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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 31m

The main issue seems (to me) to be logistical - a lot of wealth is tied up in property or shareholdings etc. so people can't keep selling off postage-stamp parcels of land, or whatever, to pay their 2% ... they can raise money from it, of course, but borrowing to pay tax is a bit weird ...

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 3h

UKIP is marginally easier to spell, so that could be the killer blow.

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 3h

Was his buffoonery ever in doubt? Surely the proximity of his name and the word "UKIP" is a sign of his utter pointlessness as far as life, the universe, and everything is concerned?

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 4h

Doors are open, though - that has been made clear by a good number of the key players. Even getting back into the Single Market would ease our economic woes, and I don't think that would present too many issues.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 4h

I don't have an issue with the principle, although I would argue that there are bigger priorities for public spending at the moment, but I just wish they'd stop hanging it on the immigration hook.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 4h

I fail to see why nobody has considered that if ID is not requested (as will be the case with people knowingly employing illegal workers off the books) it makes not one jot of difference whether or not you have it ...

It may stop illegal immigrants getting a job at Tesco, but that's about it.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 5h

That's a disturbing image - may need a while to get that out of my head 🤣

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 5h

Still unclear as to why we don't fix it ... this is like "some kids put a football through my window, so I'll just sit here in the wind and pissing rain instead of getting it mended."

Mindless.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 5h

That was one of the biggest lies of them all, and has wrecked the opportunities of thousands of people, especially the young, from all countries and all walks of life - now you can only do it if you can afford it ...

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 6h

Time to join the dots and do something about it. Blame without action is a Farage tactic.

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 17h

This is what it boils down to, I'm afraid ...

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 18h

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 18h

I think the public funding would need to be restricted to election expenses - perhaps a set amount per candidate, or whatever.

I agree it can't really be for other purposes, and also agree on a cap.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 20h

About time those fish did what they were told.

In fairness, Dean might be related, so perhaps he can have a word ...

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Reposted by David Hardstaff

CajunBlueAZ ⚜️🇺🇸 🇺🇦 @cajunblue.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago answers this question brilliantly. 1/2

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 21h

Done, and shared - have been saying the same thing for a long time ...

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 21h

Please consider signing this - no large donation comes without strings attached, quite obviously, and accepting money from overseas non-nationals, and bizarrely crypto, is clearly absurd, and banning at least those ought not to be controversial in the slightest.

It should have been done already.

Pete @petelihou.bsky.social · 2d

Sadly nobody seems to care.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...

Petition: Political parties to be funded only by membership fees and a government grant

Change the law so that all political party funding is exclusively by capped membership fees and an equal government grant to all registered parties.

petition.parliament.uk

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 21h

Yes - if recent years have taught us anything, in the UK as well, it is that no matter how absurd, laughable, incompetent, and corrupt a politician might be, that is no impediment to achieving high office ...

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Reposted by David Hardstaff

Brendan May @brendanmay.bsky.social · 22h

Always makes me giggle that naive flag shaggers up and down the land fund all this and his many holidays. Utterly gullible fools.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

Imagine when they realise that the best way to reduce civil service staff numbers will be to remove the reason that we had to add thousands to the headcount a few years ago.

Can anyone remember why that might have been?

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

Came into the kitchen and there was a rat on the outside windowsill 🤣

Sadly, that was the last straw, so we put some bait traps down too ...

David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

We had that, and I was told by the local pest guy to remove the food for two weeks, and also keep moving stuff about as rats don't like changes in the environment.

In our case, the rats were after the fat balls too! We had some by a window that they could climb up to, so that wasn't great!

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

The separation of church and state is crucial in 2025 - we can't have the personal belief systems of a minority being translated into legislation that affects everybody - it's clearly absurd.

People are entitled to their faiths, but they are not entitled to force their beliefs onto others.

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

I'm not sure the Brits have the social discipline. Our daughter lives in Vienna, where it's all done on trust - no tickets or passes are required to get on the trains or trams etc. but random inspections take place, and if you are caught without one a dim view is taken!

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

I suspect this is something else - I use it on Android, and apart from a few times when it is sluggish to refresh I have no issues ...

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David Hardstaff @davidhardstaff.co.uk · 1d

Plus the blue is the wrong colour, but that might be a dodgy photograph!

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