Posts

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WRONG

So Refrom have slagged off the deal with India which seems a lot better than the one the tories were attempting. They object to the NI waver that has also been given to 50 other countries. They are just trying to increase the racist rhetoric without attention to detail.

Also the stupid bastards are having a go at green energy -What is it with these morons? I understand complaints that it may add to energy bills, but long term makesabsolute sense economically and strategically. Tice actually said he following “We will attack, we will hinder, we will delay, we will put every hurdle in your way. Its going to cost you a fortune, and your not going to win. So give up and go away”. He failed to add that Lincolnshire benefited from £1 billion in investment and 12209 jobs. He also ignores the fact that his constituency is the one most at risk from floods in the UK. Oh well – he has conned local people already – so carry on. PS. Solar farms over 100mW, pylons over 2 miles long and a survey of Reform voters showed that 58% support new wind ans solar farms! BIGOTRY KNOWS NO LOGIC!

All this supports my theory that people do not really support Reform (well other han the racists and tax dodgers); but that they were just voicing disgust with the Tories 14 years of misrule and the fact that Labour had not delivered on change.

India and Pakistan will need to step back quickly. Modi promotes Hindu nationalistic populism at every opportunity. He is no unifier, therefore having an opponent to vent his rhetoric at is convenient. Pakistanis are no more guilty of supporting terrorism than Palestiniands in Gaza were guilty of the terrorism perpitrated by Hamas. At least 35000 Palestinians have died at the hands of Israeli – will Pakistanis and innocent Indians suffer the same fate.

We are still waiting for the white smoke to eminate from the Vatican. I guess that as leader of 1 billion people in a time of turmoil it does matter! Actually very much so. I am an atheist and do not mauch care for the bigotry that accompanies most/all religions. I guess that someone who is going to believe in some historical nonsense/fairy story, is also susceptable to bigotry and conspiracy theories? However I should say that the basic tennants of most religions is honourable and worthy. It is just that they seem to believe their faith is superior to all others and worth dying for?

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Planting

I have just put in some Chasmanthe – yellow and orange – we will see how they fare. i am still giving away tomato plants – 16 so far with at least 12 more promised – a good £100 worth! I also have nasturtiums and lemon coriander to plant out, and basil to give away. Wisteria and honeysuckle is lovely to sniff in early morning.

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MEMORIAL

So a new memorial to Queen Elizabeth II is planned – Uptown £46 million cost to tax payer! Fuck me – that is grotesque. OK I am not a royalist but acknowledge that she did little wrong during her expensive reign. So why not dedicate bit of Buck Palace, or one of their other palaces, castles or houses, gardens to children and get them to plant it (yes bus them in from different parts of the country (Cheaper) and open it to the public. Employ Monte to do the honours of helping with the planting. A living memorial would be so much nicer!

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KASHMIR

The year of the bully – is it stupid to blame Trump for the latest outbreak of violence between the two nuclear armed countries. The Indian in my shop was bubbling with pride that India has launched missiles against Pakistan. yes there was a terrorist attack on India last week – but what happened to diplomacy? Modi is in the Trump mode of being a bigot/bully as he has already shown within India. Does Apple really want to transfer iPhone production to India?

I am ever more bemused by Israel – how the fuck do they get away with it? They announce that they will destroy Gaza and basically ethnically cleanse the area – Is this for Trumps Mediterranean resort? It is fucking insane whatever! Oh, and the UK continues to make illegal arms sales, lying where necessary. Another example of this government carrying on the malpractise of the last one. It is no surprise that voters are looking for alternatives to both major parties – whilst the gullible vote for a private company takeover headed by kermit – the sensible are looking to Green and LibDem – although they have yet to prove themselves in government.

On the above – are the Labour and Conservative managers confident that the status quo will persist by sticking with First Past the Post, or will they see the advantages of PropRep? Or are the Conservatives happy to become Reform? Is my belief that the UK population is generally around the middle politically, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. With PR it would seem more likely that people would vote for smaller parties like the greens, but also reform/cons. Are Lab/Con hoping that Reform will split as it is showing signs of.

Interesting times, will Starmer hold Labour together despite his huge majority – dissatisfaction with his leadership is growing. Ed Miliband is under fire from RWPress so must be doing something right! Angela Rayner has not made the front page of the Mail or Telegraphbrecently – come on Angela – stair the bastards up!

And then the water companies. For fuck sake just nationalise the twats. Do not believe their excuses – I have predicted a great summer – not through algorithms – just common sense, a few shit ones are followed by a glorious one. How many houses and factories have been built? How many new reservoirs, by how much has leakeage been reduced? Capitalism is supposed to be about the survival of the best and demise of the worst. How fucking useless do the water companies have to be to go bust? Those Uni’s and pension funds will just have to take the loss. Workers will be re-employed whilst directors can be prosecuted. The public will support this . How many £billion have been paid out to shareholders and directors? And Labour will not nationalise them ! Why not, some bullshit about the UK being a safe place to invest? Let investors see that we are not a country to rip off (Trumpism!). A badly organised company is shit and will fail. The water companies cannot claim any major climate or environmental crisis! Just incompetence and avarice.

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BENEFITS

So Labour will go ahead with cuts. My thinking is that I am sure the system is being used by some, but do not punish all because of a few. The winter fuel payments dispute – easy, just add the money to pensions and then it can be taxed where appropriate, a cost effective ways of doing it. On the radio there was much bleating by people claiming double taxation and that the rich pay their taxes and spend their wealth. What the public want to see is that tax avoidance schemes are halted and that the disparity in wealth between rich and poor is reduced. A footballers wife was mugged for her watch and her handbag – the bag was worth £60000 – something is wrong here! Footballers deserve to get the largest share of the money going into football, the same way that musicians should be the main beneficiaries of the wealth they create. However put in a tax of 70% on top wage earners (and let it be over a 10 year period to allow for fluctuations and short periods of success. Treat bonus payments as wages and tax accordingly.

Above all can we emphasise the benefits gained through paying tax, and the costs of reducing it! To reduce the numbers receiving benefits, raise the minimum wage. Would anyone really object to higher tax and a higher threshold for paying tax?

Net Zero discussions are funded by the right wing – why? Ultimately peoples energy bills will fall – fucking no brainer! Whilst on the environment, the govt. will have to price road using to compensate for the lack of fuel tax. I am aware that EV users will pay on their energy consumption, but most of this will be to the energy companies. Also it makes sense to price per mile? Haulage companies do not get a subsidy at present so there should be no complications. The more you drive, the more you pay – basically that is the system now – it should be easy with technology available. I suppose those in rural areas will be penalised and I am not sure how to overcome this? But then they pay more anyway? And perhaps more likely to have solar panels?

On an irrelant matter! I fucking love my red t-shirt which has holes in sleeves and elsewhere! I have bought a couple and my striped B+W french ones are similar. I have to have a throw out soon of clothes no longer worn! Why do I have so many socks? Would clothes banks want washed socks?

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GARDEN

It seems silly to plant up more tomato plants when I have already done a dozen – How many tomatoes do I need! The same with the roses – my red ones will continue as before, but this year I have loads of yellow ones and maybe some black, white, pink, etc. It is always exciting to see what appears – I plant random bulbs and things and then forget about them. Last year it was evening primrose and chicory that I did not plant, and fennel that just appears in odd places, I did plant some 5 years ago and even found some plants in the gutter 50m down the street. Rosemary is slowly spreading as is the sage. Mints are variable and the labels for most have gone missing! Nasturtiums are doing well and so is the lemon coriander which is supposed to attract friendly predators.

Few birds in the dawn chorus again – just a loud blackbird and a couple of pigeons. Also no butterflies yet – I have stinging nettles and buddlia amongst everything but no sign yet – it is sunny but cold and windy today. just made some bread – OK’ish.

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POPULATION

Badenoch says that the UK needs more births. Last year there were 591.072 at a fertility rate of 1.44 (well below the rate of 2.1 needed for a stable population. The alternative is migration which we all know many Brits hate due to their racism. I hate binary answers! Is there an alternative? The simplistic one would be to kill old people! but being serious greater efficiency could provide a local answer. The other quandary is what to do with the growing number of potential migrants – war and environmental disasters are not diminishing, and as countries become more insular this will increase.

I have argued that the population of the UK is too high for environmental sustainability – however the imbalance in world finance means that more will need to be done to ensure that all species can live in harmony wherever they are. Wow that is soo hippy and 1970’s – I am so proud! Human movement and migration seem to be a human instinct so there will always be movement and a move towards but never achieving equilibrium. What is an optimum population will fluctuate with innovation and environmental impacts, as humans we are fortunately better equiped to deal with these fluctuations better than lemmings 9but it is not a sacriscant right!.

We are told that many jobs will disappear and also that 30% of the jobs an 11 year old will be doing, does not exist today! So Badenoch is being naive with her comments about a pressing problem. Like most/all our politicians there is no long term thinking. Is anyone able to project about what jobs will be needed for the 591072 babies lucky enough to (and I really mean it) have been born in the UK last year. Most manufacturing seems likely to be automated, Transport systems are following a similar pattern . Education may follow although the human seems to need socialisation processes to accompany learning ones. Heath and Social Care would seem to be a stumbling block to an economists guide to the future.

There is of course an alternative where we revert to my hippy nirvana!

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INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Swings to the centre by both Canada and Australia; both results that would not have been predicted pre-Trump. Pro-nationalist anti-USA is flourishing in Canada whist Australia veered away from the right wing Conservative candidate to the extent he lost his seat. We have not seen how Europe will react politically – will it become more unified against the tariffs imposed by Trump or will countries such as Hungary become more closely aligned with Moscow? For now Putin seems to have lost out to the minerals deal done by Ukraine with the USA. Wass Trump pushing for a similar deal with Russia? Trump is great at creating uncertainty so I will not hold my breath seeing if support for Ukraine continues.

Israel targets an unarmed boat carrying supplies for Gaza in international waters off Malta. The international community has got to rally against this hideous monstrocity of a government (but Trump is pushing a law which would mean upto 20 years jail for anyone boycotting Israel – the land of the free is becoming more shackled by the day.

China meanwhile is testing the waters by claiming an uninhabited island in disputed waters. I have still not worked out how China can hold so much of American debt whilst being nominal “enemies”. Economics seems to exist in a different dimension!

In Africa Morocco has given access to its ports to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – all military run states. The politics of the Maghreb region is largely unkown or at least uncared for by the UK being formerly part of the French Empire. The saharan region seems to be under increasing influence by ISIS, Russia, China whilst French influence retreats. Much of the region has long been an economic disaster area. High birth rate, high levels of poverty, climate change and unstable governments have meant a growing development gap for the region with the rest of the world. This applies especially to the land locked countries of Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Is Switzerland the only really successful landlocked country? So the vacuum left by France will be filled by? Not America or Europe so it is between China, Russia and quasi-arabic groups like ISIS?

More on other places that matter next time

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COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Reform have had a remarkable victory winning 532 seats whilst Cons lost 494 and Labour 144. in some ways I am glad – if it had to happen it is good that Reform will have to manage councils for 3 years before the next GE. As we know, Councils are facing a difficult time due to restraints on finance that have caused many to pare to the bone already. There will be talk, and talk. But walking the walk is going to be much more difficult. A war on woke may sound easy but are there really many examples over the top woeness? War on Net Zero would be interesting – what are they going to do? Rip off solar panels, dig for fossil fuels under county hall? War on immigration will be fascinating if it avoids violence and bloodshed. Councils have few powers over immigration if any. Could they introduce a whites only policy for jobs? With over 10% of the population being non-white a return to the sixties is not viable.

Reform have made promises and like Labour may find it hard to deliver? We should also not ignore the fact that the LibDems won more seats than Labour or Conservatives. And the greens moved above Labour in many areas.

Analysis of the results reveal a move from Tory to reform – which also reveals what we always knew – Tories are closet racists. A quick look and it appears that most councils that changed hands had been Conservative and moved to Reform. basically the tories appear fucked! And the councils up for grabs were generally midlands and north.

I will make an unscietific generalisation here (at least I am honest unlike the Media), was it small town prejudice and poverty that encourages people to vote for a party that always blames others. I have not seen a demographic breakdown of the results yet. There has also been no discussion about turnout.

So not all gloom, in fact a positive – could labour be forced to bring in PR? If they had to look to the LibDems and Greens to govern they might? It was good that the South-west held out aginst racism and fascism. The Mayorality election was a close call!