The Conservative Party

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

I was thinking it was some suggestion about how to kling on to power.

They’re certainly not helping people to Live Long and Prosper..

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

The arguments on here around austerity are a little hypocritical and illogical.

This is a genuine question - if we do not impose austerity and instead increase spending then what will happen to the markets and the £? We could fill the black hole with taxes but why would the markets react positively to increases in tax that would inevitably fall on the markets?

The pain coming is unfortunately inevitable because it's the long price we must all pay for COVID and not even a Labour government would be able to escape it.

Of course they would.

 

[Bluewonder]

Tories getting a lot of blame for the impact of lockdowns.

SAGE more culpable than any other group.

 

[Grassland Blue]

In more shock news, the Northern Powerhouse rail upgrade has been scrapped. Shapps talking absolute bollox as usual

Mr Shapps said: “Across the Pennines, connecting places like Manchester to Leeds and bringing that journey down to half an hour – which is what we said we would do in that manifesto – is in fact happening already,” he said.

“The line itself can deliver a 33-minute journey from Manchester to Leeds, nearly quadruple the capacity of that line and do so without having to wait an extra 20 years beyond the delivery of what the upgrade can do.

33 minutes???

Nigel Harris, editor in chief of Rail magazine, called Mr Shapps a “world class communicator of utter claptrap”.

Clearly a man who is familiar with the geography of the route and the limitations of the traction....

 

[Grassland Blue]

47 mins now possible non-stop Victoria to Leeds, and quicker if they electrify, but 33 mins on the present line is nonsense. You can't quadruple the capacity without quadrupling the line, but that would mean (wait for it) tunnelling through the Pennines. Where it used to be four-track, they've slewed the remaining tracks to reduce the curve radius (and the old freight line at Stalybridge has been built on). In short, it's bullshit.

Electrifying the line would make only a marginal difference in journey times.
I doubt the reduction would be more than 2 minutes.
Is it worth all the expense to electrify it?
47 mins non stop. How long does it take when station stops at Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Dewsbury are taken into account?

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Electrifying the line would make only a marginal difference in journey times.
I doubt the reduction would be more than 2 minutes.
Is it worth all the expense to electrify it?
47 mins non stop. How long does it take when station stops at Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Dewsbury are taken into account?

36 minutes with 2 stops if it follows LNER times. Likely just over 30 minutes non stop so not insignificant.

 

[mat]

I think bringing Star Trek characters into it might give the government even more distraction ideas!

You're Riker there!

 

[mat]

The arguments on here around austerity are a little hypocritical and illogical.

This is a genuine question - if we do not impose austerity and instead increase spending then what will happen to the markets and the £? We could fill the black hole with taxes but why would the markets react positively to increases in tax that would inevitably fall on the markets?

The pain coming is unfortunately inevitable because it's the long price we must all pay for COVID and not even a Labour government would be able to escape it.

We aren't all paying for it though.

It's working class and middle classes picking up the tab whilst corporate profiting increases.

 

[hcblue95]

What a horrible last 3 years it's been

12 years mate.

 

[Kompany Car]

47 mins now possible non-stop Victoria to Leeds, and quicker if they electrify, but 33 mins on the present line is nonsense. You can't quadruple the capacity without quadrupling the line, but that would mean (wait for it) tunnelling through the Pennines. Where it used to be four-track, they've slewed the remaining tracks to reduce the curve radius (and the old freight line at Stalybridge has been built on). In short, it's bullshit.

I agree that you can’t quadruple it, but you can reduce the headway by rolling out level 2 or level 3 ERTMS which should significantly increase capacity. The problem will be where do you get your extra trains from ?

 

[abu13]

Sunak looks like a little kid.

 

[Kompany Car]

Electrifying the line would make only a marginal difference in journey times.
I doubt the reduction would be more than 2 minutes.
Is it worth all the expense to electrify it?
47 mins non stop. How long does it take when station stops at Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Dewsbury are taken into account?

Electrification is more about carbon net zero than improving journey times.

 

[Saddleworth2]

The pain coming is unfortunately inevitable because it's the long price we must all pay for COVID

For the eagle eyed amongst you. Can you spot the one three letter word beginning with a that might be wrong?
it’s a toughie, I know.

 

[mat]

The

I agree that you can’t quadruple it, but you can reduce the headway by rolling out level 2 or level 3 ERTMS which should significantly increase capacity. The problem will be where do you get your extra trains from ?

There's hundreds of trains in sidings all over the country that aren't being utilised because the DFT won't pay ROSCO's to release them to TOCs.

Another great part of privatisation was creating of rolling stock companies that charge ridiculous hire charges for them and expect the renter to maintain them.

 

[domalino]

The arguments on here around austerity are a little hypocritical and illogical.

This is a genuine question - if we do not impose austerity and instead increase spending then what will happen to the markets and the £? We could fill the black hole with taxes but why would the markets react positively to increases in tax that would inevitably fall on the markets?

The pain coming is unfortunately inevitable because it's the long price we must all pay for COVID and not even a Labour government would be able to escape it.

It was proven post-2008 that spending cuts just reduces income more and increasing spending increases growth and income more than the cost of the borrowing.

The rate of recovery from the global financial crisis was directly inverse to the amount of austerity measures.

The fact is, we’re not ALL paying for covid. The USA isn’t in a recession, inflation and cost of living increases in the UK is worse than other countries.

 

[abu13]

Anyone know what the key bullet points are in regard in increased taxation?

 

[Kompany Car]

The


There's hundreds of trains in sidings all over the country that aren't being utilised because the DFT won't pay ROSCO's to release them to TOCs.

Another great part of privatisation was creating of rolling stock companies that charge ridiculous hire charges for them and expect the renter to maintain them.

It’s not as simple as just putting a train on a different line. Gauging, compatibility with track circuits, stopping positions etc all needs to be considered.
I agree that the leasing companies take the piss when it comes to charges but that’s what you get with privatisation. Typically shiny new stock starts off in London and then when it’s knackered it gets a quick refurb and sent North. The only new stuff I think we have had is the CAF vehicles that were built to very tight cost margins and seem to be less reliable than the rust bucket pacers.

 

[Kompany Car]

Anyone know what the key bullet points are in regard in increased taxation?

Tax rates frozen for 20% and 40% brackets. 45% bracket will now start at just over £125k.
Didn’t hear anything else.

 

[domalino]

Anyone know what the key bullet points are in regard in increased taxation?

Confirmed announcements:

• The threshold for the Additional Rate band (45% marginal rate) of income tax is being reduced from £150,000 to £125,000.
• Other tax bands to be frozen until April 2028
• Dividend allowance to be cut from £2k to £1k from April 2024, then £500 from April 2025
• The Capital Gains exempt amount is dropping from £12,400 to £6k next year, then £3k from April 2024
• Electric vehicles to be subject to VED from April 2025
• Windfall tax on energy producers up to 35% (currently 25%) from 1st January, to last until March 2028
• A temporary levy on electricity generators of 45% from 1st January
• Stamp duty cuts remain until March 2025
• Defence budget to be maintained at at least 2% of GDP to be consistent with our NATO commitment
• £3.3bn extra to the NHS, £2.8bn extra for schools, £2.8bn extra for social care.
• A new nuclear plant at Sizewell C to go ahead
• Target to reduce energy consumption by 15% by 2030
• Energy Price Guarantee to be continued for a further 12 months from April with a new price cap of £3k/year for the average household
• Social rent increases capped at 7% in 2023-24
• National Living Wage to increase by 9.7% from April 2023 (the new hourly rate will be £10.42)
• The State Pension and means-tested benefits (including Universal Credit and Pensions Credit) to rise in line with inflation (by 10.1%)

 

[Cheesy]

Shafting small businesses and entrepreneurs again :-(