UK Politics Thread XII: The Lockdown

[The Archregimancy]

We're a small family so therefore tight-knit. My niece is only wee and my dogs need a good playfight now and then so seven months away is more than long enough for me.

I stress that there was no implied criticism of your good self in my post.

I understand wanting to visit family as a motive for travel in this difficult times, especially when all due consideration is given to the potential issues, and separate that entirely from 'let's go on a holiday to Spain!'.

[The New California Republic]

Perth gladdened my heart a bit though as the community seems to understand they should be getting stuck into the local shops etc.

Were the charity shops in Perth open when you were there, as some have been staying shut.

[Fartsniffage]

Perth gladdened my heart a bit though as the community seems to understand they should be getting stuck into the local shops etc.

Were the charity shops in Perth open when you were there, as some have been staying shut.

All the ones near me are still shut. Combination of loads of the volunteers being old and concerns about receiving new donations.

[Shamhnan Insir]

We're a small family so therefore tight-knit. My niece is only wee and my dogs need a good playfight now and then so seven months away is more than long enough for me.

I stress that there was no implied criticism of your good self in my post.

I understand wanting to visit family as a motive for travel in this difficult times, especially when all due consideration is given to the potential issues, and separate that entirely from 'let's go on a holiday to Spain!'.

No worries Arch, I was merely painting a picture
Glad you made it home too, I imagine your cat was probably more welcoming than mine!

Perth gladdened my heart a bit though as the community seems to understand they should be getting stuck into the local shops etc.

Were the charity shops in Perth open when you were there, as some have been staying shut.

One or two that I saw, the cafes and shops were in decent trade though.

[The New California Republic]

Were the charity shops in Perth open when you were there, as some have been staying shut.

All the ones near me are still shut. Combination of loads of the volunteers being old and concerns about receiving new donations.

In my travels I've noticed it's towns and cities with large student populations that have the most charity shops open, as they are acting as a source of labour while the universities are off, and thus offsets the auld yins deciding not to turn up.

[Dresderstan]

Maybe there is some incoming scandal that we aren't aware of yet but he knows it is only a matter of time before it is leaked.

I'm not convinced.

It may be as simple as a combination of acknowledging he really isn't the right person for the job, and a perception in Westminster that the Scottish Tories are insufficiently loyal to the current leader; most of the Scottish Tory MPs and MSPs actively campaigned against Johnson in the leadership election, stating that he would be electoral poison north of the border.

Which happens to be true, but this strikes me as a Conservative and Unionist Party that values slavish loyalty over senior members of the party pointing out inconvenient truths.

The question will be who replaces him, but it won't matter in the long run will it, as the Tories might well revert back to their pre-2017/post-1997 wave of being un-electable in Scotland.

[The Archregimancy]

I'm not convinced.

It may be as simple as a combination of acknowledging he really isn't the right person for the job, and a perception in Westminster that the Scottish Tories are insufficiently loyal to the current leader; most of the Scottish Tory MPs and MSPs actively campaigned against Johnson in the leadership election, stating that he would be electoral poison north of the border.

Which happens to be true, but this strikes me as a Conservative and Unionist Party that values slavish loyalty over senior members of the party pointing out inconvenient truths.

The question will be who replaces him, but it won't matter in the long run will it, as the Tories might well revert back to their pre-2017/post-1997 wave of being un-electable in Scotland.

It very much matters, as evidenced by what happened to the Scottish wing of the party when Davidson stepped down.

The question now is whether they can find another Ruth Davidson, or whether they'll be stuck with another Jackson Carlaw.


Very few things in politics are inevitable, no matter how much they may seem that way in retrospect.

[The New California Republic]

The question will be who replaces him, but it won't matter in the long run will it, as the Tories might well revert back to their pre-2017/post-1997 wave of being un-electable in Scotland.

It very much matters, as evidenced by what happened to the Scottish wing of the party when Davidson stepped down.

The question now is whether they can find another Ruth Davidson, or whether they'll be stuck with another Jackson Carlaw.


Very few things in politics are inevitable, no matter how much they may seem that way in retrospect.

Ruth was a Tory that made you vote Tory but made you compartmentalise that you were voting for the Tories. They need another leader like that, but I doubt they'll find one.

[Salandriagado]

So I've just helped a friend with a universal credit application today.

Like...Jesus Christ, if you're going to have benefits at all at least make them easy to apply for.

Yeah, they're a fucking mess. And this is the streamlined version for the pandemic.

[Ostroeuropa]

We've decided to forgo a mechanism for enforcing adherence to the trade agreement with Japan.

Both countries have agreed their judiciaries are impartial enough to enforce the agreement in their own countries and wont buckle to government pressure, and that there isn't a need for a third party council or whatever to mediate disputes, since the judiciaries of our countries are going to enforce it fairly.

Which is nice that it's an honor based agreement basically.

But also like...

I'm so sorry Japan. Did you, like... forget who we are?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidiou ... 20of%20the

[Ostroeuropa]

So I've just helped a friend with a universal credit application today.

Like...Jesus Christ, if you're going to have benefits at all at least make them easy to apply for.

Yeah, they're a fucking mess. And this is the streamlined version for the pandemic.

It's not streamlined. They just dumped it all into one form instead of several, and made you apply for all of them at once.

It's *Worse*.

Previously if you were unemployed, you applied for unemployment and supplied the relevant details.

Now you need to provide a bunch of shit on all your other circumstances like whether you're disabled, how many children, and so on, and apply for *all benefits at once*, even if you're being rejected for most of them and had no intention of applying.

[CoraSpia]

We've decided to forgo a mechanism for enforcing adherence to the trade agreement with Japan.

Both countries have agreed their judiciaries are impartial enough to enforce the agreement in their own countries and wont buckle to government pressure, and that there isn't a need for a third party council or whatever to mediate disputes, since the judiciaries of our countries are going to enforce it fairly.

Which is nice that it's an honor based agreement basically.

But also like...

I'm so sorry Japan. Did you, like... forget who we are?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidiou ... 20of%20the

tbf our judges are decent people more or less.

[CoraSpia]

Yeah, they're a fucking mess. And this is the streamlined version for the pandemic.

It's not streamlined. They just dumped it all into one form instead of several, and made you apply for all of them at once.

It's *Worse*.

Previously if you were unemployed, you applied for unemployment and supplied the relevant details.

Now you need to provide a bunch of shit on all your other circumstances like whether you're disabled, how many children, and so on, and apply for *all benefits at once*, even if you're being rejected for most of them and had no intention of applying.

What I don't get is:

I've been giving this guy 700 pounds a month for 8 or 9 months, because yaknow he's my friend and he can't get a job and he has a kid and I don't want him to starve. Does that count as 'other income?'

[CoraSpia]

Next in 'why Cora is glad he can move in a moments notice':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53602362

Pretty shit for people who can't though.

[Ostroeuropa]

It's not streamlined. They just dumped it all into one form instead of several, and made you apply for all of them at once.

It's *Worse*.

Previously if you were unemployed, you applied for unemployment and supplied the relevant details.

Now you need to provide a bunch of shit on all your other circumstances like whether you're disabled, how many children, and so on, and apply for *all benefits at once*, even if you're being rejected for most of them and had no intention of applying.

What I don't get is:

I've been giving this guy 700 pounds a month for 8 or 9 months, because yaknow he's my friend and he can't get a job and he has a kid and I don't want him to starve. Does that count as 'other income?'

I really don't know. I wouldn't talk about it personally, especially if it will cease once the benefits come in. The system is not built to be able to handle circumstances beyond the application of its rules, and there's no discretion where a person can decide to be sensible about this kind of thing.

[The New California Republic]

Next in 'why Cora is glad he can move in a moments notice':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53602362

Pretty shit for people who can't though.

Separate households will not be able to meet indoors from Friday in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire, the government says.

Move? Where? What? What are you talking about?

[CoraSpia]

Next in 'why Cora is glad he can move in a moments notice':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53602362

Pretty shit for people who can't though.

Separate households will not be able to meet indoors from Friday in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire, the government says.

Move? Where? What? What are you talking about?

Oh:

When (lesser) measures were brought in in Rochdale my family went to Leeds. Luckily they don't affect us here, it's partly because my mum doesn't want to be in a hotspot and because we (including her) don't want to face tight restrictions.

[CoraSpia]

What I don't get is:

I've been giving this guy 700 pounds a month for 8 or 9 months, because yaknow he's my friend and he can't get a job and he has a kid and I don't want him to starve. Does that count as 'other income?'

I really don't know. I wouldn't talk about it personally, especially if it will cease once the benefits come in. The system is not built to be able to handle circumstances beyond the application of its rules, and there's no discretion where a person can decide to be sensible about this kind of thing.

Just don't want to get him sanctioned is all by saying don't declare it, but don't want to get his benefits cut by saying to declare it. In a no win situation here.

[The New California Republic]

Separate households will not be able to meet indoors from Friday in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire, the government says.

Move? Where? What? What are you talking about?

Oh:

When (lesser) measures were brought in in Rochdale my family went to Leeds. Luckily they don't affect us here, it's partly because my mum doesn't want to be in a hotspot and because we (including her) don't want to face tight restrictions.

Going to a second home was pretty much against lockdown rules. Just saying.

[CoraSpia]

Oh:

When (lesser) measures were brought in in Rochdale my family went to Leeds. Luckily they don't affect us here, it's partly because my mum doesn't want to be in a hotspot and because we (including her) don't want to face tight restrictions.

Going to a second home was pretty much against lockdown rules. Just saying.

It isn't now though, and no restriction in the country has banned that. We stuck to Rochdale when that was the law.

[Salandriagado]

Yeah, they're a fucking mess. And this is the streamlined version for the pandemic.

It's not streamlined. They just dumped it all into one form instead of several, and made you apply for all of them at once.

It's *Worse*.

Previously if you were unemployed, you applied for unemployment and supplied the relevant details.

Now you need to provide a bunch of shit on all your other circumstances like whether you're disabled, how many children, and so on, and apply for *all benefits at once*, even if you're being rejected for most of them and had no intention of applying.

Nah, that was all in there well before the pandemic. The pandemic streamlining is taking out all of the interviews and shite.

[The New California Republic]

Going to a second home was pretty much against lockdown rules. Just saying.

It isn't now though, and no restriction in the country has banned that. We stuck to Rochdale when that was the law.

Fine.

[The Nihilistic view]

It's not streamlined. They just dumped it all into one form instead of several, and made you apply for all of them at once.

It's *Worse*.

Previously if you were unemployed, you applied for unemployment and supplied the relevant details.

Now you need to provide a bunch of shit on all your other circumstances like whether you're disabled, how many children, and so on, and apply for *all benefits at once*, even if you're being rejected for most of them and had no intention of applying.

What I don't get is:

I've been giving this guy 700 pounds a month for 8 or 9 months, because yaknow he's my friend and he can't get a job and he has a kid and I don't want him to starve. Does that count as 'other income?'

Unless things have drastically changed I'm going to say no. They will only count earned income e.g money paid as a wage or a salary or income from investments, property etc.

For example I got a 5k maintenance grant when I went to uni back when they were still grants because my mum for government related purposes had an official income of £0. This is because maintenance payments resulting from a divorce settlement did not count as income. I would be reasonably confident that money given from one friend to another to help them out woukd not count as income for the indervidual concerned.

[The Nihilistic view]

I'd actually go one stage further and not declare that either on a form or to a person or even ask the question whether it counts. If it does not directly say anything about gifts from friends and family or list it as an example don't say anything about it. They aren't looking to do you a favour so don't supply more information than they directly ask for, it's not your fault if the question is poor and unspecific is it?

If you/him/her are going to talk to somebody then go to or get in contact with your local citizens advice centre, they will either be able to help you or point you in the direction of somebody that can. Don't ask questions at the job centre.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Arlene Foster denies DUP leadership is under threat

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster has denied that her leadership is under threat.

It comes after 11 of the party's Northern Ireland Assembly members (MLAs) rebelled in a vote about a controversial bill this week.

A former party adviser had publicly said the bill effectively removed the DUP's veto over ministers taking decisions the party disagreed with.

Speaking on Thursday, Mrs Foster said her party remained "fully behind me".

The Northern Ireland first minister said that people should not conflate the rebellion with a leadership challenge.

"I don't see it as a threat to my leadership when people express opinions - I welcome that actually - and colleagues abstained, they did not vote against the bill," said Mrs Foster.

The Executive Committee Functions Bill passed its final stage on Tuesday but 11 DUP MLAs abstained and two more did not attend for the vote.

The bill was fast-tracked through the assembly's scrutiny stages before Stormont went into recess for the summer.

The Bill in question is the "Executive Committee Functions Bill" which aims to give NI ministers more power to make autonomous decisions regarding planning and investment, and with less legal challenges.