A Political Thread pt. 2

[Bada-Bing!]

Supermarkets forced to publish live fuel prices to cut costs

Retailers will be "held to account", ministers say, after drivers paid an extra 6p per litre for fuel in 2022.

www.bbc.co.uk

Really?! you think.

 

[Reiser99]

In a surprise to absolutely nobody...

BBC News - Sue Gray broke civil service code over Labour job offer

Sue Gray broke civil service rules over Labour job, government says

The ex-official was cleared to work for Labour by Parliament's advisory appointments body last week.

www.bbc.co.uk

Honestly, I'm in shock this fair and independent investigation came to this completely unbiased conclusion.

 

[ncurd]

Storm in a teacup ACOBA have already ruled with normal rules applied. Cabinet Office have found nothing different.

 

[ncurd]

BTW when people are talking about smearing this is entirely it, neither enquiry has found Sue Gray ever acted impartially in regards to partygate, Even in this instance there is lack of anyone behaving improperly just the appearance of doing so.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologises for country's role in slavery

King Willem-Alexander calls slavery a "horror" and says sorry for his family's failure to act.

www.google.com

Thoughts on slave reparations?



*Stupid comparison from above

Good example set by the Dutch King. My issue with reparations is in line with Reisser's line. Who pays them? Certainly not the main benefactors the slave trade. And more importantly, who benefits from them? Probably not the people struggling most due to the damage.

If you were to take a far easier example of the Great Famine, I absolutely think the British government and / or monarchy should acknowledge the genocide they committed here, it'd go a long way in relations between the two. But firstly, it's not today's tax player's burden to pay reparations even if the British government benefitted massively from the cheap importation of food at the time and subsequent reduction in the population of Ireland. Secondly, where would the money go? Certainly not to the areas of Ireland where underpopulation is a massive issue, it goes into tech, finance, property etc... and maybe some culture but even then, the damage is done, acknowledging it, showing regret or remorse, and moving on shouldn't be scoffed at.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Good example set by the Dutch King. My issue with reparations is in line with Reisser's line. Who pays them? Certainly not the main benefactors the slave trade. And more importantly, who benefits from them? Probably not the people struggling most due to the damage.

If you were to take a far easier example of the Great Famine, I absolutely think the British government and / or monarchy should acknowledge the genocide they committed here, it'd go a long way in relations between the two. But firstly, it's not today's tax player's burden to pay reparations even if the British government benefitted massively from the cheap importation of food at the time and subsequent reduction in the population of Ireland. Secondly, where would the money go? Certainly not to the areas of Ireland where underpopulation is a massive issue, it goes into tech, finance, property etc... and maybe some culture but even then, the damage is done, acknowledging it, showing regret or remorse, and moving on shouldn't be scoffed at.

Just hiking off the back of this regarding payments by future generations and the idea of the sins of the fathers being inherited, my ancestors going back far enough came from Ireland. I was born in England. It's likely my ancestors were the victims rather than the perpetrators of the famine (and even then you average English person had nothing to do with it either). My ancestors also would not have been involved in the slave trade, or the famine in India or any number of atrocities committed by the British state.

If as a country we tax people to pay for it, there are also all the minorities that get taxed. If you exclude minorities from the taxes, you set the precedent that taxes can be racially discriminating and it's a very dangerous path to go down.

Showing remorse for what happened and doing our best to ensure disadvantaged people can have the best chance in life is the best we can do to try to fix the errors of the past. I'm also not a fan of pointing out all our atrocities but ignoring ones others committed. Anyone going to be asking the USSR to account for all the damage they caused or would that not count? The various regimes throughout Asian history?

 

[General Melchett]

There are countless examples TBH. Why doesn't the US express regret over what it did in Vietnam and Hiroshima? Not sure what the timescales for these things are but maybe we have to wait until everyone involved has died off before the next generations can apologise on their behalf.

The problem with reparations is that as soon as one country agrees to cough up you then have a bandwagon effect with so much stuff coming out of the woodwork. Sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and just acknowledge any past atrocities and apologise for it. In some ways it's easier to apologise for someone else's mistakes.

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Honestly, I'm in shock this fair and independent investigation came to this completely unbiased conclusion.

This take is the just lefty version of those people using this to question the Gray report in the first place tbh

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

This take is the just lefty version of those people using this to question the Gray report in the first place tbh

Ultimately if Sue Gray did something against the code, she and Starmer should apologise (actually unsure about Starmer as I don't know how aware he was that she had not reported the fact they had been in contact nor was it his responsibility to ensure such contact was reported, it was hers). The only thing is I don't think the government should be the ones making such demands given their track record being considerably worse across the board. "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." I also feel any attempt to claim her report was biased or incorrect as a result of this is just clutching at straws (not saying you are but some Tories definitely are).

In addition:

A bit galling from the party that went on about regaining sovereignty, the complete disdain they have now show repeatedly for Parliamentary procedure is astonishing hypocrisy. For those who are unaware, Parliament is sovereign in the UK, not the people or the government.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Supermarkets forced to publish live fuel prices to cut costs

Retailers will be "held to account", ministers say, after drivers paid an extra 6p per litre for fuel in 2022.

www.bbc.co.uk

I use petrolprices.com anyway.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Every time reparations has come up the number I've seen thrown out by the reparations side has been astronomical. Considering the average working class individual at the time died with nothing I don't know how they come up with a number in the millions.

In the US at least a lot more good would be done with fixing the discrimination in banking and giving some lower interest loans to groups that had previously been discriminated against.

Reparations just seem impossible. I know some of the black students I went to undergrad with would just have preferred a dedication to funding public schools and parks in black areas as they would have a better long term outcome. I think they are probably right but it isn't politically popular.

 

[BrokenWing]

Never mind forcing them to publish their prices, how about forcing them to drop their prices.

Don't forget there was also a drop in fuel duty that they failed to pass on.

There are services on the A1 which are cheaper than the supermarket garages around town here.

 

[Reiser99]

This take is the just lefty version of those people using this to question the Gray report in the first place tbh

Less a lefty version and more a "I think the Tories are nothing more than corrupt, group of right wing wealthy elites who only give a **** about themselves" version.

 

[McTallshort]

Never mind forcing them to publish their prices, how about forcing them to drop their prices.

Don't forget there was also a drop in fuel duty that they failed to pass on.

There are services on the A1 which are cheaper than the supermarket garages around town here.

Joining Costco was the best thing I have done regards fuel. Paid 129.9 for diseal yesterday. It's 2p cheaper than unleaded which reflects the wholesale price

 

[BrokenWing]

Petrol is still £1.43 here.

It's cheaper in service stations around the area.

I heard someone say that the price of oil atm is 17 dollars a barrel?

 

[Saintjay]

Less a lefty version and more a "I think the Tories are nothing more than corrupt, group of right wing wealthy elites who only give a **** about themselves" version.

I wouldn't worry about it the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath is going to win the next election.

 

[Gavin]

Who actually is 'the blob'?

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Who actually is 'the blob'?

The ever, undefined "THEM" that people who couldn't be any more establishment if they tried use to pretend they are acutally the downtrodden masses being persecuted by the establishment as opposed to the fact that they are the establishment.

As with woke, ask any of them to define this "blob" or similar and it will be all wishy-washy full of "you know what I mean" and "everyone knows it" nonsense. It's a bogeyman to distract from how corrupt the current government is.

 

[ncurd]

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Petrol is still £1.43 here.

It's cheaper in service stations around the area.

I heard someone say that the price of oil atm is 17 dollars a barrel?

All the more reason for peeps to walk or cycle for short journeys and cut down on car use.