[The Weeping Angel]

What are people's thoughts on this?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... rty-levels

However, the IFS said it was “surprising” there was not a stronger deprivation effect: “Despite … an expectation that deprived and urban areas would win at the expense of more affluent and rural areas, the government’s baseline funding reform proposals are not particularly redistributive to poor, urban areas of England.”

Councils in the north and Midlands with the highest deprivation scores such as Blackpool, Bradford, Middlesbrough, and Wolverhampton are gainers, while some of the biggest losers are affluent Surrey, Wokingham, and Windsor and Maidenhead.

Overall, about one in four councils would have a real-terms fall in funding over the next three years, with 30 facing cuts of 11-12%, the IFS estimates. At the other end of the scale about 25% of authorities would have funding increases of 12% or more.

Labour-controlled central London boroughs such as Camden, Islington, Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham could face real-terms cuts in funding of up to 12% over the next three years – possibly reflecting technically lower deprivation scores in recent years as a result of demographic changes and gentrification.

[Youngian]

And of course, if all that money were raised, the first thing it's going to be doing is filling a fiscal hole, not taking anyone out of poverty.

Paying down debt to reduce interest payments is a defacto public spending increase.
Though so much of this raises more questions above my head that I want to ask economists. Like; if increasing the money supply isn’t inflationary when there's a corresponding increase in goods and services, why can't you print money to pay to produce cars (or any other product)? And give them away to disgruntled junior doctors and Birmingham bin collectors.

[Tubby Isaacs]

And of course, if all that money were raised, the first thing it's going to be doing is filling a fiscal hole, not taking anyone out of poverty.

Paying down debt to reduce interest payments is a defacto public spending increase.
Though so much of this raises more questions above my head that I want to ask economists. Like; if increasing the money supply isn’t inflationary when there's a corresponding increase in goods and services, why can't you print money to pay to produce cars (or any other product)? And give them away to disgruntled junior doctors and Birmingham bin collectors.

Assume the problem is the time lag. Takes time to supply more cars, so in the meantime, you get the same number of cars at an inflated cost. When people talked about "People's QE" there was spare capacity.

[Tubby Isaacs]

What are people's thoughts on this?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... rty-levels

However, the IFS said it was “surprising” there was not a stronger deprivation effect: “Despite … an expectation that deprived and urban areas would win at the expense of more affluent and rural areas, the government’s baseline funding reform proposals are not particularly redistributive to poor, urban areas of England.”

Councils in the north and Midlands with the highest deprivation scores such as Blackpool, Bradford, Middlesbrough, and Wolverhampton are gainers, while some of the biggest losers are affluent Surrey, Wokingham, and Windsor and Maidenhead.

Overall, about one in four councils would have a real-terms fall in funding over the next three years, with 30 facing cuts of 11-12%, the IFS estimates. At the other end of the scale about 25% of authorities would have funding increases of 12% or more.

Labour-controlled central London boroughs such as Camden, Islington, Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham could face real-terms cuts in funding of up to 12% over the next three years – possibly reflecting technically lower deprivation scores in recent years as a result of demographic changes and gentrification.

I think the London councils would need some sort of extra revenue because that's too steep. Mansion tax might be a good idea. Labour for some reason convinced itself after 2015 that the Mansion Tax had been a factor in its defeat- see what Burnham said. I'd say the 50p tax rate may have been a greater problem in terms of creating an "anti-aspiration" attack line for the Tories, and probably not raising very much money.

I think a Mansion Tax is a fairly easy tax on wealth.

[Rosvanian]

Good interview with that old drama queen, Kevin Rowland, in the Guardian today. "What, if anything, would you bring back from the past?" "The Labour Party".

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's fantastic sining live, mind. I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall, and though I'd always liked him, I'd always considered him, in part, and I don't mean this unkindly, a novelty singer. But he was not a bit of it. Absolute craftsman.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's fantastic sining live, mind. I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall, and though I'd always liked him, I'd always considered him, in part, and I don't mean this unkindly, a "character" singer. Maybe an element of novelty.

But he was not a bit of it. Absolute craftsman.

[The Weeping Angel]

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, strongly reject the decision of the Israeli Security Cabinet on 8th August to launch an additional large-scale military operation in Gaza. It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians. The plans that the Government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.

We urge the parties and the international community to make all efforts to finally bring this terrible conflict to an end now, through an immediate and permanent ceasefire that enables the provision of a massive, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian assistance, as the worst-case scenario of a famine is unfolding in Gaza. Hamas must release all hostages without further delay or precondition and must ensure they are humanely treated and not subject to cruelty and humiliation.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. We call on the Government of Israel to urgently find solutions to amend its recent registration system of international humanitarian organisations, to ensure these vital actors of humanitarian aid can continue their essential work again in line with humanitarian principles to reach the civilians in need in Gaza. Their exclusion would be an egregious signal.

We are united in our commitment to the implementation of a negotiated two-state solution as the only way to guarantee that both Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace, security, and dignity. A political resolution based on a negotiated two-state solution requires the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/join ... nt-on-gaza

[Tubby Isaacs]

Something of which I have personal experience.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -new-plans

Most foreign criminals convicted in UK to be deported immediately under new plans

Never been to prison or been deported, but I did used to arrange deportations for the Prison Service, working with IND (as it was then, the Border Force as it is now). If they were awarded early release, they could be deported quicker, saving prison places. Most got it, but not all.

I suppose it's not that surprising for the government to think that in most cases "Get out, and don't come back!" is a cheaper option. We'll probably see other places do this with UK nationals. The Netherlands had to bear the expense and inconvenience of hosting Curtis Warren for 11 years. Had we been sending Dutch drug smugglers straight back (there were a lot of them in prison in the UK at this time), the Dutch might have sent Warren back to us pretty sharpish.

[Youngian]

Remember reading an article as to why this no-brainer of sending back foreign criminals wasn't in practice but I can't remember the arguments.
A bit like a YouTube video I can no longer find about why covering the Sahara with solar panels to import electricity isn't the win-win we think it is.

[davidjay]

He's fantastic sining live, mind. I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall, and though I'd always liked him, I'd always considered him, in part, and I don't mean this unkindly, a "character" singer. Maybe an element of novelty.

But he was not a bit of it. Absolute craftsman.

Because he went through an 'episode' people forget that he briefly put together the best British soul band ever.

[Oboogie]

He's fantastic sining live, mind. I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall, and though I'd always liked him, I'd always considered him, in part, and I don't mean this unkindly, a novelty singer. But he was not a bit of it. Absolute craftsman.

I saw Dexy's on the 2 Tone Tour in 1979 where they achieved the impossible by being even better than The Specials.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

He's fantastic sining live

He sins on stage? This I must see...