In the news

If they want modal shift they could do what other European countries are doing and rather than cutting fuel VAT, they are subsidising public transport

That sounds like crazy long-term planning. Something is needed for the current news cycle before the media and politicians move on.

That's the problem isn't it, you need a functioning public transport system to get people to shift and that's a much longer term problem to fix

longer term problem

Therefore not an immediate vote winner & unlikely to get proper investment, especially from this mob. Much easier to bribe the electorate with a last-minute tax cut (after you've put them up previously).

Train is now cheaper than petrol for me. It's a 25-30km journey.

Fucking ScotRail is somehow allowed to cancel up to 10% of their peak time trains though, so I was 30 mins late last week when I went in. What the actual fuck.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/23/uk-inflation-highest-level-in-three-decades

6.2% and double digits by autumn

What if it's a scam that takes place slowly over several months and all the while you're telling that someone "don't tell them your PIN; it's a scam. Look I read this article about it..." and they still fall for it... well it's natural selection isn't it?

According to a Sky News report, P&O Ferries did not need to give the government advance notice of its plans to sack 800 staff because of a change to employment law signed off by Chris Grayling when he was transport secretary in 2018.

Of course he did. Useless twat.

I’m still interested to know how P&O have managed to get 800 visa’s for foreign works on slave wages without some government involvement.

Interesting to see that P&O have suddenly thought it'd be a good time to mention the compensation packets. Minimum amount received will be £15k with half a dozen or so people receiving £100k.

Feels very much like am afterthought made in the hope of limiting some of the brand damage they've caused.

Do people working on ships registered under another country need visas?

Because for UK based jobs, yeah, that wage wouldn't fly & it also takes ages to get anything done from the HO* so if they did need visas this is definitely fishy.

*huge EUSS backlog, family unification visas backlog, work visas backlog...

Do people working on ships registered under another country need visas?

Assuming people working on a cruise ship are covered by the same rules as people working on cargo ships (the area I know a little about), I don't think so. Then again, cargo people tend to spend months (and sometimes years) on their ships so maybe not the same thing.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/23/rishi-sunak-lowers-fuel-duty-by-5p-and-promises-income-tax-cut-spring-statement

NI threshold raised to £12.5k which is fairly sensible I guess. 5p off (car) fuel which is pissing in the wind

Income tax cut by 1% in 2024 in line with Sunak's electoral strategy from last year https://www.cityam.com/rishi-sunak-tells-mps-he-wants-to-raise-taxes-then-cut-them-before-next-election/

Oh, hang on - so 1% off income tax applies to pensioners, landlords, etc. and 1.25% NI increase applies only to workers. Cheers Rishi, you utter bellend

landlords

Oh, that's nice, I was worried about them.

Anyone’s bike featured here?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60835416

Pink Canyon in a Lewisham bedroom a likely candidate

Why worry about brand damage? I haven't caught a ferry for quite a while, but is there really very much competition in the market these days? I'd rather got the impression that cheap flights and the channel tunnel and Eurostar had whittled things down to the point that you're lucky if even one ferry company is still operating on the route you want to take.

https://nypost.com/2022/03/22/singer-told-her-15-7m-followers-all-about-her-gas-crisis/

Fun Twitter thread on just how fucked 50% of the population are:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1505102555742982148.html

In case this thread is too long for you this is a summary. We’re in a crisis. Energy and food costs are going to increase the cost of living of low income families by 14% a year, or £300 a month. More than 70% of households will go into debt unless they cut their spending, a lot.

Seems like the paper just used that as an excuse to show a load of pictures of her not wearing very much.

The New York Post has no place in a news thread

I don't understand how the housing costs are so low? £5.3k annual for median household, inc council tax. Am I just out of touch with non-London housing costs?

That's too low for Belfast now, renting for £500 ex. rates is possible but that's already £6K a year plus rates/agency fees.

Perhaps some country side areas lower the average but it seems low to me. And NI isn't that expensive & our rates are low.

Or it's low due to people having bought a house with mortgage part paid?

Housing was affordable for boomers 20,30,40 years ago, and it still is if they bought something back then. That’s why they think they’re financial wizards.