https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rishi-sunak-koru-kids-wife-budget-b2321580.html?amp

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/26/a-failed-revolt-and-an-embarrassing-display-the-week-that-saw-boris-johnsons-downfall I had forgotten all about Simply Red, but I feel Mick Hucknall was speaking for many in the quote here. I suppose it's too much to hope that Johnson might find enough humility and morals to stay out of politics and just get on with his other lucrative activities.

I am truly gobsmacked - just seven weeks in office, during which she crashed the economy, and she gets to elevate her chums to the House of Lords. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/24/liz-truss-requests-peerages-for-some-of-her-closest-tory-supporters

https://news.met.police.uk/news/former-officer-jailed-for-possession-of-extreme-pornography-463814

What doesn’t make sense to me in the various reports in the media is how did he ever become a policeman

He was only a trainee when this occurred and is said to be fragile with mental health problems

If it’s even true

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/plan-to-end-free-prescriptions-for-6065-year-olds-scrapped-reports-b1067847.html#comments-area

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMY5x2Yhe/

How far can Boris be allowed to go

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-knighthood-stanley-tories-honours-b2295088.html?amp

He’ll be giving his baby an MBE next 😂

new laptop

https://www.gbnews.uk/politics/liz-truss-still-supported-by-50-mps-as-uk-economy-could-see-trussonomics-comeback/436787

Now that Deputy First Minister has ruled himself out, who is the new favourite?
The Scottish people have no clue. In a poll the favourite on 69% was a Don T Know, next was Swinney on 7%.
https://news.stv.tv/politics/john-swinney-rules-himself-out-of-snp-leadership-contest-as-sturgeons-successor-to-be-announced-march-27
Will this mean the collapse of the Nationalists and Labour taking back Scotland at the next election?

. . . says a serving government minister. For heavens sake, couldn't we have someone who is sane, right and competent as our prime minister? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64523277

Podcasts

Does anyone listen to the Ukrainecast that has been posting since 24th February 2022.

Some awful real life stories of children being taken away into Russia, torture chambers, bodies found in unmarked graves and who is helping Russia.

A lot of these stories are not reported elsewhere and are not reaching the majority of the public .

The EEC was created as a trading partnership, good idea.

However, EU politicians, with very little experience of business, have used their power to make a political alliance, which is not the original intention.
Bureaucracy is not good governance.

The more senior place a politician achieves, the less the contact with real life and accountability. The UK's senior politicians have their manifest faults, but we can vote them out...which does not apply to the EU Commission.

Recent examples of the wastage within the EU, is the MEP's turning up to sign in for a days wages [£295] just like our UK peers...but we can work to rid ourselves of the House Of Lords - not the EU Commission.

The UK has regulators, but these are often controlled by the very people they're investigating. Nonetheless we have a reasonable standard of press reporting, and the truth will out.

Meanwhile in Brussels..

"Police seizures of suitcases stuffed full of cash are usually the result of crackdowns on crime gangs or drug lords. This time, though, the brick-like wads of €50 notes were found not by the vice squad, but by detectives investigating allegations of corruption in the European Parliament.

Brussels has been gripped this week by stories of an international bribery ring said to involve Qatar, Morocco and influential EU figures. Colossal sums of money have been found in the homes of some of the alleged recipients: €600,000 in bank notes at the home of an Italian politician, €150,000 tucked into the luxury luggage of a Greek socialist MEP, and hundreds of thousands more in the possession of her father. 

In all, more than €1.5 million (£1.3m) has been seized in raids on 19 locations in the Belgian capital and in Italy, some of which were in the Parliament itself.

The investigation centres on claims that Qatar tried to buy influence in order to help secure an “open skies” deal that would give its airlines unfettered access to EU markets and airspace. It is, without question, the biggest bribery scandal in the history of the European Union’s institutions, and it could well get much worse, with reports that up to 60 MEPs could be dragged into it. "

Do you want to be governed by the EU or the UK?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/07/conservatives-remove-whip-from-mp-julian-knight-after-complaint-to-met

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/14/rishi-sunak-prime-minister-britain-cuts-culture-war

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/11/gavin-williamson-dark-arts-whips-office-over It’s very depressing that someone so vile can get so far.

I refuse to refer to him as 'Sir Gavin' - the man is a toe-rag.

I hope this link works. I despair. Why do people vote for such people? https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1583747902685356032?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/09/johnson-was-slow-poisoning-arsenic-for-tories-liz-truss-is-instant-cyanide How long will she last?

You couldn’t make it up…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/kwasi-kwarteng-accused-attending-budget-28132933

Not forthcoming from Liz Truss on local radio https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/29/liz-truss-local-radio-bbc-uk-economy-pound

Yorkshire Bylines has been maintaining a list of the upsides to Brexit, and the downsides, all cross-referenced to source articles. Currently their list is standing at 22 'up-sides' and 754 'down-sides'. They are continuing to add to the list, so if you are looking for something specific, this could be a good place to start.

https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/regular-features/the-davis-downside-dossier/

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/14/kwasi-kwarteng-sacking-tom-scholar-marks-shift-away-from-impartial-advice?

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNKBBbt2/

What chance does our NHS now stand of surviving Therese Coffey?

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNwWJBG9/

It is fair to prioritise tax cuts that benefit the highest earners 250 times more than the poorest https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/04/liz-truss-energy-prices-action-plan And according to the Times, she wants to remove some EU-based workers’ protections, for example on the length of the working week, and entitlements to holidays.

Those five words describe him perfectly

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/03/jacob-rees-mogg-blocking-major-uk-tourism-campaign

And stop voting for these clowns

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNT4q34e/

A few myths dispelled

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNv5Fku4/

I found this possible solution from an organisation. I've left their name out so it doesn't politically influence commenters.

It's an energy war. Government must take control of UK energy production pricing.

UK energy producers obliged to sell to UK suppliers at 2021 average price or be nationalised.
Domestic cap returned to circa £1750 per year
Business cap at circa 35p per Kwh
Extra help still required for most vulnerable
Exists until normal market conditions return
Still exposed to global prices for circa 50% of gas needs , so approx 20% of total UK energy production.

I have no idea about the legality or otherwise, but its simplicity stands out.

By forcing all UK energy producers to sell at a fixed price, based on 2021, all the other parts of the jigsaw fall into place. As acknowledged, it still leaves the problem of imported gas, and for that matter electricity. Obviously gas power stations, for example, could not afford to sell electricity at 2021 prices, if they are now paying higher prices for imported gas. This could be resolved though by subsidising such imports.

It is also a much more comprehensive and a cleaner solution than the windfall taxes proposed, which don’t cover all energy producers.

Best of all, this proposal ensures that renewable generators do not get away with fleecing consumers, as they are now.

Those last 3 paragraphs are copied from a website, with no author mentioned. Just so I don't get accused of plagiarism.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN77r7qx/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62646695

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/no-10-have-completely-checked-out-its-really-bad-inside-boris-johnsons-zombie-government-1806060

An interesting few minutes worth watching to hear what other governments do with costs rising and how they even asked residents to put ideas forward

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNnYwwcm/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62566194

On my rare forays into Scooploop these days I am often criticised for quoting James O'Brien, or the Guardian; for being 'leftish', and for criticising the newsworthiness or political stance of such 'august' organs as the Daily Mail. I am told that our absent PM, Mr Johnson, is still doing a bang-up job, got all the big calls right, and is beyond reproach; that the current government is the answer to all the country's woes (rather than the cause), and has our best interests, rather than their's, at heart.

Well, I was delighted to find this article - written by a businessman - that entirely supports what the other people I trust are telling me.

OK, so I could be criticised for 'confirmation bias', but here's an independent source also describing how 12 years of Tory rule has completely stuffed-up* this country. (*Language moderated for publication!)

https://www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com/2022/08/the-absurdity-of-british-politics-what-happened-to-politics-for-the-common-good/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNt8hKgj/

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/government-trying-to-demonise-people-who-support-refugees-with-claims-about-lefty-lawyers-barristers-say-12655333

There's evidence Trump is losing popularity. Here's why.

" Increase in blaming Trump for Jan. 6: A Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that 40% of Republicans said before the last Jan. 6 hearing that they now "believe Trump is at least partially responsible for the deadly riot." That's up from 33% before the hearings.

A drop in Republicans saying the election was stolen: Reuters/Ipsos also found that before the hearings began, 67% of Republicans believed the election was stolen, now it's 55%.

More Republicans saying they don't want Trump to be the nominee: 55% of Republicans in a recent CNN poll said they don't want Trump to be their standard-bearer in 2024, up from 49% in February. Similarly, Reuters/Ipsos found a third of Republicans said Trump should not run again, up from a quarter before the Jan. 6 hearings."

Your comments please.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMN4jmnNn/?k=1

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNxDjwH1/?k=1

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/jul/20/tory-leadership-race-live-sunak-mordaunt-truss-latest-uk-politics

Anyone else have their suspicions?
" Blue on blue" battles ?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62221445

https://news.sky.com/story/tory-leadership-live-updates-another-tory-candidate-facing-elimination-as-truss-responds-to-sunak-barb-12593360

This photo says it all. This group informs and is very interesting, full of facts and not biased political leftist rankings. I for one am very disappointed that we have lost Boris as a leader. Look at the positive things he achieved
Got us through Brexit
The Vaccination Program
Is a very respected world leader
And many more.
In his personal life, during his term as PM, he nearly died from COVID, his Mother died
The negative thing was that he lied about a meeting and having a works drink, incidentally so did Rayner and Starmer.

Who do you think might become leader of the Tories and PM, based on last night's debate?

I wonder what our country would be like now if Rory Stewart had become Tory leader?