UK British News Megathread - aka CWCissey's news thread

https://news.sky.com/story/row-over-new-greggs-vegan-sausage-rolls-heats-up-11597679 (https://archive.ph/5Ba6o)

A heated row has broken out over a move by Britain's largest bakery chain to launch a vegan sausage roll.

The pastry, which is filled with a meat substitute and encased in 96 pastry layers, is available in 950 Greggs stores across the country.

It was promised after 20,000 people signed a petition calling for the snack to be launched to accommodate plant-based diet eaters.


But the vegan sausage roll's launch has been greeted by a mixed reaction: Some consumers welcomed it, while others voiced their objections.

View image on Twitter


spread happiness@p4leandp1nk
https://twitter.com/p4leandp1nk/status/1080767496569974785

#VEGANsausageroll thanks Greggs

7
10:07 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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Cook and food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe declared she was "frantically googling to see what time my nearest opens tomorrow morning because I will be outside".

While TV writer Brydie Lee-Kennedy called herself "very pro the Greggs vegan sausage roll because anything that wrenches veganism back from the 'clean eating' wellness folk is a good thing".

One Twitter user wrote that finding vegan sausage rolls missing from a store in Corby had "ruined my morning".

Another said: "My son is allergic to dairy products which means I can't really go to Greggs when he's with me. Now I can. Thank you vegans."

View image on Twitter


pg often@pgofton
https://twitter.com/pgofton/status/1080772793774624768

The hype got me like #Greggs #Veganuary

42
10:28 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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TV presenter Piers Morgan led the charge of those outraged by the new roll.

"Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Morgan later complained at receiving "howling abuse from vegans", adding: "I get it, you're all hangry. I would be too if I only ate plants and gruel."

Another Twitter user said: "I really struggle to believe that 20,000 vegans are that desperate to eat in a Greggs."

"You don't paint a mustach (sic) on the Mona Lisa and you don't mess with the perfect sausage roll," one quipped.

Journalist Nooruddean Choudry suggested Greggs introduce a halal steak bake to "crank the fume levels right up to 11".

The bakery chain told concerned customers that "change is good" and that there would "always be a classic sausage roll".

It comes on the same day McDonald's launched its first vegetarian "Happy Meal", designed for children.

The new dish comes with a "veggie wrap", instead of the usual chicken or beef option.

It should be noted that Piers Morgan and Greggs share the same PR firm, so I'm thinking this is some serious faux outrage and South Park KKK gambiting here.

 

[>IMPLYING]

Their choice:

'Fuck off back to Niggershitland or be sent to Russia to be literal coal'.

Don't forget that comments like that might get upvotes here, but the British population aren't all like us and will need at least a proper reason to choose Reform UK if they aren't Right Wingers.

I'm sure there's a conversion you can do where:
1. Position is widely ignored for being "fridge"
2. Party that espouses it is top of the polls
3. Rest of the parties begin echoing it
I think we're inching towards a more desirable baseline, albeit slowly. I do fear that we'll cap out at "stopping immediate immigration for the foreseeable future" and not seeing the possible discussion of implementing remigration a la Sweden, but maybe the Tories will try doing that before Reform starts echoing it 3 or 4 months later.

Honestly thank God for Corbyn ("first person to say that", award?) That new party might help the Right out a ton. Most of the population doesn't even know what's going on the background so anything that proclaimed loudly (Afghan story) overshadows other stuff (McMurdock ousting).

 

[BongoMongo]

I don't, but those remarks mean she may well be.
Some of the comments are absolutely going to set off the sort of nutcases that will scream utter obscenities at her.

Good. It would serve her right for being such a contrary shit.

The side she's chosen to ally herself with are batshit insane. They're rapist defenders, they are mentally sick and they're dangerous. You can't reason with them.

If getting a taste of what they're like serves as an eye opener, good.

She might be "mellowing" in her age. Good for her. In the meantime,the nonsense that woman spews has shown misinformation and division.

 

[Tony Martin's Force Ghost]

For Reform, their chief concern is removing Mohammed. He is a hindrance and a perpetual shitstirrer. He knows he cannot enter any other party and have everything suck him off, but he most likely has ammo on Farage.

Farage knows immigration is the number one concern, next to the economy.

I think Trump is trying to guide him honestly; he is well-versed in the other politicians and wants Starmer out. He is a far better mentor than a fucking Arab. Hell, even though she is not English, I would give Braverman an honorary title. Yusef is just a Lidl version of Vivek and has nothing but contempt for the natives.

Take Trump's blueprint and win, it's fucking easy. Starmer is too retarded to counter as he is a script goblin.

 

[Made In Wales]

For Reform, their chief concern is removing Mohammed. He is a hindrance and a perpetual shitstirrer. He knows he cannot enter any other party and have everything suck him off, but he most likely has ammo on Farage.

Farage knows immigration is the number one concern, next to the economy.

I think Trump is trying to guide him honestly; he is well-versed in the other politicians and wants Starmer out. He is a far better mentor than a fucking Arab. Hell, even though she is not English, I would give Braverman an honorary title. Yusef is just a Lidl version of Vivek and has nothing but contempt for the natives.

Take Trump's blueprint and win, it's fucking easy. Starmer is too retarded to counter as he is a script goblin.

I'd personally pot Zia and David Bull (something about him makes me uneasy).

Maybe Trump will tell Farage 'look, it's yours for the taking, don't be afraid and fuck what the haters think.'

At least recess time is almost upon us!

 

[Kofi Drinka]

For Reform, their chief concern is removing Mohammed. He is a hindrance and a perpetual shitstirrer. He knows he cannot enter any other party and have everything suck him off, but he most likely has ammo on Farage.

Reform is the Farage party and Farage is saying what people are desperate to hear. Not the usual political desires, but feeling threatened and in danger wanting to hear.

Farage is Brexit man fighting a corrupt system trying to kill the native population. It's a cult of personality the same way Trump was and any past failings is the system's fault not Farages (Brexit not going through). He mirrors Trump's first term not being what people wanted and now he has a chance to do it again but right.

Unless Farage dies or there's evidence of him raping children there's nothing the establishment can do to touch him. Farage is popular despite his flaws and people are desperate. Too many towns and cities are lost and there's no where left to run. So it's Farage or nothing.

Take Trump's blueprint and win, it's fucking easy. Starmer is too retarded to counter as he is a script goblin.

It's a shame Trump is being retarded at the moment. If Trump didn't fuck up he would have been a great support for Farage.

 

[Overly Serious]

(though Truss and Bozo Spaffer I do agree with saying no to them - Liz is nice enough as a person but believes that going 'do as I say' equals leadership).

The thing Reform needs most are people who want to actually change things, not chase comfortable positions or asspats. So long as such a person isn't outright incompetent, that loyalty to the goals is an asset. And honestly, I see Truss as less likely to compromise and merge back into the Establishment than Farage. I've seen her be interviewed post-Prime Ministership and she knows exactly where she was blocked by what institutions and laws and has a very clear idea of what she wants to change to make the UK democratic again. She's talked about how even as Prime Minister she was unable to actually govern due to laws that had been brought in specifically to make interfering with the agenda illegal and how these laws need to be repealed. And she knows now how the Civil Service fight.

Farage wont countenance people who can threaten his position at the top of the pole. Actually more than that - who might share the top of the pole. Rupert Lowe the most obvious one. But for all the lettuce stuff in the media, she was Prime Minister and that gives her stature. The lettuce and other media howling was because she and Kwasi Karteng was doing things the Establishment didn't like. I think Farage's attitude is what will diminish Reform's effectiveness. He'll chose people who are loyal to him over people who are loyal to Reform's goals and these are inherently going to end up being different groups because he himself isn't dedicated to Reform's goals - he's a compromiser with a track record of doing the Homer Simpson disappearing into the hedge meme once the cameras are off.

A cadre of 100 people who are dedicated to their cause will be more effective than a 1000 people who can be subverted. Because they will be subverted.

1. "Reform will introduce an immediate freeze on all immigration: illegal migrants will be deported and legal migration will pause. When it resumes, we will ensure the UK welcomes only the best and brightest – the world’s top doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs – in small numbers."

Has he explicitly said anything about cancelling Kier's India deal then? Because to do the above he will need to but I will believe that when I see it. He needs to be explicit about if that's what he means. (Narrator's Voice: "He will not be explicit")

 

[Kofi Drinka]

The thing Reform needs most are people who want to actually change things, not chase comfortable positions or asspats. So long as such a person isn't outright incompetent, that loyalty to the goals is an asset. And honestly, I see Truss as less likely to compromise and merge back into the Establishment than Farage. I've seen her be interviewed post-Prime Ministership and she knows exactly where she was blocked by what institutions and laws and has a very clear idea of what she wants to change to make the UK democratic again. She's talked about how even as Prime Minister she was unable to actually govern due to laws that had been brought in specifically to make interfering with the agenda illegal and how these laws need to be repealed. And she knows now how the Civil Service fight.

Truss being a consultant would be a good idea. Her public image is too Tory and too cabbage to be a key member of the party. Reform is the MAGA of the UK, it's not about the people in it, it's about the idea. Truss's public image would weaken the movement and make it look like they were taking in the Tory's weakest and most useless elements.

 

[Overly Serious]

Truss being a consultant would be a good idea. Her public image is too Tory and too cabbage to be a key member of the party. Reform is the MAGA of the UK, it's not about the people in it, it's about the idea. Truss's public image would weaken the movement and make it look like they were taking in the Tory's weakest and most useless elements.

You're discussing how it affects Reforms chances of getting into power. That's not without merit but currently Labour and the Tories are doing everything they can to secure the vote for Reform (esp. Labour). I'm actually more concerned about what they do once they're in power. It's always good to have some idea of what will happen if you win. Farage was described by someone else here as like a dog chasing a car. He wont know what to do if he catches it. And that worries me more.

In fact, to tie that to your own point about it being about ideas and some of my earlier posts about Reform redirecting British desire for change into less fruitful channels, you might see this movement you talk about more successful long-term if it builds a little longer rather than the letting off of steam that would be Farage moving into No. 10. It's forcing the Tories and even Labour to shift more towards acknowledging what people want. Well, it's forcing Labour. On the Tory side it's more of an enabler for those more nationalistic Tories long-buried to be able to speak more freely. Either way though the movement is having a big success whether Reform seize power or not.

@Made In Wales is a petrol tank half-full sort and I'm a petrol tank half-empty sort. Which will be proved right I don't know. My argument is that the amount of petrol in the tank is rising. Right now, it's building more and more. But if you set off too early or with the wrong person at the wheel, you may run out before you get where you want to go. Anger is the petrol in this analogy of course, anger, outrage, desire for change. Can be explosive, just like petrol. But it also gets used up. Some want to light it now and think it will catch and spread wider and wider. They could be right. But I'm not so sure. When it comes to catching fire, the English are like coal compared to some demographics which are more like firewood or even kindling. Once it starts burning the heat is incredible and long-lasting. But getting it going is hard and takes a lot of heat to reach the critical point. Whereas the wrong word in South Central LA can be like a match in kindling but the next week it's all forgotten bar a few broken windows.

My analogies are all over the place but what I'm trying to get at is that premature success or too small success, can sap the energy from a movement almost as much as too little success. Nearly every pro-Reform poster in this thread will admit that they'd prefer someone other than Farage to be leading Reform in an ideal world (probably Lowe). But you compare the movement to MAGA - this wasn't true for MAGA. They overwhelmingly adored Trump.

I know adoring a politician isn't the English way. But even so.

Anyway, I could be wrong, I freely admit it. Maybe success will build on success will build on success. But I said here a while back that Reform supporters have two fights ahead of them. Firstly to get Reform in. Secondly to get Farage out. And the more success Reform gets, the more Farage takes credit for that and nestles in.

Anyway, that's my take. It's not meant to be an attempt to undermine anybody and frankly I don't think it will. People angry with Labour and the Tories are still going to vote Reform if you put a donkey in charge of the party. So I don't think I'm premature in worrying about who leads it.

 

[Kofi Drinka]

Anyway, that's my take. It's not meant to be an attempt to undermine anybody and frankly I don't think it will. People angry with Labour and the Tories are still going to vote Reform if you put a donkey in charge of the party. So I don't think I'm premature in worrying about who leads it.

Half full or half empty we're all fucked if we wait any longer. Schools are brown as hell and unless something is done now the next generation will be browner. Going off half cocked is bad, but continuing to wait as they out breed us 10 to 1 gives us a decade before it's no longer possible to go off at all.

I agree with your post for the most part but the deadline is approaching. So half full or half empty we have a leak in the tank and we have to go before there's no fuel left at all.

 

[Overly Serious]

Half full or half empty we're all fucked if we wait any longer. Schools are brown as hell and unless something is done now the next generation will be browner. Going off half cocked is bad, but continuing to wait as they out breed us 10 to 1 gives us a decade before it's no longer possible to go off at all.

I agree with your post for the most part but the deadline is approaching. So half full or half empty we have a leak in the tank and we have to go before there's no fuel left at all.

Then my advice is to stick your foot on the gas and don't lift it until you're going so fast that Nige can't drive you into a layby for a roadside picnic when he thinks you've gone far enough.

Spoiler

"Rupert Lowes could be here," he thought. "I've never been North of the M60. With enough votes, you can go anywhere."

 

[6MillionCoofs]

Reform is the MAGA of the UK, it's not about the people in it, it's about the idea.

Then it isn’t MAGA at all. MAGA will live and die with Trump.

 

[Made In Wales]

Some morning news from Wales Online/Trinity Mirror with some stories non-Wales specific:


''Wales and Port Talbot have a bright future under Labour' - Keir Starmer'

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/news-opinion/wales-port-talbot-bright-future-32069760

Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/w1Hvt


Hannah Ingram-Moore's unexpected career switch post Captain Tom Moore charity scandal:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/hannah-ingram-moores-unexpected-career-32072313?int_source=nba

Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/jUjer


National Trust announces huge cuts as costs 'outstrip growth', looking to save £26million:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/national-trust-announces-huge-cuts-32039825?int_source=mantis_rec&int_medium=web&int_campaign=more_like_this

Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/t2cg1

 

[Crunkle]

Hannah Ingram-Moore's unexpected career switch post Captain Tom Moore charity scandal:

This entire thing is hilarious. When the Captain Tom shit was happening during lockdown, it was so cringe to see but also nostalgic. Some old bloke walking up and down his garden, it was like a modern equivalent of eating Smash to kill the Nazis.

Also,

• Gilt markets are currently at their highest level since 1998 and way above the Rachel From Accounts sobbing the other week.
• Unemployment has gone up, even before the new Labour welfare reforms have kicked in. Companies are scared and it's showing.
• Keir Starmer redefines "working people" for the sixth time.
• Labour have confirmed they're giving 16 year olds the vote. Wasn't this part of their manifesto or am I blending that in with a Lib Dem manifesto from 2019?

How much worse can this get?

 

[Made In Wales]

'No Fash, eat Smash!'

We're fucked more than Bonnie Blue, though giving 16 year olds the vote IMO isn't too bad a thing - I'd prefer it if it were 16 year old workers only, but there we are.

The interesting thing will be if a large amount of 16 year olds actually vote for Nigel and Reform UK.

Certainly, in my part of the world, Nigel has a decent amount of respect from the 'young 'uns' and one lad who lives nearby recently said 'we have to stop thinking about how the teachers and adults tell us to think and work out what is right for us, we only have one life and can't live it on just their terms.'

In Wales, where the 16 year old vote has been standard practice for some time, it's actually led to less Labour and Lib Dem votes and more Plaid and Reform UK votes - the window is shifting and when Welsh Labour are ranting that there's no difference between Rhun ap Iorwerth and Nigel Farage then even the kids can see that what they currently have in terms of a Government is horse manure.

 

[Eddie Riggs]

'No Fash, eat Smash!'

We're fucked more than Bonnie Blue, though giving 16 year olds the vote IMO isn't too bad a thing - I'd prefer it if it were 16 year old workers only, but there we are.

The interesting thing will be if a large amount of 16 year olds actually vote for Nigel and Reform UK.

Certainly, in my part of the world, Nigel has a decent amount of respect from the 'young 'uns' and one lad who lives nearby recently said 'we have to stop thinking about how the teachers and adults tell us to think and work out what is right for us, we only have one life and can't live it on just their terms.'

In Wales, where the 16 year old vote has been standard practice for some time, it's actually led to less Labour and Lib Dem votes and more Plaid and Reform UK votes - the window is shifting and when Welsh Labour are ranting that there's no difference between Rhun ap Iorwerth and Nigel Farage then even the kids can see that what they currently have in terms of a Government is horse manure.

 

[Crunkle]

We're fucked more than Bonnie Blue, though giving 16 year olds the vote IMO isn't too bad a thing - I'd prefer it if it were 16 year old workers only, but there we are.

I personally think 18 is too low to make a decision about the future of a country. I was a retard at 16 and a slight retard at 18 when I voted for the first time. We should be raising the voting age, not reducing it. Especially as children nowadays are still children well into their 20s where they live at home and rely on their parents. Some people even do this into their 30s and 40s, bafflingly.

They'll always complain and say that "we can't save for a mortgage!", but it's an innately childish trait to blame anything and anyone but yourself.

16 year olds actually vote for Nigel and Reform UK.

Quite a few of them do. But like I always say in huge, constitutional, societal changes like this are floated: imagine how this will be used by the people you hate the most. Labour aren't only farming votes out to immigrants that we're importing like they're fruit, now they're farming votes out to young people which they know will benefit them.

I hate when I agree with Farage, but he had the perfect line today: "I don't agree with it even if it would benefit us electorally."

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

I hoped you lot were joking

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c628ep4j5kno

https://archive.ph/Re01P

Sixteen and 17-year-olds would be able to vote at the next general election, under government plans to lower the voting age.

Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali told the BBC the "seismic" change would ensure young people's voices were heard.

She confirmed the pledge would be part of a raft of measures introduced through a new Elections Bill.

Other changes include expanding forms of voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration and tightening rules on political donations to protect against foreign interference.
The minimum voting age is already 16 for local council elections in Scotland and Wales, and elections to the Senedd and Scottish Parliament.

However for other elections, including to the UK Parliament, local elections in England and all elections in Northern Ireland, it is 18.

Lowering the voting age to 16 across the UK would be the biggest change to the electorate since it was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c93kkg37n3kt
A pledge to lower the voting age to 16 was included in Labour's election manifesto but it did not feature in last summer's King's Speech, which sets out the government's priorities for the months ahead.

Ali confirmed the government was planning to introduce the change in time for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote at the next general election, which is due to take place by 2029 but could be called earlier than this.

She told the BBC: "At 16, a young person can work, they pay taxes, they can join the Army. So there's no reason why from that age, they shouldn't have a say in who governs our country."

Ali added that the move would ensure politicians took into account the concerns of young people on issues ranging from crime to education, work and housing.

However, Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes said the government's position was "hopelessly confused".

"Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?" he asked in the Commons.
Among the other plans set out by the government are expanding the list of accepted ID to vote in Great Britain to UK-issued bank cards, which display the voter's name.

Labour opposed the introduction of voter ID under the Conservatives in 2023 but in its election manifesto the party only promised to "address inconsistencies" in the rules "that prevent legitimate voters from voting", rather than scrapping the policy entirely.

Some 4% of people who did not vote at last year's general election said this was because of voter ID rules, according to the Electoral Commission.

The Conservatives suggested allowing bank cards as voter ID could "undermine the security of the ballot box".

Pressed over whether the security checks of digital banks were robust enough to allow bank cards to be used as a legitimate form of voter ID, Ali told the BBC: "We're going to make sure we take the time to introduce the appropriate changes, and that those changes are done gradually, to make sure that there aren't any risks of abuses or things going wrong."

The government said it would also work towards creating an automated voter registration scheme over the coming years, with safeguards so that people are aware of their registration status and can opt-out if they wish.

Currently people in the UK need to register in order to vote, which can be done online or using a paper form.

The Electoral Commission estimates that nearly eight million people are incorrectly registered or missing from the electoral register entirely, with the issue disproportionately affecting private renters and young people.

In a 2023 report it suggested an automated system could involve organisations like the Passport Office providing Electoral Registration Officers with the names and addresses of people eligible to vote so they can be registered.

The government said its plans would mean individuals would not necessarily need to register to vote and instead those eligible could be directly added to the electoral register through better sharing of data between government agencies.

Exactly how this would work has not been confirmed yet, with the government saying it plans to test different methods.

The National Union of Students described lowering the voting age as "a major victory for young people".

It called on the government to make it as easy as possible for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote by scrapping voter ID laws, implementing automatic voter registration and promoting political literacy in schools and colleges.
Meanwhile, the government said changes to the rules around political donations would help to tackle foreign interference.

Currently political parties can only accept donations from individuals registered on a UK electoral register or UK-registered companies which carry out business in the country.

However, there have been concerns that foreign nationals could get around the rules by donating through a foreign company that is registered in the UK.

The issue came to the forefront at the end of last year, when it was reported that US billionaire Elon Musk could make a donation to Reform UK through the British arm of his social media company X.

Under the plans, political parties would have to assess companies they receive donations from.

Companies would have to make sufficient income in the UK or Ireland to donate.

The government said its proposals would close loopholes that mean a new company, registered only recently without even a single day of trade, owned by anyone, could still donate to a political party.

The Electoral Commission, which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK, would be able to hand out larger fines of up to £500,000 to those who breach the rules.

The Liberal Democrats welcomed votes at 16 as "a no-brainer" but said "ministers must go much further to close the door to foreign oligarchs interfering in British politics".

As for the working person Torygraph had a bit of fun with that.

https://archive.ph/BDhj8

Ever since the Labour general election manifesto promised there would be no tax rises for “working people”, party figures have struggled to define what that means.
The manifesto claimed “Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT”.
Sir Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the Government would keep this promise, but a growing hole in the public finances has raised questions over whether this will remain the case, and how the party will define a “working person”.
Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, on Sunday appeared to suggest that only those on “modest incomes” would be classed as working people. It was not clear how she defined a “modest” income.
This is not the first time that the language surrounding “working people” and how the Labour Party defines them has come under scrutiny.
The Telegraph breaks down how the term “working people” has changed since Sir Keir first made that promise last year.
Working people do not have savings
Before voters went to the polls, the Labour leader suggested that he did not believe that “working people” had savings.
Asked what he meant by a working person, Sir Keir told LBC in June: “People who earn their living, rely on our [public] services and don’t really have the ability to write a cheque when they get into trouble.”
The following day, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, appeared to contradict him by saying that some working people did have savings.
She claimed on Sky News that her definition was: “Working people are people who go out to work and work for their incomes.
“Sort of by definition, really, working people are those people who go out and work and earn their money through hard work.”

Ms Reeves added: “Many other people who go out to work have had to run down their savings.
“But there are people who do have savings, who have been able to save up and those are working people as well.”
People on six figures can be working people
The new Government came under intense scrutiny over its definition of “working people” ahead of the Chancellor’s first Budget in October last year.
Lisa Nandy first suggested that someone on a six-figure salary who goes to work counts as a “working person”.
In an interview with Sky News, the Culture Secretary said: “When I think about working people, particularly the challenges they face, I think about the factory workers, I think about people driving the buses in my constituency, working in the public services, working in the private sector, delivery drivers, call centres.”
When asked whether someone on a six-figure salary counted, the minister replied: “I mean, if they go to work obviously they will be working.”
Landlords and shareholders aren’t working people
The following day, the Prime Minister said that he did not believe that landlords or shareholders fell under his definition of a working person.
Asked by Sky News if those who earn income from assets such as shares or property would count as working people in the Budget, Sir Keir said that they “wouldn’t come within my definition”.
The Chancellor went on to announce an increase in capital gains tax at the Budget, but kept property rates the same.
Small business owners might not be working people
Bridget Phillipson, just days before the Government’s first fiscal event, refused to say whether a small business owner who earned £13,000 a year was a “working person” or not.
The Education Secretary told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Labour’s definition of a working person was someone “whose main income arises from the fact that they go out to work every day”.
Those paying employers’ NI contributions are not working people
When Ms Reeves’s first Budget was unveiled on October 30, she announced an increase to employer’s NI contributions.
Standing at the despatch box, the Chancellor said that “people will not see higher taxes in their playslips as a result of the choices that I am making today. That is a promise made and a promise fulfilled”.

Ministers insisted that this did not breach the manifesto promises not to raise taxes on “working people” because it was employers, rather than employees, paying the increased levy.
But critics, including the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), disagreed.
Paul Johnson, the then director of the IFS, said ahead of the Budget that the manifesto did not “specify employee National Insurance” and therefore raising employers’ NI would be a breach.
He also warned that the levy ultimately came from employee pay, and therefore an increase could result in “less pay rises” and “possibly fewer jobs”.
Working people earn ‘modest incomes’
On Sunday, Ms Alexander said that the Government had promised not to put up taxes for “people on modest incomes”.
She told Sky News: “We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Her comments came after Sir Keir appeared to open the door to introducing wealth taxes, following remarks made in favour of the policy by Lord Kinnock, former Labour leader.

 

[Smyrna]

The actual effect on any elections will be minimal, as under 25s are the lowest turnout group by age and there aren't that many 16-18yos to start with.

It doesn't change the fact that the franchise should not be extended any further than it already is, and frankly should be restricted. People who are chronically reliant on the state should not have the same level of influence as the people who are funding them. I am not in favour of going back to weighting votes by wealth, but a minimum degree of contribution should be required.

 

[Eddie Riggs]

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/find-a-project/view/2618934-islam-in-wales (archive)

Islam in Wales​

Muslims have been part of the fabric of Wales for over a century, and Islam and Wales are joined through deep historic connections.

Background​

The project seeks to document and tell the “story” of Islam in Wales and make the history of Muslims in Wales accessible to academics, the wider public, and Welsh Muslims themselves so as to broaden public understanding of a multicultural and multireligious Wales.

Urgency​

The first generation of pioneers who settled in Wales are ageing and passing away, and with them, the accounts, histories, and stories of Muslim settlement beyond retrieval.

The importance of this story is even more pronounced given that the current generation of Welsh-born Muslims are “coming of age” and seeking to understand their place in Welsh society. Capturing and telling the history of Muslims in Wales will equip them with an academic account of their communities’ experiences.

Methods​

The research will be led by Dr Abdul-Azim and supported by community volunteers who will act as “participant researchers” documenting their own family history, and collecting important documents and items for archiving. The “participant researchers” will be given training in oral history and social science research methods.

The final dataset will include oral history interviews, collaboratively created family timelines, and archival material.

Outputs​

The outputs for the project will include:

• a travelling exhibition that can be adapted for museums, galleries, schools, mosques and other locations
• a monograph published by the Principal Investigator based on project findings, along with academic journal articles
• a sizable collection collated and made accessible to future researchers and scholars on the history of Muslims in Wales

Advisory Board​

We are currently seeking advisory board members. If you would like to be included, please contact a member of the project team.

 

[They were once men]

It doesn't change the fact that the franchise should not be extended any further than it already is, and frankly should be restricted. People who are chronically reliant on the state should not have the same level of influence as the people who are funding them. I am not in favour of going back to weighting votes by wealth, but a minimum degree of contribution should be required.

Universal Suffrage was a mistake.