Bye bye Starmer

[Swervin_Mervin]

Some interesting new tweaks to the National Planning Policy Framework. On transport they've essentially adopted the position now that only in the most extreme of severity impacts should a development be refused.

It pretty much means that the core assessment element of the work that we do will now not be to determine the degree of impact of a development and from that the required mitigation or even acceptability in principle, - it will pretty much just be there to inform of the impact that will happen.

It's a bold position

[Swervin_Mervin]

I get that, just an inkling of traditional labour values would be good.

We’ll see how Rayner’s housing plan goes.

Well her wording is a load of twaddle so far. If councils don't meet housing targets she'll make sure the councils are made to build homes - Councils don't really build homes, developers do. And not hitting targets could be for all sorts of reasons out of the Councils control

[integrale_evo]

Is the country full of builders and tradies just sitting around doing nothing waiting to spring into action and build all these new houses?

[Swervin_Mervin]

Is the country full of builders and tradies just sitting around doing nothing waiting to spring into action and build all these new houses?

To some degree, yes. I was working on a project in Wrexham that only just got planning permission last year, 10years after we started working on it, and all that delay was down to local political stupidity (the Plaid wankers) over the Local Plan, that is still rumbling on 12mo later. And that's fairly commonplace. Or Councils that are understaffed and taking months and years to make decisions

[Broccers]

Surprised (not) at the lack of reaction to the fuel allowance removal here. Obviously all have wealthy parents or gparents.

I genuinely know people who will struggle. A handle of the extortionate fuel standing charges would have been a better angle.

[ZedLeg]

I think the sad fact for Zed is that the kind of Labour Party he wants simply isn’t very popular at a national level.

I don’t even particularly want Labour, I just wish there was an appetite for progressive politics in this country.

[ZedLeg]

I wrote a whole thing about the lying and accidentally closed the tab. It’s not anything of consequence. Working with the Sun, Dianne Abbott and another woman who’s name escapes me both said that they lied about racism in the party.

Like, I don’t want to end up being the cartoonish lefty again but what I’m seeing from my bubble is clearly different to what others are seeing.

[Rich B]

I wrote a whole thing about the lying and accidentally closed the tab. It’s not anything of consequence. Working with the Sun, Dianne Abbott and another woman who’s name escapes me both said that they lied about racism in the party.

Like, I don’t want to end up being the cartoonish lefty again but what I’m seeing from my bubble is clearly different to what others are seeing.

a load of politicians arguing over who’s said something that could be taken as the most racist isn’t really a basis for a good government though. Abbott got suspended over her racist comments after all.

[Beany]

I wrote a whole thing about the lying and accidentally closed the tab. It’s not anything of consequence. Working with the Sun, Dianne Abbott and another woman who’s name escapes me both said that they lied about racism in the party.

Like, I don’t want to end up being the cartoonish lefty again but what I’m seeing from my bubble is clearly different to what others are seeing.

Give it a few more months so that we can get over the shock of what appear to be actual adults with some sense - or at least capable of presenting what appears to be a sense - of responsibility and maturity on the front bench, and we can all be calling 'em cunts for Christmas

[V8Granite]

I await our local doctors surgery to start seeing patients again. We’ve not been able to set foot in there for 4 years now due to Covid, then not enough doctors, then not bothering to call back and finishing at 4pm.

I only found out due to the MIL struggling the past few years and a guy was having a big rant about it and it turned out he used to be a doctor at the surgery

Dr Shar at my old surgery was still working but I’m out of that area so am no longer allowed to go. Which is a shame as I winged it for about 4 years.

Dave!

[ZedLeg]

I wonder how much sway the government has with GPs since they are essentially private.

[V8Granite]

I don’t know how much but the ones in Market Deeping need to be told to get to work!

Dave!

[Mito Man]

Yep, don't know how they can get away with WFH still and just doing telephone calls. They're providing piss poor service which is all regulated by the CQC who report to government. But they're a shit show too.

[Explosive Newt]

Surprised (not) at the lack of reaction to the fuel allowance removal here. Obviously all have wealthy parents or gparents.

I genuinely know people who will struggle. A handle of the extortionate fuel standing charges would have been a better angle.

This is huge and is also going to mean more vulnerable people in hospital in winter as they succumb to various illnesses.

[Broccers]

Surprised (not) at the lack of reaction to the fuel allowance removal here. Obviously all have wealthy parents or gparents.

I genuinely know people who will struggle. A handle of the extortionate fuel standing charges would have been a better angle.

This is huge and is also going to mean more vulnerable people in hospital in winter as they succumb to various illnesses.

Bad innit.

[ZedLeg]

Will it though? The poorest pensioners will still get it.

[Broccers]

Will it though? The poorest pensioners will still get it.

Probably best dyr on that one.If you're a quid over you lose 400+ as a couple in winter. But that's fine.

[Mito Man]

Doesn't seem like a very simple process to apply for it either from what I've read.

[ZedLeg]

Will it though? The poorest pensioners will still get it.

Probably best dyr on that one.If you're a quid over you lose 400+ as a couple in winter. But that's fine.

As I understand it you’ll only get the winter fuel payment if you’re getting other benefits.

I can see where some might struggle just above those thresholds, I’d be curious to know how many would fall into that area.

Some have suggested taking a UBI principle on it, just keep giving it to everyone and tax it back from folk who don’t need it.

I have no idea how taxation works for pensioners though so I don’t know how feasible that is

[Gavster]

On the topic of UBI, I saw an interesting research paper on it, where an American group gave people $1000 a month for three years. Over the entire term, it didn't create much positive impact. There was an immediate benefit, as people spent more on healthcare, quickly became more food secure, and worked less hours. They also immediately started consuming more alcohol too . However, over the entire three years, many of those benefits attenuated back down again, and it only had minimal benefits on a few factors like hours worked reducing by a couple per week. Overall outcome was ambivalent.

So it shows that does create a short-term impact, however, over the long-term, peoples lives and spending expand to fill that additional cash and eat away at the initial impect, which is basically the same effect as every time I get a pay rise