Is it a shit hole because there’s nothing to do and no jobs? Well that’s fair.

But if we’re going to build more houses and towns then we need to get that part right as well. Drawing all the wealth and life of the country into the South isn’t great in the long term.

Do this but… Build a new fucking city you bastards! Including all the infrastructure and housing and high street and transport.

There was an interesting comment in the previous post about this. Whilst conspiracy nonsense is often quite common here on Lemmy I do feel in this case it’s pretty accurate of what’s going on.

Lammy and his French counterpart were recently in Israel having high level meetings with the Israeli government. No doubt the topic of on going support from the UK & France came up and no doubt Lammy would have mentioned that it doesn’t look good politically in the UK to still have these licenses for arms to kill Palestinians. The US is being particularly quiet on this one given the election but a Trump team member recently said something to the effect of “The UK can get fucked if it stops selling arms to Israel… I tell you hwat”.

So, to me, this really does feel like the UK trying to balance politics at home and abroad. Even the way Lammy sheepishly apologised for suspending a tiny fraction of arms sales to Israel. Just enough to placate the voters at home whilst trying not to damage inward investment from countries that fully support Israel’s campaign (i.e. the US and Israel itself).

It’s a state owned funding company for projects if I recall correctly. Not an actual energy company which is what people on the left want. For the state to run everything.

Obviously welcomed news but the interesting point that commentators are calling out is this:

However, the total capacity of offshore wind projects secured may not yet be enough to meet the UK’s stretching target of decarbonising electricity supplies by 2030.

Industry had previously argued that this round, and the next one, would need to deliver about 10GW of offshore wind capacity each to keep the sector on track with government targets.

Today’s news shows confidence in the sector and in government stability after the lacklustre auction of last year under the previous administration.

Good starting point but we need more. Well done Ed.

Correct

Best country in the world. sobs

Of course you’ll all write to your MP and protest, right? Right? 😉

Sure, there’s a strong case for alcohol too. But most medical experts over the past forty years or more agree that smoking is by far worse.

Being addicted to smoking as a poor person is not only putting an immense burden on your health (one that you’re going to lose) but on your finances too. I don’t know where you live but here in th UK smoking isn’t exactly cheap. Even if you take the view that you’re an adult and it’s your choice, it still puts a massive burden on the health service. So I’d be favour of you continuing to smoke out of choice if you covered your medical bills for life and didn’t burden the NHS, for example.

I think it’s right that government incentives healthier life choices but sometimes it’s also right that they take firmer action. I feel this is one of those cases. Just like raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes each year until nobody is eligible. That’s not to say they can’t do any of the other educational pieces at the same time.

Seriously though smoking bans are dumb and just lead to more ways to punish poor people.

I think by now there’s a strong case that smoking in general punishes people. Not just the poor.

criticising the Home Office for ‘woeful’ budget figures under the Tories that underestimated asylum costs

I’ve said it once I’ll say it again. The HomeOffice is utterly incompetent. Don’t expect this to change under Labour. It’s an institutional problem that needs root and branch reform.

People want it without being eligible. And they don’t want the government to means test them. That’s the bottom line.

On a related point I never understood the argument that means testing automatically must be ruled out on expense grounds. The old rebuttal is “means testing costs money and it would be cheaper not to means test and just pay everyone”. But I don’t understand why you can’t build a means testing service / system once and reuse it for all such benefits like this. Surely as a government you can be competent enough to quickly and efficiently prove that someone is or isn’t eligible and make this decision cheaply. Apparently not 😕.

Yeah that’s fair, I did say I thought this might take a parliament or four. That’s on the lower end of a generation but I agree this isn’t something that will be easily achievable in the current climate.

What would be nice to see is stronger push back on arguments driving away cooperation and closer alignment in the meantime. That is totally in our gift to do, Keir just needs the will to do it.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that 😅

Yup fully agree with those points. I would be majorly surprised if in this parliament Keir even announced an intent for something like that. I suspect, if he does, it will be a third or fourth parliament thing. Unfortunately he needs to be pumping on all cylinders by then otherwise any government will be out on their heels.

Good. He then needs to grow a backbone (something successive PMs haven’t) and tell people to fuck right off we’re rejoining. It might take a parliament or four, but someone needs to stand up to the Brexit loonies in the Tory South and Labour North.

My friend… Do the maths. It’s not exactly difficult. 😂😂😂

Yes, that part was obvious.

However hyperbolic misrepresentation doesn’t help this argument. 😉

28 billion will seem like a great bargain… but then it’ll cost trillions

Are you expecting an inflation rate of 111% in the next five years? 😂

17 years old. Damn. What a fine life.

Full state honours.

tut These Tories at it again … Oh wait, what? Labour?!