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I think this is nonsense. Rodgers did a fantastic job for 2/3 years, then when he wasn't allowed to refresh the squad he threw his toys out the pram which ended in disaster. But I'm not a fan of pretending he didn't do a phenomenal job for a couple of years.

Why have they released him? Or would he not re-sign?

What Maureen said....

He has had a positive impact on things like waiting times. Thing is, he's created a huge transformation within the NHS. A lot of this is effectively cost cutting by removing NHS England, merging ICBs, merging trusts, it's a really significant change. It's only halfway done. Organisations are mid merger. People are still working out what future structures will look like. Having the architect of this (though that's a poorly used phrase in this regard as he actually made big decisions re culls and then has left it to the NHS to sort out the detail) disappear before it's finished could be chaos. If he wins and becomes PM then presumably he would want it to continue. If he doesn't and he doesn't pick up the health secretary job again, then what? I'm a little unimpressed from this angle.

Apparently Burnham has found an MP that will stand down to create a bi-election. Only problem is it's rumoured to be polling very high towards reform! It's a tricky one for Burnham, he is their best hope, and I think has a chance to win over the electorate, but finding a safe enough seat where the MP will stand aside in time is an issue now. He should have been allowed to stand months ago of course.

https://www.thebarnatcoastalvalley.com/wood-fired-food https://www.facebook.com/share/18F1XDbiqS/ Both a little down and dirty but great food and decent prices 👍🏻 The second one is kinda outdoor feeling so if it's really freezing don't bother

One of the many reasons capitalism has failed is that markets aren't really markets. Let's take the chocolate industry. There's not much competition coming to steal their thunder that I can see: One company bought every brand you grew up with — then quietly gutted them. Same packaging. Same price. Less of everything that made them good. That company is Mondelez International. 🐀 Mondelez owns Cadbury, Toblerone, Milka, Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy, Marabou, Clif Bar — and dozens more. 🐀 In 2010, Kraft (now Mondelez) acquired Cadbury for $19,600,000,000 — against the will of British workers, unions and politicians. 🐀 They promised to keep the Somerdale factory open. They closed it. Hundreds of British jobs gone. Production moved to Poland. 🐀 2015: Cadbury quietly swapped the Dairy Milk chocolate in Creme Eggs for "standard cocoa mix." Their own words: "It's no longer Dairy Milk." Six eggs became five. Same price. 🐀 2016: Toblerone widened the gaps between peaks — 400g became 360g, 170g became 150g. Consumers said they felt "cheated." One fan: "Not to be melodramatic but thanks for ruining Christmas, Mondelēz." 💰 2023: Toblerone moved production from Switzerland to Slovakia — cheaper labour. The Matterhorn logo, 115 years of Swiss identity, was legally required to be removed from the packaging. 🐀 Milka: 100g bars became 90g. Price unchanged. In 2025 Milka was awarded Germany's "Goldener Windbeutel" — the consumer protection prize for shrinkflation. 🐀 Oreo: packages shrunk 10–15%. Consumers on PissedConsumer.com (1,321 reviews, avg 2.3/5): "Less filling and taste different." In 2024 Mondelez quietly "adapted the recipe" — called it "meeting changing tastes." 🐀 Marabou: Sweden's beloved chocolate since 1916. Swedish consumers: "It no longer tastes the same." Mondelez announced weight reductions in 2025 — customers: "Tänker inte köpa deras produkter framöver." (Won’t buy it again). 💰 Clif Bar: founded on organic ingredients and employee ownership. Mondelez bought it for $2,900,000,000 in 2022. Employees on Glassdoor: "They gutted everything." "Sold out everything good they stood for." 💰 CEO Dirk Van de Put: $22,300,000 in 2024. 657 times the median worker's salary. Bonus structure based on "cost savings." Your chocolate got worse. His bonus got bigger. 🐀 Mondelez 2024 revenue: $36,400,000,000. Net income: $4,610,000,000. The playbook never changes. Buy a beloved brand. Cut the ingredients. Shrink the package. Keep the price. Deny everything. They didn't ruin your taste buds. They ruined the product.

God this is all so depressing

Numbers are falling quite rapidly. The solution being used is pretty simple and has come from America - lines of bouys that make it difficult to make it to the sea. France has used them across waterways leading to the sea. Belgium, were many boats now enter before heading into french waters, are now looking at doing the same to stop movement so south. This is coupled with different tactics by French police. Labour's work with European governments is making a difference. Just a bloody shame they're apparently unable to communicate this to the electorate.

Rubbish. Costs are high because shareholder value is legally what CEOs are appointed to maximise. That means maximising profit by keeping wages low, increasing prices, reducing quality. Things we see across the board. If you get paid minimum wage with a family, it is highly likely the state is paying you benefits to subsidise your wages not being enough to live on, even if you work full time. Work used to pay enough to live on. It no longer does. Minimum wage is an attempt to at least force some degree of sensibility to wages. Without it wages would be even lower. Wages is only one aspect of cost. If wages go up 10% that is not the same as costs rising by 10%.

This goes on all the time. Derby had a similar thing few years ago, can't remember if they were spying or spied on, think the latter

This is the weirdest argument. I often see anti-immigration people ask this of pro-immigration people. But nobody on the pro side is asking anybody to house anybody themselves. It's just the weirdest attempt at a gotcha moment.

Strong policy content from this reform councillor

Leaving behind my feelings about Thatcher, I'm not sure the modern 24/7 news and social media reality, plus gotcha journalism that is more interested in constantly taking the opposing side rather than actually listening to ideas, will allow this now.

They are the conservatives. Only worse.

Pretty sure it's making it up as somebody that many years ago used to assess benefit claims

Are we 100% sure they've actually gone? Feel like I need to see them not at training and working down the car wash or whatever to stop me thinking rudkin is going to come in with a last minute contract offer

No, we can't actually

You sound like you've been watching GB news 24/7

I don't think it's an argument you can win now, though I get your point. I don't think you can win the population over with economic data or whatever to show it's positive. Maybe get the boats down to zero and you might stand a chance but atm I don't think you can.

Granted the winter fuel payment, farm taxes etc have shot him down before we even launched as he set off on a negative footing. Not sure he can recover it. But immigration is down by about 80% and illegal immigration down by 42% just this year.

Your middle paragraph - those things absolutely could be dealt with quickly if the government had the bottle to intervene. Spain are taking aggressive government action to curtail cost of living increases. Several other countries have been successful in this. The government needs to put people first and be bold. They keep talking about growth as if that can happen without people having money to spend.

I'm not sure. They've done a lot of good things that simply aren't talked about. They have cut crossings by 42% this year and there are very real policy things happening in that space. The NHS waiting list really is falling. Ed Milliband's creation of GB energy is a fantastic way around the market and they've been busy preparing the way for solar panels on schools and hospitals that will save hundreds of millions in energy costs. That said, the one big issue is cost of living and labour in general are way too slow on this. It's like they're treading water and don't understand it's importance. We all know from our everyday lives how much more expensive life is. Why have we allowed petrol costs to get so high so quickly with yet again record profits? Why are we allowing record profits amongst supermarkets? Sector after sector making record profits, profiteering from world events when prices could take been lower and kept their existing profit levels. Real government intervention in markets is required and labour need no baulk at this, they need to move quickly.

Think starmar has probably sealed his fate with today's speech. A shame as I think he's a good man who is actually doing quite a decent job, but he ability to communicate with the electorate is a downfall. He's too much manager and not enough dreamer. Burnham needs to be brought into the fold ASAP.

Proportional representation is the only real democracy