Guilt Free Railing 14

[WouldBeGood]

😱 I think we will need this thread.. could it be the last?!

@WouldBeGood

I’m railing against lockdowns starting again in various countries despite the fact it’s clear stricter measures don’t work.

And sleazy politicians: Douglas Ross the latest to have “forgotten” to declare £30k of income 🙄

Not defending Ross personally here, but read this morning that he donates MSP income to charities (including a donation to Women’s Aid) and in fact, everyone knows his two extra jobs are MSP and football ref which directly relates to the extra income. Unlike the bloater Blackford.

I’m more in the mood for railing against Useless suing the nursery, for 30k. Their entire business is at stake from reputational risk, even if this gets nowhere. It’s an incredible abuse of his status to be part of a process that could bring down a Scottish childcare business. The Indian council of Scotland have issued a statement that fully supports the nursery.

Those covid passes in Europe really have worked a treat

I also have more than a sneaking suspicion that the wave does not relate to the unvaccinated in the main, giving the note of increasingly shrill panic about the boosters.

Mm, still not good to “forget” income.

Blackford is a disgrace.

Humza - words fail me. WTF does he think he’s doing?

I agree @MaxNormal

He voted to cut universal credit for the poorest in our society while forgetting about declaring £28,000. It's sickening.

He's always calling for everyone else's head. Wonder if he'll hold himself to his own apparent high standards?

Absolutely @alicesfavouritepen

They all sicken me

Was it not found that the nursery did act wrongly though? I don't think that they should be sued necessarily but there should be some consequences. They put their own reputation at risk by not acting as they should.

That being said it doesn't look great that someone in a privileged position is doing anything other than seeking to have the nursery rectify their poor practices and protocols. It should end there.

He's a bit of a man baby clearly which is sad because I never got that impression from him years ago.

And yes about the shrill panic re boosters. What does this mean? That the vaccines aren't as effective as first thought? Last less time? Is delta vaccine resistant? Nobody will tolerate another lockdown. As a connected issue I'm railing about management in work asking us to be careful when living our lives so as not to bring covid into the workplace. Basically saying we need to keep ourselves safe because they can't afford for us to be off. Makes you feel guilty about arranging or doing anything.

What's Blackford done? I can't find anything.

Everyone annoys me just now and I’m certainly not defending anyone from any particular party who has been able to earn second (and the rest) incomes. The whole system needs an overhaul. Lovely sunny day here, full of autumn colours, which has thankfully cancelled out my railing mood from this morning!

@runningpink I have friends
at Murrayfield today, can ask them later re bags or other ‘rooolz’ that were followed, if you still need.

Blackford has earned a shit ton of cash from second jobs as our leader rails against second jobs for MPs

Ah! Well the rules should definitely change for all. Both at Holyrood and Westminster. I want someone focussed on their actual job.

The vaccine was developed using the initial genome sequence, delta is more infectious and although it offers good protection against serious illness it doesn't target delta specifically. There is an ongoing trial of an adapted one for delta. But the booster does give an immune kick (its been shown to reduce against the effectiveness of catching covid but holding good still on serious illness).

As far as vaccines go though its very efficient especially when you compare to the likes of flu vaccine which offers between 55-65% protection if the guess on type is correct.

I still need to see if my Dr's will accept my argument for getting on the booster list! But will be a bit peeved if they say no when my DH is bloody on it just for being a key worker (who mostly works from home!)

I think they are all as bad as each other!

I did hear a radio 2 discussion on it though and one of the points was that if you stop them all having another job then you also get more "career politicians" then people who have been in the real world!
I personally don't want any more career politician types and there are also MSPs and MPs who are Dr's others who do charity work etc.

I don't think any cabinet or front benches should have second jobs though!

@alicesfavouritepen

He voted to cut universal credit for the poorest in our society while forgetting about declaring £28,000. It's sickening.

He's always calling for everyone else's head. Wonder if he'll hold himself to his own apparent high standards?

Exactly. And yet he felt the need to claim 84p in expenses. An expert in the Mafia wrote that the UK has the most corrupt government in the world. DR is nothing really . It's the institutional corruption- millions given to friends and family for no PPE. Multi millionaires given taxpayers money to buy second houses in London. Hugely wealthy donors paying £3m to be in the House of Lords where they and then their offspring will receive £300 per day.

Most of them are corrupt, some more than others. Most of them are claiming a salary to represent their constituents but actually only representing their party.

As a start I think you should be unable to stand for election unless you've either reached a certain age, say 30 or have worked for at least 10 years in something other than politics, so you couldn't just be working for a political party or a constituency office.

That's a good point about career politicians @Scottishskifun but I think the notion that they're all as bad as each other kind of just makes it all acceptable when it should be specifically targeted and rooted out.

I'm against age criteria though I think. It sends a messier that young people are incapable when actually many do brilliant things daily.

Message

There are young people who do things brilliantly but I don't think they have the life experience to represent a constituency properly. I really don't want to be represented by a 21 year old fresh out of Uni tbh. There would be a way to beef up a youth parliament without it being a full time job.

If you had a 10 year working criteria as an alternative to age, then you could be 26 and eligible.

Well we can agree to disagree

An expert in the Mafia wrote that the UK has the most corrupt government in the world

That's ridiculous. It's not corruption free certainly but have they been to South Africa for instance?!

It's not acceptable but each time they look at scandals a different party also comes up with something else. I don't think any of them are clean enough to throw stones without at least a few then pinging back!

We had candidates a few years ago who were straight from uni one was 6 months out and in their manifesto they even had that they understood business pressures to represent the area as they worked at Mcdonalds whilst studying..... For scottish Parliament he almost got in as well it was a close second but everyone was voting based on party not candidate.

Whilst I don't think it should be a age limit as such I don't believe career politicians have a decent understanding of the real world outside the political soap opera. The more career politicians you have the more it puts off normal people ever trying and therefore regardless of what party it is ever really having a balance or understanding of what most people face day to day.

It's why I vote based on candidates not on party lines and what they say for the local area and probably why I have voted a broad spectrum of parties.

@alicesfavouritepen I hope that you’re right that people won’t tolerate another lockdown. I’m really quite scared.

I do agree @ElephantOfRisk that life experience is crucial to being a politician.