Well, that was a bit of a wrestle! It was one thing after another but we got here.
Do say hello once you're on so I know that everything is working.

This morning Rachael Reeves set out the foundation for her budget on 26 November.
This country is now 2.6 trillion in debt, and due to Liz Truss and her fantasy budget the markets are still charging us more for debt than any other country in the G7. This means that whereas in more normal times when our debt to GDP ratio is around 40% it currently is sitting at 94%. This means that 10% of all the tax receipts the government take is going to pay just the interest on that debt.
Add to the above woes although our growth rate is the fastest outside of the US in the G7 at just over 1% its not growing fast enough to help with these issues. Also productivity looks set to fall when the Office for Budget Responsibility reports the end of the month. Then we have the on going issues in the NHS, the Defence budget set to more than double from 2% to 5% in the next 5 years, problems with our infrastructure, Water industry, and on and on. This is the real world situation that Labour inherited. It's not the fantasy world that both the Tories and even worse Reform talk about. there are no easy solutions, if there was Labour would be taking them.

I have to say I was impressed with Rachaels speech, it made a change from the false promises and fantasy budgets proposed by the Tories and Reform. Taxes will have to rise, production will have to improve, and to achieve these things sacrifices will have to be made by us all. The consequences of not sorting this mess out, are scary. And voting for Farage will only make matters a whole lot worse.

This week both the PM and the chancellor have publicly announced that Brexit is damaging our economy. The PM referring to the lies on the side of the bus, and the chancellor stating that Brexit is damaging our economy. The office for budget responsibility (OBR) predicted a 4% drop in our GDP that’s roughly £100 billion a year. But some economists now reckon that the damage is worse than this.
Labour have attempted to cross a minefield on this issue, attempting not to upset some who still think Brexit is working. It’s fine for Labour to finally throw off the shackles of Brexit by stating it’s damaging our economy. But unless this is backed up by action, it actually makes labours position even worse. Any government who choose to ignore something which is making the country poorer which will lead to higher taxes and lower growth, something they now admit to knowing, are not serving the people of this country. If anything else wascosting us £2 billion a week, it would be looked into, and mitigating actions would be taken, but not by this government.

We need to, as a first step negotiate re entry to the single market and the customs union. Leaving them has damaged out country. We need to debate this Brexit issue, and stop being scared to discuss it. Yes I know we voted for Brexit in 2016, but that’s no reason to stop discussing something which is damaging our economy, and needs sorting out. We now live in a country were two thirds of us think that Brexit was a failure and is damaging our economy. And it’s time that the majority of 2025 were listened to.

After racist comments from Reform Sarah Pochin have been called racist by Labour, and the Lib Dem’s, Chris Philp the Tory shadow Home Secretary repetitively refused to call her racist on the BBC this morning. Obviously the Tories are pandering to Reform, running scared of offending their supporters. Pochins comments which she has since apologised for, are no doubt common within the Reform Party, and sum them up for the racists they are. The Tories are now nothing more than a light version of Reform.


Reform MP's comments about adverts 'racist', says Streeting https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7rg7wjvgvo

I am shocked at some of the comments made by politicians from all sides on this football match.
I may be wrong, but I fail to see were anti semitism is involved here.
And to suggest in any way that Aston Villa and West Midlands police took their decision to ban the Israeli fans based on anti semitism is quite frankly absurd.
They based their judgement on current events, and what had happened in Amsterdam last year.
Surely Aston Villa had no choice but to accept the advice of the police, if they failed to do so and there were similar scenes as those in Amsterdam, they would have been held solely and fully to blame.
There’s a massive difference between being anti Semitic and what happened here.
I do wish people would refrain from such inflammatory remarks.
I am not saying that anti semitism is not a problem, it clearly is, but I don’t reckon that it was involved in any way when taking this decision.

Sunak has another new job
Ex-PM Sunak joins Microsoft and AI firm as paid advisor

I am sure this is at least his second job. How is he for filling his actual job as an MP

I just spent over an hour reading through my last PMs with Chris, known in here as Josephine and up the farm. Chris lost his battle with cancer on January 18 2017. We did not see eye to eye on so many things Chris and I, particularly on Brexit and the fire brigades union. But my admiration for Chris was genuine.
I often wonder what this forum would be like if Chris was still alive and kicking. Yes like myself and others of a certain age he would probably have found it difficult to keep up with events in the fire service. But I am absolutely certain this forum would not be so quiet if he was still here.

Chris loved this place, it offered him a way of staying connected to the fire service, and a platform for his opinions and his sense of humour. Some on here were more fortunate than me in that they had met Chris, something I really regret not doing myself.

Another man I had a lot of time for on here was Thom, known on here as Velbert. Thom had met Chris several times and would tell me of his meetings on his PMs. Sadly we lost Thom due to an accident in his home. I just hope that they both are in a better place, and still sharing a pint together. Sadly many others have passed, and many in here who posted long before me will know who they are.

I just thought they should not be forgotten.

RIP.

The Tories announced yesterday that if they gain power they will take our country out of the European Commission for Human Rights. This would mean that we would join the only other two states who are not members, Russia, and Belarus.

The ECHR was the brainchild of amongst others Winston Churchill. It’s a completely seperate body from the EU. It was instigated and inspired due to the barbaric acts committed during the Second World War, and by states prior to and after the war. It is there to protect the individual against the power of the state, this is its core function. Certainly like all institutions and laws which enshrine them, sections are open to interpretation. And this is where the Tories and Reform come in. They claim that some of the sections prevent them from doing what they were voted into power to do. But then this is a very simplistic and subjective argument, itself open to misinterpretation. Basically it’s stopping them doing what they want to do.

What we have to ask ourselves is why are we yet again the only country wishing to remove itself from a European institution. Why is the rest of Europe not considering leaving an institution which is fundamentally there to protect our rights as citizens, and for those wishing to become citizens.

Joining Russia and Belarus would be a sign to the whole world that the country we live in does not respect human rights, and wishes to act outwith the bounds of the ECHR. Is that what we will become if either of these two parties come to power. Sadly the answer is yes.

Just watching Keir Starmer on the BBC and it’s a sad watch.
Not because what he is saying is wrong, or because he has accomplished nothing worthwhile.
Labour have returned over 35,000 illegal immigrants, they have increased by five million appointments in the NHS, they are improving workers rights, they are building more homes, in one year they have actually done well on many fronts.

But they have erred, expecting the poor, disabled and the elderly to pay for the problems created by the Tories was a grave error.

But Labours biggest problem in this modern world is perception, and that is important.
Because with communicators like Farage to deal with, how you are perceived is paramount.
We need a plan, we need to be focussed, and we need to listen.

In my honest opinion promising not to increase taxes was a mistake.
We inherited a total shambles from the Tories, they have lost all credibility.
Labour are heading the same way but for entirely different reasons.

Right now we are on a precipice, with our feet dangling on the edge of an abyss.
And voting for a party that will rip the heart of this country is not the answer.
A vote for Reform, is a vote for the abyss.

Just when you think Farage could not get any lower, he does exactly that.


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