General Politics Thread

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

2 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

I believe Francois is currently training as an analrapist.

Or possibly being used for training by them would be more likely. 

[Granny Danger]

This is genuinely a fucking scandal.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-council-tax-durham-property-planning-permission-b1016505.html

Dominic Cummings and his family are liable for council tax on two properties built at his family’s farm in the northeast of England, but backdated charges that reportedly could have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds will not apply. 

Officials have concluded that charges for the buildings, on the outskirts of Durham,  should start from this month rather than from when both properties were built, without planning permission.

The Northern Echo, which first reported the story, said council tax would be paid on Mr Cummings’ band A cottage, and his sister’s band C family home from 4 October. The paper claimed the amount written off could total up to £50,000.

The Valuation Office Agency refused to comment on individual cases when approached by The Independent.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

1 hour ago, Granny Danger said:

This is genuinely a fucking scandal.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-council-tax-durham-property-planning-permission-b1016505.html

Dominic Cummings and his family are liable for council tax on two properties built at his family’s farm in the northeast of England, but backdated charges that reportedly could have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds will not apply. 

Officials have concluded that charges for the buildings, on the outskirts of Durham,  should start from this month rather than from when both properties were built, without planning permission.

The Northern Echo, which first reported the story, said council tax would be paid on Mr Cummings’ band A cottage, and his sister’s band C family home from 4 October. The paper claimed the amount written off could total up to £50,000.

The Valuation Office Agency refused to comment on individual cases when approached by The Independent.

They're not even bothering to hide it these days. Britain is basically Mugabe's Zimbabwe with shite weather and less dead farmers. 

[Jim McLean's Ghost]

Ponsonby on STV trying to get Ferrier to quit is quite hilarious. Trying to say that it is for sure she is going to face a by-election.

She hasn't been convicted of a crime (and certainly not one that will have a sentence of over a year) and no other MP who has broken lockdown rules has been suspended from parliament, and not for the required large number of days that would be required for the recall process to begin.

edit: it would be bad for democracy if the SNP were able to force out an MP for a minor infraction as it would be another tool that parties could use to hold over rebel mps. Vote with us or we reveal your minor offence to the Speaker and get you chucked out of parliament.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Jim McLean's Ghost

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Ponsonby on STV trying to get Ferrier to quit is quite hilarious. Trying to say that it is for sure she is going to face a by-election.

She hasn't been convicted of a crime (and certainly not one that will have a sentence of over a year) and no other MP who has broken lockdown rules has been suspended from parliament, and not for the required large number of days that would be required for the recall process to begin.

I'd imagine her parliamentary colleagues and staff will expect her knowingly putting them in danger to be treated far more seriously than fiddling expenses. Ten days suspension and there's an recall vote requiring 10% of her constituents to approve. She hasn't got the blind loyalty in Rutherglen that the freeloading shyster Ian Paisley Jr had in  North Antrim.

[Jim McLean's Ghost]

3 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I'd imagine her parliamentary colleagues and staff will expect her knowingly putting them in danger to be treated far more seriously than fiddling expenses. Ten days suspension and there's an recall vote requiring 10% of her constituents to approve. She hasn't got the blind loyalty in Rutherglen that the freeloading shyster Ian Paisley Jr had in  North Antrim.

That isn't the law though. And the recall law was brought in because there was mass fiddling of expenses.

And why hasn't any other MP been suspended? Not just her that has breached Covid rules. There is no justification for a 10 day suspension other than the SNP leadership want it.

[welshbairn]

27 minutes ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

That isn't the law though. And the recall law was brought in because there was mass fiddling of expenses.

And why hasn't any other MP been suspended? Not just her that has breached Covid rules. There is no justification for a 10 day suspension other than the SNP leadership want it.

I can't think of any other MP who chose to take a test because they were feeling symptoms, travelled 400 miles by train to work, made a speech, received the positive result and then travelled 400 miles back home on a train again. Let's forget about the shopping, beauty parlour, swimming pool and church. She's excelled herself. Only Cummings came close, whose sacking she demanded. There is no excuse, I can't even imagine a worse breach of the rules by someone in power, especially while her constituency is being told to be on near lockdown. The Speaker of the House was fucking raging when the news came out, he's responsible for the welfare of all the staff and cleaners etc in the HoC, I'm not expecting much leniency. The SNP  will have little say in it.

Edited October 13, 2020 by welshbairn

[Granny Danger]

8 hours ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Ponsonby on STV trying to get Ferrier to quit is quite hilarious. Trying to say that it is for sure she is going to face a by-election.

She hasn't been convicted of a crime (and certainly not one that will have a sentence of over a year) and no other MP who has broken lockdown rules has been suspended from parliament, and not for the required large number of days that would be required for the recall process to begin.

edit: it would be bad for democracy if the SNP were able to force out an MP for a minor infraction as it would be another tool that parties could use to hold over rebel mps. Vote with us or we reveal your minor offence to the Speaker and get you chucked out of parliament.

Minor infraction?

I’m an SNP member and I want her gone, but I would also want her gone if she was Labour, Tory or anything else.

[Granny Danger]

8 hours ago, Day of the Lords said:

They're not even bothering to hide it these days. Britain is basically Mugabe's Zimbabwe with shite weather and less dead farmers. 

If I lived in the said area I would not let this go.  There must be some ombudsman that this decision can be referred to.

The decision is fundamentally flawed regardless of whether its Cummings’ family or anyone else.

The fact that the buildings were built without planning permission Is bad enough.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

43 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

If I lived in the said area I would not let this go.  There must be some ombudsman that this decision can be referred to.

The decision is fundamentally flawed regardless of whether its Cummings’ family or anyone else.

The fact that the buildings were built without planning permission Is bad enough.

It's the sheer greed of it as well. Cummings and his family are fucking loaded. £30,000 of Council Tax would be buttons to them. I imagine a couple of Tory councillors would have leaned fairly heavily on the Council's Chief Exec who in turn would have ordered the debt to be written off. 

[mizfit]

When the tories are finally booted out I’d love nothing more than to see the fuckers dragged through the courts.

It’ll never happen, but by f**k I’d love it so much.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

16 hours ago, Day of the Lords said:

They're not even bothering to hide it these days. Britain is basically Mugabe's Zimbabwe with shite weather and less dead farmers. 

So far, at least. A profession known for high suicide rates, the latest "send us any old shit" scrapping of food standards might  well see a spike in sales of shotgun cartridges.

Honestly, I can't even sum up a "serves the Tory voting cúnts right". This fucking mob really are bent on breaking our society at every turn, aren't they?

[Jim McLean's Ghost]

8 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

Minor infraction?

I’m an SNP member and I want her gone, but I would also want her gone if she was Labour, Tory or anything else.

Yes. A minor infraction. That even if she was found guilty of the offense in a court of law she would only face a small fine.

[Billy Jean King]

This is genuinely a fucking scandal.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-council-tax-durham-property-planning-permission-b1016505.html
Dominic Cummings and his family are liable for council tax on two properties built at his family’s farm in the northeast of England, but backdated charges that reportedly could have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds will not apply. 
Officials have concluded that charges for the buildings, on the outskirts of Durham,  should start from this month rather than from when both properties were built, without planning permission.
The Northern Echo, which first reported the story, said council tax would be paid on Mr Cummings’ band A cottage, and his sister’s band C family home from 4 October. The paper claimed the amount written off could total up to £50,000.
The Valuation Office Agency refused to comment on individual cases when approached by The Independent.

The exact same policy would be applied by any Scottish valuation board in that circumstance. The error lies with the valuation board (a separate body independent of LAs) not the LA. If the VB fails to act on a material change they generally will make the change from the date that error is discovered. The authorities must have been aware of the construction despite no planning permission as completion certificates would have to be issued to allow habitation.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

1 hour ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Yes. A minor infraction. That even if she was found guilty of the offense in a court of law she would only face a small fine.

Not if she got charged with culpable and reckless conduct which would absolutely be a reasonable charge for that action. 

[Granny Danger]

2 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

19 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

This is genuinely a fucking scandal.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dominic-cummings-council-tax-durham-property-planning-permission-b1016505.html
Dominic Cummings and his family are liable for council tax on two properties built at his family’s farm in the northeast of England, but backdated charges that reportedly could have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds will not apply. 
Officials have concluded that charges for the buildings, on the outskirts of Durham,  should start from this month rather than from when both properties were built, without planning permission.
The Northern Echo, which first reported the story, said council tax would be paid on Mr Cummings’ band A cottage, and his sister’s band C family home from 4 October. The paper claimed the amount written off could total up to £50,000.
The Valuation Office Agency refused to comment on individual cases when approached by The Independent.

The exact same policy would be applied by any Scottish valuation board in that circumstance. The error lies with the valuation board (a separate body independent of LAs) not the LA. If the VB fails to act on a material change they generally will make the change from the date that error is discovered. The authorities must have been aware of the construction despite no planning permission as completion certificates would have to be issued to allow habitation.

A completion certificate relates to a building warrant not planning permission.  I would be surprised if they applied for a building warrant but not planning permission and equally surprised if they had done so and the LA had not cross referenced it.

[Billy Jean King]

A completion certificate relates to a building warrant not planning permission.  I would be surprised if they applied for a building warrant but not planning permission and equally surprised if they had done so and the LA had not cross referenced it.

The certification would be handled by the LA though the council tax banding isn't, that's done by the valuation board. Having worked in this sector in the past valuation board tend to be a law to themselves, they simply pass notification of a new property and it's band to the Council. Failure to pick up a new property isn't uncommon but it's not an error on the Council's part and the Council can only apply C/Tax from the date the VB apply the band to the property. No element of Chief Exec intervention to influence backdating.

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Yes. A minor infraction. That even if she was found guilty of the offense in a court of law she would only face a small fine.

What would your reaction be if the person sitting opposite on a long distance train journey mentioned they'd just had positive test results for Covid19?

[Granny Danger]

The speaker has banned the sale of alcohol in the Commons bars.

George Foulkes will be desperately hoping the HoL does not follow suit.

 

[Baxter Parp]

Sounds about right.