National politics

[Helig]

The government has just awarded Fujitsu a contract worth ?19.5 million to run England's flood defence warnings.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12938477/Why-getting-Whitehall-contracts-MPs-demand-Fujitsu-firm-centre-Post-Office-scandal-blocked-new-deals-shown-theyve-given-200-worth-6-7bn-decade-including-new-emergency-alert-system.html

They have been given government contracts worth billions since the situation with their computers in the Post Office was discovered.

[Hugo]

Warning --  sit down before you read this Helig

All political donations over ?500 must be registered with the Electoral Commission. Further information is available at the Electoral Commission web-site. On 25/06/2019, Fujitsu Services Ltd donated ?14,417.00 to the Conservative and Unionist Party.         

[Helig]

Thank you for that information. I think it stinks and there is a distinct odour of corruption around this. No wonder the government didn't want to help the postmasters/mistresses. It says it all about this country when they get away with it.

[Ian]

Well, UK law backs the wealthy.

[Helig]

I would just like to recommend watching Neil Oliver at 6pm on a Saturday evening on GB News, Channel 236 here. Neil is an archaeologist and has presented many TV programmes on archaeology over the years. He also presented Coast at one time. He seems to have taken to politics now and his views are very interesting. He has some guests who have different views on the situation we are in worldwide.

[Ian]

Oliver is an extreme right-wing pundit. now working for the UK equivalent of Fox News - GB News.

He is on record as saying "Lockdown (was) the biggest single mistake in world history". He also criticised the drive to vaccinate children in the UK against COVID-19, and likened the fight against government anti-COVID measures to the fight against Nazi Germany.

He is almost certainly either delusional or paranoid; during a monologue delivered on his GB News programme on 4 February 2023, Oliver spoke of a "silent war" waged by generations of politicians in order to take "total control of the people" and impose "one-world government". According to The Guardian, the monologue apparently referred to Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, an alleged conspiracy theory document. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism both issued statements calling on GB News to stop indulging antisemitic conspiracy theories.

In May, 2023, Oliver retweeted an image featuring Bill Gates, writing "Bill Gates: the text book example of the danger posed by rich and powerful people utterly devoid of empathy or care for individual human life". According to The Jewish Chronicle, "The image features Nazi, Satanic, and Illuminati imagery with reference to the New World Order ? a conspiracy involving a shadow totalitarian world government ? Jeffrey Epstein, Dr Anthony Fauci ? former chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden ? the United Nations, and big pharma". Broadcaster Matthew Sweet commented that the image appeared "to make mockery of the Holocaust by depicting Bill Gates as a Nazi experimenter with a swastika and IG Farben logo, which is presumably a reference to slave labour in Auschwitz".

He doesn't believe in climate change and sees the BBC as part of some global conspiracy, claiming temperatures reported during the heatwave in southern Europe in 2023 were false and accused the BBC and others of fearmongering over climate change. He alleged that ground temperatures instead of air temperatures were being used.

BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker answered the claims saying this was "absolutely not true".. In short, he distorts facts and repeats conspiracy theories as science.

[Helig]

Well that is your opinion, Ian and you are entitled to it. I wouldn't describe Neil Oliver as "an extreme right wing pundit". His views challenge the official line in many ways and his points are often valid in my opinion. I think it is defamatory to call him, "delusional or paranoid". I am sure that the establishment in the UK would go along with that as it suits their purpose. I don't agree with everything he says (climate change being one example) but believe he has a right to say it. Overall I support his views and think he gets it right most of the time. The mainstream UK media has its own agenda and presents a very biased account of news and political affairs.

[Ian]

I wouldn't describe Neil Oliver as "an extreme right wing pundit".

Well, he is a pundit ("An expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give their opinions to the public: political pundits were tipping him for promotion: OED") and he must be extremely right wing to have a job working for GB News...

His views challenge the official line in many ways and his points are often valid in my opinion.

Such as vaccination, climate change, Child vaccinations, lockdown, his apparent belief in conspiracy theories, antisemitism...it's a long list.  Which do you agree with?

The mainstream UK media has its own agenda and presents a very biased account of news and political affairs.

Can you provide some examples of BBC or ITV being "very biased" in their news stances?

I think it is defamatory to call him, "delusional or paranoid". I am sure that the establishment in the UK would go along with that as it suits their purpose. I don't agree with everything he says but believe he has a right to say it. Overall I support his views and think he gets it right most of the time.

It's worth looking  at what he's saying and doing; he's resigned the presidency of the National Trust Scotland, argued in an interview that slavery cannot be considered genocide because ?otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain? and seems to have been an ardent Trump supporter in both refusing to wear a mask or get vaccinated.

He said "?If your freedom means I might catch Covid, then so be it. If my freedom means you might catch Covid, then so be it. For the sake of freedom, yours and mine together, I will cheerfully risk catching Covid." Which sparked anger among his online associates, producing comments such as ?So would you cheerfully risk passing it onto me? I?m immune suppresses so you might as well be giving me a death sentence.?" and "I?ve got stage four cancer, you wouldn?t know meeting me. Please consider wearing a mask in enclosed spaces to protect medically vulnerable people.?

Fundamentally, I do not disagree with your assertion that "overall (you) support his views and think he gets it right most of the time. You are also entitled to your belief.
"The mainstream UK media has its own agenda and presents a very biased account of news and political affairs" but if how and what he says threatens the very fabric of society, which it might, then I believe it would be wrong to agree with it.

[Helig]

I think we shall have to agree to differ on this matter.

I do support much of what Neil Oliver says but not all of it. He challenges the official line in many instances. I think this is healthy. GB News does have a right wing bias but not all the time and they do cover stories the others don't.

I am an anti vaccinations and didn't have the Covid vaccine, never had the flu vaccine either. I was advised by a medical friend of mine back in the 1980s not to have the flu vaccine as it contained a lot of rubbish. She said the doctors don't have it. The adjuvants they use in vaccines can be dangerous and cause auto immune disease. I have never had children but if I had they wouldn't be given vaccinations. My opinion on The Great Reset, formerly The New World Order, is similar to that of Neil Oliver. Should that make me a conspiracy theorist then so be it. I do think Covid was man made and used to cause deaths, plus as an experiment in population control (amongst other things). Some of the very wealthy made huge amounts of money out of Covid, Bill Gates was one of them with his interest in vaccines. The globalisation that exists on the planet is harmful to the world population and is run by elites such as The Bilderberg Group.

The whole of the UK media has a right wing bias and when a general election approaches they get into action to make sure the Tories win it. The few exceptions are The Guardian and The Morning Star, Channel 4 on TV. The BBC states now that it doesn't cover protests, well how many of them do? Is that impartial reporting? How many show the activities of Extinction Rebellion, or other anti establishment groups? When Just Stop Oil does something the news coverage (if there is any) is entirely hostile. There aren't many documentaries on TV these days. Look back to the 1960s/70s when there were programmes like World in Action, or one hour of Panorama. They pump out total dumbed down fodder for morons these days.

I could go on and on but do believe I have a right to my opinions just the same as everyone else. My political views are not right wing. I notice that Ian is very critical of pretty well everything I post.

[Ian]

Thank you for explaining your beliefs.

[Hugo]

Conservative donors and 27-year-old among new life peers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68259178

[Hugo]

Former PO boss claims he was told to 'stall' subpostmasters' payouts over cost before election
Compensation delays previously criticised by Llandudno campaigner and others
If this is true then how low will politics sink to?



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/former-po-boss-claims-told-28654871

[SteveH]

Senedd: Labour, Plaid back keeping new voting system

Labour and Plaid Cymru have refused to change controversial reforms to elections for the Welsh Parliament.

From 2026, votes will be cast for parties instead of individual candidates as part of a plan to create a bigger 96-member Senedd.

Critics say it gives parties too much power to decide who gets elected.

A Conservative and Liberal Democrat bid to let voters choose favourite candidates was rejected in the Senedd on Tuesday.

The Labour Welsh government said it was making elections simpler by giving voters one ballot paper.

The current mix of local and regional members will be replaced by 16 new constituencies, each represented by six Members of the Senedd (MSs).

Parties would put forward lists of ranked candidates for every seat under a so-called closed list system.

It is contained in a Senedd reform bill, agreed between Labour and Plaid. The bill needs two-thirds of MSs to back it to become law.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-68485848

[SteveH]

Council tax bills will soon be landing on doormats for the coming year, with all Welsh councils having set budgets.

Some face record council tax increases, which the body representing councils blames on soaring demand and inflation.

Residents throughout Wales will see hikes, with Ceredigion bills up 11.1% and Pembrokeshire by 12.5%.

The Welsh government said it recognised the "financial challenges" councils faced but it was "a result of decisions on investment by the UK government".

Jamie Adams, a former Pembrokeshire council leader, said radical changes were needed in local government and the number of councillors in his authority could be reduced by up to 50%.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68520803

[SteveH]

Welsh Government to pay for all 'bubbly concrete' RAAC repairs in schools
?2.56m will be used to cover the costs of remedial works to schools where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been identified

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/welsh-government-pay-bubbly-concrete-28783383?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589