Winter fuel payment

[Boomer54]

2 hours ago, LenT said:

NEWS FLASH!!!

Sue Gray has just resigned as Starmer’s Chief of Staff.

No mention if her inflated Salary will be redistributed among deserving pensioners this winter!

Martha V is telling us "there will be dancing in the streets". As the joke goes "what do you call an accountant at the bottom of the ocean?". A Good start as is Mz Gray.

[Boomer54]

1 hour ago, Kevin Williams said:

 

He will be gone by xmas ,because Santa wants his naughty Elf back.

[Phil xxkr]

6 minutes ago, Kevin Williams said:

More than 970 migrants cross Channel - the highest daily number this year

The figure is the highest daily number this year, surpassing the previous record for 2024 - which was 882 people on 18 June.

😱😱😱😱😱

[Phil xxkr]

6 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

Martha V is telling us "there will be dancing in the streets". As the joke goes "what do you call an accountant at the bottom of the ocean?". A Good start as is Mz Gray.

The one I heard was "what do call 50,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean - a start 😎

[Malc1]

553,365.  Signatures now

AGE. UK.  Petition 

WINTER FUEL PAYMENT 

 

Malc 

[Boomer54]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

Her background is most interesting 🤔

Yes, agreed. Almost looks like she could not abide the 'stink' of Starmers association with freebies. Based on her background I could see how that would be the case.

[Phil xxkr]

2 hours ago, LenT said:

NEWS FLASH!!!

Sue Gray has just resigned as Starmer’s Chief of Staff.

No mention if her inflated Salary will be redistributed among deserving pensioners this winter!

Unfortunately she hasn't gone gone. She has a new role as envoy to the devolved regions including Mayors etc. Par for the course, at the first sign of storms ahead get shunted, temporarily to another area on full pay of course. Then bide your time until it blows over to make a return in a bigger role. 😕

[Boomer54]

🤔

Well, when I reached out and asked them if they wanted to come and sign the petition may be something got lost in translation. 

[Malc1]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

Unfortunately she hasn't gone gone. She has a new role as envoy to the devolved regions including Mayors etc. Par for the course, at the first sign of storms ahead get shunted, temporarily to another area on full pay of course. Then bide your time until it blows over to make a return in a bigger role. 😕

Thinking she’s probably honest and so truthful it hurts like hell to those avaricious nincompoops presently in senior Govt roles ……. including the PM and those terribly dopey Decision Makers …….. change is afoot and hopefully greater clarity with honesty is ahead for us to bathe in the glory of a new straight honest thinking Govt ……. assuming Labour remain in power I’m wondering how high Sue Gray can go ……. presumably she can’t be anointed as Prime Minister 🤔

Does a PM need to be an elected MP ??

Just a maybe not so wild thought 🤔

Malc 

[Boomer54]

16 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

Thinking she’s probably honest and so truthful it hurts like hell to those avaricious nincompoops presently in senior Govt roles ……. including the PM and those terribly dopey Decision Makers …….. change is afoot and hopefully greater clarity with honesty is ahead for us to bathe in the glory of a new straight honest thinking Govt ……. assuming Labour remain in power I’m wondering how high Sue Gray can go ……. presumably she can’t be anointed as Prime Minister 🤔

Does a PM need to be an elected MP ??

Just a maybe not so wild thought 🤔

Malc 

Hey look I am still available if I can just get the catheter and other stuff disconnected.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

She has a new role as envoy to the devolved regions including Mayors etc

A more cynical person might regard this as a classic example of a boondoggle!

Namely , the creation of a sinecure that eases a person who has become an embarrassment into a new non-job from which - in due course - they can gracefully exit.  It’s what Civil Service managers often do -  when in doubt, create another level of Civil Service management!

[Boomer54]

3 minutes ago, LenT said:

A more cynical person might regard this as a classic example of a boondoggle!

Namely , the creation of a sinecure that eases a person who has become an embarrassment into a new non-job from which - in due course - they can gracefully exit.  It’s what Civil Service managers often do -  when in doubt, create another level of Civil Service management!

Yes, the good old sideways shuffle.

[Lmafudd]

She was largely described as the only Pensioner to have benefitted from the Labour Government too. I guess she still is now she will be doing her 'vital' new job that will probably afford her another few grand in the pension pot!

Who said life should be fair? Answers on a postcard to Labour HQ please!

[Phil xxkr]

3 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Thinking she’s probably honest and so truthful it hurts like hell to those avaricious nincompoops presently in senior Govt roles ……. including the PM and those terribly dopey Decision Makers …….. change is afoot and hopefully greater clarity with honesty is ahead for us to bathe in the glory of a new straight honest thinking Govt ……. assuming Labour remain in power I’m wondering how high Sue Gray can go ……. presumably she can’t be anointed as Prime Minister 🤔

Does a PM need to be an elected MP ??

Just a maybe not so wild thought 🤔

Malc 

The advantage of an unwritten constitution is that it can be bent as the need requires. There is no written constitutional requirement for a Prime Minister to be an MP (although many recent acts of Parliament refer to the post) The title is unofficial (and began as a term of derision); the official post is "First Lord of the Treasury". So there is no written rule that says the PM must be an MP, there is no written rule that says the Queen can't pick her favourite horse to be PM.

[Malc1]

Then SG just might be positioning herself to be PM ……. I’m sure there’s plenty worse eh ! 🤣😂🥵

Malc 

[Phil xxkr]

17 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

Then SG just might be positioning herself to be PM ……. I’m sure there’s plenty worse eh ! 🤣😂🥵

Malc 

Stranger things have happened! 

[Boomer54]

8 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Then SG just might be positioning herself to be PM ……. I’m sure there’s plenty worse eh ! 🤣😂🥵

Malc 

Looking at her background it looks unlikely. She presents more as a apolitical bureaucrat.

[LenT]

9 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

there is no written rule that says the Queen can't pick her favourite horse to be PM.

Well it’s not without some form of precedent.

Allegedly, Caligula liked to keep the Senate on its toes by threatening to appoint his favourite horse, Incitatus, as a Consul!

Mind you, Caligula only had the top job for four years before he was assassinated.  Probably best not to read too much into that!

[Malc1]

1 hour ago, LenT said:

Well it’s not without some form of precedent.

Allegedly, Caligula liked to keep the Senate on its toes by threatening to appoint his favourite horse, Incitatus, as a Consul!

Mind you, Caligula only had the top job for four years before he was assassinated.  Probably best not to read too much into that!

We’ve already had a few donkeys appointed to this Top Job ……… the thought to appoint an Apolitical Sue Gray sounds immensely plausible right now 🤔

And I’m actually being serious 

Malc 

AGE. UK. Petition   now at 

553,551  signatures 

 

[Boomer54]

2 hours ago, LenT said:

Well it’s not without some form of precedent.

Allegedly, Caligula liked to keep the Senate on its toes by threatening to appoint his favourite horse, Incitatus, as a Consul!

Mind you, Caligula only had the top job for four years before he was assassinated.  Probably best not to read too much into that!

There is a moral to that tale. "read" more live longer.

Anyway there are more recent precedents for bloodless coups and taking power. Thinking Boris and Carrie !!

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Malc1 said:

an Apolitical Sue Gray

With respect Malcolm,  I’m not sure that even Sue Gray would describe herself as ‘apolitical’.  

[Phil xxkr]

3 minutes ago, LenT said:

With respect Malcolm,  I’m not sure that even Sue Gray would describe herself as ‘apolitical’.  

Must have been mis -typo, think he meant a political hack 😎

[Phil xxkr]

3 hours ago, LenT said:

Well it’s not without some form of precedent.

Allegedly, Caligula liked to keep the Senate on its toes by threatening to appoint his favourite horse, Incitatus, as a Consul!

Mind you, Caligula only had the top job for four years before he was assassinated.  Probably best not to read too much into that!

You raise a host of similarities here Len. Caligula was known mostly for his horse and sister 😱 but also, for giving his soldiers a pay rise to ensure loyalty, expanded the port of Ostia to encourage more throughput, restored Treason trials to the Senate, spent on huge public projects. The only divergence I can see is he repealed unpopular taxes but let's see at the end of the month. 🤔

[Boomer54]

2 hours ago, LenT said:

With respect Malcolm,  I’m not sure that even Sue Gray would describe herself as ‘apolitical’.  

Len, I referred to her as apolitical. That was in the sense she appears to hold no party persuasion inparticular, but functions as a civil servant bureaucrat brought in to referee 'issues' for Parliament in general. I reached that conclusion based upon her career todate.

[Malc1]

the party system has quite clearly failed us right now with very poor thinking and gaumless presentation by this present PM,  Govt and the former too ..........  an Apolitical new fresh PM wouldn't go amiss .........  provided of course she could be removed when her fresh job as PM  is thought to be " done "

553,712  Signatures now at the

AGE  UK  Petition

WINTER FUEL PAYMENT

 

Malc