digby-uk.bsky.social
Here to share views /ideas about current affairs in a friendly, constructive, and substantiated manner. Loves nature and (normally ancient) rock music.
387 posts
60 followers
49 following
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"We look across the Atlantic to Canada".
Bigger country. More hope.
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What *we* want.
I wish politicians, specially failed ones, wouldn't do that.
I am now just waiting to hear
"We'd be better of with Putin than Starmer".
Oops, did someone already say that?
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OK, but are you implying that this can be achieved through further Quantative Easing, or through some other "bookkeeping" method of generating money flow?
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Not sure.. Doesn't the "destroying money" idea depend on how a government uses the taxes?
Surely if it diverts it into industries such as, just for example, making arms, this employs more people, and gives them income to grow the economy?
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It's reality.
It's not a darkly satirical sketch. It's not John Cleese talking to a German customer in Fawlty Towers.
This is the Leader of the Free World.
Help.
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2/2 Let's just remember that the richest hold their wealth not in bank accounts, but in land /property, stocks, bonds, gold etc. They need to sell assets to pay tax...
UKGov needs a contingency against any reduced investment in UK industry, through having diverted the investment into tax revenue.
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1/2 I agree in principle, but we need a government who will make it work, and on an international basis.
Making it work in UK asset markets needs to be considered...
bylinetimes.com/2025/02/04/k...
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2/2.. not just to balance some of the domestic inequality, whilst providing government investment in the right places, but, the UK now needs to afford a much bigger defence budget.
Wouldn't that also help defend the assets of the wealthy against expropriation by enemy States?
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1/2 If the answer is narrowing the wealth gap, Labour's "Wrong Way Norris" (Pythonesque) growth expedition was also recently exacerbated by their international vote not to restrict tax havens.
We need an internationally-enforceable wealth tax more than ever,..
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Many of those would rather have Putin here, but they wouldn't be staying in the UK...
They'd love to be in a luxury apartment in Dubai, but may well just end up in a Siberian Gulag.
They're welcome to send me a "Wish you were here" postcard from the latter.
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Maybe the UN Charter on Human Rights does need to be tweaked to the tune of the 2020s, but let's keep the UK at the same level as the EU.
As far as asylum is concerned, it represents such a small proportion of all immigration that you might be tempted to ask "how *Lowe* can Reform go?" .
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Depends whether some third party had already negotiated away much of Ukraine's pre-2014 territory, or has, itself, expropriated part of its natural resources.
We don't need our troops in the middle of a guerilla war of Trump and Putin's making.
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The new tactical vote.
LibDems and Green's need to start pushing this..and spelling out what they want to do *now*, in terms of SM +CU, outside EU.
No good just waffling on about a long-term Rejoin strategy.
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"Whatever they charge, we'll charge.. "
OK, I'll start the bidding at 0.01%
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The Trump administration is in the process of reducing its commitment to Europe. The biggest betrayal is on the part of Trump.
His administration, therefore, has no right to a place at a European negotiating table.
Urgently form a military alliance of democracies...
And kick them out.
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There needs to be a military alliance, across democracies, on a global basis.
There must also be a tax alliance between these countries.. the wealthy must step up to the plate to make their contribution to freedom.
This addresses the widening wealth gap with an investment in security.
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2/2 ... I do think that the ultra-wealthy should use this opportunity to show their patriotism... Does the "existential" threat exceptionally justify a specifically-military Wealth Tax?
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1/2 The amount of money Europe will have to raise, in order to get anywhere near a 5% of GDP military budget, will be staggering.
While I agree with many of Richard Murphy's views on "diverting" the UK economy, and maybe even having military conscription, ...
youtu.be/a2GPhQI-_9E?...
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"Don't let Putin defeat you"...?
"Defeat" isn't in the mind of such an obvious ally of the Russian dictator.
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Two giants meet at a negotiating table, but one is already an asset of the other.
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While Trump says he's a patriot,...
looking after US citizens,
..
we can't be blamed for, ourselves, being patriots...
-looking after European citizens.
There used to be intersections in that Venn diagram, but now the world is losing it's balance.
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We've recently seen this "socialist" government also reject calls to limit tax havens.
Forget Blair's. "New Labour". Instead, just a fleeting glimpse of *Real Labour* would bring a sigh of relief to their voters.
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Would it not be not at best grossly irresponsible and at worst grossly negligent on the part of the current government not to address what's staring them in the face?
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The UK and its overseas territories are responsible for approximately one-third of global tax avoidance through firms moving their profits offshore, according to campaigners Tax Justice UK
lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...
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Trying to compete on the same terms, when the strategy should be to undermine Reform's unfitness to govern, the thinness of the veneer of their "policies", threat to UK security. etc etc.
Reveal them as the con artists they really are.
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Wow!
If betting odds are "evidence", maybe my career path should change...
-to become a bookie.
😅😅
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The proportion of immigrants who have been deliberately attracted into the country, by successive UK governments, for education, and to fill long-term job vacancies, hugely outweighs any illegals.
This should be used to expose Reform for the con-artists they really are.
news.sky.com/video/migrat...
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What proportion of that half are confusing a "customs area" with a customs union?
The Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy has concluded that the customs area (PEM), recently on the table, would not be “a gamechanger”.
Picking up the crumbs from the floor (..?)
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Sorry to be finnickey here, but I don"t like the expression "Brits and Europeans".
I would resist any unintended fall into the hands of Geography Deniers...
Brits *are* Europeans.
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So, it appears not to be compulsory to publish the entirety of MPs' UK Tax Returns.
Shouldn't it be made compulsory for MPs to declare all income?
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The extenuating economic situation that the UK finds itself in... should be used by Labour to justify dropping some of their "Red Lines".
I *do* expect them to be stubborn, though, and, if that happens a "New Tactical" vote in the May elections will be for EU -leaning parties, notably LibDem +Green
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The really deranged can't help their sad infatuation with someone who would use their stupidity to destroy them in two seconds
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Do all these ar**holes really think that our only direction is towards Trump's USA?
Time to wake up (yeah, and you, Mr Starmer), and realise the geographical fact is that the UK is part of the continent of Europe
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Agreed.. I just wish YouGov had polled a whole load more than 2,121 people, just to reinforce the farce of Labour "Red Lines".
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Er, Mr Starmer....
Hello, is there anyone there?
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Would be interesting right now to see what would happen if any indigenous American applied for and obtained a US passport.
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Yes, indeed. My approach might be more "adolescent" steps, but it would aim to get a foot on the ladder as immediately as possible.
Important, also, to note that the Single Market (outside EU) was actually the 2016 first proposed Brexit implementation.
www.reuters.com/article/worl...
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Unfortunately true...
That's why I think it's time to sell the a*se off the benefits of the Single Market (outside EU), even if, tacitly, it's just as a stepping stone.
There's too much misunderstanding about this "Middle Way", and a whole load of education needed.
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Vote against Red Lines in the May local elections.
Vote for any party which supports SM or eventual EU membership. Time for the LibDems and Greens to start fighting... - No More Mr Nice Guy.
The *New Tactical* vote doesn't throw a party out of government,
but it *can* tell them what's right.
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2/2...A "relationship" fickle enough to be eroded by one of the partners becoming less attractive after 14 years of UK Tory exploitation + economic decline.
Suella, you're absolutely barking...
-up the wrong tree.
Take care, or you might need to seek the same help as Truss.
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1/2 What broke it?
Was it not an increasing "we look after our own" influence in US government, and a (Trump) "if you (Europe) don't pay up, we'll happily let Putin invade you" mobster protection racket attitude?
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Why doesn't Trump recruit her? She'd fit in great there.
Europe?
Starmer, hello... Time to wake up.
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Reform needs to be exposed, for the con-artists they are, before we can really launch renewed efforts for proportional representation.
PR might just, right now, gift wrap the UK to Russia.