UK Politics Thread part II

[mapuc]

I misunderstood it I thought it was in the entire UK.

It is in Northern Ireland

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...cers-and-staff

Markus

[Jimbuna]

In light of 'The Troubles' over the years and the fact a recent major attack in February, an off-duty senior detective suffered life-changing injuries after being shot several times by dissident republican paramilitaries.

I would say potentially very serious.

[Jimbuna]

The Tories have always boasted they are the perty of low taxes but that ic currently clearly not the case.

On a personal note, I am now paying more income tax on my two pensions than what I paid whilst in employment.

Sunak’s stealth tax raid sees burden on British households soar by 40pc

Rishi Sunak’s stealth tax raid has seen payments to the Exchequer surge by 40pc since the pandemic, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) analysis shows.

Payments of taxes on earnings and wealth – such as income tax and capital gains tax – were up by 39.2pc in the first quarter of this year compared with the final months of 2019, the OECD found.

The tax burden on households has shot up more quickly in the UK than in other big rich economies, analysts said, despite all facing similar blows from Covid-19.

By contrast, Americans are paying just over 30pc more than they did before Covid.

British households paid £84bn in income and wealth taxes to the Exchequer in the first quarter of 2023 compared with £60.6bn in the final three months of 2019, according to the group’s seasonally adjusted data.

Much of the increase reflects freezes to key income tax and capital gains thresholds. Then-chancellor Sunak announced a freeze until 2025-26 in March 2021. His successor at the Treasury, Jeremy Hunt, has since extended it for another two years.

Thresholds have been maintained despite the high rate of inflation, which is pushing more workers into higher tax brackets when they get pay rises.

The frozen thresholds have been dubbed a stealth tax raid by critics who point out that wages are still failing to keep pace with bills and prices.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...fa3eb622&ei=10

[Jimbuna]

Is this old chestnut ever going to go away?

Scotland could face eight-year wait to rejoin EU after independence in blow to SNP

Scotland could face waiting almost a decade to rejoin the EU after independence, according to the SNP government's own officials.

Internal analysis by civil servants states that it may take up to eight years for an independent Scotland to become part of the Brussels club.

Under a best-case scenario, the process would take between three and four years.

It also highlighted external warnings that Scotland would be forced to join the Euro and the Schengen area, which would mean passport checks to travel across the border to England.

And it found over 30 new public bodies would have to be set up to meet membership requirements.

The undated analysis, written before the UK left the EU, said: "The best case scenario for Scotland would involve a total timeline of three to four years and the upper limit could be up to eight years, based on Scotland acceding to the EU from third country status."

The devolved administration was forced to release the documents by Scottish Information Commissioner Daren Fitzhenry after initially attempting to keep them secret.

The SNP government said the information "does not reflect current government thinking" and that it would be "inaccurate to suggest that any of the details within reflect past or present government policy".

But Shadow Scotland Secretary Ian Murray said it was a blow to the case for independence.

The Labour frontbencher told The Telegraph: "It's no wonder the SNP wanted to keep this damning analysis from the public.

"This makes abundantly clear that the SNP's independence plans would be Brexit on steroids - years of political upheaval and economic harm justified by a vague promise of jam tomorrow."

A Scottish Government spokesman said some of the advice "pre-dates the pandemic and other significant developments" such as the post-Brexit trade deal.

He added: "To give people the information they need to make an informed choice about Scotland's constitutional future, ministers will shortly publish a paper setting out how an independent Scotland would re-join the EU, in order to escape the damage of Brexit and enjoy the benefits of being back in the EU as a full, equal member."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...d72d7ff9&ei=16

[MGR1]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Is this old chestnut ever going to go away?

As long as the Nats are in power at Holyrood, no it won't.

Unless enough of their voter base in Weegieland return to voting for Labour I doubt much will change.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Is this the sort of action you'd expect from a so-called ally?

French warships spotted 'dropping off' migrants to UK rather than stopping them

The widespread extent to which French warships are failing to intercept migrant boats and instead escorting them across the English Channel has been revealed.

In just a few hours, when we joined a patrol on the Channel yesterday, Express.co.uk witnessed several small boats being guided across the sea by France's coastguard.

These large grey militaristic vessels follow dinghies overflowing with people across vast shipping lanes.

As the boats plotted an unpredictable course the warships were forced to turn in all number of different directions to remain with them, manoeuvres which would normally be in breach of maritime rules.

Once in British waters the small boats are passed over to UK Border Force or the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and rescued from the water.

These trips might appear to contradict the spirit of the Home Office's £62 million deal with France to stop small boat crossings, but they are far from a secret.

Using the app Maritime Traffic anyone can follow the routes taken by the French warships, explained Matt Coker the Chartered Skipper of the fishing boat we travelled on.

The experienced fisherman was able to show Express.co.uk many more examples of these escorts using the app's data.

"The French boat patrols up and down around the coast along the coast of France," he said highlighting one warship's journey.

"Then at some time in the early hours of this morning, it comes round in close to the beach at Sangat and picks up a migrant boat.

"He's then taken that migrant boat and escorted it all the way across the shipping lanes then just across the border into UK waters and he's dropped it off.

"He's gone back into French waters, found another migrant boat and he's escorted that across the border and he's kept that going all the way through up to about three miles off the English coast."

"It's a sizable warship - it shouldn't have any problems stopping a small inflatable dinghy," he added.

Skipper Coker questioned the ethical justification French authorities had for providing this service to migrant boats, arguing that it was essentially facilitating human trafficking.

You can watch the full video of Skipper Coker explaining these French-aided crossings above.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/new...68b9d7f8&ei=10

[MGR1]

A random musing:

The longer the Tories are in power, the more determined to hang on to that power they are.

In a democracy, the other side are allowed to have a go at governing when they're voted in even if you oppose everything they represent.

Too many Tories seem to have forgotten that, if they believed in democracy at all. Which I think too many of the current crop don't.

That goes for the party's grass roots members as well.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

^ Couldn't agree more

[Jimbuna]

Rishi Sunak is so seriously out of touch I find it extremely worrying.

Rishi Sunak has said it is difficult for people to understand the scale of government support with energy bills, as he defended his record on tackling the cost of living.

The prime minister said halving inflation was a top priority and his plan to ease rising prices was working.

It comes as the latest figures showed inflation slowed last month due to lower energy costs.

But food, restaurants and hotel costs are still rising.

The inflation rate, which measures price changes over time, fell to 6.8% in the year to July, down from 7.9% in June. This means prices are rising less quickly.

Inflation is much lower than it was at its peak of 11.1% in October, but it still remains high compared to historical rates and much higher than the Bank of England's 2% target.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66521633

[Moonlight]

^You can say that for all the political parties of the UK, each one of their leaders wants to take us on a road to nowhere, I have no idea who'll win the next General Election but I do know this, it will crash and burn within 18 months.

[Jimbuna]

On a rare positive note:

Rishi Sunak has signalled that state pensions could go up next year by almost eight per cent as he committed to maintaining the “triple lock”.

Under the triple lock, the state pension is uprated in April by inflation, wages or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher.

Wage growth is currently the highest of the three metrics, reaching 7.8 per cent in June compared with the same period 12 months earlier.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/othe...nt/ar-AA1foaoo

On the flip side though:

We are in the middle of a six year freeze on increases to the personal tax allowance thresholds so because of the above rises, millions are now entering the taxpayer bands.

The Tories are no longer the government of 'low taxes'

[Jimbuna]

The hypocrisy of it all

SNP ministers have applauded record North Sea tax revenues despite threatening to block new oil and gas exploration in an independent Scotland.

Neil Gray, the party’s Wellbeing Economy Secretary, said the £9.4 billion of revenues in 2022/23 demonstrated “our vibrant energy sector” and how “the UK continues to benefit from Scotland’s natural wealth”.

But the Tories questioned how that tallied with SNP proposals to create a presumption against new oil and gas exploration, with Humza Yousaf, the First Minister, lambasting Rishi Sunak’s decision to grant 100 new licences last month.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...a9a2f60d&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

Murray Foote appointed as new SNP chief executive.

The SNP has appointed its former head of communications Murray Foote as its new chief executive.

Mr Foote resigned from his previous role in March amid a row over the party's membership numbers.

He had described a newspaper report that they had dropped by 30,000 as "drivel", but it was later confirmed the figure was correct.

He replaces Peter Murrell who stood down after taking responsibility for misleading the media.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...itics-66596560

[Skybird]

"Driving with my baby not through London..." - Class War top down!
https://www-achgut-com.translate.goo..._x_tr_pto=wapp


Its so good to see that its not always just the Germans alone...

[Jimbuna]

This is very divisive and is causing quite a stir in some local communities.

Something similar is being trialled in the city of Newcastle not far from where I live.