Politics Thread!

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[Wudzi]

So... George Osborne won't do the usual thing of hiding in the loos rather than paying for a train ticket then

https://twitter.com/RachTownsendITV

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Hahaha

Mitchell resigns over PLEBGATE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19922026

I think it's the stress of this that's likely given Cameron policy tourettes, not sure what else can explain the idiotic outburst in PMQ about energy companies

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This is going to be good

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012 ... ain-ticket

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Brilliant

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Oh man, he's done it before

[KlaxonCow]

What I like about the name "plebgate" is that, for once, it does actually involve a gate.

[Kelloggs]

But not, obviously, a pleb.

[defsdoor]

Does anyone - other than the pathetic, desperate for a scandal, chasing press - give 2 flying fucks whether an MP called a copper a pleb or a fucking twat, or if the second most important member of the cabinet sat in first class or not ?

Surely there are much more important issues that deserve a thousand times the coverage ? Like Starbucks not paying tax, for example. That should be on the front of every rag until they are shamed into coughing up. What's the worst that could happen ? They leave these shores and let tax paying Costa take over their locations ?

No - someone calling a copper a pleb is far more important.

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It's not about that isn't it?

It's about him claiming the Police got it wrong (lying basically) while also refusing to give an account of what happened.

On balance of probabilities I'd take the two officer's independent accounts over a non account from Mitchell.

[merman]

Does anyone - other than the pathetic, desperate for a scandal, chasing press - give 2 flying fucks whether an MP called a copper a pleb or a fucking twat, or if the second most important member of the cabinet sat in first class or not ?

Surely there are much more important issues that deserve a thousand times the coverage ? Like Starbucks not paying tax, for example. That should be on the front of every rag until they are shamed into coughing up. What's the worst that could happen ? They leave these shores and let tax paying Costa take over their locations ?

No - someone calling a copper a pleb is far more important.

I don't think anyone here is saying that Mitchell's resignation is more important. What is important is that MPs and politicians spend their working careers telling the rest of us how we should live our lives, and then they turn round and demonstrate behaviour that is seriously below the standards we should expect of our elected officials. That hypocrisy is why Mitchell had to resign, and Cameron's support for him over the last couple of weeks shows yet again what a terrible leader Dave is.

Although there was one tweet about the two things that struck a chord with me, which said if the two (Osborne & Mitchell) had used ministerial limos they would not now be called out of touch.

[pogo]

Yes, it's pretty sad in this country when the press and opposition focus on such trivial matters. Especially as this would be a non-story if they were all chauffered around in cars – as happens in some countries even to local politicians.

So anything else happening we should care about ? Unemployment is down, inflation is under control, and the government needed to borrow less than expected lass month. Inequality is down. Overall things are looking up, though we're still not out of trouble. No wonder the opposition prefer to focus on trivia than anything important.

[(o)(o)]

Yes, it's pretty sad in this country when the press and opposition focus on such trivial matters. Especially as this would be a non-story if they were all chauffered around in cars – as happens in some countries even to local politicians.

So anything else happening we should care about ? Unemployment is down, inflation is under control, and the government needed to borrow less than expected lass month. Inequality is down. Overall things are looking up, though we're still not out of trouble. No wonder the opposition prefer to focus on trivia than anything important.

Lovely jubbly if all true, but as usual there's more to it than trivial headlines and superficial analysis of crude stats..

So, taking 'inequality down'... this is in large part due to the top 99% percetentile taking a 15% hit in earning in 2010-2011. However, if you actually read the report, HMRC have identified this is due in part to forestalling against the 50% rate. This says two things, 1) Those forestalled earnings will smack HMRC when the tax rate is reduced.. 2) The 50% tax rate was effective and the government should have stuck to their guns to to recoup it.. it's going to be "business as usual" again soon.

I suspect the data is thus totally illusory, and inequality continues to rise in real terms - middle earners and even high middle earners are more likely to more equalized as the tory toffs don't give a flying fuck about sub-multimillionaire plebs - these are small fry compared to the ultra-rich (who aren't exactly suffering in the recession.)

Also, returning to 1990 inequality would be a step in the right direction.. but there's a big gulf between that and the much more equal times of 1978 before the shitheads took over. We could probably ride out increases in inequality during "the good times" of the Labour government before the recession kicked in, but not now.

In less optimistic news, the government is slashing much-needed payments for disabled in the very near future, resulting in fuel poverty, parents putting their kids into homes, cutting back on food and so on.. Surely a more expedient method to achieve the desired goal would be to shove them in gas ovens and stuff? We may be a few months away from that yet.. but I'm sure many a DM reader would agree that why should I as a hardworking British taxpayer support these fucking disabled bastards whilst im struggling to pay off the finance on the Lexus I've worked long and hard for etc..

[pogo]

I think the change in inequality is simpler than that: wages have been static while benefits have risen faster than usual die to higher inflation, so the incomes of the poorest have been increasing fastest Of course it's not especially good that wages haven't been keeping up with inflation, and it shows how inequality measures need to be used with caution. But it has been important in keeping unemployment down too. Especially public sector wage restraint has meant the government has been able to tackle the deficit by cutting wage costs instead of jobs.

[defsdoor]

I don't think anyone here is saying that Mitchell's resignation is more important. What is important is that MPs and politicians spend their working careers telling the rest of us how we should live our lives, and then they turn round and demonstrate behaviour that is seriously below the standards we should expect of our elected officials. That hypocrisy is why Mitchell had to resign, and Cameron's support for him over the last couple of weeks shows yet again what a terrible leader Dave is.

Really ?

If I were a copper and an MP called me a fucking pleb I would laugh it off or call him a jumped up tosser. I wouldn't go running round like a fucking girl crying to all and sundry about it. The fact that the copper reported it is more down to him clearly having an agenda. The whole stupidity of it is that no one dare publicly criticise poor little copper suddenly - whereas any other day of the week the police are criticised for anything and everything. Is it really beyond suggestion that perhaps Mitchell did call him something relatively harmless and, goaded by his buddy, the copper embellished it into something !SCANDALOUS!

It's a no-story. Turned into a scandal because the press smelled blood and pursued it to the death. The majority of people couldn't care less.

I really don't give a toss if an MP called someone a pleb (or a fucking pleb) and when questioned he should've just said mind your own fucking business and told the copper to grow some bollocks.

BTW Mitchell is my MP but I didn't vote for him. I just can't stand this nonsense - there are far more things that, if they weren't in the interest of the media overlords, should be all over the headlines.