The brits are in for a rough ride

[Fenixgoon]

Leaving aside the issue of moving from where one grew up (and feels that one belongs). Is anything really gained for society if people have to move to places where there are no jobs, and then become unemployed, because they can't afford to live anywhere near where their employment is?

wage slavery. great for the oligarch class

 

[fskimospy]

The flambe you just got above is why people don't take your generation seriously anymore. You're very out of touch and don't realize it. Relative to now, you've lived a life of extreme luxury and opportunity and don't even realize it. Most of us born after 1980 have, and will, live paycheck to paycheck our entire lives. You'll likely die never realizing the wealth of life you lived.

I remember my wife’s dad asking her why she was talking out student loans when her PhD was ‘fully funded’ as his was fully funded and he was fine.

He apparently did not realize that ‘fully funded’ today meant an income of $18k a year, from which you still had to pay for books, fees, etc.

If you look at the main reason for the increase in price in state school prices it’s a decline in government support. Ie: the boomers didn’t want to pay for it.

 

[MrSquished]

The UK and the USA are historically intertwined in very deep ways. The other way they are quite intertwined is that both have a conservative party that is full of shitty shitty shitty fucking people.

I don't know who's more disgusting the Tories or the GQP. Either way it's a race to the bottom of a sewage discharge pond.

 

[evident]

Well of course they do - did you think the boomers were actually going to admit that they took advantage of public programs to get them an education and such, only to pull the ladder up behind themselves?

Or admit that they want to cut social security, but only for their kids and not themselves?

Or say, ignore climate change when it could have been handled at far lower cost?

Or say, take advantage of plentiful housing that was built with very few restrictions before their time, only to then ban new housing construction around them, impoverishing their kids’ generation?

nah, it’s probably the avocado toast.

Don't forget the $700 cell phones that they are buying instead of paying for a house

 

[pmv]

I don't know who's more disgusting the Tories or the GQP. Either way it's a race to the bottom of a sewage discharge pond.

Until recently, at least until Brexit and the last days of Cameron, I'd have said it was clear the Republicans were a whole magnitude more crazy. Even with Trump vs Johnson I'd have said the American was the more out-of-touch with reality.

But Johnson was just an intermediate stage. From his ascendancy (and his purges) onwards, the Tories have started to go full alt-right, engaging in US style 'culture wars' and open racism. Effectively they've suffered a full take-over by UKIP. It's not so much the right-wing xenomorph bursting out of their moderate-centre-right chest, a closer analogy would be full assimilation following initial contamination, ala The Thing. Nigel Farage being the equivalent of that husky running across the snowfield.

 

[Timorous]

Until recently, at least until Brexit and the last days of Cameron, I'd have said it was clear the Republicans were a whole magnitude more crazy. Even with Trump vs Johnson I'd have said the American was the more out-of-touch with reality.

But Johnson was just an intermediate stage. From his ascendancy (and his purges) onwards, the Tories have started to go full alt-right, engaging in US style 'culture wars' and open racism. Effectively they've suffered a full take-over by UKIP. It's not so much the right-wing xenomorph bursting out of their moderate-centre-right chest, a closer analogy would be full assimilation following initial contamination, ala The Thing. Nigel Farage being the equivalent of that husky running across the snowfield.

On the bright side though their support is collapsing and they are on course for a historic loss at the next GE.

 

[pmv]

On the bright side though their support is collapsing and they are on course for a historic loss at the next GE.

Yeah, hopefully it will be a flamethrower of an election, burning the party to a crisp. What worries me is that 'voter ID' thing they passed. That might ensure the defeat isn't quite as total as it needs to be. In any case, might be left with a rump hard-right party led by Braverman.

 

[pmv]

Someone with more meme skills than me needs to rework this scene, with "Tory Party" and "UKIP" instead of "human cells" and "dog cells".

 

[fskimospy]

Someone with more meme skills than me needs to rework this scene, with "Tory Party" and "UKIP" instead of "human cells" and "dog cells".

Don’t sully the good name of the thing by saying it would associate with those monsters.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Don’t sully the good name of the thing by saying it would associate with those monsters.

Idk, the chair scene but the thing is MAGA and poor masticated bastard is Conservatives sounds pretty on-point to me.

 

[pmv]

Hmm, hopefully another Tory Byelection disaster looms

Labour prepares to force byelection if Tory MP Peter Bone suspended

Party to encourage Wellingborough voters to sign petition if Commons votes to suspend Bone on Wednesday

www.theguardian.com

As they won't give us a general election (at least not til Jan 2025 when they either have to have an election or abandon parliamentary democracy entirely), the only hope would seem to be for another 30 or so Tory MPs to commit serious sexual offenses or to quit out of sheer petulance.

 

[Timorous]

Hmm, hopefully another Tory Byelection disaster looms

Labour prepares to force byelection if Tory MP Peter Bone suspended

Party to encourage Wellingborough voters to sign petition if Commons votes to suspend Bone on Wednesday

www.theguardian.com

As they won't give us a general election (at least not til Jan 2025 when they either have to have an election or abandon parliamentary democracy entirely), the only hope would seem to be for another 30 or so Tory MPs to commit serious sexual offenses or to quit out of sheer petulance.

Maybe Truss and her backers (how she has any I have no clue) will vote down the budget... Nah that actually requires a spine which is not something the Tories seem to poses.

 

[WelshBloke]

...the only hope would seem to be for another 30 or so Tory MPs to commit serious sexual offenses or to quit out of sheer petulance.

I mean that's not out of the bounds of expectation!

Watching the Tories die by a thousand cuts is entertaining in a way, shame they are screwing the country in the process.

 

[Greenman]

Yeah, hopefully it will be a flamethrower of an election, burning the party to a crisp. What worries me is that 'voter ID' thing they passed. That might ensure the defeat isn't quite as total as it needs to be. In any case, might be left with a rump hard-right party led by Braverman.

I had no idea the UK had passed voter I.D. requirements. It's going to be really interesting to see if it reflects any changes in turn out or party affiliation.

 

[dank69]

This should help conservative popularity a bunch:

I know everyone I know, liberal and conservative alike, really want bankers to be able to make a decent living finally. One of our top priorities.

 

[pmv]

This should help conservative popularity a bunch:

I know everyone I know, liberal and conservative alike, really want bankers to be able to make a decent living finally. One of our top priorities.

I thought they'd already lifted the cap on bankers' bonuses? My understanding is that was the one part of Truss/Kwartang's disasterous budget that wasn't immediately rescinded?
I don't think they care about their popularity any more, I suspect they are resigned to losing the next election, so they just want to enrich themselves and their pals as much as possible in the time they have left.

I don't usually agree with this writer, but I think he's correct here

Sunak’s shambolic government is achieving nothing. Must Britain really wait 15 months to throw it out? | Martin Kettle

Peter Bone’s suspension is likely to mean another lost Tory seat and a delay to the election we need sooner rather than later, writes Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

www.theguardian.com

Prime minister 2022-25, would look marginally better than 2022-24, after all.

The obvious incentive for Sunak is just to hang on for as long as possible, simply to not look like a complete flop in the historical record (or on his resume) - regardless of whether he has any ideas of what to do or any hope of winning the next election.

He really seems completely bereft of ideas or any sort of agenda (beyond career advancement and making useful contacts for his future jobs, or maybe, as people keep suggesting, it's all just to impress his billionaire in-laws). They are just treading water now, waiting for the electoral clock to run down.

 

[hal2kilo]

This should help conservative popularity a bunch:

I know everyone I know, liberal and conservative alike, really want bankers to be able to make a decent living finally. One of our top priorities.

How Republican of them.

 

[pmv]

He's clearly a sociopath.

Rishi Sunak to ‘double down’ on anti-green policies in king’s speech

PM will announce a new system for awarding oil and gas exploration licences, and new pro-car legislation, sources say

www.theguardian.com

So much for "local democracy". The new line is "you will accept that the car is king, whether you like it or not".

 

[Brainonska511]

He's clearly a sociopath.

Rishi Sunak to ‘double down’ on anti-green policies in king’s speech

PM will announce a new system for awarding oil and gas exploration licences, and new pro-car legislation, sources say

www.theguardian.com

So much for "local democracy". The new line is "you will accept that the car is king, whether you like it or not".

Local democracy isn't inherently more virtuous than a larger, centralized democracy. Local municipalities can be very provincial in their thinking, like blocking housing for future residents.

The crazier aspect is just the push to continue to rely on personal automobiles and fossil fuels. From the conservative angle, you waste tons of public funds on supporting infrastructure for individual vehicles and they hollow out cities (read: less tourism and business revenues as walking traffic falls), and you are also stuck relying on unreliable foreign "partners" to provide fossil fuels. Then there is also the other view, in that climate change is a thing, and having to rely on personal automobiles impoverishes families thanks to the added expenses they need to incur to support those vehicles....

 

[pmv]

Local democracy isn't inherently more virtuous than a larger, centralized democracy. Local municipalities can be very provincial in their thinking, like blocking housing for future residents.

Except the Tories have always made a big deal about 'local democracy', and opposing 'centralization'. In rhetoric and in theory at least (while in practice they have consistently destroyed local democracy and centralized power at every opportunity).

Hence he's now telling the elected representatives of Londoners that they can't put the interests of the majority of local residents (who, in inner London at least, are overwhelmingly non-drivers) ahead of those of the minority (and those from outside London) who want to speed through their streets pumping poisonous crap into the air.

He's _imposing_ car use on people who don't want it.

Actually surprised at myself - given I already detest the guy and his party for their economic policies alone - at the degree to which being told I have to accept his class of people speeding through my streets and further polluting the air I have to breath, and that I'm not even to be allowed to vote democratically to prevent it, infuriates me. It feels much more personal, like a physical attack.

He really is a sociopath. I don't believe there's even any thought-through ideology behind this, still less any morality - it's simply the only thing he can think of doing to increase his chances of 'winning' (i.e. of avoiding total wipe-out in the next election, by appealing to one small segment of the population, the fervent petrol-heads). The Uxbridge byelection result gave him the idea, and it's all he has, so he's doubling-down on it.

It's the finance-sector guy in him, working out what will maximise his chances of personal career advancement. The bigger picture, i.e. the well-being of other people, doesn't even register for him. He has to be the most out-of-touch PM we've ever had (his family wealth makes most Tory PMs, even, look like paupers)

 

[igor_kavinski]

The bigger picture, i.e. the well-being of other people, doesn't even register for him. He has to be the most out-of-touch PM we've ever had (his family wealth makes most Tory PMs, even, look like paupers)

Government servants should be just that. Servants for the people, working on a basic government salary, with some additional benefits tied to their performance. These elite "trash" class people ending up at the helm of countries is one of the worst "advancements" of modern age.

The people with the least economic output should have the most voting power, not only in selecting their leader but also in deposing him/her should he/she be failing at their job of providing better economic opportunities and welfare benefits to the impoverished. Yes, there will be a few months or years of political turmoil as elected officials get fired by the public for being crap at their job but eventually they will end up finding someone worthy of leading them.

Once society in a proper democratic country (where voters think with their brains) realizes that money is not power but actually a real responsibility and headache, there will be fewer individuals willing to amass it.

 

[sdifox]

Government servants should be just that. Servants for the people, working on a basic government salary, with some additional benefits tied to their performance. These elite "trash" class people ending up at the helm of countries is one of the worst "advancements" of modern age.

The people with the least economic output should have the most voting power, not only in selecting their leader but also in deposing him/her should he/she be failing at their job of providing better economic opportunities and welfare benefits to the impoverished. Yes, there will be a few months or years of political turmoil as elected officials get fired by the public for being crap at their job but eventually they will end up finding someone worthy of leading them.

Once society in a proper democratic country (where voters think with their brains) realizes that money is not power but actually a real responsibility and headache, there will be fewer individuals willing to amass it.

Umm what? If anything you want the best people in government. It's the biggest company around. Close to 20% of Ontarians are in the public sector.

 

[pmv]

Umm what? If anything you want the best people in government. It's the biggest company around. Close to 20% of Ontarians are in the public sector.

What do you mean by "best", though? I mean, I don't think anyone could claim our recent run (Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak) constitute 'the best people'. Bunch of over-privileged, elite buffoons, for the most part. Everything has collapsed under their administration. I mean, maybe only Truss quite sank to the level of a Trump, but in no possible sense are they 'the best people'.

 

[MrSquished]

the more the tories are like republicans and the more republicans are like tories and the more the tories are like republicans and the more the republicans are like tories.....I mean, they are very similar and when you are similar to those two parties, you are shit nasty horrific people.

 

[sdifox]

What do you mean by "best", though? I mean, I don't think anyone could claim our recent run (Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak) constitute 'the best people'. Bunch of over-privileged, elite buffoons, for the most part. Everything has collapsed under their administration. I mean, maybe only Truss quite sank to the level of a Trump, but in no possible sense are they 'the best people'.

Best people <> privileged people. You know, meritocracy?