UK Politics- P0rn, Horn and Local Elections

[Spockydog]

Remember the other week when some of the more intellectually challenged amongst us were struggling to comprehend why oil and gas firms are so keen to shower the Tories with cash?

Well, here's your answer:

BP profits double to $6.2bn, fuelling calls for energy windfall tax

Quote

BP’s profits more than doubled to $6.2bn (£5bn) in the first three months of the year, the highest quarterly profit in more than a decade, helped by soaring oil and gas prices.

Analysts had expected a figure of $4.5bn and the higher profit has renewed calls by campaigners for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

Campaigners argue that the money raised by the tax could be used to ease the burden for those hardest hit by the cost of living crisis.

Cost of living: Boris Johnson rules out windfall tax on energy companies – video

Quote

The prime minister said he was not prepared to levy a windfall tax on oil and gas companies, a move that Labour has called for and that was hinted at by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, last week.

Boris Johnson's comments came as BP announced $6.2bn (£5bn) profits for the first three months of this year, figures that the TUC called 'obscene' at a time of soaring bills.

 

[Which Tyler]

8 minutes ago, kiko said:

Sorry my bad. I actually edited that out from my post. Why does he have this compulsion to tell bus-related lies. I'm aware he is mostly lying but the bus lie quote must be 110%. Minimum.

Every time he talks about buses, any googling including the terms Boris and Bus show fewer images of him making proven lies, and suggesting that we fund the NHS properly.

Same reason he lied about painting buses as a hobby

[Heartofice]

9 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

Remember the other week when some of the more intellectually challenged amongst us were struggling to comprehend why oil and gas firms are so keen to shower the Tories with cash?

Well, here's your answer:

BP profits double to $6.2bn, fuelling calls for energy windfall tax

Cost of living: Boris Johnson rules out windfall tax on energy companies – video

 

To counter this argument, which tends to be pretty short sighted:

https://capx.co/no-bps-latest-results-dont-justify-a-windfall-tax/

Quote

BP’s first quarter results have predictably fuelled more calls for a ‘one-off’ windfall tax on the profits of North Sea oil and gas companies. But the numbers actually illustrate some of the arguments against rather neatly.

For a start, BP reported a huge loss of $20.4bn (£16.3 bn) in the first quarter, due to the writedown of its stake in the Russian oil giant Rosneft. This could end up costing the company as much as $24bn, meaning that the company (and its shareholders) could be left worse off as a result of the Ukraine crisis.

Underlying profits were higher in the first quarter, at $6.3bn (£5bn), boosted by the surge in global energy prices. However, these profits should be seen in the context of what happened in 2020, when the company made an even bigger loss of $6.7bn in the second quarter.

The energy sector is a cyclical business where firms already pay more tax (at 40%) when profits rise. Put another way, profits ebb and flow with the economic cycle and with global energy prices – as do the amounts of tax paid. If companies didn’t expect to make more profits in the good years, they wouldn’t bother at all.

 

[Pebble thats Stubby]

On 5/1/2022 at 1:39 PM, polishgenius said:

I thought we needed a proper title I guess the mods can sanction me if I'm overstepping

Can you modify the title slightly  some work nanny filters object to thread titles with the word "porn" in them.   p0rn is fine so is pawn.  

 

Its also fine in the posts just not the thread title itslef.

[polishgenius]

1 hour ago, Pebble thats Stubby said:

Can you modify the title slightly  some work nanny filters object to thread titles with the word "porn" in them.   p0rn is fine so is pawn.  

 

Its also fine in the posts just not the thread title itslef.

 

Done

[Spockydog]

So, that old saying, 'When America sneezes, Britain catches a cold.'

Not on issues like this, right? Right?

 

 

[mormont]

Not on this, I expect. There's certainly an anti-abortion movement in this country and JRM is on record, I believe, as an anti-abortionist, but even among the current Tory party it's not a thing that's ever gained any momentum.

There are bigger threats around freedom and equality but this one isn't an active issue right now.

[Which Tyler]

 

[Spockydog]

 

 

[The Anti-Targ]

12 hours ago, Pebble thats Stubby said:

Can you modify the title slightly  some work nanny filters object to thread titles with the word "porn" in them.   p0rn is fine so is pawn.  

 

Its also fine in the posts just not the thread title itslef.

This is why we don't have pawn shops in some places that speak the Queen's English, too easy for people to get the wrong end of the stick when one says they are going to the pawn shop, or they are off to see a pawn broker. You basically have to mis-pronounce the word for people to not misconstrue what you are saying.

[Soylent Brown]

My porn broker gets really annoyed with all of the people trying to sell him useless junk. What's he supposed to do with it?

[Spockydog]

But.. But.. Didn't he get Brexit done, or some shit?

 

[Spockydog]

 

[Spockydog]

In other what on earth might they be getting for all this money news...

Exclusive: Influential UK net zero sceptics funded by US oil ‘dark money’

Quote

 

An influential Tory-linked lobby group leading the backlash against the UK government’s net zero policy has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from an oil-rich foundation with huge investments in energy firms, openDemocracy can reveal.

The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), which also campaigns as Net Zero Watch, has also received more than half a million dollars through a fund linked to the controversial billionaire Koch brothers.

The GWPF has long refused to disclose its donors and claims it will not take money from anyone with an interest in an energy company.

But tax documents filed with US authorities and uncovered by this website reveal the network of dark money behind it for the first time – including the $30m shares in 22 companies working in coal, oil and gas that are held by one of its donors.

Shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said: “US right-wing groups with links to big oil are desperate to stop action against the climate crisis. Now they are trying to extend their reach into UK political debate."

A registered UK charity, the GWPF is one of the most vocal groups in British politics opposing the government’s ‘net zero’ plans and has been at the forefront of recent calls to restart fracking.

The Tufton Street-based group’s trustees include former chancellor Nigel Lawson and Steve Baker, who leads the ‘Net Zero Scrutiny’ group of backbench Tory MPs and was recently criticised for sharing a paper by the group that denied the climate crisis.

Over four years the GWPF’s US arm, the American Friends of the GWPF, received more than $1.3m from US donors. At least $864,884 of this has been channelled to the UK group, with some being held back for expenses.

Of the £1.45m that the GWPF has received in charitable donations since 2017, at least 45% has come from the US. 

 

 

[Spockydog]

The time is rapidly approaching half-past-general-strike.

Britons should buy value brands to cope with living cost crisis, says minister

Quote

Shoppers can deal with soaring food prices and cope with the cost of living crisis by choosing value brands in the supermarket, the environment secretary has suggested.

George Eustice, the cabinet minister overseeing food and farming, told Sky News food prices were going up because of the knock-on effect of higher energy costs, pushing up fertiliser and feed costs.

He said: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some of the value brands rather than own-branded products – they can actually contain and manage their household budget.

 

[Derfel Cadarn]

27 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

The time is rapidly approaching half-past-general-strike.

Britons should buy value brands to cope with living cost crisis, says minister

 

From the MP whose personal expenses (after deductions for his staff) is apparently about £33k.

That’s more the the avg UK salary. On top of his actual salary.

[Derfel Cadarn]

 

[Pebble thats Stubby]

I have never lived in a Target seat before.  not even for local elections.

 

But this time I've had 6 leaflets / letters from the Lib Dems a couple of which I have delivered as I'm on their list of helpers.

1 conservative leaflet (normal)  but this is the first time they have actually mentioned the Lib Dems and even this time slightly attacked him.  normally its just a line that says "don't spoil things by voting Labour re-elect the conservative"  

and nothing from Labour  sometimes we get a leaflet.

I can only vote for one of these three.

according to the Lib dems there is only 5% of the vote share difference between the Lib Dems and the Conservative form the last time we voted I think last year - when we did actually get our first lib dem councillor.  this time only one seat is up for grabs.

we also get a general leaflet from the lib debs every 3-4 months for the last few years their presence in the area is growing.  still non-existent in the general but this is a safe Tory/ Brexit seat with last time over 60% majority but thats a bigger area which makes a difference.

[Maltaran]

I hope the Lib Dem leaflet had a dodgy bar chart on it

[SeanF]

IMHO, Labour will take Wandsworth very comfortably tomorrow, Barnet will be on a knife edge, and the Conservatives will narrowly hold Westminster, despite finishing behind Labour in terms of vote share.