#politics
The second pandemic report confirms what many knew (or has suspected), the UK' Covid repose was chaotic, ill-informed and led by politicians who didn't understand the science... vulnerable people weren't protected & the experts helping Govt. develop & enact a repose were not well supported.
In one sense we knew this already, but given the long shadow that the pandemic continues to throw over the economy, maybe now is the time to hold some people to account?
Now Labour is really showing their colours:
while many immigrants will (now) be waiting decades in insecurity awaiting for their residence to be confirmed; for 'higher earners' & rich entrepreneurs residence will be fast tracked in around three years.
So we're going from a situation where *all* migrants could apply for permanent residency after five years... to a situation where its one law for the rich & another for the rest!
This is (surely) just class war?
Like many other countries in France the (so-called) centre-Right seem to be ever more willing to pivot towards the hard-right if the alternative is accepting that the Left have significant electoral support.
This confirms that when the wealthy political class see a threat to their own wealth and a separate threat to the well-being of vulnerable elements of the population, they will always be swayed by their self-interest, whatever their proclamations of social responsibility!
Aditya Chakrabortty on why a wealth tax is not the silver bullet many hope for - what is needed is much more fundamental:
'The electoral future of a low-growth country like Britain doesn’t lie in promising voters that with some magic trick you can drive up GDP, but in accepting that the arguments that lie ahead are about the distribution of resources. That’s something the centrists on both the Tory & Labour benches have yet to grasp'.
#politics #WealthTax #inequality
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/wealth-tax-left-super-rich-britain-budget-2025
Well, its not clear quite how serious the UK is on joining the EU' Security Action for Europe (Safe) programme to organise European defence procurement...
Against a demand (request?) for a contribution of €6.7bn, the UK's opening offer is €75mn, suggesting that it is unlikely the two sides will reach an agreement on participation in SAFE by the end-of-month deadline.
Looks like the UK's Military Keynesianism*will* be a purely domestic affair, after all.
As expected, the large prestigious (research intensive) universities have been canalising the student intake of those ranked lower or with less of a high profile among prospective students.
As the sector's financial crisis continues the dash for cash continues to drive sector fragmentation & the likelihood of 'weaker' institutions failing (or as the Office of Students has it: 'exiting the market').
Likely next step: more consolidation & mergers?
While people wonder whether Andy Burnham *will* seek to use Clive Lewis' seat as a potential route back the House of Commons, in his day job as Mayor of Manchester, he has organised a £1bn regional investment fund (using a range of funds) to drive regional development around Greater Manchester.
There will be many who might prefer him to keep his focus on his day job & this sort of development, than play around with a (renewed) national role?
#Manchester #AndyBurnham #politics
h/t FT
While people wonder whether Andy Burnham *will* seek to use Clive Lewis' seat as a potential route back the House of Commons, in his day job as Mayor of Manchester, he has organised a £1bn regional investment fund (using a range of funds) to drive regional development around Greater Manchester.
There will be many who might prefer him to keep his focus on his day job & this sort of development, than play around with a (renewed) national role?
#Manchester #AndyBurnham #politics
h/t FT
Aha, step one in the Burnham Ascendancy:
A sitting MP offers to stand-down to allow Andy Burnham to contest the (safe) seat & get into Parliament.... [tick]
(Clive Lewis in the MP in question who has offered to give up his seat).
Leading to step two: Newly elected MP challenges Keir Starmer for leadership of the Party.... well, first step one needs to be completed of course!
h/t FT
Trump’s anti-green agenda could lead to 1.3 million more temperature-related deaths.
Most of the people expected to suffer live in poor countries in Africa and South Asia that are least prepared to cope with the increasing heat from climate change.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-climate-rollbacks-heat-deaths?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Climate #ClimateChange #Trump #Data #Science #Politics
Another day, another reason for women not to trust the police...
There is something deeply disturbing about a service that is meant to serve communities & protest them harbours abusers & violent attackers... the Police very much need to put their own house in order.
As the media speculates on who might challenge Kier Starmer's leadership of the Labour Party, for the rest of us this just looks like more Westminster intrigue.
Out here in the country we've major problems that need dealing with (from economics to social collapse & climate change) but our political class continue to treat the country as a field upon which the game of politics can be won or lost.
Our politics is failing us; and I'm no longer sure even electoral reform would help us!
The current prosecution of Palestine Action activists confirms there's no need for the proscription of PA to deal with political inspired actions.
As argued before there are sufficient laws to apply to violent protests without any recourse to anti-democratic limitations on peaceful demonstration(s).
The activists can (maybe should) claim their actions have a clear political dimension, but as the Judge confirmed PA's proscription is not relevant.
If the Labour Party thinks that following the Danish Social Democrats' callous & vindictive refugee policy will help them electorally, then they've not actually been paying attention to Danish politics.
While attracting some far Right voters the Danish SDs have also lost a lot of support & look about to lose control of the Copenhagen mayoralty for the first time.
Moreover the normalisation of anti-refugee rhetoric & policy has emboldened new Right parties to emerge!
#politics
h/t FT
Its a classic case of do as we say not as we do:
at the very say time the Financial Conduct Authority is 'encouraging' other pension funds to move towards investments in UK firms, its own defined benefit pension fund only has 4% invested in UK stocks, a proportion even lower than the private sector funds its trying to push towards UK shares.
Its just one more example of one of the UK's key political problems; a political class not actually prepared to lead from the front!
#politics
h/t FT
As part of their argument against the end of the contributory principle for National Insurance, the Women's Budget Group also make a clear & concise proposal for tax reform:
a) A 2% tax on assets over £10 million, raising up to £24 billion annually;
b) Reforming council tax to make it more progressive;
c) Equalising Capital Gains Tax & income tax rates, raising up to £12 billion;
d) Replacing Inheritance Tax with a fairer lifetime receipts tax.
https://www.wbg.org.uk/publication/national-insurance-a-gender-perspective/
Upcoming #PalestineSolidarity event in #Detroit, #Michigan, #USA
Upcoming #PalestineSolidarity event in #Detroit, #Michigan, #USA
Another day, another reason for women not to trust the police...
There is something deeply disturbing about a service that is meant to serve communities & protest them harbours abusers & violent attackers... the Police very much need to put their own house in order.
The current prosecution of Palestine Action activists confirms there's no need for the proscription of PA to deal with political inspired actions.
As argued before there are sufficient laws to apply to violent protests without any recourse to anti-democratic limitations on peaceful demonstration(s).
The activists can (maybe should) claim their actions have a clear political dimension, but as the Judge confirmed PA's proscription is not relevant.
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