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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 1h

Would us staying in the EU have made much difference to this ?
Not everything is due to Brexit 🤔

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 2h

In the YouGov 'issues' survey the 'Relationship with the EU' is 15th out of 16 issues that concern people. Since 2022 it has dropped off a cliff 🤔

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 2h

'expected to argue'
Complete fabrication from the Times and all the lets Rejoin people jump on it like it's a leaving train 😂
The Government is going to take 18 months to do a relatively straightforward negotiation on an SPS deal, just on agri-food products, and maybe a bit of Youth Mobility 🤔

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 3h

Seems those newly branded Conservatives are also finding it challenging 😂'It's not easy': Reform council strives to identify promised savings - BBC News

'It's not easy': Reform council strives to identify promised savings - BBC News

Reform UK has run the authority for just over four months and is embarking on the process of setting next year's budget.

share.google

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 3h

👍

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

The UK had elections in 2024 and arguably the new Labour Government is more pro-Ukrainian than it's predecessor 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

Yes of course he's nailed it 😂

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

So the 4000 people at the Valuation Agency are going to give a new value to 6m properties a year for 5 years plus all the thousands of appeals ?. Then start again. I think you are going to need a bigger Agency 😂

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

It doesn't. Landlords can charge what they like as rent 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

They are considering making Landlords pay Class 4 NI contributions to align them with Self Employed people. At the moment they are exempt 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 7h

Oh and they are not at record levels. They have come down since 2023 🙂

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 8h

Because still a large proportion of our Electricity in still generated by gas which we have to import most of these days.
If we didn't have the electricity generated from our wind/solar farms it's been estimated that our Electricity bills would have been 33% higher in 2024 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 8h

Highly unlikely. Joining a new Customs Union with the EU would cause major issues with the US/India/Australia trade deals not to mention problems with our Membership of the CPTPP. Also we have limited capacity to negotiate with the EU and are using it all on the SPS deal 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 8h

Yet when we were in the EU we had the longest ever period of real wage stagnation. GDP growth was only driven by immigration and wealth per capita was flat for over a decade. For that we paid about £10bn a year net when other EU countries (eg Poland) received tens of billions every year from the EU🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 9h

One poll (from guess who?) 😂

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 9h

If the weekly numbers increase then it could transform the picture. Remember flights can happen weekly or daily. Arrivals very much dependent on the weather/season 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 9h

It's simple. If you arrive illegally by small boat you WILL be returned to France.
France are happy because the numbers on their soil will not increase as the legal route will allow the numbers in France to stay the same over time. Essentially it drives the smugglers out of business 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 10h

Just crappy speculation by The Times trying to fill it's pages 😂

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 11h

What is Greece's inflation rate ? 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 11h

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Chinese firm planning £1.5bn turbine plant in Scotland - BBC News

Ming Yang says up to 1,500 jobs could be created if plans for the facility at Ardersier go ahead.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 11h

Complete rubbish. UK gilt rates have nothing to do with being in the Euro or not. UK rates are high because we still still have relatively high inflation combined with a high(ish) debt to GDP ratio and Current Account deficit.
We are not alone in having higher borrowing rates than Greece 🤔

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 12h

They could. But an EU/UK specific Customs Union (UK has to be Member to join full EU Customs Union) would take years to negotiate and has many drawbacks for non EU trade where we have to adopt EU external tariffs. Very questionable 'tangible boost' 🤔

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 12h

Not to mention that the recent proposals to change just a minor part of the relationship 'the SPS deal', will take another 18 months of negotiation with the EU to finalise before it then gets approved by the EU Parliament 🤔

Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 12h

Can't actually think of anything else significant they did except discuss 'what sort of Brexit' between 2016 and 2020. Can you ?
Don't you remember the multiple 'Meaningful votes' 🙂

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Sam Maclaine @sammaclaine.bsky.social · 12h

Polanski wanted to replace Labour with the Lib Dems but that didn't work out for him, so he left.
The Green's are just his latest vanity project 😂

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