Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => Politics & Current Affairs => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on August 04, 2022, 05:59:04 PM
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In normal times interest rates rises are a blunt unfocussed tool, just now they're a dangerous examole of doing something for the sake of it. UK personal debt, combined with the Brexit cost of living increases, and the energy cost increases means carnage.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62405037
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I understand that raising interest rates aren't helpful in the situation we find ourselves in, namely stagflation.
The question is what should we be doing?
This is a genuine question because I don't have a Scooby.
My own conclusion is that we're well and truly fucked.
I'm sure someone will be along to tell me I'm being defeatist, but those sunlit uplands are incredibly elusive.
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I understand that raising interest rates aren't helpful in the situation we find ourselves in, namely stagflation.
The question is what should we be doing?
This is a genuine question because I don't have a Scooby.
My own conclusion is that we're well and truly fucked.
I'm sure someone will be along to tell me I'm being defeatist, but those sunlit uplands are incredibly elusive.
Apparently, the UK will perform worse than either the US or EU economies, and have higher inflation to boot.
There's no chance of this golden trade inrush happening in the next decade, but, hey, on the bright side, the food bank numbers are rising, even if their supplies are drying up......
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I understand that raising interest rates aren't helpful in the situation we find ourselves in, namely stagflation.
The question is what should we be doing?
This is a genuine question because I don't have a Scooby.
My own conclusion is that we're well and truly fucked.
I'm sure someone will be along to tell me I'm being defeatist, but those sunlit uplands are incredibly elusive.
My initial reaction is like the old joke about an Irishman giving directions 'Well, I wouldn't start from here!'
Other than that, don't move the cap on energy prices, indeed, bring it back to where it was before. Use the windfall from taxes on petrol etc to cover any costs on this. Look to having a windfall tax that actually works. Restore the £20 'Covid bonus' to Universal Credit. Move the country onto a similar footing to dealing with Covid. Have a Chancellor or Deputy who's visible and active at all times - both Zahawi and Clarke are on holiday, not that I saw much before other than Zahawi losing in the leadership race. Recall parliament, and have emergency sessions on measures to support the poorest. Restrict interest rates on credit card debt and loans. Work with BoE on the guidance as regards inflation.
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I stayed away from any radical solutions such as nationalising things or govt of national unity (don't even have a govt of party unity just now). The point here is that any solution needs to be agile and responsive to corcumstances but that's about the whole move to treating it as an emergency applies. Unlike Covid, I don't think daily bulletins are useful, indeed other than 'feel' not sure they were for Covid. But weekly would be good.
I'd also like to see similar from the devolved govts for the areas they have control of. Ideally this would be done as a unified process.
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What actions are people taking because of the rising cost of living?
https://tinyurl.com/mpehcvt6
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I'm grateful that Sunak and Truss have properly started talking about the issue of the cost of living crisis but as with so much of their policy annoucements, they seem more about placing themselves against each other rather than any considered approach. I suppose not that surprising given that they were part of the cabinet while the crisis was stoked up.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62453813
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When I did my grocery shopping at Tesco this morning I noticed that the price of petrol had come down quite a lot. It was £1.72.99 a litre.
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When I did my grocery shopping at Tesco this morning I noticed that the price of petrol had come down quite a lot. It was £1.72.99 a litre.
Other things have risen in price. When I bought some vodka, I discovered that it had gone up to £22.00, but I'm still going to party like it's £19.99.
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Other things have risen in price. When I bought some vodka, I discovered that it had gone up to £22.00, but I'm still going to party like it's £19.99.
Would you give up alcohol if it got too expensive?
My husband and I used to drink in strict moderation, wet enjoyed a glass of wine or a small glass of a single malt whisky. However, due to the number of meds he has to take it is inadvisable for him to drink alcohol. I have given it up too in order to support him.
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Other things have risen in price. When I bought some vodka, I discovered that it had gone up to £22.00, but I'm still going to party like it's £19.99.
How about making some more of that elderberry wine?
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How about making some more of that elderberry wine?
I intend to, in a month or so.
Roses - joke! I've never drunk vodka in my life.
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I intend to, in a month or so.
Roses - joke! I've never drunk vodka in my life.
I tasted it once and disliked it so never drank it again, that goes for gin too.
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I tasted it once and disliked it so never drank it again, that goes for gin too.
It depends very much on the vodka, there is a huge variety available, but if you are drinking the bog standard stuff you might just as well open the paint stripper. Cheaper in these difficult times too.
Anyway, Bertolli spread in Sainsburys is now up to £2.85 from around £2 at the beginning of the year. That is some % increase. I've traded down to Flora Buttery (£1.75) (sounds like a Carry on character) as it works just as well when I'm baking biscuits.
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Other things have risen in price. When I bought some vodka, I discovered that it had gone up to £22.00, but I'm still going to party like it's £19.99.
:) - you're a Prince among men.
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Higher and higher
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62475171
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The cost of living, the BBC, and Only Fans!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-62377737
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Link to the Enough is Enough campaign if you want to sign up
https://wesayenough.co.uk/
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Link to the Enough is Enough campaign if you want to sign up
https://wesayenough.co.uk/
Pie in the sky.
Unfortunately their demands, although ostensibly great cannot be achieved.
Give everybody a pay rise: more inflation.
Slash energy bills: how? There's a war going on, donchaknow
End food poverty: how? There's a war going on, donchaknow
Decent homes for all: the magic wand again.
Tax the rich: OK up to a point. Of course we already tax the rich but they could probably be taxed a bit more. Unfortunately, they are also the ones with the means to go elsewhere so they don't have to pay tax.
We are caught in the confluence of a number of historically bad events. We are coming out of a pandemic where the government spent a lot more than was fiscally prudent. We are in the early years of Brexit and there is a war going on between two of the largest energy producers and two of the largest wheat producers in the World. I doubt if there is anything anybody can do to avoid a nasty recession.
There are no magic bullets here.
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There are no magic bullets here.
My friend Liz says there is.
Cut taxes and we'll be able to avoid a recession.
You are just one of those nasty declinists.
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My friend Liz says there is.
Cut taxes and we'll be able to avoid a recession.
Even if that were true, it doesn't solve the housing crisis or food poverty or the cost of energy.
You are just one of those nasty declinists.
I don't think the problems are irreversible. I think we are seeing the inevitable consequences of a number of quite bad things happening at once. Even the pandemic alone would have led to high inflation because the government had to borrow or print money to finance the measures that it undertook.
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It depends very much on the vodka, there is a huge variety available, but if you are drinking the bog standard stuff you might just as well open the paint stripper. Cheaper in these difficult times too.
Anyway, Bertolli spread in Sainsburys is now up to £2.85 from around £2 at the beginning of the year. That is some % increase. I've traded down to Flora Buttery (£1.75) (sounds like a Carry on character) as it works just as well when I'm baking biscuits.
Sainsbury's semi-skimmed milk £1.05 a pint (at least in the small branches - do they call them locals or express?)
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My friend Liz says there is.
Cut taxes and we'll be able to avoid a recession.
You are just one of those nasty declinists.
Sorry, sometimes I need one of those Dr. Sheldon Cooper /irony indicators when appropriate.
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.
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The Home Office seem to have rediscovered their normal fall-back:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/14/uk-farm-workers-kent-debt-indonesian-brokers
Bringing back slavery!
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When I did my shopping at Tesco this morning I noticed that petrol has come down again in price for the third week running.
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Something deeply depressing about this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62560997 :(
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Something deeply depressing about this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62560997 :(
Depressing but not surprising. We have a society where people with jobs which are, or should be, perfectly worthwhile, need to claim benefits or resort to food banks to get by.
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Really?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/21/gps-could-prescribe-money-off-energy-bills-under-treasury-plan
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Really?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/21/gps-could-prescribe-money-off-energy-bills-under-treasury-plan
Nothing about the bunch of Tory fuckwits that, allegedly, are the UK government would surprise me any more: the idea of (and putting it simplistically) of GPs prescribing money seems perfectly in tune with the mindset of some Tories.
Mind you GPs might not see this as their role since, as far as I know, GPs aren't trained to administer money as a form of treatment.
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Never mind the cost of living crisis; I was on kirk duty last week, and talking to a local undertaker.
He reckons that the cost of funerals will rise by at least 15% by November.
The cost of dying's on the rise as well.
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A prediction of inflation to be 18.6%
https://archive.ph/tl6IQ
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I hope there is a General Election very soon, which with luck the Tories will lose.
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No chance given the majority and self preservation. Next general election will be Dec 2024, or after Starmet is found to have raped the Queen, as she lay dying, while eating a puppy, and shooting David Attenborough.
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No chance given the majority and self preservation. Next general election will be Dec 2024, or after Starmet is found to have raped the Queen, as she lay dying, while eating a puppy, and shooting David Attenborough.
What an unpleasant post. :o
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What an unpleasant post. :o
Only because I mistyped Starmer.
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You should be ashamed of yourself, but obviously you aren't! >:( At one time you could be done for treason for those remarks and rightly so.
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You should be ashamed of yourself, but obviously you aren't! >:( At one time you could be done for treason for those remarks and rightly so.
Not under Scots law, you couldn't.
Makars - poets - used to compete in court circles to see who could be most offensive.
The action was called 'Flyting'.
It was encouraged by James IV and V.
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You should be ashamed of yourself, but obviously you aren't! >:( At one time you could be done for treason for those remarks and rightly so.
Always nice to see a blasphemy supporter.
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Not under Scots law, you couldn't.
Makars - poets - used to compete in court circles to see who could be most offensive.
The action was called 'Flyting'.
It was encouraged by James IV and V.
Just to point out that even in the vacuous idea of treason, my comments are not treasonous. Indeed, I could happily argue that my statement is about how great the monarchy is, along with puppies, and David Attenborough.
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Just to point out that even in the vacuous idea of treason, my comments are not treasonous. Indeed, I could happily argue that my statement is about how great the monarchy is, along with puppies, and David Attenborough.
Two out of three make a mess.
Attenbourogh excluded.
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Two out of three make a mess.
Attenbourogh excluded.
I'm sure he has on occasion
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https://youtu.be/SYkbqzWVHZI
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You should be ashamed of yourself, but obviously you aren't! >:( At one time you could be done for treason for those remarks and rightly so.
It certainly was a remark in extremely poor taste and I cannot understand what would prompt someone to say it. It's just plain nasty. Must admit I was surprised.
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Always nice to see a blasphemy supporter.
Just like to point out that blasphemy and treason are different crimes things.
Anyway it is certainly treasonous to suggest, as you did, that the Queen would eat puppies.
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Just like to point out that blasphemy and treason are different crimes things.
Anyway it is certainly treasonous to suggest, as you did, that the Queen would eat puppies.
I'd read that as Starmer eating puppies :o
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https://youtu.be/qyt3Op2dTc0
Hello,
I don’t know if this is the right thread for this, but it sums up the horrendous state we’re in.
It’s not funny, because it’s true.
Warning for language, which in the circumstances is entirely understandable.
Who is still intending to vote Conservative? Seriously?
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I'd read that as Starmer eating puppies :o
Yes, the comma is all-important.
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Tory Manifesto 2019
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Once upon a time Kate Hoey was a Labour MP
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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/01/wholesale-gas-prices-fall-europe-plan-winter-energy-crisis
As URL ... Someone has done stuff and about to do something more!
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From The Times today
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From The Times today
Step that has been obvious from day one.. and many others not discussed. Country lead by donkeys.
(and that disparages donkeys)
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Once upon a time Kate Hoey was a Labour MP
She's also a rabid Brexiter and pro-blood sports. She's a disgrace. It's people like her who should be chucked out of the Labour party, not decent socialists like Jeremy Corbyn.
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...
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She's also a rabid Brexiter and pro-blood sports. She's a disgrace. It's people like her who should be chucked out of the Labour party, not decent socialists like Jeremy Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn is also a Brexiteer.