Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Long thread here on the Climate Change Committee's latest analysis. It's pretty positive. Gives credit both the Tories and to the new Government. Sadly, this will get hardly any attention. If you're spending your time getting into a pickle on welfare, you have to take a lot of the blame for that.

More energy news. Looks like Zonal Electricity Pricing won't happen. (there's a very obviously scraped version of the paywalled Bloomberg article in the link elsewhere on the internet)

Despite being a happy Octopus Energy customer, I'm not persuaded by it.

Big Pat McFadden's been leaking, by the look of it. And on this occasion I fully approve.

I just received a message from the DWP reminding me that if I want the WFP I have to apply. If I don’t then the money will go to someone who needs it.
I don’t know if there are any conditions. But I am happy to leave it there.
Good choice Keir.

>edit<
Or is it a scam?

>edit<
It's a scam! Pity, I would have supported that 100%.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ice-report

Local bus services in England still declining despite investment – report
National Audit Office questions viability of many routes, with half of all operator income from public subsidy

This is pretty grim, but no surprise

Hard to see what can be done about this. Buses are free for pensioners, who are very much in evidence where I live. Hardly any of them use the bus. Do they start using it if it becomes more frequent? I'd be surprised.

Much cheaper or free buses in cities might work though. Trouble is local authorities are potless, and raising council tax is unpopular. Perhaps some sort of ringfence precept could be allowed, which would at least give a sense that something extra was being delivered.

Thread about the industrial strategy. No fewer than 37 strategic industries, which is only 2 fewer than Jim Callaghan. See how this goes, but doesn't sound like the "neoliberalism" I keep hearing about (which, per a sage on social media yesterday, Rachel Reeves learned at Oxford on her PPE course).

"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair", said George Burns. Or writing newspaper columns.

Labour could find the money it wants without raising taxes. This is austerity by amnesia

It isn't austerity, it's a fiscal expansion overall, about as much as we can get away with, judging from the price of debt. There are some bad regressive choices within that, but that's not austerity.

Someone BTL. comments that this "easy painless solution" stuff just helps Farage. This is a literal Farage policy, a tax on banks, which they'd pass on to businesses and consumers.

Various experts who've looked at it aren't sure it's a good tax, and even if were, it would raise far less than £40bn which seems to what this writer thinks. That's higher than the total UK bank profits.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... hel-reeves

And the obligatory "let's get all money we need off other people" article, by Richard Burgon. Fair points about benefit cuts- but try leveling with your constituents about how they'd be paying a lot of the extra cost themselves.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... e#comments

Yeah, scrap this silly policy.

If only that was reflective of the UK economy. Rather, the dollar is in the khazi.

It's not just against the dollar, but that's the biggest factor. It's helpful for the UK given our trade deficit, and as Faisal says, might be some limited feel good factor on holiday.

Cheaper oil unless Trump continues to bomb Iran. No significant rise against the Euro.

About 200 school-based nurseries will open in England this September as part of the government’s plan to improve access to childcare for working parents.

The milestone will be announced on Monday by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, who will say that the sites will accommodate 4,000 children under school age.

A further wave of school-based nurseries will launch in the autumn, taking the total to 300, adding to other measures aimed at helping parents such as free breakfast clubs, more free hours of childcare, an expansion of free school meals and a cap on school uniform costs.

Phillipson said: “Every corner of the early years sector has a vital role to play, and the progress made so far, in the face of an enormous inherited delivery challenge, is testament to their dedication to children and families up and down the country.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... -september

In the meantime, Government still negotiating with backbenchers before vote tmrw. Or as the helpful paper puts it-

No 10 plan to avert Labour welfare rebellion in chaos amid division over scale of concessions

I guess we'll see.

Youngian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 9:11 pm Cheaper oil unless Trump continues to bomb Iran. No significant rise against the Euro.

About the same as the last two years. Not sure what Faisal meant. Does he think everyone goes to Turkey?

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 9:24 pm In the meantime, Government still negotiating with backbenchers before vote tmrw. Or as the helpful paper puts it-

No 10 plan to avert Labour welfare rebellion in chaos amid division over scale of concessions

I guess we'll see.

Jessica Elgot was tweeting breathlessly about this earlier.

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 11:43 pm

That doesn't count. It's all woke nonsense.

Ed Miliband’s budget was definitely being cut till it wasn’t. Seems like progress is ok, even with the budget being half what Labour had said it would be.