Glad to be alive.
Former Child Care Practitioner with children in care and special education. Former school governor and voluntary worker.
Living by the sea!
So compulsory ID for voting isn't enough for this government. They've stopped universities registering freshers to vote, en masse. Older people can use their travel cards as ID, young people can't. This is cynical manipulation of the electorate and deeply undemocratic.
I'm heartily tired of hearing that the over 65s are most likely to vote Tory and that we become more right wing with age. No, not now, not ever. My household is a Tory free zone.
It was reported on Times radio this morning that during Yvette Cooper's speech, lasting 30 mins, James Cleverly stared at her and repeated over 200 times: 'Labour have no plan'. This was an act of gross discourtesy from a supposedly serious politician and minister of the crown.
Given that we are now being taxed at the highest rate since the 2nd world war, our public services should be in fantastic condition and performing well. Where has all the money gone?
Suddenly, the state pension is a 'benefit'. Then there are discussions about means testing. I'm getting the feeling that a growing number of people are beginning to resent those of us of a certain age. And that's without the government's attitude to us pesky oldies.
How many of us are veering from feelings of despair to red hot anger after hearing Rishi Sunak's speech? In what world is it ok to blame and demonise people for illness and disability rather than address the social and political reasons that underpin the high level of sickness?
Rishi Sunak is becoming more and more high handed with his pronouncements on what the British people want. For clarity: I find the Rwanda plan abhorrent, I do want a general election and I do object to him squandering money on helicopter flights.
Rachel Johnson has suddenly become very critical and vocal about the Covid Inquiry. Could it be because her brother is about to be put under the sort of scrutiny even he can't evade?
Why is Rishi Sunak complaining about unelected Lords when he's just facilitated David Cameron's ennoblement? Or is it only a problem when it gets in his way?
Suella Braverman wants to do away with the ECHR and the Strasbourg Court, while Ben Habib wants to leave asylum seekers to drown in the channel. These public figures are the enemy of decent British people, not High Court judges or so called 'lefty' lawyers.
Surely Rishi Sunak should have visited some of the flooded out families this weekend. Instead, his priority is to be photographed playing darts. It's hardly statesmanlike. Once upon a time, we had serious people who wanted to lead and serve the country.
I'm puzzled by the number of people who are keen to leave the ECHR because it's a 'foreign court' and that it shouldn't interfere with our parliament regarding asylum seekers. Don't they realise that the convention protects everyone's human rights, or do they think we are exempt?
Kemi Badenoch's statement was grudging and indecently brief, but worse than that was the way she referred to Diane Abbott by her surname only. And to think that she's the Minister for women and equalities.
Grant Shapps says that if Labour win the election, we'll be going back to square one. Under this govt, being able to heat your home, to have enough to eat and receive prompt healthcare are no longer the norm for too many people. So I'm more than happy for a reset with Labour.
Rishi Sunak has decided that £14.9bn of PPE fraud cannot be investigated. Who is he to say that we won't investigate one of the most fraudulent and corrupt series of crimes in our history?
Rachel Johnson says she followed the rules whenever she went to Chequers. No, she didn't. Visiting other households, except for delivering care, was not allowed. The Johnson family obviously lived through lockdown in their own, usual entitled fashion.
Rishi Sunak made his speech to distract us from 13 reports on Home Office failings, figures that show 15% of families go without meals and the Rwanda 'plan' that will cost £millions more than the government admitted. Unfortunately for him, it hasn't worked.
I've just heard Andrea Leadsom say on radio 5live that Rishi Sunak wants to stop the boats 'on the grounds of humanity.' This is beyond fantasy and I am beyond anger.
Lee Anderson has exercised his right to free speech. Now he is telling the people who disagree with him to leave the country. Is this the Conservative brand of democracy?
How does Rishi Sunak using the term 'mob rule' help to calm tensions? It's a deliberate use of inflammatory language to detract from the woeful lack of governance we are enduring.
Since when is up to Tory MPs, or any politicians to demand that police carry out investigations? The police are supposed to operate independently, without fear or favour. Yet somehow, this has been bypassed in the case of Angela Rayner.
Am I the only person who hopes that one day soon, Suella Braverman will be so drunk on power that she'll make such a huge mistake that even she will be forced to resign?
As usual, Boris Johnson is trying to set the agenda and control proceedings ahead of his appearance at the Covid Inquiry. He is yet to meet Hugo Keith KC.
Boris Johnson says that another Donald Trump election victory would be 'a great win for the world'. If anyone had an iota of doubt about Boris Johnson's character, integrity and judgment, surely this tells you all you need to know.
James Cleverly is blaming Labour for putting asylum seekers' lives at risk by blocking the Rwanda Bill in the Lords. I have 2 suggestion for the Home Secretary. Firstly, the govt could sit next week but chose not to. Secondly, He could provide safe and legal routes. Simple.
Today we discover that a mobile dental service provided by a charity, has been parked next to a food bank to provide urgent dental care. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak insists his pretend plan for the NHS is working, apart from too many pesky patients and indulgent striking doctors.
Rishi Sunak is urging the House of Lords to pass the Bill with no amendments, suggesting that they are not elected. He calls the ECHR a 'foreign court' when we are signatories to it and played a significant role in it's creation. These are desperate words from a desperate man.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find this tasteless and inappropriate? Rishi Sunak has accepted a £1000 bet from Piers Morgan, insisting that he will see asylum seekers on planes in the near future. The fate of human beings is now the subject of a tacky wager.
Jacob Rees Mogg says that the role of banks is to facilitate the movement of money not to preach. This, from a man whose life's work is to look down his nose and preach to us lesser mortals in his most superior manner.
So Rishi Sunak claims that the govt are undertaking the biggest ever programme of building new prisons. I wonder which will materialise first, prisons or hospitals? It's the usual Tory ploy of announcing services that might or might not appear one day. Does anyone believe this?
I'm still angry about the inhumane actions of Robert Jenrick, ordering the painting over of a mural at a refugee centre, even more so because it is a facility for *unaccompanied children*. Is any member of the govt going to speak out, or are they complicit with his behaviour?
Suella Braverman has been quoted as saying that if the government 'manage to trade only 100 migrants to Rwanda', they can win the election. It's crass, inhumane language and totally obsessive about a policy that's not acceptable to most of us, and not a 'people's priority'.
Rishi Sunak was exposed last night over his insistence that violent prisoners would not be released early. A probation officer rang LBC with a list of prisoners convicted of domestic violence who are due to be released. More Tory dishonesty about an already shameful situation.
Boris Johnson has popped up in Israel. He's no longer PM or even an MP. My thought is that he's trying to acquire some credibility and gravitas before he appears at the Covid Inquiry. It's a cynical move because we know that his only concern is and always has been, for himself.
Why do Rishi Sunak and other Tories think it's ok to break the convention that parties keep a low profile while their opponents are having their conferences? Answer : the usual Tory sense of entitlement we have have come to know, meaning that rules only apply to other people.
@SueSuezep
It wouldn't be brave to scrap the partygate inquiry, as Nadine Dorries suggests. It would be corrupt and show a continuation of a total absence of integrity and accountability in this administration. Decent people are sickened by this culture.
I've just heard a Tory MP on LBC say that the Covid inquiry is just a way of 'getting Boris' and describing today's evidence as 'tittle tattle'. He's clearly forgotten that it was his government who set it up.
@stephenfarrow
Talking about asylum seekers in such dehumanising terms is dangerous and deeply offensive. We know where it can lead. Unfortunately, Lee Anderson has given the green light for such inflammatory sentiments be openly expressed.
@ChrissieGrech
I was browsing in a charity shop when a Chinese couple came in, chatting together. One assistant said crossly and loudly to her colleague: 'why don't they speak English?' (Of course, I'm sure that if she went to China, she would speak the language fluently.)
Just seen a comment warning first time voters not to vote Labour because 'they brought everything to a juddering halt last time they were in power'. The delusion is almost Iaughable but I despair that some people really think that the country is in a better place than 14yrs ago.
To the many people who are already saying that they're not going to vote, my plea is this: look around you. Our institutions are under threat and our public services are crumbling. 5 more Tory years will mean 5 more years of destruction.
@official_faithm
PIP assessments are an inhuman and degrading process, and a reflection of how this government perceives those in society who have disabilities. They are afforded no dignity.
@waltonmod_69
Gordon Brown was talking about a family in his constituency, in the context of a charity he works with. A worker found a home where 3 children slept on the floor, covered only in a sheet. The need for basics is becoming desperate for many people.
Gillian Keegan said that head teachers have been asking her for guidance on mobile phone in schools. I find that a surprising claim but I dare any head teachers out there to admit that you asked the incumbent education secretary for guidance on phones, or anything at all.
I wonder why Angela Rayner made the splash in the Mail rather than William Wragg. His story seems to have been relegated by both the right wing newspapers and the Tory government. They want to persist with one story but not even dip their toe into the other.
It seems particularly disturbing that Rishi Sunak flew off to Italy and is still making Rwanda a priority while problems pile up here. You can't jet away from extreme hardship, the NHS in trouble and crumbling schools.
I've just discovered that the private health sector was given £2billion during Covid on the understanding that they helped to treat NHS patients. Apparently, they did very little. That's where some of the money went. How about the rest of the £billions?
Listened to Carol Vorderman taking calls from some of the 3.8 million people who were excluded from government financial support during Covid. Heartbreaking accounts of the consequences of Rishi Sunak saying 'we can't help everyone'. His legacy lives on in every life damaged.
Rishi Sunak is becoming as slippery as his erstwhile colleague, Boris Johnson. Today, he left an engagement by a side door and refused to answer questions. Accountability? Not on any level.
So the Tories are planning to fine people who sleep on the streets, and potentially, even imprison them. It will be a crime to be homeless. It will be deemed acceptable to demonise people who already have next to nothing. It's cruel and inhumane. It's this government aiming low.
@stuglow
The more bad news we hear about parties at Downing Street, the happier I'll be. I'm tired of people queuing up to minimise and trivialise what's happened. Most Tory MPs and Ministers are defending the PM, making them as bad as he is. I'm tired of being told that we've moved on.
Who in their right mind would think it's perfectly normal to privatise a commodity that's essential to life? In the Thames Water debacle, customers are mere pawns.
The only winners seem to be the shareholders. The customers have gained nothing from the whole sorry situation.
Gillian Keegan has been free with her wisdom today, stating that the industrial action by doctors is 'heartbreaking for patients' What's heartbreaking is an underfunded system, patients without access to dentists and a government who pay lip service to public services.
Rishi Sunak is coming out with long and tedious word salads in order to avoid answering the questions. He's obviously been coached by his legal team to evade, or not remember. I'm waiting to see a petulant reaction to Hugo Keith's questioning and that will be far more revealing.
When I heard Rishi Sunak talking about 'our proud history of free speech', I wanted to remind him that under his administration, our democratic rights to protest, to vote without barriers and to demonstrate have been reduced. We can now be criminalised for protesting too loudly.
Since when was Mel Stride a medical expert? Yet he wants to demedicalise mental illness and take GPs out of the loop. It's dangerous for patients and insulting for doctors. Mel Stride thinks he knows better and will coerce people into work. He's going to fail ill people.
@Trump_ton
I'm tired of being told that partygate isn't important to me. I'm tired of being told I want to focus on *important* issues. Firstly, it is important, and secondly I can think about more than one issue at a time. But more importantly, I'll decide what I think about. (220 miles).
Esther Mcvey is going to ban diversity roles within the civil service, saying they are woke and a waste of public money. This from the minister who receives £30,000 extra for her brief of 'common sense'.
Having heard Rishi Sunak's new year message, I'm left wondering : where is this wonderful country he talked about? It sounds idyllic and I want to move there immediately.
It's a dark irony that Suella Braverman is speaking out against hate speech when she has used language in public forums that has fuelled division and prejudice.
James Cleverly disclosed on LBC that about half the asylum seekers, set to be deported to Rwanda have disappeared. He says the Home Office are experienced in these matters and will find them, even though they don't know where to look. Is this a real life, or just a fantasy?
It's a scary time to be older, to be poor, to be ill. It's a terrible time if you need the help of the welfare state. It's only a better time if you have the money to buy the services most others can't afford. The safety net is full of holes and the government won't mend it.
Was this the most out of touch, insulting statement of the day, when Dominic Raab declared that: "No one in the country will have to choose between heating and eating, this winter." This, on the day when the £20 Universal Credit uplift is removed.
So Lee Anderson has been suspended because he refused to apologise for his remarks. Have Liz Truss and Suella Braverman apologised for theirs? I see a teeny bit of inconsistency here, Rishi Sunak.
So Andrew Mitchell thinks that MPs who are thinking of defecting to Labour are traitors, and that traitors are despised. Would he apply that characterisation to Winston Churchill, who defected to the Liberal party for 20 years?
Brandon Lewis has 5 part time jobs, netting him over £400,000. He is still a Tory MP but I wonder what his constituents feel about his level of commitment to them in Great Yarmouth.
Apparently, when he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak was against the Rwanda plan because it was too expensive. Before James Cleverly was Home Sec, he was against the policy for the same reason. It seems now that ideology reigns supreme with no thought of cost, compassion or humanity.
Listening to Greg Hands earlier leads me to believe that he lives on a different planet. He described the NHS in glowing terms, with record numbers of doctors and nurses. He claimed that Sadiq Khan is a very unpopular mayor despite Tory Susan Hall being 25 points behind him.
David Cameron has described Rishi Sunak as being a 'strong leader' with a 'huge brain'. Strong leaders don't acquiesce to their backbenchers at every turn, hide from scrutiny or pretend everything in the country is going well. And he hasn't got a huge brain, just a huge ego.
If, being a 'Saga voter', Rishi Sunak is on my side, I have a request for him: Forget tax cuts. Invest the money in public services so that those of us of a certain age don't have to live in fear of not having adequate health care and dentistry as our incomes and health decline.
The govt has declined the offer from the EU to join a scheme for 18 to 30yr olds from the UK to have the freedom to study and live in Europe. They claim that they want to make agreements with 'individual countries'. Another needless, wilful act of pettiness by this government.
Voters who admire Nigel Farage are beginning to sound like the voters who admired Boris Johnson and admire Donald Trump. They think he is a man of the people, a man who says things as they are and a man who says what everyone is thinking. I'm thinking xenophobic and divisive.
@BobGeor27574923
Has anyone noticed that since parliament began recess, Rishi Sunak is everywhere? The government are announcing policies, rather than in the Commons, and I see that as avoiding due process and scrutiny. This govt. is expert at it, despite the PM'S commitment to accountability.
Gillian Keegan is talking about the govt pledge to introduce family hubs. She says family means everything to her. This comes years after the Tories axed SureStart. One of it's most valuable roles was to identify problems at an early stage and support could be given to families.
Government ministers are very keen on claiming that record amounts of money are being poured into public services. Where has the money gone? I see no evidence of improvements in the fabric or budget of schools, no increase in GP numbers and no sign of properly repaired roads.
I'm so looking forward to the time when we don't have listen to Rishi Sunak telling us, yet again, that 'the plan is working'. He hasn't explained exactly what it consists of and it's robotic and tedious. The only plan I want to engage with is a general election as soon as poss.
Nadhim Zahawi has accused Keir Starmer of racism because he concluded a speech at PMQs, on the cost of living crisis with the words: 'he [Rishi Sunak] doesn't get Britain'.
We are being taxed at the highest level since the second world war. In that case, our public services should be in wonderful shape. Where has all the money gone?
The chief inspector of prisons in Manchester, Charlie Taylor, said today that some prisoners are released with a sleeping bag because the prison staff know that they will be homeless. Could there be a bleaker picture of the broken prison system?
Reform don't have a manifesto so there are no published policies on health, education etc. They are a one issue organisation with a self appointed leader. They are undemocratic and exist purely to satisfy a certain demographic and to create division.
It's crystal clear from the Covid Inquiry that many of the mistakes and the chaos in government were what many of us had suspected during the pandemic. The disingenuous performances at the daily Covid press conferences left me full of anger and feeling powerless. Unforgivable.
In the week when the Rwanda Bill returns to the Commons, the government's own documents have revealed that Rwanda has a poor record on human rights. How will they square this one?
Who are the government going to go after this week? They've already sunk to new depths with their pursuit of Carers who have been overpaid, mostly unwittingly, by daring to earn over £151. Carers save our country £millions by working for 35hrs+ for the princely sum of £81.
So now the new draconian Public Order law means you can be arrested *on the way* to protest. Will these people be charged with committing a crime, and if so, which one? Or is it to suppress protest altogether? Shameful.
Thank goodness for people like Victor Adebowale, speaking about the reality of the government's cruel attitude towards people who are ill. At last, someone publicly confronted a Tory Minister with the fact that 2 million of us have Long Covid. The support for us is negligible.
Rishi Sunak says he 'gets up every day and works hard for the people'. He claims to know what the British people want. In that case, why were last week's results so catastrophic? The Tories are living in a fanciful echo chamber where there is big talk but little action.
@RandallNortham
@trussliz
When Margaret Thatcher came to power, there were 1million unemployed and Labour were derided for it. Fast forward a couple of years and under Thatcher's policies, there were 3 million, and our manufacturing base was destroyed.
Just so that Sunak and Atkins are clear, no NHS patients are being taken on anywhere in Devon. The cause is simple: underinvestment and neglect by this Tory government. They, and they alone,are responsible for this shameful situation.
The CAB report that they are receiving 900+ requests for food bank referrals every day. (BBC news). How does that square with Rishi Sunak claiming that 'the plan is working'?
Does anyone know where the 150 judges are, allegedly waiting for the Rwanda asylum seekers, according to the government? I was under the impression that Crown Courts have a huge backlog of cases already, so where are the judges going to come from?