Current Affairs

[towny44]

Am I in a minority here, with very few others, being more worried about Putin than Liz Truss? With his latest escalation and rhetoric 23 November may not exist for many in the world, potentially including us. It doesn't matter that NATO has more nukes than Russia. They have plenty to wipe Ukraine and her allies off the face of the earth. Compared to that whether the rich pay 45% tax or bankers get bigger bonuses is pretty irrelevant.

I agree the Ukraine situation is far more worrying than bankers bonus's, however even though Putin is clearly deranged, I don't think he will press the ICBM nuke button, although I am not as certain about battlefield nukes.

[Onelife]

I wouldn’t bet against its David but come the 23 Nov we may be hearing new policies which may get people thinking…”hold on a minute perhaps I’ve been a bit hasty”.

The OBR report is due on 23rd November, although there is no reason why it shouldn’t be released earlier (apart from the Government trying to delay scrutiny).

https://obr.uk/next-steps-in-the-novem ... -forecast/

Whatever date this report is published, I have it pencilled in for the next financial meltdown.

Hi Gill… the way reports are leaked we may well get to hear some of detail before your predicted meltdown. I personally don’t think there will be anything of significance in the report other than what one would expect in an economic climate that has undergone crisis after crisis. I don’t think the OBR remit is to apportion blame so we’ll no doubt be back in a few weeks making our own assumptions as to where we have come from and where we are going.

[Onelife]

Hi Sir Merv…. I certainly don’t think you are in the minority as I don’t think what is happening in Ukraine is far from anyone’s thoughts. If we want to be clinical about it, I suppose for many the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine will take a backseat while they are tackling their own personal crises… as is the way of the world.

I go along with John with regard to Puking launching any nukes but like he says Puking is more than capable of deploying other weapons of mass destruction.

[Ray B]

Merv, you are not alone. I did post #17002 on the announcement proposing to annex some states in the Ukraine, with only OL acknowledging the importance of his proposal.
While it is important to discuss the situation in the UK, I feel it's starting to go around in circles. Things seem to change by the minute with reports, predictions, graphics to Illustrate the ups and downs and lots of condemnation which to be honest is getting way above me.
We now have Putin sabre-rattling with serious consequences should we ignore him.
Give him part of Ukraine,, then whose to say he will not stop there in his bid to restore Russia to its former frightening glory.

[towny44]

At some point in the near future the US and NATO need to adopt a much more strident approach to Putin to make him realise that he needs to reconsider his position. I would like to see the US 6th fleet along with naval vessels from all the NATO countries sail into the Black sea and head to the Ukranian coast and warn the Russians not to engage in any warlike activities. I accept that this is brinkmanship but force is the only thing that Putin understands.

[david63]

Where Putin is concerned there is nothing that any of us as individuals can do about it - even if we all jump up and down together.

My assessment is that we are heading for another "Cuba" with Putin on one side and NATO on the other. Although Putin is clearly mentally unstable and has found himself boxed into a corner (which makes him dangerous) I doubt for one minute that he will nuke anywhere other than Ukraine which I suspect he would do to show that he can do it. If that is what he does then the response from the rest of the world will dictate the way forward.

My bigger concern with Ukraine is that our illustrious leader, who incidentally has been noticeably quiet on the situation despite having been Foreign Secretary, will turn the tap off in order to pay for her tax cuts.

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

[Stephen]

David63

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

We can but hope.

[towny44]

Where Putin is concerned there is nothing that any of us as individuals can do about it - even if we all jump up and down together.

My assessment is that we are heading for another "Cuba" with Putin on one side and NATO on the other. Although Putin is clearly mentally unstable and has found himself boxed into a corner (which makes him dangerous) I doubt for one minute that he will nuke anywhere other than Ukraine which I suspect he would do to show that he can do it. If that is what he does then the response from the rest of the world will dictate the way forward.

My bigger concern with Ukraine is that our illustrious leader, who incidentally has been noticeably quiet on the situation despite having been Foreign Secretary, will turn the tap off in order to pay for her tax cuts.

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

David, Liz Truss was the first world leader to condemn Putins annexation and confirm our support for Ukraine until Putin's invasion is defeated.

[Kendhni]

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

The problem with that is the most likely replacement is even more hardline.

[Onelife]

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

The problem with that is the most likely replacement is even more hardline.

You could of course be right about his replacement Ken but the voices which have up till now been silenced will speak louder than ever if that was to be the case.
I see the iron curtain which Putin has wrapped around himself as being far more penetrable than he thinks it is. I was observing the facial expressions of those who were required to attend Putin’s farcical annexation party, and whilst the Russians tend to be stone faced at the best of times, I sensed on many of their faces a despondency of where their dictator was taking them.

Through his reckless actions I believe Putin is more vulnerable now than he has ever been which might just create the right conditions for a coup in some form or another….wishful thinking maybe but one can live in hope.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Putin is in a corner and I believe he will in time use battlefield nuclear weapons. He's made the comparison to the US setting a precedent in Japan. Then no one else had them and the war ended. That's no longer the case. Several countries now have nukes so there is no way of knowing what the next move would be. The danger is Putin has already lost and has nothing more to lose and doesn't give a damn about anyone else, including his fellow Russians.

[Stephen]

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

The problem with that is the most likely replacement is even more hardline.

Then we’ll do him as well.

[Kendhni]

The Russia/Ukraine war can only be stopped by the Russian people themselves saying enough is enough, or somebody putting a bullet through Putin's head.

The problem with that is the most likely replacement is even more hardline.

You could of course be right about his replacement Ken but the voices which have up till now been silenced will speak louder than ever if that was to be the case.

Like you, I am hoping the sensible voice of Russia will finally rise from a squeak to a roar.

I see the iron curtain which Putin has wrapped around himself as being far more penetrable than he thinks it is. I was observing the facial expressions of those who were required to attend Putin’s farcical annexation party, and whilst the Russians tend to be stone faced at the best of times, I sensed on many of their faces a despondency of where their dictator was taking them.

I agree ... I only know a few people from Russian and not one speaks in favour of Putin's actions ... they try to feed reality back to their relatives but Putins propaganda machine is strong. Those fleeing Putin's round up of cannon fodder can see through him.

Through his reckless actions I believe Putin is more vulnerable now than he has ever been which might just create the right conditions for a coup in some form or another….wishful thinking maybe but one can live in hope.

Fingers crossed that we (as in the entire world) can be pulled back from the brink before anyone does anything really stupid ... we have done it before ... as one Russian colleague said to me, "We don't need to be capitalists, we just need to integrate better with rest of the world".

[Kendhni]

I just saw a short headline, unfortunately the full story was behind a paid subscription, but it implied that despite the reassurances the triple lock may not be as safe as Truss has implied. That could be a big blow for many, but not surprising given other news about bringing the welfare budget down since the biggest proportion is pensions.

[anniec]

There's more, Ken, but, assuming it was a Telegraph article, this is the gist of it:
The Government could weaken the “triple lock” on state pension increases, a minister has suggested.

Prime Minister Liz Truss previously pledged to stand by the lock, a mechanism which ensures the state pension rises by the highest rate of inflation, earnings growth or 2.5pc each year.

But when Treasury minister Chris Philp was asked if the state pension would rise in line with inflation next year, which is expected to be at least 10pc, he said the matter was “under consideration”.

Speaking to ITV’s Robert Peston last night, he said: “I am not going to make policy commitments on live TV, it is going to be considered in the normal way, we will make a decision and it will be announced I am sure in the first instance to the House of Commons."

The Government suspended the 2019 manifesto commitment in a move that left pensioners with a 3.1pc pay rise while inflation rocketed to more than 9pc.

A spokesman later played down Mr Philp's comments and suggested he was talking about a routine annual review of benefits, rather than the triple lock itself.

[Kendhni]

Thanks anniec, that looks to be the same story ... the one I saw mentioned Chris Philp as well.
It reads to me as an early 'expectations management leak'.

[Manoverboard]

The State Pension as a benefit was not designed to keep pensioners in luxury, they were supposed to supplement the payment by taking out private pensions.

[Onelife]

I thought Liz Truss gave a ‘sterling’ performance on Laura Kuenssberg political program this morning… clear, honest with a clear sence of direction…whether she will be allowed to take us there is another matter.

Whilst I have been a supporter of Gove it was clear that he has been banging the drum of disunity within the party. What is also clear is that if this carries on there isn't going to be any future for the Conservative party other than to lose at the next GE and then rebuild from the bottom up.

I'm sticking with Liz for a better future

[david63]

there isn't going to be any future for the Conservative party other than to lose at the next GE

They have already lost the next GE

I didn't see the program but have read the synopsis of it and the one thing that struck me was that she admitted that the Government could have "laid the ground better" before the announcement. This is nothing more than total naivety from somebody who has been in the Government for the last 10 years.

[Onelife]

Nadine Dorries has accused the PM of throwing her chancellor "under a bus"...for saying that it was his decision to remove the 45% tax rate.

No Nasty bitch Nadine….she was just telling the truth, something you and your mate Boris wouldn’t have a clue about.

[david63]

Nadine Dorries has accused the PM of throwing her chancellor "under a bus"...for saying that it was his decision to remove the 45% tax rate.

Come on OL, take your rose coloured glasses off.

No chancellor would make that decision off their own bat without consulting with, and getting the approval of, the PM.

[Onelife]

there isn't going to be any future for the Conservative party other than to lose at the next GE

They have already lost the next GE

I didn't see the program but have read the synopsis of it and the one thing that struck me was that she admitted that the Government could have "laid the ground better" before the announcement. This is nothing more than total naivety from somebody who has been in the Government for the last 10 years.

But wasn’t it refreshing to have a politician admitting they've got something wrong for a change…”accepting that you’ve got something wrong allows you to move forward”

[Gill W]

I see the Kwarteng was out partying with hedge fund managers after his ‘budget’ speech. That’s not good optics as the hedge funds have profited from the week’s chaos!

I also see that Truss has told the King that he can’t go to the COP27 Climate Change Conference. Seems a bit strange, what with Charles being a lifelong environmentalist and the Royal Family were deployed during last years Glasgow conference.

Keith, it’s not just Dorries - loads of people are talking about Truss chucking KamiKwasi under the bus.

And I hear Gove is hinting that he won’t vote for the budget.

I’ve only seen snippets of the Truss interview….. but it looked embarrassingly bad

[david63]

Kwarteng will be out before the end of the year

[Manoverboard]

I'm so glad that I'm not a doom monger ... just saying