Remember, children. This is where it starts: #Labour Spend, spend, spend until the money runs out. Wait, I thought it had run out? What happened to this £22 billion black hole? #Politics
That free bus pass isn't free, you know. The government reimburses transport companies for free passes. I would put money on transport operators applying peak-fare prices to their reimbursement.
They already get free bus travel, like me (if I ever get around to applying) but I don't need to travel at peak hours because I don't work. This isn't an extra cost. It's to remove a barrier to disabled people working and paying tax.
I don't actually think anything should be free, just discounted because people waste free stuff. It should be cheaper than me using my car, to keep old people off the roads at peak times .
If you want me to use the bus, I only want a few things. 1. Don't overcharge me; I'm happy to pay a fair price. 2. Ensure it's safe. Buses are dangerous environments these days. 3. Make sure they're clean and inviting. Maybe local radio playing or something. 4. Make sure they keep good time: TBH, for example, the X51 is a pretty frequent bus.
I agree with everything but local radio making them more inviting. I consider that cruelty to bus drivers. They have WiFi so listen to whatever you like, as long as it's THROUGH HEADPHONES! Phone speakers should have a kill-switch that's triggered by public transport. It could save lives.
And here's gaffe number one from St Andy Burnham. Of course, the official line will be: "No secrets were divulged." I bet they weren't; the Americans, Russians and Chinese already know all our secrets. 🤣 #Politics bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyvj5…
He's already said he's not Sinn Féin and would take the seat.
I expect he'd just get on with case-work and probably be one of the best local MPs in the country because there's no shuffling for position in the party or taking up ministerial roles or campaigning for the future to worry about.
Opposite of Farage really, who is only in Clacton at all for party and national reasons.
In interview he does appear to be saying that in the unlikely event he won he'd take the job seriously and do his best for Clacton.
He certainly won't be lining up ministerial positions or flying to America to make deals with foreign parties or thinking about campaigning for the next election.
He could of course either be lying or just be shit at it or even just decide after a month that he can't be bothered and quit. But from what he's saying in interview, his plan would just be to try and be a good independent MP.
A month or so ago, I was asked to quote on installing an agent on 18 machines. I sent the price, and I could tell they weren't happy. A couple of weeks later, I got a new request to install it on 6 machines. I sent over a revised price and silence for another week or so. I then got an angry email demanding to know how I justified the price for a "six-minute job!" I explained how we have highly skilled technicians with a wealth of knowledge and experience and that our resources, too, come at a cost.
I then received yet another request for 2 laptops. My first thought was: 🧠 "Don't tell me, there's a problem with these, isn't there?"
Lo and behold, nobody can install because the laptops' firewall is enabled and we can't give the user the admin password. We sorted it in the end, but this demonstrates why IT services come at a premium.
So I've extensively played with #ChatGPT, #Copilot, and, most recently, everyone's wet dream, #Claude. I have to say, they're all pretty much the same. I think the reason everyone is cooing over Claude is that it shows you what it's doing as it cogitates, and it integrates well with SharePoint.
What I don't like is that, for freebie accounts, ChatGPT and Claude are very stingy about how much interaction you can have. Waiting one or two days to complete a task is pretty annoying. Copilot seems slightly more generous IMO. #AI
I watched the England game last night, and we clearly need Brian Clough back! WTF was that pissing about near our own goal, twice! Get it up the other end! And is this how we play football now, on our arse? Was that the tactic? To get as many penalties or free kicks as possible? I said to the missus. "Whoa! Look! Kane is actually on his feet!" #Football #worldcup2026
I don't believe weather forecasters, I honestly don't. This morning I asked Google what the weather would be where I live, and it told me it would be cooler than yesterday, at 26 degrees. The radio said within two minutes that the weather would be hot in Birmingham and 29 degrees!
My computer says it is 26C for my current location, while Chrome says it's 27C 2026, and they still can't get it right. #ukweather #MetOffice
Disband the Paras. Airborne warfare is a thing of the past. The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and The Yorkshire Regiment. Disband 23 of the 25 Military bands. Create a Robot-AI regiment. (Drones - RAF) Build one carrier to match the Nimitz Class (Ideally two) We really should have some bombers. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gy2e…
You make a fair point about parachutes. A warm body hanging from a slowly descending canopy is far too predictable a target if there are drone defences. There would be slaughter.
I can't see large-scale conventional wars happening again. Troops will be used to guard and police occupied territory. There will always be small-scale actions, but the Russian experience should have taught us that massed tanks and infantry are a thing of the past.
The reason we need bombers is that if Europe is overrun, fighter-bombers can't reach Moscow. That is, if Moscow still exists, if we're brave enough to push the button?
You know, you can't blame the officers in the #HenryNowak case. The police simply can't do their job these days. Imagine being shit scared of not acting on a claim of racism. The politicians just want everyone to shut up and make it go away by accusing people of "Division." bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77yx8…
They had 3 people (members of one family) telling them one story and 1 person telling them he'd been stabbed. On the bodycam recording a police officer says, "I don't think you have mate" because they are used to being lied to. They know there are many white racists who start fights. They assessed the probabilities and guessed wrong. If they can be criticised for anything, it's not checking more carefully for a stab wound. If anyone is responsible for the death, it's not the police.
I think "I've been stabbed" takes precedence over anything. My original knee-jerk reaction to the video was "WTF!" After speaking with a number of people, I've changed my opinion to: "It certainly looks like arresting him for a race crime seemed to be the main objective." I mean, think about it. There's a bloke on the floor who's only crime at that stage was supposedly racially abusing someone, and the course of action is to cuff them? When you get stopped for speeding, etc., do they slap the bracelets on? No, they sit you in the back of the car and have a chat.
There are lots of questions, and we're not going to get the answers. Henry Nowak is going to have died for nothing, and nobody apart from his family cares because the world we live in is more worried about upsetting people's feelings than telling it like it is. 🤷♂️
You have to take your hat off to Sir Kier Starmer. He's proven that ignoring everyone works! He's had way more than most Prime Ministers' failures, and yet he's still there! And still doing nothing. #Politics bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vyxz…
Have you noticed the LibDems slow rise in popularity since the media almost stopped reporting on them? If media attention is negative, it seems better not to have it.
I still think votes for the Liberals are "parking votes" People want to vote, but they can't (Yet) bring themselves to vote for ReformUK, and (imo) they think a vote for the Greens is a wasted vote. I fully accept the Conservatives have no chance for at least another seven or eight years, so that leaves the Liberals or one of these fringe parties. 🤷♂️
If the votes are parked awaiting the return of a viable Centre-Right party, that is the Lib Dems' Right Wing. I thought it might be Labour but they're too authoritarian for libertarian Cs. The Conservatives either aren't conservative or are too afraid to admit they are, which is equally useless for attracting the 'sensible middle'. Being tribal about a label that has lost its meaning is pointless.
British politics has stagnated. Nobody wants to do anything, stand out or rock the boat. Other than prices going up, which has nothing to do with the UK government or Brexit, for that matter, I've not seen this government achieve anything. The problem with that is there has been nothing as such where the electorate stands up and says, "This government must go!"
I think these local election wins for ReformUK will not translate to votes in a general election.
So out of over 275,000 people (Police Estimates) who attended both rallies in London yesterday, there were only 43 arrests? That's 0.0156%. If that's not a law-abiding protest, I don't know what is. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgpzn…
This demonstrates how ineffectual our so-called PM is. He's doing nothing while his party colleagues are literally setting in motion actions that could potentially lead to his downfall, in full view of everyone, including Starmer himself. He'll go down in history as the Prime Minister who did nothing! #Politics #UselessLabour
It seems abundantly clear to me that he is bereft of any skill or ability. Most of these damaging tinkering, such as winter fuel payments, have been instigated by others, and anything he does seems to blow up in the Labour Party's face. We have a fuel crisis at the moment, along with a whole host of other problems, and he just sits in number ten watching events unfold. It wouldn't be so bad if Burnham and Streeting et al were being devious and carrying out their manoeuvres behind his back; it's the fact that it's all out in the open that's mind-blowing.
At least when John Major stabbed Maggie in the back, he did it behind her back.
I take it that I'm the only one in the country whose mind is blown by the fact that an elected PM is going to be ousted by a man who, at the moment, isn't even an MP! And even if Starmer stepped down, I suspect they'll all wait for Burnham anyway. You watch, I bet I'm right. 🤣
Potentially, there's only Reeves, and she's not had the best of starts. I know I've been joking about Raynor and Abbott, but my worry is that factions may well think that Raynor is a viable option. Don't forget, there is still a powerful lobby within the Labour party who think it's still 1970.
Raynor would have been in her element during the 70s and mid 80s. She would drag us back to those times if she could.
There's a fundamental question that nobody is asking: Who runs the country? Am I seriously being told that all the state departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office, the Treasury, etc. Are a law unto themselves? What does #Starmer actually do then? #politics newstatesman.com/politics/uk-p…
either way Starmer should go. He's either lied or completely incompetent.
I struggle to buy that an FCO civil-servant would make such a decision with out being pressured in advance, or consulting via an undocumented back channel.
And then after it all blew up. You'd have thought the PM might actually go and find out the details. To which it seems he trusted 'a process'. The guy really have no political sense.
That definitely opens the door for ReformUK. I honestly cannot ever envisage the Green Party ever being in power. The Liberal Democrats, Who?
While it grieves me to admit it, I suspect the Conservatives will be a spent force until 2034 the only chance they have is a coelition in 2029 but the public will only allow them to be the junior partner.
You aren't the only one asking but 'journalists' don't seem to be. They are so keen to get Starmer fired that they aren't asking the right questions. He's under attack from the Left and Right. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt this time, despite his previous errors of judgement. What does "Number 10" mean? Was Starmer kept in the dark because he would have stopped someone's plotting?
I saw something the other day alluding to some backroom deal that Starmer supposedly owed Mandleson, and that's why he gave him the job. The problem is, over the years, we have become so accustomed to that sort of thing that I tend to believe it.
The problem with this whole mess is that amateurs are in charge. Starmer’s attempt to offer up Olly Robbins as a sacrificial lamb has backfired. Now Downing Street intends to release hundreds of documents relating to Mandelson and his appointment, which I wouldn’t be surprised will put Starmer even deeper in trouble. If they can’t get Mandelson vetted right, what chance have they got of scrutinising the documents?
Someone on YouTube named 2 'little helpers' who they alleged had kept Starmer in the dark because Israel wanted the Dark Lord as our representative. Or that could be anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. I used to trust the BBC to check out stories like this.
Remember how you all screamed for Boris Johnson's head when he did something? Why are you not screaming for Starmer's head? He obviously knew Mandelson was tainted? He must have sanctioned the Ambassadorship? #Politics #LabourSleaze theguardian.com/politics/2026/…
#Labour spends all its time blaming other people for problems it should be solving as our elected government! If they're not blaming "The previous government", they're shirking responsibility by blaming Brexit, Ukraine, Palestine and Iran. Why is the UK not more resilient to outside influences? irishnews.com/news/uk/families…
Following on from a post I made three days ago about how we have all these different excuses for why prices are rising. I have to take my hat off to @SallyBundockBBC this morning, who, like me, is shocked to learn that oil prices have barely twitched since Trump announced his blockade of Iranian ports. So which is it? Are the price hikes because of Iran or not? I smell a rat.
Oil prices aren't much different than last week, but they're still 50% higher than before March and the war started.
One blockade or two, still cuts off that route either way so adding the second one doesn't make much difference, but the oil that lubricates and facilitates trade and manufacturing has a 20% lower global supply and a 50% higher price than before the spring with no sign of that ending soon.
What is annoying is that there was, in fact, no need for prices to increase. The fuel you buy at the pumps was purchased three months ago! One of my customers is a fuel oil provider, and they've only just started paying for their next shipments from suppliers.
Yeah, the futures market reacts on what it expects to happen. Makes it volatile.
Fuel coming out of the pumps today in the UK shouldn't be much affected for a month or more, but they are coz the forecourts use that futures price I guess.
And this is another reason I don't trust news outlets! A news story about Corridoor Beds had a reporter who said: "We've just come out of the worst winter on record for the #NHS." Umm? Did you forget COVID?
Everything is always "On record", and yet when I cast my mind back, I'm like "Well, you must have been in a different country? Especially when it comes to the weather, "Warmest on record!" Aye? I had my heating on all day! #BBC News
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴! First, it was all Brexit's fault that prices were rising. Next, it was the war in Ukraine. Now, it's the war in Iran. Maybe if the UK stopped tearing up farmland for housing or wind farms, we could produce affordable food!
I can see the reasons that impel you, me and anyone alive to consider it. Those same reasons spell danger, well you could fit a couple of large books text in there but you know what i mean.
So glad I cancelled my subscription. I was never happy with it from the off. It doesn't help when they bombard you on the website with supposed winners who've only just joined! thesun.co.uk/money/38462040/pe…
THE People’s Postcode Lottery has sparked fury after raising the price of tickets yet again — with players branding it an “absolute waste of money”. Tickets have gone up to £12.50 per month, a 25 …
As of March 2026, the #Labour government is significantly off track to meet its manifesto target of building 1.5 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament (estimated August 2029). To hit 1.5 million homes over five years, the government needs to deliver an average of 300,000 homes per year (approximately 811 per day).
Total Delivered: Approximately 309,600 net additional homes were delivered between the start of the Parliament (9 July 2024) and 11 January 2026.
Shortfall to Date: By early November 2025, the government should have built roughly 396,000 homes to stay on track, representing a deficit of over 120,000 homes just in the first 16 months.
Daily Rate: The current delivery rate is roughly 564 homes per day, well below the required 811. GOV.UK #politics
For a nation steeped in naval history, we constantly show the world how incompetent and weak we really are when we announce, "Err, bear with us, we're coming. Just not right now. If you could hold off for a bit, that would be brilliant." bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y550…
Hey, look, I'm a dumbass, what would I know? But I find it interesting that all the news outlets, and especially the BBC, are ramming it down our throats that while Donald Trump spoke for two hours, TWO HOURS! According to them, he said nothing of value? I even read a BBC fact-checker that debunked much of what he said about fuel prices, etc.
The thing is, I watched a lot of it LIVE, and I watched both sides of the Senate stand and applaud him and not just once either! So that tells this dumbass that a lot of what he said struck a chord with senators across the political spectrum and not just his party faithful.
We need to be careful what the press, TV and social media tell us. Remember, folks, they, too, have their own agenda, and we've seen numerous court cases where it turns out that maybe journalists and editors are not your guardians with your best interests at heart after all.
I'm not saying he's an angel, but wow. If only social media, the government and the press went after far worse killers, rapists, tax avoiders and embezzlers. #witchhunt #frenzy #whoelse aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/21/u…
Remember when our TV screens were filled with lots of teenagers flocking to #Labour Party events, excited that they could well choose their government at age 16? I bet you're glad you showed your support for them, aren't you? theguardian.com/politics/live/…
I have no idea of his guilt or innocence, but it seems to me there are those determined to see Andrew go to jail. He's been a juicy news story every week for months now. independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli…
Andy Wootton
in reply to dick_turpin • • •dick_turpin
in reply to Andy Wootton • •That free bus pass isn't free, you know. The government reimburses transport companies for free passes. I would put money on transport operators applying peak-fare prices to their reimbursement.
gov.uk/government/publications…
Andy Wootton
in reply to dick_turpin • • •Andy Wootton
in reply to dick_turpin • • •dick_turpin
in reply to Andy Wootton • •1. Don't overcharge me; I'm happy to pay a fair price.
2. Ensure it's safe. Buses are dangerous environments these days.
3. Make sure they're clean and inviting. Maybe local radio playing or something.
4. Make sure they keep good time: TBH, for example, the X51 is a pretty frequent bus.
Andy Wootton
in reply to dick_turpin • • •dick_turpin
in reply to Andy Wootton • •