General News Thread

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Spudulike said:

I think those that you describe are a very small minority that are being rapidly marginalised by the overwhelming shift in public opinion. Labour promised change but have brought just more chaos and sleaze. I dont know who can get a grip of this. It's all very unsettling.

I disagree and I think there is very good reason to suspect that it is they who will get what they want if things continue like this, not the "moderates".

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, Samilktray said:

Tommy Robinson tweets like he’s on the gear, which in fairness he might be 

He's a caricature and a complete idiot.

 

I do think that there are a lot of people living in Britain these days that do not make an effort to integrate themselves in to that ideal British society and I would include a lot of the people that turn up to these "Unite The Kingdom" marches into this.

 

I don't care what God you believe in or the colour of your skin or who your mum and dad is or where you were born. Just be nice to each other and work hard for the betterment of yourself, your family and your neighbour. Contribute to your community.

 

Reform's plans to privatise the NHS should be enough to put of any "true Brit".

[CornwallFox]

9 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

I think those that you describe are a very small minority that are being rapidly marginalised by the overwhelming shift in public opinion. Labour promised change but have brought just more chaos and sleaze. I dont know who can get a grip of this. It's all very unsettling.

Thank you for replying in a way where we can have a conversation. 

I'm fairness to Labour they came in to an awful position. And they are taking a lot of action - french deal, potential German deal, hugely increased processing and deportations, changing how echr is interpreted to make deportations easier, potentially changing appeals process, talking of not giving visas to countries that don't accept deportations - which I suppose we'll see whether it works or not over the next year or two. 

I'm not convinced about the chaos tbh, I think they haven't solved the problem but it's just continuing from what they got given. It was never going to be solved quickly. 

Tbh I think labour have to solve the problem to stand any chance in the next election, and they know it, so they'll do everything they can. 

I think other parties kinda need the problem to continue as it's the only thing that will get them elected. 

I guess we'll find out over the next period whether anything changes.

Edited 15 September 2025 by CornwallFox

[davieG]

Attila the Stockbroker  ·

Follow

 

Summed up brilliantly in one simple cartoon, the reason why the Sun, Mail, Express, GB News, huge numbers of social media sites, Nigel Farage and Reform UK exist. To make sure billionaires stay that way. Divide and rule. Congratulations to the artist.

 

Whether you agree or not it's just someone's counter viewpoint.

[CosbehFox]

18 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

Well it wasn't on a similar scale apparently, but a quick Google suggests that the number of arrests were a very similar percentage

Had the same discussion before on this - when comparing Glaston - wide scale events are generally at the same percentage

[StanSP]

25 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

He's a caricature and a complete idiot.

 

I do think that there are a lot of people living in Britain these days that do not make an effort to integrate themselves in to that ideal British society and I would include a lot of the people that turn up to these "Unite The Kingdom" marches into this.

 

I don't care what God you believe in or the colour of your skin or who your mum and dad is or where you were born. Just be nice to each other and work hard for the betterment of yourself, your family and your neighbour. Contribute to your community.

 

Reform's plans to privatise the NHS should be enough to put of any "true Brit".

You see some clips sometimes of Farage supporters being interviewed. 

 

They've got no idea what a Reform government would do once in power (apart from stopping the boats). When they're told the rich will essentially get richer and that they may need to start paying for NHS/Healthcare, they're baffled. 

 

A lot of the voters are wrapped up into the only one thing that they seemingly are supposed to care about - boats and immigration. 

[AKCJ]

16 minutes ago, davieG said:

Attila the Stockbroker  ·

Follow

 

Summed up brilliantly in one simple cartoon, the reason why the Sun, Mail, Express, GB News, huge numbers of social media sites, Nigel Farage and Reform UK exist. To make sure billionaires stay that way. Divide and rule. Congratulations to the artist.

 

Whether you agree or not it's just someone's counter viewpoint.

The worrying thing is that you don't need to fight for them either.

[RobHawk]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

The problem is why are you referring to the Tories? Is good behaviour now a sliding scale based on precedent?

 

However, that being said, am about sick of the court of public opinion, so unless he has been proven in court to be guilty of wrong doing, I could not care less.

 

 

It gets compared to the Tories because he's been sacked and dealt with, yet the Tories are still on the offensive. All point scoring I know but I'm still trying to work out what he's done wrong? 

[Wymsey]

Am watching this court hearing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd6357v5dzlt

 

 

Don't know if others know the story, but they really are a sick couple..

[CosbehFox]

7 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce32qepq12qo

 

The Conservative Party has written to Sir Keir Starmer demanding answers over the extent of Downing Street's knowledge of Lord Mandelson's links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Tories also called for the prime minister to release documents relating to Mandelson's appointment, including evidence showing how No 10 reacted when they learned of his ties to Epstein.

 

While it's right to ask because people should know how deeply Mandelson was involved here, it's just a mite hypocritical that the ones doing the asking are those all too happy to embrace the policies and strike the ego of the man with whom Epstein had as much as if not more involvement. 

Waiting for the inquiry into Maggie Thatcher and Jimmy Saville. 

 

I want proper opposition. I want proper politics. At I am at loss to what the electorate gains at this lingers on. 

 

Tired of theatrical politics on both sides. Get some proper policy in and get that policy scrutinised/challenge. 

Edited 15 September 2025 by CosbehFox

[Dahnsouff]

1 minute ago, RobHawk said:

It gets compared to the Tories because he's been sacked and dealt with, yet the Tories are still on the offensive. All point scoring I know but I'm still trying to work out what he's done wrong? 

Its this awful playground mentality on show by both parties when not in power that irks, the fact its on the public stage, a public we are overseers of is just annoying.

To be honest, the Tories are now such an irrelevance despite having a much clearer route to power, they would instead rather double down and move further to the right to reclaim their perceived old ground.

 

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, CornwallFox said:

I think the words far right are being bandied about because there is genuine concern that's what we're seeing. 

 

It's absolutely not far right to be concerned about immigration, to think that we should seek to reduce boat numbers, or to be concerned about changes to the national culture. They are perfectly reasonable talking points on their own.

 

The concern many of us have, though, is that there are players out there pushing on from there to a place where people openly talk about immigrants as like 'vermin', talk about sinking boats and allowing those on board to drown, talk about removing legal migrants outside of the law, talk about burning hotels etc - this is far right rhetoric and always has been. You can see this happening literally everywhere online now, and more and more in real life. 

 

 

The same behaviour and action people saw in the 70s and 80s with the National Front etc. It's not hard to see why people are using the term. Except now we have added shine of using christianity as a vehicle where you can push some rhetoric and try to take the sharpness off it. 

Edited 15 September 2025 by CosbehFox

[AKCJ]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

You see some clips sometimes of Farage supporters being interviewed. 

 

They've got no idea what a Reform government would do once in power (apart from stopping the boats). When they're told the rich will essentially get richer and that they may need to start paying for NHS/Healthcare, they're baffled. 

 

A lot of the voters are wrapped up into the only one thing that they seemingly are supposed to care about - boats and immigration. 

Farage has said it himself that stopping the boats is a two day exercise. Once it's clear that boats are sent back, human trafficking across the channel stops.

 

Then you have to sit back and watch the country be sold off.

 

If Labour had any sense they'd realise the threat of Reform and make a serious effort to shut down the boats while we're still far from the election. 

[Lcfcbl]

Appreciate that this may not go down well with the majority of regular posters on this section, however, what is the big fear of having to pay for healthcare? 

I and many others think nothing of paying £20 for a takeaway, a round of drinks, cinema trip etc but it's seemingly unthinkable to pay £20 to see a GP for your health.

I get that it is a far more layered debate and I'm not talking about long term cancer treatment and things like that but in the first instance of paying a relatively small fee to see a doctor, would people be opposed to it?

 

[CornwallFox]

2 minutes ago, Lcfcbl said:

Appreciate that this may not go down well with the majority of regular posters on this section, however, what is the big fear of having to pay for healthcare? 

I and many others think nothing of paying £20 for a takeaway, a round of drinks, cinema trip etc but it's seemingly unthinkable to pay £20 to see a GP for your health.

I get that it is a far more layered debate and I'm not talking about long term cancer treatment and things like that but in the first instance of paying a relatively small fee to see a doctor, would people be opposed to it?

 

Reform would produce an American style healthcare system. The most expensive system in the world with pretty awful results. 

 

The average insurance payment is more than the average mortgage payment in the US. And then insurers find ways to not pay out so you end up losing your house for calling an ambulance.

Edited 15 September 2025 by CornwallFox

[AKCJ]

1 minute ago, Lcfcbl said:

Appreciate that this may not go down well with the majority of regular posters on this section, however, what is the big fear of having to pay for healthcare? 

I and many others think nothing of paying £20 for a takeaway, a round of drinks, cinema trip etc but it's seemingly unthinkable to pay £20 to see a GP for your health.

I get that it is a far more layered debate and I'm not talking about long term cancer treatment and things like that but in the first instance of paying a relatively small fee to see a doctor, would people be opposed to it?

 

Why do you think it'll cost £20?

 

The average annual cost for individual health insurance in America in 2024 was over $8,000. Those figures only go one way too (hint: it's up).

 

Is your employer going to pay for your insurance without it dramatically affecting your salary? I doubt it.

[Lcfcbl]

So the fear I had manifests itself within two minutes. I didn't refer to Reforms policy, I asked a simple question of why we, as British people, seem to have an irrational fear of paying to see a doctor when we pay for pretty much every other service we use. 

It was a simple question about our society and culture.

[Lcfcbl]

Just now, AKCJ said:

Why do you think it'll cost £20?

 

The average annual cost for individual health insurance in America in 2024 was over $8,000. Those figures only go one way too (hint: it's up).

 

Is your employer going to pay for your insurance without it dramatically affecting your salary? I doubt it.

I said, in the first instance, 20 quid to see the GP. I never mentioned health insurance. Been derailed straight away by two people without actually acknowledging the point I was making.

[Greg2607]

8 minutes ago, Lcfcbl said:

So the fear I had manifests itself within two minutes. I didn't refer to Reforms policy, I asked a simple question of why we, as British people, seem to have an irrational fear of paying to see a doctor when we pay for pretty much every other service we use. 

It was a simple question about our society and culture.

I suspect it's two-fold - Firstly... the way most of us structure our lives, is that we live just within our means... if there is a sudden additional cost, given the challenges that lots of people have around the cost of living, then it may tip lots of people over the top in terms of affordability.  It also disproportionately impacts the poorest in society, who are most likely to be unable to afford it.  Do they just have to forgo medical care? 

 

Secondly, and this will be the biggest issue...   People won't like having something "taken off of them".... I mean jesus.... we tried to adjust the Winter Fuel Allowance so that only those who REALLY needed it were affected and the UK nearly went into meltdown... as it did when it was proposed that benefits needed reforming... people don't like the idea that they will be "losing out".... 

 

now personally, I am not against private healthcare, I happen to have it through my job....  but if we are suddenly going to expect employers to pay private health insurance for their staff... there will be uproar (they couldn't afford the additional NI don't forget) OR we are asking people to pay for it out of their own pocket and there will be uproar there again. 

 

Populations don't generally like large scale and immediate change. 

Edited 15 September 2025 by Greg2607

[Lcfcbl]

1 minute ago, Greg2607 said:

I suspect it's two-fold - Firstly... we way most of us structure our lives, is that we live just within our means... if there is a sudden additional cost, given the challenges that lots of people have around the cost of living, then it may tip lots of people over the top in terms of affordability.  It also disproportionately impacts the poorest in society, who are most likely to be unable to afford it.  Do they just have to forgo medical care? 

 

Secondly, and this will be the biggest issue...   People won't like having something "taken off of them".... I mean jesus.... we tried to adjust the Winter Fuel Allowance so that only those who REALLY needed it were affected and the UK nearly went into meltdown... as it did when it was proposed that benefits needed reforming... people don't like the idea that they will be "losing out".... 

 

now personally, I am not against private healthcare, I happen to have it through my job....  but if we are suddenly going to expect employers to pay private health insurance for their staff... there will be uproar (they couldn't afford the additional NI don't forget) OR we are asking people to pay for it out of their own pocket and there will be uproar there again. 

 

Populations don't generally like large scale and immediate change. 

Thank you for actually replying to the question I was asking. I totally understand and agree somewhat to what you have said. People do not like change and it worries me we have created an entitlement culture in various ways.

I take the point about an unexpected cost but isn't that the same as when you MOT fails and you suddenly have to find £300 you haven't budgeted for?

For context, I do not have private health insurance, and would not object to paying a relatively small fee to see a GP if and when I had to.

[AKCJ]

14 minutes ago, Lcfcbl said:

So the fear I had manifests itself within two minutes. I didn't refer to Reforms policy, I asked a simple question of why we, as British people, seem to have an irrational fear of paying to see a doctor when we pay for pretty much every other service we use. 

It was a simple question about our society and culture.

It's not an irrational fear. Private hospitals are wildly unaffordable. 

[Tommy G]

19 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

Reform would produce an American style healthcare system. The most expensive system in the world with pretty awful results. 

 

The average insurance payment is more than the average mortgage payment in the US. And then insurers find ways to not pay out so you end up losing your house for calling an ambulance.

The poster didn't mention reform?

[Greg2607]

Just now, Lcfcbl said:

Thank you for actually replying to the question I was asking. I totally understand and agree somewhat to what you have said. People do not like change and it worries me we have created an entitlement culture in various ways.

I take the point about an unexpected cost but isn't that the same as when you MOT fails and you suddenly have to find £300 you haven't budgeted for?

For context, I do not have private health insurance, and would not object to paying a relatively small fee to see a GP if and when I had to.

Sure... but now imagine you are a single mother, and you have 3 kids..... each of those kids gets sick when they first go back to school.... so that person has paid 3 lots of school clothes out of a tight budget and now, potentially has to find an additional £60 that month, to see a doctor.   One of the kids then has an accident at their football club and twists an ankle... that's another £20, taking her total for the month to £80. 

 

OR... if I take the example of my FIL who is in his late 70's.   He has a number of complex needs and is probably at the doctors at least once or twice a month. so he is then having to factor an extra £600 a year, which is far more than the amount proposed for withdrawing the WFA. 

 

and that's assuming a £20 cost.... currently, the average cost of a GP appointment (in terms of what there are paid for their NHS contracts) is around £37..... 

 

so if we use that number... the cost amplifies very very quickly. 

[StanSP]

15 minutes ago, Lcfcbl said:

So the fear I had manifests itself within two minutes. I didn't refer to Reforms policy, I asked a simple question of why we, as British people, seem to have an irrational fear of paying to see a doctor when we pay for pretty much every other service we use. 

It was a simple question about our society and culture.

Aren't they the only ones bringing this in as a policy? Hence why there's probably a mention or reference to Reform in their answers. Don't think it's worth getting that worked up about or offended that Reform are mentioned considering they're the only ones thinking about doing it. 

 

People, for generations, have been used to free healthcare. It's the beauty of why the NHS was created but also one of the better parts of our society and culture, as you mention. 

 

It's another expense to think about, isn't it. Even if it was 'only' £20. It starts at that cost, hypothetically. Can you see it going down once it's brought in? 

 

In terms of society, it totally alienates a whole demographic and will probably push a lot more people into further poverty. Due to rising bills and costs of living, add £20 to that (just for one appt?) and it's another bill to pay or cost to think about. It'll be a disaster if you can't afford it, and those that can't afford it will feel it the hardest. 

 

Think it's harsh to call it an 'irrational fear' as well. It's a legitimate one. 

[Lcfcbl]

1 minute ago, AKCJ said:

It's not an irrational fear. Private hospitals are wildly unaffordable. 

Again, I refer to my point of £20 (example fee) to see a GP. I never mentioned private hospitals, that's a wider debate. I don't interact a lot on this forum but read a lot and unfortunately this seems a common theme of trying to shut a person/conversation down by just ignoring a point made and changing the argument.