# In the news thread
**URL:** https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17
**Category:** General
**Created:** [March 4, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17 "2019-03-04T15:57:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 662
### Author:  [@Garlicnaan](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Garlicnaan)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15163 "2024-02-21T12:26:21Z")
Weakness: Eczema
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### Author:  [@anonymity](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/anonymity)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15164 "2024-02-21T12:27:36Z")
Let’s hope so - she is the female Fabricant.
Big up Post Office guy for taking no shit.
Let’s hope the independent advisor sacked by Cleverley (lol) does the same and we can wave goodbye to that prick too
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### Author:  [@Les\_Zeppelin](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Les_Zeppelin)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15167 "2024-02-21T19:02:18Z")
Just got home. What the absolute fuck is going on in British politics now???
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### Author:  [@anonymity](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/anonymity)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15168 "2024-02-21T19:16:26Z")
Everything is performative toilet
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### Author:  [@Chopper](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Chopper)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15169 "2024-02-21T20:21:40Z")
Think it’s at the point where they shout “ice berg dead ahead”
And will be fully sinking when the GE is called .
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### Author:  [@Les\_Zeppelin](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Les_Zeppelin)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15170 "2024-02-21T20:57:20Z")
So from what I understand the SNP tried playing a bit of politics, Labour played politics back and then the Tories tried joining in as well.
…over the destruction of lives in Gaza.
Well done everyone.
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### Author:  [@wayout](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/wayout)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 9:51am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15173 "2024-02-22T09:51:48Z")
How did this happen? I know councils have been getting squeezed by the government but what else caused this mess?
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### Author:  [@voodoo](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/voodoo)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 10:14am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15174 "2024-02-22T10:14:37Z")
Yeah M’boro council are on the verge of bankruptcy too, I think we’ll be seeing this more and more…
> **[Middlesbrough Council to ask government for £15m loan](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg3x9qez8xeo.amp)**
>
> Middlesbrough Council leaders say they are struggling to set a balanced budget for 2024-25.
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### Author:  [@ihatethegeneralpublic](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/ihatethegeneralpublic)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15175 "2024-02-22T10:16:04Z")
Woking was the first one I heard of.
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### Author:  [@jimvo](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/jimvo)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 10:24am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15176 "2024-02-22T10:24:02Z")
Not squeezed, strangled. 50% cuts. The sums just don’t add up
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### Author:  [@Scurbrampwoody](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Scurbrampwoody)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 10:42am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15177 "2024-02-22T10:42:50Z")
> [@wayout](#):
>
> I know councils have been getting squeezed by the government but what else caused this mess?
I think a contributing factor, (aside from the obvious sustained underfunding), was the precedent set by the result of an equal pay dispute which started a good few years ago.
I believe what started that was some supermarket checkout workers who were predominantly female noticed that they were paid less than their warehouse worker colleagues who were predominantly male. The claim was the discrepancy in pay rates was down to women being paid less than men rather than the difference in pay actually being due to the jobs being fundamentally different.
Someone then came up with a way of comparing apples with oranges by scoring different aspects of the roles which ‘proved’ that the two different positions required the same level of skills etc. and the difference in levels of pay was wholly due to the sex/gender of the workers involved and therefore was discriminatory as defined by the equal pay act.
Common sense may have suggested that they’re different jobs and there’s legally nothing stopping anyone from choosing to do either one of them and sex/gender shouldn’t have been an issue in that respect. You want a higher hourly rate then take a warehouse job. You want a little more flexibility in the hours you do then take a checkout/ shop floor based job. But that’s another kettle of fish.
Anyway, I think that supermarket thing inspired a group of council employed lunchtime assistants, (‘dinner ladies’), which is a role predominantly held by women to note that refuse workers, (‘bin men’), were paid significantly more than they were. It was again suggested that this was a male / female pay inequality issue rather than the jobs being different. Again the apples and oranges form was rolled out and, lo and behold, it turns out that the jobs were in fact ‘the same’ and the, in this case, perceived gender pay gap needed to be rectified. This went to court and the lunchtime assistants won their case. This opened the doors for every other council around the country to have to do the same. Not only for the roles involved in the original case but across the board in local authority roles. The result was backpay and wage increases were going to cost the local authorities huge sums of money that they simply didn’t have.
> **[‘It’s going to cost billions’: UK councils face huge bills over equal pay claims](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/09/going-to-cost-billions-uk-councils-huge-bills-equal-pay-claims)**
>
> GMB union is supporting 3,000 claims in Birmingham – and is gathering evidence from 20 other councils
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### Author:  [@markg](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/markg)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 11:01am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15180 "2024-02-22T11:01:31Z")
I don’t know why they keep saying this. It’s not like there aren’t tons of Tory councils in a massive black hole as well.
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### Author:  [@ihatethegeneralpublic](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/ihatethegeneralpublic)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 11:29am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15181 "2024-02-22T11:29:33Z")
Pointing to the council being Labour run muddies the waters just enough for the pitchforks to remain in the sheds, for now. This should be yet another scandal which is picked apart publicly.
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### Author:  [@jimvo](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/jimvo)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15182 "2024-02-22T11:39:22Z")
It pisses me off that the word austerity is repeated by the media as it sounds like something noble or stoic when it’s just a Tory catchphrase for massive spending cuts
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### Author:  [@TerryTibbs](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/TerryTibbs)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 11:53am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15185 "2024-02-22T11:53:56Z")
Can someone ELI5 what the fuck happened in the Gaza ceasefire vote yesterday please? I’m confused!
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### Author:  [@Les\_Zeppelin](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Les_Zeppelin)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 11:59am UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15186 "2024-02-22T11:59:27Z")
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv0O72niqjI)
Sums it up pretty good tbf
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### Author:  [@Chopper](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Chopper)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15189 "2024-02-22T12:27:22Z")
She’s gone cuckoo big time , Q-anon lite and her being in America is like a pig in shit being surrounded by the delusional.
The thatcher comparison, FFS .
She would be that crazy cat lady on your street if she didn’t find politics .
Hope she stays over there
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### Author:  [@Chopper](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Chopper)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15190 "2024-02-22T19:26:07Z")
Perfect
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### Author:  [@Dent\_Face](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/Dent_Face)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15191 "2024-02-22T21:25:45Z")
Nottingham is an extreme example, but it’s essential down to mismanagement on the council’s part. They put in a lot of money to Robin Hood Energy which went bankrupt, leaving them pretty vulnerable for a few years before they eventually had to declare bankruptcy.
The council have had to ask residents some pretty brutal questions about what they want depleted funds to cover as they need to make huge cuts. proposals include:
> Proposal to introduce a charge for use of public toilets
> Restructure and reduce Adult Social Care Assessment function
> Close Jackdawe in-house homecare and source from external market
> Reduce Youth Service
> Reduce public transport infrastructure
> Review Concessionary Fares
> Review of Museums Service to identify alternative delivery model reducing reliance on council funding
> Review of Library Service
> Introduce baseline service level for mechanical road sweeping
> Reduction in Not in Employment, Education or Training Prevention Budget
> Cease all grant funding of Lunch Clubs
> Close The Oaks and Cherry Trees Residential Care Homes for Adults
> Close Colwick Park Activity Centre
> Cease Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Telephone Service
> Permanent closure of City Centre water features
> Cease contributions to the Cultural Sector
Pretty dystopian stuff. The council executive have refused to back the cuts so government commissioners have been brought in to oversee them, meaning the city no longer effectively has an elected council.
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### Author:  [@gawkrodger](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/u/gawkrodger)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://ukskateforum.co.uk/t/in-the-news-thread/17/15192 "2024-02-22T21:32:25Z")
[https://x.com/Christian\_Sayer/status/1760661023311171803?s=20](https://x.com/Christian_Sayer/status/1760661023311171803?s=20)
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