Channel 4 undercover re Farage

Absolutely spot on. Seeing what Reform and Restore mobs of supporters are doing to RNLI members is rightly going to make people think twice about reporting them for any violent acts they undertake. Which is of course exactly what they are counting on. There's nothing unreasonable about being concerned about the consequences when reporting people who have shown themselves to be violent thugs.

There are lots of reasons why victims of crime may not choose to come forward. Not everyone wants to go through the stress of a police investigation and a trial etc. And that is their prerogative - it isn't mandatory for them to come forward. It also isn't necessary for a prosecution if there is adequate alternative evidence. And given that at least some of the assaults were clearly caught on camera, it would appear that this may very likely be the case.

Why so eager to cling to the perception that they haven't come forward as if that somehow reflects negatively on the victims or as if it somehow proves that the assaults didn't happen? They were caught on camera, we all saw it with our own eyes.

There are several victims, still doesn't mean no one has come forward.

It doesn't matter as there is video footage and someone has already been cautioned for assault

How about commenting on that?

ps, your link shows error 404

Maybe they have, But the police are too busy filling in all the "ethnicity and immigration status" data into databases that Reform demand they do.

You know, checking passports in case there is a "migrant" involved.

Or as it was a reform conference, checking the tax resident status of witnesses, to see if they can make a case. No point calling a witness if they live in Dubai and have run out of "tax days".

@DuncinToffee

The force has asked alleged victims and anyone with information to come forward.

Link is:

https://www.google.com/url?q=www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6n8mkmvx7pmo&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi6n_qjooWXAxVUXEEAHXjSKWgQFnoECA8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw33ssIX4-pOxiQLzt63gYGQ

You don't know if they haven't come forward. Police asking for more people to come forward does not indicate that either.

Why does it matter?

@DuncinToffee

Why have those who were attacked not come forward? Seems odd after 2 weeks.

Update from West Midlands Police

https://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/26571927.man-given-conditional-caution-reform-uk-assault/

A man has received a conditional caution following a violent incident at the Reform UK conference.

The caution follows an assault that took place at the Reform UK conference at Birmingham NEC last month which was disrupted by protestors.

West Midlands Police are continuing to investigate multiple assaults that occurred during the event, which was held at the NEC in Birmingham.

I can see why you voted Labour.

Anyway, enough derailment.

@TemperanceWest

Well that means the Tories raised income tax each year from 2021 onwards.

Correct. They did. Labour have copied them since they won in 2024.

I am not in favour of the

2 wrongs = 1 correct

Had the personal allowance been increased with inflation, it would be about £3000 more than current figure of £12570. So, people are paying £50 per month more tax than they should be which has the greatest impact on those with low incomes.

@DuncinToffee

Do you pay tax in the UK ?

Yes. UK source income is subject to UK tax regardless of residency. I pay tax on the following:

Rental profits
Dividends
Capital gains

I paid my own National Insurance contributions since 1995 to maintain entitlement to UK state pension.

Do you pay tax in the UK @EEexpat ?

Well that means the Tories raised income tax each year from 2021 onwards.

Unemployment declined from 2015 to Q3 2024, but increased after that when Labour made it more expensive for employers to employ people.

An estimated 200,000 jobs were lost :

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-16133803/Job-losses-Labour-soar-past-200-000-employers-crushed-tax-wage-hikes.html

So, whilst National Insurance payable by employees may not have increased, what’s the difference if increased cost to employers results in redundancy?

I would guess that if those who lost their jobs were asked if they would have accepted higher national insurance and income taxes, or preferred to be made redundant, it would be the former.

Remember that if unemployment increases, the tax taken by government decreases. To balance that, the government has the following choices:

Increase taxes
Increase borrowing
Reduce spending.

None of which are helpful.

Not increasing the personal tax allowance is line with inflation is a tax increase.

Inability to understand the written word is a common affliction round these parts.

@EEexpat clearly didn't read the Labour manifesto properly. It said it would
not "increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT".

And you believed them ?

I thought it was income tax they promised not to raise ? And they have kept that.And you voted for them cos no tax raise ?

Very odd, I must say.

@blossomtoes

Remind me how many of those Reform have won.

One, Clacton. The next general might not happen until 15 Aug 2029. Anything can happen in that time. Also, if taxes are increased again in the next budget, that will make three in a row.

@RedTagAlan

I think that is the first time I have ever seen anyone say they voted labour cos no tax rises.

Sadly it never happened. Taxes have risen in the last two budgets. Might happen again in the next budget.

Remind me how many of those Reform have won.

I think that is the first time I have ever seen anyone say they voted labour cos no tax rises.

@RedTagAlan

Yet you done it, rather than vote Reform ?

Yes. I voted Labour in 2024. Several reasons:

They pledged to smash the trafficking gangs.
No tax rises.
No return to either the customs union or the single market.
To reduce the Conservatives chances of winning.

I voted Conservative in 2019 as Boris said he would get Brexit over the line. Until Brexit happened, the UK was in a state of paralysis and everything else was being ignored.

Yet you done it, rather than vote Reform ?

The downside of tactical voting is that the party who gets in thinks they have more support than what they actually do. They then think that no matter what changes are introduced, there will be no objections as they have so many seats.

Labour U-turn on winter fuel allowance comes to mind. Unemployment increased after Labour made it more expensive to employ people.

Yes thanks. This is the first time I've seen tactical voting mentioned on Mn threads and I think it is very important. The most organised I've seen was in Totnes when I was visiting and saw a poster before the GE. They had meetings and even posters saying "I am a Green voter but I'm voting LibDem", and so on. A Dartmoor landowner, who had given money to UKIP and the Tory MP, had helped concentrate the campaign - he wanted to stop us having picnics, etc.

So the Tory lost and the LibDem was elected. And Darwall lost his Dartmoor restrictions campaign too - sometimes there is hope!