Snap General Election called

[Sandydragon]

The other thing with privatised utilities is that the government has given away one of its major economic levers. At the moment, we've got a massive cost of living crisis and ridiculous inflation and the only tools that the government has to deal with it are all by squashing the demand - fighting wage/benefit/pension rises and raising interest rates, none of which are particularly great for getting us out of a recession (and that's not thinking about the fact that fighting payrises is the government effectively saying that the poor starving is an acceptable solution to curb inflation damaging the value of capital).

If gas, electric, water, and trains were in public hands, then they'd have another tool - suppressing price rises, or even instituting price drops. It'd be costly, but probably less costly than the hit to growth that will come from suppressing demand.

Puja

They could also subsidise the r utility companies and enforce a price cap that was underpinned by public money.

[Puja]

The other thing with privatised utilities is that the government has given away one of its major economic levers. At the moment, we've got a massive cost of living crisis and ridiculous inflation and the only tools that the government has to deal with it are all by squashing the demand - fighting wage/benefit/pension rises and raising interest rates, none of which are particularly great for getting us out of a recession (and that's not thinking about the fact that fighting payrises is the government effectively saying that the poor starving is an acceptable solution to curb inflation damaging the value of capital).

If gas, electric, water, and trains were in public hands, then they'd have another tool - suppressing price rises, or even instituting price drops. It'd be costly, but probably less costly than the hit to growth that will come from suppressing demand.

Puja

They could also subsidise the r utility companies and enforce a price cap that was underpinned by public money.

In theory yes, although that's got a lot more steps and a lot more places for money to leave the system, especially since utility companies' main raison d'etre is "make money" rather than "do what the government wants". Far easier to have your hand on the wheel than it is to bribe the person with the hand on the wheel to steer the way you want.

Puja

[Stom]

The other thing with privatised utilities is that the government has given away one of its major economic levers. At the moment, we've got a massive cost of living crisis and ridiculous inflation and the only tools that the government has to deal with it are all by squashing the demand - fighting wage/benefit/pension rises and raising interest rates, none of which are particularly great for getting us out of a recession (and that's not thinking about the fact that fighting payrises is the government effectively saying that the poor starving is an acceptable solution to curb inflation damaging the value of capital).

If gas, electric, water, and trains were in public hands, then they'd have another tool - suppressing price rises, or even instituting price drops. It'd be costly, but probably less costly than the hit to growth that will come from suppressing demand.

Puja

They could also subsidise the r utility companies and enforce a price cap that was underpinned by public money.

In theory yes, although that's got a lot more steps and a lot more places for money to leave the system, especially since utility companies' main raison d'etre is "make money" rather than "do what the government wants". Far easier to have your hand on the wheel than it is to bribe the person with the hand on the wheel to steer the way you want.

Puja

You could always do what the Hungarian government has done in a similar situation, but with nationalised/part-nationalised utilities and transport...

Raise utility bills by 400% (nationalised industry)
Put a government funded price cap on petrol (not a nationalised industry) and chicken (again, not nationalised)
Fight to keep wages low to make sure Hungary is the go to place for Shared Service Centres looking for slave labour that isn't Indian
Kill off sole traderships
Aggressively fight the corporation tax increases led by Biden
Cut funding to Budapest by 200%
Raise government levy on Budapest controlled public transport by 200%
Budapest therefore has no choice but to increase ticket prices...

Yay, dictatorship FTW

[Puja]

They could also subsidise the r utility companies and enforce a price cap that was underpinned by public money.

In theory yes, although that's got a lot more steps and a lot more places for money to leave the system, especially since utility companies' main raison d'etre is "make money" rather than "do what the government wants". Far easier to have your hand on the wheel than it is to bribe the person with the hand on the wheel to steer the way you want.

Puja

You could always do what the Hungarian government has done in a similar situation, but with nationalised/part-nationalised utilities and transport...

Raise utility bills by 400% (nationalised industry)
Put a government funded price cap on petrol (not a nationalised industry) and chicken (again, not nationalised)
Fight to keep wages low to make sure Hungary is the go to place for Shared Service Centres looking for slave labour that isn't Indian
Kill off sole traderships
Aggressively fight the corporation tax increases led by Biden
Cut funding to Budapest by 200%
Raise government levy on Budapest controlled public transport by 200%
Budapest therefore has no choice but to increase ticket prices...

Yay, dictatorship FTW

Wow. That doesn't even look like the ruthlessly getting what they want of an autocracy, but instead random flailing. What's the endgame of all that?

Puja

[Stom]

In theory yes, although that's got a lot more steps and a lot more places for money to leave the system, especially since utility companies' main raison d'etre is "make money" rather than "do what the government wants". Far easier to have your hand on the wheel than it is to bribe the person with the hand on the wheel to steer the way you want.

Puja

You could always do what the Hungarian government has done in a similar situation, but with nationalised/part-nationalised utilities and transport...

Raise utility bills by 400% (nationalised industry)
Put a government funded price cap on petrol (not a nationalised industry) and chicken (again, not nationalised)
Fight to keep wages low to make sure Hungary is the go to place for Shared Service Centres looking for slave labour that isn't Indian
Kill off sole traderships
Aggressively fight the corporation tax increases led by Biden
Cut funding to Budapest by 200%
Raise government levy on Budapest controlled public transport by 200%
Budapest therefore has no choice but to increase ticket prices...

Yay, dictatorship FTW

Wow. That doesn't even look like the ruthlessly getting what they want of an autocracy, but instead random flailing. What's the endgame of all that?

Puja

Make life so terrible for the "liberal elite" that they (we) all fuck off and leave Hungary to the racist, sexist scumbags.

Oh, did you not hear? Mixed race marriage shouldn't be allowed. Yeah. Our Viktator was up there on a podium basically quoting Mein fucking Kampf, and being cheered for it.

[Zhivago]

It doesn't work. The companies would just provision for a fine and pass the cost onto their customers.

Which has been the case for donkeys years.

The cost of the fine is less than the cost of the maintenance, and you rarely have to pay the fine anyway.
The odd fine is just baked in as the cost of doing business, and way, WAY less than the cost of doing the work.

Lack of maintenance surely in this case:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ght-crisis

[Puja]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

At the same time, she set out her own view of Jewish values, saying: “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

At the same time, she set out her own view of Jewish values, saying: “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

I'm just waiting to hear her explain what Welsh values are. If she can stereotype Jews then it's my right as a Welshman to be similarly stereotyped.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

At the same time, she set out her own view of Jewish values, saying: “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

As you highlight, she is actually enacting an example of contemporary antisemitism according to the IHRA:

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical
allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective —
such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish
conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or
other societal institutions.

(Obviously the IHRA working definition is ridiculous, but Truss's government is signed up to it.)

[morepork]

Yet another public servant attempting to cash in on the tired misdirected "woke" trope. Is this really the limit of nuance in policy debate? Just fuck these people.

[Zhivago]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

At the same time, she set out her own view of Jewish values, saying: “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

I'm just waiting to hear her explain what Welsh values are. If she can stereotype Jews then it's my right as a Welshman to be similarly stereotyped.

If she manages to avoid ovine references then she'll already be less racist than the majority of the English.

[Puja]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

At the same time, she set out her own view of Jewish values, saying: “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

As you highlight, she is actually enacting an example of contemporary antisemitism according to the IHRA:

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical
allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective —
such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish
conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or
other societal institutions.

(Obviously the IHRA working definition is ridiculous, but Truss's government is signed up to it.)

I think her tortured stretch to link the Civil Service anti-semitism also requires a belief that criticism of Israel is the same as criticism of Jews, which is also anti-semitism according to the IHRA.

Really, it's just incredibly special all around. She's not playing to us though; she's playing to the 180k Conservative party members that're voting between her and Sunak and, frankly, thome members are only really anti-anti-semitism because they've been told that's a bad Labour thing by the Times and Telegraph. I'm surprised she didn't chuck "socialist" into the word salad as well.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Jesus Fuck, Liz: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ke-culture

This bit especially:

Liz Truss worries about racism against those Jewish people who she knows just want to be left alone to start businesses and earn lots of money. Spectacular.

Puja

As you highlight, she is actually enacting an example of contemporary antisemitism according to the IHRA:

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical
allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective —
such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish
conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or
other societal institutions.

(Obviously the IHRA working definition is ridiculous, but Truss's government is signed up to it.)

I think her tortured stretch to link the Civil Service anti-semitism also requires a belief that criticism of Israel is the same as criticism of Jews, which is also anti-semitism according to the IHRA.

Really, it's just incredibly special all around. She's not playing to us though; she's playing to the 180k Conservative party members that're voting between her and Sunak and, frankly, thome members are only really anti-anti-semitism because they've been told that's a bad Labour thing by the Times and Telegraph. I'm surprised she didn't chuck "socialist" into the word salad as well.

Puja

Yup, it's amazing how many would-be anti-antisemites actually show themselves to be the opposite by that method.

Any stick to beat the civil service with will do. After all, with a country in this bad shape after 12 years of Tory rule there has to be some reason. Other than the obvious one.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Truss has it sewn up with a 22 point lead:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... e-minister

But two thirds of Tory members would prefer Johnson back! Hilarious.

Also, as in the country as a whole, so to in the microcosm of the Tory party, the old fuck over the young:

Truss’s support is particularly strong among older Conservative members, while Sunak’s is far higher among younger ones. Among over-65s Truss is 40 points ahead, whereas she is eight points behind Sunak among the under-50s.

All that Thatcher cosplay has done its work.

[Puja]

Truss has it sewn up with a 22 point lead:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... e-minister

But two thirds of Tory members would prefer Johnson back! Hilarious.

Also, as in the country as a whole, so to in the microcosm of the Tory party, the old fuck over the young:

Truss’s support is particularly strong among older Conservative members, while Sunak’s is far higher among younger ones. Among over-65s Truss is 40 points ahead, whereas she is eight points behind Sunak among the under-50s.

All that Thatcher cosplay has done its work.

2% of those polled were willing to admit that the main reason they supported Truss because she was white/British/English. And that's just those for whom race (and nationality, apparently?!) was the main factor, not taking into account those for whom it was an important secondary consideration or those who didn't feel like admitting it on a survey.

These are the people choosing our next Prime Minister.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Truss has it sewn up with a 22 point lead:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... e-minister

But two thirds of Tory members would prefer Johnson back! Hilarious.

Also, as in the country as a whole, so to in the microcosm of the Tory party, the old fuck over the young:

Truss’s support is particularly strong among older Conservative members, while Sunak’s is far higher among younger ones. Among over-65s Truss is 40 points ahead, whereas she is eight points behind Sunak among the under-50s.

All that Thatcher cosplay has done its work.

2% of those polled were willing to admit that the main reason they supported Truss because she was white/British/English. And that's just those for whom race (and nationality, apparently?!) was the main factor, not taking into account those for whom it was an important secondary consideration or those who didn't feel like admitting it on a survey.

These are the people choosing our next Prime Minister.

Puja

Being uncharacteristically charitable, I think a small part of that 2% might have some vaguely legitimate concerns about Sunak's commitment to the UK, what with his recent green card status and his non-dom wife. On the less charitable side, for every one who was willing to admit to racism, I'm sure plenty more were less honest (with the survey and/or themselves).

[Which Tyler]

​JRM, principal proponent of Cancel culture
https://archive.ph/FFMK4

UK civil servants have been ordered to trawl through the social media accounts of guest speakers at one government ministry, including going back up to five years to see if they have ever criticised government policy, as part of a new vetting process.
The new Cabinet Office rules cover the vetting of outsiders coming into the department to take part in “learning and development” events and urge managers to carefully check the backgrounds of such guests.
...
article continues

​

[Which Tyler]

Shocking revelations

[Son of Mathonwy]

Shocking revelations

And ironic from a government that proudly signed an agreement which . . . drove a wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

I wonder what great revelations Truss might make about the SNP??

[canta_brian]

Shocking revelations

And ironic from a government that proudly signed an agreement which . . . drove a wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

I wonder what great revelations Truss might make about the SNP??

Truss went to Oxford university. Honestly it makes you wonder doesn’t it.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Shocking revelations

And ironic from a government that proudly signed an agreement which . . . drove a wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

I wonder what great revelations Truss might make about the SNP??

Truss went to Oxford university. Honestly it makes you wonder doesn’t it.

I don't think Truss is as dim as she often appears, however it doesn't take great genius to get a PPE degree - just a relatively shallow knowledge of politics, philosophy and economics.

[cashead]

Yep. Always assume they’re hiding what they may be packing, and that she doesn’t give a fuck what you think about her, because she’s not talking to you. It’s not like you’ll vote for her anyway.

[Which Tyler]

[Mikey Brown]

Is that actually accurate?

[Puja]

Is that actually accurate?

A bit of research suggests that it's sort of true without really meaning what Ken is implying. The price cap in some EU countries is £37 per mega watt hour, however that is not an EU-wide restriction and, if we were in the EU, our cap would not be £37. The lower figure is partly because the continental electricity market is much more interconnected, so they can spread demand and acquire cheaper energy, partly because of more sensible policies on energy in the last 10 years, and partly because they pay for their energy in Euros, which haven't undergone an inexplicable yet dramatic drop in value against the dollar over the past 6 years.

So yeah, partly Brexit, but not in the way he's implying.

Puja