UK IX: This Economy Will Self-Destruct In...

[Lebowski]

the government said it would be absorbing the £28 billion worth of assets held by Royal Mails pension scheme, which it could use to pay down the national debt, a windfall for the current govenrment but a debt that the uk public is on the hook for for generations to come. My dad worked for royail mail/parcel force for most of his adult life as an engineer and is on royal mails pension, so the above is something i never seem to hear the end of

https://www.if.org.uk/2013/09/25/the-privatisation-of-royal-mail-what-about-the-pension-scheme/

selling off the family silver: that was the accusation against Margaret Thatcher, when Harold Macmillan condemned her selling off publicly owned assets, its a very well know quote, and relates to the short term gains/long term losses of privatisation.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/28/selling-family-silver-cameron-osborne-thatcher

Can you clarify the difference? As I also use the terms interchangeably. Why are they different?

Is there a different businesses that runs the post offices, like the actual brick-and-mortar operations, and Royal Mail just handles the actual post?

i always get them mixed up they where split off into two separate company's, post office handles the banking side shops and stamps, Royal mail handles the logistics of delivery sorting ect

[Neon Ignition]

Cineworld shares dive as lack of blockbusters weighs on admissions | Cineworld | The Guardian
Shares in Cineworld have dropped by 40% due to the vacuum of new major releases resulting in lower admissions

Sunak and Truss rule out freezing energy prices at leadership hustings | Conservative leadership | The Guardian
Both Sunak and Truss have now committed to ruling out freezing energy prices. You can almost hear the General Election fate being sealed.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/17/labour-british-workers-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-race-belfast-hustings-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fca3418f083e25be0ebe15#block-62fca3418f083e25be0ebe15

Labour slams Truss after audio leaks of her basically saying UK workers are simply too lazy and need 'more graft'

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/17/labour-british-workers-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-race-belfast-hustings-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fcaa4b8f08b9fd3e4e02ba#block-62fcaa4b8f08b9fd3e4e02ba

UK inflation hits 10.1%

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/aug/17/higher-food-energy-costs-expected-push-up-uk-inflation-july-business-live?page=with:block-62fca89b8f083e25be0ebe44#block-62fca89b8f083e25be0ebe44

House prices are still on the increase but the pace has nearly halved year on year as the market tightens

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/aug/17/higher-food-energy-costs-expected-push-up-uk-inflation-july-business-live?page=with:block-62fcc8d68f08b9fd3e4e046f#block-62fcc8d68f08b9fd3e4e046f

UK Credit Card spending has jumped up by 33%

[Asura]

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...borne-thatcher
i always get them mixed up they where split off into two separate company's, post office handles the banking side shops and stamps, Royal mail handles the logistics of delivery sorting ect

I might want to read up more on why, so thanks for the link.

I'm sure the root cause is "because it allowed part of it to be ran for profit, not the collective thing to be ran for public good".

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/17/tory-peer-hits-out-at-ministers-over-inflation-stuart-rose

A Tory Peer slams his own Government for their utter failure to address the cost of living crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/17/labour-british-workers-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-race-belfast-hustings-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fcde478f08595b289dfccc#block-62fcde478f08595b289dfccc

Truss says she wouldn't permit Northern Ireland to have another vote on abortion rights saying the UK's laws should apply to all nations within it

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/17/labour-british-workers-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-race-belfast-hustings-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fce0c48f08b9fd3e4e05cc#block-62fce0c48f08b9fd3e4e05cc

Asked about her support of Johnson, Truss took the opportunity to place herself still as a full on Boris-ite

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/17/labour-british-workers-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-leadership-race-belfast-hustings-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fceb338f08595b289dfd6d#block-62fceb338f08595b289dfd6d

Sunak calls out Truss's cost of living plan as one intended to help the rich, stating it to be a moral failure

[Anpanman]

the government said it would be absorbing the £28 billion worth of assets held by Royal Mails pension scheme, which it could use to pay down the national debt, a windfall for the current govenrment but a debt that the uk public is on the hook for for generations to come. My dad worked for royail mail/parcel force for most of his adult life as an engineer and is on royal mails pension, so the above is something i never seem to hear the end of

https://www.if.org.uk/2013/09/25/the...ension-scheme/

That's a very interesting article thanks.

There's still some smoke and mirrors I think with the numbers but hey ho.

Pensions get very interesting once you get to a certain age, best wishes to your dad.

[Hirst]

Truss whining about British productivity is notable, because the example she goes on to use as a barometer of "good" productivity? China.

So out of all the countries in the world, the one she wants to ape the working standards of is an authoritative regime. The country where they had factories with suicide nets to catch depressed staff. The country where every so often a primary school will blow up because they were using the kids to make fireworks. The country where there's a significant male/female imbalance because they were drowning the latter in a bucket so they could try again for a male breadwinner.

Says a lot.

[Lebowski]

Truss whining about British productivity is notable, because the example she goes on to use as a barometer of "good" productivity? China.

So out of all the countries in the world, the one she wants to ape the working standards of is an authoritative regime. The country where they had factories with suicide nets to catch depressed staff. The country where every so often a primary school will blow up because they were using the kids to make fireworks. The country where there's a significant male/female imbalance because they were drowning the latter in a bucket so they could try again for a male breadwinner.

Says a lot.

She wants the obedient worker drones that wouldn't dare boo the current party for fear of ending up in an re-education camp they certainly wouldnt shout "Get back to work you fat ponce" at a Pm on holiday

[prinnysquad]

Covid and Ukraine aren’t legitimate reasons to defend Tory policy. They had years and years to sort the economy out before 2019. Austerity was a bona fide bust and did nothing but redistribute wealth upwards.

Old video from Pie, but detailing the pre-Covid record of the Tories. Never let it be forgotten what a vile, inept cauldron of turds that party currently is, and never let smokescreens get in the way of their assault on this country.

https://youtu.be/MjUWX6S8iYU

[Neon Ignition]

Ukraine has literally been used by Johnson and the Tories as a PR move, they've just tried to use it to deflect the home **** they've been going through. COVID is something they deserve no acclaim for at all. The furlough scheme etc is all stuff that would have had to have happened in some similar form by other party led Governments whilst they're directly responsible for scores of unnecessary deaths thanks to bad policy, crippled NHS services and glacial paced action. Likewise when they try to claim credit over the vaccination drive, that was entirely down to the sheer chance aspect of UK scientists coming up with it first, international versions were close behind anyway and the process of vaccination is entirely to the credit of volunteers, the NHS and the health system in general.

Johnson and his lot perfectly displayed their uselessness over COVID with every regulation breach, every office party, every glib comment about letting people die in the streets and every effort they made to throw people to the wolves in their reluctance to implement lockdowns when it was and remains plainly obvious as to the necessity of them.

They've been bad for years now, it's been a severe downward slide but the Johnson era has represented the UK's own Trump-Era of politics where he hasn't accomplished a single thing and the cabinet are grossly mistaken if they think for one second that Truss is either going to dig them out of the hole they're in or will be a workable scapegoat for them down the line. The rot is so deep in the party now that the coming two years are going to rip them apart with the public as the disconnect is so damaging and severe and they've demonstrated that at every level they are incapable of managing a crisis, managing finances, managing public services, managing public trust and acting with credibility and more integrity. They've destroyed every anti-Labour and anti-Lib Dem argument they like to trot out and are now directly leading the nation into an era where people are going to witness older loved ones die in the cold, their children starve in their own homes and the parents of these families lose their jobs and every penny and thing they've spent their lives working toward - and it's all happening because of one thing, the Tories.

Past scandals were easy to worm through because the public is phenomenally and a lot of the time disgustingly complacent about issues that it doesn't consider to affect 'me' but this isn't one of those times, this will be seen as a direct attack by the Government on its people and with the crisis looking set to run right through the heart of 2023 and into 2024 Truss is frankly a complete an utter moron for thinking this is her moment to shine. Dead woman walking and the end of the Tory era. There's a very real risk public view of the Government could get so bad it will be dangerous to even be one by the next General Election.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/aug/18/20-train-services-running-45000-rail-workers-go-strike-business-live?page=with:block-62fde7208f0892f840b89509#block-62fde7208f0892f840b89509

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/aug/18/20-train-services-running-45000-rail-workers-go-strike-business-live?page=with:block-62fdedf08f083ef020e6fca6#block-62fdedf08f083ef020e6fca6

Rail Strike set to become indefinitely recurring as the Government stonewalls attempts at progress

Two-thirds of UK families could be in fuel poverty by January, research finds | Fuel poverty | The Guardian
2/3 homes will be screwed by the new year thanks to the energy costs

Ofgem board director Christine Farnish quits over energy price cap | Ofgem | The Guardian
Whilst Christine Farnish has quit Ofgem saying that it has failed to prioritise consumers over businesses

[Asura]

every regulation breach, every office party, every glib comment about letting people die in the streets and every effort they made to throw people to the wolves

The bit which has thoroughly depressed me, and killed any interest I have in trying to be positive or be active in this whole field, is that too many people in this country are okay with this. Too many people, even if they don't publicly say it, wish they were in that position so they could be high earners and sneer at the poors, and they want to protect the system just in case the gravy train stops before a lottery win or something puts them on it.

By "too many people", I mean that this segment of people is literally too many for the country to ever substantially improve. The belief is too entrenched.

[QualityChimp]

This is one of the main things about politics that is hard work.
We see the things this government has done and you want to shake people saying "hE's DoInG hIS bEsT!" then just give up because idiots will keep voting for people like Johnson.

That's why we can't give up and have to stay engaged, because apathetic non-voters are what led to Brexit.

Back to Truss, who parroted out the standard response of Johnson delivering Brexit and the vaccine and supporting the Ukraine. *Squawk!*
I'm still waiting to see the footage of someone shouting at Johnson whilst on his 2nd consecutive holiday "Get back to work, you fat ponce!"

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[prinnysquad]

Ah Thick Lizzy. Bless her logical disconnect.

Boris is a liar, a lazy bastard and a shagger. It’s excellent at those things. Cack at leadership and government, but excellent at being an over-privileged, scurrilous Victorian rake.

[Lebowski]

The bit which has thoroughly depressed me, and killed any interest I have in trying to be positive or be active in this whole field, is that too many people in this country are okay with this. Too many people, even if they don't publicly say it, wish they were in that position so they could be high earners and sneer at the poors, and they want to protect the system just in case the gravy train stops before a lottery win or something puts them on it.

By "too many people", I mean that this segment of people is literally too many for the country to ever substantially improve. The belief is too entrenched.

the class system is built into the British psyche, in the three areas I've lived in you get people looking down on anyone not in whats considered the rich part of town. A girl that used to be part of our friend group would always reference the area she lived in when talking about where she lives as the "nice part" and we'd endlessly take the piss out her for it.

So even in a small northern town you get this one-up-ism which to me is crazy as we all live in the same area and theirs very little difference between the two areas. its not even about being super rich its about being better than someone else and having someone to look down on.

The media knows this and weaponises it its why we have this narrative about benefit Briton, parts of the working and middle class seem to be obsessed with looking down on people on benefits. Ive had so many arguments with people in my day to day life about this attitude and how they need to look up not down, but Ive got to the point where i feel like its not even worth trying to change this view as we're at a point where it feels like the Daily Mail brainwashing has gone to far.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/18/poll-liz-truss-lead-conservatives-tory-leadership-race-rishi-sunak-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fdf6798f080eafb8917dca#block-62fdf6798f080eafb8917dca

Sunak simply isn't corrupt enough fore Tory members as even more lean to voting for Truss with a new poll giving her a 32 point lead. YouGov says two third will vote for Truss which in a just world would mean that Tory members would be so depressed at the dire state of the choice and fate of the party that only three people still planned on bothering to submit a vote.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/aug/18/poll-liz-truss-lead-conservatives-tory-leadership-race-rishi-sunak-uk-politics-live?page=with:block-62fdfa998f080eafb8917df4#block-62fdfa998f080eafb8917df4

In either case, Truss' and Sunak's plans for to tackle the cost of living crisis are dead ends thanks to inflation