news & politics:discussion

[steviewevie]

3 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Every pound spent on my kids meals is a pound that could go to a family who really need it. I would prefer a more progressive system which does not divert a limited pot of money from the poor to the middle class.

We you could say same about NHS. If you can afford it go private. And send your kids to private school. Etc.

[pink_triangle]

3 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

We you could say same about NHS. If you can afford it go private. And send your kids to private school. Etc.

Unfortunately the tax intake is not unlimited and we have to make decisions how best to target it. My decisions would be to target at those most in need. Money spent giving middle class kids free meals is money that could be spent on poorer kids instead.

I would like to see a national care service, but realise this is going to be very expensive, therefore need to be more careful with what we spend. 

I get the point about the NHS, but I feel more strongly that is the government responsibility to fund health than (for those who can afford) meals.

[Comfy Bean]

9 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

I get the point about the NHS, but I feel more strongly that is the government responsibility to fund health than (for those who can afford) meals.

Perhaps they think there is a link between proper meals, nutrition etc from a young age and the nations general health.

 

[steviewevie]

I think it's great. Sadiq for president.

[Comfy Bean]

55 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Come on Burnham, I love a freebie.

Actually I think the state paying for kids meals is a good idea, when I was a lad we got free milk, and lots of corporal punishment. Those were the days.

I vaguely remember the free milk. Was it Thatcher that put a stop to it ?

Personally I hated it. To this day I only take it in tea. Couldn’t drink a glass of milk 🤢 

[Comfy Bean]

Just now, Comfy Bean said:

I vaguely remember the free milk. Was it Thatcher that put a stop to it ?

Personally I hated it. To this day i can only take it in tea. Couldn’t drink a glass of milk 🤢 
 

 

[pink_triangle]

3 minutes ago, Comfy Bean said:

Perhaps they think there is a link between proper meals, nutrition etc from a young age and the nations general health.

 

I agree, that is why I support funding the nutrition of the kids who need it. In view of the fact we can’t fund everything, I would prefer the money from my kids (not that I live in London, so hypothetical) to go to helping those kids/families who need it more.

[Guest]

Such a weak PM. 

[Neil]

When the leader of the country is chosen by the members of a private club and not that countries electorate its a flaw in a disfunctional westminster system, when it happens in scotland that's Scottish sovereign tea. 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Neil

[Guest]

Sunak could use Labour votes to get his desk through, the offer is there. 

[Neil]

13 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Sunak could use Labour votes to get his desk through, the offer is there. 

Mogg has just implied that if sunsk does that he's toast. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Neil said:

Mogg has just implied that if sunsk does that he's toast. 

It should be country over party 😉

[Neil]

3 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

It should be country over party 😉

That's not how the tories do it. 

[steviewevie]

8 hours ago, Neil said:

Mogg has just implied that if sunsk does that he's toast. 

yeah, that's the issue now. If pushes through a deal against backbenches wishes he's toast, if doesn't we are going to carry on with this UKvsEU thing and just prolong the pain.

[steviewevie]

Biden in Kyiv?

[steviewevie]

meanwhile China going to start supplying weapons to Russia...?

[steviewevie]

[Neil]

6 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

With Chinas activity in the Pacific and Russias in the east.  All of a sudden events are mirroring WW2 rather closely.

there was no china in the pacific or russia in the east in ww2 (russia only declared war on japan with  just a week of ww2 to go)

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, Neil said:

there was no china in the pacific or russia in the east in ww2 (russia only declared war on japan with  just a week of ww2 to go)

But there are parallels...Japan and Germany...

[DeanoL]

23 hours ago, Ozanne said:

He won’t do a deal, there won’t be a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement. They will operate as a minority government if they have too. 

That's assuming the Westminster Tories aren't self-serving enough to offer the SNP a referendum in exchange for support and that the SNP aren't self-serving enough to take it. The SNP's core issue is independence, they'll get in bed with anyone to support that aim, and won't care about what it looks like at the "next election" because the assumption will be that they'll have secured independence by then.

12 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

Its like the energy deal...  I can afford my energy bill but still got £400

That's universal though, so essentially it's paid for by net contributors and benefits those who are not. It's basically the smallest little toe in the pond of the universal income idea.

Ultimately it'll be paid for by tax which will be from higher earners. But it feels better to get something and have it clawed back by tax rises than it does to just have smaller tax rises.

(Unless it gets puts on future energy bills like SOLR)

[Neil]

12 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

But there are parallels...Japan and Germany...

hugely different factors at play.

[Neil]

15 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

But there are parallels...Japan and Germany...

if tour auntie had balls she'd be your uncle.

[fred quimby]

1 hour ago, steviewevie said:

meanwhile China going to start supplying weapons to Russia...?

Yea not looking good. Would step things up, WW3 on the horizon . Humans are fucking stupid at times

[steviewevie]

16 minutes ago, Neil said:

hugely different factors at play.

yes...US vs China is potentially the biggie...

[steviewevie]

1 minute ago, fred quimby said:

Yea not looking good. Would step things up, WW3 on the horizon . Humans are fucking stupid at times

I read somewhere that if China helps Russia then that could potentially lead to a stalemate with Russia holding the Donbas...and then eventually that will end up being the basis of negotiations to end the war...and Ukraine will lose some of its country to Russia.