Today's headlines are getting "quite interesting":
The IMF has fired a shot across HMG's bows, a very close and very large shot.
The opposition leader has fired another volley in their direction.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Labour - the Tory government has got it wrong BIG TIME.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Yep, & it's only going to get worse.
Treasury sticking to its plans

Wow, and I thought that our previous government was pretty inept, but from everything I've heard and been reading your current 1 seems to simply have no idea at all.

BTW, bookings for holidays here to the U.K. are rising quickly this week so expect some tourist business coming your way. ;-)

Cheers.

To a degree, its been that way for decades.
My 1st direct experience happened nearly 50 years ago.
Not long out of school, was a messenger for London Evening News.
We had to take turns as a lift attendant. It was an old early 20th century manually operated one.
When it was my turn, hated Wednesdays.
We had a Lord doing a weekly column.
Lord Arran.
One needed a mask & many a time, hazmat gloves to assist him.
Just 2 words describe him best.
Drunken bum.

It's going to get worse. This is taken from yesterday's Guardian live blog (timed at 18:08), but is also reported by the i newspaper and Sky News - the British media is struggling to keep up, so finding an open stand-alone story is proving difficult.

Government departments to be asked to find 'efficiency savings'

The Guardian has learned that departments will be asked to look for “efficiency savings” and told they must live within the budget constraints of the current spending review.

The chief secretary to the Treasury Chris Philp will write to departments within the next 48 hours setting out the request, a Whitehall source said.

Though departmental budgets are not subject to the same inflation calculations as household budgets, budgets are still likely to be squeezed because of higher than anticipated inflation since the October 2021 review.

Liz Truss ruled out more cuts during the Tory leadership contest. “I’m certainly not talking about public spending cuts, what I’m talking about is raising growth,” she said.

It is very rare for the UK press to be so united in condemning an action by the UK goberment - I think the last time was when Tony Blair took us to war on the pretext of "He has weapons of mass destruction" (which turned out to be more like weapons of mass deception).

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

This morning, Prime Minister Liz Truss gave a round of interviews to 8 BBC local radio stations. Disastrous Liz Truss interviews show BBC local radio still packs a punch
[I think those are her first public appearances since last Friday's financial statement.]

This afternoon:
BBC to cut hundreds of jobs at World Service

That's France 24, concentrating on the international dimension - naturally. The BBC itself hasn't posted on its own website yet, but it has broadcast its own version of this story, saying that domestic services will be cut as well.

"The way audiences are accessing news and content is changing and the challenge of reaching and engaging people around the world with quality, trusted journalism is growing," she added.

Good for a laugh I suppose.
Need to teach their "digital" reporters 2 good skills, spell checking & proof reading.

EU agrees windfall tax on energy firms

That's a double-whammy for post Brexit UK. Not only does our (current) Government reject the idea of repairing the UK's battered public finances via such a windfall tax, but our energy supply prices are still governed by the EU-wide 'market' approach to energy sector pricing.

The UK Prime Minister (Liz Truss) has 'advised' - or according to some reports, 'ordered' - King Charles III not to attend the COP 27 climate conference in Egypt. An arguable constitutional point.

But will the new Prince of Wales attend, in place of the old Prince of Wales? Nobody even seems to be asking, let alone answering.

I hope Liz Truss is not modelling herself after the climate denying "Burn Baby Burn" Sarah Palin!

So far, this does not look good or bode well for our planet or country...


King Charles will not attend climate summit on Truss advice


All on our only one planet...
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

No one should be "attending" these climate summits etc. anyway... they should all be done by teleconference, not flying around in private jets to tell we plebs to stick to bikes and public transit and avoid unnecessary air travel. :^p
(Yes, I like my bike and public transit, and don't much like hypocrisy.)

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+1

It's not whether they are strong, whether they have a view of their own, if they fundamentally don't seem to like their electorate very much, or don't think they are worth considering it's very hard to vote for them.

With the current dross in Westminster, who do we actually vote for?

...and all those participating have to power their IT stuff by peddling furiously on peddle powered generators.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

In the last hour or so the UK goberment has reversed some of the tax cuts it announced about a week ago. Talk about getting egg on the face, perhaps assisted by something brown, sticky and smelly emerging from the Expelair in their direction.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Just another case of "lunatics in charge of the asylum".

UK at significant risk of gas shortages this winter, warns energy regulator

The UK is facing "a significant risk" of gas shortages this winter, according to the industry regulator, which could impact electricity supplies.

Ofgem said due to Russia's war with Ukraine, there is a possibility the UK could enter a "gas supply emergency".

This would lead to supplies being cut to power stations which use gas to generate the country's electricity.

It places firms at risk of running out of money because of huge charges they pay if they cannot deliver electricity.

How many other British readers are of an age to remember these three phrases, and make a policy out of them?

• The Miner's strike
  
• Margaret Thatcher
  
• "The Dash for Gas"
  

That's right - close down the UK's national infrastructure gas storage facility. Apparently, it's being brought back on line, but needs some refurbishment first. How will they fill it?

Yet another "Don't Look Up"...


New oil and gas at odds with green goals - report
wrote:

Exploiting new oil and gas fields is "radically at odds" with the UK's commitments to fight climate change, according to a new report...

... would lead to the UK exceeding its legally binding carbon budget by almost two-fold.

A new licensing round for North Sea oil and gas is set to be launched soon...

... Prime Minister Liz Truss says she is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. But her government has also lifted a moratorium on fracking of shale gas and said it will award new licences for North Sea oil and gas...

... Jacob Rees-Mogg has spoken of his desire to extract "every last drop" of North Sea oil...

... A UK government spokesperson called the GEM report "unfounded speculation". ...

Sadly, that's a Burn Baby Burn... c/o Sarah Palin aka Liz Truss.

Ouch!


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

One glimmer of hopeful good sense?


East Yorkshire Conservative council votes for fracking ban
wrote:

A Conservative-led council has voted to oppose fracking in its area. East Riding of Yorkshire members supported a motion tabled by the Liberal Democrat opposition.

The vote comes after Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg recently announced the lifting of the 2019 ban...

... "Of particular concern is the [poisoning] effect on the aquifer under the Wolds and the counter-effect on our ambitions to have an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty."...

Once the water table is poisoned with fracking fluids, there is no cleaning it up...

Cue calling Erin Brockovich?


All on our only one planet,
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)