Supreme Court Nixes Sturgeon's Referendum

 

The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the Scottish Parliament cannot hold another independence referendum without Westminster’s approval.

Schroedinger's Fuel Duty Rise

 

Jeremy Hunt on the OBR suggestion fuel duty will rise:

'They were wrong to assume we are going to increase fuel duty because we have not made a decision on that, it's a decision for the spring budget'

— Olly Barratt (@ollybarratt) November 18, 2022

Face Into The Storm

 

Chancellor Hunt will give his Autumn Statement (Budget) in the next few minutes. In it he will tell us we are to "face into the storm", and outline spending cuts and tax rises that will amount to around £54BN.

There is a catch, many of these cuts/rises are set to come about over a five year period. The next election will be held within two years; as such, many of these cuts/tax rises may well never see the light of day!

SAGE Mark II - The OBR

 

During the pandemic the government allowed itself to become prisoner of SAGE, and based its response (lockdowns which wrecked the economy) on the dire forecasts of SAGE.

As we came to learn, forecasts (especially SAGE forecasts) were based on assumptions and variables that if tweaked, would produce totally different outcomes. Sadly the government lost its balls, and allowed policy to be dictated by SAGE and the hysterical media (egged on by SAGE).

Unfortunately the government is about to make the same mistake, this time financially; by slavishly following the forecasts of the OBR (set by by Brown). The OBR have forecast a whopping black hole of approximately £50BN. Yet the OBR has a track record of being wrong.

Given that the economy was wrecked by the SAGE dictated lockdowns, and has been further pummelled by Putin, it is hardly surprising that things are not as they could be. However, as with SAGE, if you tweak the assumptions and variables within the OBR forecasts the black hole can be made to almost disappear. 

To raise taxes when we are heading into recession is going to make matters worse. The government needs to grow a pair, and stand up to the OBR.

The #TomatoGate Witch Hunt

 

The media and those with an interest in adding another political scalp to their tally, have now moved on from Raab's tomato tossing to him being "curt" with staff.

How utterly risible!

Bonnet de Douche!

 

Today, I signed an agreement with my friend @GDarmanin in Paris to ramp up our co-ordination to tackle illegal immigration. Our new deal will see UK officers embedded in French operations for the first time & a 40% increase in French officers patrolling in northern France 1/2 pic.twitter.com/h5a9rRdW1u

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) November 14, 2022

The PCS Strike

 

Unlike the winter of discontent, the PCS strike will not have anywhere near the same impact that the union hopes for.

Aside from the fact that the country is in a very different place to where it was in the 1970's, given that many PCS members are still (for reasons that escape me) working from home no one will notice if they are on strike or not. Additionally, picket lines in winter are not as attractive as sitting at home watching daytime television.