styled man of the people (a privately educated ex financial trader) gets airtime to spout his bile at the drop of a hat.
    1
  5048. Tory entitlement knows no bounds.
    1
  5049. Typical of a politician to imply that structural fairness is inevitable and acceptable. One wonders what the Tories have been doing for the past 14 years. Taking us back to the days of Dickens?
    1
  5050. Reform will become the money pit for sponsors of fascism. Their proven formula appeals to idiots, albeit they will make them poorer.
    1
  5051. Some of which has been exposed by the Good Law Project and the government throws more public money at the defence of their corruption.
    1
  5052. At the core of the problem sits neoliberalism, which was designed to persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more through the myth of trickle-down. If we were to put more wealth in the hands of the majority, they would spend it in the local economy. Put it in the hands of the richest and they either move it offshore or buy assets to rent back to us at extortionate prices. Inequality is indeed the key to poor growth.
    1
  5053. I wonder if Trump's narcissism is the root cause of his failure. He doesn't do detail...too narcissistic to think through potential barriers. No real planning...just doing things that feel right as a narcissist. Doesn't think through the implications to others...too sociopathic. Also, Musk is not a master planner...just a childish wrecker assisting a dangerous moron.
    1
  5054. Reform, the scammers who would destroy the NHS. The party that would Reform us into a banana republic without the bananas.
    1
  5055. A political game, using the threat to apply an article that has specific and limited scope. It seems doubtful that Buffoon and Lord Gormless have even read it. Beware! Grifters at play.
    1
  5056. Yet the dysfunctional Met Police will not investigate because of "an absence of evidence." Thought the whole point of investigation was to find evidence.
    1
  5057.  @dvidclapperton  Yes. Being told and checking actual facts reveal startling differences. Growth in real incomes are significantly higher under Labour. A 12% increase under Blair and Brown; a 1.5% reduction since Cameron.
    1
  5058.  @ep1929  boll1cks. Think you'll find the banking crash caused that. We had growth under New Labour and a rise of 12% in real earnings. As opposed to a reduction in real earnings of 1.5% under Tory austerity.
    1
  5059.  @ep1929  you really need to check facts before spouting the kind of rhetoric I associate with pseudonym accounts. Just look up the national debt, year on year, and chart it against the party in government. You will find that it has increased more under the Tories, who have paid it back slower. As for the war... Inexcusable but supported also by the Tory party in parliament. Even before the pandemic, our debt was increasing in spite of (and partly because of) austerity. Fact is: Labour has a better economic record, in spite of media bullshit. Simple as that.
    1
  5060.  @ep1929  stop shifting ground, EP, and read what I said. More REAL Labour supporters spoke out against the war. How many Tory MPs supported it? Read and think, before reacting.
    1
  5061.  @ep1929  Your pathological hatred of Blair needs therapy. I have never "brushed under the carpet" what he did. Read my comment again ... concentrate this time. Are you suggesting that Tory MPs were incapable of critical thought about Iraq? Certainly Jeremy Corbyn and others weren't. Nor were the UN. Stop shifting ground to excuse the worst possible government our country has known.
    1
  5062.  @ep1929  there you go. Starting by making a comment on a post about economics and ending up talking about an individual. Disapproval and hatred are different reactions. On balance, I didn't approve of Blair for two reasons, although he did improve public services and raise prosperity for the majority.
    1
  5063. Johnson would not survive in a real democracy; it takes our elective dictatorship.
    1
  5064. In one BBC interview, the interviewer labelled this as a brave move by Sunak. It seems that our state media can't tell the difference between bravery and desperation. The author of austerity and the enabler of Brexit is well matched to the little spiv acting as our prime minister. Tory scum.
    1
  5065. "This government doesn't have another alternative to...Rwanda" Then we need a new government! Simple!!!
    1
  5066. Brexit was like a journey to the land of the unknown. Why? It was not clearly defined. Something like joining a mystery tour with an unskilled driver or a novice pilot and hoping to end up in a place of perfect beauty and harmony. We also jumped on board to escape a pandemic when half of the crew and passengers were infected. How was it going to end well when we trusted a serial liar and a cult of abject incompetents to take back control?
    1
  5067.  @huwzebediahthomas9193  regrettably, it hasn't rubbed off enough if you consider 8% adequate, with inflation at over 10% after a reduction in real income over the last 12 years. I do agree about backdating. Javid's letter to the pay review body blew the Tories excuse of impartiality.
    1
  5068. Government buys the lie of worshipping the market: this mythical thing we have created and can't tamper with because we don't fully understand cause and effect. In parallel, government resists tampering with personal choices and uses the word freedom to justify any lack of intervention. Meanwhile we are viewed as greed-obsessed consumers and worker ants, or lazy buggers who are not working, by economists expert in mathematical models based on flawed assumptions. What a way to run an economy...
    1
  5069.  @jjefferyworboys8138  Never underestimate the greed of the ultra-rich. They ALWAYS want more and as PM, Sunak is facilitating it.
    1
  5070.  @maskedavenger2578  perhaps if you take off your mask and open your mind you will understand that lifeboat crews save lives - irrespective of whose... Your mask hides a fascist agenda, promoted by the vacuous foghorn Farage.
    1
  5071. More shit trolling, Andy. Do you ever give up with your paltry excuses?
    1
  5072. If these bigots are paid in full, the same treatment should be mandated for all workers on official strike.
    1
  5073.  @tnexus13  sounds plausible. Is that taking back control?
    1
  5074.  @imconfused1237  I haven't researched 5g, which means I have not come to a conclusion about it. I've been told by someone serving in Army signals that there is a valid reason to check potential side effects, which makes me cynical about both extreme positions: abject dismissal and scaremongering. My main concern is about our shoddy planning laws and their abuse - having researched the flawed process and experienced related abuse and incompetence.
    1
  5075. The best description I read of Britain was: a country that started on the road to democracy, went so far, then gave up. Votes are not equal, which makes a joke of democracy, and now we have money skewing opinion as people are too lazy or incapable of sorting fact from fiction. America is even worse: shamocracy on a larger scale.
    1
  5076. So what? They were deceived. What will they vote next?
    1
  5077.  @michaellawlor5625  The nuanced point is: using religion to appeal to racists. The cabinet consists of many (anti-muslim) Hindus. Racists use any differences they can find, to achieve divide and rule.
    1
  5078. Israel trying to "exist in peace" while imposing aparheid and retaliating with mass slaughter? Anyone spot inconsistency?¹
    1
  5079. Will the BBC be forced to report on the march in support of Palestine after this level of publicity? Could be an own goal by the lunatic Blabbermouth.
    1
  5080. Fair and responsible. Words used glibly by Sunak, yet his actions shout loudly that he lives in cloud cuckoo land. Just to explain basic economics to the Spiv. Costs of energy and food are pushing inflation; not wages. Giving people a real terms pay cut will also stifle growth.
    1
  5081. ​ @qetoun There is a legal process called a trial. Perhaps you have heard of it.
    1
  5082.  @qetoun  noone is jailed without trial in such an instance and you obviously doubt the evidence. That's the thread
    1
  5083. Peter Oborne's book The Assult on Truth details the difference in approach between Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson. The difference between a serious leader and a charlatan. A cabinet of fake patriots, spaffing money to their mates instead of adequately preparing to deal with something we knew about in advance. For completing a half-arsed brexit while a pandemic was raging, so the follies of brexit could be blamed on the pandemic. This was a government of operational incompetence and negligence bordering on treachery. Good luck with your campaign. It's hard to get real justice in our elective dictatorship.
    1
  5084.  @stickytapenrust6869  I know. The return proved him wrong.
    1
  5085. If patients are her top priority and this is her idea of a strategy, she should be fired immediately. A government of lying incompetents.
    1
  5086. ​ @trytellingthetruth.2068 Don't think they will walk away from a lucrative market. Amazon et all should pay their fair share.
    1
  5087. Poor Boris. Did ums. He leads a minority-elected government mired in perpetual corruption, as a sociopathic serial liar. Just search on the good law project if in doubt.
    1
  5088. Classic Tory gaslighting. Pretend to have done well by selecting statistics that take a matter out of context to create a fase pretext. On 27 October Full Fact revealed that Tory claims related only to legacy cases and the total number of outstanding applications had fallen slightly from an all-time high but if dependents' applications are included, there are no figures available since June 2023. There are lies, damn lies, and the statistics brandished by politicians.
    1
  5089. Starmer is dealing with an apprentice mafia boss who sees himself as a master negotiator. Well, that proved delusional when Asset Krasnov (Trump) met Putin and gave in to his controller. America is no longer anyone's ally, led by a narcissistic moron who changes with the wind. We must work with Europe, as we can't depend on the criminal president.
    1
  5090. The common denominator is neoliberalism, which was designed to exacerbate inequality. The move to globalisation accelerated inequality and the accompanying financial deregulation spurned the financial crash. The imposition of austerity then emphasised inequality while tolerating and even accelerating it. We have created a perfect economic shit-storm, exposed by pandemic and conflict. Enter Brexit to show that a government can easily take the p1ss.
    1
  5091.  @TruthTortoise81  no. I commented one one interview, not the interviewer's character. Dont debate with pseudonym accounts.
    1
  5092.  @TruthTortoise81  I know perfectly well. Don't discuss with pseudonym accounts. Take a hint.
    1
  5093.  @TruthTortoise81  read my answer. Goodbye
    1
  5094.  @stshnie  yes, he gave DL time to speak. The first 2 were leading questions, firstly expressing an opinion. What did the third one mean? Trite! As for the fourth - another leading question. Johnson is not a 'general' - probably a general layabout. Seemed like kindergarten politics to me. Only a personal opinion.
    1
  5095.  @petermills542  The obtuse reference to Napoleon was proved incorrect in 1812. Read War and Peace. Tolstoy doesn't use too many long words. As for the questions: you can ask open questions to get a straightforward answer, or use leading questions to provoke a tailored response. Guess which I prefer. Personal opinion, of course.
    1
  5096.  @davidlulham9327  your condescending tone and factual inaccuracy are noted.
    1
  5097. @ugur asik the Napoleon reference was somewhat dented in 1812. Read War and Peace. As for even using the word "general" in relation to Johnson, I would say a general layabout.
    1
  5098. ​ @camo68 It takes intelligence to listen, so why would we expect Deform members to listen to anyone?
    1
  5099. ​ @patrickcromie7095 beware: he appeals to the intellectually lazy and extreme idiots.
    1
  5100. A sense of relief is inevitable to anyone with a social conscience. Starmer has hit the right note with a declaration of service and his actions in reaching out to devolved governments and regions are a great start. Lammy's visit to Germany is a great sign, not least because it has p1ssed off the lunacy of the Daily Fail.
    1
  5101. Listen to the far right and you hear hatred and division through the shifting of blame and the identification of common enemies. Labour responds with technocratic half-measures to mitigate the campaign of bile. If only we had real democracy, with leaders who care for and serve society.
    1
  5102.  @PeterPete  I agree we shouldn't have, but facts are that we did.
    1
  5103.  @PeterPete  you said that; not me. Do you propose stopping them all? Or how would you control it?
    1
  5104. The Tories have a pathological hatred of the public sector - expecting professionals to act as charity workers to achieve a 'small state.' Their dogma promotes and exacerbates inequality, which was the real intent of neoliberalism as devised by the Mont Pelerin Society.
    1
  5105. The Westminster Buffoon is building the case for Scottish Independence. The SNP must think that all their Christmases have come at once with Johnson in charge.
    1
  5106. The EU is playing smart. No comment; nothing for our oligarch media to report. They keep Lord Gormless and Buffoon guessing and wait for them to be provocateurs. Every move Johnson makes is the wrong one - as shown this week. His house of cards is propped up by the oligarch media.
    1
  5107.  @evaahh9584  we should be able to watch other channels live without a licanse
    1
  5108. ​ @willyhill7509 then read the enquiry report in the link.
    1
  5109. Trump is what you get through desperation. A narcissist promising the impossible to desperate people. Imposing tariffs while reducing inflation! Trump doesn't do maths and appeals to idiots.
    1
  5110. What the study really shows, is that our voting system is undemocratic. We live in an elective dictatorship and the system is a sham.
    1
  5111. An elective dictatorship; an oligarch controlled and complicit media; a revolving door between journalism and politics. Spot the connection?
    1
  5112. Symbolism, paid for by public money, to perpetuate the division the Tories want. Meanwhile the Home Office fails to process applications. Planned incompetence.
    1
  5113. Sunak has jumped out of the plane and is hoping that someone has invented the parachute. I have never trusted the Tories with public services (at least since Thatcher and neoliberalism) and now who would trust them with the future of their children and grandchildren?
    1
  5114. There are more questions than answers, yet with Sunak there are no answers: just bullshit and baseless counter accusations.
    1
  5115. "Levelling up!". Who said that? A serial liar, so why not expect the opposite? Most of the awarded pittance was directed to the red wall seats where the Tories had won a narrow margin. Who would have guessed?
    1
  5116. On another YT channel, a video of a scammer sat at a desk between two union flags. The said scammer allegedly didn't codone violence yet defended the far right as though they were victims rather than perpetrators. The sammer (who you may have guessed was Farage) then offered veiled threats of more violence.
    1
  5117. The economy works for banks. Banks don't work for us.
    1
  5118. President Moron: liar or imbecile? That is the question.
    1
  5119. It's incredible! Not the fact of Tory economic mismanagement, but that many still believe the propaganda of them being the party of responsible financial management. When Tory governments have historically borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, recently perpetuated by failed austerity.
    1
  5120.  @korneldura7640  "No austerity in the last 20 years" ???? Really!!!
    1
  5121.  @korneldura7640  I'm fully aware of what austerity is, after qualifying in degree-level economics some years ago. In our case we kept cutting funding to public services, or deliberately underfunding it, under the pretence of paying back a debt - largely theoretical using QE. Meanwhile the debt kept growing due to Tory mismanagement. Now we have Sunak repeating the process.
    1
  5122. And I suspected that he was an alien.
    1
  5123. Trump and Vance, the perfect team: a f'kwit assisting a moron. Making America not-so-great; nearer to an international laughing stock.
    1
  5124. Not just scum, but Tory lying scum. Does anyone remember Johnson's promise that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's? He wasn't the only liar in the party of malfeasance and economic incompetence.
    1
  5125. The whiff of corruption from Tory scum is overwhelming.
    1
  5126. Let me disabuse anyone who believes that Streeting is for efficiency to benefit society. He is about a distorted view of financial "efficiency", which is a misnomer. You can achieve financial efficiency by reducing quality. Associate practitioners replacing GPs is a classic example.
    1
  5127.  @dee8501  How? Whataboutery doesn't justify Tory austerity
    1
  5128.  @Wrcrallyfan101  So he may be the lesser of two evils, John. Let's watch what happens with his cabinet of sociopaths: Hunt wedded to austerity and favouring private health; Braverman reinstated, after being sacked for a data breach, as the resident psychopath to ship more refugees to Rwanda; Raab recycled to dismantle human rights and take us closer to fascism. I personally prefer to judge Sunak's "honesty" by deeds, not words.
    1
  5129.  Ahmed Mohammed  Interesting! Wasn't aware of this. He is known as Fishy Rishi so time will tell.
    1
  5130. Sweet irony. We lose EU funding and have a vacuous two-word slogan announcing a fund that will effectively level down. The money is mysteriously being awarded to locations with a Tory marginal seat, as Phil explains.
    1
  5131. ​ @RGBmode No south coast accent there. They are easily fooled or incapable of critical thinking. Reform will help land owners rather than create affordable housing. Where is their policy to help with housing supply (or even demand)? Farage is establishment.
    1
  5132. Won't get an answer. Just word salad and platitudes. Politics is NOT a noble profession but Bernie is an exception.
    1
  5133. Welcome to the land of Tory economic make believe. They have sacked a privileged narcissistic buffoon who talked about levelling up; and replaced him with a comic due who co-authored a fantasy novel called Britannia Unchained, only to impose their madness to crash the economy. Acolytes of a hustle that pretends to be a philosophy called Neoliberalism. Exponents of a lie called trickle down economics, where wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks. Truss did promise to deliver. Now we know what she has joined Deliveroo for: to deliver more crap to the poorest houses with blocked toilets.
    1
  5134. The whiff of Tory corruption is consistently stronger than the stench of sh1t in our waters.
    1
  5135. Gove conveniently "can't answer that question" and when he can, he obfuscates. The essence of government by charlatan. Tory scum.
    1
  5136. Why? What else would you expect from a cabinet of Sociopathic morons? Britain is broken.
    1
  5137. Hardly surprising when President Moron is in hock to Putin's oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton. Trump is unhinged; America is not so great; Europe should stand together.
    1
  5138. The rules somehow protect liars and charlatans. It's as though they were designed by rogues. Reform is long overdue. Where is Guy Fawkes?
    1
  5139. More trolling from a bullshit pseudonym account won't address that.
    1
  5140. Johnson knew nothing... says it all. A serial liar and vacuous buffoon running the country
    1
  5141.  @rocketscience4516  perhaps Johnson did that for all of us with his brexit incompetence?
    1
  5142.  @carlossaraiva8213  did he find Tim Martin waiting on? Or was he outside shouting about brexit?
    1
  5143. The ultimate payback for Blabbermouth. Her rhetoric offered a free ticket to the fascists, by suggesting the far right were treated unfairly. Up popped Tommy Robinson, apparently respectful yet never too far from rent-a-thug. Then exiting in a taxi before any association could be established. The fascist thugs were stupid enough to "defend" the very place that needed no defence...only respect shown there, while they showed disrespect for humanity and those who fought to free us from a fascist dictatorship. Thankfully they failed to infiltrate the peaceful demonstration, in a different place and scheduled some two hours later, leaving their poster girl home secretary with egg on her face. Sadly, in Gaza the killing goes on and our government (along with opposition apologists) refuses to condemn it and call for a ceasefire. This was yet another day in the life of a home secretary who should never be allowed near a knifebox, let alone any cabinet office.
    1
  5144. We have gone beyond being an international joke; we are now the idiots of the world. Welcome to Tory Britain.
    1
  5145. Mone and Hubby are the fall guys but that does not excuse them. They should be at the end of the queue, while the politicians parade in the theatre of a token inquiry.
    1
  5146. Perhaps Nads should be a keynote speaker at the Tory conference, since their purpose is to appeal to the intellectually challenged.
    1
  5147. Wisdom accepts there are two sides to everything. Instead Ian chooses to personally attack Macron in defence of our incompetent government.
    1
  5148.  @jazzx251  but Priti will claim that's sexist. Although the case seems convincing.
    1
  5149. A brilliant discussion by two skilled communicators. I wholeheartedly agree that politics is too adversarial and we could achieve far more with greater cooperation.
    1
  5150.  @stewie7338  are you for real? What kind of response would you expect from your provocative comments?
    1
  5151.  @stewie7338  Fill yours by asking a sensible question without prejudicial accusations.
    1
  5152.  @stewie7338  That's a statement, not a question. What's your question?
    1
  5153.  @sparking2016  the clairvoyance was in your first reply, just reread. The ambiguity in my words offended you, to the extent that you took the high ground and became a self-appointed guru of Labour policy. Good luck with that approach.
    1
  5154.  @sparking2016  No. I'll take the last laugh after your pathetic response. "People like you" is the preface of desperation and defeat. Goodbye.
    1
  5155. Seems fair. Trump wants to take Canada, Greenland and the Panama canal. Dont be such poor losers. Lol
    1
  5156. Great speech. The fact that he had to make exposes the shit-show that is broken Britain.
    1
  5157. Sunak's response is so pathetic and predictable. This is the man who promised professionalism and integrity, yet spouts bullshit that he should be forced to correct. 20,000 new police officer promised but not yet recruited, don't replace the 21,000 experienced officers cut under Cameron's austerity. More Tory cluster-fu**ing whitewash.
    1
  5158. Sunak is a desperate little spiv who regurgitates the excuses prepared by his facile scriptwriters. "Integrity professionalism and accountability" Some hope.
    1
  5159. Who exactly are you referring to with "He didn't..." Presumably Johnson?
    1
  5160. @The Padded Cell guess you don't vote then? Otherwise your comment is either intellectually lazy or hypocritical
    1
  5161.  @QUEEG500_  did you stop at that point? He explained why Johnson's apology was false then took him apart. Watch the evidence. Johnson had nowhere to hide.
    1
  5162. @The Padded Cell that's no defence of Johnson. If both are true, we should have two resignations.
    1
  5163. Another day, another Tory minister. How many are on this gravy train? The government was warned about this just five years ago. Tories don't plan ahead. In fact, Tories don't plan at all; they wait for a disaster, blame someone else, and now they will wait for the next government to deal with the mess.
    1
  5164.  @silondon9010  Yet after it has been replaced by more necessary immigration, another lie of Brexit is exposed.
    1
  5165.  @ispolopsi  The fact that it was always a con and by withdrawing from the 2019 election, the lying charlatan can blame someone else. Farage is a con man who heckles from the sidelines. If he had to take an ounce of responsibility, he would fall apart. Now Reform present a "contract" that they know they won't have to fulfil, backed by fantasy figures that don't add up. Get the idea?
    1
  5166.  @silondon9010  And what has replaced it? The very thing we were "taking back control" of.
    1
  5167.  @jeannekemp1737  and how has that turned out? Even Farage called it a disaster but suddenly it's someone else's fault after he withdrew his gang of cretins from standing in the 2019 election. Never trust a charlatan
    1
  5168.  @BusWill2006  exposing vacuous statements compounded by an inept media is hardly superior.
    1
  5169.  @lloydnaylor6113  That would be us realists who have been proved right, as the con backfired. Even Farage knows it hasn't worked, yet now it's someone else's fault while he starts his next scam.
    1
  5170. Just a few facts about the implementation of systems (don't yawn) Even when releasing just a new version of software (to users familiar with the system) we used rigorous alpha and beta testing followed by a phased rollout to pilot sites. All before the full release. As for live testing an unfamiliar system in the month before it goes live. Expect mayhem. Anyone remember the big bang that brought the stock exchange to a halt? Happy new year.
    1
  5171. Can't even trust the Tory's judgement of their own party. A cabal of operationally incompetent fantasists.
    1
  5172. I recall that moment of revelation by Starmer belongs to a certain Jeremy Corbyn. Nationalising the railways as franchises expire was part of the Labour manifesto in 2017.
    1
  5173. Amazing how 117 billion becomes over 300 billion in Trump-speak. Now we know the terms of his "deal": blame Obama and Biden, kiss Trump's arse and give him all the minerals he wants. Asset Krasnov has been well programmed by Putin.
    1
  5174. After 14 years of Tory government we spend less per capita on health provision than France or Germany and considerably less than the US, so, yes, the NHS is underfunded. Add to that the extraction of profit by private outsource providers and the picture is bleaker. If "reform" means more PFI contracts, that's death by a thousand cuts. If it means more management consultants and political interference, that's a downward slope. If we depend on private investment for the extraction of profit, that will cost us more. Starmer should listen to Dr Julia Grace Patterson and stop listening to Milburn (who has milked money from health services) and invest in a vibrant public service. He will need a new chancellor, of course, led by the patriotic millionaires rather than Londongrad bankers, to work for public good.
    1
  5175. ​ @Petersworld77 which is why we should listen to him if you understand how he made the money
    1
  5176.  @chrismanners9091  then you agree with Richard Murphy
    1
  5177. The BBC perhaps accurately reflects the political climate of the country: reeking of corruption and lacking democracy. Symptomatic of a cap-doffing forelock-tugging nation - failing to scrutinise power and sleaze. State media for a cesspit called Britain.
    1
  5178. Also on BBC text. He has become beyond transparent. He lies whenever he opens his mouth and spouts his wiffle waffle.
    1
  5179. I could imagine the charges if these acts were committed by anyone other than government ministers: murder; manslughter or treason? These buggers should be conducting their defence from the Tower of London.
    1
  5180. The Tories hate workers getting a decent pay rise. Yet now Labour seems to hate pensioners staying warm. With a 10% hike in energy prices many pensioners get help withdrawn. Tax wealth; tax the profiteering energy companies. Black hole filled. Easy.
    1
  5181.  @Lycurgus1982  Actually I couldn't give the proverbial. I understand the origins from America, but the whole concept is bullshit. Just another tool of divide and rule, for use by our inept media and fascistic politicians. Btw, Neoliberalism is the polar opposite of Marxism.
    1
  5182. More rats added to the sack will still result in a chief rat as PM. This BS about tax cuts stimulating growth is disproven by history. The highest growth has been in an era when taxation was highest for the richest.
    1
  5183. "We've had enough of experts," so the intellectually lazy or mentally challenged can be fooled by morons like Rees Mogg.
    1
  5184. Respect to Canada. Standing up to President Moron is a stance for democracy.
    1
  5185. So he's tackling inflation by penalising mortgage owners, who he wants to help by halving inflation. The circular argument of a little spiv who hasn't got near to halving inflation and will probably make people homeless by the time we get there.
    1
  5186. I think we should look at these by-elections in the context of government performance. Sunak is a gaslighting spiv, leading a party of operational incompetence. Welcome to Planet Reality
    1
  5187. When we hear of Tory bright stars, where are they? Most have probably been forced out after seeing through Johnson's brexit debacle and serial buffoonery.
    1
  5188. A CEO who gets others to do his dirty work? Easy for me to boycott their coffee - can't stand the sh1t.
    1
  5189. And he only got Brexit half-done and badly!
    1
  5190. When paper straws offer adequate deflection, the media is a waste of space. President Moron loves his infantile executive orders.
    1
  5191. The condescending chancellor Rich Rishi doesn't understand the plight of the majority. He seems to think that we should doff our cap and be grateful for a pittance, while refusing to tax companies making huge profits. That's Tory Britain.
    1
  5192. ​ @CuriousCrow-mp4cx  Cheers. Nice to be back at school. Never stop learning is my motto. Lol
    1
  5193. Perhaps she is recruiting a new police force from Rwanda. An obsession with small boats while her department falls apart; failing to take responsibility and attempting to shift blame to the London Mayor. This woman is a psycho on steroids. Not fit for office.
    1
  5194. Rats in a sack. We can be sure of one thing: a new chief rat as leader and PM.
    1
  5195. What reforms has Raab driven, other than remapping Dover? A bully crying over the consequences of his actions and trying to excuse his serial incompetence.
    1
  5196. Johnson is doing enough single-handedly to help the Lib Dems. His encore will be to break up the union.
    1
  5197. Conversely, I know of people who voted Leave with the expectation of a continuing close relationship by linking to the SM and CU. The Leave campaign morphed into a scam by hard brexiters for the benefit of tax avoiders and disaster capitalists. Applying a simple binary choice to a complex narrative and failing to explain that the vote was advisory was Cameron's disasterous blunder. As a remain voter, I have compassion for the conned. We must move on and forge a closer relationship with the EU after reforming our electoral system to provide a working democracy. Meanwhile, Starmer should grow some cajones and listen to the people.
    1
  5198. Anyone defending or excusing this government is either intellectually lazy or absolutely stupid.
    1
  5199. It was part of the Neoliberal lie, designed to increase inequality. In reality, wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks.
    1
  5200. Ministers excel in one thing: top-down mismanagement. Exacerbating inequality doesn't level anything; it does the exact opposite.
    1
  5201. ​ @physiocrat7143 evidence and numbers, with source, please...
    1
  5202. The fact that Foghorn can't see any conflict of interest, exposes him as a grifter and makes him unfit to sit in the House.
    1
  5203.  @paulies5407  apparently now possible with Hybrit.
    1
  5204. Why not promise the earth, knowing he won't have to deliver it? HS2, HS3 and HS4; banning private jets; stopping the big boats; half-price houses for oligarchs; free houses for benefits claimants. Something for everyone... About as credible as the crap he comes up with.
    1
  5205. Of course Johnson is intent on public service. Just serving the 1% (his string pullers) and any significant Tory donors.
    1
  5206. The Tory pretence that outsourcing to private companies has nothing to do with privatisation is a sham. Outsourcing means a loss of direct control, funding profits, and deteriorating services or less availability as profits become king. The NHS should be publicly staffed, publicly run and free at the point of need.
    1
  5207. "the data does not suggest...moving to Plan B" With that kind of judgement, should this idiot be chancellor?
    1
  5208.  Barry Jones  You clearly don't understand democracy, Barry, after it took a minority (43.6%) vote to deliver a crap deal. You love the word remoaners because it offers a vacuous excuse after project fact was proven. Good luck with the unicorns.
    1
  5209.  Barry Jones  a minority is NOT democracy. The majority voted against Johnson's shit show. 53.4% if voters is a majority, which voted against it. I accept that Brexiters don't understand maths and ignore experts.
    1
  5210.  Barry Jones  and still we suffer economically for it. Our elective dictatorship and sociopaths in power are hardly a paragon of virtue. Brexit was the greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime. It's reasons were flawed and the deal moronic.
    1
  5211.  Barry Jones  yet that broke electoral rules and should have been voided then run properly. We don't do democracy... too many entitled wazzocks in this country. And now where are the benefits?
    1
  5212.  Barry Jones  No to the first part; don't hold your breath to the second. An act of economic and political lunacy
    1
  5213.  Barry Jones  Hope you feel better after that! I consider the reasoning facile and flawed. Any control by the EU was limited to the free market and customs union. We will have to face rules in any bloc; some even include corporate courts. We were not servants; we were participants. The enhanced checks were not sabotage btw; they are clearly stated for any third country and if we didn't know that, our politicians were either stupid or abject liars. The "democratic" vote also broke electoral rules btw. In short, we will never agree because we see things from a completely different perspective.
    1
  5214.  Barry Jones  then you have helped make it worse through your blindness and intolerance. Get over it, you sore winner. This country has become a crock of sh1t.
    1
  5215.  Barry Jones  Barry, your long text amounts to more of the same crap. We are world class at corruption - leaving the EU behind. Londongrad and the Russia Report, Cambridge Analytica... We excel. The identification of a common enemy has blinded you to our broken country. Get over it, you won the booby prize.
    1
  5216.  Barry Jones  Barry, I'm not your patient and have different views. Somehow (from your diagnosis) I doubt that the UK needs your intervention. Grow up and accept fact. (I know that's hard for Brexiters and bigots.) Noone has a monopoly on being right, yet from your disparaging tones you think otherwise. Good night!!!
    1
  5217. And how does that justify anything?
    1
  5218. The Tories have been taking "radical action" for too long. Outsourcing on steroids and spaffing cash to their mates. They simply can't be trusted with the NHS, nor with public services in general.
    1
  5219. The argument for beneficial competition is lost with privatised monopolies. The end result of outsourcing is the lowest standards that the provider can get away with for profit maximisation. The central excuse of trickle down, in neoliberalism, is the biggest bullshit on the planet, as wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks. Welcome to the real world. History has shown how the Tories rob us so their backers can have more.
    1
  5220. Mogg claims fracking is safe as it's used in America. Just Google fracking Pennsylvania. Sorry, Mogg still lives in the nineteenth century and can't use Google.
    1
  5221.  @tonycook7679  true. It operates on privatised monopolies. The worst of both worlds.
    1
  5222. The best way to encourage corruption is to have corporate interests funding a political party. Tory scum.
    1
  5223. So glad you are speaking out in plain unequivocal terms, Richard. It seems that government has moved from the sociopathic to the clueless, bound by neoliberalism, dictated by wealth and power. Starmer does not work for the people. Sharon Graham and Mick Lynch speak for the workers, and for a responsible society, Starmer doesn't even understand the language. Disappointingly clueless.
    1
  5224.  @chrisj2502  Then who would? In our elective dictatorship, I'm voting tactically
    1
  5225.  @chrisj2502  then how about Green? Transformative taxation policies and championing the survival of the planet. If we had PR, they would get my vote.
    1
  5226. The Tories promise a "plan" that is not a plan. They offer a series of aspirations or targets with no viable solutions... rhetoric instead of reality. The Tories have systematically dismantled our access to justice under false pretences, starting with Cameron in 2011. If you doubt this, read Fake Law by the secret barrister. "Small state" is the classic Tory slogan - allegedly for lower taxes but in reality for services only of you can afford them... Health; legal advice and representation; higher education; social care...the list goes on. A cabal of charlatans and frauds.
    1
  5227. Great! What a cunning plan! Greater numeracy would result in more people recognising the economic and operational incompetence of our most recent Tory governments.
    1
  5228. We need PR to replace our elective dictatorship with real democracy. The sooner the better, but if we must wait to make it a certainty, so be it. As for tax and spend, stop cowering and take it on. 1) the note? It's amazing that the Tories found money through borrowing and by creating it, and landed us with a record debt. 2) why ask that question of us and ignore it with the Tories, who have consistently borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war? 3) we will explain funding in a costed manifesto, but here's a clue: there is plenty of money in the country but much of it is in the wrong place...
    1
  5229. The electoral fortunes of the Lib Dems are interesting. They get hammered after being blamed for coalition failures, only to leave the door open for more Tory austerity. Now they become the natural retreat for ex Tory voters who can't support Johnson's abject failures and criminal acts, yet can't bring themselves to vote Labour.
    1
  5230.  @SirAntoniousBlock  Sounds like Westminster justice.
    1
  5231. The NHS is simply not safe in Tory hands. The independent pay body is controlled by government, which sets the available budget and the terms of reference. Sajid Javid's letter to the pay review body made that clear. Sunak should stop lying and should stop his ministers from repeating the same abject and blatant lies.
    1
  5232. Fascism is alive in Britain and it even pervades the law.
    1
  5233. Having read some of inane excuses for "Boris" on other threads, I wonder whether democracy is a good idea. They range from: Poor Boris; to They're all the same; to attacks on Starmer. Then I realise that even the intellectually lazy and total idiots have the right to vote. I love the idea of democracy. If only we had it instead of this elective dictatorship.
    1
  5234. We've had a lot of pain for the last 12 years; not seeing any sign of jam tomorrow. Oops! Just proved that I'm not in the top 1% of income in retirement. The Tories have no plans for the good of the majority of the population - only running the country into the ground for the benefit of tax avoiders and disaster capitalists. Looking forward to the Freeports and money laundering while the majority starve?
    1
  5235. It's always worth remembering that 30p Lee is the Tories idea of the model aspirational worker. How insulting can you get? Meanwhile, Sunak should tell greedy bankers and execs to "embrace pay restraint."
    1
  5236. Some homework for you. Read Liam Byrne's book: The Inequality of Wealth. There are solutions and people who understand them.
    1
  5237.  @abody499  You have just used a circular argument to invalidate your claim. Of course the videos are linked: it's known by the literate as cause and effect.
    1
  5238.  @abody499  Cause and effect is simple. It related to you seeing a common theme in the videos. There was a comment on greed, on the original video, whereas the video itself mentioned unhappiness to promote demand. Advertising to stimulate demand, to drive growth and fuel inequality. Cause and effect explained.
    1
  5239.  @TechnikMeister2  and pay interest to banks at base rate? Why not tax wealth and really p1ss off Tory donors?
    1
  5240. He certainly has a legacy: of lies and incompetence. Just follow the money and look at his record: the worst prime minister in my lifetime.
    1
  5241. She starts with an obsession about low taxation, when many millionaires believe they should pay more in tax. Then inadvertently shows the benefit of private education before the rest of her robotic drivel.
    1
  5242. The same idiots who buy Tory excuses for a calamitous Brexit will blame France and support Johnson. That said, only 43.6% voted Tory and some will be disillusioned by his incompetence. Linking this as an excuse for suspending the NI protocol is a stretch too far, with the resultant economic damage. International law is factual. Public opinion is facile.
    1
  5243. Taxing employment instead of wealth. That's how to kill growth.
    1
  5244. Of course the Tories have repeatedly ruined the NHS, but did Streeting answer a single question about the information given to Milburn? The level of privatisation in the NHS must be exposed and challenged.
    1
  5245.  @rozzgrey801  perhaps you Brexiters should look at Britain's record of selling arms and provoking conflict, so we put our own house in order.
    1
  5246. It takes unassailable arrogance (which only a Tory can achieve) to declare "the people's priorities." I don't recall being consulted on these, nor even seeing them in the last manifesto that a minority (43.6%) of voters supported. Here's a priority for Rishi: stop lying and behaving like a little spiv and call an election.
    1
  5247. Let's be fair. Honest Bob would have done things differently. He would have used a different coloured paint.
    1
  5248. Corrupt to the core. Heading from an elective dictatorship to a fascist state by the day. The worst government for the worst of times.
    1
  5249. He is correct about one thing: we should give a policy a chance to work. Preferably a decent and sensible policy might help. How about safe routes and prompt and efficient assessments, then return of those who fail in their application. Those who are accepted can get to work and contribute to the economy.
    1
  5250. Braverman doesn't understand the difference between "point scoring" and scrutiny. The Home Office is unfit for purpose on all fronts: policing and immigration being two examples. Of course it's not political point scoring to shift the blame to the Labour Mayor. Blabbermouth is the embodiment of Tory mismanagement and incompetence.
    1
  5251. "Government plan" is an oxymoron. Johnson doesn't plan: make it up as you go along; shift the blame; operational incompetence; inane slogans with no grasp of fact; denial; suppression of scrutiny. Why be surprised?
    1
  5252. Europe allowed the war mongering machine of America to boss NATO. Now exposed after it's leader sells out to oligarch interest.
    1
  5253. What Farage and Brexiters mean when they say brexit hasn't been delivered properly is that enough of us fell for the con.
    1
  5254. What a joke! If parties play politics, the party with the most seats (the Tories in this case) wins. Meanwhile Netanyahu laughs at us. Let me guess? Each amendment dilutes the wording and Israel duly ignores us. Meanwhile we continue to supply arms and remain complicit in genocide. Back words with actions: no more arms. Government responsibility, plain and simple.
    1
  5255. Our system is open to abuse, to the extent that we invite it to allow control by the financially-elite minority. We need:1) a codified and clearly written constitution, approved by a people's assembly; 2) an electoral system where all votes are equal and seats match votes; 3) no paid second jobs or paid lobbying, with standards set and judged by an independent body - again monitored by a people's assembly. Until all of these are delivered, we can't expect true democracy (i.e. government by the people.)
    1
  5256. At the time, I could see some sense in letting bankers control interest rates, but since it's the only tool used (rather than attempting to regulate prices) I have grave doubts. In reality, government uses the BofE as a foil, or as an excuse for the lie of tax and spend economics. Government should work for the people; not for banks.
    1
  5257. We all know what happens when you stir a cesspit. But will the stench topple dictator Johnson?
    1
  5258. The NHS was never safe in Tory hands. Which mugs were stupid enough to trust them? 43.6% of voters?
    1
  5259. Yet telling lies to a serial grifter has a dubious irony.
    1
  5260.  @pam-gw6uk  Yes. And NATO were party to the escalation in any event. The US and the UK can sell more arms. Wonder if that's our agenda?
    1
  5261. Did I miss something? Was this video about Starmer?
    1
  5262. Wow! Wonder if these events will be reported by the BBC, after they reported the alleged "thousands" who marched or supported the DUP protest against the NI protocol.
    1
  5263. This is a government of charlatans peddling the neoliberal ideology, which fails the many so the few can get ever wealthier - entirely as planned. Dismantling the NHS for profit is consistent with that mindset, and they continue to lie while supported by a complicit media.
    1
  5264. You have a "left wing agenda" and most of the time I can't listen to you, so I'll call your programme to complain about your agenda on a topic where I agree with you. The logic of a prize wazzock.
    1
  5265. Honest Bob is a Tory minister. Thus he's a psychopath.
    1
  5266. I wish we had one politician in Britain with half of his commitment and energy. Working for the people; working for society.
    1
  5267. Bernie Sanders has been calling out inequality and oligarchs derailing democracy, yet the land of greed appoints president moron. Conclusion: it's a thousand times easier to appeal to prejudice than to persuade with logic.
    1
  5268. Money for old rope. In any other profession, that would be a breach of contract and grounds for summary dismissal. Britain is broken.
    1
  5269.  @R0swell5104  Labour need to expose this legislation outside parliament, through the media. I know the difficulty but their message is not getting across. So many don't even know about this fascist legislation.
    1
  5270. Little Spiv (Sunak) is simply out of his league, the kid can't even pretend to play with big boys and girls. Same Tory shit show; different leader.
    1
  5271.  @user-007g8li9f  Yes, Blair was a complicit neoliberal. Yet it took a cabinet of sociopaths to force austerity so the greedy b'stards could have more.
    1
  5272.  @kenneth6102  Yes. So much being stitched up. Moving towards fascism. The rot starts with our lack of democracy; instead we have an elective dictatorship where all votes are not equal. If we sit idly by as a population with the next Tory leader, we may pass the point of no return.
    1
  5273.  @johnfisher697  ????
    1
  5274.  @johnfisher697  not guilty, John. There are a few of us around. I live further up in Lancashire. Best regards.
    1
  5275. "Unfunded spending promises!" Spoken by the Spiv from the party that has borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since the second world war. (Even before the start of the pandemic.)
    1
  5276. To the first I would add parliamentary reform: so lies must be corrected after independent fact checking. As for the media: implement Leveson, then subsequently make it illegal for non-British tax payers to own any British medium. Global media still allowed of course.
    1
  5277.  @edg8996  "incompetent" enough to present a great programme for change, which the powerful had to stop for fear of dismantling their joy rides of corruption.
    1
  5278.  @edg8996  what part of the Labour manifesto did you base that statement on, Ed?
    1
  5279.  @edg8996  I love the fact that you fail to address detail. Totally vacuous. Don't waste my time any further.
    1
  5280.  @edg8996  your idea of facts illustrates zero intellect. Forget your "pair" and develop a brain. You disparage JC as a human being after ignoring both his policies and the fact that instead we have a corrupt serial liar as PM.
    1
  5281. Quite a gem from Airhead Truss. Waiting for her full policy briefing...pure comedy.
    1
  5282. Who would have thought that Johnson's lie of getting Brexit done could have led to this sh1tfest?
    1
  5283. I here that Sunak is growing a mustache and practising a strange salute after last week. "Integrity, professionalism and accountability." Really!!!
    1
  5284. With no responsibilities, how can Mogg be judged on results? Money for old rope. Minister for gold plated unicorns seems more appropriate.
    1
  5285. When I marvel at the apathy and stupidity of the British voting public, I'm reassured that only 43.6% of voters supported this clown and it took an undemocratic system to give him power.
    1
  5286. No serious shortage of petrol, we are told, but we still have numpties panic buying. While a local supermarket was reasonably well stocked with provisions, it was hard to get in because of cars queueing for fuel.
    1
  5287. ​@MissFlight-q8fthick heads; thin skins
    1
  5288. Why would anyone trust the Tories after 14 years of incompetence and the terminal disease of habitual lying instilled by Johnson? "Integrity, professionalism and accountability" anyone?
    1
  5289. The neoliberal myth that banks can combat cost-push inflation is a Tory lie. I remember Ted Heath arguing that using interest rates to control inflation is like a golfer using a single club. Then along came Thatcher and trickle down bullshit... We are now seeing its flaws and facing the penalties.
    1
  5290. Seriously unhinged.
    1
  5291. Amazing that the Tory supporting rags accused Jeremy Corbyn of association with Russia, to divert attention from the real clear and present danger.
    1
  5292. Bloody Hell! How low can these b'stards sink? It has been blatantly evident that Johnson's cabal has been aspiring towards fascism since he took power by dubious means. Now we have blatant criminality. Britain is broken.
    1
  5293.  @timcomley3241  no. We chose an incompetent clown instead. (Btw Corbyn with a y and not an i)
    1
  5294. We proved to Australia that the POME government is stupid. Unfortunately, 43.6% of voters failed to see the risks at the last election.
    1
  5295.  @susannehartl3067  unregular as opposed to irregular?
    1
  5296. Cutting education to increasingly dumb down the population is hardly coincidental. President Moron appeals to idiots and the stupid will always blame those outside their cult. Trump will fail, but how long will it take to unravel?
    1
  5297. Great to see this party and its sociopathic ministers in meltdown. Not holding my breath: the Tories will game the electoral system and use their customary dodgy dealings.
    1
  5298. ​ @chrischamberlen9379  pathetic and inane whataboutery. Her figures would be more accurate than Tory fantasy.
    1
  5299. Yes. He and Lord Hailsham were correct. The Tories have gamed our elective dictatorship by adding lessons from the playbook of fascism to take us to a world-leading international joke.
    1
  5300. Yet on the flip side, bounce back loans given to some dodgy businesses. Some large companies using the relief payments to pay dividends to share holders.
    1
  5301. Probably more concerned about paying an extra quid in tax.
    1
  5302. Greens and SNP are the only parties in Westminster with social values. Labour must step up to the plate.
    1
  5303. The irony of the union flag when they are making the case for devolution, by their serial incompetence
    1
  5304. Perfectly sound economic analysis. Not called Scotland the brave for nothing. Get up and go. The idiots at Westminster need to perpetually wrap themselves in union flags while our trade deficit with the EU increases. And Johnson espouses belief in a fairy tale. Scotland should grab real opportunities.
    1
  5305. Brilliant interview. Chris is the voice of reason and responsibility. On the reverse side, Sunak's claim to meet our targets in a proportionate and pragmatic way is a blatant lie. How does that work? We meet our targets with half of our energy production and pollute the planet with the rest? That's some aspiration from our little spiv.
    1
  5306.  @fredfredrickson5436  how????
    1
  5307.  @fredfredrickson5436  who decides in the press? What did Leveson say? There is a game played on social media, usually about a week before an election. Mass targeted smear campaigns are run, without intervention or redress, then taken down when it is too late. The Electoral Commission has no power over social media - hence no redress. We need a mechanism to challenge misinformation, publish the other side, require a retraction and a financial penalty as with libel. In the case of an election, void the result if standards are breached.
    1
  5308.  @fredfredrickson5436  that's not what Leveson recommended. Politicians are the least qualified people to monitor misinformation and call it out. They are often the prime culprits. What I don't want is a self-regulating press that is answerable to a sham body. A system of legal redress that is available only to the super-rich.
    1
  5309. OMG! Why is it always raining in the sunlit uplands? Everyone would be rushing to do deals with us when we left the EU. Now we have the world-beating CPTPP and we can't get our goods out of the country to export them, but then no one wants them so no alarm bells there. The Brexiters were correct: there are lots of brexit benefits, all of them for Ireland and the EU. These abject liars should be prosecuted for treason. Not going to happen though...
    1
  5310. Would you rather step in dog sh1t or cow sh1t? To paraphrase Sean Lock.
    1
  5311.  @daiu48  Totally agree. An elective dictatorship, as Lord Hailsham named it in the past. Absolutely undemocratic imo
    1
  5312.  @zacmumblethunder7466  yes. He explained that to me. Thanks.
    1
  5313.  @samg1879  why? Has he joined another party? Lol
    1
  5314. The circus continues but Johnson is on the defensive. B&Q running out of whitewash: supplies bought up by Sue Gray and the Met.
    1
  5315. Farage is so far up Trump's arse, he couldn't find an original policy: mini-me DOGE, "woke" and immigration. Wonder where he got those ideas?
    1
  5316. "Militant" journalists probably won't be in the headlines. Perhaps they will say 'enough is enough' in the first print run after the strike. The criminal barrister strike is on the BBC website, so the MSM may be wakening.
    1
  5317.  @MalonsMilk  Labour got us into debt by bailing out the banking crash. The Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour since 1947. (Adjusted for inflation and averaged by year in office). This was also the case BEFORE the pandemic.
    1
  5318. Foghorn Farage is a serial moaner: it's always someone else's fault when his lies are exposed. The man is a useless charlatan. Why would anyone tune in to help his bank balance?
    1
  5319. I find it ironic that people turn to the ultimate establishment neoliberal - Farage - when the underlying cause of our failing economy is neoliberalism. The reason? Misdirection. Nigel falsely identifies immigration as the underlying cause so he can get richer. A true charlatan.
    1
  5320. ​ @danh5637  They are taking the largest slice of the pie through financialization and denying a fair share for those who contribute to their wealth. The sole intention of neoliberalism.
    1
  5321.  @danh5637  How many are in a strong negotiating position when they sign the "contract" you allude to? How many are fired then rehired under different terms? How many are left working in the gig economy? I was one of the fortunate ones, being well qualified, but the myths of trickle down have been exposed and discredited. The so-called free market is rigged. Inequality has eroded fair reward. Neoliberalism has done its worst, as intended.
    1
  5322. Those who make sacrifices are trashed by our corrupt governance. (Assange being an extreme case where we are more than complicit.) Meanwhile we have a mainstream media supporting the depravity that enables our elective dictatorship.
    1
  5323.  @caballoloco100  totally agree. Neoliberalism was designed to exacerbate inequality.
    1
  5324. When will our politicians stop buying Israel's bs about self-defence?
    1
  5325. Perhaps Buffoon has done the string-pullers' bidding by getting Brexit done BADLY. While the tax dodgers and disaster capitalists benefit, will it matter?
    1
  5326. This opinionated foghorn - being paid to spout his bile - has the gall to call others for earning money from the media. One of life's true ironies.
    1
  5327. He will undoubtedly use the reallocated money for bribery projects to help their campaign.
    1
  5328.  @Tomlinsky  good point.
    1
  5329. @Ed then I suggest destroying your ballot paper. The Electoral commission keeps count and it would show the level of distrust in our elective dictatorship.
    1
  5330.  @petronellajackson8986  congratulations. You have fallen for Tory deflection. Gaslighting on an industrial scale. Who, exactly, has been in power and imposed austerity for the last decade? Perhaps you should read Johnson's published plan.
    1
  5331.  @Stefan-wj6mq  if he know the answer from informed opinion, then absolutely yes
    1
  5332. Not only does the free market Neoliberal model fail society in general, it fails spectularly in times of crisis or shock. It was always intended to benefit the rich, and has been honed to the extent where the poor vote for the rich to have even more.
    1
  5333.  @KMD-qj1qc  that's rhetoric. Growth has declined and inequality increased since the neoliberal project was implemented firstly by Pinochet, then by Thatcher and followed by Reagan. Read George Monbiot on its origin, search mont Pelerin 1947, to understand it's true intent. Also you may wish to look at an ebook The Real Miracle of Neoliberalism.
    1
  5334.  @fuzzacker.  Whose centre? Who defines it? How?
    1
  5335.  JamJam0189  those are examples rather than a definition. The centre is an abstract concept that has been moving towards the right since the advent of neoliberalism. I have yet to see a meaningful definition because people use it as a relative argument to suit their own purpose.
    1
  5336.  @Colin623  btw. The definition is publicly available and not restricted to my world. It even covers your alternative universe.
    1
  5337.  @yosh1don  And into another. Frying pan and fire syndrome. They would Reform us into a banana republic without the bananas.
    1
  5338.  @yosh1don  the word "only" is the biggest lie this year. In fact, it's a sure way of creating a bigger mess
    1
  5339. Doubtful. They still believe in unicorns and hope Farage will deliver them. Always ripe for a scam...
    1
  5340. "Red tape" is a convenient label to an acolyte of free market neoliberalism, which was designed to exacerbate inequality - effectively through unregulated profiteering. Grenfell, the financial crash, crap in our water, dodgy concrete in public buildings. Does Keir need any more clues?
    1
  5341. If the government has been "very proactive," yet we have this last minute emergency, they have been incompetent by proactively running around in circles.
    1
  5342. Why did he stop at newer MPs? The party is full of brigands and charlatans. They tried polishing a turd and ended up with Johnson.
    1
  5343. If it's on the record, it's ok and perfectly normal, according to Gove. I read with interest, in the last Labour manifesto, that second jobs were to be banned (other then in exceptional cases such as the medical profession) Another reason why JC couldn't be allowed power. Conflicts of interest are virtually encouraged and rewarded by this cesspit of corruption.
    1
  5344. Conclusive proof that idiots are allowed to vote and are most likely to vote for a clown.
    1
  5345. Yet the Tories expect us to doff our caps and accept that they deserve it. Enough is enough - or in their case, more than enough
    1
  5346. Starmer seems to be scared of his own shadow. Our brexit disaster is more about the fact that Johnson is getting brexit done BADLY, than the decision to leave. It's the form of brexit and government ineptitude that is contributing to this greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    1
  5347.  @CmdrMaxHeadroom  didn't say it's not Brexit...said more about. Subtle difference.
    1
  5348.  @CmdrMaxHeadroom  you won't get an answer from me because I voted remain. At the very least stay in the SM and CU.
    1
  5349. Johnson always meant the opposite of what he promised. Levelling down on steroids. With funding allocated to help Tory votes.
    1
  5350. Coincidentally, the whip was restored after the Labour leadership was found out: the investigation was concluded last December! Why the delay? Diane's statement was clumsy, yet it contained an element of truth: skin colour prompts more frequent racist acts or comments from idiots.
    1
  5351. Nigel demands ATTENTION! Any motive beyond that is questionable.
    1
  5352. It seems that Labour has to remain largely anonymous and promise little, while letting the Tories run out of road and implode. It's hilarious to see the Tories split into so many factions: as though divide and rule was an own goal. A hangover from brexit?
    1
  5353.  @stewie7338  Utter garbage. I commented on the rhetoric of a Reform idiot.
    1
  5354. And true to form, Jeremy Vine features a climate denier on his.show while we are hosting COP26. Ash Sarker was destroying the denier's arguments and guess who Vine helped in the shit-show of an interview?
    1
  5355. Apparently the saying about Patriotism is attributed to Samuel Johnson... (definitely not Boris)
    1
  5356. More central control from a government aspiring to dictatorship. Their own track record being symptomatic of breweries and p1ss-ups
    1
  5357. America is the victim, cries the oversized baby from his pram. The whinging orange moron who started the habit of making America the laughing stock and, four years later, not only resumes the habit but intensifies it.
    1
  5358. This buffoon is incapable of answering a single question. He just throws mud like a child who has just discovered it. Is this the House that governs the country? No wonder we are in an abject mess.
    1
  5359. Of course there is no defence and limited chances of mitigation but the application of speed limits and use of cameras for speed, instead of concentrating on the more dangerous matter of tailgating is frustrating. In our area the hard shoulder of the westbound motorway has been coned off with a 50mph limited applied and never any workers present. The same coning applies to the eastbound carriageway yet no speed limit is imposed. I urge more complaints to the Highways Agency when such idiotic restrictions are imposed. The more hassle, the greater the chance of better management.
    1
  5360.  @I-am-theStorm  Labour didn't "let the conservatives win the last election." They won with a minority vote (43.6%) through our undemocratic system. We need democracy.
    1
  5361. I know of at least one Brexit voter who expected us to remain in the single market - i.e. close to the EU. so, lady, you are talking bullshit.
    1
  5362. Great clarification, thanks.
    1
  5363. And only this morning, another sign of a rudderless government as Sunak sent his fellow bellend - Transport minister Mark Harper - to defend his fake policy on 20mph zones. Couldn't answer a single question ... kept bleating on about the falsely alleged "blanket ban" in Wales while refusing to talk about HS2. Who would be desperate enough to vote for such serial incompetents?
    1
  5364. LBC has failed. A total boycott from me. They have replaced a quality journalist with a windbag
    1
  5365. The Tories love the principle of small state. Now we have a small, broken and inadequate state. Amazing that we fund "whatever it takes" in emergencies, but fail to plan and find adequate funding for our public services to run well.
    1
  5366. As for the pressure on the NHS: Would you then make the same argument for smokers and excessive drinkers? A doctor must follow the Hippocratic oath as well as respecting freedom of will. Let's aim at the real target: government underfunding and manipulation. Don't fall for divide and rule.
    1
  5367.  @susanferrie7233  think you are missing the point. Quite the opposite.
    1
  5368.  @susanferrie7233  not missing the point...talking about the myth of their economic record. They are incompetent as well as evil, as you put it.
    1
  5369.  @Craig121000  the change of mind in your posts, John, was bordering on a road to Damascus moment, to put it kindly. Perhaps you were playing Devil's advocate or you have a strange sense of humour. Your choice, but you hardly offered any cogent argument. As for a lot to learn...over 7 decades of it in my case and still acquiring knowledge.
    1
  5370. If you suffer from the same Hamas psychosis as Netanyahu, they are hiding everywhere and you become justified in obliterating a nation. When will this madness be called out and STOP?
    1
  5371. It takes unassailable arrogance to believe in British exceptionalism. The Tories have it in abundance, which is why we are screwed.
    1
  5372. Racism is indeed mindless. I aspire to look at the content of personality, from the book of the great Dr Luther King. The Tories operate on elitism or "toffery". If you went to the right school or are accepted in the right clubs... In politics, we should look at competence. Sunak makes false statements on economics that suggest his alleged MBA was fudged or he is a complete liar. As a leader, he habitually lies and takes the electorate for naive fools.
    1
  5373. I believe that the worst characteristics in your description are accurate. Johnson thrives in national chaos and harming our population.
    1
  5374. Reeves and her fiscal rules will hamstring Labour. Who set the rules? The Tories? We need transformative policies, backed by new economic thinking.
    1
  5375. Conclusive proof that to win a referendum you don't use factual argument. You appeal to emotions and that includes spinning fantasy. Project fear is revealed as project fact. I could accept some of the concerns about federal Europe, but could I trust this inept shower to take back control?
    1
  5376.  @saxglend9439  have you heard of austerity? Where nurses are at least £5k pa poorer in real terms? Clue: you won't find facts in the Sun or the Fail
    1
  5377.  @saxglend9439  Not just nurses: paramedics, doctors and care workers have had their pay cut in real terms for the last 13 years. Why ask me? If I give the maths with my workings will you be able to implement it? The answer was on the big red brexit bus, yet after taking back control the government aren't delivering. Ask your MP why not. I don't think you will be able to influence events by hiding behind your pseudonym account.
    1
  5378.  @ihavebeenben  what kind of cliche is that, Ben? Identifying problems does not in itself deliver solutions. Nor does articulating what won't work. Now about this education plan.....
    1
  5379.  @ihavebeenben  btw, Ben, how exactly does "we are the government" work when the majority of the electorate voted against them. It took a minority (43.6%) of counted and verified votes to gain an 80 seat majority. From there the government can pass laws and we can do diddly squat without electoral reform or even revolution. Educate yourself, you said.. a self diagnosis if ever I read one. Stop blaming the unions when they are exercising a democratic right, which has given us weekends and holidays. The Tories want to take us back to the 19th century. Striking was NOT a starting point, it was the inevitable conclusion of Tory arrogance and intransigence, extending to negligence in government.
    1
  5380.  @coldestbeer  see your therapist... URGENTLY
    1
  5381. The question is who Buffoon and Dizzy Lizzy are led by? Is it DUP bigots or the ERG, or both? Undoubtedly Johnson is not a leader: no coherent plans, no strategy. Just the old Tory habit of screwing the poor and increasing inequality. As a bully, he will harm the vulnerable and cower to the powerful. If we are stupid enough to start a trade war with the EU, how long will he last?
    1
  5382.  @angelaharris6577  The word patriot is interesting. Is a patriot someone who follows blindly and embraces jingoism? Or someone who wants to reform their country for the better? Many Little Englanders have made the country worse imo and have subscribed to self harm. The "evil EU" and letting charlatans "take back control" to further their own interests are cases in point.
    1
  5383. The primary solution is so simple: as you suggest, no secondary paid employment. As for increasing MP salaries, it would be conditional on limiting expenses and giving a reasonable increase to other key workers: medical staff and care workers for example, using an independent committee to award salaries then stopping politicians overriding their decision. There are two goals: avoiding conflict of interest and making the regulation of MPs pay and conditions consistent with that of other key workers.
    1
  5384. Anyone with even half a brain cell wouldn't "get Brexit done" with a pandemic raging. The Westminster Buffoon, however, did it to shift the blame from his brexit shit-show. Sod the country, so long as he can please his bigoted backers.
    1
  5385. A new Tory leader? Don't expect to find a jewel in a pile of sh1t.
    1
  5386. They won't get out to make their case because there is no case. Either their intent is to let speculators pick the bones as the economy crashes and burns, or they are simply incompetent. Anyone reading the fantasy novel Britannia Unchained would hardly be surprised at their vacuous excuses.
    1
  5387. It's easy to get arrested for annoying behaviour: just criticise this government. That's also known as fascism.
    1
  5388. This is the most politically niave and economically incompetent policy imaginable. Means testing is a slippery slope, as well as adding admin cost. Reeves has turned to the wrong people to help fill the Tory black hole. Profiteering energy companies and the wealthy would be the right sector. An increased windfall tax on energy companies, along with taxing asset wealth as proposed by the patriotic millionaires. Why not tax investment income at the same rate as work income? Personal allowances could then be increased to stimulate the economy. Reeves is not the progressive chancellor we need: handcuffing government by Tory fiscal rules is a recipe for austerity and the inhibitor of growth.
    1
  5389. Even Johnson is criticising Sunak and thus helping the opposition. World class entertainment seeing the Tories imploding after 13 years of misery.
    1
  5390. Tice has a point. They focus on the concerns of British people by offering fake solutions and selling snake oil.
    1
  5391. A real brexit benefit then? Lol
    1
  5392.  @johnrussell3961  Yes. I suspect that if we started to tax wealth to make up the shortfall, Brexit would be acknowledged as a disaster.
    1
  5393. President Moron, the world dictator? Clear labelling of goods would enable us as consumers to boycott American products and produce. Just a thought...
    1
  5394.  @wolfiestreet6899  so rule by force is civilisation? Intolerance amounting to false accusations is civilised? Who decides? You, a dictator or the government? We disagree.
    1
  5395. Indeed. Which is why the mantra of growth is pathetic. More about making lives better.
    1
  5396.  @davidgreen6490  Glad to read that you are happy about increased poverty after our act of self-harm. If the EU is failing, we are the epitome of failure on steroids. A broken country led by idiots.
    1
  5397. "Red tape" is a convenient label to an acolyte of free market neoliberalism, which was designed to exacerbate inequality - effectively through unregulated profiteering. Grenfell, the financial crash, crap in our water, dodgy concrete in public buildings. Does Keir need any more clues?
    1
  5398. Warning of the rules of becoming a third country were derided as "project fear." But then, we'd had enough of experts... left it to vacuous and incompetent politicians.
    1
  5399.  @sandormccann2546  True. Their appetite for corruption is unlimited.
    1
  5400.  @thelastpillar4973  haha! Martin said he was running out of tools to help because only government could solve this. The last resort was to heat the body rather than the house. Finally, today, the government has U-turned by announcing a windfall tax. About time the Crime Minister caught up after Labour and Lib Dems pushing for this for weeks.
    1
  5401.  @agt155  acting against his own interests being a sign of altruism then? (Assuming your statement can be verified.) Perhaps the Convict of Downing Street can take a lesson or two.
    1
  5402. Inequality is inevitable. Why? It's planned and deliberate. The neoliberal system was planned at a meeting in Mont Pelerin (1947) and has persuaded the poor to vote for the rich to have more, through the lie of trickle down. Not content with the rate of inequality, we now have the disease of financialisation, where companies such as Apple and Pfizer spend more on share buybacks than on R&D. We buy the lies spread by puppet polticians, who shift blame to defend their masters. It's as though they are competition to see who can extract the most wealth before our planet dies.
    1
  5403.  @marresjepie1887  I agree. Too much infighting.
    1
  5404. Fartage is probably complaining to raise his profile after recent Deform UK "success". Foghorn loves to hear his own voice in any event.
    1
  5405. He must be gutted!
    1
  5406. A rat parade of Tory fantasy economics to appeal to greed above society. It's in their DNA.
    1
  5407. Is JD Vance too dumb to know that he is acting as assistant to a Russian asset? Perhaps he will realise when Mad Vlad funds his next skiing trip.
    1
  5408. The thing about "moving speeches" in the House, is that those whose power agenda makes them complicit do not even sit to listen. Democracy is a misused word.
    1
  5409.  @Tim_Small  carry that argument to its logical conclusion and driving a car is selfish.
    1
  5410.  @Tim_Small  as you say "most" may be selfish, but not all - provided there is sufficient room for a pram or wheelchair to pass
    1
  5411. Keep it in the family. In the case of the Johnsons: that means maintaining entitlement and stupidity.
    1
  5412. The rot was epitomised by Cameron using the word efficiency to mean austerity. Austerity was (and is) inefficient by its very nature. Cutting costs means stifling investment and usually reducing service or quality. Centralisation also kills local service and economies of scale often mean reduced service. We need a larger state.
    1
  5413. Such irony! The OBR, set up by a Tory government (under Cameron) exposes the incompetence of another Tory government, led by a buffoon. Next the experts must be discredited by Sunak and Buffoon...watch this space.
    1
  5414. Which was the last front bench you approved of?
    1
  5415. The one-off bonus is a Tory scam, which thankfully the nurses didn't fall for. This government is dismantling the NHS, firstly by stealth and now so blatantly that only idiots or the intellectually blind can't see it. The Tories simply can't be trusted with the NHS.
    1
  5416. The latest Tory wheeze is to insist that their plan is working and it is Labour that has no plan. It is obvious to most of us that either the Tory plan is working against our interests or they are too incompetent to deliver it.
    1
  5417. The ultimate dilemma: will the energy companies continue to fund the Tories after a windfall tax?
    1
  5418. Truss isn't thick; just vacuous. The Tories are proving devoid of original thought. An idea that failed in the past is tried again, only to repeat the result.
    1
  5419. For think tank, read sponsored unproven ideology - to help the rich get more and avoid scrutiny.
    1
  5420.  @YouD0ntSay  so are you arguing against rejoining the SM and CU?
    1
  5421. ​ @WanderingExistence Agreed: the book on the Preston Project, called Paint Your Town Red, by Guardian books was revealing. A exercise in cooperation and collective will.
    1
  5422. ​ @captain_bretzel It's not capitalism per se. It's neoliberalism, fuelled by financialisation. Planned by the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947 then implemented by Pinochet, Thatcher and Reagan. Designed to exacerbate inequality and persuade the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  5423.  @newblor  You explain the contractual or legal position in response to someone's experience of stark reality. You fail to mention the gig economy or the imposition of fire and rehire, which Government fails to outlaw. Thatcher smashed unions for a reason: the polite word is neoliberalism; the reality is exploitation.
    1
  5424. But drinking and playing games are an everyday occurrence in Downing Street. Thus not a party. The fact that their "games" bugger up the country is not against the law.
    1
  5425. The cabinet are above our law. Now try the USA. No limit to dodgy Tory practices.
    1
  5426. Where will Foghorn take his ill-gotten gains? He also needs somewhere to stash the money he took for old rope as a fake MEP. Just bugger off and shut up, Nigel.
    1
  5427. More evidence of why the most powerful in society couldn't let Jeremy take power in government. To protect their greed and suppress equality of opportunity.
    1
  5428. Neoliberalism is a race to the bottom for the majority, perpetuated through the myth of trickle down.
    1
  5429. Thought he was hiding in a freezer.
    1
  5430. ​ @garrym5682 evidence, please. A wild suggestion or a consensus?
    1
  5431. By whom? Idiots with the mental age of seven?
    1
  5432. The Tories (unfortunately backed by history) see themselves as the natural party of government. It takes an elective dictatorship, enabled through FPTP, to achieve this. With a truly proportional system where all votes count equally, they would be consigned to the dustbin of history. Starmer needs to push for parliamentary reform and a truly democratic electoral system. (No second jobs for MPs, from the Corbyn manifesto, should not be forgotten.) It would give an underlying messae of Tory corruption and a declaration that enough is enough.
    1
  5433. Fascism fueled by lies has arrived. Britain is broken.
    1
  5434. Reminiscent of the brexit referendum. Tories don't do critical thinking.
    1
  5435. Aha! We must simply apply British exceptionalism, now that Project Fear has become Project Fact. We simply wave the Union flag and everyone bows down.
    1
  5436. If Rwada is a safe country, why do the Tories think it could be used as a deterrent? The "plan" was an expensive ruse to appeal to idiots and to be seen to be doing something. The eventual goal: to excuse the dismantling of our human rights. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  5437. Dirtiest! Wait for the investigation into COVID contracts before you make such a judgement. On a different scale and involved PUBLIC MONEY rather than personal donations.
    1
  5438. So Britain is the capital of empty containers. There you go! Buffoon did say we are "world leading."
    1
  5439. The Bank of England is effectively forcing us to work for banks, when banks should work for society. Unfortunately Starmer and Reeves are servants of rigged neoliberalism and do not work for the people.
    1
  5440. Perhaps old Nige will get a modesty transplant to become electable. Just look at his track record in winning a Westminster seat. And as for his last campaign of bile and misdirection, look at its effects: even Foghorn himself admitted its failure.
    1
  5441. Less concerned about who KS writes for than the level of disappointment he achieves. He has one thing in common with Blair: brings hope and delivers disappointment. Although it took Blair considerably longer to get to the disappointment stage.
    1
  5442.  @BrightonandHoveActually  Johnson is the greatest disappointment our country has known but I'm disappointed by the lack of effective opposition. In no way do I defend the buffoon; he should be locked up for his dodgy dealing and fascist tendencies.
    1
  5443.  @DrMontague  that's a hell of a generalisation when only a minority (43.6%) of those who voted actually supported Buffoon
    1
  5444.  @DrMontague  I'm acutely aware of the result, having analysed the raw data from the Electoral Commission. The Tories actually got 43.6% of the vote yet got the same proportion of seats as the votes against them. Conclusive proof of an elective dictatorship (in the words of Lord Hailsham.) The point that our system is not democratic, with votes being unequal, is one thing. Your point being?
    1
  5445.  @DrMontague  "Smashed through" = bollocks. Most of said heartlands were won with a narrow majority.
    1
  5446. I equate sociopathy with extreme wealth. Intelligence sometimes exists in inverse proportion.
    1
  5447. The combination of a dumbed down population and manufactured consent is chilling. Populism enabling fascism?
    1
  5448. Conclusive proof that the real and present danger to Britain was not Jeremy Corbyn, who was falsely accused of dubious links with Uncle Tom Cobley and all, but our chief Buffoon who expedites Tory corruption.
    1
  5449. ​ @Jeroen_Maes Hardly surprising. They recognise a fascist when they see one.
    1
  5450. Johnson plays the vacuous buffoon very well because he doesn't do detail but effectively appeals to idiots. He is as manipulative and cunning as any notable sociopath.
    1
  5451.  @baronvonlimbourgh1716  of course. But they directly effect workers and the unions should stop dabbling in peripheral matters.
    1
  5452. The serial "erm" and ohms mean, look out for the lies, obfuscation and misdirection. This slippery wazzock is defending the alternative reality promoted in defence of 13 years of operational incompetence and economic failure. Gove is slime personified.
    1
  5453. The pressure is now reverting to the UK. The EU has vast experience in negotiations and won't act in haste. Lord Gormless and Buffoon are painting themselves in a corner.
    1
  5454. One law for some politicians; entitled Tories being above the law.
    1
  5455. This is "depending" on the US to sell out to oligarchs. Trump is in hock to Putin.
    1
  5456. He should know. He and his party are complicit. Breaching international law, supporting genocide, removing the rights to peaceful protest, gaming an elective dictatorship masquerading as a democracy. Little Spiv is pathetic and transparent (at least to many of us).
    1
  5457. Since when has the US brought great stability? They persistently interfere in others' affairs, create conflict under the pretence of protection, then go into to mop up the contracts for rebuilding.
    1
  5458. Sounds like a wet dream to Steve Baker, who would love a small state transitioning to a non-existent state. The work for money model may no longer suffice in the long term as AI replaces working people. A rethink is needed.
    1
  5459. And, my God, Churchill had his way. We don't have democracy. With a minority vote producing a huge majority in parliament we have an elective dictatorship.
    1
  5460. When a president becomes a dictator, you have to question the adequacy of the political system. The fact that a convicted felon could even run for president invites corruption.
    1
  5461. The most notable people "feeling scared" are the cowardly duo in the Tory cabinet: Blabbermouth and Sunak. One is scared of scrutiny; the other too scared to sack her. The Met have made the operational decision and Blabbermouth has thrown her toys out of the pram. She is a danger to peace and stability.
    1
  5462. ​ @marxman6896 nor will Trump, the lover of free market neoliberal exploitation. He is full of lies and horsesh1t.
    1
  5463. Mad Nads obviously has a deep understanding of algorithms. Did she mention that the earth is flat in her informed article?
    1
  5464. This cabinet of imbeciles misses a key point: blaming the pandemic shows the lunacy of completing Brexit during a pandemic.
    1
  5465. Yes. Rishi claimed a discount because of his short trousers. "Must have a word with my tailor..."
    1
  5466. Farage appeals to idiots, then is surprised when he is scammed by a vetting company allowing idiots to join his latest cabal.
    1
  5467. Well said. Respect and support to ALL peace-loving people - Jews and Palestinians alike. Regrettably, Braverman won't even understand your language. A sociopath is devoid of empathy. Power is a game to her. Conflict and death are part of the carnage.
    1
  5468. Hardly surprising, after I consistently believed (and said) that Johnson was the clear and present danger to the UK in the 2019 election.
    1
  5469. Perfect argument for Sunak: anyone against PR needs maths education. (He seems to love maths.)
    1
  5470. When people extolled the virtues of taking back control, I applied a simple test: could you trust the Tories to make Britain work after doing so?
    1
  5471. Johnson's hubris matters more than national health, prosperity and security. A self-obsessed and incompetent buffoon.
    1
  5472. What utter Twaddle. "Building a bank?" Really! Have you missed the number of empty bank buildings? There is such a thing as community and it adds to the quality of life. Our very survival as a species has depended on it.
    1
  5473. Perfect analysis. With cost-push inflation - costs pushing up prices - and interest rates rising to reduce disposable income, most of us can afford far less. In terms of economic management, it's like cutting off an arm to cure a bad leg. Another excuse to win the class war.
    1
  5474. ​ @jaykelley9881 Hard work and smarts, backed by a huge family donation. The dice are loaded. This is not a meritocracy.
    1
  5475.  @crimsonchin9632  True. Yet the real power seems to reside with the ERG. Farage has moved on to use his Foghorn on a failing TV channel.
    1
  5476.  @pansepot1490  seems to be happening with Sir Starmer. The price of power is oligarch appeasement.
    1
  5477.  @alexgray2482  Yes. One of the reasons why we left the EU and now happening: dismantling workers rights and reducing food standards is a start. Neoliberalism is fulfilling its intention: getting the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  5478.  @Oluinneachain  interesting. Thanks.
    1
  5479.  @Noel-ji8nm  Of course you miss my point, Noel. That's because of our rigged and undemocratic system. A minority mandate is NOT a democratic mandate.
    1
  5480. Smug Mogg defending our mythical democracy, which in reality amounts to an elective dictatorship (according to Lord Hailsham, with whom I agree.)
    1
  5481. Johnson cares only about one thing: his own survival. Now playing up freedom from Covid and the toy statesman to deflect from his ineptitude. We are an international joke.
    1
  5482.  @manoo422  Forgive my potentially faulty memory, but we joined the EU voluntarily and were a leading player. How many times did we use our veto? (answer: nil). CPTPP on the other hand uses secret corporate courts. So much for drinking Sovereign Tea.
    1
  5483. So another Tory convict who previously helped fuel the banking crash and has presided as chancellor over low growth and a drop in real incomes is the new leader. He has chosen a cabinet of extreme sociopaths and retained the man who buggered up the health service to impose more crippling austerity. If perceived 'talent' doesn't translate to policies that benefit the country, we may as well have a cardboard cutout of an idiot as PM.
    1
  5484. Sunak is the clueless little dictator presiding over a cabal of incompetence. The epitome of a sh1tfest.
    1
  5485. The caller has a point and I also despair. It seems Starmer is afraid of upsetting Murdoch. Is he against rampant Neoliberalism (the unregulated free market and the lie of trickle down?) Is he for public ownership of energy, water and rail, which the majority support and his predecessor got right? Most importantly, is he for PR and real democracy? He appears to be Tory Light.
    1
  5486. In electoral campaigns, Labour and Lib Dems should avoid minutiae. Simply promise to change the electoral system so that all votes are equal and seats match votes. Improve individual representation by using the area method.
    1
  5487.  @markwelch3564  the detail is best achieved after elections, so it can be designed and agreed by consensus. A condition being that proportionality is achieved.
    1
  5488.  @markwelch3564  that's why I gave an explicit condition: about proportionality. If the Lib Dems campaign for one system and Labour support another, the Tories derail it. If they publish minutiae, the Tories pick at detail instead of the substantial principles.
    1
  5489.  @markwelch3564  depends on cross party agreement and the simplicity of the system. At the last vote on the watered-down PR offering, many found it confusing. That's why I propose simple language, describing intent and benefits rather than mechanics. Either way, I doubt that we will be asked or consulted. Our politicians have a habit of buggering things up.
    1
  5490.  @markwelch3564  I've offered help with the Make Votes Matter campaign - party independent but campaigning for PR. Good luck and I appreciate your comments.
    1
  5491. Of course the Tories will sit on their arse and do nothing about pricing and profiteering. At a time of cost-push inflation why would they help reduce costs to the consumer when their party funders can take the rip?
    1
  5492. New PM; same recycled Tory lies. (1) Tough on crime with 15000 new police officers, after cutting 24000 in the past decade. How many of the 15000 are replacing retirees? (2) Compassionate Conservatism [an obvious oxymoron] to protect the vulnerable yet failing to address non-dom taxation wheezes. Then further disparaging Jeremy Corbyn - the very person who would address inequality. (3) The suggestion that Labour had just realised that debts must be repaid from the party that has borrowed more and paid back less than Labour, since the second world war.
    1
  5493. Withdrawal from the ECHR spells dictatorship, as human rights are trashed to hide government incompetence. A plea to his constituents: vote this wazzock out.
    1
  5494. The title of a Dickens Novel seems appropriate but it's hard to decide which one: Hard Times or Bleak House? Or come December: a Christmas Carol...we will have so many candidates experienced in food poverty for Oliver Twist. The Tories' agenda has long been to revert to the inequality and abject poverty of the 18th and 19th centuries. Now they have taken back control, and Britain is a cold and bleak place.
    1
  5495. The "v" being? Plain English would help
    1
  5496.  @DJWESG1  Ah! The vaccine lie. Has he not heard the explanation of reality by Dr June Raine?
    1
  5497. Michael "err, erm, ahm..." Gove has some track record. Buggering up education, under the pretence of "driving up standards"; living life in the fast lane during a pandemic. Slippery and slimy as hell. Let me guess...no punishment. He will crawl back under his rock at the Spectator.
    1
  5498. Yes. The fruits of trickle down, persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more. Total garbage to any critical thinker.
    1
  5499.  @nickedwards2904  of course. FPTP is simply undemocratic. Votes don't count equally.
    1
  5500.  @nickedwards2904  i don't condone any lies but the proof of the pudding? The greatest act of self-harm in my lifetime.
    1
  5501.  @nickedwards2904  typo in first part of my answer. I have never condoned FPTP since understanding its implications. Not in 1997 or at any time.
    1
  5502.  @nickedwards2904  Even with PR, similar result but with a Lib Dem coalition. May have been better. Who knows? But certainly more democratic.
    1
  5503.  @jurgenporn1867  I suspect you are correct, Jürgen. Labour not yet clear on PR, although it may take a Lib Dem / Labour coalition to oust the Tories, with a commitment to PR as part of the deal.
    1
  5504.  @jgmediting7770  I suspect that you are correct. Will wait and see then cast my vote accordingly.
    1
  5505.  @stevenmartin8828  oh yes he does, panto guy. What was wrong with his plan?
    1
  5506.  @stevenmartin8828  grow up
    1
  5507.  @stevenmartin8828  how childish! Wtf are you talking about? Who? Have you listened to any answers? Are words beyond you, so you are stuck with communication by graphics?
    1
  5508. ​ @drbalbon7332 A backward culture of morons?
    1
  5509.  @TroyaE117  just what we should expect from a pseudonym account. Vacuous sh1te
    1
  5510. Your point being?
    1
  5511. How to keep Fartage quiet: ban the topic of immigration or immigrants.
    1
  5512. Even 4000 outstanding cases is dubious, after Sunak, when appearing before a parliamentary committee just before Christmas, last reported around 20,000 outstanding cases. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  5513. Free market capitalism is flawed in the delivery of essential public services. We have a government blaming workers for striking while funding the profit of failing companies to deliver important services.
    1
  5514. Did she mean so may psychiatrists? They were certainly needed there. Mad as a hatter living in a box of frogs.
    1
  5515. How to create the perfect Mexican standoff. Designed by people at a desk, intent on confusion and mayhem.
    1
  5516. Now we are getting to it! Wrong way round. The pay review body is not independent if the budget is set by government. This apologist of a minister uses the word "context" which he would know meana a constraint had he studied accounting or maths. The budget should be set after the review body has reported - otherwise the process is not independent. The idiot then asks us to judge them by what they have done in the past. On that criterion alone: Tories out.
    1
  5517. Show your workings.
    1
  5518. We always get the same blackmail (about leaving the country) and this video explains hard facts. Unfortunately Reeves and Starmer seem to be led by the arguments of the richest and their think tanks, being extremely well organised. Our politicians are not strong enough to apply rational argument and critical thinking - they live on Planet Westminster. They do NOT work for the people.
    1
  5519. And to think it was all labelled Project Fear. Welcome to Global Britain: world leaders in corruption.
    1
  5520. Perhaps you should explain the bias instead of making an unsubstantiated accusation.
    1
  5521. Trump doesn't even know how tariffs work. Or he is a big fat liar.
    1
  5522. "The brick wall of reality!" Isn't that something to do with project fear? Lol. The British shit-show personified.
    1
  5523. Musk's maths are something else. 3.4% becomes 43%. And some believe this guy is a genius. Perhaps he means that the majority will lose 3.4% and he will gain 43% in wealth.
    1
  5524. The man who became prime minister, elected by his own party, while deviating from a manifesto supported by a minority (43.6%) of voters claims these to be the people's priorities. Little Spiv is indeed a puff of smoke - without the mirrors, because he can't face truth.
    1
  5525. And the cost of a means test is?
    1
  5526. Hunt was an incompetent finance minister and a Tory, therefore he lies. Reeves has made a mistake by falling into the austerity trap and reversing Keynes' statement. As a pensioner I'm one of the voters she has p1ssed off by cutting the winter fuel payment instead of increasing the windfall tax on energy companies. When will she tax wealth to tackle inequality and feed growth?
    1
  5527. Ultimately, I agree with your cautious and staged approach. I would run the central campaign for more devolution, a consultation on electoral reform, and cleaning up parliamentary standards: no second jobs to mitigate conflict of interest; party funding with dark money; tightening financial standards in the city. In other words cleaning up the act so the public see transparency.
    1
  5528. The Fail depend on their readers stopping after the headlines. Their "journalism" also consists of feeding bullsh1t to anyone unable or unwilling to think critically.
    1
  5529. This Tory government and legality are as compatible as water and arsenic.
    1
  5530. ​ @lovemyknife yes. I'm sure Londoners want dirty air as a threat to health. We all know how Tories hate to tackle environmental issues at the expense of profit.
    1
  5531.  @lovemyknife  relevance?
    1
  5532. People looking through the lens of self-justification are always pathetic and unconvincing. The Tories excel in this regard. A cabal of incompetent charlatans.
    1
  5533. Planning rules are one thing; land-banking is another. Jeremy Corbyn had plans to deal with that. The present silence is deafening. We need social housing as well as affordable homes. We should stop letting builders off from paying towards infrastructure services (including education and health) after using urban sprawl as an excuse against the infrastructure contributions demanded through population density.
    1
  5534. For whom? And why? With new money created for direct investment in the infrastructure and public services, and a greater tax burden shifted to the wealthiest so the typical working person pays less, we would have growth and improvement. Austerity is not a solution. 14 years of Tory government has taught us that solitary lesson. Perhaps this Labour government is different from "us" because they serve the same masters as the Tories.
    1
  5535. Exposing the neoliberal con: exacerbating inequality by getting the poor to vote for the rich to have more through the lie of trickle-down. We need flow-down and drastic transformation to fix society. Some love the name Reform, who favour more extreme neoliberalism, bordering on fascism.
    1
  5536.  @samhartford8677  easy target. Respect to Finland.
    1
  5537. Farage won't cope with being a two-bit player in parliament. He demands a starring role or he won't turn up. How do I know? The meagre effort he put into being an MEP
    1
  5538.  @appletree6741  As does Israel. Gaza is under Israeli control and they are prepared to kill an unlimited number of innocent people, yet blame Hamas. Using AI to track tunnels (many apparently built by Israel) then flattening colleges and hospitals. Hamas carried out a vile and inhumane but it doesn't justify Israel's mass slaughter.
    1
  5539.  @markc6714  Who broke tha last ceasefire? Where is the evidence?
    1
  5540.  @markc6714  I realise that and they should be held to account for it, but I'm told that Israel broke the ceasefire and now the complicit US (aided by the puppet UK) has vetoed a new ceasefire. Palestinians are far more "threatened" than Israel. As for answering questions, you have provided neither evidence nor answers.
    1
  5541. Well, they both end with "...ate" so I guess it's close enough for Dizzy Lizzy.
    1
  5542. So much for devolution. Little Spiv and his cabal aspire to dictatorship. They want divide and rule; let's stop their rule. Tories out.
    1
  5543.  @cuprashoe  wtf are you on? Plain English helps. I'm for democracy and against fascism. Simple!
    1
  5544.  @moallysnackbar  if we have devolution and the vote in the Scottish parliament is overwhelming, that's true democracy. Whether I agree with it or not. As for Brexit, don't conflate the two: a narrow majority after a campaign that broke electoral rules. There is no relationship imo.
    1
  5545.  @moallysnackbar  I'm pro democracy, period. Yet if electoral rules are broken, that threatens democracy. You assume that the people of Scotland would vote against this bill. That's the mindset of a dictator (I know best.) Scotland has a REPRESENTATIVE democracy; rather then the unrepresentative elective dictatorship in Westminster.
    1
  5546. So true. Starmer is going for symbolism while financialisation is turning us into robots working for others to extract profit. Streeting is now talking about injecting people who are too obese to work. AI will mean fewer jobs and the work for money model won't suffice. Where is the quality of life?
    1
  5547. Of course, Johnson "can find no evidence" because that would mean looking for it. The crack in Johnson's government is symptomatic of broken Britain.
    1
  5548. The propaganda system has been perfected. Not only do the poor to vote for the rich to have more. We live with permanent distraction, so many look in the wrong direction to blame a fictitious common enemy.
    1
  5549. The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. Falsely attributed to Churchill but clearly shown here.
    1
  5550. Bloody hilarious. This government is falling apart at the seams, but first they will completely bugger up the country.
    1
  5551.  @geraldhewing2076  Wow! And I thought it was a language learned in the school for idiots.
    1
  5552.  @SmartCookie2022  Think you should change the first name in your pseudonym account to Dumb: (1) for conflating socialism and Marxism and (2) for your inane whataboutery because other voting choices are available.
    1
  5553.  @haveyaseenmiwhippet9069  who exactly is an "imployer?" Many people are exploited by an employer, as opposed to taking money they don't deserve. That also includes some Tory voters. I recommend critical thinking and correct spelling before labelling others dumb.
    1
  5554. Let's make 2023 the year of democracy with a fit electoral system. This elective dictatorship has enabled such operational incompetence by sociopathic scum.
    1
  5555. OMG! The vision of a buffoon with a trowel is almost as ridiculous as his "plans." The words "social housing" are banned from Tory vocabulary to the extent that housing association stock must be sold off. As for affordability: let's replay the dilemma of sub-prime mortgages. This idiot called Johnson lives in fantasy land. How many voters are stupid enough to support him?
    1
  5556. The published example that the wealthy don't pay their fair share of tax, revealed the difference in tax rates as a proportion of total income between Starmer and Sunak. Guess who paid less as a proportion? The wealthier of the two.
    1
  5557. There are two clear conclusions: (1) we are in the sh1t and (2) lots of idiots in Lincolnshire. LOL
    1
  5558. "The ballot box" where our votes may be wasted in an elective dictatorship, when we end up with a minority elected government. A 43.6% vote returning an 80 seat majority in the last election ... A government without a real democratic mandate. Sunak is an entitled little spiv.
    1
  5559. ​ @aussieseanc I guess he would sh1t on the board, then laugh
    1
  5560.  @colinmelhuish1254  perhaps you should learn economics before making such a crass statement. Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour throughout periods of government since the second world war. Do you really understand Marxism and did you read Labour's manifesto? Or do you follow the Sun or the Daily Fail?
    1
  5561. Great to see our quality media exposed. The state media channel that we must pay for and a shit-rag that is laughingly called a newspaper. The BBC chairman may have political bias but a freelance sport presenter must be neutral. I'm so concerned about the readers of the Fail that I'm thinking of asking my MP to propose offering them free state-funded psychological counseling. Welcome to the country aspiring to fascism: Global Britain
    1
  5562. What a surprise when Johnson hid the Russia Report, which showed interference and the inadequacy of the Electoral Commission. Our alleged "democracy" is a sick joke.
    1
  5563. So very true and highly relevant. I wouldn't have used fear as the descriptor but the rich and powerful certainly pull their strings. The current government needs a strategy and a message to replace neoliberalism and financialisation, as made clear in the video, yet we hear none. Politicians don't represent the people, unless voters have the power to influence their policies and to remove them. Our voting system is undemocratic, dark money and bribery are rife, with representation through opaque lobbying groups and dodgy think tanks. We need the opposite of Reform; we need real and fundamental reform of a broken system...clean up the mess before we become a third world country.
    1
  5564.  @cujimmi  think you should change your last name to Senseless and add Troll. The fact that you have to ask that question means that we have an incompetent chancellor and a useless government. They should have worked that one out by now!
    1
  5565.  @cujimmi  why?
    1
  5566.  @cujimmi  No
    1
  5567. London is also a financial centre for oligarchs. Islands associated with Britain are also tax havens. The rich spin the lines that they deserve the results of their "hard work" and should be above the law. For hard work, read exploitation in many cases.
    1
  5568. "Make people wealthy..." by crashing the environment while fixating on profit. Who cares if we kill off the planet? These k'kwits live for greed and power. The greatest "pollutant" is when these a'holes open their mouth. Half truths preceding lies, to appeal to the hard of thinking.
    1
  5569. Murdoch: that doyen of journalism who pays zero tax in the UK yet manufactures consent for the benefit of his own interests. No wonder that Cameron let the Leveson report gather dust. Welcome to rogues gallery.
    1
  5570. Farage wants free speech when it affects his bank account, but when it concerns rights that are against his fascistic ambitions...
    1
  5571. When I look at the lazy half-arsed governance of Cameron, this is where the rot started. Allowing a simple binary choice on a complex multi-dimensional matter, with no requirement for an absolute majority (of all eligible voters) nor a comprehensive one, such as the 70% level used in other critical foreign referenda. The fact that the decision was honoured after electoral rules were broken. The fact that he set himself up for failure and ran a pathetic campaign, then ran away when it failed. Dodgy Dave had done his worst, only to leave a lying greased piglet to cement the disaster. The Tories deserve to be consigned to the dustbin of political history. To keep them there, we need PR
    1
  5572. Yes. We need real democracy. We need to remove this elective dictatorship and adopt PR, where votes are equal and seats match votes.
    1
  5573. Nothing illustrated this point better than the three-word brexit slogans. Dumbed-down statements on a multidimensional issue. We then had the declaration that we've had enough of experts, many many believe the soundbites over factual argument. The dumbed down slogans further fueled division and hatred, when we now need cooperation on the issues threatening our planet - particularly climate change. This dangerous precedent, propagated by sociopaths, has left us poorer and more vulnerable.
    1
  5574. If we get a government that implements PR, we get democracy to replace this fascistic dictatorship. At a minimum we get less corruption.
    1
  5575.  @trident6547  wouldn't know. The paper is too intellectual for me lol.
    1
  5576. Ah! Serco! Another outsourcing giant with dodgy connections to our corrupt government. Another day; another nose in the Tory trough.
    1
  5577. Lord Gormless entering the commons would be a joke too many. Cameron is bad enough; Frost in another league.
    1
  5578. The equally concerning fact is that the perception of the centre continually moves right. We are assumed to take as gospel the inevitably of neoliberalism and the small state. As the few get richer, those who lapse into poverty are denounced as lazy or scroungers. We have lost the concept of society, as Thatcher originally wanted. Populism fuels and supports this trend. We risk rule by charlatans.
    1
  5579. It's amazing that the very people who called the EU protectionist, don't apply the term to Trump's "America first" fiasco and his tariffs. Deep Seek is well named, for the reasons mentioned in this video.
    1
  5580. Give George Galloway his due. He may be marmite, but he has managed to upset Sunak and Tice, prompting them to react like spoiled brats. A lecture from Rishi Sunk-Us is the most effective way of dividing the country.
    1
  5581. The identification of a common enemy is one of the tools of fascism (divide and rule.) The Neoliberal project was designed to get the poor to vote for the rich to have more and to increase inequality. None so blind as those who will not see.
    1
  5582.  @chubbymoth5810  good point. Outsourcing to chums and party funders is the default habit of this government. Probably not the first government, but now on an industrial scale.
    1
  5583.  @housemonkeychill  after refused to take it up. We are playing hardball with EU countries to shift the blame.
    1
  5584.  @2msvalkyrie529  An interesting thought when we don't allow asylum seekers to work while their claim is being processed.
    1
  5585. A legacy of delusion and corruption.
    1
  5586. Read with a tone of irony (at least to my hearing) but then who would believe the lying Tory scum who are driving us towards fascism.
    1
  5587.  @pipobscure  Your opinion from an obscure pseudonym account is unsubstantiated, with no supporting facts, so isn't worth the electronic paper it's written on imo. Thank you...
    1
  5588. The psychopath Patel, smirk in place, talks garbage again. Why don't her "very practical routes" work? Taking a long time to put "them in place" Perhaps someone should tell her that invasions create emergencies. Tory Britain is broken.
    1
  5589.  @ConfidentlyUninformed  Good question. It's the one we also asked friends who thought that way. Some vague notion of a button pressing idiot being a deterrent would make them sleep sounder while the earth was frying.
    1
  5590. We could reaon this two ways and both (imo) amount to the same thing: party politics and power matter more than real democracy and lives. Whether this was a trap for Labour or Starmer trying to save his hide, our parliamentary sh1t-show is unfit for purpose. Why not give a free vote, letting MPs vote according to their conscience and the views of their consituents? If it was the SNP'a day or their motion was tabled first, have a debate then vote on the motions in order (SNP then Labour) until one of them is carried. Surely that would be democratic.
    1
  5591. A great person will rise above their environment and won't be conditioned by peer pressure. Respect to the many good jews who seek peace rather than domination and control. To the many good muslims who would happily live alongside them and work for the common good in society. This is reality, often forgotten as war and bad news make the headlines.
    1
  5592. ​ @stewie7338 No. Welcome liberation.
    1
  5593. The clue is in the name: CONservative. The party with the worst economic record yet the most millionaires. Greed over public service.
    1
  5594. In all of this poignant analysis, I find the blatant power grab and the dismantling of democracy most chilling. Most surprising, is the fact that the majority can't even see it, being disinterested in politics and brainwashed by a media that has successfully manufactured consent. The dawn of 2022 does not bring hope and optimism, it brings the need for the majority to wake up and smell the coffee (if we can even get it through our supply chain.)
    1
  5595. Johnson and Farage would sell out their own granny to kiss Trump's anus. Such proud patriots. Meanwhile, Trump is in hock to Putin's oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton.
    1
  5596. And the cost to us will be ???
    1
  5597. There are also other solutions. One proposed by Prof Richard Murphy and now supported by Greens is to tax the income from wealth at the same rate as work income. Eg, the income from share dividends would be taxed at 45% for the highest rate tax payer instead of the present 20% concessionary rate. Why not do both?
    1
  5598. I simply define it as economic stupidity and neoliberal sociopathy. Starmer has a luddite chancellor and should listen to the patriotic millionaires, along with Richard and Danny B.
    1
  5599.  @howler6490  a coincidental feature of many in the Tory cabinet: benefiting from one of the most expensive education systems, only to prove vacuous in operational terms.
    1
  5600.  @olivere5497  Have you tried applying for a visa if your family is in danger and there are no processes? Life isn't simple and civilised when conflict breaks out.
    1
  5601. "Democracy" is a sham and government is a scam. What a way to run a country.
    1
  5602.  @Petal4822  think I spotted the wind-up there. What food standards will be observed? Poole is hardly a port for goods, to get lorries in and out of. There are no delays for incoming goods from the EU because we have not implemented border controls. Another own goal!
    1
  5603.  @michaelgreen1515  they need their heads examining. I travelled to Poole regularly. The port is used for pleasure craft and the road network is abysmal. As for bypassing the EU: no need. We don't yet impose customs checks on EU produce, so there is no bottleneck on incoming EU goods. People grasp at desperate measures for any Brexit win. Shifting our supply source to another country without verification of quality and adequate transport arrangements shows British ineptitude.
    1
  5604. No shortage of turds in the Tory cesspit. And they always manage to find someone worse than most of us could imagine.
    1
  5605. How long must this farce continue? Thousands of lives are being lost while our politicians act like Netanyahu's stooges. Stop the madness.
    1
  5606.  @IBTU  the kind of stupid bilge I have come to expect from a pseudonym account. Perhaps your GP will give you that advice if you need future help.
    1
  5607. Jimmy Dimly leaving an open door to one of the two most sociopathic turds. Tory land is not a healthy place.
    1
  5608. Worzel Gummidge, a serial liar pretending to be prime minister and running out of excuses for his gross incompetence and corruption.
    1
  5609. Aptly described as "Lord Gormless" in Michael Lambert's videos, Frost expressing an original thought would be dangerous. The Tories simply assume power to be their divine right. Never forget that 14 years of Tory sociopathic serial incompetence started with the entitled serial ar**wipe Cameron. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  5610. We have moved from a PM who couldn't get enough of photo ops, to a Maggie stooge in power for a few weeks, to a PM in hiding who is shit scared of his party power groups and backers.
    1
  5611. Alistair Campbell summed it up well: Johnson is a turd that needs flushing down the toilet. Now he can pollute our rivers after bleeding the country dry. (I added the last sentence, btw)
    1
  5612. The dilemma was created by his boss completing Brexit during a pandemic, so the disaster of Brexit could be hidden. A cabinet of wazzocks.
    1
  5613. Most certainly unhinged and delusional. Also a convicted felon who would be excluded from running for office in any sane country.
    1
  5614. ​ @geraldhewing2076 yet as potential market for us...?
    1
  5615. Wow! Does that make you feel better?
    1
  5616.  @lestrem11  Perhaps he recovered it from Michelle Mine or a corrupt Tory mate's deal.
    1
  5617. Let's get this right. We have an incompetent government that thinks a 40-year relationship can be undone, and business will run smoothly then eventually improve by a process of denial and flag-waving. The minister responsible for delivery has not even been fired. Such is the racist and jingoistic cabal in government. An entitled narcissist in charge of a gang of brain-dead sociopaths.
    1
  5618. The serial fantasy starts at the suggestion that the UK is a "thriving democracy". Certainly not thriving (well... perhaps for a few) and an elective dictatorship rather than anything near a democracy. Shall we have a referendum to check whether our support for Israel should continue? Surely that would be the action of a real democracy.
    1
  5619.  @notknown6605  Really? Perhaps you will explain the simplicity of it.
    1
  5620.  @peterk.6930  We will never agree on this. History is generally regressive because we fail to learn from it. Netanyahu is the stand out war criminal imo.
    1
  5621. A government of sociopathic extremes prompted by bigots. The DUP and the Brexit extremists pull Johnson's strings, and he has Lord Gormless talking crap in front of a moronic slogan: build back better. You really couldn't make it up.
    1
  5622. Never trust the Tories with the economy - let alone the NHS. The party that has consistently borrowed more and paid back less then Labour. Increasing the national debt during 12 years of austerity. Spaffing money to benefit their donors. Chuck these corrupt charlatans in prison - perhaps as part of a package holiday to Rwanda.
    1
  5623. ​ @juancilliers8710 did you miss the lol after that comment?
    1
  5624. UBI is a progressive proposal. It replaces Universal Credit (a system run by sociopaths at enormous cost.) As we move to more autumation, through AI and robotics, it presents an alternative to the work model, as fewer jobs become avaialable. As for funding it, we need a more progressive form of taxation: taxing wealth and corporate greed. (That's assuming tax and spend, rather than embracing modern monetary theory - MMT) The neoliberal model fails the majority by exaxerbating inequality, while dehumanising those who can't work. We need such research into a viable and humane alternative.
    1
  5625.  @stewie7338  None. The statement was about economics.
    1
  5626.  @davidpope2048  explain your version of alternate reality then
    1
  5627. With PR, Brexit may not have happened, and most certainly would not have happened in this form. It took a minority-elected cabal of charlatans to make this happen and we live with the consequences.
    1
  5628. Not just p1ssing in the same pot, eating at the same gold-plated trough of Tory corruption.
    1
  5629. Our systems are designed to protect the status quo. Which means protecting the powerful at the expense of truth. To achieve this, free speech must be controlled or suppressed.
    1
  5630. Stop it all for every politician then watch them scream: Tories and Reform especially. All this media hype while the covid enquiry goes virtually unreported.
    1
  5631.  @benwilson6145  so anyone who questions you is for the stocks? You must really value civil liberties.
    1
  5632.  @benwilson6145  Ha, bloody ha.
    1
  5633. If Hunt can p1ss off Rees Mogg, he has gone up a peg in my estimation. Never let facts get in the way of brexiter stupidity. Rats in a sack comes to mind.
    1
  5634. Absolutely essential for the benefit of community. Hopefully the new government will listen to you and prove Thatcher wrong when she declared that there is no such thing as society. The very foundation of neoliberalism dogma: greed to fuel inequality.
    1
  5635. And tax avoiders, afraid of scrutiny
    1
  5636.  @hilarymiseroy  the current wave of "illegals" is largely fictitious because we don't define legal routes for refugees from some countries (African for example) as exposed in a HoC sub-committee. We are also taking more immigrants to compensate for shortage of workers through Brexit. The Dublin accord was about exchange and each country taking a fair share of refugees. Who would trust these Tory wazzocks to take back control?
    1
  5637.  @hilarymiseroy  It's not the number that's fictitious, Hilary, it's labelling them as "illegals." The proof? What proportion qualify as refugees? 90-odd percent in the last report I read. You say the Dublin accord never worked yet we had far fewer boats when in the EU. Pretending to be tough on immigration is unattainable rhetoric; managing immigration is not. As for the original post: do you dispute that xenophobia contributed to the brexit vote? The rest is a side issue
    1
  5638. So chillingly accurate on Tory intent. They love a financial class war, with power loaded to their funders and puppet masters. Some ministers are more effective than others: Gove, for example, effectively buggered up education and is skilled at obfuscation. As for operational competence: expect the opposite. A cabinet of charlatans led by a buffoon: here to entertain us until the going got tough with a pandemic and the Ukraine war prompting food shortage. Operationally stupid enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic so he could deflect from his disastrous"oven ready deal." His stock response: to be seen to do something, but never enough and never the right thing for equality and welfare. The worst possible government at the worst possible time.
    1
  5639. Relevance?
    1
  5640.  @brunsheimmasterbaitwilfrie2811  it's a hard argument to win against vested interest where the greedy b'stards not only rule, but shape opinion by manufacturing consent.
    1
  5641. I most certainly don't associate the word brilliance with the person who can't stand scrutiny and falls apart when challenged with fact. Farage is a phoney. He is successful in appealing to idiots and getting media coverage.
    1
  5642. Small state. Privatise all services. Cut tax. The neoliberal "heaven" that becomes Hell for all but the wealthiest. The lie of trickle down, designed to exacerbate inequality. Who has the cajones to reverse it?
    1
  5643. After all the excuses against a windfall tax and Johnson telling his MPs to vote against it on two or three occasions, the U-turn happens after Sue Gray's damning conclusions. Life under the Tories is full of coincidence.
    1
  5644. It will probably sqeak through, continue as a distraction, then waste even more parliamentary time and public money. Little Rishi is obsessed with small boats; probably didn't have any in his bath as a kid. The NHS? NO, stop the boats; in-work poverty? NO, stop the boats; crumbling schools and hospitals? NO; stop the boats.
    1
  5645. Why should the EU trust the UK? Other countries will ask the same question. Particularly Joe Biden who shows close interest. The EU are the adults in the room. Johnson and Frost are incompetent, or untrustworthy , or both. The oven ready deal and Global Britain are now exposed as blatant myths, or cynical lies.
    1
  5646. So Scotland can't have another referendum after they were lied to in the first. Then that lie was debunked by a subsequent UK referendum with a campaign of lies while breaking electoral rules. An empire of lies sustained by a Parliament of lies.
    1
  5647. Well said, Sami. A cabal espousing patriotism but committing treason.
    1
  5648. This morning I read that a seven year old girl wrote to Johnson about his partying while she was banned from having a party for her last two birthdays. From her simple and direct language, it was obvious that she has a greater understanding of responsibility than Johnson or his entire cabinet of squabbling shitheads.
    1
  5649. I shall stop the Tories by voting Indepndent because our former Labour councillors have left the party. The main reason? Palestine.
    1
  5650. A government dismantling any attempt at democracy: the power to override the judiciary; restrictions of protest; reducing food and environmental standards. Changes to electoral boundaries and more elective dictatorship, instead of electoral reform. This is the party of brigands: our minority elected sociopaths.
    1
  5651. Putin has played Trump like a cheap fiddle. Complaining about his treatment by previous presidents to appeal to Trump's hubris has made President Moron an asset for life. (Asset Krasnov?) I really have doubts about the intelligence and mental fitness of Trump and Vance. I have no doubts about their sociopathy.
    1
  5652. Apparently Foghorn is blameless. Always someone else's fault. This constant critic, who speaks bile and dissent with no positive proposals, gets enough airtime to appeal to idiots.
    1
  5653. The biggest warmonger on the planet is AMERICA. Picking a fight with Canada and Panama while selling out to oligarch interest.
    1
  5654. If you think they're all the same, you presumably don't vote. Or is it called intellectual laziness?
    1
  5655. Perhaps someone should explain to these morons that WhatsApp messages are held on Google Drive or iCloud (on cloud servers) and phone messages are similarly backed up. How convenient that these wazzocks can't find them.
    1
  5656. Never expect a politician to solve a problem. They will simply create the problem then blame someone else.
    1
  5657. Correction: the conservative party's reputation has been destroyed by twelve years of austerity, a drop in living standards, an increase in inequality, and total financial and operational mismanagement. If that wasn't enough, the party has allowed The Convict to stay in power and repeatedly lied in his defence. They have dug themselves into a hole; we should fill it for them. Enough is more than enough, after a few years of Johnson and his cabal of sociopathic charlatans.
    1
  5658. Surely she has a full time job running the Boris admiration society. Just suspend her MP's salary.
    1
  5659. Let's be realistic. The Tories haven't a clue. They live in a world of make believe and exercise planned incompetence to benefit rogues and their funders (coincidentally often the same people.) They lie with smug arrogance and are financially and operationally incompetent - other than by amassing money for the richest who pull their strings. Let's stop pretending. After 12 years of chaos, we need parliamentary and electoral reform. Enough is enough. Britain is broken.
    1
  5660.  @trytellingthetruth.2068  Yes. I made that clear with factual examples. There are rules on product and food standards, and on workers' rights. But then there are secret corporate courts with CPTPP. We obviously liked the rules because we supported them and Johnson promised that our standards would be at least as high as the EU's on leaving.
    1
  5661.  @chrisj9700  How many EU rules did we use our veto against, vote against or even abstain? Check the facts and you will see how we used our influence. Now we are subject to corporate courts with the CPTPP.
    1
  5662. Anyone suggesting that Farage and the Reform bigots are not racist should check how long it takes them to whine about immigration. Sometines suggesting it is the root cause of our major problem: poverty and inequality, while they scam more money from their followers and the rest of the population. The easiest way to run a scam is to appeal to prejudice, rather than attempting to persuade people by logic. Such scammers are NOT patriots; they appeal to mindless idiots and thugs then shift blame to pose as victims.
    1
  5663. Perhaps "idealogues like Richard" are helping people question the effect of consumerism on the planet, and the benefit of resisting peer pressure. Your suggestion of a sinister motive is personal assumption.
    1
  5664. Tax income from non-work income (passive income such as speculation and investments) at the same rate as work income. Job done.
    1
  5665. Buffoon is a clown in a Tory circus. Who would they replace him with? A lion tamer or a tightrope walker? A party of vacuous ineptitude.
    1
  5666. The extreme politicians support the very richest, who never let a crisis go to waste.
    1
  5667. The silence from state media is deafening. A rally in support of the NHS last weekend UNREPORTED. Multiple strikes UNREPORTED. Perhaps they will give the same treatment to the budget as it's announced tomorrow by the chief psychopath. We happy bunnies must look to social media for factual reporting (after weeding out any misinformation - most of which is spun by Tory media)
    1
  5668. A cesspit of crooks. Time to reenact Cromwell's speech and clean up the vile debacle.
    1
  5669. If Biden had made a good start on some of these policies and communicated them clearly, Trump would be history. Better still, Bernie would be your best president. America has become a backward country after listening to this from the UK. And some idiots (Farage and Musk) would have us join you.
    1
  5670. ​ @jackjack3358 Then which continent is it on?
    1
  5671. ​ @derrellbray Think you need to check your maths, as does Trump
    1
  5672. Now that America has decided it no longer has a vested interest in being here? Trump is too vacuous and too narcissistic to understand geo politics and international relations.
    1
  5673. The odious foghorn appeals to idiots, so at least the idiots have been given a break by his cancellation.
    1
  5674. ​ @karlxx13 and stored in iCloud or Google Drive.
    1
  5675. Never present a moron with logic or fact. They will blame the EU for everything or engage in whataboutery. This is the consequence of believing charlatans over experts.
    1
  5676. We must be giving our European neighbours a laugh a minute. Stay well and enjoy the comedy.
    1
  5677. Chilling and accurate. Labour has become just another neoliberal party. They could persuade me otherwise by effectively taxing wealth and mitigating inequality, to encourage growth, but I'm not holding my breath!
    1
  5678. ​ @DrinkPetrolForJesus I actually embrace that argument, because equal balance to Greens and Lib Dems would stop the idiots running amok. We also need to expose the views of the extreme voices through parliamentary debate, so they don't fester and morph into populism for consumption by idiots.
    1
  5679. Another solution is to tax passive income at the same rate as work income, so personal allowances could be raised to help the lower paid. There is the further problem of taxation based on country of residence, so we either need to change that rule or tax on asset values of non-doms.
    1
  5680.  @thesaltbaron5733  ah!! Free market bollocks. Shall we get to trickle down and the book of neoliberal lies?
    1
  5681. Ah! Free market bollocks. Shall we get to the myth of trickle down in the neoliberal book of lies?
    1
  5682. Boris Johnson was a sick joke offering serial incompetence, and always at our expense
    1
  5683. While we have no checks on our borders, how can we win a trade war? Absolute folly.
    1
  5684. Newsflash: drive through McDonald's will become the new depots. It is no longer essential to learn how to reverse a lorry. The government has demonstrated, yet again, that they put their Brexit bigotry above human life, health and safety. Reversing an articulated lorry is no longer a key skill. As for uncoupling a trailor, forget it - they stay attached.
    1
  5685. "Had enough of experts" so they consult idiots. Straight from the recipe for fascism. Those who knew what they voted for clearly believe that the EU has a monopoly on red tape. The minister for the 19th century has confirmed it, so who needs real facts from experts?
    1
  5686. It seems that you build a solid foundation through destruction. You dismantle government services at a whim then blame the very people who need them. Trump is a registered f'kwit.
    1
  5687. Normally brain dead in any event. So while asleep he can't regale us with his wisdom.
    1
  5688. The Tories are vulnerable because their only "plan" was to create a problem then exacerbate it to crisis level.
    1
  5689. What else would we expect from the chief psychopath who buggered up the NHS? The fact that our infrastructure and social services are reeling after 13 years of austerity. The fact that we must wait until 2027 for average incomes to reach pre-pandemic levels in real terms. More evidence of Tory economic mismanagement and operational incompetence.
    1
  5690. This is the little spiv who promised honesty and professionalism. Being a Tory, he has a strange notion of the meaning of such words. FACTS! shrieks Sunak. After claiming the independence of the pay review body, for which the health minister set the budget and the terms of reference. Safe levels of emergency staffing during a strike! Nurses would welcome that as a matter of procedure when they have to run wards without suitable backup. Sunak is NOT a professional we should depend on in government. He is a spiv and a liar who fails to answer a single question with fact - instead resorting to baseless counter accusations. Never trust a Tory - particularly with the NHS.
    1
  5691. Not only are the Tories devoid of ideas in dealing with our economic mess, it's as though they don't have a single brain cell between them. The reason: slavishly following their ideology of the unregulated free market and a small state. Meanwhile Starmer offers blandness and a lack of clarity. Britain is broken.
    1
  5692. Taking back control is the biggest laugh of the decade. Beyond bullying immigrants and refugees, and screwing the vulnerable, this government doesn't know it anus from its elbow.
    1
  5693. I was nauseated by our British Buffoon speaking to an audience on a tragedy where he has shown no leadership. If he cared at all about the plight of Romanians, he would offer emergency visas, and suspend our inhumane processes for these oppressed people.
    1
  5694. A fallback too far for the narcissistic charlatan
    1
  5695. We listen to the UN only when it suits us. What does the UN say about Israel? This is becoming a regular campaign so Sunak goes into hiding. The most terrifying part is who he leaves to deputise.
    1
  5696. Crowds forming a scene of hope in Trump's fantasy world of greed and darkness. Makes my day. Thanks for posting.
    1
  5697. Sunak is a little spiv who wants the NHS to break so he can implement a private system. Enough is enough.
    1
  5698. And sometimes they pay a few grand per shift for an agency nurse. Never trust a Tory with the NHS
    1
  5699.  @stevejones2310  No. Quite the opposite. I have been a "boss" to some and I know otherwise
    1
  5700.  @stevejones2310  Why make assumptions about what I'm assuming? Did you see the Lol after my comment?
    1
  5701. Fishy Rishi has finally broken cover. More Tory austerity to follow?
    1
  5702. ​ @Noel-ji8nm Noel the troll is back.
    1
  5703. Another racist gammon. The party of corruption and inhumanity. No wonder Priti Shitty agrees.
    1
  5704. Rats in a sack is a gross understatement for this cabal of sociopathic and incompetent charlatans. Clueless, vacuous and DANGEROUS. They will come for our human rights.
    1
  5705. Just imagine such an IT failure if we become more dependent on AI...
    1
  5706. I'm looking forward to Bannon ousting Musk in a week and the Orange genius sorting the Russia and Ukraine conflict in 24 hours. I heard that Americans don't exaggerate.
    1
  5707. The grifting buffoon always manages to replace idiots with morons. (As I heard in another video this morning.)
    1
  5708.  @ogribiker8535  so if we must wait until next week, how is it not silent? No such expectation set in the media...
    1
  5709.  @mrsthatcher9815  that's the most desparate comment I've read. Totally inaccurate and vacuous.
    1
  5710.  @mrsthatcher9815  are you a ghost? That's some pseudonym account. You could be done for treason after selling off our national assets. If they are all the same, don't vote.
    1
  5711.  @mrsthatcher9815  is that the only criticism you can find after you sold off our national assets? Stop trolling under a repulsive pseudonym.
    1
  5712.  @mrsthatcher9815  stop hiding behind a pseudonym account and talking rubbish. By any measure of economic management and prosperity measured by real income, you lose.
    1
  5713.  @mrsthatcher9815  Yes. That's your stock in trade while hiding behind a pseudonym. Arrogant dismissal of proven fact is the Tory way. Stop trolling
    1
  5714.  @mrsthatcher9815  it's all you're getting. Facts are wasted on people hiding behind a pseudonym account. Stop trolling.
    1
  5715.  @kirkhunter146  you may well be right, but by peeling back the onion a layer at a time, his lies are exposed consistently and regularly.
    1
  5716. Let's start with the obvious: all votes should count equally. Many can't be arsed with a wasted vote.
    1
  5717. ​ @Anonnonner9546 the sh1t trickles down, the shareholder and exec payments are pumped up.
    1
  5718. Don't blame the workers. For every day the government waits this out, people are affected. This cabal of Tory sociopaths simply does not care.
    1
  5719. The neoliberal lie of trickle down has persuaded the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
    1
  5720.  @DesperateDan3231  should we sponsor vulture capitalists to do it?
    1
  5721. Unfortunately, the mantra of growth is crass. GDP is based on estimates and is a measure of everything except that which makes life worthwhile. Most critically, it ignores inequality. If all the benefits of growth accrue to the richest; guess what?
    1
  5722. The next time you hear Sunak telling us how he is reducing inflation by suppressing public pay, write that lie down in a book and read it before going to the polling booths. We already know that nearly half of inflation is caused by profiteering. Now the energy companies are taking the bloody rip. Undoubtedly we will have the Tories jumping up in parliament to tell us that they have protected energy prices for us. If that happens, record the lie and chuck them on the scrapheap of history. We are witnessing economic mismagement on an unimaginable scale. So much for the party of fiscal responsibility. That's the greatest lie of the millenium.
    1
  5723. Comparisons of physical assault or intimidation aside, this dirty campaigning has been nothing compared with 2019. The use of lies and misinformation on social media, in the week leading up to election date when it couldn't be taken down; the blatant misinformation about Jeremy Corbyn and Labour. The tactics we were warned of in the Russia Report, conveniently withheld in redacted form by Johnson. The Tories have always been dirty b'stards. Rules and the law apply to the little people who must doff their caps to the party of scum.
    1
  5724. This is what a sociopath promoted beyond her level of competence looks like. The epitome of the Tory sh1t-show.
    1
  5725. Let's look at where the gross incompetence starts: with Johnson the sociopathic buffoon.
    1
  5726. A bigger bribe by Jan 18th, no election needed? Perhaps the DUP would prefer a referendum on a united Ireland. This debacle is showing that dinosaurs still exist.
    1
  5727. Stick with what plan? Perhaps someone will ask him what his plan is. To drive the country into oblivion? That's certainly working, Rishi.
    1
  5728. Extolling "the market" and denouncing society. The two characteristics of neoliberalism that lead to unhappiness and stress. Thatcher's "there is no such thing as society" and Wall Street's "greed is good" lead to inequality and fuel mental ill-health. Who is brave enough to change this?
    1
  5729. After the war; after the banking crash; during Covid; noone asked where the money was coming from. When we need to recover our NHS, repair our infrastructure and invest in public services, guess the first question our politicians ask! Don't buy the excuses, read the book. It's compelling!
    1
  5730.  @Showbizboy  what the hell is that?
    1
  5731.  @Showbizboy  but votes don't count equally, Duncan. So how can we pretend that's representative democracy? It's an elective dictatorship, as Lord Hailsham said in the past.
    1
  5732.  @Showbizboy  a system where seats are commensurate with votes and all votes are equal. A form or PR which achieves those objectives.
    1
  5733.  @WarrenPeaceOG  sense at last. Absolutely agree. The market isn't a panacea. It's often gross stupidity.
    1
  5734. Thanks for saving us the airfare, prof. Probably better than seeing such desperate attention seekers in real life.
    1
  5735. Unequal party funding and flimsy electoral regulation are one aspect, but we end up with a sham. An elective dictatorship filling a House of Lies. We need urgent reform of governance and electoral rules to achieve real democracy.
    1
  5736. While shouting "Get over it, you lost," the hard Brexiters were asking " what do we do now?" I know, we'll make the minister for the 19th century responsible for Brexit opportunities. He can spin a fairy story in parliament. We'll blame the EU for enforcing a signed agreement. We'll blame Remainers for not believing in Brexit opportunities, although we can't really find any. We'll make world-beating deals - at least to the benefit of foreign signatories. We'll mutter something about a high pay, high skill economy while presiding over a reduction in real incomes. At least we got Brexit half-done, and that's better than nothing.
    1
  5737.  @ohgosh5892  coincidentally the same thing, as many business funders but the right to lobby.
    1
  5738. This government is "melting away" while hanging on for their own power and enrichment
    1
  5739. The land of the free where the president is above the law? There is a name for that: it's called a dictatorship.
    1
  5740. The Tories excel at spaffing public money in defence of their corruption and incompetence. They are beyond contempt and past their shelf life.
    1
  5741. Anything that impacts the greed of a Tory is to be resisted or denied. Kemi pretends to be an engineer yet ignores or denies science. She is probably aligning with Trump.
    1
  5742. We are moving closer towards fascism every day. Just look what 43.6% of voters allowed, after being told that Jeremy Corbyn was a danger.
    1
  5743. The perfect brain for a Tory deputy chair. To make chair, he would need to be stupid with a posh accent.
    1
  5744. The irony of wondering how we were going to pay for everything during the Corbyn years when Labour offered the only costed manifesto is revealing.
    1
  5745. Our system is working as intended: as an elective dictatorship rather than a real democracy.
    1
  5746. Bankers or politicians putting money over human rights? Surely not. Lol.
    1
  5747. We have a cabinet of sociopaths in a broken society. Some would view selling off state assets as an act of treason. I view it as part of the Neoliberal con (featuring the lie of trickle down.) Privatisation has not offered effective competition, other than possibly in telecoms. Energy, water and rail should be publicly owned.
    1
  5748. The Tories are to world trade what piracy is to world peace.
    1
  5749. Tinkering won't cut it. Stand up and admit your mistake then reverse it while finding the money by taxing wealth, not work. Jumping through hoops to claim the winter fuel allowance is not only prohibitive, it isn't cost-effective, as the cost of administration outweighs the extra amount paid. As for hitting the disabled, Starmer should give an unmitigated apology and increase the payment as a fine for his sociopathy. Btw, you don't stimulate growth by austerity and Labour needs better advisors and a new chancellor. (Reeves is not a progressive economist and is a poor chancellor imo)
    1
  5750. The woman is simply moronic and dangerous. But then we've lived through three years of the vacuous and dangerous Johnson. A predictable Tory teend.
    1
  5751. Yes, that lack of critical thinking allowed a buffoon incapable of critical thinking to take power.
    1
  5752. And I thought our politicians were bad... Trump is on another level. A world class moron.
    1
  5753. "Shouting at the sea." Love it! The kind of thing a populist will do to appeal to morons.
    1
  5754. The rejoin march conveniently ignored by the BBC, as are most protests. Our state media is run to manufacture consent and ignore peaceful protest.
    1
  5755. It's called misdirection, practiced by scammers and promoted by the oligarch media. Here's how it works. Three people sat at a table containing 100 cookies. A billionaire, a worker and an immigrant. The billionaire scooped up 99 cookies then said to the worker: "Hurry! Or he will steal your cookie".
    1
  5756.  @XTSu-sl1bb  That's because he is exposing the lack of government intent to find a solution for the benefit of the majority. The solution is not rocket science, but will be stifled by the powerful. You could probably even guess it yourself if you apply thought.
    1
  5757.  @XTSu-sl1bb  I have thought for myself and come to a different conclusion. See my other reply. As for capital following etc.... You are swallowing neoliberal garbage.
    1
  5758.  @XTSu-sl1bb  don't take the easy option and try to interrogate me like a troll. I wrote a full ebook on the subject, which you can download for free. It's called The Real Miracle of Neoliberalism. I urge you to think for yourself. Your comments don't disparage Eddie's message. They are either lazy thinking or a pathetic attempt to justify our crappy government.
    1
  5759.  @XTSu-sl1bb  if you discount alternative sources, you learn nothing new from a "keyboard warrior" with relevant degree-level qualifications and extensive working experience. But then, you would have to read the free source I mentioned to find out. What solutions have you got from the publications you mention? The solution is simple: dismantle neoliberalism and pursue a balanced economy.
    1
  5760.  @XTSu-sl1bb  I said a mixed economy; not the abolition of neoliberalism, but also more regulation where necessary. Many EU countries have a mixed economy... not too obsessed with mass privatisation. The first country where the Neoliberal project was installed was Chile (under Pinochet) and currently is in turmoil because of its failure (and in the process of change.) Neoliberalism was designed to increase inequality and has done so.
    1
  5761.  @davidgalea6113  wtf??? Do you expect him to solve all our problems? Eddie is NOT a politician, so speaks plainly and manages to stay on topic. Compare the figure you quote against the amount of money wasted on test and trace and spaffed on faulty PPE. Perspective changes somewhat.
    1
  5762. For every scrote or moron there are many real human beings who will help others and some will even put others first. For every greedy bastard there is someone who will share. Makes me feel humble and restores my faith in humankind. Respect to all who give and share. The reward of helping others is immeasurable.
    1
  5763. The smirk from Sunak said more than any words. Ed's speech nailed it. Every word was true. The worst possible government at the worst possible time. Tories = Sociopaths Causing Utter Mayhem (was perhaps the longhand of what Angela Rayner meant.)
    1
  5764. Yes, the Lord's should be elected with effective powers of scrutiny. Imo what the Johnson debacle shows is that a manifesto should be a binding contract, subject to reasonable endeavour and with the need for a referendum if changes are proposed - with notable exceptions for national security only.
    1
  5765. A biased, or a lazy and sloppy media spinning government fantasy. Welcome to Global Britain, where performers are restricted to shorter tours with more paperwork. Spot the recurring pattern: the EU offers a solution; we reject it then pretend to renegotiate to mitigate the balls-up. Happy days.
    1
  5766. ​ @joewilson4191 I suggest a course in critical thinking. Farage appeals to idiots.
    1
  5767. And this morning he has announced a 30 day pause in the tariffs. His story is that the neighbouring three countries have agreed to cooperate on border controls, etc. President Moron is so unstable, his empty head could implode.
    1
  5768. Let's keep it clear and simple: a sign of desperation. Sunak is saying there is no elected conservative MP capable of taking such a position. In one sense, he has a point: after Patel and Braverman. As for Cameron: Dodgy Dave with his dark Greensill share dealings. The man who allowed the Brexit vote yet couldn't be arsed to adequately define constitutional rules; the author of austerity. The Tories are revealing their true label as incompetent scum.
    1
  5769. It takes an infantile and naive population to believe that because Musk is the richest man in the world he can magically reduce government spending while making the population better off. Trump is a bullsh1tting maverick and Musk has no experience of managing government infrastructure, which is vastly different from commercial business.
    1
  5770.  @chester6343  there is such a thing as responsible capitalism. I know we are used to the Tories spaffing money to the exploitative capitalists.
    1
  5771.  @chester6343  How is that wrong if the company accounts justify it and he is fair to his employees? You then need to look what he does with it: rehabilitating prisoners in work. If he is a member of the patriotic millionaires, he is asking to pay more tax.
    1
  5772. ​​ @monkeytennis8861 troll alert (Noel the troll)
    1
  5773. Tory scum; electorate blind. What a shit-show.
    1
  5774.  @davidgottshalk8450  I agree. Can't press thumbs up or the buggers may think I want to sell it off.
    1
  5775. And much of the public is out of touch with reality. Too busy listening to vacuous bullsh1t.
    1
  5776. There are two sides to Piers. 1) the inveterate windbag who constantly interrupts and will always create a common enemy for newsworthiness ("wokeness" whatever he means by that?) 2) one of the very few presenters that held the government to account over the Pandemic. (perhaps he got the right enemy that time?) No wonder that call him marmite.
    1
  5777. If Covid is added to the argument as an attempted excuse, then Brexit should also be added. The Tories were operationally incompetent by completing brexit during a pandemic. That lost many GPs and medical staff, who returned to the EU. Parliament is a sham: not fit for purpose when a question can be evaded. "What day is it prime minister?" PM: "It's January and it's raining." A useless circus populated by wazzocks.
    1
  5778. Don't worry! The power of this government to legislate fantasy knows no bounds. The fact that the rest of the world may laugh at us while they stuff their bank accounts hardly bothers them.
    1
  5779. We don't have "high tax," Dizzy Lizzy, we have low investment. Investment stimulates growth, yet the Tories have wet dreams over oppressive austerity.
    1
  5780. The barge was pure symbolism from a government full of rhetoric but incapable of an operational plan. Follow the money; which of their mates got the wedge?
    1
  5781. How many ministers and Tory MPs must be expected to carry a bucket and shovel to clear the sh1t spread by the incompetent and fascistic Blabbermouth?
    1
  5782. Can't pay for petrol; can't fasten a seatbelt! How would we expect him to run the country? The man is a wazzock at every turn.
    1
  5783. We didn't listen to the experts; somehow we gave power to the populists. "The NHS is not for sale;" we intend to dismantle it piece by piece then give it away to private companies. We must pay our way; after the government has spaffed our contributions to their mates, to maximise profits while we suffer poor standards and inferior services. How can the NHS survive while this minority-elected cabal puts greed and power above public service?
    1
  5784. Britain cannot have a functioning democracy with a minority-elected government. We have, in fact, an elective dictatorship (to quote Lord Hailsham)
    1
  5785.  @jk28416  what fantasy! We don't get "somewhat limited democracy" when seats in parliament equate to the votes AGAINST the governing party. You see reaching consensus as undemocratic squabbling. I see it causing less damage and proportionately representing each and every voter so all votes are equal.
    1
  5786.  @jk28416  you obviously believe in winner takes all. That works in sport does but not constitute a democracy. There are two types of democracy: direct and representative. Ours is simply unrepresentative - hence undemocratic. As for EU countries using PR: they seem to work far better and achieve more than our elective dictatorship. Opinion of course but FPTP is about the pursuit of power as opposed to government by the people.As for the point of voting: less than 70% of the UK electorate vote. That's called disillusionment.
    1
  5787.  @jk28416  You missed the point! "Vote them out." When 56.4% of votes AGAINST them voted them in. Too many cooks is a fallacious argument when we have the same number of MPs in parliament - irrespective of system. It's a question of consensus versus confrontation. We will never agree on this ... Good day.
    1
  5788.  @jk28416  "illusory removal of democracy?" Define.
    1
  5789.  @jk28416 the what you say about European democracies "kicking the can down the road" is utter garbage. Look at their results, e.g. Covid: fewer deaths per capita, higher percentage of population vaccinated. Higher productivity and prosperity in most of the larger countries. As for our "adversarial system and decisive government' Fundamentally it's undemocratic. Votes equal seats and all votes equal, ergo democracy achieved. Votes don't equal seats and some votes more equal than others, ergo undemocratic system. Read the concise Oxford dictionary for the simple definition. The argument is not which system you personally prefer, it's which is democratic. Simple logic. Case closed.
    1
  5790.  @jk28416  "PM doesn't answer PMQS" is a perfect description of Johnson in our own parliament. Irony noted.
    1
  5791.  @jk28416  btw. You have a winner in PR if one party gets 50% of votes. The only losers in the British system are the electorate: the majority of whom get the government they VOTED AGAINST. FPTP is simply undemocratic.
    1
  5792. Buffoon is a sick joke. Certainly proves there are more questions than answers. Not a single question answered. He refers to the "living wage." How can it be when full time WORKERS have to claim UC to get by? As for Labour scrapping UC. They planned to replace it, as it is not fit for purpose. This useless clown is a waste of space.
    1
  5793. Sunak has rearranged feces to leave us in a cesspit. So much for Tory cabinet "talent." The little spiv is grifting - that's the modern Tory way.
    1
  5794. Modern Tories consist of the sociopathic and moronic led by the clueless. If Starmer gains power and fails to implement PR, they will be back with a vengeance. Time to clean up the electoral and parliamentary mess first and foremost. No excuses. No ifs or buts.
    1
  5795. Johnson is extending his repertoire from serial liar to abject fantasist. Now Global Britain is leading the world against Russia. The man is a clear and present danger, in urgent need of psychological assessment.
    1
  5796. It hardly seems coincidental that two countries with a history of oppression - Ireland and South Africa - offer enlightenment. Time to listen and put justice above political games.
    1
  5797. But everything is so different and special in Number 10. It's down to each employer to interpret the guidance as they deem appropriate, so how can I be questioned? Did I lie in the House? No; I stood and spouted my usual bullshit.
    1
  5798.  @b62boom1  Sorry. I've been consulting the wrong people.
    1
  5799. Yet Labour stops the WFA for many pensioners instead of taxing energy companies more or capping prices. Now we "rich pensioners" (receiving one of the lowest pensions in Europe) have the broadest shoulders. This is called rubbing it in. Let's have a real Labour government.
    1
  5800. They have too much media and funder support for that. They will hang around like a bad smell.
    1
  5801. Johnson has an 80 seat majority from a minority vote. An unfit system crowning a clown. Is this caller mentally deficient? Must be the most paltry excuse of the decade.
    1
  5802. Selling off our water amounted to treason. The Tory ideology of failure exposed again.
    1
  5803. Make no mistake: we have a minority-elected government moving inexorably towards fascism. They see themselves above the law, and intend to change the law to accommodate that. With a divided main opposition party,.and a lack of cooperation between all non-Tory parties, they have free reign. Add the complicity of the mainstream media and, viola, we have a dictatorship led by a narcissistic buffoon.
    1
  5804. ​ @Believe-you-me- there is theoretically a point where supply and demand would force pay upwards, but more commonly in our home economy a shortage of labour making us import more food and goods while many of our businesses close down.
    1
  5805. ​ @edwardbernthal160 That depends on the nature of the business and the skills gap created. Many capitalists are exploitative and sociopathic, some arguably smart.
    1
  5806. ​ @frishter so is the solution to stop using foreign labour or to regulate pay to make said exploitation illegal. To enable that, repeal the anti-union regulations
    1
  5807. ​ @keithparker1346 That depends on the power of Unions and the amount of regulation.
    1
  5808. Nigel has a habit of backing the wrong solution then blaming others when his scams are exposed. His cult followers are so consumed by hatred, they will never blame anyone other than the targets of their hate. The EU, the foreigners, etc, etc...anyone other than the real cause of the problem. How else could Nigel make his money? Anyone heard of disaster capitalism?
    1
  5809. Always look for the ulterior motive from Brexiters. Unfortunately their supporters buy vacuous slogans and excuses, and still continue to justify this shit-show.
    1
  5810. And I was told that all prats drove BMWs LOL
    1
  5811.  @TheRandompaint  How does that relate to my comment? The IHRC definition is flawed in conflating the two.
    1
  5812.  @suzy5166  perhaps if you spelled her first name correctly, your vacuous comment would appeal to more idiots.
    1
  5813.  @Noel-ji8nm  If in echo of Blair and Brown, we will see far more investment in the NHS and education. We had a record increase in real incomes under New Labour. They stuck with the spending plans initially, until growth was achieved and the plans then changed.
    1
  5814. Small wonder you hide behind a pseudonym account, showing the mental age of seven.
    1
  5815. This morning I read that the Public Accounts Committee reported that trade has fallen and costs increased for businesses. UK firms have been hit with increased costs, more paperwork and delays. Finally the true effects of Brexit revealed. They didn't mention any gold plated unicorns, so still waiting.
    1
  5816. Welcome to the police state, enabled by an act rushed through parliament. Promoted by a sociopath and supported by a minority-elected government.
    1
  5817. The Tories are "getting the job done" in driving Britain over a cliff. Buffoon is a serial fantasist who parrots his regular list of lies, learned by rote by every member of the cabinet - an essential part of the job description.
    1
  5818. ​ @Pob2278  wow! That's some admission from you. Do they stop you from stringing a sentence together?
    1
  5819.  @michaelcorleone7598  How? The greatest threat to our security is called climate change and he was prepared to do more about it than most. The Tories have done more than any party to weaken our national security by feeding excuses to the right-wing extremists and cutting police numbers.
    1
  5820. The Brexit referendum signalled the escallation of corruption, when more dark money came in and political funding have since grown to absurd levels, such that most now ignore and even expect it. Small wonder that government ignores the majority, and charlatans who promoted the brexit disaster have the loudest voice. Read Good Chaps, by Simon Kuper, and your anger levels may grow by the chapter.
    1
  5821. Tory economic competence is a myth. They have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour (per year in power and in real terms) since 1945. Penny wise, pound foolish, and dodgy in the extreme.
    1
  5822. Christ on a bike! If this continues, the next excuse will paraphrase an old Cliff Richards song: Carrie doesn't live here anymore... Something about rooming on the second floor. If you want to know more, ask at the corner store. They will always know more than Johnson's cabinet.
    1
  5823. Step 1: read the headlines in the Fail. Step 2: get angry with whoever they are blaming.
    1
  5824.  @abdell75roussos  I would correct the spelling.
    1
  5825. I agree on one point: they have shown the depth and breadth of talent in their party. That's why we need them OUT! Inane, wooden, operationally incompetent, no ideas, no morals, sociopathic. Just what the ERG needs to dismantle our country.
    1
  5826. Best news today! A journalist chastised the perpetual spoiled and errant schoolboy who 43.6% of voters actually trusted to lead the country.
    1
  5827. The government has reintroduced Freeports out of desperation after the disaster of brexit. We tried them before, then banned them when they became a haven for smuggling and abuse. The pretence of free trade is an illusion, as it is skewed by powerful international corporations setting the rules to stifle competition. The shady land deals to commission a Freeport in the north east are hardly an auspicious start. The whiff of corruption is never far away.
    1
  5828. A buffoon demanding loyalty and valuing incompetence. When you shuffle a pile of sh1t, you still end up with a pile of sh1t.
    1
  5829. Hardly surprising as Farage and Reform appeal to idiots.
    1
  5830. Absolutely agree. We also drink water from the tap when in Scotland, which is certainly not the case in the north of England.
    1
  5831.  @Elcore  wtf are you on?
    1
  5832.  @reasondora2712  good to hear that. Seems to improve as you get nearer to Scotland.
    1
  5833. Trump is in hock to Putin's oligarchs. Read Putin's People by Catherine Belton. Farage and Badenoch are showing treachery for profit. They would scam their own granny for a penny more. A world controlled by sociopathic morons.
    1
  5834. So a new excuse? Too busy chasing fraudulent claims to process new ones? On the other hand the government uses their creaking systems as an excuse to deal with the cost of living crisis. How much of this alleged fraud is conducted online because of these creaking vulnerable systems? Another populist announcement from our operationally incompetent and inhumane government
    1
  5835. Don't expect any help from this government of uncaring Imbeciles who were crazy enough to complete brexit during a pandemic. Solely so they could blame Brexshit mayhem on the pandemic.
    1
  5836.  @danielwebb8402  so what?
    1
  5837.  @danielwebb8402  Meritocracy is not dependent on grammar schools.
    1
  5838.  @danielwebb8402  No such claim made, nor are obtuse comments helpful.
    1
  5839.  @danielwebb8402  then we agree. We are individuals, not robots.
    1
  5840. When I hear or read of people stating that Labour will raise taxes or the Tories are the party of fiscal responsibility, I laughat such delusion. Labour must commission an audit of the purchase and sale prices of all land involved. Sunak, of course, will blame the cock-up on the present project managers but there is alsays a snif of corruption with this cabinet involved. Follow the money and don't let the little spiv off the hook.
    1
  5841. So Swayne wants digitised unicorns. A dandy in dress yet scruffy in intellect. A government deadline of 2025 means working by 2030 at the earliest, if at all.
    1
  5842. So a little spiv follows the behaviour of a lying buffoon? That's Tory leadership inaction (sic.)
    1
  5843. Capturing people engaged in what was considered legal protest concerns me, along with the change in such legislation by our fascist government.
    1
  5844. I'm waiting for deflation and the unicorns! After our weekly shopping and our energy bills have virtually doubled, and we were told that it was caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war (what economists call cost push inflation,) that means when the war is over or alternative supplies have been arranged, prices will come down again? WRONG!! Some may, but not to the level they were. If enough prices come down we would see deflation. Watch the news, but don't hold your breath. It won't happen because of profiteering and the refusal of governments to control prices or to intervene in their beloved free market. Yet when workers push for pay rises, they are being greedy and causing the evil word, inflation. Spotted the con yet?
    1
  5845. While we see the expansion of Rolls Royce, to cater for the bespoke whims of the ultra rich, and the decline in the majority of the real economy, therein lies a clue. Inequality stifles growth.
    1
  5846. Allegedly, the serial liar who promised to pay this debt is now prime minister. Welcome to the shithole that is modern Britain.
    1
  5847. Never seen a coward in a hard hat squirm so much. This specimen would throw anyone under a bus while lying through his teeth.
    1
  5848. How unlike the Fail to support this psychopath who misrepresents fact. The terrifying part: she's a lawyer, yet apparently incapable of analytical thought.
    1
  5849. In spite of all the technical arguments I read, for and against Brexit, it boiled down to one question: could I trust these buggers to take back control. Each week they are confirming my judgement.
    1
  5850. Doubt that Charlie Loudmouth will be joining the patriotic millionaires.
    1
  5851. Financialisation is the greatest cause of inequality (as it accompanied and enabled neoliberalism) and the greatest risk to economic stability. Let the bankers have more while the public picks up the pieces. Sunak is a spiv.
    1
  5852. My only concern is that the far right will sell a more extreme version of this mantra. Their strategy is to compound the lie and use misdirection. 1) Brexit hasn't happened or it's been done badly. When in reality it was a stupid idea. 2) It's all the fault of the immigrants and not the vulture capitalists who will extract the last penny of profit while you starve and the world fries. We need to rediscover society and build a better and more humane story.
    1
  5853. ​ @McKamikazeHighlander it never is and always creates a downward spiral.
    1
  5854. Let's go back and ask why Cameron (he who gave us the bullshit referendum) failed to implement Leveson. The Tories tolerate the gutter press because it usually does more good than harm to them.
    1
  5855.  @thewashingtontapes5476  You may well wonder. I judge her as a politician in the House. Her legal credentials are questionable when she doesn't understand international law. Another entitled Tory failing upwards.
    1
  5856. ​ @trytellingthetruth.2068 2009 was AFTER THE FINANCIAL CRASH. You really should change your account name to The Institute of Tory Propaganda.
    1
  5857.  @trytellingthetruth.2068  So Labour should have stopped the banks, exactly how? By taking power from the BofE and scrapping the FCA (formerly FSA)? If Labour and the Tories are not fit to run the country, who is? Labour made some key mistakes (PFI, the Iraq war, etc.) the Tories have made them look like first class professionals. As for taxation, the Tories have screwed us after 13 years of economic and operational mismanagement. I actually believe our country is screwed. We have sold out to neoliberalism and financialisation and live under an elective dictatorship.
    1
  5858. ​ @dsds173 just as America learns to cause wars and stoke conflict. Iraq, Vietnam, the middle east...
    1
  5859. ​ @darthkek1953 Bullsh1t, bullsh1t and more bullsh1t. You clearly don't understand economics or history, when the Tories have borrowed more and paid back less than Labour per average year in power. Where is this "left wing government" you fantasise about? Starmer is not left wing.
    1
  5860. ​ @sullivanrachael show your workings
    1
  5861. Conclusive proof that with valid and fair statistical comparison, the Tories have buggered up the country for the extraction of wealth by the 1%
    1
  5862. David Cameron: the half-hearted, lazy coward who failed to stand up to his party power groups, capitulated to Foghorn Farage, kept a distant relationship with EU leaders, introduced a referendum that was legally advisory, then made a half-arsed case for Remain. After losing his case, he buggered off. Now we have an even greater incompetent coward bleeding the country dry. The Eton effect on Tory-run Britain.
    1
  5863. This populist response from a PM desperate for votes needs thinking through. Just remember: sociopaths have no conscience. Victim's relatives are suffering trauma.
    1
  5864.  @muhabwahby  What won't work? A negotiated settlement, rather than the war machine enforcing apartheid?
    1
  5865. When I read that the Patriotic Millionaires and even a few of the billionaires at the Davos forum are campaigning to pay more tax. Yes - you heard that right - offering to pay more tax to mitigate inequality. Tory policies are put in perspective. The Labour proposals were far fairer, but Rich Rishi is against more tax for the financial elite. Britain is broken.
    1
  5866. How could anyone with even a basic understanding of operational matters not know that completing Brexit during a pandemic would cause chaos. Instead they back a government that chose both together so they could blame the fallout from their crap Brexit deal on covid.
    1
  5867. ​ @tomjohnson9833 open your eyes and you will see. You could almost differentiate by publication or media channel. How many don't habitually excuse or support the government?
    1
  5868. More disorganised chaos and government mismanagement. In may areas this is impractical. Why not legislate to stop cars fully blocking the pavement, ensuring sufficient access for prams and wheelchairs? Also ensure adequate parking in any new development areas. Britain continually fails to invest in its infrastructure and penalises the target of least resistance: in this case the motorist.
    1
  5869. The Tories have become the party of the desperate; pushing the most desperate to Reform UK - the limited company masquerading as a democratic party offering policies that would transform us into a banana republic without the bananas.
    1
  5870. The Tories don't give a shit about small businesses because their funding comes from large corporates. They are fixing boundaries and suppressing the power of the electoral commission to rig the next election.
    1
  5871. "Tax our way to growth!" Utter bollocks! Tax has little to do with growth. Investment stimulates growth. She will leave it up to the companies to invest (at the expense of shareholder dividends and exec bonuses.) Neoliberal free-market impotence, which she espoused in Britannia Unchained and still excuses in her vacuous brain. Look at the dollar rate after Biden introduced a stimulus package.
    1
  5872.  @STONEWALL148  true, but no need to devalue as the pound simply floats and.we no longer use fixed exchange rates.
    1
  5873. I wondered about the sanity of the least trusted profession taking on the most trusted. When we get Ferrari and Hartley-Brewer roasting the government we have conclusive proof of their idiocy and incompetence.
    1
  5874. The Tories are become more blatant and arrogant. They act as the untouchables, and probably are, in our despicable elective dictatorship.
    1
  5875. Sunak shown up as the little spiv in power. A spineless opportunist and grifter. The Tory talent pool is risible. A party of self-interested scum living on lies, with the support of an oligarch media.
    1
  5876. More pathetic Tory trolling from your pseudonym account. When are you starting your month's fast?
    1
  5877. But al least, according to Smog, British fish are happy fish. Who cares about selling them, provided they are happy? We are the more desperate party at the point of negotiation, so we end up with crap deals. Worst government ever.
    1
  5878. Don't forget: the Tories believe in a small state. Thus they can't be trusted with public services. A government of operational incompetents and serial liars. Btw, no point "toughening up sentencing" when the criminals aren't caught and we don't have enough courts to process the cases.
    1
  5879. ​ @onlyme8117 The MSM is obsessed with the scammer; Phil offers a counterweight
    1
  5880.  @yorkiegilly4355  Stick to your country life if you are incapable of seeing the difference. Have you been better off under the Tories or Labour? If so, you are either deluded or in the 1% of the financial elite.
    1
  5881. A cabinet of charlatans and rogues. The real criminals ignored by our dysfunctional police. Britain is beyond broken.
    1
  5882. Amazing how the electorate understand the lies about a party during lockdown, yet fail to see the lies about privatisation of the NHS, our right to protest and the erosion of civil liberties. At least the electorate has something to be angry about...perhaps a dodgy Christmas party will start a revolution! Don't hold your breath though.
    1
  5883.  @mattwilliams9758  True. Probably too much apathy or intellectual laziness.
    1
  5884.  @rocketsurgeon2135  Yes. They both crave power, yet Labour should be realistic if comparing the relative number of years in power. Also it's the best way of stopping a return to Tory extreme austerity and inequality.
    1
  5885. I disagree with your premise. The country gets the government that is enabled by our elective dictatorship, which took a minority vote of 43.6% to return an 80 seat majority for a serial liar and his sociopathic cabal.
    1
  5886. PMQs will remain a waste of time while there is only an obligation to respond to a question, rather than answer it. Parliament is a sh1tfest.
    1
  5887. ​ @paullambert8183 Twaddle Without Any Thought. Also known as inept whataboutery.
    1
  5888. Absolutely spot about both freedom of speech AND DEBATE. In debate you have to actively listen to the opposite viewpoint before dismantling the argument and expressing the alternative conclusion. As Jung said: "Wisdom accepts there are two sides to everything."
    1
  5889.  @thisismetoday  I suspect he was playing devil's advocate, to be fair.
    1
  5890.  @thisismetoday  You have no proof of that. Have you heard Krishnan interview before? It's his usual tactic.
    1
  5891.  @dominicparker6124  irony noted.
    1
  5892.  @ansc6472  Yes. Generally harder on the left? Where is your evidence? Poor misunderstood Tommy didums...
    1
  5893.  @BruvaBob  of course there is a two tier policing system but not necessarily in the weighting of the tiers you mention. I won't comment without factual evidence and I've only seen part of the story, which was clear and obvious.
    1
  5894.  @MrDwright550  And when did that happen and where is your evidence? I'm not the one who broke through the police barriers.
    1
  5895. Same old tired Tory tripe. We are cutting tax by 1p after increasing NI by 2p in the pound. Reducing fuel duty by 5p after prices have increased by more than 20p in the last few weeks. Being seen do something, yet again. The party of charlatans.
    1
  5896. ​ @stevenicol1  relevance???
    1
  5897.  @starsnstuff842  totally agree 👍
    1
  5898.  @sashsash6679  I know. It's only an individual choice and most supporters may not even want to know - they are used to FIFA corruption as a way of life, as inevitable as breathing.
    1
  5899.  @daleviker5884  Anyone who calls out greed and corruption would be sanctimonious by your definition. So we will disagree.
    1
  5900.  @daleviker5884  wrong! Wrong! Wrong! I'm happily retired after a successful career. So much for your stereotyping. Goodbye.
    1
  5901. Truss is wedded to neoliberalism, as a co-author of the fantasy novel Britannia Unchained, and recently spouting about low tax as her go-to solution. She is stupid enough to trigger A16 (as she would be crazy enough to "press the button")
    1
  5902.  @casteretpollux  I agree. My comment was ironic
    1
  5903. Is Britain really living in the 21st century? How many will doff their caps to this gallery of rogues and ex-bankers from the financial crash?
    1
  5904. True. The method would work yet I have never been asked for a polling card. The Tories are gaming the system, yet again.
    1
  5905. Tony Blair wasn't bold early enough for the same reason that Starmer can't be... The acceptance of Tory fiscal plans. We need transformative fiscal management.
    1
  5906. Sunak clearly aspires to dictatorship while devaluing devolution. This is our Little Spiv in action.
    1
  5907. Interesting how Johnson proclaims that we are leading the world, until true facts are revealed. Not to be beaten, Buffoon will continue his rhetoric until published facts are hidden by his lies.
    1
  5908. Rats in a sack will provide us with a rat in charge. Perhaps it will be Rishi Rat, the man who presided over receding trade and higher taxes; imposing austerity while railing against an effective windfall tax.
    1
  5909. ​ @antonyjh1234 Thank heavens that human beings are more than economic entities and economics is supposed to help society.
    1
  5910. There are two types of democracy: direct and representative. FPTP is unrepresentative and thus undemocratic. We have an elective dictatorship and an unfit parliament. Britain is NOT a beacon of democracy.
    1
  5911.  @ralphmillais5237  so the costs of extra border checks and disruption are zero? They don't affect prices?
    1
  5912. When will Buffoon be required to correct the parliamentary record? As a consequence, of course, he should resign. Let's not hold our breath though.
    1
  5913. His record as chancellor included spaffing public money on dodgy PPE and on a failed test and trace system. Never trust the Tories, especially with the NHS. Now he's in a bunker, afraid of Mick Lynch and Pat Cullen et al.
    1
  5914.  @lemdixon01  good question. Madness among world leaders may be contagious.
    1
  5915.  @johnrussell3961  True. Yet I included her government financial record in that calculation: an amalgam of all post war governments.
    1
  5916.  @redkiller2403  every Labour government post war included in the calculation that prompted the statement.
    1
  5917. The whiff of corruption from the hard right has become a stink. A cabal of desperation: shifting blame while offering no solutions. Anyone remember their vacuous brexit promises?
    1
  5918. Sunak is a grifter and a Spiv, leading a party of operationally incompetent liars. Enough is beyond enough with this shysters in power.
    1
  5919. The old "how dare you?" response from Israel. Our journalists have been warned. The warning came in the sacking of Sangita.
    1
  5920. Farage has experience as a trader and as a conman who appeals to idiots. As a mayor, zero experience. In governance or operational management, zero experience. Nigel is best qualified to write a book: a bluffers guide to politics.
    1
  5921.  @TomRipley7350  which begs the questions: Was his idea stupid? Did he lie? How could it have been made to work? Farage is a serial scammer
    1
  5922.  @TomRipley7350  how to run the perfect scam: step 1: spread a series to lies to line your own pocket through disaster capitalism; step 2: blame someone else when the lie is exposed because the promise was false and it couldn't be delivered. Get the idea?
    1
  5923. Spot on. Call them out. They are usually hiding their incompetence and insecurity
    1
  5924. Is Johnson delusion enough to believe the garbage he trots out? Or does he believe that repeating a lie often enough will make it the truth to the stupid or intellectually lazy? It's amazing how often he trots out the same lies without being required to correct the record. "The fastest vaccine rollout" only for three months until the EU overtook us. "World leading" efforts in tackling Covid ... Leading in the the deaths per capita table by killing more people off. Leading in paying over the odds for faulty PPE by offering dodgy contracts to party funders. For how long will this sh1t show go on?
    1
  5925. The current cabinet consists of the clueless led by sociopathic incompetents.
    1
  5926. A declaration of intent is not a plan. Particularly when the government has no intention of fulfilling its promise. Rather they will blame someone else.
    1
  5927. Respect to all Jews who stand for peace and humanity. Thanks for telling the truth.
    1
  5928. Tice claiming a defence of being a bit thick? Not entirely accurate. Far more than a bit.
    1
  5929.  @KernowFay  how, exactly would they "crash the pound more?" If you want to see the effect of targeted investment on a currency, look at the US dollar after Biden's stimulous package. Now compare Biden's package with the last Labour manifesto. Assuming that you are capable of assimilating real facts.
    1
  5930. Get a booster although preliminary stats show you have a 70% chance of catching it, even after full vaccination. Issue Covid passports although the high infection rates require banning mass gatherings. Aiming at the wrong target again. Read the recent Guardian article for an explanation of these factors.
    1
  5931.  @lpmlearning2964  It's the same party that has been in power for the last 13 years. In case you forgot, that's the Tories.
    1
  5932.  @jackdoyle7453  How exactly have I criticised the civil servants? The home office is not for purpose because we have a moronic minister in charge. Look at the application backlog, manipulated to manufacture a crisis.
    1
  5933.  @jackdoyle7453  The backlog in processing refugees that they like to call illegal immigrants (against international law) to create a problem so they can rile up the vacuous and the racists. Have you missed the obsession with boats and the overt lies in parliament? I'm glad you got your passport as you will need ID when voting.
    1
  5934.  @charlessandoval3382  btw please define "commie"
    1
  5935.  @charlessandoval3382  suggest you learn the difference between communism and socialism. And how in hell's name do you put Johnson in either category...nearer to fascism.
    1
  5936. Hopefully, people are wakening to the fact that inequality is not inevitable. It's the product of neoliberalism, as planned in the 1947 meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society. Trickle-down was always a lie. Experience proves that wealth gushes up and drips down where they can't fix the leaks.
    1
  5937. An emerging dictatorship. Time to stop Buffoon or just roll over and doff our caps.
    1
  5938. Such an arrogant idiot he couldn't bother to get his homework right. So typical of the way he ran the country.
    1
  5939. Being a sociopath, he probably sleeps well.
    1
  5940. The faction with the most inept name finally imploding. Baker leading his swivel-eyed loons to obscurity is quite a picture.
    1
  5941. ​ @darthkek1953 show your workings, from your pseudonym account.
    1
  5942. Such a happy coincidence: Johnson being so privileged that he can delay giving evidence to the privileges committee. Our parliamentary rules and procedures are simply unfit for purpose.
    1
  5943. The channel for idiots - GB News - excels yet again. At least they keep our ineffectual regulator Ofcom busy.
    1
  5944. If you "can't have Hamas in power, able to release rockets..." How can you have a military state in power, in Israel? Cameron up to his usual ass-wipery.
    1
  5945. His ratings are commensurate with Tory party performance in government.
    1
  5946. Sunak is the most desperate little spiv in history. The clueless leading a government of vacuous incompetence.
    1
  5947.  Jay Bee  that's true only of the minority: 43.6% of those who bothered voting. Our undemocratic system has been gamed by a cabal of crooks.
    1
  5948.  @jobbyomoron8478  so you don't like the people, irrespective of the policies. Meanwhile you attempt to defend a serial liar and a vacuous charlatan. I see how you get your name. Your choice.
    1
  5949. With so many empty properties owned by rich foreigners, it's amazing that Brexit-style rhetoric doesn't apply to greedy money-making schemes: seeing housing as an asset rather than a home. We are a sick society.
    1
  5950. The reason is simple and obvious: for doing what Tories do. Serial lying and deception; exacerbating inequality; profit over quality of life; failed free market ideology at all costs; operational incompetence; endless bullsh1t...
    1
  5951. We are sleepwalking into fascism. Welcome to Johnson's broken Britain
    1
  5952.  @FakeSchrodingersCat  You actually labelled the first couple of the Cameron years as "fine". They may have been mitigated by the Lib Dems but imo were far from fine. When you set out your stall to achieve a small state and bring misery to the many for the few to extract profit, the rot has set in. Austerity was a deliberate choice for the greedy and powerful who never let a crisis go to waste.
    1
  5953. "Balance the books!" The old Tory trope dating from Thatcher's household budget analogy. Without targeted investment and tax justice, Britain will remain broken. Austerity has failed us. Let's try doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Tory madness, and deflection from the party of scum.
    1
  5954. As was Johnson with Russian money. Sunak with his family interests. Our latest crop of politicians are self-serving sociopaths.
    1
  5955. Their longevity will probably depend on the election results. After all, what's the point of appealing to idiots if the parties spouting bile are in opposition?
    1
  5956. No conflict of interest at present then, acting for a private health company. Rogues and charlatans exposed by donkeys. Nice result.
    1
  5957. One sign of intelligence is active listening; another is asking relevant questions. As for perpetual talking... Perhaps I should explain that some of our closest friends are Muslim, as are some of our neighbours. Some of the kindest and friendliest people we have met. Now what did the great Dr Martin Luther King say about the content of personality? ...
    1
  5958. Game theory in this instance not only fails to take account of individual human nature, but depends on the suppression of communication. The experiment depends on isolation, to play one off against the other. The total time of imprisonment would be lowest if the prisoners could collude and talk (a total of 2 years). Communication and cooperation become the key. As a species, we have survived by working together. Thatcher had to smash unions and denounce society to enable divide and rule - assisting the damage of neoliberalism and the extraction of wealth by the few.
    1
  5959. So obsessed with boats they can't identify the right ones. If they aimed them at Blackpool, they would end up in Dover.
    1
  5960. Sunak is home-bound for firefighting. His obsession with dinghies and his Corbyn complex in the House show him to be a pathetic little spiv, masquerading as a leader. Meanwhile The Convict is swanning around on the world stage, while being investigated for his misdemeanours. You couldn't make up the farce of Tory Britain.
    1
  5961. Anyone who upsets Foghorn Farage has my support. I never bought a ticket to hear his vacuous bile but it's always inflicted on us by his supporting media. Enjoying paying for my TV licence in my eighth decade to get a real choice. Well done, Joe.
    1
  5962. Who would challenge Space Karen's right to talk sh1te?
    1
  5963. The formula is simple: bugger up the country while milking it, then blame Labour as they are left with the mess. It's an inevitable feature of our elective dictatorship, known as FPTP.
    1
  5964. Yes, the same big companies that fund the Tory party.
    1
  5965. No problem with selection - nothing to see here. The problem arises when they are found out. Never trust a Tory.
    1
  5966. Hold your nerve! The little spiv thinks he is on the trading floor. "Stick to the plans." What plans? Baldrick at least had a cunning plan. Sunak has five phoney pledges and a surfeit of Orwellian double-speak.
    1
  5967. ​ @lestrem11  well, the number was the same but the order and content differed.
    1
  5968.  @lestrem11  well, "child" the words "identical" and "except" are antonyms, in any logical analysis. Read the definition of "identical" then grow up to avoid making infantile comments
    1
  5969.  @thinker8128  you have identified a key benefit. Did you read the Labour manifesto? Well done.
    1
  5970.  @lestrem11  Fact: two were on the same topic; three completely different.
    1
  5971. I vaguely recall a certain Mr Jeremy Corbyn proposing no second jobs for MPs. Yet another reason why the sociopaths with ultimate power couldn't let him near government. People with integrity can't be allowed to run our sh1t-show. Mysteriously the policy has disappeared from any manifesto.
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  5972. Here is a minister as vacuous as the chief Buffoon. "The most effective prime minister" in buggering up the country.
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  5973. It's as though the admission of truth is being extracted from our corrupt government by their eventual actions. Always too little, too late, so it causes maximum harm to the population. Who voted for this tsunami of turds?
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  5974.  @diesel92kj1  utter garbage.
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  5975.  @diesel92kj1  the most notable one word flaw in your argument: Brexit. There are many other vacuous statements but I don't correspond with pseudonym accounts.
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  5976.  @diesel92kj1  think degree level economics achieved that for me. Your vanity exceeds your vacuous statements
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  5977. Johnson is the buffoon of the Tory pantomime when we need responsible leadership. The man is a sad bag of wiffle waffle without the ability to even comprehend cogent argument
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  5978. It's as though they intend to bugger up the country so they can blame the next government and return to complete their long-term mayhem. The solution: adopt PR so the buggers will be virtually obsolete.
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  5979. Who glorified their atrocities? I have heard nothing but denouncement of their original action but how does that justify Israel's mass slaughter? Two wrongs don't make a right. Count the numbers on both sides to understand the relative scale of this madness.
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  5980. @@TOM-TOM-TOM How and when have I defended them? Your baseless accusations are senseless. I have accused both sides of acts of terrorism. In the case of Israel I would term it state sponsored terrorism.
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  5981. @@TOM-TOM-TOM That's called limited thinking, Tom. Wisdom accepts there are two sides to everything, to paraphrase Jung. There can also be faults on both sides. Did a few decades of oppression excuse the killing and kidnap of the innocent? NO. Did that action justify mass slaughter against international law? NO. How does that defend Hamas? Apply critical thinking and don't swallow the BS.
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  5982. The party of protest, appealing to the desperate or idiotic. Look where the last one got us. Oh wait, aren't they saying brexit hasn't been done properly? An act of stupidity done properly is still an act of stupidity.
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  5983. The only reshuffle we need is to ban this serial idiot from Westminster.
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  5984.  @danielwilliams1932  what "nonsense" do you mean, Daniel? Are you the official arbiter?
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  5985.  @burni988  it's their loss. We should never stop learning.
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  5986.  @untoldtruth5731  appropriately vacuous for a pseudonym account
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  5987.  @reasondora2712  another pseudonym account incapable of reasoned argument.
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  5988.  @reasondora2712  A person who has offered no reasoned argument. Just unsubstantiated criticism. I contributed opinion, but to call it naive without counter argument is intellectual laziness and amounts to a wasted comment.
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  5989. This Britannia Unchained duo are driven by a vacuous ideology that feeds the greed of the avaricious few at the expense of the majority. Remember: there is no such thing as society in their world.
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  5990. Yes. Divide and rule. Will it work with a serial liar as PM and a gang of vacuous sociopaths in his cabinet?
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  5991. Paid by the license fee, not strictly tax. Just a point of detail.
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  5992. That rare specimen: a modern Tory with principles. Pity that the prime miniature is as big a liar as Johnson.
    1
  5993. ​ @sh.4409 proof and source, please...
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  5994. The sick joke of the week, sharing the trophy with Hunt's lie that no independent economist has verified Labour's claim of the black hole. He probably means noone he describes as independent, amounting to the Tufton Street wazzocks.
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  5995. Perhaps they want to give us a break from wall-to-wall Farage.
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  5996. How could there be a plan when the neoliberal free market refuses to control the cause of inflation - costs pushing prices? Raising interest rates is like cutting off an arm to cure an infected leg. Not only will people suffer unnecessarily, but will be incapacitated and less productive.
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  5997. After working on systems projects for a few decades, I can explain these possibilities in simple terms. Do you believe in the tooth fairy? More chance of that than a total technological solution. As for the government's involvement. Look at the integrated record system in the NHS. No, you didn't miss it; it was a cock-up and is still to happen. Then we had our world-beating test and trace system, after refusing a proven solution and spaffing 37 billion on a white elephant. So much for Project Fear. It is now reality.
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  5998. I asked a very simple question of friends and acquaintances during this campaign: Can you trust this government to take back control? The result has been all too obvious.
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  5999. Perhaps Starmer's cool and bland image is the right one as the Tories implode and their abject policies exposed layer by layer. As for cricket captains: Ben Stokes is the man as England have pulled off an amazing win in Pakistan.
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  6000.  @kobalt77  They certainly comply and probably manufacture consent imo. Thus complicit as you say.
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  6001. "Cynical optimist" = pessimism of intellect, optimism of will. Must say I have more cause for pessimism with this shower of charlatans.
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  6002. And Jonathan Ashworth revealed that many of the projects had been announced years ago, with one scrapped by Johnson, reinstated by Truss, scrapped by Sunak yet again, and now being reinstated. The little spiv is so decisive, does he know his anus from his elbow?
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  6003. The only thing our politicians excel at: making excuses by deflection and blame-shifting
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  6004. Desperation of the clueless. The Tory budget is consistent with 14 years of Tory governance.
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  6005. The two ex bankers have now become resident cabinet wa..... (Sorry, I meant wazzocks)
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  6006. Anyone defending Musk's right to free speech is ignoring the fact that others don't have an equivalent right of response. He has bought a platform for propaganda, where he can set the rules and change the algorithms. This is NOT free speech; it is bullying by oligarch and X should be banned. (NB The option to reply by comment is not an equal right of response because of the relative numbers of followers)
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  6007. Party members have a vote. Reform subscribers don't. They are subscribing to a limited company with three shareholders and don't have a say. Ole dictator Nigel hates party democracy. But since he appeals to idiots, perhaps he has a point...
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  6008. Johnson can only blame Covid because he was stupid enough to complete Brexit during a pandemic. Ergo the excuse is his operational incompetence.
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  6009. ​ @abbofun9022 not sure about the LDs from their conference narratives
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  6010.  @tenniskinsella7768  then why do we have shit in our rivers? Why have we dropped meat standards for the AUS deal?
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  6011. Anyone crazy enough to write the vacuous nonsense of Britannia Unchained was either economically illiterate or had the intention of accelerating inequality. Neoliberalism, or the unregulated free market, is effectively a hustle pretending to be a philosophy. Further evidence that a manifesto should be a contract.
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  6012.  @PhillColl1ns  while reducing the bank levy from 8% to 3% and cutting the tax take. More for bankers all round.
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  6013. Achieved and prolonged by neoliberalism. Persuading the poor to vote for the rich to have more.
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  6014. I had come to the conclusion that the Tory media manufactures consent from the voting public, but recently read a different view: that the press barons call the agenda, set the tune and the politicians play to it. Either way, they don't our vote.
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  6015.  @peterwilliamallen1063  I have looked at the cost benefit case and think otherwise.
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  6016.  @peterwilliamallen1063  your first statement is untrue. Some rail experts advise that more capacity can be achieved by improving the existing network.
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  6017.  @peterwilliamallen1063  Wait for Hunt and Sunak's hatchet job and we will see.
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  6018. Deform UK MPs, Putin's puppets, are not able to become ministers as they don't form a government. Their leader can't be arsed to visit his constituency in any event. That would be the ultimate idiocy and desperation.
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  6019. Johnson's legacy consists of vacuous slogans, without a credible plan. That's not a legacy; it's a poisoned chalice.
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  6020.  @PeterPete  while I'm fundamentally opposed to a monarchy, except perhaps for ceremonial reasons, I'm not convinced that it's abolition is a prerequisite of PR.
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  6021. Let's not hope, Christopher. let's insist on it. Otherwise don't vote for them.
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  6022.  @markmerry1471  of what? Don't understand what you are answering.
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  6023. ​ @ChDa-1971 Except the "protection" will cost every American, as prices increase because of tariffs. Who will be able to cope? Just the richest.
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  6024.  @californiadreamin8423  thanks for the disparaging and vacuous comments hidden behind your pseudonym account. Labour said they would respect the result of the referendum, rather than holding fire. Please ask me harder numeric questions since I qualified in stats at degree level. Just bog off and troll someone else.
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  6025.  @californiadreamin8423  since I don't see the relevance of your comments to the initial post, and as they fall down on the first point you make, I'll give you one answer. Stop talking bollocks.
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  6026. Your bracketed words give the answer. A cabinet of operationally incompetent fools, led by a corrupt clown.
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  6027. Putin has played Trump like a cheap fiddle. Complaining about his treatment by previous presidents to play to the hubris of President Moron and turn him into an asset for life. Zelenskyy was the only real president in the room.
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  6028. Locking yourselves in Tory-made handcuffs won't sort out this mess, Labour. Reeves is falsely signing up to trickle down when we need flow down. Listen to the patriotic millionaires and others: tax high asset wealth; and also tax passive income (such as investment income) at the same rate as work income. Grow some cajones and govern for the people.
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  6029. If parliamentary procedures were fit for purpose, this vacuous buffoon would be excluded from the House. A serial liar, resorting to sadistic fantasy as a Mini Me Trump.
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  6030. ​ @Noel-ji8nm the bot is back. Check your facts.
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  6031. A great summary. Farage knows how to walk a faint line. He gave more credibility to Tate than the police about Southport. He casts doubt before verifying fact. It take him about three sentences to bring up the subject of immigration. He knows how to appeal to idiots. This is the Reform model. Not so much a political party; more a cabal of scammers, supported by a media deflecting from the core problem of inequality and greed. Thankfully he is now exposed and his support is shaken.
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  6032. Never trust the Tories with the NHS. Simple fact; end of.
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  6033. Perhaps the Tories need some gorilla glue to hold their shit together. But then the last two tubes I bought were congealed and unusable. Probably beyond their useful dates, like the Tories.
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  6034. The Scum showing why Cameron should have implemented Leveson. Time for Starmer to complete the job?
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  6035.  @denisphelan8987  that's an assumption...depends on the method of PR.
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  6036.  @ausbrum  not any longer. Instead we have a minority-elected cabal carrying out the UKIP agenda.
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  6037. Hunt, being the chief psychopath, stabilises the market while screwing the lowest earners. The Bank of England has one tool it's box: interest rates. In times of cost-push inflation that's like using a screwdriver to knock a nail in. What is the government doing to reduce both prices and profiteering? Hence the silence.
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  6038. ​ @RichardFraser-y9t actually (pseudonym account holder) the majority of people agreed with said policies in blind voting. Then party politics were tainted by a complicit media running a smear campaign to promote a serial liar. How did "get Brexit done" work out?
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  6039. Trump arguing for dictatorship. The entitled narcissist on steroids.
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  6040. Never write off the Tories while many of their supporters suffer intellectual laziness or plain stupidity. I know some people who want Rishi "because he knows what he's talking about." Critical thinking should lead to other questions: so what are his intentions? and what about his track record? This is the chancellor who presided over economic decline and a drop in real earnings while declaring extra taxes for the lowest paid and resisting taxing excessive windfall profiteering. Now, will we be better off? And will he improve our economy or resort to more failed austerity?
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  6041. Farage will perform a contortion to kiss Trump's anus. Nigel is a scammer, and not a leader.
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  6042. Little Spiv is a Tory cabinet member (even the PM) and thus a pathological liar. Part of his job description.
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  6043.  @randlerobbertson8792  whataboutery followed by strange faces is hardly an intelligent response. Should I say something about the lesser of two evils followed by the Jolly Roger? I'm doing a PhD in communication by pictures lol
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  6044.  @randlerobbertson8792  Did you see the Lol after the PhD comment? I did my degree-level qualifications long ago.
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  6045.  @randlerobbertson8792  I'm not thrilled by the alternative but think it will be less extreme to keep us quieter. Hopefully closer union with the EU and the cessation of Rwanda fever. We need more transformative policies but anyone offering them will be squashed at present. Some of the voices outside politics are encouraging: Gary Stevenson, Grace Blakeley, Prof Richard Murphy, George Monbiot, Peter Oborne and a few others.
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  6046. I like your explanation of MMT. The reality is that tax and spend is used as an excuse to impose austerity. The old Tory (and neoliberal) trick never dies so they maintain inequality.
    1
  6047. Bad because neoliberalism prohibits regulation and rewards greed. Responsible capitalism has largely gone.
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  6048. Johnson never has a plan. Just a strategy. Last year it was to be seen to be doing something: never enough; never appropriate; just something he can quote in his defence. His new strategy is to sit on his anus and do nothing. All too much effort now. He was never up to the job.
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