Mailwatch(ed) Forum

We’re not “going back to oil and gas”. This is Polanski
bollocks.

As James Murray of Business Green points out

The BMA don't come out of this well.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... rs-strikes

Staff at the BMA union are due to go on strike to coincide with the six-day resident doctors’ strike on 7 April. The BMA’s most recent pay offer to its staff of 2.75% is lower than the latest recommendation of 3.5% to resident doctors.

BMA HQ is in London, but presumably nobody there pays expensive housing costs or has student loans and all the other things the BMA talk about as problems for themselves.

Also some friction with the other NHS unions, by the sound of it. I think too there's a broader problem for trade unions with some of this stuff. The workers' rights bill is a significant achievement, and people are broadly in favour of workers rights. But that could change if the people who they see doing are well are people who are doing well anyway, like doctors (even if the pension isn't cash in hand now). Nigel Farage must be laughing his arse off.

I really question whether this is politically feasible. We're spending a lot of your money but you'll thank us from 2035 isn't something politicians anywhere tend to be very good at selling. I suppose the politics are helped by the Tories and Reform chucking out Net Zero though.

Sick pay rule changes to benefit up to 9.6m UK workers, TUC says
Union says new entitlements, part of Employment Rights Act 2025, will help lower-income households

Or, as some of our most prominent trade unionists would probably put it. Bad Starmer punches down.

And as every Tory/New Tory will put it - Scroungers Charter from the Fabian Marxist.

Remember those people ten years ago who told the low paid that Bulgarians and Romanians were responsible for their conditions? Turns out they're relaxed about shitty pay rates and rights for the worse off. Who'd have thought it?

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2026 11:27 am

Sick pay rule changes to benefit up to 9.6m UK workers, TUC says
Union says new entitlements, part of Employment Rights Act 2025, will help lower-income households

Or, as some of our most prominent trade unionists would probably put it. Bad Starmer punches down.

Indeed

Antonia got away without being accused of committing genocide, I see. Maybe there's hope for social media.

Kowtowing to Trump latest.

UK City firms report fastest turnaround in fortunes in 30 years
CBI figures showing surprise jump in financial sector’s growth will be welcome news for Rachel Reeves

This would be handy.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2026 9:10 pm

UK City firms report fastest turnaround in fortunes in 30 years
CBI figures showing surprise jump in financial sector’s growth will be welcome news for Rachel Reeves

This would be handy.

Where's this quote from?

My favourite love hate paper.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... hel-reeves

UK exposes covert Russian submarine operation in and around UK waters

If Trump's little poodle Farage was PM we'd have very likely have had nobody here doing that job, most of our military would have been in the Middle East.

Because of Farage’s pals, the ship that they all said should be in the Middle East was heading to the Arctic.

I also some leftist bollocks BTL suggesting this was a ruse for the local elections. Norwegian military being famously concerned with that.

I just saw an army advert, the angle on this one was they will fund your qualifications. An intelligent young adult thinking ahead about joining any branch of the military may contemplate the prospect of Farage being PM, and reconsider. It's very worthy wanting to join the military for defensive reasons, but the US even before this current shithead-run shitshow is all too often the aggressor. I've no doubt at all Farage would align himself with the aggressor, whether that be the US or Israel. Or even Putin.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ome-office

Home Office to announce closure of 11 asylum hotels in next week
Exclusive: closures are part of pledge by Labour to end all use of hotels for asylum seekers by end of this parliament

This will get no credit from anyone at all, even though it's surely a good thing.

This would be a big thing.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... k-eu-reset

Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.

In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent in after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill.

Dynamic alignment means that we automatically follow rules when the EU changes them. Too right the opponents will kick off at it, and they will have a point because it's not been mentioned before. I have no problem with it, but the extra growth may be a bit slow burning. And Davey and Polanski and all the rest of them will still criticize the Government anyway.

File under "bold", but I suppose this might be where Labour are in terms of political prospects.

I suggest you give the BBC's SYB a wide berth on this one... but if you must: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r ... o#comments

When I see 'not for sale in the EU' on a food product, what tangible freedom have I been granted? Brexiters refuse to explain beyond abstract flim flam about sovereignty.