Britain - The Official Thread
- Thread starter Ross
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- 17,869
- United Kingdom
Ace.
Let's Criticise Starmer for doing a deal with fake-tan-flavoured sebum, so we can hand the next election to Tory scum that will do back flips to give Trump what he wants anyway.
Let's Criticise Starmer for doing a deal with fake-tan-flavoured sebum, so we can hand the next election to Tory scum that will do back flips to give Trump what he wants anyway.
- 30,516
- Bratvegas
South Western Railways nationalised
Amongst the mirth of "Great British Railways seeing a return to nationalised railway services" (in most of England because TfW, ScotRail and a few others are exempt), am I one of the few saddos who sees the reporting as either biased or even just plain lazy? The following railway companies are already under direct government ownership:
Northern Trains
Southeastern
TransPennine Express
London North Eastern Railway
You're supposed to think that South Western Railways is the first area of the island being put under GBR control but it's actually just joining the other failed private operators that have needed the Department for Transport to step in as an "operator of last resort". Additionally, two more operators, c2c and Greater Anglia, are also heading for DfT and were going to any way. GBR, if its implementation goes ahead, won't be for another 2-3 years.
The first big franchise failure was National Express East Coast. The government stepped in in 2008, took over the service and by 2015 when the contract was retendered, the nationalised East Coast had had years of profitable and punctual success, having returned over £1 billion to the Treasury.
If it's a time to dunk on the principle of nationalised railways, I don't think seven private operators failing is a good way to go about it. These private operators agreeing to multi-year contracts and then pulling out when they can't be arsed isn't a ringing endorsement for capitalism with railway services. Whatever way railways should be managed and operated, it's quite clear that the current regional cartels don't work and haven't for 20+ years.
Amongst the mirth of "Great British Railways seeing a return to nationalised railway services" (in most of England because TfW, ScotRail and a few others are exempt), am I one of the few saddos who sees the reporting as either biased or even just plain lazy? The following railway companies are already under direct government ownership:
Northern Trains
Southeastern
TransPennine Express
London North Eastern Railway
You're supposed to think that South Western Railways is the first area of the island being put under GBR control but it's actually just joining the other failed private operators that have needed the Department for Transport to step in as an "operator of last resort". Additionally, two more operators, c2c and Greater Anglia, are also heading for DfT and were going to any way. GBR, if its implementation goes ahead, won't be for another 2-3 years.
The first big franchise failure was National Express East Coast. The government stepped in in 2008, took over the service and by 2015 when the contract was retendered, the nationalised East Coast had had years of profitable and punctual success, having returned over £1 billion to the Treasury.
If it's a time to dunk on the principle of nationalised railways, I don't think seven private operators failing is a good way to go about it. These private operators agreeing to multi-year contracts and then pulling out when they can't be arsed isn't a ringing endorsement for capitalism with railway services. Whatever way railways should be managed and operated, it's quite clear that the current regional cartels don't work and haven't for 20+ years.
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- United Kingdom
Wait... you're not suggesting that the entirely trust worthy right wing press aren't accurately reporting on this blatant Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist-Corbynite Commie plot by two-tier, free-gear, might-be-queer Starmer to take away all our freedoms and send us back to the dark ages are you?
/s
Of course reporting is biased and lazy...
- 30,516
- Bratvegas
A big deal was also made of South Western's first service under DfT control being a rail replacement bus. That exact same thing happened with the first train of the private era in 1996 - the 1am train from Fishguard to Paddington was a bus as far as Cardiff.
- 6,162
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- Fezzik1983
- Fezzik1983
The things people will do for a bit of cheese. Cost of living crisis has hit hard.
uk.news.yahoo.com
Watch daredevils risk Gloucestershire cheese rolling race as German YouTuber retains title
Daredevils have thrown themselves down a steep hill in the annual death-defying Gloucestershire cheese rolling race. Brave competitors sprinted, tripped and tumbled down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth to try and win the 8lb double Gloucester. The recent dry weather had made the racetrack harder and...
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Tired Tyres
Premium
- 12,871
- West Yorkshire
- Tired_Tyres
- Tired Tyres
‘Grenfell was caused by corporate greed’: report calls for far stronger penalties over unsafe cladding
Exclusive: Thinktank calls for stronger penalties for corporate negligence in England, including directorship and public-contract bans
- 14,003
- Adelaide
- Neomone
Ugh, but they're still trying to hold companies to account instead of individuals. I get that it's hard, but even relatively small gaol terms for directors and technical people deemed responsible would hopefully get them to think twice about what they were doing.‘Grenfell was caused by corporate greed’: report calls for far stronger penalties over unsafe cladding
Exclusive: Thinktank calls for stronger penalties for corporate negligence in England, including directorship and public-contract banswww.theguardian.com
Probably not, because none of them expect to get caught. But in which case at least the specific people who have demonstrated that they are not safe to have wandering around in society would be put somewhere that they can't harm anyone else.
- 17,869
- United Kingdom
- 17,869
- United Kingdom
Sir Jake Berry, former party Chair of the Conservative and Unionist Party has announced he's defecting to Reform.
Quote from the BBC
He said he was backing Reform UK "because I've always believed that change comes with challenging the old order. In shaking up the system when it isn't working".
You can tell he's speaking from his Anus, because the Conservative and Unionist part grew from the pro-Monarch Tory party, and he is a Sir, a Knight of the Realm, awarded by the Monarch... he's NEVER believed change comes with challenging the old order.. he made his career on the old order, now he's joining Nigels Nazi Nonce brigade.
These people have the brain mass of a helium baloon. Just utter cock cheese, the lot of them.
Quote from the BBC
He said he was backing Reform UK "because I've always believed that change comes with challenging the old order. In shaking up the system when it isn't working".
You can tell he's speaking from his Anus, because the Conservative and Unionist part grew from the pro-Monarch Tory party, and he is a Sir, a Knight of the Realm, awarded by the Monarch... he's NEVER believed change comes with challenging the old order.. he made his career on the old order, now he's joining Nigels Nazi Nonce brigade.
These people have the brain mass of a helium baloon. Just utter cock cheese, the lot of them.
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- 29,816
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
In news that will likely shock absolutely nobody, John Torode has been sacked from the flagship BBC cookery programme, Masterchef.
This comes less than 24 hours after 45 complaints against co-presenter Gregg Wallace were upheld after an inquiry into allegations of misconduct.
This comes less than 24 hours after 45 complaints against co-presenter Gregg Wallace were upheld after an inquiry into allegations of misconduct.
- 6,162
- United Kingdom
- Fezzik1983
- Fezzik1983
Keir Starmer suspends Labour MPs for ‘breaches of discipline’
Three MPs suspended so far are understood to be Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan and Chris Hinchcliff
www.thetimes.com
Article is behind the paywall but other places have quoted the funny bit
If that is the threshold for suspension he won't be any MPs left
- 6,162
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- Fezzik1983
- Fezzik1983
Sixteen and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in next general election
Up to 9.5 million more people will be able to vote by lowering the age.
This might not work as intended. Farage is apparently very popular with the younglings, mostly the boys.
The Greens will be happy, probably Corbyn's loony lefties as well.
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- 30,516
- Bratvegas
Meme candidates will pick up a lot of votes through this. I'm not sure how I feel about a voting age being lower than the age of general adult responsibility, which I still feel is 18 de facto (tried as an adult, interactions with the probation service, purchasing alcohol, become a professional soldier) even if there's no statue setting 'adulthood' in stone.
- 938
- Londongrad
First impression was that this seems like Lab's version of mandatory voting ID i.e a measure that on paper was described as "making elections more fairer, open/inclusive and transparent"... with the most transparent element of it being a cynical attempt to remove some of Labour's support, only for it to backfire when the most turned away voters were of a conservative persuasion.Sixteen and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in next general election
Up to 9.5 million more people will be able to vote by lowering the age.news.sky.com
This might not work as intended. Farage is apparently very popular with the younglings, mostly the boys.
The Greens will be happy, probably Corbyn's loony lefties as well.
It does seem like they're relying on the old adage of young = more liberally minded and old = conservative when push comes to shove. That's certainly not something I'd lean on too heavily if their first year is any indication to how the rest of their term will go.
I faintly recall them confirming it was one of their "pledges", which my cynical self took to mean a half-hearted promise that they didn't really intend to keep. It was in their '24 manifesto too;
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- Fezzik1983
- Fezzik1983
Some relevant data - https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/our-work/voting-intention-trackers/
18 to 24 - Green 32%, Labour 24, LibDem 15, Reform 14, Cons 6
25 to 34 - Labour 41, Reform 21, Cons 15, Green 9, LibDem 7
35 to 44 - Labour 36, Reform 24, Cons 18, LibDem 8, Green 8
45 to 54 - Reform 25, Labour 23, Cons 17, LibDem 14, Green 12
55 to 64 - Reform 36, Cons 18, Lab 17, LibDem 12, Green 10
65 to 74 - Reform 34, Cons 22, Lab 19, LibDem 15, Green 5
75+ - Cons 33, Reform 29, LibDem 19, Lab 12, Green 4
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16 year olds have enough responsibility to warrant deserving a vote. We may not agree with how they're going to vote, but if they're old enough to work, and start a family, they should vote, simple as that.
- 89,210
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
I don't really know who asked for it then either
We do have a fundamental problem with what's defined as adulthood in the UK though. Currently we say that, absent edge cases that arrive at the point early or delayed (or not at all), an overwhelming majority of children's brains aren't sufficiently developed at age 17 to comprehend the consequences of and/or avoid developmentally injurious effects from alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, vapes, pipes, people saying **** more than once in a film, joining the armed forces/police/fire brigade without parental consent, sending a picture of your genitalia to someone no more than the same age as you, be questioned by the police without a parent/guardian, serving on a jury, becoming an MP or councillor, opening a personal bank account, owning an air weapon/crossbow or ammunition for same, operating a 7.5 ton truck, or owning fireworks.
But they are, apparently, sufficiently developed to comprehend the consequences of and/or avoid developmentally injurious effects of working or having children. Also voting, it seems.
I think we need a much, much wider conversation on what rights are recognised as held by individuals at what stages of their development in this country.
- 24,249
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Some young adults are forced to grow up quickly by circumstances, and may well have 'lived in the adult world' sufficiently enough to realise how casting their vote in an election could impact their lives in the future. But for the vast majority 16 and 17 year olds, that level of resposibility doesn't match to a well-balanced working knowledge of how the world works. They're far more likely to be influenced by peer or parental pressure then form their own reasoning.
I was 20 when i first voted in a GE and in retrospect i feel i was unprepared for making that choice.
I was 20 when i first voted in a GE and in retrospect i feel i was unprepared for making that choice.
- 17,869
- United Kingdom
There is currently no qualification of how prepared someone has to be to vote, irrespective of age. Whether or not that's right is a different issue, but it shouldn't really be used to exclude one group of people when it's the case for other groups of people too.
- 4,652
- Reading
- cutback73
- cutback73
You also can't take a driving test until your 17. Or leave education (of some form) until you are 18. And there are many more inconsistencies.I don't really know who asked for it then either
We do have a fundamental problem with what's defined as adulthood in the UK though. Currently we say that, absent edge cases that arrive at the point early or delayed (or not at all), an overwhelming majority of children's brains aren't sufficiently developed at age 17 to comprehend the consequences of and/or avoid developmentally injurious effects from alcohol, gambling, cigarettes, vapes, pipes, people saying **** more than once in a film, joining the armed forces/police/fire brigade without parental consent, sending a picture of your genitalia to someone no more than the same age as you, be questioned by the police without a parent/guardian, serving on a jury, becoming an MP or councillor, opening a personal bank account, owning an air weapon/crossbow or ammunition for same, operating a 7.5 ton truck, or owning fireworks.
But they are, apparently, sufficiently developed to comprehend the consequences of and/or avoid developmentally injurious effects of working or having children. Also voting, it seems.
I think we need a much, much wider conversation on what rights are recognised as held by individuals at what stages of their development in this country.
- 224
- Carmarthenshire
Here in wales
Registering at 14 means that you will be able to vote in the first election after you turn 16.
At 16 years old, you can vote in:
Voting at 16
In Wales, you can register to vote at 14 years old. You will be kept on the electoral register until you are old enough to vote.Registering at 14 means that you will be able to vote in the first election after you turn 16.
At 16 years old, you can vote in:
- Welsh Parliament (the Senedd) elections, and
- Local Government elections in Wales
