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Reply | Rhianon Passmore
at 03:14 30 Jun 2024
Those of us who once voted Labour regularly probably still feel some sympathy for "old Labour" values; it is the SJWs who have taken the party far away from its roots that are anathema. |
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Reply | Tata Steel
at 16:15 28 Jun 2024
Guess this is right overall. However, the caveat is that we do still have substantial iron ore reserves; it is just cheaper to import. It could argued that this makes a difference if we are talking about a strategic asset. |
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Reply | Tata Steel
at 11:35 28 Jun 2024
The electric arc furnace only plan was never very attractive. Somehow or other we needed our UK or Welsh Government to come up with a deal similar to the one Tata agreed in the Netherlands, or otherwise go down a nationalisation route, justified by the need to safeguard a strategic asset.
https://www.gem.wiki/Tata_Steel_IJmuiden_steel_plant
https://www.aist.org/steel-news/steel-news/2022/september/12-16-september-2022/t
The IJmuiden plant will be able to process pig iron using DRI/EAF technology - perhaps fueled by hydrogen, perhaps gas. In other words it adds a "direct reduced iron" front end to the electric arc furnace so that it can make virgin steel, rather than just using scrap. [Post edited 28 Jun 11:37]
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Reply | The tainted First Minister
at 05:59 27 Jun 2024
I accept the point about economy and business class travel, and this article was probably one of the least effective of the recent WoL exposés. However, the more telling points in the article were that the key Tata executives had been in London 2 weeks before, when with foresight a meeting with Gething could have been scheduled, and the unnecessarily evasive response of the WG about cost. The article noted that Virgin business class was significantly more expensive than BA business class. [Post edited 27 Jun 7:54]
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Reply | Nigel Farage (n/t)
at 08:33 26 Jun 2024
I genuinely don't understand how smashing the gangs is supposed to work, compared with what is already happening. I thought the theory coming from Labour strategists was that we would indeed lever some improvements in what happens now precisely through better cooperation with the French, as well as certain countries on the migrant and rubber boat supply routes, such as Germany and Turkey. Many of the gangs appear to have strong Kurdish connections so what could be achieved on our own territory seems quite limited. Regarding access to the channel, France appears to be the country that could do more, and we have already thrown many times the money spent on Rwanda their way. Belgium could have been a problem, but it is reported that police there are prepared to stop boats and people in the water, in the contrast to the rule the French use as their get out clause, when police stand on beaches watching migrants queue in shallow water. |
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Reply | Rising national debt
at 06:36 25 Jun 2024
I suppose that it is easy enough to see public debt as something affecting many Western nations and to recall past periods when national debt was also high, but the problem I see is the combination of the growing cost of servicing the debt combined with low productivity in a country with a rapidly expanding population. Is the current deficit spending sustainable? This is the IFS's take:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/households-must-brace-for-tax-rises-over-n |
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Reply | hajrá Magyarország
at 02:21 24 Jun 2024
Somebody on that Daily Mail article comment thread suggested that Labour Wales and Labour London give us a preview of the UK's future after July. Unfortunately I think that could be right. |
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Reply | Nigel Farage
at 07:17 22 Jun 2024
I'd say that even people who think Farage is right on certain other issues will see this as way beyond the pale. It is a huge blunder, and probably a line Farage cultivated to chime with his US pals in MAGA. |
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Thread | Rising national debt
at 01:53 22 Jun 2024
For a while some of us have been expressing concern about rising welfare expenditure against the background of already high tax levels, which however, for many tax payers amount to less contributed than they receive in services and benefits. That picture is worsening according to the latest figures. Covid 19 spending, energy subsidies and the latest benefits inflation uplift have added to the pressure. It is reported that France has a similar problem.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/britain-s-debt-soars-to-2-7-trillion/ar-BB
Will Sir Keir have the solution? Before anybody suggests it, I don't think raising taxes for the rich is going to be enough.
[Post edited 22 Jun 7:19]
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Reply | The tainted First Minister
at 10:04 21 Jun 2024
Yep, I think this could be a slow-motion train crash. The Senedd is not going to come out of this smelling of roses. It is paralysed by a mixture of cronyism and wokeness. |
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Reply | Votes for Prisoners and 16 yr olds
at 09:52 21 Jun 2024
This argument is a bit of a stretch when you consider the 8 year olds paying VAT on their bar of chocolate. |
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Reply | These idiots JUST STOP OIL
at 09:48 21 Jun 2024
Agree with the point that even in our forum with its broad church, JSO don't have any real support. In alienating the general population, they turn people off moderate and sensibly -paced climate control measures that would make sense. |
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Reply | Serbia V England matchday thread
at 21:03 16 Jun 2024
I am not as positive about this performance as the commentary team, England have dominated and Saka has terrorised his marker, but there is little end product. How many saves has the Serbian keeper had to make? The cross that led to the goal was deflected so that England benefitted from a heavy slice of luck. Two decent free kick positions were wasted because of poor execution. Overall England have a long way to go to put this match to bed. Have to say though that Bellingham has had a very good game. |
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Reply | The Summer Transfer Rumours Thread
at 20:23 16 Jun 2024
You misunderstood my post. When I said develop to be capable of playing in the EPL, I meant that Margetson might be able to take somebody who is already good to the very top level. I wasn't talking about 21 year olds. I am not saying Dawson is definitely the answer, but he is three years younger than Nicholls and nearly 10 years past being capped at England under-18 and under-19 levels. I just gave him as an example of a keeper I like, who has played for 5 football league clubs already, and may be available for a reasonable fee. The Exeter fans loved him. [Post edited 16 Jun 20:27]
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Reply | The Summer Transfer Rumours Thread
at 17:24 16 Jun 2024
On goalkeepers, my feeling is that Nicholls is a bit old at 31 if we are looking for somebody who could develop to be a EPL keeper. I'd be looking around to try to find a keeper with potential who is pushing to get into a rival Championship team, but perhaps not nailing down number one spot 100%. One I like who was in and out of the Sheffield Wednesday side last season (18 appearances), but had a great season at Exeter in 2021-22 and is still under 30, is Cameron Dawson. Obviously Margetson is a better judge than I am, but Dawson might be worth a look to go on a list of possibles. [Post edited 16 Jun 17:28]
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Reply | General Election
at 13:41 15 Jun 2024
Re when I become more sympathetic, I'm not sure of the exact year, but it would have been after 2015 as total public expenditure (TME in the jargon) increased after a period of retrenchment.
https://ifs.org.uk/total-uk-public-spending
I was extremely unsympathetic during the Coalition austerity period, for which the Lib Dems have to take their share of the blame, and again when Truss was selected as PM (even before the crisis). I actually thought Boris did okay regarding the big decisions re COVID, though obviously I was not so keen on the PPE contracts and parties.
Re MR's comment about leveling up, it was the outline policy that I liked, but I agree that implementation wasn't great. This was a wasted opportunity to put the Conservative Party on a better policy trajectory.. [Post edited 15 Jun 14:28]
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