General News Thread

[RoboFox]

I cant wait for Reform to really shake up mainstream politics with their membership of failed ex-Tory MPs from mainstream politics.

 

Edited 27 January by RoboFox

[skolfoxes]

1 hour ago, worthosoriginals said:

Boris too maybe?

Hopefully the presence of Nadine Dorries might scare him off that one

[leicsmac]

On a more lighthearted note, tremendous effort that this has got to 400+ pages without being canned. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

That cap of ground rent is actually a good change that will help a lot of people stuck in absolute scam agreements. 

[st albans fox]

26 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

That cap of ground rent is actually a good change that will help a lot of people stuck in absolute scam agreements. 

I bet there are teams of lawyers been working on ‘work arounds’

 

 Increases to service charges which get siphoned back to the freeholder via the management co ??

[kenny]

49 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I bet there are teams of lawyers been working on ‘work arounds’

 

 Increases to service charges which get siphoned back to the freeholder via the management co ??

My thought was what is the point unless service charges are capped as well.

 

Also, who will be responsible for checking that increases are reasonable, the local authorities aren't capable. That being said, in the current market, the planning departments are doing very little so maybe they could be responsible for checking that increases to service charges are reasonable.

[Foxdiamond]

Whatever the doubts about Starmer the nonsense about a leadership challenge is not what the country needs. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

2 hours ago, st albans fox said:

I bet there are teams of lawyers been working on ‘work arounds’

 

 Increases to service charges which get siphoned back to the freeholder via the management co ??

 

1 hour ago, kenny said:

My thought was what is the point unless service charges are capped as well.

 

Also, who will be responsible for checking that increases are reasonable, the local authorities aren't capable. That being said, in the current market, the planning departments are doing very little so maybe they could be responsible for checking that increases to service charges are reasonable.

I was a director for a residents association when I lived in a leasehold flat, the directors just wouldn't sign something like that off. 

 

Plenty of management companies after business, and easy to switch from any that are trying to effectively, scam people in the ways suggested in your posts.

[kenny]

5 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

 

I was a director for a residents association when I lived in a leasehold flat, the directors just wouldn't sign something like that off. 

 

Plenty of management companies after business, and easy to switch from any that are trying to effectively, scam people in the ways suggested in your posts.

At my in-laws, they live on a new-build estate, they get no say in who the management company is.

 

Maybe its different as its under 10 years old, but getting repairs done, or trying to get maintenance done on areas not covered by private ownership or the management company are impossible to deal with.

[fox_up_north]

I had a leasehold terrace. £1.50 per year. Pay by cheque only to a PO Box with no name. A grumble but I could do it.

 

Out of the blue - £400 "new mortgage fee". Essentially they charged £400 for fuch all because a new mortgage was taken out on the property. Given I had a 25 year mortgage and would likely be swapping a minimum of 4 times for fixed rates that's an extra £1200 (before inflation) for sod all.

 

My advisor was gobsmacked that it was even a thing. 

[leicsmac]

The laws and rules regarding leaseholds and charges seem utterly unfit for purpose, unless the purpose is to further enrich the rich. 

[leicsmac]

In other news, the more Trump goes on about impeachment proceedings opening against him if the Repubs lose the Senate in the mid-terms in November, the more you wonder if the mid-terms will actually be free and fair.

[Sampson]

2 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

Whatever the doubts about Starmer the nonsense about a leadership challenge is not what the country needs. 

I’m with you. I’m no fan of Starmer - I think he’s the kind of “boring technocrat” of “let’s just try things for a bit and see what works” that would’ve had a place as a Prime Minister in the mid-00s, but when we’re currently in the times of the biggest pivot point in world alliances and world structures since the Second World War, I’d rather have someone with much more of a vision and who is more decisive. But I think the one thing the country absolutely doesn’t need is the revolving door of PMs we had under the Tories.

 

What do Labour MPs think will happen if Burnham or Wes Streeting becomes PM? The economy isn’t suddenly going to fix itself, the foreign policy challenges which have arguably become bigger than the domestic policy challenges with the USA becoming so erratic and the Ukraine war aren’t going to suddenly sort themselves out.

Edited 27 January by Sampson

[kenny]

33 minutes ago, Sampson said:

I’m with you. I’m no fan of Starmer - I think he’s the kind of “boring technocrat” of “let’s just try things for a bit and see what works” that would’ve had a place as a Prime Minister in the mid-00s, but when we’re currently in the times of the biggest pivot point in world alliances and world structures since the Second World War, I’d rather have someone with much more of a vision and who is more decisive. But I think the one thing the country absolutely doesn’t need is the revolving door of PMs we had under the Tories.

 

What do Labour MPs think will happen if Burnham or Wes Streeting becomes PM? The economy isn’t suddenly going to fix itself, the foreign policy challenges which have arguably become bigger than the domestic policy challenges with the USA becoming so erratic and the Ukraine war aren’t going to suddenly sort themselves out.

The economy would be a lot better with a competent chancellor, one that recognises how businesses work rather than tax raise after tax raise.

 

Dumping RR would make a bigger difference than dumping Starmer at present IMO.

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, Sampson said:

I’m with you. I’m no fan of Starmer - I think he’s the kind of “boring technocrat” of “let’s just try things for a bit and see what works” that would’ve had a place as a Prime Minister in the mid-00s, but when we’re currently in the times of the biggest pivot point in world alliances and world structures since the Second World War, I’d rather have someone with much more of a vision and who is more decisive. But I think the one thing the country absolutely doesn’t need is the revolving door of PMs we had under the Tories.

 

What do Labour MPs think will happen if Burnham or Wes Streeting becomes PM? The economy isn’t suddenly going to fix itself, the foreign policy challenges which have arguably become bigger than the domestic policy challenges with the USA becoming so erratic and the Ukraine war aren’t going to suddenly sort themselves out.

Starmer’s biggest issue is he is absolutely appalling at PR. So the ground rents policy is genuinely fantastic, therefore he should be out doing video’s and interviews explaining why it’s great to young people especially. Instead it barely registers. 
 

But yes the west of Europe is absolutely screwed and no matter who we elect, it is not going to get any better.

Edited 27 January by Lionator

[kenny]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSaZTVxjCgO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[bovril]

22 minutes ago, kenny said:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSaZTVxjCgO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

He's going to rename the month of April after his mum isn't he

[kenny]

3 minutes ago, bovril said:

He's going to rename the month of April after his mum isn't he

Each of these batshit crazy and disrespectful things he does is another baby step towards the CIA doing the right thing.

[Trav Le Bleu]

11 hours ago, leicsmac said:

On a more lighthearted note, tremendous effort that this has got to 400+ pages without being canned. 

Hold my beer...

 

 

[Jattdogg]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/596396/Man-accused-of-sexually-violating-horses-in-Vernon-has-been-released-from-custody

[Alf Bentley]

45 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/596396/Man-accused-of-sexually-violating-horses-in-Vernon-has-been-released-from-custody

 

Paroled because he was in a stable relationship? 

[Jattdogg]

44 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

Paroled because he was in a stable relationship? 

I am not sure, that's a very good equestrian.

[Trav Le Bleu]

5 hours ago, Jattdogg said:

https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/596396/Man-accused-of-sexually-violating-horses-in-Vernon-has-been-released-from-custody

Someone has had a mare.

[Trav Le Bleu]

I'm looking at the way USA has been going the last couple of weeks.

 

Anyone think there's any chance of a civil war breaking out there? It's almost like a civil 'cold' war at the moment. Would some of the western and northern states want to cede from the US?

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I'm looking at the way USA has been going the last couple of weeks.

 

Anyone think there's any chance of a civil war breaking out there? It's almost like a civil 'cold' war at the moment. Would some of the western and northern states want to cede from the US?

I think civil war could only be brought about by that genuine threat or actual act of secession. And those themselves would only likely be brought about if enough people in those states knew, or it was proven, that the current administration had rigged things so that the electoral route to get rid of them would no longer work. 

 

And that, scarily enough, is enough of a nonzero possibility to at least think about. But we'll only know more about that later this year when the midterms come up.