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England weren’t great but it’s just about getting the clean sheet and the 3 points and a platform to grow into the tournament. Personally, I expected more from France because Austria are a team that press aggressively and there will be space to exploit. The only real clear cut chance they made...

You’re in a feisty mood this morning! Agreed on everything bar the elected 2nd chamber. We don’t have separation of powers in the same way that the US does so had two elected chambers would cause problems. The reason the Commons can force legislation through against the Lords That said, the...

Funny that the 3 favourites France, England and Portugal have all got off to slow starts. International football is just slower and the priority is to not concede goals (imo). You don’t win anything on the first day. The most impressive teams from Matchday 1 is Spain and then Germany. I don’t...

I wish I was 16-18 again! 😂 Sorry, I missed out the small detail of ‘on demand’ absentee voting i.e. in Northern Ireland it’s restricted and a reason given for a proxy/postal vote. No, there’s been some reports that indicate the system could be prone to tampering and what not. It was...

I also disagree with postal voting, 20% of votes being cast in this way doesn’t quite sit right with me. There’s also a reason it’s not allowed in Northern Ireland too.

My preference for FPTP is more technical. Bearing in mind the rarity that a party will reach 51% of the popular vote, coalition governments become the norm. Which, imo, isn’t what the electorate votes for (in most cases). Let’s use this election to make a hypothetical example: Labour is...

Likewise with Welsh Labour too. Which is my logic when I say anyone expecting big changes from an incoming Labour government will be disappointed by the next election. Totally agree that the Tories absolutely deserve to kicked out of government, the alternative just isn’t going to be much...

It’s plausible, the SNPs record in government (since 2007) is terrible! With no prospect of a 2nd referendum any time soon and a chance to kick the tories out, Labour will regain a lot of the central belt in Scotland.

how many I never mentioned the Laffer curve. Interestingly, when Osborne reduced corporation tax as chancellor, tax revenues went up, not down. The data on high taxation is well established and our tax burden is the highest it’s been since WW2 and rising still. Meanwhile wages are stagnant...

I don’t think Starmer is particularly popular, there isn’t that much enthusiasm for him. The alternative is Rishi, who is a multi-millionaire married to a billionaire heiress running to be PM in an election that is dominated by the Cost of Living. Not only that, it’s been 14 years of government...

Exactly, high tax economies generate poor growth. The economy also wasn’t addicted to quantitive easing back in the 90s and early 00s.

For the sake of the country, I hope Starmer is as competent as Blair… that’s just a very optimistic take. New Labour also inherited a low tax burden which this prospective Labour government will not have the luxury to raise taxes to improve public services as Blair and Brown did.

A quick google search can answer this for you. You do know the UK was bailed out by the IMF in 1976 because we were on the verge of defaulting on our debts? Let’s say we print more money, ok… that’ll lead to inflation, the BoE will then have to raise interest rates. From the ‘mini budget’, we...

Add in the SNP in Scotland too. Present themselves as centre-left and their record is abysmal. They’ve introduced higher tax bands, rent controls and against North Sea exploration - all policies ending badly. Education and healthcare outcomes have got worse. I hope Labour (or someone) wipe out...

Austerity effectively ended in 2017, after COVID and the energy crisis, government spending has gone up and debt to GDP rising too. Now interest rates are on the up (and kept artificially lower by QE), we’re teetering on a debt crisis if financial markets don’t like whatever the government of...

That and being a fan of FPTP are two of my most consistent beliefs even as far back as my A-levels.

Votes for 16/17 year olds is a stupid policy whoever ‘benefits’. We don’t even trust them to drink, smoke or get a mortgage… 😂

There’s nothing transformative in the Labour manifesto and considering how ‘bad’ the last 14 years have been, you’d think a party of change would have more to say on what they’d change. The reality is that the economic climate is such that a lot of governments will be hemmed in by financial...

How would not voting be cowardly? We’re headed for a low voter turnout for a reason, people are dissatisfied with all the options on offer and will either begrudgingly vote for the ‘least worst’ option or stay at home. I will vote, but not entirely enthusiastic about voting for anyone.

Cynical take. Forest is a better move for him and as a player with UCL experience, I don’t blame him if he hesitated and opted against moving to the Championship. More money, obviously but an agent and player holding out for a better team is normal. Good riddance to him, I want players who...