Thread 21 Sunak, Return of the Numpties

[DuncinToffee]

And so we continue.

Previous thread

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4699406-thread-20-sunak-and-the-winter-of-discontent?page=1

In the interests of accuarcy and completeness I would like to point out that the Prime Minister and his predecessor have an even better electoral history having secured 100% of the votes in each of the General Elections they have led their parties in.

That's only fair. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of months, both with the direction the SDP take, and with the financial investigation that's being done.
I got the feeling from her press conference that she was pushed.

@jgw1

I'm in a car right now and can't see her speech or anything. What has she said about her resignation?

I think the SN party is divided over what they perceive to be the best course of action to try to achieve Scottish independence- some of the party aren't in agreement over describing the next election as a de facto Indy ref.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader of the Westminster cohort was very close to NS but pushed out I think and I think NS' preferred candidate was Alison Thewliss who lost the leadership to candidate to the chappie who represents Aberdeen.

NS' success as a clever cunning communicator on top of details, a canny woman of the people etc is overshadowed in Scotland by the utter fiasco of the ferries to some of the Western Isles. Against advice the Scot gov awarded a contract to a company which they subsequently bought over. Years and years later and it's massively over budget and still not ready and the ferries are hugely unreliable causing serious problems to residents and island businesses.

There's murkiness over some of the SNP accounts - NS is married to the party chairman!!

The gender reform bill is clearly problematic and offended and worries women who took part in the public consultation but weren't referenced as individuals, as according to the Scot gov large organisations which responded covered the gamut of diverse opinions.

Then there's the Scottish education curriculum - which awards National 4, 5s etc. It's heavily criticised by teachers and parents and after Scottish scores in international rankings (PISA) dropped the Scot gov withdrew from them.

NS has a reputation of being micro-managing and wanting a bigger degree of state control over lifestyle choices and personal/family matters than many Scottish people are happy with.

Can't argue with facts.

I should have thought withdrawing from PISA is to be applauded, it measures a very narrow view of what education should be and the comparisions it makes are pretty unreliable, from year to year and country to country.

British Gas has tripled its profits to £3.3bn

Trump is crowing over Sturgeon - citing a few reasons. Turns out she blocked his golf course expansionism. Diddums.

Times article about public sector pay awards - nothing new in it, any rise above 5% will mean inflation will take longer to drop, for 2023-24 any pay rise above 2 per cent will have to come out of existing budgets.

Junior doctors ballot results to be announced Monday. Nurses expected to continue strikes throughout the year.

There is obviously another cost to the public - both in the waiting lists continuing to rise and the planning and manpower required to plan for strike days. But apparently that is a price worth paying.

So we will continue to lose NHS staff and teachers. Continue to spend £3 billion a year on NHS agency staff. Schools will continue to need supply teachers. And there will be no improvement in public services.

I can also see a point whereby trade unions will pull out of engaging with the pay review boards. Negotiating with individual unions is slower and more expensive and will IMO drive up union membership.

I see Australia are set to take advantage of the UK's refusal to pay its public sector workers properly.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/western-australia-state-poach-british-doctors-teachers-police-officers-b2283428.html

This is why it was so important that we left the EU. With freedom of movement highly qualified British workers were able to move to countries that were willing to pay them properly for their knowledge and experience. Now that Brexit has happend and we have taken back control of our borders it is much harder for people to leave and so easier to not pay them a decent wage for thier work.

Now that Brexit has happend and we have taken back control of our borders it is much harder for people to leave and so easier to not pay them a decent wage for thier work
YES!
But isn't it also the case that a lot of people in the UK (mostly over 50s according to the media?) are deciding not to work at all?
it may be easier not to pay people a decent wage but at the same time there are not enough people willing to work in the roles which are unfilled🤷

This is excellent news, it means the unemployment figures are low.

Also it is important to let market forces work here. If there are for instance too few doctors, then as with anything that is in short supply one should pay them less in the hope that our rich mates can make a profit out of it.

This is why it was so important that we left the EU. With freedom of movement highly qualified British workers were able to move to countries that were willing to pay them properly for their knowledge and experience. Now that Brexit has happend and we have taken back control of our borders it is much harder for people to leave and so easier to not pay them a decent wage for thier work.

OMG I never thought of this. But you are absolutely spot on. Not just about stopping people coming here but also about stopping out home grown public sector workers seeking better remuneration for employment elsewhere.

When you hear about them wanting to leave the ECHR and changes to workers rights it makes far too much sense.

These are the Brexit benefits we have all been so desperate to see. Now that they are starting to appear we should forever be grateful for those great visionaries, Farage, Johnson and Rees-Smug.

🚨BREAKING: Nurses to strike for a continuous 48 hours at over 120 NHS organisations on March 1.

For first time nurses in A&E, ICU, cancer units and other exempt areas will strike too in what is a big escalation by @theRCN in face of @DHSCgovuk intransigence on pay #NursesStrike

twitter.com/shaunlintern/status/1626266850614034433?s=46&t=ov0W9941CqR6im0mp674UQ

twitter.com/theRCN/status/1626253861617913857?t=4Im5ws6xjVbzybJECZWhzg&s=19

ANNOUNCEMENT:

48-hr, non-stop strike from 1-3 March across England without derogations. Members in 128 Trusts should withdraw their labour.

Strike benefit payments will be significantly higher to support you in this fight.

Oops, didn’t see your post Notonthestairs

Sunak is not going to like this

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv

At least Starmer went during recess

It's pretty grim news all round.

The idea that any pay rise over 2% will come out of existing budgets is pretty dreadful - as we all know services have been cut year after year. It can only get worse.

Meanwhile half the Tory party are bellowing for tax cuts.

More strikes

BREAKING: Royal Mail workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of continuing industrial action in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, according to the Communication Workers Union.

Question time- Robert Jenrick is a smarmy idiot. Puts me in mind of the abuser being uber calm while their victim is losing their mind because of all the gas lighting going on. He came across really badly.

Robert Jenrick who went to a dinner with Richard Desmond and then went on to overrule local planning authority and Government planning inspectorate pushed through Desmond's Isle of Dogs development to avoid Desmond paying £45 million in community levy to Tower Hamlets?

The same Jenrick that generated so many terrible headlines he had to be removed from housing department by Johnson?

Smarmy idiot doesn't cover the half of it.

Like so many of his colleagues he should have been binned years ago. I'm sure he's still doing mucky deals for Tory donors somewhere.