OV9

Hmm not sure I believe the "workload far exceeds 9-5" if the lazy shower of shit here are anything to go by.

Accomodation for migrants expected to cost £15b+ over the decade. 3 times more than originally estimated.

Doesn't look good, I'll be honest. And what savings will need to be had to cover the extra £10b this will cost?

Just giving Reform ammunition for free at this point.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... o-15bn-nao

I wonder how much it'd cost to set up processing points overseas again like wot we used to have, when asylum applicants didn't need to be on UK soil (and thus require accommodation, etc here) to get their application initially looked at.

It's almost like sweeping the problem under the carpet by removing existing legal routes for asylum was a gobsmackingly shortsighted, stupid, idiot pleasing mistake that's now coming back to haunt all the mainstream parties, and they can't even do anything about it now because it'd be sOfT oN ImuGruNts.

Slow claps all round.

Great points. I suppose these are the long terms effects of government policy that's been mostly interested in short term 'wins'.

I think the problem with overseas processing points is that

a) it makes it 'easy' for anyone to rock up and claim asylum on the off chance - you have nothing to lose and
b) if they are declined there they'll just come across in small boats anyway.

Looks like the UK-US trade deal is finally about to be announced in the next few minutes.

Looks like we're still getting shafted vs pre tariff war. And some airline here is buying all those rejected China Boeings.

Mito Man wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 4:07 pm Looks like we're still getting shafted vs pre tariff war. And some airline here is buying all those rejected China Boeings.

Where is the airline info? I know Ryanair were looking at buying Chinese aircraft, ie not Boeing, instead of their current order, but don’t think there’s any airline big enough in the UK to take 150 big jet orders?

One of the American bods speaking beside Trump mentioned it.

Also a journalist asking Starmer if this trade deal is really any better than before this kicked off and he replied with "what you should be asking is, is it better than where we were yesterday"

Well, he's not wrong to be fair

Tl;Dr Trump set the whole house on fire and claiming credit for saving the garden shed.

Finally noticing some road works improvements in Kent but unsure if it’s specific funding from Labour or Reform prioritising road repairs?
Seems like every single pothole is now marked and a huge amount of repairs going on. I don’t think there’s ever been so many diversions. They’re all proper repairs too unlike prior years which consisted of someone chucking tarmac into a hole and jumping up and down on it…

No discussion of Stamp Duty changes on here? Or Rayner's new primary / second / third residence (depending on whether you're asking for stamp duty or council tax purposes)?

I can only guess everyone thinks its a spiffing idea or its all just got so farcical now that people aren't wasting their breath?

GG. wrote: Fri Aug 29, 2025 10:14 am I can only guess everyone thinks it’s a spiffing idea or it’s all just got so farcical now that people aren't wasting their breath?

I suspect the latter. Housing minister buys second (you might say third) home in the middle of a housing crisis, makes the papers for a couple of days then forgotten about. Now she’s blatantly swerving second home stamp duty and her colleagues are defending her.

They’re happy to name, shame/demonise celebs for using (under advice) tax avoidance schemes but lack any morality with their own financial affairs. Starmer should be saying “You’ve made the party look really fucking bad, you’ve got to go.”, but he won’t and we’ll be talking about something else in a few days. So yeah, waste of breath complaining about it.

It's just speculation during the summer silly season. Plenty of reason to think they won't change anything.

Disagree Simon, she's turned a '22bn' black hole into a 50bn one. If there isn't a big change to property taxation in the autumn budget then I'll be shocked.

Its speculation based on deliberate briefing to the press to gauge responses and based on papers that have been written by a guy that was a former adviser to the government (and interestingly was the guy who devised the furlough scheme) ... It may be that the big flashing warning lights that this is an apocalyptically bad idea will put them off but obviously they haven't reversed the NIC changes that have made tens of thousands redundant so I'm not convinced.

Since all the ideas which have been touted make no money, they can be ignored then.

That’s how black holes work, they suck everything in and expand
Anyway, 4 more years of this, then 5 more years of that.
It’s an endurance race, not a sprint so I’m pacing out my hate and anger.