UK X: Who Wants To Live Forever

[Cassius_Smoke]

'BBC editors asked their journalists to avoid using the word “lockdown” in reporting at the start of the pandemic and to be more critical of Labour after pressure from Downing Street, leaked email and WhatsApp messages show.'

Impartiality eh....

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/14/bbc-editors-asked-journalists-to-avoid-using-lockdown-at-start-of-pandemic?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Neon Ignition]

Same as before - like religion and schools, politicians and the BBC need to be removed from each other.

The scrutiny on the BBC now is going to keep ramping up because its news again and the top brass really need to go. It's too easy a line to draw as to why anti-Tory Lineker was a fuss but pro-Tory Sugar wasn't etc.

[Neon Ignition]

Long may this continue:

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[charlesr]

Who the f are voting for reform UK? Why is it still in any way relevant?

[Protocol Penguin]

Who the f are voting for reform UK? Why is it still in any way relevant?

I guess it’s the only viable far-right party, in the sense it is the only one with any vestigial media presence. And those sort of parties always seem to have a voting base, unfortunately.

[Neon Ignition]

If I were leading the Greens I'd feel like giving up seeing that parity level.

Budget 2023: key points at a glance | Budget 2023 | The Guardian
Energy price cap held at £2,500

Fuel duty cut extended by 1 year

Corporation tax increases to 25%

Pensions contribution tax limit rises from £40,000 to £60,000 and has abolished the lifetime cap to keep the countries richest sweet

9mths old to 3yr olds to get 30hrs of free childcare in what is easily the biggest announcement of the budget that is destined to very quickly crash and burn around the Governments ears as well as the childcare services that were already on the verge of extinction

[Asura]

If I were leading the Greens I'd feel like giving up seeing that parity level.

For a career politician maybe. But the Greens are unusual in that their party is about a specific issue/philosophy; so they would probably continue even if they got zero votes.

[Lebowski]

9mths old to 3yr olds to get 30hrs of free childcare in what is easily the biggest announcement of the budget that is destined to very quickly crash and burn around the Governments ears as well as the childcare services that were already on the verge of extinction

What would you suggest as an alternative? unless your earning over a £1000 a month it really doesn't pay to work and have kids in nursery, 10 years ago now we had to make career choices as our childcare bills where wiping out one of our wages completely. I'd argue that this policy should give a massive cash injection into this sector and fund expansion as now every child gets 30 hours free, nursery staff can train on the job and also works as feeder staff into teaching and it creates a **** ton more jobs and allows nursery's to expand and hire more staff.

We live in an economy now where it requires two people's wages to be able to afford housing, its not like it was in the 80s and 90s where one person working could support an entire household, have family holidays a car and money spare to save.

[fishbowlhead]

What would you suggest as an alternative? unless your earning over a £1000 a month it really doesn't pay to work and have kids in nursery, 10 years ago now we had to make career choices as our childcare bills where wiping out one of our wages completely. I'd argue that this policy should give a massive cash injection into this sector and fund expansion as now every child gets 30 hours free, nursery staff can train on the job and also works as feeder staff into teaching and it creates a **** ton more jobs and allows nursery's to expand and hire more staff.

We live in an economy now where it requires two people's wages to be able to afford housing, its not like it was in the 80s and 90s where one person working could support an entire household, have family holidays a car and money spare to save.

I don’t envision my other half going back to work for a good while as child care is just a waste of money for us, I’d rather go without a few luxuries and know she’s being looked after by her mum.

My partners best friend and her husband were spending £900 a month on childcare, which wiped out one of there wages every month for years, absolutely painful.

[Neon Ignition]

I'm completely in favour of the idea, the existing system between schools and childcare has plainly been insufficient for decades. It's the execution I don't like.

This isn't a genuine plan, it's a cheap soundbite. It sounds good to voters ahead of the impending General Election campaign but nothing on it would even begin to happen this side of a Tory win and even then, we're talking about a party with an almost 100% track record of not delivering on pledges and even doing something worse than the initial problem - which is what this is in practice.

They're stoking up immense demand on child care services that are collapsing left, right and centre due to being unable to run. These 'free' hours will be paid to providers for a pittance of the real cost of doing them and whilst in theory the child care would free up workers, you need the care staff in place before the parents can be freed up as if there's no spaces then the parent isn't going back to work in the first place. The Tories are doing jack all about fixing the problems of 3-4yr child care, they're basically ramping up the demand thinking it might win some votes now and be a can they can kick down the line if they win like everything else is. Either that or they lose and have created yet another crisis to later blame Labour for.

It's the clear disingenuousness of plan. The only slight chance for better child care options will be Labours plan which is more realistic but something the Tories can now falsely refer to as scaled back. As for school wrap around hours? Never coming.

They might as well have promised 100,000 qualified Doctors and 3m Nurses for the NHS by the same time. This is them doing what they did yesterday, ending new legal immigration routes until the Boats are Stopped - knowing they never will be. Johnson's era of Tory was corrupt, immoral, incompetent and egotistical whereas Sunak's is quickly emerging as simply insidious.

[Anpanman]

Pension element completely useless for most.

Didn't expect it but would have liked the personal tax allowance increased along with the 40% threshold.

Only positives I saw from Ed Conway was the economy probably won't melt away, reasons being current government action and external influences.

Just wish Starmer instead of moaning about it would tell what he would do - I did see another comment on the news that Labour won't oppose it.

[Neon Ignition]

Starmer's always been lacking on an attack line. I'm praying that the current lack of clarity is resting more on him not wanting to waste good ideas that the Tories can pillage or counter when Labour is so far ahead, not convinced of that mind but either way anything is better than another half decade of this rot. Even if Sunak scraped a victory next year I don't think those behind the curtains would allow him to get far into his term before mutiny set in.

[huxley]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64975672

Why wasnt this in place anyway. Work phone is for ......work?

[Brad]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64975672
Why wasnt this in place anyway. Work phone is for ......work?

I think this includes their personal phones as well now.

[Lebowski]

I'm completely in favour of the idea, the existing system between schools and childcare has plainly been insufficient for decades. It's the execution I don't like.

This isn't a genuine plan, it's a cheap soundbite. It sounds good to voters ahead of the impending General Election campaign but nothing on it would even begin to happen this side of a Tory win and even then, we're talking about a party with an almost 100% track record of not delivering on pledges and even doing something worse than the initial problem - which is what this is in practice.

They're stoking up immense demand on child care services that are collapsing left, right and centre due to being unable to run. These 'free' hours will be paid to providers for a pittance of the real cost of doing them and whilst in theory the child care would free up workers, you need the care staff in place before the parents can be freed up as if there's no spaces then the parent isn't going back to work in the first place. The Tories are doing jack all about fixing the problems of 3-4yr child care, they're basically ramping up the demand thinking it might win some votes now and be a can they can kick down the line if they win like everything else is. Either that or they lose and have created yet another crisis to later blame Labour for.

It's the clear disingenuousness of plan. The only slight chance for better child care options will be Labours plan which is more realistic but something the Tories can now falsely refer to as scaled back. As for school wrap around hours? Never coming.

They might as well have promised 100,000 qualified Doctors and 3m Nurses for the NHS by the same time. This is them doing what they did yesterday, ending new legal immigration routes until the Boats are Stopped - knowing they never will be. Johnson's era of Tory was corrupt, immoral, incompetent and egotistical whereas Sunak's is quickly emerging as simply insidious.

I really should look into these things more before giving the Torys the benfit of the doubt. it is as you say a hollow policy and looking more into this they are not implementing any of this stuff till 2025 at the earliest. Its here to distracts from the other stuff in the budget and is likely to never happen.

Its crazy that they can push through illegal immigration bills and anti protester bills in a matter of weeks but reforming childcare will take them 2-3 years before anything is put in place.