User Profile

[mattster]

The proper fraudulent stuff is long gone, no doubt an eye watering amount of easy money for some. HMRC will of course put a few borderline and legitimate cases through the wringer in a show of doing something, but they won't get much back from the real crooks....

[mattster]

I believe the "loophole" that they are trying to close is something along the lines of you only used to need to "offer" your house for rent, and then only for a certain number of days per year. So of course a lot of people did it (on paper), took the rate rebate and then never or...

[mattster]

Endemic Covid is a myth, apparently, since Covid is inherently a pandemic disease just like measles, small pox and others. We'll get sporadic Covid pandemics, but we won't have low levels of Covid circulating at all times....

[mattster]

Some actual stats for you here: https://www.health.org.uk/publicatio...a-proved-wrong

If you can't be bothered clicking, Covid in the UK has, on average, taken just over 10 years of expected life per death. Flu seems to take...

[mattster]

Holiday lets often/usually qualify for small business rate relief which means they don't pay any rates at all. Total scam, and that's before we get on to the grants they were given over Covid. No wonder locals get the hump....

[mattster]

Full £40k in the pension sorts that, surely? If you're not, you should be....

[mattster]

It's a little bit more than that with randy Andy though, isn't it - the photograph of him with his arm around the waist of the lady in question, who he claims to have never met, being a good example....

[mattster]

"Caused" by Greta is a bit rich, and Putin is only taking advantage of a situation that already exists. Like it or not, we need to "go green", but of course this needs to be managed properly and no recent government has done that. Large scale nuclear (started 15 years ago) would...

[mattster]

The precise legalities of it may be unclear, but people know what happened and that is really at that matters....

[mattster]

People were fined for having 2 people over to their own gardens, which are presumably also private property. I don't believe there was any distinction made in law in that respect....

[mattster]

What finally brings you down in the end is rarely the worst thing you have done....

[mattster]

We'll see. I mean, it would be a hell of a swing needed to overturn the last result, but then again that was an odd election due to Brexit. All in it together doesn't wash when the government's pals are walking away with multi-million pound contracts of tax payers' money for dubious services rendered...

[mattster]

Labour at least improve the NHS and other public services when they raise taxes. We will shortly have the highest tax take for 70 years, all while public spending has been decimated. Not really a vote winning combination....

[mattster]

Possibly, perhaps if it happens soon, but he is the chancellor and we are heading into what is very likely to be the worst year in decades for people's personal finances. Tax rises and raging inflation (they estimate 6-7% CPI, what's the betting we hit 10? and RPI will be way ahead of that) actually...

[mattster]

Yes, agree with all that - just wishful thinking on my part trying to think of a Tory that is not too awful. Most in that bracket left at the last election. The Tory membership is indeed insane, a distillation of the all of the worst elements in the party (my parents in law are members). This is why...

[mattster]

According to one Twitter breakdown I saw, this amounted to about £650k (wholesale value) of courgettes. Win....

[mattster]

Easily done if needed, although she'd have to renounce her peerage too, before being dropped into a byelection in a safe seat. There actually has been a lord as PM before but I believe it is no longer allowed, but still possible to be part of the cabinet....

[mattster]

Leftfield possibility (and rather a good one, IMO): Ruth Davidson?...

[mattster]

I've never got the impression he had any interest, no. Has he ever put himself forward in the past? I suspect that even he has the self awareness to realise that he is unelectable and, as as mentioned above I think he has quite a bit going on the "business" side that he would prefer left ...

[mattster]

I don't think Gove or Mogg have a prayer, thankfully. Truss is apparently the favourite amongst the party members, although God only knows why. Rishi is the only competent one, and the one that probably scares me the most in terms of both being electable and what he might end up doing....