Salt n Vinegar

Oops. Poor Dross... even when he tries to announce good news, he can't catch a break. Apparently he spoke about the inflation increases in pensions and benefits in FMQs before the Chancer of the Exchequer announced it in the Commons. Naughty boy!

No, don't think so. If your bills in one year are met from a fixed income, then higher bills in the next year are met from a fixed income that has risen by the same amount, your standard of living is the same. There's no increase in any meaningful sense. If your rent goes up by 7%... many times the % rise in your income... you are demonstrably worse off. You are not saving £200. In no sense is 7% higher rent a "saving" of anything. It's an increase in the rent of 7%. It's a bit like claiming that a neighbourhood thug is saving you a month in hospital by only slashing your face instead of also breaking your legs.

Jacob Rees-Mogg doesn't like what the Chancer has announced because of the tax rises. Will he have the guts to vote against the budget though? A) no, or B) no. Select as appropriate...

Yes, I understand what you say but the Chancer applied some thick gloss to cover a pretty ugly wall. Talk of pension and benefit "increases" is a bit cheeky... they are increases in cash terms certainly, but is keeping pace with inflation really what most folk would call an "increase"? I'm not suggesting that actual real terms increases were in order but I'd prefer a bit more honesty in the terminology used. Also there was something about a saving of - what was it - a couple of hundred pounds because some rents would only rise by 7% instead of the rate of inflation - sorry, in my book that's not a saving of anything, it's a whopping 7% increase in rent. For folk in the public sector, their pay seems unlikely to even approach inflation for the next few years. On energy bills, if I have this right, the energy price cap is rising, support will fall (the £400 payment is going away I think), with the resulting higher bills being met from incomes rising at well below inflation and being hit by higher taxes. It's all going very well, isn't it?

If the pupose of the statement was to placate the market, one indicator, the ftse 100 doesn't seem particularly impressed - at the time of typing this, it's slightly lower on the day and lower than when the Chancer stood up.

Damn. I was hoping to buy my barricade material, torches and pitchforks in the January sales...

Aye, can you imagine the rage and snotters there'd be all over the press if Corbyn's wife/partner/bidie-in (delete as appropriate) received huge dividends from a company that still operated in Russia? Or Starmer's? I'm pretty confident that Tories would be beside themselves with rage and the fact that wasn't the politicians themselves doing it would be utterly irrelevant.

Were the pupils of Larkhall Academy who recently chased off an alleged (in case the lawyers are watching) 'Nazi recruiter' denying him free speech?

Ok, taking a bit of a risk here, but is using criticism, wit (complete or half) or name calling to criticise or bring down an opponent no longer allowed then? Winston Churchill took the pee out of Bessie Braddock MP and Lady Astor with his comments about them but his quotes are still discussed, praised and I dare say used today. Please look them up - I don't want the consequences if the hyper-sensitive curtain twitchers are about. (Oh-oh.... I suppose I have to formally apologise to the hyper-sensitive curtain twitchers out there... see Chief Constable Miekelson's series of apologies in Scot Squad for a giggle about language use.) If all that's left is 'I say, I strongly disagree with you on that and consider you to be most reprehensible!" or "is that wise, Captain Mainwaring? " type stuff, that's pretty sad. Governments can plunge folk into abject poverty, wreck the economy, feather bed their pals' finances... but we have to play nice? Now THAT is obscene! Calling someone a grumble 'n grunt? Nah, not so much. Scottish football match officials are sponsored by Specsavers... they're taking the piss out of THEMSELVES so I've got no problems with folk doing it. In one of the few episodes of River City that I saw, one heavily overweight bloke fought back about his size with something like "you know I've got trouble with my feet" to be hit with "Aye, ye canny keep them oot o the fish and chip shop!" Insulting? Very probably. Funny? Aye, it was. If politicians rip folks' knitting to the extent that some members of the public are driven to use "bad language" when discussing them and their exploits, maybe its not the words uttered by "the public" that are the problems.

I've seen a fair amount of coverage about the kinds of measures the Chancer of the Exchequer may put forward in his budget. Cutting the energy bill support, not raising personal allowances by inflation for many years, reducing the starting point for the top rate of tax by 25k, increasing that rate to 50%, even introducing vehicle tax for electric vehicles (currently £0). Airports better get ready for the flood of economic refugees fleeing the UK because they'll be paying more in tax! That's what we hear all the time, isn't it? Or does the fleeing hoard problem only apply to Scottish Government-decreed tax changes?

They've just referred to that quote on "Breaking the News" and thought that was an ideal reason to appoint Trump as the Scottish football manager.

Actually.... that might suit the Donald's ego very well. If DeSantis becomes the nominee... 1) The DT would have an irresistible urge to give a huge GIRFUY to the party that embarrassed him, 2) it would allow him to play the downtrodden "very stable genius"* who was unfairly punished for the failures of others** and the clincher.... 3) how could he resist the attraction of winning the Presidency as an Independent? * as in 'more of a genius than a horse'. ** in his opinion.

I never knew that we had poultry farmers in the P&B clan. Or are you just egging him on?

Pedant alert klaxon... pedant alert klaxon... If anything is being served in these 'Scottish embassies' I suspect it will be "whisky" and not "whiskey".

Dunno if this is an appropriate thread, but the person involved is one of Dross's lieutenants, so why not.... https://www.thenational.scot/news/23110461.scottish-parliament-embarrasses-potato-stephen-kerr-twitter/

No, no... What you want is to see how it operates in a large, cosmopolitan city, as that's where most folk live. Personally, I'd recommend London.

If anyone can find a widely-acceptable alternative to the Council Tax, they should receive the thanks of a grateful nation and free tattie scones for life.

The Williamson issue is getting a good going over on the Daily Politics. Guy seems to be a total creep.

"living in an alternative reality" thread for that post. You might as well want to change the colour of a wall from blue to red by going for a walk.

Anyone who believes that could only conclude that the particular God referred to has been on a long holiday.

The "boaby" , the "bung" or the backroom deals? (i.e. the economy is knackered so let that poor innocent sap Sunak carry the can for 18 months then I'll ride to the rescue!) It's hard to know.

Want to know how we can tell that the UK is ABSOLUTELY "knackered"? If there are news reports that a Tory Chancer of the Exchequer is said to be considering additional taxation on second homes and landlords... THAT'S when you know.

Yay! James O'Brien will be talking about Brexit in few mins. Quite right. I mean it's all going so well!

Why did Sunak change his mind about attending COP 27? 1. He tossed a coin; 2. A fortune teller told him that the stars said he should go; or 3. Because he realised it would make him look weak and spineless if he didn't go and BoJo did. Another possibility is "to get away from his increasingly rabid looking Home Secretary" , but I thought 3 was enough.

Assuming these figures are correct (and I've no reason to believe they aren't!) that should surely put to bed this "invasion" rubbish that Cruella has been pedalling? If not why not?