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Category: Economics

A Better Medway

A Better Medway

Updated on date by author

Two areas of Medway have elections coming up and a better Medway is needed.  It seems that people are rejecting the cosy coalition of the two-party system in the towns, now that the effects of Brexit + COVID are becoming apparent in what has been termed a “Britastrophe”.  The UN red alert on climate has flagged up the long-term impact of Brexit on climate change:

  • More disaster capitalism means tax avoidance and non-payment of taxes in nation states.  This is bad for our environmental stewardship and our reputation as a world leader in ethical politics
  • A bonfire on standards leads to moral hazard in product manufacture, with a return to shoddy products made in sweatshops and environmentally damaging materials.  One hairdresser in Chatham told me that she was looking forward to the day when she could once again used banned chemicals on her clients’ hair.  She seemed unconcerned that the chemicals are carcinogens when I explained as a Chemist.
  • More global trade = more carbon footprint.  You may say, I don’t care, but what legacy do we hand on to future generations.

Locally in Strood North, overdevelopment of the Hoo Peninsula is leading to the destruction of sensitive environments and threatens to gridlock residents in the Medway towns.  Residents also have concerns about schools, lack of social housing, overdevelopment, litter, public transport and the capacity of the NHS to cope under Johnson’s sale of the century.  It also seems that the issue that dare not speak its name aka Brexit is also causing residents real concerns. It starts to become clear that Brexit was not really about taking back control except in the sense that it has enabled Boris Johnson to give unprecedented amounts of taxpayers money to his cronies and blame all economic, social and political problems on COVID.  Closer to home, food shortages are becoming visible as people realise that we are no longer self-sufficient in food.  With a shortage of 100 000 foreign lorry drivers, the supply of 2000 HGV army drivers from the “Royal Cucumber Corps” is not going to make up the difference.  Walking into Aldi in Strood lettuces are already brown in the displays.  Yes, I know Aldi operate a Just in Time system system, but the food is not supposed to be rotten in the supermarket.  This is just an hors d’ouevre …

Brands Hatch in Strood

Peter Bonney, an ex-deputy headteacher is a local activist for a 20 MPH speed limit in the rat runs along these roads in a congested part of Strood Weston, Cromer, Gordon, Jersey, Bryant, Brompton Lane, Cliffe Road etc.  Peter is the model of an activist, having organised petitions, letters and been given airtime at the local council with his proposal.  He thought all was well when he gained a warm reception across the political spectrum, but then the views of councillors were crushed by Councillor Alan Jarrett for no reason.  Jarrett is a seasoned professional who I have dealt with.  Prospective Green Councillor Cat Jamieson is to take the issue up.  There are many schools in the area and the use of the rat runs presents both a safety issue for children and an environmental issue for all the residents.

People driving at 40 miles and hour up the road is an accident waiting to happen

Overdevelopment

Residents in Brompton Farm Road are concerned about the issue of overdevelopment on the Hoo Peninsula with houses for 30 000 people proposed in a sensitive natural habitat for birds and other wildlife.  One resident described the problem:

“Boris the Builder just wants to build, build, build and the local Tory Councillors support this so they can line their pockets.  Meanwhile Labour are just supine.  We need an independent voice to hold Medway Council to account”.

It’s not just the people on the periphery of Hoo that are concerned.  The housing development will also put pressure on the arterial roads into Strood centre, placing still more pressure on the rat runs. There are also issues with the lack of social housing in the new Riverside developments around the area of Strood Station.

Transport connectivity is key if we are to reduce our reliance on cars

Cat responded to the call from residents:

“Greenwashing won’t wash.  We need to plan development within the towns in ways that are sustainable and sensitive to residents’ needs.  In some cases, that means just saying NO.  In other cases, it will be about finding much better ways to think about our natural resources in consultation with community leaders.  What we have now is local government by diktat. We must Act Now, before the Green Belt turns Brown”.

The Green Party will hold the Conservatives (and the “official” opposition) to account if elected.  Since there is already one Conservative and one Labour candidate, voters can cast their vote for a truly independent voice in the knowledge that they are not eliminating one of the parties, but simply enriching the mixture of views to make better decisions.

The Hoo Peninsula

Find out more about voting Green at The Green Party.

Join us at our event with Professor AC Grayling.

Posted in Britastrophe, Economics, Education, Elections, Environment, Politics | Leave a reply

Bread, Beef, Biscuits, British Bulldogs and Brown Beer

Updated on date by author

Buy British is trending on Twitter. Since I consider myself a patriot, as someone who wishes to keep the Great in Britain by remaining in the EU, I wondered, what can we buy that is British?

Food, Glorious Food

When people tell me that Britain is full, they need to realise that we congregate on approximately 5% of the land mass. 70% of our land is agricultural with 36% arable. The rest grassland, rough grazing, or woodland. From the land, we mostly produce grains; wheat, oats and barley; root vegetables, chiefly potatoes and sugar beet; pulses such as beans or peas; forage crops such as cabbages, rape and kale; fruit, particularly apples and pears; and hay. We produce about 6.5 million tonnes of barley. 1.5 million tonnes are exported, 2 million tonnes used in brewing and distilling activities and the remainder fed to livestock. After Brexit, Michael Gove has admitted that we will see tariffs applied to meat of up to 40%. The Grocer reported that exports outside the EU may not be accepted at all. Lamb farmers are especially vulnerable, as 98% of their production is exported and their business runs on narrow margins.

UK self sufficiency has dropped from 75% to 61%

Apart from the economics, estimates suggest that 90% of the 75,000 seasonal workers in edible horticulture in the UK are migrants from the EU. They will no longer be eligible to come here to pick the fruit and evidence suggests that Britons do not wish to do the work. Read our article on traffic contagion in Kent for more insights.

So, what foods will we not see on our shelves so much after Brexit? Here’s a short list:

“Still, the turnip is quite versatile”

“How about a good British Curry” I hear you say? Well the sauces are made in Patak’s factory in Poland. I understand that people are stockpiling Christmas Puddings, presumably informed by the instruction from Wizzard Johnson that “I wish it could be Christmas every day”. Sadly many of the ingredients are not indigenous to Britain.

Highway Star

“We make cars” I hear you say. Quite correct. Our most popular cars are made by Nissan (Japanese), Land Rover (Indian), Mini (German), Honda (Japanese) and Toyota (Japanese). Tariffs will make cars made in Britain more expensive to buy domestically or uncompetitive to export. We have already seen industry making tough choices on where to locate production and this will continue under Brexit.

Chris Barnett points out that if you want to buy a British car you can buy a Morgan. The engine is German though.

Fad Gadgets

Then there are the rest of the things we consume. Electronics, toys, computers. Most of them are imports which are therefore subject to whatever trade deals and relationships we chose to strike with the rest of the world if we continue with Brexit. Our level of trusthworthiness will largely dictate how these go.

Read our article on Trust by clicking the picture

The Drugs Don’t Work

And it’s not just food. See our article on medicine shortages. People will die for Brexit. Are you prepared to accept this on behalf of friends and loved ones? It’s all on you if you continue to want any kind of Brexit. Ask Wendy Novak about health and medicines after Brexit.

But we have lots of tanning booths, nail bars and hair salons, so that’s alright then …

Dang, most of our cosmetic products are imported

Read our article on how to suspend Brexit by clicking the picture
Read our article on why Rejoining is a unicorn in the mid-long term by clicking the picture

Don’t just sit there:

Gift Britastrophe to MPs to prick their consciences on the toxic mixture of Corona + Brexit

Report MP’s for breaking international law

Ask your MP to act to suspend Brexit 

Find out why Suspending Brexit is still possible

Find out why Rejoining is a unicorn in the mid-long term

Join us at Futurama – an arts festival to change the world

There is no future in England’s dreaming

“We won the war. We won the World Cup. We won Brexit. I’ve not idea what it’s for but I’ll look a bit of a twat down the pub with my mates if I say so”
Still, the Brexiteers can drown in Watneys’ Red Barrel whilst Jacob Rees-Mogg laughs all the way to his tax haven
  • Little Britin
  • 4th Reich and Roll
  • Beyond the Law
  • “Feck Ireland” Boris
Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Cheese, Cummings, Economics, Politics | 1 Reply

Windpower

Updated on date by author

Today, Boris Johnson will promise to power the UK with wind by 2030. In particular he promises £160 million in ports and factories across the country to manufacture the next generation of turbines. Malcolm Miller helpfully points out that this is about “half a footballer”.

It’s an ideal time for Boris to harness the winds of change. While he hasn’t quite blown it with the electorate, some of his back benchers have really got the wind up recently: at his inability to provide leadership, to offer a strategy or fulfil the simplest 3-word pledge. Now, perhaps it’s time to “Make Britain Whirl-beating”.

Since he was a cub reporter in Brussels, Johnson has always been a fan of hot air: from the supposed ban on prawn-flavoured crisps, to a fabrication on euro-coffins, he’s always known the power of a good wind-up. As a man capable of fabricating ‘an inverted pyramid of piffle’ on a whim, we’ve seen his promises on a checkless border for Northern Ireland, an oven-ready Brexit deal and 40 new hospitals for the NHS. Ireland is an unsolvable conundrum, the oven-ready deal’s in the bin, and 40 has shrunk to 6. So, how many times can a man talk up an empty pledge, before he can die in a ditch? Perhaps the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Whilst a blow-by-blow account of Boris’s lies has inflated more blogs than your average gas-bag, let’s look at few choice outbursts:

Let’s spend £350 million per week on the NHS.

Let’s take back control of our fish.

There will be no checks on goods coming and going to Northern Ireland.

We’ll build 40 new hospitals. Six were built.

If I don’t get Brexit done by Halloween, I will die in a ditch.

“How many times can a man talk up an empty pledge, before he can die in a ditch? Perhaps the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind” – Jane Berry

“Wind power couldn’t take the skin off a rice pudding” – Boris Johnson

We’ll get 50 000 more nurses in the NHS.

Pop Brexit in the microwave, gas mark 4.

I’ve had to give drinking up until Brexit is done.

When we leave the EU we can ban shark fin soup.

“Operation Moonshot” (millions of Corona tests with results within minutes) will see mass Corona testing by November. He did not say how many minutes or which year.

When we leave the EU we can have straight bananas.

We’ll get 20 000 more police officers on the street. They sacked 20 000 police offers in 2010.

EU regulations stop us lowering lorry windows to help cyclists.

“I didn’t make any remarks about Turkey” in the referendum”, after indicating that Turkey (population 76 million) is joining the EU.

With thanks to Catherine Reynolds

I will lie (sic) down in front of the bulldozers at Heathrow to stop them building the runway. Instead he was AWOL at the vote.

There may be bumps in the road with no deal.

 “I have not had an affair with Petronella. It is complete balderdash”.

Of the tests conducted at the 199 testing centres, as well as the mobile centres, they’re all done within 24 hours.

We will have a world-beating “test and trace” system by 1 June. Johnson did not say which year …

If you have lived overseas for 15 years Britons, unlike other foreign nationals, get no vote. Boris promised to abolish this law / rule when he came to power.

[20 000 people died unnecessarily in care homes] because too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have.

We will beat the virus by Christmas. He did not say which year …

We’ll help everyone cycle via the fix my bike scheme. The website broke on launch and then they said the scheme had closed.

And some surprises we did not expect:

A hard border in Kent and a “passport” scheme for people driving to Europe.

“Black people are piccaninnies with watermelon smiles”.

On Muslim face veils, Johnson said it is “absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letterboxes”.

Johnson backed a failed plan for a “floating paradise” across the River Thames wasting £43 million of your taxes. A mere trifle in comparison with the £200 billion blown on Brexit so far.

Boris has always favoured breezing through life with no responsibility. But with 15,000 test results lost, 70 mile lorry queues predicted for Kent, and power cuts predicted for next year, perhaps the time is coming when he might reap the whirlwind after all.

Don’t just sit there:

Gift Britastrophe to MPs to prick their consciences on the toxic mixture of Corona + Brexit

Report MP’s for breaking international law

Ask your MP to act to suspend Brexit 

Find out why Suspending Brexit is still possible

Find out why Rejoining is a unicorn in the mid-long term

Join us at Futurama – an arts festival to change the world

With thanks to Chris Barnett, LCD views, Malcolm Miller, Jane Berry, Janet Ashton, Helga Perry, Catherine Reynolds, Elaine Machin.

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Corona, Cummings, Economics, Environment, Politics | Leave a reply

Daily Maul

Updated on date by author
Daily Maul Mangles Brexit
Re-Boot Britain

Take Action:

Report MP’s for breaking international law

Join us at Futurama – an arts festival to change the world

Find out why Suspending Brexit is still possible

Find out why Rejoining is a unicorn in the mid-long term

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Anti-Conservative Tory Government
Click the image to support our work
Whatever it takes, you fookin’ liar Rishi
Eat out to kill people – Johnson
He is now drinking his urine
Alright Geezer
Posted in Arts, Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Corona, Economics, Politics, Trump | 4 Replies
Der Clown

Boris Johnson ist ein clown

Updated on date by author

This latest piece of music portrays Boris Johnson as others see him. Set in the mode of a Kraftwerk song “Boris Johnson ist ein clown” tells the terrible story of Johnson’s record on COVID, Brexit and his personal life. Download the album on Bandcamp to help us continue our work. Please don’t just steal the music, it takes a long time to produce. The video is free and needs sharing widely with this post. Here is just a small segment of Johnson’s record to ponder:

150 000 unnecessary COVID deaths due to Johnson’s “too little too late policy”.

£37 BILLION spaffed away to his mates for non-existent or non-functional PPE. Some of the companies hired to make PPE had no experience in the field.

Breaking lockdowns with lavish parties whilst others saw loved ones die alone in care homes and hospitals.

Multiple lies about non-existent Brexit benefits.

Killing 27 migrants at sea with a policy that has been judged by HMG as “dangerous”.

Still waiting for the £350 million every week for the NHS.

Left his wife for another women whilst she had cancer.

Lied to the Queen.

Watch the video, share and download the songs to support our work

Worst record on COVID in Europe.

Failed to sack Cummings and Hancock whilst he allowed junior ministers to resign for less serious offences.

“Frictionless” trade killing businesses despite promises that Brexit would be “oven ready”.

£840 per roll for wallpaper for the flat at 10 Downing Street on the whim of Carrie.

“Bonfire” on red tape has produced intolerable levels of … Brexit red tape – who knew?

Changed the rules on sleaze to protect Owen Patterson.

Illegally shut down Parliament because he could not get his way.

Failing to wear masks at hospital visits.

Stripped people of their human rights and threats to reintroduce English concentration camps for migrants. In case of doubt, it was England that introduced the idea of concentration camps during the Boer War.

Promised 50 000 more nurses for the NHS, but failed to deliver.

Blames the EU for our self-imposed Brexit when it is his decision alone.

Lied about the Northern Ireland protocol. Continues to threaten peace in Northern Ireland by breaking international law.

Counts hospital refurbishments as “new hospitals”. Counts a pair of gloves as two items of PPE.

Bungled projects : The Garden Bridge. The Scotland-Ireland Bridge. The Isle of Man Bridge. Boris Island. The Festival of Brexit.

Stopping food aid to most vulnerable children in a pandemic.

Allowing water companies to dump shit in our rivers.

Far from Boris Johnson ist ein clown, Boris Johnson is a very dangerous clown. Check more of his lies out at Boris Johnson Lies.

Please click the boot to support our work

With thanks to Colin Taylor, Irina Fridman, Susanna Leissle, Richard Hewison and Ambasuthan J. for their help with this.

Posted in Arts, Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Corona, Cummings, Economics, Europe, Leadership, Music, NHS, Politics, Racism, Sovereignty | Leave a reply
Railway Modeller

Levelling down

Updated on date by author

Here’s our latest piece of satire, based on the familiar railway magazine beloved of Boris Johnson when he is not painting Brexit buses:

Find all our work at Gutterpress – click the image

Read The Financial Times to follow the story of Johnson’s U Turn on the Northern Powerhouse. Some trainspotting notes:

The Diesel in Thomas the Tank Engine was known to be the most belligerent, paranoid, devious and neurotic engine on the SODOR railway. Fitting then that Priti Patel should take the footplate with her £77 000 lashes.

Jennifer Arcuri reported that Boris Johnson offered to be the throttle to power her business. Was this an Alan Partridge metaphor?

Meanwhile, there will be no return to steam or diesel power on Britain’s rail network, as there won’t be a northern rail network. Another Johnson promise broken. If we really needed HS2, it was the part connecting the northern cities rather than the piece we have darn sarf, taking maybe 20 minutes off the journey time to London.

If you like this post please give us a tip on Patreon or Paypal. It takes considerable time to generate these pieces.

Priti Vin Diesel – sorry about Ringo
Posted in Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Economics, Politics | Leave a reply

Steve Baker

Posted on date by author

Guest post by Pedr Ap Robat

My dense but impressionable MP tweets this photo, commenting grandiloquently:

“THIS IS WHAT WE BELIEVE.”

I note that:

  • The Bible didn’t make it into the self-styled Christian libertarian’s shortlist;
  • Both Hayek and Popper warned against the dangers of fanaticism. If I were Steve – though a wise and benevolent Deity has deemed that I’m not – I’d read some Orwell too. And I’d remember that throughout history the best people haven’t believed: they’ve questioned.

Editor’s note: These are the underlying beliefs and driving forces that drove Brexit. Notions of taking back control and saving the NHS are cannon fodder designed to distract you. It is time to stand up and be counted. Enough is enough!!

Behind the mask : fascism unveiled
Posted in Brexit, Britastrophe, Economics, Education, Europe, Politics, Russia, Sovereignty | Leave a reply
MEN

Madchester

Updated on date by author

In our final satirical piece in the series, we take to the Manchester Evening News for some sizzled up news, based on facts, but not limited by them. Our fact checker is out in force below the front page. Read on.

Find all our satirical pieces by clicking on the image

Fact and Fiction Checker

Jacob Rees-Mogg was not searching for drugs but his shameful interview with Charlie Hutchins must be seen. The “Charlie” mentioned in the paper is not Charlie Hutchins, but Charlie Chalk, much beloved by Michael Gove.

As far as we know, Priti Patel has not had work done at The Smile Centre. Perhaps she should. It may just make her more believable when she is viciously threatening the poor and people without homes. Priti Patel’s policies on the right to protest, so-called policing reforms, drowning immigrants and marginalising poor people are steady steps on our sleepwalk towards Brexit fascism.

Bully Back Better

If you like what you see here, give us a tip via Paypal or Patreon. This work takes time and skill – please support it.

Priti Woman – warning adult themes

Rishi Sunak did point out that we’ll have to pay for Brexit in various ways. Watch out for tax rises, NI, triple lock pension removal and a suite of other ways to refill the coffers to pay for the next election.

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Economics, Europe, Gutter Press, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Politics, Sovereignty | Leave a reply
Tory Party Conference Special

The Party Conference to end all Parties

Updated on date by author

In this special edition of “The Sun“, we offer you a short series of the achievements of The Brexit Party aka the Tories in recent times. The Sun presents FAKE news so that you don’t have to hunt for your own. However our own brand of The SUN is filled with some actual FACTS !!

Find The Eyline Times at https://brexitrage.com/gutterpress

FACT not FAKE

Carrie Johnson IS expected to deliver the 11th Johnson baby around Christmas. This will present the ideal distraction from empty plates and missing Christmas trees.

ONS reported that wages have dropped consistently under 10 years of Tory rule. Even Andrew Marr was unable to stomach Johnson’s attempts to distract him from the hard facts. Here’s one part of the car crash interview. It’s hardly possible to call it a car crash these days due to petrol shortages!

2000 soldiers are expected to deliver petrol starting from Monday. We are short of 100 000 lorry drivers, thanks principally to Brexit with further food shortages expected across the mid-term according to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Germans ARE being recruited to help drive lorries as are prison inmates. There’s no need to have experience, as we are desperate thanks to Brexit. Why not go the whole hog and recruit German Prisoners of War? Hence our banner picture !!

We have always had pints, miles, pounds and other imperial measures throughout our time in the EU. The idea that Pints are to be reintroduced by The Sun is FAKE NEWS.

Johnson also reported that wage growth is more important than life expectancy and cancer deaths recently. Still happy?

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Economics, Education, Europe, Farage, Food, Immigration, Politics, Sovereignty | Leave a reply

2016 revisited

Updated on date by author

I came across a Linkedin post that wrote just before the referendum in May 2016 entitled “Should I Stay or Should I Go“. It attracted a lot of commentary including a 2916 word essay from one chap who outlined all the benefits of Brexit. I was reminded of the article and struck by just how inaccurate his predictions were. I reminded the chap of this, an HR professional, now retired. He replied that it was a casual comment and not an essay. He then became angry as I called him to account and phoned me up to tell me to ‘lighten up”. Why would I when he has ruined future generations’ futures? Later on he removed his comment and left Linkedin to cover his tracks. I confess that this was not my finest act of Brexorcism, but nonetheless, I’m sure his essay will have appeared to have weight. I’ve summarised it here as an interesting record of Brexit illusions. The trouble is, he still believes them!! Here is a summary of the main illusions that Paul has swallowed:

TRUE : We are not leaving NATO et al

FALSE : Security implications of Brexit remain unclear

FALSE : Border and travel issues are a major source of Brexit problems

FALSE : The UK economy will benefit by Billions – in fact the reverse is true

FALSE : Farming is a shitshow under Brexit and has hardly begun. Fishing the same

FALSE : Human rights are significantly reduced under Brexit

FALSE : European workers have not continued to flock here under Brexit. We are yet to see the full impacts in transport, NHS, care, hospitality, construction and so on

FALSE : Jobs and production will not move out of UK. We have seen a steady stream of jobs leaving the UK under Brexit and again this is just the beginning

TRUE : We never lost our sovereignty. The withdrawal act stated it on the first page of the document

TRUE : You cannot eat sovereignty

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Economics, Education, Elections, Environment, Europe, Farming, Fish, Immigration, NHS, Politics, Racism, Sovereignty | Leave a reply