UK News and Discussions

[erowind]

.

[joe00uk]

In the short term the anglophone as a whole is rather neutered by consumer culture I agree. But don’t sell the UK short on revolutionary history. The English civil war was one of the most important revolutionary events in the past
500 years.

Yeah, but that's just it - the English Civil War was almost four centuries ago. Overall it's been a good thing that since the 17th Century, the elites of Britain have had enough common sense to introduce sufficient reform to keep their heads away from the chopping block (and everyone else away from lost decades of turmoil and mass death). I suppose now that they've clearly lost that ability, things might change, but I wouldn't expect that to happen any time soon - be that for better or for worse. Of course, I'm fully aware I may be proven wrong. If there's anything the last few years have taught us, it's that history is always full of the things we could never even have imagined beforehand.

[wjfox]

The UK isn't immune to social unrest. We had riots in 2011 (the only time I've actually feared for my life), and in 1990 (Poll Tax riots).

The last decade has seen a gradual decline in public services and overall living standards – but in general, people have just about managed to get by. That won't be the case with what we're now facing, which is much more abrupt and will severely impact the incomes of practically half the country.

The situation isn't helped by our inept government who seem to lack even basic human empathy. And if Truss becomes our PM, the plan she's described would do nothing to help the poorest.

LBC had an 83-year-old caller on this morning. She said things had never been this bad in the UK during her lifetime.

[caltrek]

The UK isn't immune to social unrest. We had riots in 2011 (the only time I've actually feared for my life), and in 1990 (Poll Tax riots).

The last decade has seen a gradual decline in public services and overall living standards – but in general, people have just about managed to get by. That won't be the case with what we're now facing, which is much more abrupt and will severely impact the incomes of practically half the country.

The situation isn't helped by our inept government who seem to lack even basic human empathy. And if Truss becomes our PM, the plan she's described would do nothing to help the poorest.

LBC had an 83-year-old caller on this morning. She said things had never been this bad in the UK during her lifetime.

Just my two-cents about a country that I don't even live in (and have never visited although I have lived and visited other countries in Europe): If there is a revolution, I hope for the sake of all of those who do live there that it is non-violent in nature. That is to say thoroughly replaces the "inept government" with a government that has a greater sense of empathy for its citizens, especially and particularly the poorest among you.

[joe00uk]

Not immune, for sure, and I'm not doubting that there may be spurts of unrest, such as in 2011 or 1990. What I'm doubtful of is whether such unrest (over the next year or two) will escalate much further, for example to the point of overthrowing the government or even just coordinating a general strike like in 1926 (which resulted in a government victory anyway). Currently there just doesn't seem to be the organisation or leadership to pull off something like that, even on an underground level. But we'll see - sometimes such things can happen very quickly.

That said, I don't expect the current Westminster regime to survive another generation. I think looking further into the future there almost certainly will be greater unrest, and the most likely scenario for the regime's fall is probably something similar to the revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe. I just don't see 2022 or 2023 as our 1989 - we're likely still in our early 1970s equivalent. There are certainly a great many parallels between now and then.

[erowind]

.

[wjfox]

[joe00uk]

Read both of your comments in full, That all makes sense, this paragraph in particular I agree with wholly. There's been a lot of time since the English Civil War. My whole thing was more that revolutionary potential will come with class conflict eventually in almost every culture, but yes, expecting this in the next few years is far too soon. My projections for most anglophone nations have consistently been in the 2040 onwards timeframe. (Barring maybe new Zealand, they may balance a social democratic transition well enough due to geographic advantage and seemingly resilient institutions.)

I definitely agree there! We think the 2020s are crazy so far, but it won't have anything on the coming mid-century madness. Buckle your seatbelts!

[Time_Traveller]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

What Liz Truss thinks about British workers?

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

UK inflation projected to hit 18.6% as gas prices surge

50 minutes ago

Surging wholesale gas prices are putting the UK on a path to exceed 18 per cent inflation next year, the highest rate among larger western economies, according to a report from Citigroup.

[...]

Rapidly increasing prices for natural gas have left economic projections out of date. At the start of the month, the Bank of England forecast that higher gas prices would push inflation above 13 per cent towards the end of this year.

Bank of America said last week that it expected UK consumer price inflation to peak at 14 per cent in January, while Goldman Sachs and EY projected it to hit 15 per cent.

But with Europe’s gas crisis escalating in August, Citi predicted on Monday that inflation would reach 18.6 per cent in January.


[...]

Examining the wholesale figures, Citi predicted that the UK’s retail energy price cap — which limits how much households pay for heating and electricity — would be raised to £4,567 in January and then £5,816 in April, compared with the current level of £1,971 a year. It added that the shifts would lead to inflation “entering the stratosphere”.

https://www.ft.com/content/778e65e1-6ec ... 701eb29567

[joe00uk]

UK inflation projected to hit 18.6% as gas prices surge

And given real inflation is already pretty much at that figure already, this looks like we could be headed for inflation of 30-35% in real terms. We're all going to have to learn pretty quickly how to live in a third world country.

[Time_Traveller]

Electoral Commission to be stripped of power to prosecute after probe into Boris Johnson’s flat makeover

31 minutes ago

Boris Johnson is to strip the Electoral Commission of the power to prosecute law-breaking, just weeks after it launched an investigation into his controversial flat refurbishment.

The watchdog has been threatened with curbs ever since it embarrassed senior Tory figures by fining Vote Leave for busting spending limits for the Brexit referendum.

Now ministers have announced that a new Elections Bill will remove its ability to prosecute criminal offences under electoral law – arguing it “wastes public money”.

The watchdog launched an immediate protest, warning the move would “place a fetter on the commission which would limit its activity”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 68407.html

The Tories trying to be more corrupt by stripping the electoral commission after they launched a investigation into Johnson's flat refurbishment.

More on this: -

Tories quietly unveil 'extremely dangerous' power grab to neuter elections watchdog

11:51, 23 Aug 2022

Boris Johnson's government has quietly published details of an "election power grab" to neuter the UK's elections watchdog and undermine its independence.

In the government's first act since the Prime Minister returned from his second holiday of the summer, it set out details of the proposals, branded "extremely dangerous" by the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life when they were first suggested.

The publication comes just months after the Electoral Commission found the Conservative Party had broken electoral law over the funding of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat refurbishment.

New draft proposals would strip the Commission of the power to bring its own criminal prosecutions for breaches of election law.

And they would impose a duty on the body to follow the government's "priorities", despite claiming it would not "interfere" with the governance of the body or its operational independence.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... s-27811231

[wjfox]

Great news, everyone – our pipes will be fixed by the year 4022.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... 2000-years