markavfc40 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Genie said: I actually have and there is nothing to suggest the major step change which is needed. They’re basically saying they’ll tax oil and gas companies more to pay for all our issues. More police on the streets (the Tories are saying that). Cut NHS waiting lists (the Tories are saying that too). Breakfast clubs yay! (funded by… taxing energy suppliers). It’s basically more of what we have but about 5% less shit. And that’s if they deliver. Just addressing those two things, and this would apply to tens of other issues, the one major difference between Labour and Tories is that Labour are saying they are going to fix something they had no part in destroying whereas the Tories are saying they are going to fix the things they have destroyed. It is like two people standing in front of a house that has been burned down. Are you going to trust the arsonist who set fire to it, or the person who inherited it saying he wants to do the right thing and rebuild what the arsonist destroyed, to rebuild it? I think anyone with an ounce of intelligence wouldn't let the arsonist anywhere near it again. Edited May 1, 2023 by markavfc40 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted May 1, 2023 Author Moderator Share Posted May 1, 2023 4 hours ago, chrisp65 said: £65 Billion in dividends paint out since privatisation in 1989 across water companies. Southern Water paid nearly a million in bonuses to their Board in 2021. Their CEO salary before bonus was £500,000. But it wasn’t a jab specifically at water companies alone, more the whole stinking fish of privatised state assets we’re now afraid of upsetting because ‘pensions’. Indeed. Absolutely go back over those 34 years and say “wtf were they doing?” and I agree. The culture and ethos is and was completely wrong. No arguments from me. We are where we are. It’s easy to say “ should never have been privatised” and I agree completely. But it was, 34 years ago. A third of a century. How to fix pollution in rivers or the sea isn’t to revisit that time and imagine that “if only…”. The solution is to deal with what the current situation is. Unregulated capitalism.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 It sounds like a 5% pay increase, plus lump sum of at least £1,655 will be offered to NHS staff today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted May 2, 2023 Moderator Share Posted May 2, 2023 22 minutes ago, Genie said: It sounds like a 5% pay increase, plus lump sum of at least £1,655 will be given to NHS staff today. FTFY 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post markavfc40 Posted May 2, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) 18 minutes ago, bickster said: 41 minutes ago, Genie said: It sounds like a 5% pay increase, plus lump sum of at least £1,655 will be given to NHS staff today. FTFY Yes it is being imposed. It is also not really a 5% increase is it with inflation at over 10% it is a 5% real terms pay cut on top of the already 20%+ real terms pay cuts since 2010. It is not just about paying existing staff more though is it. There are 140,000 vacancies in the NHS and you aren't going to fill those unless you make the jobs more attractive and make it more attractive to train to become a nurse etc. The Tories have spent pretty much the whole of the last 13 years doing the opposite to set the NHS up to fail. Edited May 2, 2023 by markavfc40 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted May 2, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted May 2, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 They are 99% certain that it isn't the real Boris Johnson, but there is always that 1%. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 9 hours ago, Genie said: It sounds like a 5% pay increase, plus lump sum of at least £1,655 will be offered to NHS staff today. There's no choice with this offer. It'd being imposed on them. What a great way to improve morale and recruitment. **** these words removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 1 hour ago, DCJonah said: There's no choice with this offer. It'd being imposed on them. What a great way to improve morale and recruitment. **** these words removed. It says it’s been agreed with 14 Unions. Quote More than a million NHS staff in England are to receive a 5% pay rise, after health unions backed the deal. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 12 hours ago, Genie said: It says it’s been agreed with 14 Unions. Link Not all unions accepted the offer. The RCN, the largest nursing union, their members rejected the offer despite union leaders recommending they accept it. The pay offer will therefore be imposed on them despite them rejecting in. In fairness in isolation last years (22/23) pay award isn't too bad. I think on average it equates to around an 8% pay increase. However around half of that is a one off lump sum that is non consolidated so last year's consolidated pay increase averages out at around 4% and this year's around the same. As I've said previously it isn't just about this last couple of years. Since 2010 those working in the NHS have had 20%+ real terms pay cuts. In the early part of the 2010's they went years without a pay rise in the name of austerity which was really just a word to hide behind for Tory ideology and decimating our public services. That ideology has now resulted in 140,000+ vacancies within the NHS. That puts a huge strain on the existing staff, especially those on the front line like nurses, ambulance staff and junior doctors etc, and further real terms pay cuts is going to do f all to relieve that and attract people to fill those vacancies. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted May 3, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted May 3, 2023 On 01/05/2023 at 23:49, blandy said: Indeed. Absolutely go back over those 34 years and say “wtf were they doing?” and I agree. The culture and ethos is and was completely wrong. No arguments from me. We are where we are. It’s easy to say “ should never have been privatised” and I agree completely. But it was, 34 years ago. A third of a century. How to fix pollution in rivers or the sea isn’t to revisit that time and imagine that “if only…”. The solution is to deal with what the current situation is. Unregulated capitalism.. The industry needs regulation to punish the pumping of untreated waste into our rivers and seas. The reason the companies are not doing it is financial, they don't want to pay for the holding facilities, chemicals and processing equipment that it would require, they would rather please the share holders than save our wildlife and bathers. Waste water, even effluent (biological) is easily recycled back into drinking water. It's not even an expensive process but because we have vast natural water recourses we can just pump this into the fresh water system and discard the effluent for the natural world to sort out, its an absolute national disgrace. Only a government who is completely incompetent would ban production of combustion engines being used from 2030 and yet ignore the environmental disaster the water companies are being allowed to get away with for the sake of money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted May 3, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted May 3, 2023 Tories arguing we need restrictions on protest due to protests and disruption ‘never seen before’ We’re letting these complete words removed rewrite history in front of our eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) Yes please Tories lost eight of their eleven seats on my local council, and the Lib Dems got 75% of the vote in the ward in which Jacob Rees-Mogg lives. It's a council that traditionally changes hands between Lib Dem control and Tory control at each election cycle so in "normal" times it should be the start of a new Tory run. Councillors elected was actually Tories 3, Lib Dems 41. Edited May 5, 2023 by ml1dch 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Hard not to feel very depressed that the tories held my local council in dudley but not really a surprise. It’s anecdotal I know, but I do believe the people of dudley to be bigoted and uneducated. Having spoke to a number of people the anti-immigrant message really cuts through here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Bit of an Eton mess there for the Tories. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) My area is traditionally Conservative or Liberal Dem. Tories are now 3rd behind Labour and the Greens! The Greens only have 1 seat less than the Tories and Lib Dem’s combined. Edited May 5, 2023 by Mandy Lifeboats Added details 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 49 minutes ago, desensitized43 said: Hard not to feel very depressed that the tories held my local council in dudley but not really a surprise. It’s anecdotal I know, but I do believe the people of dudley to be bigoted and uneducated. Having spoke to a number of people the anti-immigrant message really cuts through here. It's depressing that the Tories have won any seats but cannot agree with your suggestion that people in Dudley are bigoted and uneducated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Just now, mykeyb said: It's depressing that the Tories have won any seats but cannot agree with your suggestion that people in Dudley are bigoted and uneducated. It’s a generalisation sure but the central mosque issue and all the far right stuff that came with it has cast a very long shadow over this area for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 A bad day for the Tories in the usually blue Tamworth LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS ️Conservatives LOSE OVERALL CONTROL IN TAMWORTH️ Results by Wards for the local election in Tamworth. Amington - Labour Win Belgrave - Labour Win Bolehall - Labour Hold Castle - Labour Win Glascote - Labour Win Mercian - Labour Win Spital - Labour Win Stonydelph - Conservative Hold Trinity - Conservative Hold (just) Wilnecote - Labour Win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 That's a small minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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