Labour isn't Working - Thread 38

[Nuthatch26]

A chat thread for those who don't like this Labour government. 💙

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

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Rayner is very quiet.

I'm tired of ministers, MPs being expected to pull a rabbit out of a hat every week. TV radio soundbites. Leaking ideas as soon as they've thought of them. It results in a half baked mess mostly which is abandoned in a panic. Conservatives did the same.

Just sit down shut up and get on with the job.

They do say never trust a quiet puppy.

Burnham's advantage is his voice; people tend to be reassured by those soft northern tones to the point they concentrate more on the delivery rather than what he's actually saying.

We haven't quite got the measure of him yet, but the portents aren't good, IMO. He's a mayor wearing the PM's hat - and it's too big for him. His use of the Emergency Alert is a case in point.

@DenizenOfAisleOfShame a small blessing but a blessing non less.
Aside from the darlik like restricted tones it was the pompous stressing all the time like if only we would listen and understand him all would be ok.

The tool makers son !!
I heard an interesting discussion on this ; that saying this was too confusing for people because they didn't know what a tool maker did.

I am horrified what I have heard from Robert Jenrick this morning about abolishing PIP ! The alternatives expressed make no sense whatsoever, no employer is going to employ any disabled person over 30. Thus, the Government would have to pay companies to employ. Unless Reform think people who are disabled could live on 'basic' benefits. There, is a reason why people are Disabled and in many cases unfit for work, No I really think Reform believe we can have Disabled people earning £50-£100 a week and that's enough for them. Thus, looking for companies to find 'non-jobs' for them and give disabled people pocket money. I remember there was a Minister years ago who suggested Disabled People could work for £3 an hour when minimum wage was £10 a hour I think.

Politics and political opinions are not as people on the left think a straight or an un-deviated line but should be a mix of sense and what is morally and economically correct. PIP payments have got out of hand, thus needs more control face-face 'assessments' etc. The destruction of the PIP system will mean many disabled people will die. I can't believe I have turned into 'Dianne Abbott'..

There is a thread running about a couple of private schools using sprinklers on their lawns. It’s actually quite civil for a thread about private schools, which attract the most extreme reactions from some posters.

Anyway, it got me reminiscing about the summer of 1976. Looking it up, the restrictions imposed then - hosepipe bans, disconnections, standpipes, household limits from standpipes, maximum inches of water in baths, and the like, were way, way worse than we’re experiencing now.

Google tells me that this summer is the driest ever on record so far.

I can’t help wondering whether the nationalised water industry was in fact rather shitter and even less prepared than what we have now - which I’d be the first to say is pretty terrible.

We don’t get much discussion of the uselessness of nationalised industry. I can see that changing.

@DenizenOfAisleOfShame yes be careful what we wish for I have heard that nationalisation wasn't great either but we cannot continue like we are now whether the regulation is tougher or more stuff is forced on them in terms of re investment something needs to happen I did read thamea water is going to regenerate a desalination plant

@redange I don't know who they ,anyone consults with this stuff !

This is an interesting article comparing this year with 1976.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/cf5ea4a87a94cea8

The impact on people was indeed much worse in 1976, and the government invested a lot after that to improve water infrastructure: both storage capacity and connections between areas.

But worryingly, this year's drought has happened very quickly, following a wet winter. The drought of 1976 followed a year of dry weather in 1975 and a dry winter. We'd be in an even worse situation with that pattern.

I don't think the water companies can take the credit tbh. One of the differences between 1976 and 2026 is that much of the UK had about six weeks straight of rain earlier in the year. If we hadn't had that, things might be very different.

Can someone explain why people might think they need to change names? I’ve always posted under Loopylalalou, and I’m content that my postings have reflected the real me. I’ve had a couple attempting to troll me, but I just stop posting as soon as that becomes apparent. One post a bit further back suggests creating a new name for each thread - eh?

There, appears to be a lot more closely resembling 1976 than just 'Hot Weather' I was 3 I think in the Summer of 76 so history repeats itself !

I don't know about comparisons with nationalised water

What I do think is that nobody has the will to actually organise the basic stuff

And that has been evident for a really long time

the decline of Britain is so depressing but I cannot see anyone doing anything about it. It's actually really strange to me.

In terms of water, building new reservoirs and having more water transportation - I keep hearing that there are lots of objections to it. But if they are able to ignore objections for things like AI data centres, why have they spent all these years looking at water infrastructure and just saying "too hard, can't be done".

I'm wondering why we haven't heard more from Andy Burnham. He's clearly been planning this for a long time. So what is it that he actually wants to do that is going to benefit the country?

we have long needed an active coalition looking at utilities and infrastructure. It actually would be quite good if it was non-political.

if you question all the leaders of political parties, they know damn fine that something needs doing. Are they just hoping they'll all be dead before it all goes wrong or something? Because that's not true. I find it very hard to believe that absolutely everyone is unaware, or not taking it seriously or not worried about lots of water or electricity.... I mean even multimillionaires cannot protect themselves from the consequences of this stuff. So what's actually going on?

Re 1976 drought the winter, spring of 75-76 was very dry the reservoirs at a record low. Unlike this year and yes I've checked all the reservoir levels which today average around 70%. They are lower in the south east at around 54%

We started from a totally different level. This year 90% plus, in fact reservoirs had to dump water for safety reasons early on.

Desalination is very expensive

We're nationalised Dwr Cymru. We still have leaks and fountains in roads for months on end. One in our cul de sac for two years. It was only when a neighbour at the bottom got a surveyor in who was the recipient of the leak. He said that it was undermining their foundations. They then threatened to sue big time. Well like magic a senior team turned up, found the leak relaid new pipes and put down new tarmac.

@SapphireCasino I think the question is what has Andy Burnham been planning for a long time? Is it groundbreaking ideas for rebuilding trust in UK politics - or was it achieving the heady heights of becoming PM?

So far he appears to be living proof it's better to travel than to arrive. I really hope he ups his game in September because right now he's more reminiscent of a rabbit caught in headlights than a leader.

Well he's going to face reckining in sept

I wouldn’t say he seems startled and paralysed, but I do agree with the thrust of your post. Burnham’s efforts over the last two years have all been directed to getting himself the position he craved and believed he deserved by right, from outside Westminster. I haven’t seen any sign that he has a distinctive philosophy or any guiding political principles - apart from how he might himself benefit from one choice or another.

His early announcements have all been fluff really (and dishonest over funding the leccy VAT cut), apart from the ending rough sleeping one which was very obviously a hasty thought on the train down to London. Since he failed on that in Manchester we can’t expect much, but it’s a worthy aim. (But as the Tories took strong steps to end street sleeping during Covid I’m not going to give him any more on that than I would Johnson.)

As for all the bigger stuff, we wait with bated breath. I’m not especially hopeful - I think he’s hamstrung by his party - but it’s hard to imagine that he and Healey will be any worse than Starmer and Reeves.

And I still think he has the look and presence of a supermarket manager.

He does (as well as my ex boyfriend who is his lookey likey that I mentioned on an earlier thread, who I always think about when “You’re So Vain” is played) and I completely agree with the lack of substance of anything so far.

Maybe a new career opportunity has opened up for my ex with Burnham’s ascent.

Maybe it’s a false sense of security but I also think surely he can’t be as bad as Starmer. And I don’t dislike him as much. I just think he’s a bit of a fool.

I once met a professional Richard Branson look-a-like who’d been hired to wander around a work Christmas party. It was a bit spooky. Nice guy though.

I suspect that a good few in the cabinet share your view of Burnham being a fool, or at least a lightweight, and that tensions will become apparent soon enough. Those who’ll back him unquestioningly will do so because he’s been their ticket to office, not because they think much of him. Rayner, Haigh and Powell, for example.

At present, the women are all over him and It's quite sickening to watch. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch is at the top of her game. The only thing she's had to rely on men for is to get her into that top spot. She's well and truly got the reins now.

He’s definitely easier to cope with than Starmer for sure.

I think it’ll get uncomfortable for him when pressured on policies that are not working. Not sure how he’ll manage.