Current Affairs

[david63]

Has Liz Truss lost the plot?

Her latest comments about being opposed to windfall taxes on the energy companies being "bashing businesses" and the way to ease the cost of living crisis is to reduce taxation. Is she so out of touch with the people that she does not realise that those who will be suffering the most pay little or no tax anyway and scrapping VAT on energy bills will have very little effect - in the last 12 months I have paid around £70 in VAT on my energy!

These comments may sound good to her "followers" and the Tory grandees but the electorate in general will not fall for it and if she does become the next PM and enacts these ideas (along with scrapping the NI rise to fund the NHS) then the Tories can say goodbye to winning the next GE

[towny44]

Has Liz Truss lost the plot?

Her latest comments about being opposed to windfall taxes on the energy companies being "bashing businesses" and the way to ease the cost of living crisis is to reduce taxation. Is she so out of touch with the people that she does not realise that those who will be suffering the most pay little or no tax anyway and scrapping VAT on energy bills will have very little effect - in the last 12 months I have paid around £70 in VAT on my energy!

These comments may sound good to her "followers" and the Tory grandees but the electorate in general will not fall for it and if she does become the next PM and enacts these ideas (along with scrapping the NI rise to fund the NHS) then the Tories can say goodbye to winning the next GE

I totally agree David, the most cost effective and fair way to help mitigate the effects of the high fuel costs is by direct grants to the most needy, along with a continuation of some general help to cover those who find themselves only just above the very needy threshold.
Liz Truss seems a bit ike a heartless version of Maggie Thatcher.

[Kendhni]

Has Liz Truss lost the plot?

Her latest comments about being opposed to windfall taxes on the energy companies being "bashing businesses" and the way to ease the cost of living crisis is to reduce taxation. Is she so out of touch with the people that she does not realise that those who will be suffering the most pay little or no tax anyway and scrapping VAT on energy bills will have very little effect - in the last 12 months I have paid around £70 in VAT on my energy!

These comments may sound good to her "followers" and the Tory grandees but the electorate in general will not fall for it and if she does become the next PM and enacts these ideas (along with scrapping the NI rise to fund the NHS) then the Tories can say goodbye to winning the next GE

I have been very disappointed in many statements from both candidates ... but in particular, Truss is just making it up as she goes along, promising anybody whatever they ask for to get votes ... requiring her to make daily u-turns. I was hoping that style of low brow bumbling politics and government would be gone along with Johnson. We have to remember that these candidates are only trying to appeal to the 0.2% of the population that can vote for them ... and so far they have been mostly ignoring the other 99.8% that they will rely on to get back into office within the next couple of years.

The current government was out of ideas from day 1 of the latest crises, eventually forcing them to u-turn and adopt Labour policy on more than one occasion (assuming our supposed political leadership even bothered to turn up) ... but even that is not a long term solution, and it appears all parties have run out of ideas. Brown came up with an idea (a bit like how the French are controlling energy prices), but again, that would not be a long term solution (for the UK) and, given the work ethic within the civil service, these crises will probably be history before they actually deliver anything.

Many weeks back I said that expecting to solve this by tinkering with tax codes and allowances is lazy geriatric thinking. Whoever wins this leadership election needs to be able take control on day 1 and come up with new and innovative ideas .. and then create a sound robust (cross party?) plan to get us through the next couple of years. Not easy, since they are inheriting one hell of a self-created economic botch up.

[screwy]

Have to say ,I’m really disappointed in Truss while watching the hustings etc. she keeps bleating on about how she gets things done and how she grew up in Paisley and Leeds.! Boring. Saying that Sunak keeps going on about his parents Chemist shop.

I want to hear how they will tackle the cost of living without the promises of tax cuts from day one,which won’t be until before April according to Truss.

Truss is only there because the MPs stabbed Penny in the back.

I know what I’ve said is all very obvious but I just don’t think either of them is up to it.

[Stephen]

Bring back Boris

[Kendhni]

Bring back Boris

Before he can negotiate his return ... he must first leave.

[screwy]

Bring back Boris

MacMillan, Heath anyone than this shower.

[towny44]

Bring back Boris

MacMillan, Heath anyone than this shower.

Not Heath, he was the nearest thing to a Labour PM that the Tories have ever had.

[screwy]

I’m sitting here tonight Wollowing in self pity after seeing my beloved United humiliated at the hands of Brentford,how the mighty have fallen..Anyway, I got round to thinking.

Is the Country I love, the Uk. I am a proud Lancastrian,Englishman,Briton. a broken country.?
I cannot at this moment in time find anything to say. Yes,the country is in good shape.
I believe society is broken.
Native British are fast becoming a minority,and No, I’m not racist.
We have a couple of generations of work shy,feckless ,feral citizens, who basically contribute nothing .
The country is being overrun by ‘ immigrants, mostly economic.’
Law and order is at an all time low, The only Police you see are in Cars, reactive not active.
There are many more things I could think of but it too late at night.

I have given half my life in service to the Crown and proudly so.But I despair how I see it .

I’m sure some will call me but hey ho, I don’t care.

It seems to me that the Politicians of any colour just don’t really give a damn.

[Stephen]

Couldn’t have put it better myself screwy

[Chalgrave4]

Looking at society around the world, not just UK, I am sometimes glad I'm in the twilight of my days not the dawn

[Kendhni]

Is the Country I love, the Uk. I am a proud Lancastrian,Englishman,Briton. a broken country.?
I cannot at this moment in time find anything to say. Yes,the country is in good shape.
I believe society is broken.
Native British are fast becoming a minority,and No, I’m not racist.
The country is being overrun by ‘ immigrants, mostly economic.’

Interesting thoughts but I think that is the daily mail version of reality. I see some things differently ..

You would first have to define what 'native Britain' actually means, what is the point in history that you have decided makes someone 'native'? Also on what criteria are you basing 'Britishness' on? Like many countries the UK is made up of many different cultures with White British making up over 80% ... is it going down yes, but the level of Britishness (those identifying as being British) is remaining higher.

The country is not being overrun by immigrants ... although under the careful watch of the current government the numbers of illegal immigrants have certainly been rising. We need people to emigrate to the UK. Several countries around the world have ageing 'native' populations. If those populations want their pensions to be paid and the country to remain productive then they have to attract labour and skills from around the world. All the verifiable evidence shows that immigration has a net positive effective on the economy.

I work with people from all over the world and consider our workplace to be much better for such a culturally rich and diverse workforce.

Often all we ever hear is the bad side. In the town where I live one of the hotels is housing several hundred refugees, mostly from Syria. One day we had our dogs out along the seafront and I noticed a whole group of people picking up litter, with their bare hands (none of this snowflake long sticks and gloves). I stopped one lady and asked what was going on. She was one of the refugees and told me that they felt the town had been so good to them that they wanted to give something back so they, on their own initiative, chose to keep the seafront litter free (something I had noticed but just thought the local refuse department had been doing overtime).

We have a couple of generations of work shy,feckless ,feral citizens, who basically contribute nothing .

We have upwards of 4 generations now, and they do contribute ... usually uncontrolled breeding.
I agree that more should be done to ensure everyone contributes .. I don't care what your skill level is or what your disability is .. virtually everyone can contribute something. If someone gets £100 on benefits then it is only fair to expect about 10 hours of work within the community (based on minimum wage) ... they only get their 'entitlement' once it has been completed (we see this in other countries, so why are we not doing it?). The wider problem is that when you give somebody something for nothing then they put zero value on that item.

Your point however focuses on the minority ... we cannot tar all the young with the same brush. I see many who are keen to not only get onto the career ladder but also willing to do what it takes to move up that ladder.

Law and order is at an all time low, The only Police you see are in Cars, reactive not active.

Well we know the Met couldn't find a p*ss up at a number 10 party ... if ever I do anything wrong I want those officers to be investigating me.
The police are not the only ones that have become reactive .. much of the public sector has ... why should they actually be proactive when they can earn more by mopping up the spills than they do in preventing them. Policing has become lazier but there are many factors behind that including the need to fight new types of crime; being target based (for years they used speed traps simply to push their numbers up); rather than solve crime it appears that they reduce numbers by decriminalising many crimes; health and safety etc. etc.

Plus people have become much more 'delicate' and waste inordinate amounts of police time over nothing as they take offence because somebody looked at them in a manner they didn't like; or 'disrespected' them; or called them by the wrong gender ... how the hell do such people deal with real issues?

I have given half my life in service to the Crown and proudly so.But I despair how I see it .

I have also served my country, but that does not mean that it owes me more than any other citizen of the country.

It seems to me that the Politicians of any colour just don’t really give a damn.

I have taken BS for years for daring to point this out ... They don't and we are currently seeing the worst of the worst dragging this country into the gutter as they line their own pockets. Governmental nepotism and corruption are at levels I have never seen before ... and, having listened to the two candidates looking to take over leadership, I am not convinced either is up to the task. Truss in particular has been a serial underachiever who talks the talk but continually fails to walk the walk ... she just says what she thinks others want to hear ... we have had far too many years of that sort of politics recently.

[barney]

Net migration has been constant for many years

What really controls people’s reaction is how they are personally affected by it.

For example, I live in North Devon.
Very few Asian, Black or Eastern Europeans.
So, from my perspective, it’s not too bad.
The reason that I chose to move to North Devon was because of the massive influx of migrants in the south east.
Nothing personally against them but my choice was to leave.
My grandparents left the east end of London for the same reason and moved to Kent.
Part of the white flight.
If you live in an area of very low immigration, you’d probably be more tolerant of the societal changes.
Northern Ireland for example.
If an area attracts educated and well paid migrants, you’d logically have a different opinion than someone from Boston for example, where groups of unemployed Eastern Europeans gather on street corners intimidating locals.
This is common place in Gravesend where my brother lives.
Almost feral gangs of unemployed Eastern Europeans intimidating local women.
Constantly moved on by the police but impossible to control.
So, it kinda matters how it affects you personally.
It’s similar to the Traveller problem.
The only people who don’t have a problem with Irish travellers are the ones who have never had contact with them.

[towny44]

An excellant post Barney, if your prime interaction with immigrants is via your workplace, especially in a higher level commercial position, then you will have totally different view to someone interacting with unemployed farm labourers.

[oldbluefox]

Roads gridlocked, NHS overstretched, Ambulance service struggling, housing shortage, water shortages...................is this little island in danger of being over populated hence time to be selective who we admit? Uncontrolled immigration only goes to compound the problem.

[screwy]

According to Govt figures today, 20000 migrants have ceossed the chanell this year, to date.!

And thats only the ones who have been intercepted.

[Kendhni]

Are we still acting like babies and blaming everyone else, or have we finally taken control?

[towny44]

Are we still acting like babies and blaming everyone else, or have we finally taken control?

What would be your solution to this problem Ken?

[Kendhni]

Are we still acting like babies and blaming everyone else, or have we finally taken control?

What would be your solution to this problem Ken?

Since our government has had numerous failed attempts at addressing the problem of illegal immigrants (and in fact every botched up idea has cost us millions and made the situation worse) I would suggest that, instead of simply saying 'no', they look more seriously at proposals put forward by the French ... yes it would be yet another embarrassing u-turn for the government, but, if it helps resolve the issue, then why not give it a go? However until we actually have someone running this country that is unlikely to happen.

[screwy]

Remind us Ken, without telling us to Google it,what are the French proposals.?

[david63]

Since our government has had numerous failed attempts at addressing the problem of illegal immigrants

Not just this Government but all Governments. I remember reading a headline whilst waiting to board a ship some years ago when David Blunkett was Home Secretary which said "Home Secretary admits to not knowing how many illegal immigrants there are" (perfectly obvious statement as they were illegal)

[barney]

Remind us Ken, without telling us to Google it,what are the French proposals.?

Why on earth would France want to stop destitute people from leaving?
That would be economic madness.

[towny44]

Are we still acting like babies and blaming everyone else, or have we finally taken control?

What would be your solution to this problem Ken?

Since our government has had numerous failed attempts at addressing the problem of illegal immigrants (and in fact every botched up idea has cost us millions and made the situation worse) I would suggest that, instead of simply saying 'no', they look more seriously at proposals put forward by the French ... yes it would be yet another embarrassing u-turn for the government, but, if it helps resolve the issue, then why not give it a go? However until we actually have someone running this country that is unlikely to happen.

Do the French have a workable solution other than letting all potential asylum seekers enter the UK.
My own suggestion is that the UK needs ro set up centre(s) in France where asylum seekers can register for asylum in the UK, coupled with this France needs to agree to accept back all illegal entrants to the UK. This should result in the complete shutdown of the illegal peopke smugglers. But France will want to see the asylum process flow fairly speedily and I guess they will want to see a fairly high success rate, conversely we will probably want to see the numbers minimised; and therein lies the problem to making this work.

[Kendhni]

What would be your solution to this problem Ken?

Since our government has had numerous failed attempts at addressing the problem of illegal immigrants (and in fact every botched up idea has cost us millions and made the situation worse) I would suggest that, instead of simply saying 'no', they look more seriously at proposals put forward by the French ... yes it would be yet another embarrassing u-turn for the government, but, if it helps resolve the issue, then why not give it a go? However until we actually have someone running this country that is unlikely to happen.

Do the French have a workable solution other than letting all potential asylum seekers enter the UK.

We don't know, so far the UK has simply said 'no'. What we do know is that over the last few years the UK has thrown millions at various ideas all of which have failed with illegal immigration continuing to go upwards.

My own suggestion is that the UK needs ro set up centre(s) in France where asylum seekers can register for asylum in the UK,

That is pretty much what the french have suggested (see UKs response above). To open (more) legal routes into the UK.

coupled with this France needs to agree to accept back all illegal entrants to the UK. This should result in the complete shutdown of the illegal peopke smugglers. But France will want to see the asylum process flow fairly speedily and I guess they will want to see a fairly high success rate, conversely we will probably want to see the numbers minimised; and therein lies the problem to making this work.

This is the UK wanting to have its cake and eat it. It is not France's (or Belgium, or Holland or any other country's) problem, they have their own borders to police ... I thought the idea was that we were meant to take control of our own borders ... if you are saying that was just a load of old appeasing fluff then you need to blame those that suggested it.

The UK pays France a pittence to police its shores (£54m per year?) ... for that it is estimated that France intercepts almost 70% of illegal immigration attempts ... but it is obvious that some will always manage to get through .. those then become the UKs problem. So the UK could pay the French more to cover their costs and that percentage may go up, but it will fall into the law of diminishing returns ... the strategy used over the last few years of throwing an endless pit of money at it in the hope it will go away has not worked.

I agree with you that France will want any process to be speedy and the UK will want to slow it down (sounds like the opposite of Dover where the UK wanted it to be speedy and France had little inclination one way or the other ). What we know is that what we are doing is not working, so let's try something different (and not the national embarrassment of flying people out to the cheapest country we could find).

[towny44]

Since our government has had numerous failed attempts at addressing the problem of illegal immigrants (and in fact every botched up idea has cost us millions and made the situation worse) I would suggest that, instead of simply saying 'no', they look more seriously at proposals put forward by the French ... yes it would be yet another embarrassing u-turn for the government, but, if it helps resolve the issue, then why not give it a go? However until we actually have someone running this country that is unlikely to happen.

Do the French have a workable solution other than letting all potential asylum seekers enter the UK.

We don't know, so far the UK has simply said 'no'. What we do know is that over the last few years the UK has thrown millions at various ideas all of which have failed with illegal immigration continuing to go upwards.

My own suggestion is that the UK needs ro set up centre(s) in France where asylum seekers can register for asylum in the UK,

That is pretty much what the french have suggested (see UKs response above). To open (more) legal routes into the UK.

coupled with this France needs to agree to accept back all illegal entrants to the UK. This should result in the complete shutdown of the illegal peopke smugglers. But France will want to see the asylum process flow fairly speedily and I guess they will want to see a fairly high success rate, conversely we will probably want to see the numbers minimised; and therein lies the problem to making this work.

This is the UK wanting to have its cake and eat it. It is not France's (or Belgium, or Holland or any other country's) problem, they have their own borders to police ... I thought the idea was that we were meant to take control of our own borders ... if you are saying that was just a load of old appeasing fluff then you need to blame those that suggested it.

The UK pays France a pittence to police its shores (£54m per year?) ... for that it is estimated that France intercepts almost 70% of illegal immigration attempts ... but it is obvious that some will always manage to get through .. those then become the UKs problem. So the UK could pay the French more to cover their costs and that percentage may go up, but it will fall into the law of diminishing returns ... the strategy used over the last few years of throwing an endless pit of money at it in the hope it will go away has not worked.

I agree with you that France will want any process to be speedy and the UK will want to slow it down (sounds like the opposite of Dover where the UK wanted it to be speedy and France had little inclination one way or the other ). What we know is that what we are doing is not working, so let's try something different (and not the national embarrassment of flying people out to the cheapest country we could find).

But we all know it is pointless to throw money at trying to prevent illegal crossings of the channel, unless there is the severe penalty of being sent staright back to follow the legal process of asylum, then the illegal crossings will continue.