[Tubby Isaacs]

Might as well be GB News.

[Bones McCoy]

One of Mogg's happy fish.



Hasn't heard the news yet.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Kate Forbes.

Given the importance of fishing to Scotland it is also astonishing that the Scottish government was giving no warning of this great betrayal of our fishing fleet. From Stornoway to Peterhead, fishing communities know that Labour’s promises mean nothing.
There is no deal that is as good for Scotland as being an independent member of the European Union – giving us unfettered access to the world’s largest single market. Every other nation in Europe is able to represent its own interests at the top table of crucial negotiations like this.

Schrodinger's iScotland. Simultaneously in the EU and simultaneously protecting fishermen like a Hard Brexiter.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

It looks as though the government is responding to pressure and making winter fuel allowance available to a greater number of pensioners.

Being referred to as a u-turn, but it isn't really...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 55013.html

[Abernathy]

If it really is a "U turn", then presumably they'll shut the fuck up about it? *

*They won't.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I see Sharon Graham has joined the "wealth tax would bring in £25bn" crowd. The one in Spain brought in 632m Euros. I thought railways were bad for the number of self-appointed experts- everybody who's been on a train, apparently. But tax really is in a different league even to that. Everyone who's ever paid a bill is an expert.

In fairness to her, she gives Labour credit for all the taxes on the wealthy that it has levied. And she admits that restricting the WFA didn't lead to an epidemic of pensioners freezing to death. Of course she doesn't, don't be silly.

She's of course right to fight for Birmingham bin workers, to whom an unacceptably low offer has been made. But again, there's some dishonesty in the implication that the situation in bankrupt Birmingham is typical of the treatment of workers by the Labour Government.

They might as well have elected Howard Beckett.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -ministers

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's also a silly attack on the Birmingham City Council leader for not attending ACAS talks in person, unlike Graham. Industrial dispute resolution is a complicated, professional job. Sure there can be a problem when the negotiators don't know how far they can actually go- that happened with some of the rail disputes where rail companies were implicitly limited by what the Treasury would agree to. But nothing unusual in the council negotiators having a mandate given to them and being left to get on with it. Having big personalities in the room can be a nuisance. What does Graham think she added to her team?

[The Weeping Angel]

I'm sick to the back teeth of unite over the bin strikes.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Labour voters are apparently against the WFA being restricted. Except they aren't- majority in favour. "Labour voters" for Sharon means a bunch of Jez supporters in Unite.

Restricting the WFA was "almost the first action" of the new government. Did it come before or after the public pay settlements? Do the people who benefited from those count as "workers", or is that only bin men in Birmingham?

[The Weeping Angel]

It's interesting that Graham lectures the government on treating workers when her staff are balloting to take industrial action at Unite's London HQ.

[kreuzberger]

It is "interesting" insofar as the tories didn't quite get round to making it illegal for Sharon Graham to criticise the Government and for her staff to hold a strike ballot.

In other news, it is also time to bemoan the absence of a Bullshit emoji.

[The Weeping Angel]

I don't think it should be illegal for Unite staff to go on strike; however, if Graham wants to lecture others on treating workers, she might want to reflect on why her own staff are considering industrial action against their union.

[Oboogie]

Are Unite going to back the Unite workers in their dispute with Unite? Or will Unite side with the employers against the workers?

[The Weeping Angel]

The GMB represents the workers in question.

[Oboogie]

The GMB represents the workers in question.

But they are employed by Unite.

[The Weeping Angel]

Yes but they're represented by the GMB

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Here we go again...

[Oboogie]

Yes but they're represented by the GMB

Yes, but they employed by Unite. Which is what I said.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Chagos deal done. Hilariously GB News went full in on the "embarrassment" to Starmer when the first legal decision came through. It didn't even last the day.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer stuck it to the Tories and Reform nicely by listing all the allies who are in favour of the deal.