BigTwerp
@BigTwerp@feddit.uk
- Comment on Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’ 1 week ago:
God forbid that a government would actually plan for the future.
- Comment on Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’ 1 week ago:
Did you know that the same people eligible for free insulation are also eligible for free heat pumps, and that scheme is still running?
I agree we need to insulate more however: The insulation scheme is ending because despite a lot of work trying to get people to insulate their homes less than half of eligible homes actually did it and new applications dried up. In the end they were spending more on publicity than insulation.
Or in other words; without forcing people to do it against their will everything that can be done with that particular scheme has been done.
A bigger issue now is people in rented accommodation, particularly pre-war housing stock where landlords haven’t insulated the property properly and that wasn’t captured in the insulation scheme anyway. There is in theory minimum EPC standards for rented accommodation but the reality is a lot of properties don’t meet that standard.
- Comment on Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’ 1 week ago:
I fully understand that there is no “UK reserve” it’s basically my job to understand this. I have to simplify things for a shorter post, though.
Here’s a lesson for anyone interested: there are only a few areas in the world that produce natural gas that can be used in our gas supply system with domestic refineries and distribution. There are sources further afield but without connection to a pipeline they are cost prohibitive. A commodity is only as valuable as your ability to deliver it.
Areas of natural gas readily accessible in Europe are the north sea, Baltic states and Russia. So whilst it is a “global market” in theory, the reality is price of natural gas for UK is effectively dominated by European continental availability.
Europe as a whole doesn’t have enough gas without buying it from Russia, which is currently not sensible because Russia is using that money to fund a war against Europe. That is why the price is high.
If Europe, including UK are able to release more natural gas it will reduce the overall cost of gas a little bit (maybe a lot depending on other countries contribution and effectiveness of reducing gas usage) and also reduce the amount of money that goes to Russia.
- Comment on Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’ 1 week ago:
The poorest people in our country are disproportionately affected by the natural gas supply crisis, the cause of which sits in the Kremlin.
Increasing UK supply of natural gas will offset energy costs ultimately reducing the cost for poorest people in the country.
Explain to me how helping poor people is bad?
- Comment on Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’ 1 week ago:
More good news from no.10
Here’s an alternative article without a paywall: BBC News - Burnham to scrap digital ID to focus on ‘helping with cost of living’ - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y08z25q8eo
- Comment on UK’s public spending watchdog to investigate Lower Thames Crossing project 2 weeks ago:
Why?
- Comment on NHS anaesthetist shortage prevents 1.5m operations a year, report finds 2 weeks ago:
We have all of that in the UK.
The problem is the last 14 years of conservative government intentionally prevented people from training and now there are too few qualified people.
- Comment on What can be done to prevent more dangerous heatwaves in Europe? 4 weeks ago:
Your last point should be first. Europe (and the UK) are reducing their carbon output but our success is dwarfed by the increase in co2 output by China and India. The US has also made no effort to reduce emissions but because industry there is declining it hasn’t increased for a few years. We need to apply a carbon tax to imports from those countries.
- Comment on Asylum seekers to be billed £10k to cover own support once they start earning money 4 weeks ago:
To fill you in on the financial situation. Last year supporting asylum seekers and refugees cost the UK taxpayer £5.4 billion.
So in the grand scheme of things £15m a day is a lot of money even at a national level. The income tax contribution from the lowest 20% of workers isn’t quite enough to cover this cost.
Obviously this year’s figures aren’t out yet but they are expected to be a little bit below last year’s because Labour have not renewed the hotel contracts the Tories set up, have increased the speed of processing a lot, reduced the evidence needed for a successful claim, have worked with french authorities to reduce people trafficking and are returning people with no legitimate asylum claim (whereas the Tories did nothing).
The cost could be reduced to about half by providing larger more specialised facilities for single, male asylum seekers but that’s seen as a bad thing.
- Comment on Ministers urged to curb energy costs as Great British homes face 13% bill surge 4 weeks ago:
At the moment low income households can get a 100% grant to cover solar install. If you aren’t low income then you can benefit from 20% discount plus very favourable Feed In Tarrifs (the amount the grid pays you for generated electricity). Plug-in solar will soon be available opening up the market to very low cost installs for people with balconies but no other outside space.
For heat pumps they pay the first £7.5k of the install.
So in answer to your question, it does make sense and they are doing it.
- Comment on Greta Thunberg Slams UK Government Ahead of 40C Heatwave 5 weeks ago:
You have to admire her ability to talk so passionately about a subject she apparently knows nothing about.
The UK has one of the highest reduction in co2 emissions in the developed world and the current government has bought forward targets and introduced an unprecedented level of direct investment to make that continue.
In simple terms there are about 65 countries with a higher per capita co2 emissions than the UK. UK emissions have reduced by about 4% per year for several years running whereas countries like India and China are increasing in double digits.
UK should be applauded for doing more than it’s fair share.
Useful quick reference for anyone who cares:
- Comment on European Commission rejects new laws for Stop Destroying Videogames 1 month ago:
It’s a basic premise of European and EU legal systems that you cannot use a contract to subvert national or international law. I guess the difficulty is who exactly enforces the existing laws that are supposed to guard against consumers getting ripped off.
- Comment on A woman has been ordered to remove a gorilla statue from the front of her house in Wakefield or face a fine. 2 months ago:
… because that is how planning permission works.
- Comment on [Video] People Against Genocide target DSV in Bristol. DSV are a logistics firm which ship weapons for Elbit Systems. 2 months ago:
Then perhaps base your opinion on what was said by the protestors themselves who stated in court that they were not in fact attacked with a hammer as you say.
Isn’t the more likely explanation that a violent thug gave a weak excuse for battering a woman and that excuse didn’t hold up to the slightest scrutiny?
- Comment on [Video] People Against Genocide target DSV in Bristol. DSV are a logistics firm which ship weapons for Elbit Systems. 2 months ago:
Really? If so then prove it. Liar.
- Comment on [Video] People Against Genocide target DSV in Bristol. DSV are a logistics firm which ship weapons for Elbit Systems. 2 months ago:
Evidence says otherwise: BBC News - Police officer unable to dress after Palestine Action hammer attack - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g54g1r15eo?app-refe…
- Comment on [Video] People Against Genocide target DSV in Bristol. DSV are a logistics firm which ship weapons for Elbit Systems. 2 months ago:
To be clear, they broke into a factory and attacked someone with a hammer that they took with them for that purpose.
Then they publicly stated that they would do it again as soon as they got the chance. It’s that later statement which is why they had to be kept behind bars.
They had the option to apologise, say things got out of control and agree to bail conditions but they refused to do that so they are in prison by their own choice.
It would be negligent of the justice system to do nothing and release them to find another victim. They have since been tried and found guilty.
- Comment on [Video] People Against Genocide target DSV in Bristol. DSV are a logistics firm which ship weapons for Elbit Systems. 2 months ago:
To be clear, they broke into a factory and attacked someone with a hammer that they took with them for that purpose. Then they publicly stated that they would do it again as soon as they got the chance. It’s that later statement which is why they had to be kept behind bars
So what should we do, let them out to injure or kill someone or keep them in jail?
- Comment on Four Palestine Action Activists Found Guilty of Criminal Damage 2 months ago:
Also found guilty of GBH (battering someone with a hammer).
- Comment on Former policeman loses citizenship over links to Russia in first-of-its-kind decision 3 months ago:
What the actual fuck are you on about? Can you learn English and then post something coherent?
- Comment on Legal advisers help migrants pose as gay to get asylum, undercover BBC investigation finds 3 months ago:
You are assuming that the overstaying former students actually graduated, that they are employable, and able to find a job.
Sadly I interview many graduates who have somehow got a degree from a British university but are incapable of functioning in the workplace because they don’t speak English well enough.
- Comment on Switching to a four-day week ‘could save councils £1bn a year’ 3 months ago:
Everyone I know that works for a local authority is on a 35 hour per week contract so you could probably reduce that to 4 x 8 hour days with no meaningful loss in actual work done. I expect that is what they will do.
- Comment on Telegraph takeover by German buyer cleared by culture secretary 3 months ago:
It’s a shitrag with no actual value for the public so the only input the government should have is any article they publish is fiction.
- Comment on Let's say hypothetically I wanted to leave the US permanently; 3 months ago:
You are correct in the sense that rules for non EU nationals were relaxed under the last government but you still need to be in the occupational shortlist to get in, find a sponsor etc. You also have to remember that being in the EU meant zero barrier to movement or working so in a sense we have replaced no rules for rules.
The current government has closed a lot of loopholes that made it easy to bring spouse or family members on the same visa and are clamping down on student visas generally (because they are being abused) and student visa overstay (because they kind of turned a blind eye to it if former students found a job that would sponsor a visa eventually, even if it took years).
…I also forgot to mention the circa 150000 Hong Kong born British Citizens who had to flee Hong Kong after the purges in 2022 who have settled here.
- Comment on Let's say hypothetically I wanted to leave the US permanently; 3 months ago:
There’s several factors:
It’s hard to tell from your link whether people from EU countries that applied for citizenship because Brexit changed their status counts in those figures. That would be a lot of people in 2021, 22 and 23 which iirc was the window to do that.
Similarly a lot of skilled workers from the EU left in that period and were replaced with non-eu workers. The EU leavers might not be counted in net migration.
Students sometimes are counted in migration figures and sometimes not. We have a lot of overseas students and obviously post COVID the figures surged.
A large proportion is healthcare, either in the NHS directly or in care homes for the elderly. Because of our ageing population the health system is expanding beyond the ability to train new care staff.
So… Many factors but definitely not “just letting anyone in”.
- Comment on Let's say hypothetically I wanted to leave the US permanently; 3 months ago:
Lol, I’m from the UK and employ quite a few overseas people. Immigration requirements are categorically not ‘loose’.
A properly qualified social worker might actually have a chance of being on the occupational shortage list but I can’t think of any trades where and employer would be able to prove they need to hire from abroad and be willing to sponsor the employee.
- Comment on UK agrees to let US use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting Strait of Hormuz 4 months ago:
Iran launched drones at the UK bases on Cyprus and Riyadh long before any announcement that the UK would let the US use them.
I’m definitely opposed to the war with Iran but let’s put facts first; Iran through their proxies have been indiscriminately firing on ships in the gulf for nearly a decade and when the US and Israel attacked them they launched missiles and drones at pretty much every cluster of buildings near to the Gulf with no concern for what they might hit or any apparent strategy.
- Comment on UK agrees to let US use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting Strait of Hormuz 4 months ago:
You correct lies with facts and evidence. Got any?
- Comment on UK agrees to let US use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting Strait of Hormuz 4 months ago:
Yes there’s currently live updates on BBC and a couple of articles. Why would you ask?
- Comment on Customers of three UK banks report being able to see other people’s accounts on app 4 months ago:
That’s all very well but 1) I’m reading this using firefox with clean cookies and.ublock origin and the block is still there. And 2) a cookie paywall is a defacto paywall.