Thread 12 Starmer: From Prescott to Rayner, working class grit

[DuncinToffee]

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https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5203242-thread-11-starmer-will-that-phone-call-be-to-harris-or-to-trump-the-decidedly-superior-looking-cats-thread?page=40&reply=139989436

I wonder if it will be funded by the VAT on private schools ?

That thread left the solar system a long time ago.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has today announced that South Western Rail will be the first train operator to be nationalised in the UK.

Scotrail was nationalised over 2 years ago.

As far as I am aware, Scotland is still unfortunately part of the UK

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has today announced that South Western Rail will be the first train operator to be nationalised in the UK.

Not just Scotrail - There are a few franchises already under Goverment (DfT) control - East Coast Main Line for one.

https://bylinetimes.com/2024/12/04/litany-of-failures-exposed-by-damning-report-revealing-huge-scale-of-conservative-prisons-crisis-inherited-by-keir-starmer/

NAO reveals ‘Litany of Failures’

Just 5% of the additional prison places promised by Conservative ministers in 2016 have been delivered

Pointing to the current crisis, the report suggests that it is “the result of previous governments’ failure to ensure that the number of prison places was aligned with criminal justice policies”.

The report reveals that the pledge for tens of thousands of new prison places, in David Cameron’s 2016 Queen’s Speech, will now not be met until at least 2031, and will cost a minimum of an extra £4.2 billion to fulfil.

This amounts to an 80% increase in cost, compared to when it was first announced by the then Justice Secretary Michael Gove.

Saving this for the next "Starmer is letting out criminals early" thread.

Right with you.

Amazing. And boy is it needed.

Ah, so I knew 6518 prison places had been built. I didn't know that 5513 had been closed due to the poor state of the prison estate.

Seems pretty shortsighted of the Conservatives to ccancel the Blair/Brown prison building plans in 2010 (would only have created 4500 places but even so)

I am seriously so excited about the further nationalisation of trains. Bring it on.

Especially as the recent concerns about readiness for war could will ? allow it to be spun as a national security measure.

And if it's national security measure to secure our steel industry, then surely our energy industry is similarly in need of protection. And water. We don't want a load of nasty foreigners with ill intent for the UK to have a chance of running them.

In other news, Mr. Musk is a Cancer. Literally.

we need to remind ourselves of the challenge on comms:

Just three companies – DMG Media (Rothmere owns) (publishers of the Daily Mail, Metro and i), News UK (the Sun and The Times) and Reach (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star) – dominate 90% of national newspaper circulation.

71% of the UK’s 1,189 local newspapers (including print and online-only titles) are owned by just six companies.

10 of the top 15 online platforms used to access news in the UK are owned by Meta, Alphabet and X Corp (owners of X/Twitter)

three-quarters of circulation is controlled by four families. Viscount Rothermere, owner of the Mail and Metro, is leader of the pack with 35.5 per cent of print circulation, supplemented by website traffic in the UK of 38 million visits per month, according to Comscore. Rupert Murdoch is second with 25 per cent of print, plus 54 million website visitors a month to the Sun and Times. Evgeny Lebedev is third, with 8 per cent of print (the London Evening Standard) and website visitors of 25 million per month. In fourth position is Frederick Barclay of the Telegraph with 5 per cent of print, and 25 million website visits per month

Thing is, if I don't swallow anything these rags print uncritically, why do others ?

Or do they ?

A colleague from a while back used to "take" the Daily Mail because his wife liked the recipes. The chances of him voting anything other than Labour was practically zero.

I think lots do though... though hopefully with more and more calling out the disinformation people will quesiton morem but that is a slow journey.

That's very helpful @Eve

Does she mean first under this new policy?

I think so. I also raised an eyebrow as LNER which is our line was effectively nationalised ages ago.

That was my assumption

Good news so long as that long term reform doesn't involve closing down specialist schools again. Some children's needs are far beyond what a mainstream school can provide, particularly at secondary level.

You have to wonder who advises Badenoch on PMQs

"the public needs conviction politicians, not politicians with convictions".

It doesn't take a genius to predict the reply to this.

@eve Thanks so much for the info. this is why I am not surprised the Government are cracking on and not engaging too much with the media barons.
Actions speak louder than words .
I am pleased about the re nationalisation of transport and industries, where possible.
It really is becoming more of a national security issue.

Badenoch is lucky that the exchanges barely matter in elections- she is not very good at the moment. Still, there is no real evidence that it makes any difference in terms of voting.

Rachel Reeves looked knackered and miserable at PMQs.

I thought that. It can’t be much fun being her at the moment.

Well she will be in endless meetings justifying her budget measures which is a pretty tough position for a Chancellor.

She has taken a risk; it may pay off. But so much depends on her relationship with the PM.

I didn't know that!

Out of interest (I also don't know this so it is a genuine question) how many times has the DM had to retract stories, been taken to court, or had to publish apologies vs The Guardian?