Mailwatch(ed) Forum

The comments below this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5 ... o#comments

What a miserable, mean, grasping, small-minded nation we have become.

Boiler wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2026 4:56 pm The comments below this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5 ... o#comments

What a miserable, mean, grasping, small-minded nation we have become.

I've said this before, but when I was out of work in the eighties, if you had enough at the end of Giro Fortnight to buy a pint and mentioned to someone that you were on the dole they'd likely as not buy you another. Because back then everyone either had been, or knew someone who was, in the same situation. Do that now and you'd probably be told to fuck off I work hard just so you can get pissed.

Pleased to hear cryptocurrency donations to political parties will be banned.

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2026 12:38 pm Pleased to hear cryptocurrency donations to political parties will be banned.

I am not sure the Reform position will wash with most people.

The best they’ve got is “it’s only being restricted to stop Reform”?

Do most people subscribe to honest hard working billionaire who made his fortune through what a lot of people see as a pyramid scheme.

Remember when Sunak dabbled in crypto and sucked up to Musk, just as he accelerated into full fash? It was seen as a joke. The Beano was ripping the piss out of NFTs.

It used to be that vox pops would ask people what they thought of Euro banknotes, and you'd get some miserable old bastard calling them 'Monopoly money'. I suspect that for many, crypto is either unfathomable, irrelevant, or the basis of a cautionary tale.

Not all crypto is for drug dealers but saying it is will force Reform's hand to explain what it is for. Which is anonymous transactions for crooks but not all of them drug dealers and users. And a few Bucks that libertarian headbangers tuck away.

mattomac wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2026 2:50 pm

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2026 12:38 pm Pleased to hear cryptocurrency donations to political parties will be banned.

I am not sure the Reform position will wash with most people.

And Relapse know that, hence today's walkout - they ran boldly away before the awkward issue was raised.

I'm not really getting the argument against allowing drilling in the North Sea. I look at this account a lot, but it seems to be concentrating on rebutting the silly stuff. I agree it's very marginal in terms of what it would supply to the UK, and in terms of UK bills. But it would employ people, and raise some useful tax which could be used to invest in renewables. What am I missing? I've never really got this, and I fear it's an open goal for Badenoch and Farage (even if they make false claims about it).

There is a lot of drilling going on, if I remember the issue with any new licenses is the cost both environmentally and actual weren't worth it.

The fact the Tories reversed their position solely in relation to an Uxbridge by election tells you probably how ill thought out Farage and Badenoch's positions are. Not to mention these cunts are blocking any possible renewal energy scheme going.

I really don't get the anger around new builds having solar panels. If truth be told it kept our bills in my last place considerably lower and my landlord even said it helped with the rise of bills. A £80 rise of rent over 8 years isn't that bad

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 11:57 am I really don't get the anger around new builds having solar panels. If truth be told it kept our bills in my last place considerably lower and my landlord even said it helped with the rise of bills.

Maybe those opposing it have AM radios in abundance and the reception gets blotted out by the electrical noise of the inverters?

They're new, they don't involve anyone getting their hands dirty and they're different. Do you need any more reasons?

A lot of rich older people have pension schemes that invested heavily in fossil fuel companies, British Gas etc. Can’t be having people get free power, can we? Think of the poor shareholders!

Next up: why insulation isn’t as good for keeping your house warm as smoking indoors. Or something.

mattomac wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2026 11:57 am There is a lot of drilling going on, if I remember the issue with any new licenses is the cost both environmentally and actual weren't worth it.

The fact the Tories reversed their position solely in relation to an Uxbridge by election tells you probably how ill thought out Farage and Badenoch's positions are. Not to mention these cunts are blocking any possible renewal energy scheme going.

I really don't get the anger around new builds having solar panels. If truth be told it kept our bills in my last place considerably lower and my landlord even said it helped with the rise of bills. A £80 rise of rent over 8 years isn't that bad

I'm not convinced by new builds having to have solar powers. I see the housing crisis as more urgent than the climate crisis, or at least more underrated by the Government. As you say, solar panels are a good thing to have, and we'll get them when we move, and lots of other people will. Get the houses built first.

Ministers vow to spend record £8.4bn on road maintenance in England

They've already made a decent start here in Herefordshire which, along with next door Shropshire, has had particularly dire roads forever. If this was a new Tory Government, you'd have heard far more about it. Absurdly, I saw the decision to repair roads that were dangerous for cyclists as much as drivers described as "a Morgan McSweeney Blue Labour policy". Well, seems like the policy has survived the departure of McSweeney.

If people are so perturbed by having solar panels on their new house they are odd, I can't see it being a major issue, it doesn't even prevent a loft conversation further down the line as my parents next door neighbours have them.

From here.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... in-england

The "campaigners" quoted are from the Transport Action Network. Here's they're not at all political take on the Government (presumably before this money was announced).

https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/when-in-a-hole/

This week road users were faced with the news (not that they needed telling) that the maintenance backlog on local roads (and pavements) is now up to a staggering £18.6bn. Despite all the spin from Keir Starmer and his government about putting more money into fixing potholes, things are getting worse. But this should surprise no-one who uses their local roads and pavements on a daily basis. So why do politicians still think they can spin their way out of this mess?

Perhaps they haven't been the government for that long, and the first step is to slow down the rise?

The rest of it is similar sneering comment that's like a leftwing version of the Mail. I'm increasingly fed up with hearing from people like this in every news story. You know how many people they employ? 6.

The quality of the argument is diabolically bad.

Next week the government is due to publish the third roads investment strategy (RIS3) when it is expected to boast about how much it is investing in new roads. Yet what is the point of this if the roads accessing the Strategic Roads Network are literally falling apart?

Because the Strategic Roads could bring greater economic benefits than repairing (even) some crap roads in Herefordshire (see I'm taking one for the team here, even though I want to see these fixed)? It's basic investment appraisal.

This the last bit. Just a charity putting forward practical solutions, no doubt.

We suggested a while ago that Labour could at least attempt to avert the car crash that it faces in the local elections by focusing on investing in local communities to get the basics right, such as fixing our roads. As people started to see the difference, with their own eyes, it would have restored some faith in Labour and in politicians, especially as Labour was elected on a mandate of change. More importantly it would have brought pride back into our country, alongside a sense of hope, to counter the negative narratives from some politicians.

Unfortunately, mesmerised by shiny new infrastructure projects, Labour has lost the plot and most likely a significant number of local councillors in the May elections.

The point of policy, you'd hope, was long term, not based on looking good in the local election in May.

It is repairing roads, what is this bollocks? They have better roads in lots of places not run by Tories, including Wales. Were the politicians who did the Heads of the Valley dualling "mesmerized by shiny new infrastructure projects"? Perhaps they just realized that the road, used by lots of industrial vehicles and people commuting to work, was shit and wanted to make it better?

Next it'll be "Chinese solar panels are spying on you."

Badenoch on the other threat tried to suggest that solar panels weren't really green because China was opening some coal powered plants. Less than ideal that they're doing that (thought they're doing lots of renewables too) but making a solar panel which then saves co2 isn't the same thing as making something that itself releases a lot of extra co2.