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Post by wb61 on Jan 25, 2024 8:53:54 GMT
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Post by barbara on Jan 25, 2024 8:55:42 GMT
I'm sure there are plenty of affluent and middle class people who abhorred austerity, just as there are many working class people who bought the austerity "maxed out credit card" argument that Osborne used. I've met many of them. We shouldn't be living beyond our means, most public spending is wasteful, Labour broke the bank etc etc Brexit fits these contradictions too. Class is no longer much of a guide to anything these days, certainly not political views and voting behaviours. I can't say I actually noticed 'austerity'. What exactly did it consist of? Serious question. EDIT - Sorry for the repetition but it needs saying often and loudlyAs a start practically all services for children adn the disadvantaged. Closure of almost all Sure Start Services which had a solid track record of supporting parenting and getting single and teenage mothers back into work, helping to socialise toddlers to reduce local antisocial behaviour. Almost total removal of youth services, including closure of youth centres leaving teenagers bored and on the streets and ripe for recruitment into drug gangs and almost total removal on street youth workers who worked with young people on the streets helping them into training course and work 60% reduction in local authority funding resulting in reduction in bin emptying, pothole filling, street and drain cleaning, street lighting and almost all non statutory services (i.e everything except education and children and adults social services which were drastically cut back as well Massive reductions in justice budget resulting in up to 5 years wait for trials and no support for victims during that time Huge reductions to Citizens Advice bureaus so people in need can't even get information on where help is. Reductions in all benefits except pensions If you give me half an hour I could produce a dozen more. That's the problem with selfish older people with ZERO empathy who don't have young children, don't need social services, have an untouched pension, drive everywhere so don't use busses or pavements etc etc "I'm All Right Jack" in its reductive state.
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Post by steamdrivenandy on Jan 25, 2024 8:56:41 GMT
Sda The first police vehicle I was allowed to drive, feel the speed! View AttachmentYou mean you weren't of the Velocette, Morris Minor Panda car generation?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2024 8:57:12 GMT
But none of them look good. Military big wigs saying we will be at war within years-civilians called up. This is NOT comforting continuity domjg ! And blaming it all on Facebook isnt going to help. ps-and like every other Conservative inclined DK right now , I'm really wanting to understand what Starmer will be because UK is looking like a comparative haven of political stability at present. Defence spending should be top priority at the moment. An absolute bare minimum would be to manufacture loads of ammo for the stuff we've given Ukraine, if we still have the capability, but also beef up the manpower in the forces. I don't know if this is true but I heard somewhere that potential recruits for the army are turned away if they have tattoos. In the modern world that must severely limit the potential pool. A general has been calling for a citizen's army. I'll sign up for the Home Guard part of it. I'd like to think of myself as a Private Walker, but probably nearer Godfrey in reality. 🤩 The silence after Gen. Sanders' speech is deafening. Is someone going to ask Starmer & Sunak what their response is ? Just read a very annoying article about Sunak's attitude to the military so I assume his response will be pointless. Anyway its Starmer who will cop for it all this year -particularly if Trump gets in over there. I think we ( by which I mean Europe) are sleepwalking into major shocks this year. The complacency is a re-run of the Russian gas disaster.
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Jan 25, 2024 9:06:21 GMT
Defence spending should be top priority at the moment. An absolute bare minimum would be to manufacture loads of ammo for the stuff we've given Ukraine, if we still have the capability, but also beef up the manpower in the forces. I don't know if this is true but I heard somewhere that potential recruits for the army are turned away if they have tattoos. In the modern world that must severely limit the potential pool. A general has been calling for a citizen's army. I'll sign up for the Home Guard part of it. I'd like to think of myself as a Private Walker, but probably nearer Godfrey in reality. 🤩 The silence after Gen. Sanders' speech is deafening. Is someone going to ask Starmer & Sunak what their response is ? Just read a very annoying article about Sunak's attitude to the military so I assume his response will be pointless. Anyway its Starmer who will cop for it all this year -particularly if Trump gets in over there. I think we ( by which I mean Europe) are sleepwalking into major shocks this year. The complacency is a re-run of the Russian gas disaster. Actually Sunak and Starmer did respond. Both ruled out introducing conscription. "Asked if Mr Sunak could rule out conscription, his spokesman said: "There is no suggestion of that. The Government has no intention to follow through with that. The British military has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force. There are no plans to change that."" www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/no10-steps-after-army-warns-31957046
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2024 9:07:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2024 9:09:38 GMT
The silence after Gen. Sanders' speech is deafening. Is someone going to ask Starmer & Sunak what their response is ? Just read a very annoying article about Sunak's attitude to the military so I assume his response will be pointless. Anyway its Starmer who will cop for it all this year -particularly if Trump gets in over there. I think we ( by which I mean Europe) are sleepwalking into major shocks this year. The complacency is a re-run of the Russian gas disaster. Actually Sunak and Starmer did respond. Both ruled out introducing conscription. "Asked if Mr Sunak could rule out conscription, his spokesman said: "There is no suggestion of that. The Government has no intention to follow through with that. The British military has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force. There are no plans to change that."" www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/no10-steps-after-army-warns-31957046Thanks. Lets hope Starmer doesnt live to regret saying it !. Sunak can say anything-it doesnt matter.
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Post by lululemonmustdobetter on Jan 25, 2024 9:16:48 GMT
I can't say I actually noticed 'austerity'. What exactly did it consist of? Serious question. Almost total removal of youth services, including closure of youth centres leaving teenagers bored and on the streets and ripe for recruitment into drug gangs and almost total removal on street youth workers who worked with young people on the streets helping them into training course and work Hi barbara . A dear friend of mine works in that sector in North London. She told me over a decade ago that the cuts to budgets in this area would lead to a massive increase in gang related knife crimes as effective and targeted early intervention programmes were cut.
Education in general has taken a massive hit - no real investment, teachers salaries have fallen significantly in real terms while at the same time having more responsibility piled on them and a government that is politically hostile to them. No wonder people are leaving the profession in droves. The gains made by the investment in education done under the Brown/Blair years has now gone. The legacy of Tory malign neglect will be felt for at least decade after they are kicked out. Those of us with children of school age, are not the demographic the Tories are trying to appeal to. But many of us will not forget what damage they have done.
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domjg
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Post by domjg on Jan 25, 2024 9:29:24 GMT
Almost total removal of youth services, including closure of youth centres leaving teenagers bored and on the streets and ripe for recruitment into drug gangs and almost total removal on street youth workers who worked with young people on the streets helping them into training course and work Hi barbara . A dear friend of mine works in that sector in North London. She told me over a decade ago that the cuts to budgets in this area would lead to a massive increase in gang related knife crimes as effective and targeted early intervention programmes were cut.
Education in general has taken a massive hit - no real investment, teachers salaries have fallen significantly in real times while at the same time having more responsibility piled on them and a government that is politically hostile to them. No wonder people are leaving the profession in droves. The gains made by the investment in education done under the Brown/Blair years has now gone. The legacy of Tory malign neglect will be felt for at least decade after they are kicked out. Those of us with children of school age, are not the demographic the Tories are trying to appeal to. But many of us will no forget what damage they have done.a thousand likes. The tories hostility to the state education system (going back to at least the eighties) is as despicable as it is utterly self-defeating for all of us. "Education, education, education" didn't have resonance for no reason and it would have even more resonance today. We've been living under a government governing mainly for the interests of the retired and asset rich and completely against the interests of the young, of families with school age children and against most people of working age. Time to revolt.
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Post by pete on Jan 25, 2024 9:35:04 GMT
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steve
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Post by steve on Jan 25, 2024 9:43:04 GMT
wb61Indeed it is. The one we had as a General purpose vehicle at West end central had the easy access option when you operated the door handle the door fell off!
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steve
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Post by steve on Jan 25, 2024 9:49:44 GMT
Sda When they suggested this one I knew it was time to hang up my handcuffs
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Post by wb61 on Jan 25, 2024 9:52:22 GMT
wb61 Indeed it is. The one we had as a General purpose vehicle at West end central had the easy access option when you operated the door handle the door fell off! I thought so, my grandfather had one, it was off the road with faults more than it was on it, that said he then had a Triumph 2000 which never had a fault and only needed regular servicing: Karma I suppose!
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domjg
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Post by domjg on Jan 25, 2024 10:09:10 GMT
The largest NATO exercise since the eighties, Steadfast Defender apparently begins this week. Should hopefully make for some interesting movements on Flightradar24.com. There's in the last few weeks been a large amount of military movement (obviously FR only shows aircraft with transponders turned on) both fighters (Typhoon Eurofighters, US F-15/16s) and tankers over the eastern UK and North Sea where the Russians like to try to provoke with long range bombers.
Currently three large Russian govt IL-96s heading from Moscow to Kaliningrad via the gulf of Finland for anyone else as sad as me when it comes to planes..
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Jan 25, 2024 10:18:09 GMT
Sda The first police vehicle I was allowed to drive, feel the speed! View AttachmentMine was a 2 seater mini van, prisoners, I kid you not, had to go in the back Sergeants and Inspector had a Morris Marina, which was considered a 'luxury ' car in the station
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:20:53 GMT
Rather depends how you look at this, the results say only 18% say the US is not providing enough aid. The fact of the matter is the war has been running for 2 years and its currently a stalemate, with it seems advantage moving towards Russia. So the current level of aid is inadequate to win the war for Ukraine and they need more... but only 18% of americans think they should get it. if the current situation continues, they will lose. The pollsters also report that the number saying too much aid is being given has grown steadily over time, so presumably will continue to do so. Congress already chose to block the latest aid package, and they would not have done so had they believed it was a vote loser. Sure, the republican side is least supportive of Ukraine, but they did not do this at the outset of the war, its symptomatic opposition to continuing is growing. The problem with polling is the questions, they dont seem to have asked whether they support giving much more aid because without it Ukraine will lose. So the real question for any president is to try to give more so as to win, or how to disengage. The US has a now long history of disliking stalemated wars. The commentator in question might have been incorrect in detail, but as a summary of the situation she seems to have been correct. The US has never aided ukraine enough to win quickly, currently doesn't seem to be aiding enough to win at all, and only 20% support giving more. Public opinion is turning against this effort. Oh, and if europe really wanted Ukraine to win, it has had two years in which it could have BUILT arms factories to supply them.
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Post by isa on Jan 25, 2024 10:22:55 GMT
Ah the large Farina - beautiful. Only otherwise available as Austin and Van den Plas IIRC Absolutely. The virtually identical Austin Westminster and Vanden Plas Princess 3 litre. I always preferred the Wolseley, though. Beautiful styling.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:24:33 GMT
Those Brexit bonuses keep on coming. "IFS says next UK government faces worst fiscal inheritance in 70 years" To be fair, it was a choice to have a covid recession caused by world lockdowns. We could have simply carried on and not had that cut to output plus piling up of debt. And the evidence is the outcome would have been much the same except for less debt and more growth.
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Post by robbiealive on Jan 25, 2024 10:26:04 GMT
Conscription. Surely in the evebt of mobilization the regulars are a perfect fit for the Home Guard. This has probably run before in my absence: but everything is endlessly repeated on this site: UKPR: the R stands for repetition. The following is the cast lsit, each with an understudy where appropriate Capt Mainwaring colin / colin Serg Wilson robbiealive / wb61 Fraser: oldnat / any living adult relation of oldnat Private Walker: crossbat11 /Crofty/ jimjam 's son / steve Godfrey - mercian / mercian Corp Jones - mercian / jen Private Pike - Danny / pjw1961 Hodge Air Raid Warden - c-a-r-f-r-e-w Vicar graham / Mr Poppy Verger - Mr Poppy / graham Women's parts: pretty marginal I' afraid, but parts for everyone Mainwaring wife jen / jen Pike's Mother barbara / Lakeland Lass Jones's Fiancee lululemonmustdobetter / mandolinist As I hv said before one perfect reason for being born British is that we males were relieved of the farce of national service which hung over the European youth I used to meet in my early travels like a prison sentence. In terms of avoiding non-pecuniary disadvantage it was worth a fortune.
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Post by wb61 on Jan 25, 2024 10:28:47 GMT
Ah the large Farina - beautiful. Only otherwise available as Austin and Van den Plas IIRC Absolutely. The virtually identical Austin Westminster and Vanden Plas Princess 3 litre. I always preferred the Wolseley, though. Beautiful styling. In the 1970's petrol crisis (remember the ration books) my uncle thought it wasn't going to last very long and thought he had bought an absolute bargain in a Vanden Plas Princess 4 litre R; I think I sat in it about 4 times before he sold it for scrap (couldn't find another mug buyer like him). If he had held on to it for a few years it would have been worth quite a bit I would have thought, but no garage to store it in.
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Jan 25, 2024 10:28:51 GMT
Yougov, no change from last week, but that was a very good week for Labour
Labour lead at 27 points in latest YouGov poll for The Times
CON 20 (=) LAB 47 (=) LIB DEM 8 (=) REF UK 13 (+1) GREEN 6 (-1)
Fieldwork 23 - 24 January
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Post by isa on Jan 25, 2024 10:36:31 GMT
Who was he? I've only heard of Cardinal Wolsey. He had a carriage with a little white light on the front with his name on it. My dad had a grey 6/90 back in the day. I remember he had it converted from column gear change to stick shift but the gearstick wasn't on the transmission tunnel but by the front offside corner of the drivers seat. Apparently it was a conversion that the police insisted on for their cars because they never ran column change vehicles. All the 6/90's had an upholstered cut out on the corner on the driver's seat to accommodate the gearstick movement. Back in the days of Doxin of Dick Green. Evenin' all. Wolseleys, (usually black), were the cars of choice for the police for decades, culminating in the 6/110 in the '60s.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:37:36 GMT
You used to insist that the Ukraine war was all a cunning trap set up the West to lure Putin into an unwinnable war. My reasoning was that win lose or draw the west would benefit from the war. If ukraine fell to Russia, well we didnt really care, and it would galvanise the west to boost its defences where it does care. If Ukraine won it would be an utterly embarassing defeat for Putin possibly causing his removal from office. Which leaves the issue of a draw. This still has the benefit of galvanising the west to defend itself better, the expansion of NATO and it taking more responsibility for its own security. A draw eventually becomes a set draw, eg Putin is stopped where he is now, or it eventually resolves to a win or loss. A loss where Putin now takes the whole country still has the benefits mentioned above. Putin might have siezed the wheat (which we never even knew existed before), but ultimately the world supply stays the same whether Russia is selling it or ukraine.
The whole of western strategy has been predicated on no long drawn out war. But Russia just about managed to move to this, not least because it has enough support from external countries including at least a blind eye from China, a welcoming market for cheap oil, and some significant military aid from places hating the US.
I still think whatever the outcome western military will welcome the fact it happened because it will improve their position. In some ways a Ukrainian win would be rather analogous to the reunification of germany, where after the event it seems the locals have a rather different outlook which itself causes problems.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:38:37 GMT
Mind you I preferred it to the last thing they let me drive. View Attachment When handed the first vehicle I suspect you were armed with no more than a big stick, whereas with the bigger vehicle it was stuffed full of weaponry?
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:45:52 GMT
Actually Sunak and Starmer did respond. Both ruled out introducing conscription. Conscription is pointless unless you are seeking to train a national militia where every adult has the experience to just pick up weapons and fight. If that isnt going to happen then its better to not waste your remaining soldiers time teaching people to be soldiers, which wthey will mostly have forgotten by the time of an actual war and wont be very good at anyway. The west has assumed it would take too long to seriously call up millions of people and get them back into shape to fight a war, rather it decided to have enough troops collectively to hold off Russia. The problem is that total keeps going down, whereas at least right now the Russian total is going up. Having trained them, unless Ukraine is a defeat, they will be available for future wars elsewhere.
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Jan 25, 2024 10:53:18 GMT
Ah but brexit solved all that. Didnt it? They said it would!
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Jan 25, 2024 10:56:05 GMT
Latest Yougov Voting intention by age says a lot about the current state of politics
18-24: Con 9, Lab 60, Ref 3 25-49: Con 14, Lab 57, Ref 8 50-64: Con 20, Lab 49, Ref 14 65+ : Con 35, Lab 25, Ref 22
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Post by steamdrivenandy on Jan 25, 2024 11:01:54 GMT
He had a carriage with a little white light on the front with his name on it. My dad had a grey 6/90 back in the day. I remember he had it converted from column gear change to stick shift but the gearstick wasn't on the transmission tunnel but by the front offside corner of the drivers seat. Apparently it was a conversion that the police insisted on for their cars because they never ran column change vehicles. All the 6/90's had an upholstered cut out on the corner on the driver's seat to accommodate the gearstick movement. Back in the days of Doxin of Dick Green. Evenin' all. Wolseleys, (usually black), were the cars of choice for the police for decades, culminating in the 6/110 in the '60s. All replete with bell on the front, rather like GWR 6000 King George V which still has it's bell in the museum in Swindon. It was fitted when KGV went over to the US for an exhibition in the '30's. Today's piece of useless information.
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Post by steamdrivenandy on Jan 25, 2024 11:05:07 GMT
Latest Yougov Voting intention by age says a lot about the current state of politics 18-24: Con 9, Lab 60, Ref 3 25-49: Con 14, Lab 57, Ref 8 50-64: Con 20, Lab 49, Ref 14 65+ : Con 35, Lab 25, Ref 22 A fanciful thought but I wonder how many people seeing the Ref abbreviation immediately think it stands for referendum not reform.
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steve
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Post by steve on Jan 25, 2024 11:08:09 GMT
I remember my dad when I was a lad bringing this back after a good sales month . Any ideas?
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