Part-time Cassandra

Interesting to see so many great British patriots right now begging an American president to bankrupt one of Britain’s last remaining truly national institutions.

Refreshingly honest marketing from Days Inn

Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.

Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.

Lords Heseltine & Kinnock seem more alive to these self-evident truths than most members of the Commons. Similarly, I find thinkers with direct lived experience of far right dictatorship, Greeks of a certain age for example, crystal clear about what’s happening now.

chart showing There are signs that the weakening jobs market is feeding through into pay, as we would expect. Nominal average regular earnings growth over the year was 5% in the 3-months to May (this is the lowest rate since August 2023).

Recent labour market stats show that the jobs market is continuing to weaken.

And there are signs that the weakening jobs market is feeding through into pay, as we would expect. Nominal average regular earnings growth over the year was 5% in the 3-months to May.

More here➡️ buff.ly/gXIjcWm

Guardian headline: Epping asylum hotel protesters ‘upset for legitimate reasons’, minister says Jonathan Reynolds says ‘I understand the frustrations people have’, as police brace for further unrest

We go live to 2029, where a Reform government backs the mob that's terrifying the occupants of an asylum hotel...

Then the mists clear, we realise that it's still 2025, and it's Labour who are legitimising the hate-mongers.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Well done to SWU National Organiser & Union Contact Manager Jessie Hoskin on delivering this important motion at the @gftu.org.uk #BGCM2025 conference.

Well done to SWU Chair @davesocialist.bsky.social on delivering this important motion at the @gftu.org.uk #BGCM2025 conference.

The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 revealed Fewer billionaires, more AI millionaires and Hollywood stars: who’s up, who’s down — and who’s new

350 richest people and families in the UK have wealth of £772.8bn.

Free to pollute, create bubbles in housing/security markets; buy political parties, legislators, shape laws; power to control our lives.

16m live in poverty. 128,000 a year die in fuel poverty.
archive.ph/xNvPk

I'm really not impressed by Labour

Neither is Alf Dubs

Nor are almost every migrant or child of migrant that I know who is massively upset at Keir Starmer using the phase: island of strangers

Shame on Labour for stooping so low dog whistling the populist far right at the expense of their values

Please, if you’re a Social Worker or Social Work student, sign this.

UK food shops report ‘massive’ rise in pensioner shoplifting Kingdom Services boss says retailers seeing ‘different sort of shoplifter’ with more theft by people ‘who just can’t afford food’

UK food shops report ‘massive’ rise in pensioner shoplifting.

Poverty forces people to do desperate acts

Full state pension less than 50% of min wage, loss of winter fuel payment, unchecked profiteering.

Govts perpetuate poverty with low wages, benefit cuts.

Align state pension with living wage

Labour axing care worker visa will put services at risk, say unions and care leaders White paper proposes banning new recruitment from abroad despite care sector relying heavily on foreign workers

Labour axing care worker visa will put services at risk, say unions and care leaders.

Labour pandering to Reform policies.

Debate needs honesty. Without migrant labour UK economy will have lower economic growth/GDP, collapsing services.

Real problem is govt failure to invest in infrastructure.

The Covid-19 Inquiry started its hearings today on Test and Trace.

Counsel for Covid Bereaved Families cited the witness statements from Prof Deenan Pillay, Prof Anthony Costello and me in his opening statement.

All of us highlighted various failures as lost opportunities for pandemic control.

The Spending Review is a pivotal opportunity Having placed investment at the heart of its economic strategy, the Government now has the chance to allocate capital spending in a way that both restores fraying infrastructure and supports big ambitions for future growth. This change of tack is sorely needed, after two decades in which the UK has invested below the OECD average.

The Chancellor made the welcome decision to boost capital spending by more than £100 billion over this Parliament in the Autumn Budget, when she also excluded investment spending from her binding ‘current balance’ rule. We’re heading in the right direction... Despite this, challenges remain. Assuming the Government reverses steep cuts planned by its predecessors and meets defence spending commitments, it already has less than £50 billion left to allocate, and possibly as little as £20 billion.

The capital budgets of departments that deliver ‘social’ (rather than ‘economic’) infrastructure, have seen sweeping per capita real terms cuts since 2010 - the Department for Education has seen theirs fall by 57 per cent. Investing in social infrastructure would disproportionately benefit lower-income households, with services like schools and hospitals used almost twice as much by families in the bottom half of the income distribution as the top half.

A permanent 1 per cent of GDP rise in capital spending in areas like transport and energy would increase growth by 4.9 per cent in the long run. Meanwhile, targeting affordable housing investment in areas with the highest need would mean building in urban areas with high productivity potential, such as major cities, which could simultaneously boost growth.

How can the Chancellor balance new infrastructure investment with rebuilding our broken public services?

Since the election win Labour have

1. Appeased the far right

2. Delivered otherwise good policy ideas in a bad way e.g. WFA

3. Targeted the disabled with cuts instead of the richest with a wealth tax

The result? 808 Reform councillors

Labour need to change direction and be less cruel, fast

Please don’t tell someone clinically vulnerable to get on with your life. It’s ableist and upsetting when many of us are struggling to find protection from vaccines and antivirals. Our government doesn’t care about vulnerable people. Not vaccinating me means I’m much more likely to end up 🧵

Reeves urged to raise basic rate of income tax for first time in 50 years Institute for Fiscal Studies boss Paul Johnson warned Donald Trump’s trade war is ‘badly buffeting’ the UK economy

Economist urges Reeves to hike basic rate of income tax.

NO

Poorest 20% pay higher proportion of income in taxes than the richest 20%.

End tax perks of the rich. Align tax on capital gains & dividends with wages, charge NIC. End partnership NIC loopholes.

Wealth tax. FTT.

End corporate welfare.

Some disabled people could lose £10k a year in benefits by end of decade Experts say planned cuts will deliver series of ‘painful income shocks’ for many

Ministers are silent, but PIP cuts won’t just hurt disabled people — carers will suffer too.

PIP is a passport to support like Carer’s Allowance & council tax reductions. Losing it could cost carers thousands a year, pushing families deeper into poverty.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

It’s not just that it’s morally indefensible for Labour to cut more disability support than Tories ever dreamed of.

It’s that we have been living in the fallout from the last round of austerity & they have learnt absolutely NOTHING. Making the poor poorer COSTS US MORE #r4today

Wow, latest campaign from Led By Donkeys has a former Tesla owner driving on a beach marking the sand with,

"DON'T BUY A TESLA"

And a silhouette of Musk's salute

But the absolutely shocking thing about this, is that they found a day of sunshine in the UK 😁☀️😎

Over 85,000 children in Britain are living in extreme poverty Frontline workers say this is the worst level of child poverty they have seen, as more than half of families struggle to afford food.

Cry for me Britannia.

Over 85,000 children in Britain living in extreme poverty.

Nursery-aged child hospitalised malnourished, caused heart condition, teeth removed.

Govts prioritise arbitrary fiscal rules, won't tax the rich, redistribute.

1% has more wealth than 70% of the population combined.

Today the UK Government Minister announced what look like massive cuts to disability benefits. The Resolution Foundation has calculated around a million (of 3.6 million total) PIP/ ADP recipients stand to lose out. Here's my first take on the announcement.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19020...

***SOLD OUT***SOLD OUT***SOLD OUT***SOLD OUT***

Due to HIGH demand, our annual conference (tomorrow) has now sold out!

You can still follow this event by using the hashtag #BASWCymru2025 on social media on Wednesday 19 March.

@basw-uk.bsky.social

"Crackdown on benefits 'to save £5bn by 2030'"

"Crackdown"

The language used by the media is fuelling fear amongst those in receipt of benefits.

DO BETTER BBC, YOU ARE NOT THE MAIL.

‘First-of-a-kind’ daily pill for endometriosis treatment approved for NHS in England Relugolix-estradiol-norethisterone can be taken at home, eliminating need for trips to clinics for injections

Exciting to see that at home endometriosis treatment to be offered in UK for first time. This could transform lives of those who have this debilitating condition

The collective wealth of UK billionaires rose by £35 million every day last year.

We can afford a supportive welfare state but we have to find the money from the super rich, not from the poorest.

Well said @nadiawhittomemp.bsky.social 👏👏 #r4today

Nadia making the real moral case when it comes to welfare on #r4today
Responding to truly disgusting questions about “incentivising” people out of disability through benefits cuts.
Protecting sick & disabled people from poverty is not only morally right, but saves money long term.
Cuts cost more.

Where are all the employers who are willing to employ people who are currently not working due to poor health or disability? #r4today