General News Thread

[Robo61]

2 hours ago, Fazzer 7 said:

Reform will become the official opposition in the Welsh Senedd. From virtually nowhere to opposition in one night. If that isn't a seismic shift I don't know what is. There is no denying it. Farage is the most effective politician in the country. 

That really depend on your definrion of effective is. If winning elections from low base is your measure then difficult to disagree. If bringing good things for the people you represent, then I struggle to see  onthe opposirmte isn't true. Unfortunatley so many people today it is the first measure,  yet until the last 10 years or so the second was all that mattered when meauring the success of politicians.

[leicsmac]

47 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Those who work in the public sector see the waste first hand on a daily basis.

 

The red tape is off the scale and we seem to spend more time discussing or planning how to do work rather than actually doing it.

 

An example for you, we have to book our work hotels through certain companies, rather than booking.com etc. When we compare the prices, it's sometimes 3x more expensive, but we're not allowed to book through anything else other than an approved 3rd party, why? I can book the same hotel at the same time, for the same dates at a 3rd of the price. Just a pointless waste of money.

 

As someone else said above, can't even change bulbs on work vehicles, have to get someone out to change it, must cost a fortune in petrol, time, bulb, admin costs, all for a £1 bulb change.

 

Just now, Tommy G said:

And imagine that across the whole public sector. Billions wasted 

 

2 hours ago, leicsmac said:

 

Again, I'm curious as to why it appears (emphasis there) to not be as big an issue in other countries with similar large bureaucracies, both government and otherwise.

Still waiting for theories on this.

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Robo61 said:

That really depend on your definrion of effective is. If winning elections from low base is your measure then difficult to disagree. If bringing good things for the people you represent, then I struggle to see  onthe opposirmte isn't true. Unfortunatley so many people today it is the first measure,  yet until the last 10 years or so the second was all that mattered when meauring the success of politicians.

I think Reform would likely bring at least a certain amount of "good things" for the people they represent (at least in their own minds) in the very short term. 

 

Just a shame about everyone else who will be "othered", and everyone as a whole long term. 

 

I guess it just matters what function people think both democracy and government actually have. 

[Tommy G]

1 minute ago, leicsmac said:

 

 

Still waiting for theories on this.

Which other countries are you referring to? Not sure we can rely on “appear either” it’s all a bit wishy washy 

[RobHawk]

Obviously all the election talk will be about labour losses and as they current UK government rightly so. 

 

But what a horrific night the torys also had. 

 

Slipping to 4th in England, 4th in Wales and 5th in Scotland. They were running the country 3 years ago 

[leicsmac]

Just now, Tommy G said:

Which other countries are you referring to? Not sure we can rely on “appear either” it’s all a bit wishy washy 

Japan, South Korea, China (though the difference in government structure probably makes a big difference there), Germany, the Netherlands, to name five - there are likely more, too.

 

From an outside perspective (and from my own anecdotal experience in two of those places) the public sector, in terms of administering things like transportation, mail delivery etc looks to have much less trouble with what the Doge lot would call "inefficiency" than the UK (or at least, much less complaining about it).

 

My question is why, and why so many people appear to be adamant that this is a failure of principle (as in such a sector can never work well) rather than a failure of execution when evidence suggests the latter much more than the former. 

[Livid]

I honestly think if people felt better off Reform would be nothing.

 

Unfortunately Labour seemed intent on coming in strong with policies that would require a three of four term mandate. Right now it looks like they will last one and whatever they have tried to achieve will look wasted. 
 

NI increases on businesses, lead to

lower wage rises, tax thresholds have been frozen, the price of fuel and goods have risen and they just don’t seem to care.

 

They keep throwing stats out about NHS waiting lists, but getting a doctor or dentist appointment seems as bad as ever.
 

People voted for better but in real life terms very little seems to have changed, if anything a lot of people, myself included, think it’s gotten worse.

 

They keep trotting out the line about the right wing press but that goes back decades if not centuries. They talk about a 26% turnout last night like they expect more to vote at a GE, they might but I’m pretty sure many will be voting Labour. 
 

Reeves was toxic to me a long time ago but he’s had to cling on to her after losing Rayner and a few others. Starmer seems far more confident and at ease on the international stage, domestically he just seems to bury his head in the sand. The Mandelson thing, it’s like death by a thousand cuts for him now.
 

I couldn’t give you a name of anyone to replace him who would actually change course enough  to make a difference. 
 

There’s no way I’ll ever vote Reform but I understand why a lot do, and it’s not all down to racism. 

 

 

 

 

[Robo61]

2 hours ago, Parafox said:

I give you... PPE. The prime example of ripping off.

Yes, because the very checks and balances that cause the beaucracy that people conplain of was completly ignored.

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Livid said:

I honestly think if people felt better off Reform would be nothing.

 

Unfortunately Labour seemed intent on coming in strong with policies that would require a three of four term mandate. Right now it looks like they will last one and whatever they have tried to achieve will look wasted. 
 

NI increases on businesses, lead to

lower wage rises, tax thresholds have been frozen, the price of fuel and goods have risen and they just don’t seem to care.

 

They keep throwing stats out about NHS waiting lists, but getting a doctor or dentist appointment seems as bad as ever.
 

People voted for better but in real life terms very little seems to have changed, if anything a lot of people, myself included, think it’s gotten worse.

 

They keep trotting out the line about the right wing press but that goes back decades if not centuries. They talk about a 26% turnout last night like they expect more to vote at a GE, they might but I’m pretty sure many will be voting Labour. 
 

Reeves was toxic to me a long time ago but he’s had to cling on to her after losing Rayner and a few others. Starmer seems far more confident and at ease on the international stage, domestically he just seems to bury his head in the sand. The Mandelson thing, it’s like death by a thousand cuts for him now.
 

I couldn’t give you a name of anyone to replace him who would actually change course enough  to make a difference. 
 

There’s no way I’ll ever vote Reform but I understand why a lot do, and it’s not all down to racism. 

 

 

 

 

Carville was on to something when he said "it's the economy, stupid".

 

That being said, that makes an argument to not vote at all or pick any party other than Labour, rather than a specific pick for voting Reform. That people are making that specific choice speaks to their agreement with at least some of their policy platform on the part of most everyone doing it, imo.

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 hours ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

 

Public Sector has been like this for years, billions of pounds wasted every year, and the solution seems to be to give them even more money.

Royal Mail isn't public sector.

 

I've also worked for one of the UK's major banks and again, same thing.

 

It just seems public sector because the largest institutions are public sector.

[Leicester_Loyal]

1 minute ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Royal Mail isn't public sector.

 

I've also worked for one of the UK's major banks and again, same thing.

 

It just seems public sector because the largest institutions are public sector.

Didn’t mean it was, just saying we have the same policies in the public sector. 
 

There’s zero accountability in the public sector, compared to private IMO. 
 

Was the policy at RM from the public sector days? Don’t know myself. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

42 minutes ago, RobHawk said:

Obviously all the election talk will be about labour losses and as they current UK government rightly so. 

 

But what a horrific night the torys also had. 

 

Slipping to 4th in England, 4th in Wales and 5th in Scotland. They were running the country 3 years ago 

It'll be hilarious to see, no doubt, Bedanoch calling on Starmer to resign due to his poor performance, even though she fared little better.

 

5 way coalition anyone?

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 minute ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Didn’t mean it was, just saying we have the same policies in the public sector. 
 

There’s zero accountability in the public sector, compared to private IMO. 
 

Was the policy at RM from the public sector days? Don’t know myself. 

It was probably better then, but money was wasted in other ways.

 

In the private sector there's far more accountability. It just gets kicked down the line until some poor sap with practically no involvement is seen to take the fall.

 

CEOs rarely feel the stress of accountability.

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Royal Mail isn't public sector.

 

I've also worked for one of the UK's major banks and again, same thing.

 

It just seems public sector because the largest institutions are public sector.

When I worked for a large engineering company we never had this problem each department had it's own budget I remember sourcing and A1 printer and copier using the Development Dept's agreed budget. Of course we had to present a yearly budget for approval but once approved it was ours to spend.

[Ian Nacho]

Part of me thinks it's good that we're getting something different from the two party system, but on the other hand, I get the impression a lot of Reform voters don't really know what they're voting for. 

[davieG]

[StanSP]

6 minutes ago, Ian Nacho said:

Part of me thinks it's good that we're getting something different from the two party system, but on the other hand, I get the impression a lot of Reform voters don't really know what they're voting for. 

Just looking at what BBC showed in Barnsley. They voted because it's different to Starmer. Some even saying that Labour 'weren't doing anything for the working class'. As if Farage would

 

It's really weird seeing people's reasons for the Reform vote. It's anti-Labour/pro-change as opposed to a glowing reference for Farage or his ilk. 

[Ian Nacho]

Just now, StanSP said:

Just looking at what BBC showed in Barnsley. They voted because it's different to Starmer. Some even saying that Labour 'weren't doing anything for the working class'. As if Farage would

 

It's really weird seeing people's reasons for the Reform vote. It's anti-Labour/pro-change as opposed to a glowing reference for Farage or his ilk. 

It's bizzare. From personal experience who councils employ has more of an impact on how they perform rather than who's elected. 

[leicsmac]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Just looking at what BBC showed in Barnsley. They voted because it's different to Starmer. Some even saying that Labour 'weren't doing anything for the working class'. As if Farage would

 

It's really weird seeing people's reasons for the Reform vote. It's anti-Labour/pro-change as opposed to a glowing reference for Farage or his ilk. 

I'm not sure which is more thoughtless towards the future; the lack of knowledge required to just vote for a change candidate "just because", or the lack of regard for anything and anyone beyond ones own horizon to make an informed choice for that same candidate. 

[worthosoriginals]

21 minutes ago, Ian Nacho said:

Part of me thinks it's good that we're getting something different from the two party system, but on the other hand, I get the impression a lot of Reform voters don't really know what they're voting for. 

The press barons of the telegraph the sun and the mail tell them how to think and vote

[Ian Nacho]

16 minutes ago, worthosoriginals said:

The press barons of the telegraph the sun and the mail tell them how to think and vote

I think it's more slop on Facebook and TikTok. 

[worthosoriginals]

Just now, Ian Nacho said:

I think it's more slop on Facebook and TikTok. 

Probably

, add that to the mix and the ****wits lap it all up

[Sampson]

42 minutes ago, davieG said:

If we had PR it might mean something and we could adjust our hyperbole, but in a FPTP system, all the hyperbole is justified tbh.

[worthosoriginals]

[StanSP]

1 hour ago, Ian Nacho said:

It's bizzare. From personal experience who councils employ has more of an impact on how they perform rather than who's elected. 

From personal experience as well I tend to agree! 

 

I work for one that is doing really well by various counts and is quite reputable despite clear funding struggles. Scores well in several social care standards for one. 

 

Yet they've just voted out several councillors for reform ones...