Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

You can when you are allowed to quote your own in some skewed way, its about time we had one set of official statistics that they all had to use.

 

I just pick up the leaflets from the front hall [check quickly to see there's nothing important in among it all] then walk to the back hall, and deposit them all into the paper recycling bin I have in the cupboard....
Job done. No reading required.

 

Exactly @lolimac , France is a safe country…

 

TBF I didn't realise it was the PMs job to give up personal money to run the country, isn't most of it his wife's money.
They are all rolling in it, his missus might have more than most but none of them are poor.

And TBF there wasn't any money when Gordon Brown got the gooner, which was what "austerity" was all about, then that was all thrown away during covid.

Short memories, in 5 yrs time everyone will be wanting Labour out, its gone on all the time, which is why no government puts in long term plans, they know they only have a short time to make their money before moving on to after dinner speaking.

 

Most of it anyway The banlieus of Paris and other major cities are decidedly iffy!

 

@lolimac, you are referring to a plot of land Starmer bought for his late mother’s donkey rescue in 1994. The valuation you quote was exaggerated & presumed it had planning permission which it didn’t. The fact it was an ill-researched & ill-judged smear article from a right wing journalist in 2020 was so well publicised at the time I’m surprised to see it being repeated years later.

 

Oh, I wasn't suggesting PMs should fund the country, but if Starmer is going to be criticised for not doing so, then fair's fair!

I disagree about austerity in 2010. It was a political choice the party in power made, in order to keep money with the wealthy during an economic downturn. A different path could have been taken. Starting in 2010, the rate at which the wealthiest accumulated more wealth accelerated sharply and has continued ever since.

Furlough payments followed the same pattern. The wealthy got a huge amount and the taxpayer is left with the bill.

 

I did ok out of furlough, so cant complain.

Who actually criticised Starmer for not using his personal wealth to fund the country.

 

Further up the thread, @lolimac wondered if Starmer would give up his land for new builds.

Furlough was done in a rush, obviously, so there were bound to be parts that worked and parts that didn't. Fair enough. But the gov very quickly ruled out bothering to try to recoup anything wrongly paid.

 

I think the @lolimac post was mainly aimed at Starmer suggesting he was going to ride rough shod over the planning, to build more houses, probably near me and perhaps near you, but not anywhere near his domain.

I dont know what could be recouped regarding furlough, not something I've heard much about, other than a lot of people who are self employed had trouble getting it.

 

Absolutely … I know two people who were S/E who got nothing. They used all their meagre savings to live off during COVID.

 

There is another consequence of elections here in France, beyond all the campaigning and posturing. One of the many side effects of Macron's panic election is on weddings and in 2 main ways.

One is that many are celebrated in what would be parish halls in the UK.

Every village or quartier here has at least one decent community hall with kitchen/catering facilities that can be used for any local functions and activities as well as hired for celebrations or funeral suppers. These halls are also used as polling stations and all private functions and regular activities have to make way for at least a week for the setup, the voting and the counting and then dismantling of all the paraphernalia. Couple who've been planning their big day for years suddenly find their wedding up in the air.

The 2nd effect is on people travelling to weddings and staying overnight. They have to get back home in time to vote on a Sunday. Too late, I believe, to organise a postal vote and very little time left to organise a proxy vote.

 

@pete, that made me smile as for the last 15 yrs, almost without pause, there has been building going on within earshot ... and currently within eyeshot as well. Yrs more still to go, undeterred by the fact some were finished and ready for occupation last October but remain unsold. High prices, tiny rooms, gardens the size of a parking space, and a communal heating system which means individual home owners do not count as residential users and therefore are not included in energy price caps are just some of the reasons why, I would guess.

It's not just more houses we need. It is truly affordable homes and full use of empty properties that already exist.

 

They build 4 and 5 bedroom places around here and most are sold before finished, not many that any locals can afford.
Mostly sold to the DFLs as they are known.

The "prosperous" south east is mostly about build, build, build, industrial estates then houses for those that move to the area for the jobs.

I'm secretly hoping for a housing crash.