UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[MABA 2020]

Reporting in the Times shows that 55 local authorities have halted housing targets - with the number doubling after Theresa Villier’s Commons amendment killed government enforcement of housing targets last year.

Estimates are that at least 77,000 fewer houses will be built each year.

The national decline continues

[Torrain]

The national decline continues

The fact our PM, with his 65 seat majority, can still have such destructive policy dictated to him, as though he were post-2017 Theresa May, is pathetic.

Additional irony that the rebellion should come from a failed former Northern Irish Secretary - given the ransom minority governments typically end up paying to NI parties.

[Torrain]

There's an SNP expose in the Times today - apparently Deputy Leader Keith Brown (who was sacked from cabinet by Yousaf) got a bit nervous about the lack of transparency, and wrote up a set of reforms after the first reports of the missing £600k in 2021. These included  “a monthly written summary of income and expenditure”, which tbh, sounds like the bare minimum. These suggestions were axed by Peter Murrell, and Kirsten Oswald (SNP Business Convener, appointed by Sturgeon), with the blessing of SNP President Mike Russell.

Keith Brown, the deputy leader, whom Humza Yousaf sacked from his cabinet shortly after replacing Nicola Sturgeon as first minister, had his proposals to increase transparency by demanding “a monthly written summary of income and expenditure” shelved by the party hierarchy, including Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, in 2021.

(I should say - this story has been running sporadically in Private Eye since things kicked off in 2021 so they probably deserve more of the credit).

[Joe Republic]

Reporting in the Times shows that 55 local authorities have halted housing targets - with the number doubling after Theresa Villier’s Commons amendment killed government enforcement of housing targets last year.

Estimates are that at least 77,000 fewer houses will be built each year.

[Storr]

Ceremonial counties in England by local government type, as of today:



There could be more categories than this.  It's all a bit of a mess...

- That dot in the middle of London is the City, which is a separate ceremonial county, just because of course it is.
- Cornwall isn't classified as "whole county" because of Scilly having its own council.

One of my favorite youtube videos:

[Joe Republic]

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Thatcher said her greatest accomplishment was New Labour.

[Torrain]

It’s been revealed that Police Scotland also raided Peter Murrell’s 92 year old mother, on the same day they entered Murrell’s home and SNP HQ. They approached her house in Dunfermline, and seized a campervan that retails for £110,000.



Apparently the campervan is an iSmove, manufactured by Niesmann & Bischoff - who market it under the motto “breaking all the rules”. No comment.

[CumbrianLefty]

Reporting in the Times shows that 55 local authorities have halted housing targets - with the number doubling after Theresa Villier’s Commons amendment killed government enforcement of housing targets last year.

Estimates are that at least 77,000 fewer houses will be built each year.

I suppose its too much to hope for that actually being genuine?

[Silent Hunter]

Fake of course - put up there by a prankster. For one thing, Transport for London doesn't allow party political advertising.

[JimJamUK]

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, appears to have called on people to vote Labour in Labour-SNP marginals. He has since backtracked and unbacktracked on these comments several times.

[Torrain]

He has since backtracked and unbacktracked on these comments several times.

Ah yes, the Ross Manoeuvre - three u-turns within one media cycle.

The sad thing is - he’s often got the right instinct for how to approach these situations in a way that will please his base north of the border, and insulate them. But he doesn’t have the strength to tell CCHQ no, and seems to always end up bending the knee to the national party’s interests. Which plays into the “branch office” line the SNP always throw at the other parties.

[CumbrianLefty]

The mere fact he is talking about it is significant, though.

If nothing else, it confirms Scottish Labour's return to some sort of relevance.

[Blair]

I see the narrative about President Rishi winning the next election has returned... 

[CumbrianLefty]

What the past week has confirmed, if nothing else, is that most of our media still lets the Tories play politics on easy mode. I think it is deeply ingrained deference as much as overt bias, though.

[Torrain]

The mere fact he is talking about it is significant, though.

If nothing else, it confirms Scottish Labour's return to some sort of relevance.

Aye - it’s definitely noteworthy. As the polling has shifted (Labour have gone from a poor third place to within striking distance of the SNP), all the major parties seem to have recalibrated their messaging. SNP MPs have really doubled down on the “Labour and Tories are the same” (a message afleitch has shared a few times now), the Tories have seen the light on tactical voting, and Labour are shifting towards a general “Scotland deserves better than this sleaze” thing (especially in Rutherglen).

On Ross’ comments specifically, commentators up here seem to be split between “he’s genuinely trying to play to his unionist base”, “he’s trying to get early excuses in for reduced Tory support in 2024 - claiming it’s all tactically swung away”, and “he’s trying to hurt Scottish Labour by tying them to the Tories”.

Personally, I’m tending towards Occam’s Razor - that the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party is doing a unionist thing, that might have political side-benefits for his team’s messaging.

[Meclazine for Israel]

I Miss Boris Johnson

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqGa-OKrI3g/

[Torrain]

Update to the story about the SNP’s auditors quitting. Turns out they didn’t quit over the past few days. Humza Yousaf has just confirmed that they resigned back in *October*.

Several issues there:

• They haven’t been able to find anyone to audit them in the intervening six months.
• Accounts are due in July - with a potential fine from the Electoral Commission if they’re late.
• The party at no point decided to inform their membership or the general public about this - and has deflected questions about their finances with discussion about the ongoing audit. 

Which is, as the First Minister himself put it this morning - “problematic”. Particularly given that the firm have quit in the middle of the audit (the SNP have confirmed they won’t be providing this year’s audit), which raises serious questions by itself…

[Conservatopia]

The budget is old news so the title changes. This reflects the Tories' newfound, yet misplaced, hope that they can win the election.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/ConnorGillies/status/1645874471121883141
Edit:

NEW: Johnston Carmichael issued a report in Sept 2022 - same month the firm resigned from auditing the SNP“We have conducted an initial risk review...this has led to disengagement from clients where we perceive there to be a risk of failing to deliver a quality audit.

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/United24media/status/1645754701051314177?s=20

[NewYorkExpress]

Tony Danker, the head of the Confederation of British Industry was sacked over misconduct claims.

The boss of one of the UK's largest business groups has been fired over complaints about his behaviour at work.

Tony Danker, who will leave the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) following an investigation over his conduct towards several employees, said he was "shocked" by the sacking.

Three other CBI employees have also been suspended pending a probe into other allegations, the group said.

It is also liaising with the police who are looking into the claims.

[CumbrianLefty]

The budget is old news so the title changes. This reflects the Tories' newfound, yet misplaced, hope that they can win the election.

Though so far this does seem to be coming more from their media friends than the party itself.

[Blair]

Very funny that the lettuce is discredited that she’s been forced to talking to right wing US think tanks.

The speaking style is still awful too.

[S019]

Very funny that the lettuce is discredited that she’s been forced to talking to right wing US think tanks.

The speaking style is still awful too.

https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1646039684781334528

It's not just that she's literally parroting talking points that politicians in my country regularly use. I remember a few weeks back she was trying to advise the GOP, I really don't know why she thinks people here particularly care for her or her advice.