General News Thread

[leicsmac]

18 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Extract from the guardian article:

 

"Food price inflation climbed for a fifth consecutive month, up from 4.9% in July to 5.1% in August, with small increases in a range of vegetables, cheese and fish items. The price of sweets and chocolates rose by 10.5%, while the cost of beef, butter and coffee also increased sharply."

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/17/uk-inflation-remained-at-38-in-august-official-figures-show

 

 

Thanks for the additional info there. 

 

Seems like it's more "complex" goods bearing the brunt for now, then. 

[Zear0]

8 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Woah woah woah.  Hold on there Mr BKLFox!  You cannot expect people to make decisions without having an external consultant report telling them to do what they were going to do anyway!  What if it goes wrong?  They might get told off!!

As the owner of an external consulting company providing valuable independent advice to corporations, I strongly disagree with the above.

[Jon the Hat]

4 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

As the owner of an external consulting company providing valuable independent advice to corporations, I strongly disagree with the above.

Independent advice can indeed be very valuable, however how much do you bet a lot of this is one faction pitting their advisers against another?

[bmt]

Not sure if it was discussed yesterday but with all the problems the Government and people are facing in economic terms, what do people think about the triple lock:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/sep/16/uk-state-pension-what-is-the-triple-lock-and-could-it-be-ditched

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62lnzdndkeo

 

Appreciate it's always political suicide to challenge, but is now the time it should be brought up again? 

[Jon the Hat]

1 minute ago, bmt said:

Not sure if it was discussed yesterday but with all the problems the Government and people are facing in economic terms, what do people think about the triple lock:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/sep/16/uk-state-pension-what-is-the-triple-lock-and-could-it-be-ditched

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62lnzdndkeo

 

Appreciate it's always political suicide to challenge, but is now the time it should be brought up again? 

Its unaffordable clearly, as is the current retirement age, the number of people not working and claiming disability benefits, tax breaks for earnings from general capital investment, and the current rates of income tax.

[danny.]

4 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

No problem with your post but Slovenia and Czechia I wouldn’t describe as that. Slovenia in particular has a very high quality of life 

 

As a left centre person, it has always baffled by why Labour or any other party of that ilk have not looked to Sweden and Denmark in how to construct a better economy, quality of life and welfare state. It’s no utopia in them countries but it’s a damn sight better. Although I do think it all has origins in just a healthier lifestyle 

Oh, I agree with you. Lots of countries in Europe have a far better quality of life that we experience. I meant that many people think of these countries as backwards, along with thinking the NHS is the greatest in the world - and in reality it's not, and we are massively behind countries that in the recent past were behind us. Our regression is remarkable. 

 

 

41 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Its unaffordable clearly, as is the current retirement age, the number of people not working and claiming disability benefits, tax breaks for earnings from general capital investment, and the current rates of income tax.

It drives me mad as someone who has paid in a lot to the system that I will probably be dead before receiving a state pension, yet there are so many people who just choose not to work and have a pretty decent quality of life.

[Tommy G]

4 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

No he has but he does have a track record of saying one thing politically and doing another personally. 
 

For example, get out of the EU but utilise his spouse nationality to get him and his family European passports. 

You can say the same about 90% of politicians I'm afraid. 

[Tommy G]

1 hour ago, UniFox21 said:

Extract from the guardian article:

 

"Food price inflation climbed for a fifth consecutive month, up from 4.9% in July to 5.1% in August, with small increases in a range of vegetables, cheese and fish items. The price of sweets and chocolates rose by 10.5%, while the cost of beef, butter and coffee also increased sharply."

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/17/uk-inflation-remained-at-38-in-august-official-figures-show

 

 

I thought Kerrygold had gone up 

[danny.]

2 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

You can say the same about 90% of politicians I'm afraid. 

Conservative estimate!
 

Anti-corruption Minister has to resign over corruption investigation
Homelessness Minister has to resign after making her tenants homeless to make more money
Housing Secretary has to resign after avoiding stamp duty on one of her homes
Starmer U-turns, lies, gifts, appointing Mandleson etc. from the man that went on and on about restoring honesty and integrity to government

I'd be here all day if I listed Tory scandals too

[South Shire Fox]

The new policy is going well then

[Jon the Hat]

2 minutes ago, South Shire Fox said:

The new policy is going well then

Someone has to draw a line under these legal challenges.  

[Tommy G]

2 minutes ago, South Shire Fox said:

The new policy is going well then

My surprise 

[leicsmac]

Well, no wonder Reform want to circumvent the entire legal system regarding such matters. 

 

Edit: @Sampson has it exactly right in the post earlier today. 

Edited 17 September 2025 by leicsmac

[danny.]

32 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Well, no wonder Reform want to circumvent the entire legal system regarding such matters. 

 

Edit: @Sampson has it exactly right in the post earlier today. 

How else would they be able to action policies? Seems the legal system is stopping both the Tory and Labour strategies. 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, danny. said:

How else would they be able to action policies? Seems the legal system is stopping both the Tory and Labour strategies. 

It appears to be so, yes.

 

However, I'm not sure that eliminating the system of checks and balances that guard against governments acting in an...unethical fashion, would be the best way to address the matter.

[Trav Le Bleu]

28 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

It appears to be so, yes.

 

However, I'm not sure that eliminating the system of checks and balances that guard against governments acting in an...unethical fashion, would be the best way to address the matter.

It's quite concerning that so many people would indeed like to bypass ethics.

[danny.]

38 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

It appears to be so, yes.

 

However, I'm not sure that eliminating the system of checks and balances that guard against governments acting in an...unethical fashion, would be the best way to address the matter.

It’s probably inevitable though. Labour promised to stop illegal migration and so far has done no more than the Tories. If a new party gets a mandate to action this, even if this means leaving the ECHR, then it will go through anyway. 

[bovril]

A lot of these discussions on what reform will or won't do including leaving the ECHR really remind me of the run up to the 2016 referendum 

[leicsmac]

16 minutes ago, danny. said:

It’s probably inevitable though. Labour promised to stop illegal migration and so far has done no more than the Tories. If a new party gets a mandate to action this, even if this means leaving the ECHR, then it will go through anyway. 

Then I guess it will be darkly hilarious how a long time of traditional democratic checks and balances were abandoned for everyone just because some people made a noise about one issue. Talk about incoming unintended consequences. 

 

Speaking personally though, I'd rather not accept a future like that in all its rather dubious glory as a fait accompli.

 

 

[leicsmac]

32 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

It's quite concerning that so many people would indeed like to bypass ethics.

Well, when the consequences of that do come to pass (and they will), all anyone else can do is make sure it is known for the historical record exactly who was responsible for them.

[danny.]

22 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Then I guess it will be darkly hilarious how a long time of traditional democratic checks and balances were abandoned for everyone just because some people made a noise about one issue. Talk about incoming unintended consequences. 

 

Speaking personally though, I'd rather not accept a future like that in all its rather dubious glory as a fait accompli.

 

 

I think that’s down to political leaning and other opinions. Your position is clear, and others feel that they’d rather not accept the future we’re currently heading for, so are prepared to accept changes. Probably all for similar reasons and motives, but one man’s good and virtuous is another man’s bad and unethical. 

Edited 17 September 2025 by danny.
Typos

[leicsmac]

11 minutes ago, danny. said:

I think that’s down to political leaning and other opinions. Your position is clear, and others feel that they’d rather not accept the future we’re currently heading for, so are prepared to accept changes. Probably all for similar reasons and motives, but one man’s good and virtuous is another man’s bad and unethical. 

Fair enough. I just hope that we or others can revisit this conversation in a decade or two, as that will mean that such a path won't be as bad as I think it could be. 

 

I just really hope that kind of relativism won't lead us all into a very deep, very dark hole, because I think people don't really grasp just how bad things could get. 

[Tommy G]

Britain do pomp very well 

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Tommy G said:

Britain do pomp very well 

Also very non-discriminatory regarding the leaders it is given to, as well. If they're in charge, they get the show.

 

(Apart from Putin who appears to be off limits, that is.)

[Tommy G]

Just now, leicsmac said:

Also very non-discriminatory regarding the leaders it is given to, as well. If they're in charge, they get the show.

 

(Apart from Putin who appears to be off limits, that is.)

Yeh I know you won't agree with it, it was more that whatever the reason - we do it well.