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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 20:44 22 Oct 2025
This has to be a strong contender for worst display of the season. The Swans showed a general lack of quality and far too much loose play. In terms of the main events, we saw a highly preventable goal and a street-wise centre back getting a naive young lad sent off. I thought Yalcouye tried hard, but conceded possession too easily and showed his stupid side with the sending off. I was in the "give Sheehan more time" camp, but this was a big black mark. Sticking Galbraith at full back solves the Key problem but neutralises our main mid-field threat. |
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Reply | Caerphilly by-election
at 15:53 22 Oct 2025
I share the doubts about Reform. However, my line of reasoning is that a really good showing for Reform in the Senedd elections would not in itself cement Reform in government in the long term and might well have a highly positive effect in bringing the other parties back to something closer to sanity. |
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Reply | Budget Speculation - Part Deux 2025
at 15:48 22 Oct 2025
I wonder if we would have seen the same upward trend in disability spending without COVID? It may be that shifting cultural norms were already having an effect. Some writers have interesting things to say about how the contemporary preoccupation with "wellbeing" is leading to a medicalisation of what we used to regard as normal problems of living.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9783616/ |
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Reply | Rape gang enquiry
at 15:31 22 Oct 2025
Hard not to take a strong personal dislike to some of the key players in this fiasco - Jess Phillips in particular. They fought tooth and nail to stop an enquiry happening and now try to dilute its impact.. |
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Reply | Caerphilly by-election
at 15:27 22 Oct 2025
The "more of the same" point is spot on. I hope we don't get another tired Labour-Plaid coalition. Surely people can see we would just be rewarding pretty much the same politicians who have brought us to where we are now. It would reflect almost as badly on the Welsh electorate as the idea that you could pin a red rosette on a pig and still get the usual result. |
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Reply | Senedd election 2026
at 17:10 21 Oct 2025
The term illegal is ambiguous. The 2022 Nationality and Borders Act makes it clear that irregular entry and arrival are illegal. The 1951 UN Convention mentions "illegal entry or presence", but provides a path for asylum seekers to regularise their position if they present themselves to the authorities without delay. Understandably, many people think it is fair to refer to cross channel asylum seekers as people who entered illegally, which the 2022 Act says is indeed the case.
However, the term illegal is also used to refer to persons who entered and did not present themselves to the authorities or do not meet other criteria for refugee status, and also refused asylum seekers who resist being removed.
It is true that this latter group mostly get fewer benefits that current asylum seekers, but most of them still get something, They all get urgent NHS care, and those who have Home Office protection or fall into exempt groups (like victims of human trafficking) get the same NHS care as the general population. The same applies in varying degrees to accommodation and subsistence. Perhaps Brake20 can explain what he means by illegal and how people in that position get less. Does he just mean people who enter and disappear into the grey economy? |
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Reply | Rape gang enquiry
at 09:23 21 Oct 2025
Not impressed with the statement coming from the Home Office. I suspect that the ideology prevalent among many senior civil servants is a major barrier to an effective inquiry. |
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Reply | Budget Speculation - Part Deux 2025
at 09:15 21 Oct 2025
Last month's government borrowing was the highest for many years. Public expenditure is running about 10% higher than last year. It won't take long to arrive at a financial crisis if this goes on much longer. [Post edited 21 Oct 16:05]
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Reply | No hope
at 15:32 20 Oct 2025
A word some on the Left use is rentiers. Can rentiers - even smallish ones with flash watches - be champions of progressive causes? |
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Reply | Loan Watch
at 14:00 19 Oct 2025
Yes, watched the game and impressed with his progress. |
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Reply | Southampton v Swansea City : Match day thread (UPDATED)
at 14:27 18 Oct 2025
Not at our best, but gritty point. The international break did not help us, but if we were really challenging for promotion a game like this against an out-of-form Saints team would be the kind of game we win. |
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Thread | Private healthcare for small boat migrants?
at 08:46 17 Oct 2025
A company that has previously provided healthcare in prisons and secure settings, including immigration detention centres, has recently been given a contract to provide cross-channel migrant healthcare "from the point of disembarkation to dispersal". That initially applies to the Manston Reception Centre and other arrival points, but potentially would seem to include healthcare in migrant hotels and other centres used before migrants can be dispersed to other types of accommodation like flats and HMOs. DrPA is apparently getting a contract worth about £60 million if an option to extend to 10 years is taken up.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37017003/taxpayers-bill-migrants-private-doctors/
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/taxpayers-to-fork-out-another-60m-so-smal
https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/1-14970669839
https://drpasecure.co.uk/
I suppose the Government will argue that it has a legal duty under the treaties the UK has signed to provide healthcare to asylum seekers. What strikes me about this is the contrast with what our courts have decided when British patients denied treatments have gone to judicial review to argue that the Government (or now the devolved governments) have a duty under the primary NHS legislation to provide comprehensive healthcare. Past court judgements in this area have said there is no absolute duty, and that Government must be afforded discretion to provide healthcare within available resources.
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Reply | That’s another fine mess Mr Starmer
at 11:01 15 Oct 2025
As I understood the gist of the thread, it was the recent influx of Chagossians (as per the OP) that some linked to the Starmer deal, not the legislation giving Chagossians citizenship rights, which as you say had nothing to do with the present government. As I suggested in the thread, look at the reports of what the recent arrivals said and ask the question "why now?" |
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Reply | Hostages and Prisoners
at 10:53 15 Oct 2025
Actually there was lot of killing as Hamas and Fatah struggled for power in Gaza. The Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights claimed that over 600 Palestinians were killed in the fighting from January 2006 to May 2007 after Hamas won an election. I think we have to accept that there is more support for Hamas in the Gaza population than some like to think. You only have to look at the crowd egging on the recent executions or the street celebrations on October 7th. |
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Reply | Budget Speculation - Part Deux 2025
at 10:44 15 Oct 2025
Rachel is meeting the IMF to explain to them why their inflation forecast makes the UK's situation look worse than it is. I sincerely hope that she won't have to go back for a bail out in the next year or two. |
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Reply | Farage
at 11:01 14 Oct 2025
I understand and sympathize with the sentiment, but let me make a helpful tweak and say you meant: "When we had the Welsh Office". This was the department under the Secretary of State for Wakes until 1999, when the majority of its functions were transferred to the newly created National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government. However, the role of Secretary of State was retained and Jo Stevens is the current minister. She is supported by the Wales Office. This is a much less powerful body that supports the minister and promotes our country's interests.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/wales-office |
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