Ferrick Brick

Beware of finance industry lobbying. It hired PwC (the firm that delivers dud audits) to produce a report, claiming that UK banks face highest rates of tax. The report included taxes not borne by banks. Omitted countries that levy higher rates of taxes. Integrity never gets in the way of profits.

Maximising profit is not the same as maximising success. In general, maximising profit makes rich people richer and good things shittier

So very true. Thatcher’s legacy is the selling off of water, energy, housing &railways to keep her bankrupt government running. All sold at knock down prices with the PR that those companies buying the debt free assets would invest. In practice they did the opposite and asset stripped them 4 profit

🔥🔥🔥🔥15,000 people have already signed. Add your name now: weownit.org.uk/stopthebailout We have until Thursday, 29th Oct, to get Andy Burnham to BLOCK THE THAMES WATER BAILOUT Now's the moment. Please sign and share widely.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Just marvellous that Jared is doing the hard sell for Russia who, predictably, is collecting blackmailable material illicitly from his iPhone, showing he’s as corrupt as fuck. Then he’s stung by Dutch Intelligence. It’s a thing of beauty. vanityfair.com/story/jared-ku...

“We need to make the transition as fast as possible, not least because genuinely, the future of our kids depends on this.” Ellie Chowns makes the case for accelerating the transition to clean, renewable energy following Labour's approval of Jackdaw on #BBCQT.

Everything for sale. Australia investors buy 19 UK ports, previously owned by investors from Canada, Singapore, Kuwait. City of London prefers speculation. Profits will be exported. Unlike many other countries, UK doesn't levy tax on dividends paid to foreign investors. archive.ph/oYm8k

Thames Water line up former Labour minister John Hutton as chairman, as it tries to win over the govt. Hutton left the govt after the expenses and lobbying scandals. Now pursued by TW to fix things politically, TW is financially, environmentally bankrupt.

Must watch. youtu.be/yJyQXGynwsg?...

If expensive gas was behind nearly 90% of the rise in UK electricity bills, perhaps the question isn’t whether we can afford the energy transition. It’s how much longer we can afford to remain so dependent on gas. Now there's a thought... www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-exp...

Writer @naomiaklein.bsky.social says the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is part of a much longer project of privatization. "After 50 years of outsourcing and hollowing out of public functions of the state, the very last stage is the outsourcing of thinking, of intelligence itself."

You’re absolutely right, the uk government should let the water companies go bust (as they will without support), then seize and nationalise them as essential assets, and at no cost 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺😎

Outrageous that Healey has ruled out equalising Capital Gains Tax with income tax in next week's Budget. Households all across Britain are struggling to cope with the cost-of-living – why won't the Chancellor use this Budget to tax extreme wealth fairly and ease the burden on ordinary families?

This article fails to mention: 1. Private companies cherry-pick patients. I spoke to one lady with cataracts in both eyes. A private company swiftly fixed the simple one, and left the complicated cataract to the NHS🚨 2. Private companies poach NHS staff to do the work🚨 …

If you're not watching Al Jazeera investigates live now, you *really* should The most remarkable undercover footage I've ever seen. Turning Point UK actively involved in soliciting what they think is a hit UK police really need to be watching www.aljazeera.com/video/live

When will this Labour Government stop tinkering? Thames Water is a busted flush. It's worthless. Cheer up the nation. Nationalise it now. Not a penny compensation. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

We have until Thursday 29th October to stop Thames Water from being bailed out yet again at our expense Andy Burnham, block the bailout, remove their licence, TAKE IT BACK. Sign the petition 👇 weownit.org.uk/act-now/tham...

Ugh… Such waste! Our supermarkets bin around 238 million meals' worth of edible food a year WHY??? France made that illegal We could too …with your help. Please sign - takes 30 seconds! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/781821

Don't call it a wealth tax, we need tax justice, our current system pools wealth into a few hands, leaving the state short of funding and millions of people short of life's essentials - and of hope.

It's insulting that Ofwat has offered £2.87 to Thames Water households as compensation for poor performance Water privatisation costs every household in England £176 a year Open letter below: block the water bill hikes and take back Thames Water NOW weownit.org.uk/news/water-b...

Wouldn't a headline like this usually state that Ali won his case? Or that Armstrong and Spofforth lost? The defendants aren't even mentioned by name! Contrast with this headline:

Driverless taxis….no help with luggage, no lovely chats with drivers. Self service tills, no chat, sometimes frustrations with cards, vouchers etc. All designed to cut off interaction with other humans and to cut jobs. What a bleak future for lots of lonely people who need these small connections.

I have never seen coverage of a live trial, one involving allegations of multiple sex attacks on multiple women, framed in a more distasteful way. It's not 'Fame under fire' it's a rape trial. And it involves actual women. And this from the *checks notes* BBC

Excellent long explainer from @monkemma.bsky.social on the "new jobs"/migrants nonsense. I have already complained to www.ipso.co.uk/making-a-com... about the Mail, but feel free to complain about the Sun, Express, Telegraph, etc...

Target pensions or welfare, don't tax banks, neoliberal IMF tells UK Chancellor. Silence on corporate welfare, bank subsidies and profiteering; poverty, equitable distribution of income and wealth. Sacrificing the old, poor, sick to the gods of fiscal rules, so that banks are not inconvenienced.

Allowing this dead-company-walking to be bailed out again, instead of taking it into Special Administration and then permanent public ownership, would be a disgrace and a betrayal by the Andy Burnham government Enough is enough.

UK households paid extra £13961 on bills since 2021 amid soaring inflation Has your net income risen by the same? Income tax personal allowance frozen since 2021. Poorest 20% pay higher proportion of income in direct/indirect taxes than the richest 20%. Hitting the less well-off is normalized.

Water companies in England failed to report more than 50,000 sewage dumpings within the time required. Water companies routinely ignore laws, have 1,200+ criminal convictions, no exec prosecuted, no licence cancelled. Customers fleeced, human health damaged, environment harmed. Govts do nothing.

US sources have confirmed the order to throttle Starshield to hobble Ukraine's ability to defend itself came from within the White House. The security implications for the UK are huge. Along with other European nations, we MUST decouple our defence capabilities from the US. bsky.app/profile/reut...

Private equity has hollowed-out high streets. Famous names, jobs, supply chains destroyed. Aided by the state: PE gets tax relief on interest payments. No tax on dividends paid to owners holed up in tax havens. No inquiry into serial bankruptcies. It is gangster capitalism. archive.ph/zisBU

UK energy suppliers could be forced to pay rivals if they lure customers with cheaper deals. We had this before. it was the market stabilisation charge Rules of capitalism suspended to protect corporate profits. Regulators should end profiteering, protect customers but they don't.

UK ‘an outlier in Europe’ for letting Farage and other politicians present TV shows. GB News, owned by hedge fund manager, is the propaganda arm of Reform/Farage. Politicians must be scrutinized, and not allowed to present news or current affairs programmes.

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#PalantirOut #NoToPalantir No to #TWATSON

Drop-off charges at UK airports to be reviewed after sharp rise. Rip-off charges crafted in company boardrooms, exec pay linked to profits. Public transport to airports isn't always good Review is one thing, ending predatory practices is something else.

Is anyone even surprised by these racist and sexist Reform revelations? When you lay down the welcome mat for these wrong’uns …what do you expect?

Danny Dyer is sick and tired of water privatisation. And frankly, so is everyone else It is time for Andy Burnham to listen to him, Feargal Sharkey, and the millions of people in England who want our water in public ownership

Quelle surprise

You have about 16 million customers and you are their monopoly supplier of something everyone needs every day of their lives and you now need billions of pounds of public money otherwise you are “going bust?” Maybe … maybe someone needs to ask a few questions and get some answers … at last.

This showed up in my email and needed to be shared.

I've reposted this once before but it needs a wide audience. We don't need another #Brexit style battle but a reasoned approach that aims for - as much as possible- consensus.

‘Methinks he doth protest too much’: reflections on the Stroud pro-Palestine rally last Saturday From peaceful protest to mass arrests: is the policing of Palestine Action supporters proportionate, democratic or even effective? @stephenstroud.bsky.social westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/dem...