[Boiler]

I find it quite entertaining now I've stopped commenting myself. There are a few people I bookmark who make most of the points I would, except better.

Same here. I don't know which is worse - the Guardian BTL or the BBC HYS. Pity the blog about the latter ceased - I used to enjoy reading that.

The Mail's just... deranged.

[The Weeping Angel]

Why aren't they doing anything about the water companies?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... gency-loan

Ministers plan to use new powers to block bosses from Thames Water taking bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as the company fights for survival, the Guardian can reveal.

Britain’s biggest water company admitted this week that senior managers are in line for “substantial” bonuses linked to an emergency £3bn loan.

Thames claimed the payouts were vital to retain staff and prevent rival companies from “picking off” its best employees. But the disclosure provoked fury as the company has said its finances are “hair raising” and that it had come “very close to running out of money entirely” last year.

Thames is in a desperate race to raise funds and persuade the water regulator to let it off hundreds of millions of pounds of fines or risk being renationalised.

Government sources said these bonuses could be banned as soon as next month, and any paid for the last financial year, between April 2024 and April 2025, could be clawed back. The environment secretary, Steve Reed, said “the days of profiting from failure are over”.

[The Weeping Angel]

Stephen Bush in the FT just do what Blair did.

https://www.ft.com/content/778f32cb-faf ... 6ce667d712

People at the heart of the Labour government seem to be more preoccupied about whether or not it is governing within the Labour tradition than whether it is governing well. Because frankly, the only time that Labour has been able to secure two consecutive full terms in power is when, under Tony Blair, it had a clear theory of economic growth: that of economic liberalism, openness to the world and to the EU in particular.

I don’t think it is going to come as a galloping shock to readers to learn that I think Labour should give that approach another go. But even if you disagree, Labour surely needs to commit to something — whether it is properly funding Ed Miliband’s plans for the green transition, or something else entirely. But the one place it surely should not be looking at are failed approaches from its own history, which did not work at the time and are not going to work any better now, with a less loyal electorate far less inclined to let Labour work through its midlife crisis in public.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Don't do this. Election is in 4 years time. Nobody's going to worry about the WFA by then.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... ith-voters

[mattomac]

Basically looks like have run the same story as they did last week.

[Dalem Lake]

Guardian's quite active in their shit-stirring aren't they.

[Abernathy]

Angie’s been to meet the new soap-on-a-rope.

[The Weeping Angel]

Deal signed with the EU.

[Boiler]

Cue the cries of "Brexit Surrender!" from the usual suspects - and MUCH worse BTL.

Luckily, I'm in a pub about to have a nice Thai lunch so I shall raise my glass of Oakham Ales "White Dwarf" to this.

[Spoonman]

Cue the cries of "Brexit Surrender!" from the usual suspects - and MUCH worse BTL.

Thankfully, grown ups are (back) in charge.

[Boiler]

No surprise here.

Screenshot_20250519_122527_Opera.jpg (612.09 KiB) Viewed 6661 times

Still, they'll be too ecstatic about Lineker getting the boot after his stupidity on the socials.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The economic benefits seem pretty modest- less than the planning reforms. But if the Tories-Farage want to run on making trade harder and food more expensive, they can go right ahead.

Team Starmer ought to reflect on how the silly immigration speech has cut into what would otherwise be a run of good news- India, getting most of Trump's tariffs off, good growth and now this deal.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Cue the cries of "Brexit Surrender!" from the usual suspects - and MUCH worse BTL.

Cue also the silence from most of the Continuity Remainers who told us that we'd chosen Trump over the EU.

[kreuzberger]

It is far from perfect, but salve is being applied to some of the gravest wounds caused by Brexit. Namely, me getting a proper bacon sandwich and a jar of proper marmelade.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha ha. The Australia deal was projected to add 0.02% to GDP.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This goon is apparently in the Shadow Cabinet. Not that Labour's comms are great, but I think they'll win the argument that £9bn is worth having.

[Oboogie]

Cue the cries of "Brexit Surrender!" from the usual suspects - and MUCH worse BTL.

Cue also the silence from most of the Continuity Remainers who told us that we'd chosen Trump over the EU.

Nah, Starmer hasn't magically re-joined the EU - proof that he's a harder line Brexiteer than Farage. #GeneralElectionNow

[Boiler]

Cue the cries of "Brexit Surrender!" from the usual suspects - and MUCH worse BTL.

Cue also the silence from most of the Continuity Remainers who told us that we'd chosen Trump over the EU.

Waaaah! It doesn't go far enough! REJOIN NOW!!!! 1!1!!

[Tubby Isaacs]

See also "to the right of David Cameron", ie inherited a political situation a zillion times worse and hasn't restored all the Coalition-Tory cuts in one year.

Fair point on PIP though. Hope they revisit that.

[Boiler]

The BBC's Tory shill strikes again.

First up, BBC political editor Chris Mason challenges Starmer on if he has "sold out" UK fishermen to reach this new deal with the European Union.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2jkz3 ... 18049#post