Gnasher

No it's OK I should've answered the other point. Cleverly is imo just sucking up to the Tory right wing nutjobs. Its a desperate ploy by a desperate party to give the impression they're controlling immigration. It's a bone headed decision by a bone headed government which will soon be proved to be boneheaded when a care system in desperate need of staff loses workers they cannot afford to lose Its another example of a party which is split beyond repair.

Why be glib? What's that got to do with VAT. What point are you trying to make? Their is nothing in that article that's not common knowledge.

Falling like a pack of cards. All turning on each other. He's right here, do em all for treason.

The rate of VAT goes up (the first thing Rachel Reeves bessie mate Thatcher did on gaining power in 79 was to increase it after promising not to throughout that election campaign, it resulted in the economy going into a tailspin) and it very occasionally goes down. VAT has already been abolished on certain items. Their are many other ways of raising taxes, wealth tax, levelling up capital gains, a windfall tax on banks and energy companies and a more progressive tax system in general just a few.

No it hasn't so you could be right. It's hard to tell with Donald.

It certainly would leave a black hole, agreed. It would need to be replaced by more progressive taxation, although the almost certain spike in growth should account for most of the shortfall. Flat rate taxes hit the poorest hardest and are on the whole unfair.

Why couldn't they?

Because VAT is a negative tax which unfairly targets the poor. Its abolition would increase growth thus soon more than accounting for the loss of income felt by the treasury

It's been a while since we left the EU, it's not yesterday. The reason for these rulings is because a desperate government is making desperate decisions to appease desperate people. This is all on the government, they're to blame, not us leaving the EU.

We certainly couldn't have abolished VAT, which is what we should have done the day after leaving.

It's up to the government of the time. As it should be. Its the wrong decision but its a decision made by the government. The government make lots of decisions, most of them bad but uncomfortable as it is that's what they're elected for. Labour or another Home Secretary can overturn the decision if they see fit Its that simple. Our membership or non membership of the EU is pretty much irrelevant in this instance.

The games up. Shame it's taken so long but those who tried to make excuses for Israel and our politicans instead of speaking out against this genocide must now feel the shame. Intresting poll here showing very little support for Israel and the selling of arms to Israel, even amongst tory voters. The poll was taken before the deaths of the aid workers by Israel in Gaza. So that's only going to go one way. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/majority-of-voters-in-uk-back-banning-arm-sales-to-israel-poll-finds A letter from prominent lawyers and judges calling for the government to stop selling arms to Israel because of the risk of genocide. MPs of all parties and prominent political commentators furiously backtracking on previous support for Israel. Angela Eagle being just one. James OBrein another. Condescending twat but he's bang on the money here. Which made the Vids uploaded onto twitter even more important to those seeking truth away from the official IDF nonsense.

It's astonishing that he could be shoehorned into a job as important as foreign secretary without even being an MP. He cannot even be held to account by MPs in Parliament. I didn't think it was allowed, it certainly shouldn't be.

Lights go out, walls come tumbling down.

He should be in a padded cell.

It's a decision made by James Cleverly our home secretary. It's in no way dependent on us leaving the EU. It could be changed back tomorrow if desired. Another example of looking at every bad government decision through the prism of Brexit.

Awful.this. Children aged between 4 and 16. And this. From CBS. And this. Same person as above. Jose Andres

The tide has turned.

Not allowed. Upsets a few.

Biggest cunt ever to own a laptop.

Stronts and Willard (to a certain accent) are speaking the truth. Those who are classified homeless and those you are sleeping on the streets are often a world away. Many are experiencing homelessness and are facing a life as a rough sleeper if they do not get help. This imo is where the system is lacking. At the moment it's a straight choice for those without a permanent address and it's between a rock and a hard place, with little in-between.

Privatisation of the probation service has proved to be another disaster..

Care in the community was a massive loss and has also contributed to the prisons being full. Difficult to say whether mental health is a major reason for those finding themselves homeless or their condition has been caused because of finding themselves homeless. The percentage of those with mental health problems rises dramatically between those who are homeless (40%) to those forced to sleep rough (80%). It goes without saying that the condition of those with mental health issues worsen dramatically the longer they are homeless to the condition of their homeless status, ie staying with friends, temporary accommodation to sleeping rough on the streets. Some horrendous stats here... https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/health-and-wellbeing/mental-health/#:~:text=45% of people experiencing homelessness,people who are homeless face. As you say we lost a bridge to helping those people who are moving between prison and the streets and back again, whereas with a little help that wouldn't be the case. Even temporary accommodation is better than no accommodation and no help. Which many (not all) are experiencing when leaving hostels or prison. It's a vicious circle where hard drugs become a release. This government act like Btec accountants, they see the figures but they are incapable of looking beyond them. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

They get that if they go to prison. Which unfortunately many do.