Renton

Question. Do media outlets, especially the BBC, actually want a Reform government? Would seem like turkeys voting for Xmas to me, but it's the impression I get. But why? The government needs to launch a full enquiry into Russian influence on our politics following the conviction of Nathan Gill. This alone would sink Farage. Yet it's barely mentioned. Why?

It's about 2 to 1 regretting Brexit now and only heading one direction. There is so much shit to hit Farage with. NHS, Russia, racism, and Brexit. Got to fucking ho for the jugular head on now.

At this stage even I am wondering why Labour don't use this as a pivot to closer ties. I mean most people, by some margin, are happy for this. For the remainder just present it as "Closer ties or lose the triple lock?" or 'Closer ties or pay more tax"? And surely with Trump in the US the folly is even more exposed? Just have to hope there are things going on behind the scenes here. It's not a unilateral decision after all, we've burned a lot of bridges.

We need three in every position. Four in some like centre forward.

Definitely Scotland btw, that speckled tarmac gives it away. Everywhere in jock land and never seen it this side of the border...

Leith? Or that shitty station near it?

This'll cheer @Rayvin up. After all the fuss over the budget yesterday, a billion here, a billion there, apparently Brexit isn't costing us 4% of GDP after all. More like 6 to 8%, and 90 billion a year loss to the exchequer. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/brexit-is-costing-the-uk-a-staggering-ps250-million-a-day-in-lost-tax-revenue_uk_692594cee4b063285310a4b7

Alright. Which cunt frae here dobbed HMHM in? Nobody leaves until we find out which cunt did it. (Sorry to hear your troubles HMHM)

Alistair Campbell pointed out that the racist stuff highlighted against Farage thus week wouldn't shift the dial but it was inexplicable the Russian stuff (Nathan Gill) was barely reported. If Farage is elected, we will literally have one of his [Putin's] men as PM! Media, including BBC, all complicit again, knowingly or unknowingly.

Not going to disagree on that. There's a reason 85% of Sci Fi is dytopian compared with utopian though. Makes more gripping narratives and people know in their bones it's true, and gradually fiction is becoming reality. What staggers me is so many people actually are stupid enough to vote for it.

I've read - no idea if this is true or not mind - that the main issue with UK debt is it's foreign owned. Other countries have worse GDP debt ratios but the debt (bonds) is mainly domestic so isn't as big an issue. They pay less interest than us, even France, who have an out of control welfare state. This will all be down to Thatcher at some point I guess.

Part of it is addressing perceptions. Wykikis mate thinks he's earned his pension. He hasn't. I wish at least at that very basic level people understood this. There are projections that by 2050 there will be more retired people in South Korea than workers. The same issues exist here to a lesser extent. Yeah, it needs addressing, but people don't want to talk about it do they?

Funnily enough Tynemouth was tory for years under Thatcher. Been solid Labour ever since. Also Midlanders were a big factor. Now those same Northern areas are turning to Reform of course. People voting for their own peeceived self interest whether it's true or not. It hardly ever is when it comes to the right, not in the long term anyway.

I mentioned you with a safety wink and you couldn't resist bringing up maternity leave and childhood mortality! Bygones mate. But generational issues will always be a big part of this thread.

It's a politics thread. The intergenerational wealth divide and voting patterns couldn't be much more pivotal to this. If you don't like it, quit getting sucked in. Plus, the original winger that triggered this was Wykiki's boomer mate. 👍

On a realted note, I'd rather fuck Larry Davids than Cheryl Hines now. Can't imagine me saying that a few years back.

What a great post. I'm off to lech some brunch eating mombies now on my daily walk. 👍

This is a fallacious direction of discussion. We're not talking about what it was like from a living standard or technology viewpoint in the past, you'd expect that to improve (although that's increasingly debatable), the argument is about now. Would I swap my retirement prospects for the boomers generation? Absolutely l would, and doubly more so for my kids. There was always an expectation that each generation would be better off than the previous one, and people were obviously happy with that. That's now demonstrably broken (even life expectancy is decreasing). I don't know why that's hard for some to recognise and not want to correct. I'd also rather be young and have my life again whatever the shit they have to deal with. Drinknlots of beer and have lots of sex. But that ain't happening either!

I mean, is you're suggestion here that other people don't? Enjoy your triple locked inflation busting pension increase the country can't afford mate 👍

Fucking hell man, you're beyond help.

How that was awarded a handball I'll never know. It's a disgrace la. This doesnt feel like bad patch to me. Feels like they are fucked. Best thing is they have blown all their PSR head room and have ruined their asset values.

You COULDN'T do that today, is the point. Back then, you could afford a mortgage, kids, depending on your circumstances holidays etc. With the mother not working she could raise the kids, no need for childcare, plenty of time for home cooking, house work etc. It's just not an option any more. And Im not fucking blaming you either. People are fundamentally the same, clearly. I'm picking you up on your refusal to accept the economic realities of today and it's role in childcare today.

Maybe it's read your mind and you are in denial?

If that ever becomes reality because of the triple lock it shows the state pension is too high imo.

An not slagging off the entire cohort, ut was a specific response to the the misconceptions of this particular person. I sincerely hope that, being just behind him age wise, I never think like this. TP, back in the day you could raise a family on just the father's wage, maybe supplemented by the mum being part time. You didn't even need childcare or maternity leave. This just isn't the case now, you must know this surely. Housing costs are astronomical compared with what they used to be, and without a settled home, people aren't going to choose to have kids in general. As for child mortality rates? We're not talking about the victorian ages ffs. I'm top quintile and am really struggling with the costs of children. One car, one holiday a year, hardly ever go out anymore. Both stressed at work despite giving up more highly paid jobs for this reason. You're gonna say that's what it was like for your generation. But for the top 20% with both parents working? It just wasn't. I don't know why you don't recognise this. And thats before we talk about the horrors social media has inflicted on our kids. I'll await for the bad parenting riposte but the fact is it's fucking relentless the shit these companies put them through. I recognise my parents had it easier (on one teachers salary) and I had a better childhood in most ways. I also recognise that my pension, though much worse than my parents, will be much better than my kids.