[SA Chris]

https://twitter.com/mrnickharvey/status/1349713610445094914

I so hope this is real

(i know it's not).

[TobyD]

I find it very strange that so many people seem to like the budget; the income tax banding is clearly a regressive tax policy affecting lower earners; if I were still working for the NHS I'd be pissed off about the pay... etc. Am I missing something? Is it just that Sunak has a smart Instagram account and makes lame jokes about coke?

[ali k]

I find it very strange that so many people seem to like the budget; the income tax banding is clearly a regressive tax policy affecting lower earners; if I were still working for the NHS I'd be pissed off about the pay... etc. Am I missing something? Is it just that Sunak has a smart Instagram account and makes lame jokes about coke?

Have you seen the latest polling on voter intention? Cons are on the up again. I get the impression people have just become numb to it all. Lies, corruption and obfuscation. Do people really like the budget, or have they just stopped caring and/or thinking? Also the Instagram celebrity politics aspect is a strong influencer I suspect. He looks so cool in a hoodie.

[Johnny Brown]

Our vaccine deployment has been very successful. Boris finally got Brexit done. Those will be plenty to many it would seem.

[Somebody's Fool]

I’m old enough to remember when negative polling was entirely the fault of the Labour leader. Whatever happened to that?!

[James Malloch]

I find it very strange that so many people seem to like the budget; the income tax banding is clearly a regressive tax policy affecting lower earners; if I were still working for the NHS I'd be pissed off about the pay... etc. Am I missing something? Is it just that Sunak has a smart Instagram account and makes lame jokes about coke?

Have you seen the latest polling on voter intention? Cons are on the up again. I get the impression people have just become numb to it all. Lies, corruption and obfuscation. Do people really like the budget, or have they just stopped caring and/or thinking? Also the Instagram celebrity politics aspect is a strong influencer I suspect. He looks so cool in a hoodie.

Yep - some people close to me (traditionally Labour but hated Corbyn) said the other day - having just had their jabs - that they don't think the government could really have don't anything different over the last year and they didn't think there had really been any failures

They're not uneducated at all and are keen on politics. One very good news story (the vaccine roll out which I also think is brilliant) which personally impacts you and it's like all past problems were just teething issues.

[mrjonathanr]

I agree, but find it bizarre. I guess it is more stressful to keep acknowledging the reality of what's gone on than brush it under the mental carpet. Like you say, people are emotionally worn out.

[Oldmanmatt]

I agree, but find it bizarre. I guess it is more stressful to keep acknowledging the reality of what's gone on than brush it under the mental carpet. Like you say, people are emotionally worn out.

It won’t last.
Covid has been a distraction and one which we have yet to start paying for, in many cases.
There’s been a lot going on and very little of it has been “good” for the economy. The rosey glow of vaccination will be a distant memory by Xmas this year, let alone by the next election.

To clarify, by “paying” I was thinking of economic cost. Human costs are already astronomical.

[TobyD]

Our vaccine deployment has been very successful. Boris finally got Brexit done. Those will be plenty to many it would seem.

Its frustrating how the government can get away with cutting council spending massively,  and basically force them to go bankrupt or hike council taxes, then people blame the council not swishy Rishi

[seankenny]

Our vaccine deployment has been very successful. Boris finally got Brexit done. Those will be plenty to many it would seem.

Its frustrating how the government can get away with cutting council spending massively,  and basically force them to go bankrupt or hike council taxes, then people blame the council not swishy Rishi

People in my area seem more concerned at new low traffic neighbourhood schemes impeding their god given right to drive than they are about anything else to do with the council.

[TobyD]

Our vaccine deployment has been very successful. Boris finally got Brexit done. Those will be plenty to many it would seem.

Its frustrating how the government can get away with cutting council spending massively,  and basically force them to go bankrupt or hike council taxes, then people blame the council not swishy Rishi

People in my area seem more concerned at new low traffic neighbourhood schemes impeding their god given right to drive than they are about anything else to do with the council.

Aren't LTNs done by the council though?
People will be more concerned given that 1 in 12 councils are at risk of going bankrupt; bins, road repairs etc people care about those

[ali k]

People will be more concerned given that 1 in 12 councils are at risk of going bankrupt; bins, road repairs etc people care about those

I’d be interested to know which councils are at risk of bankruptcy. I’d wager they aren’t Tory held.

Cut LA funding and force council tax rises while Boris & central govt come to the rescue is just what I’d expect from the man.

[kelvin]

In my area, Northamptonshire, the councils have already gone bankrupt and they were/are Tory following a Tory agenda but it really does seem that no one actually cares around here.
If we were allowed to vote, and we aren't, I'm fairly sure they'd get in again.
A jaded and often uninformed electorate? Probably.

[Mike Highbury]

Maybe but, believe me, several authorities who are under s114 have made utterly fool-hardy and disastrous decisions that should not be blamed on the Tories. They just did not need to do what they did.

[SA Chris]

Maybe but, believe me, several authorities who are under s114 have made utterly fool-hardy and disastrous decisions that should not be blamed on the Tories. They just did not need to do what they did.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/2959552/council-150m-beach-city-centre-makeover/

Like this for example? Plans include the new football stadium being built over the climbing wall.

[Mike Highbury]

Maybe but, believe me, several authorities who are under s114 have made utterly fool-hardy and disastrous decisions that should not be blamed on the Tories. They just did not need to do what they did.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/2959552/council-150m-beach-city-centre-makeover/

Like this for example? Plans include the new football stadium being built over the climbing wall.

To take one. Running down the reserves to almost nothing by drawing on them too heavily and too early hasn't helped.

[TobyD]

BBC News - Democracy is in retreat, warns Dominic Raab
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56423716

This is really galling hypocrisy, saying that the UK needs to be a moral force,  while selling arms to Saudi Arabia for them to kill Yemeni civilians and precipitate a famine and humanitarian disaster,  while also cutting the aid budget. 
Additionally,  if Raab thinks that the UK can be a moral leader on China by trading with them, hes even more stupid than I already thought he was when he didn't understand how important the Dover to Calais route was.

[galpinos]

In my area, Northamptonshire, the councils have already gone bankrupt and they were/are Tory following a Tory agenda but it really does seem that no one actually cares around here.
If we were allowed to vote, and we aren't, I'm fairly sure they'd get in again.
A jaded and often uninformed electorate? Probably.

Just reading this thread and was going to mention Northampton County Council. What a shit show. I'm from East Hunsbury and mum still lives there, despairs of the council and has very little time for Andrea Leadsom (her MP - she did tell Leadsom exactly what she thought of her in Tesco when she saw her) but still voted Blue because of Corbyn. I reckon she could be convinced to lean towards Starmer as she's pretty appalled at Johnson and his cabal of rogues.

[galpinos]

So, the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill passes its second reading. I actually took some time to watch Paliment TV to see if any of the Tory ministers speaking would champion the bill for what was actually in it (not vaculous comments like, "Labour are going to vote against making women safer") and bar one chap, who said it needed to pass because protests outside parliament were noisy and it made it hard for him to concentrate, no one seemed to actually say anything of substance.

The Labour "speeches" were leagues above anything the Tories turned out, especially Angela Eagle (though presentation was hampered by a video link the content was very strong) and David Lammy (an impressive speaker) but I doubt it will make a difference. Our hope rests of the shoulders of the likes of Steve Baker and the hope he and his ilk will propose the necessary ammendments required. Depressing times.

[TobyD]

So, the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill passes its second reading. I actually took some time to watch Paliment TV to see if any of the Tory ministers speaking would champion the bill for what was actually in it (not vaculous comments like, "Labour are going to vote against making women safer") and bar one chap, who said it needed to pass because protests outside parliament were noisy and it made it hard for him to concentrate, no one seemed to actually say anything of substance.

The Labour "speeches" were leagues above anything the Tories turned out, especially Angela Eagle (though presentation was hampered by a video link the content was very strong) and David Lammy (an impressive speaker) but I doubt it will make a difference. Our hope rests of the shoulders of the likes of Steve Baker and the hope he and his ilk will propose the necessary ammendments required. Depressing times.

My feeling is that I generally just want to agree with you that it's an awful piece of legislation; however I did read Daniel Finkelstein's column in The Times today,  which makes the reasonable point that the police need to be able to stop some protests,  including the ones with which we might happen to agree. His example is that most people think that Piers Corbyn being stopped from protesting (against lockdown,  masks and vaccines) is a good thing, but you can't approve of that but not some restrictions on other protests. He makes the point that it's only bad legislation if the police misuse it, and if you assume that they will, then they'll misuse any laws. I'm not swayed in favour of the bill, but it's a decent point. 

[galpinos]

My feeling is that I generally just want to agree with you that it's an awful piece of legislation; however I did read Daniel Finkelstein's column in The Times today,  which makes the reasonable point that the police need to be able to stop some protests,  including the ones with which we might happen to agree. His example is that most people think that Piers Corbyn being stopped from protesting (against lockdown,  masks and vaccines) is a good thing, but you can't approve of that but not some restrictions on other protests. He makes the point that it's only bad legislation if the police misuse it, and if you assume that they will, then they'll misuse any laws. I'm not swayed in favour of the bill, but it's a decent point.

I find Daniel Finkelstein is often pretty even handed and I agree with him, and you, to some extent. Some of my issues with the bill are:

• that it is a mishmash of a lot of things in one bill and it's being "sold" on the more agreeable sections whilst the dark authoritarian bits are swept under the carpet (this may be the case with all bills?)
• the anti protest section is not well enough defined. There seems, to me, to be large sections that are open to interpretation (and I don't trust our current Home secretary) which, as shown with the covid regs/legislation, isn't very helpful*
• The trespass section - even the police are unhappy about this
• It seems to be specifically aimed at BLM and Steve Bray (this is more a personal and gripe that I understand doesn't stand up to actual scrutiny)

I'm also not sure we should be stopping Piers Corbyn. I think being anti mask, anti lockdown and anti vaccine is an opinion people can hold. I haven't managed to quite decide on that yet.
*legal bods please correct me if I'm wrong

[Johnny Brown]

You missed more Henry VIII powers being handed to Priti.

[galpinos]

You missed more Henry VIII powers being handed to Priti.

I did. To quote Ian Dunt:

It was a mark of how far the country has fallen that May is now the voice of liberal conscience on the government benches

[Paul B]

My feeling is that I generally just want to agree with you that it's an awful piece of legislation; however I did read Daniel Finkelstein's column in The Times today,  which makes the reasonable point that the police need to be able to stop some protests,  including the ones with which we might happen to agree. His example is that most people think that Piers Corbyn being stopped from protesting (against lockdown,  masks and vaccines) is a good thing, but you can't approve of that but not some restrictions on other protests. He makes the point that it's only bad legislation if the police misuse it, and if you assume that they will, then they'll misuse any laws. I'm not swayed in favour of the bill, but it's a decent point.

Toby, yesterday driving out from the house I noticed a car in the carriageway. It had all four tyres slashed, the bonnet open and all of the windows out. It looked as if it'd been about 30 secs away from someone burning it out until they were disturbed. I called it in to Lancs Police as it was pretty darn foggy and the car was approaching a blind summit on a bit of road not wide enough to have a white line.

It was still there yesterday afternoon, so I pushed the Police a little via social media (including a photo of the vehicle). The response (within 20 mins) was to tell me that all was fine as the car was parked on a private car park and they'd attempted to contact the owner.

You might think that's just a simple mistake etc. but having dealt with them recently the level of incompetence seems pretty darn high (they're generally not very good at accepting criticism either; a heady mix).

The bill significantly lowers the threshold for Police to take action against protestors and they simply can't be trusted with it.

[spidermonkey09]

It was a mark of how far the country has fallen that May is now the voice of liberal conscience on the government benches

May then voted for the legislation...

You might think that's just a simple mistake etc. but having dealt with them recently the level of incompetence seems pretty darn high (they're generally not very good at accepting criticism either; a heady mix).

The bill significantly lowers the threshold for Police to take action against protestors and they simply can't be trusted with it.

This. Perhaps if we had an excellent, light touch and socially sensitive police force this bill might not be so bad. In reality we have an incompetent and defensive force who like throwing their weight around when their authority is challenged even remotely. As Paul says, the calibre of officer that seems to be common in the force cant be trusted with this additional power.