PFI was a con, in exactly the same way that the Conservative claim that we needed austerity was a con.
It was a political decision dressed up as an economic necessity.
That’s how politics works.
1 Like
We are into hair splitting territory. the government didn’t want to incur public debt at that point in time so pushed it from the capital budget at the time to the operating budget in the future.
Every business which has leased expensive equipment rather than make a massive capital purchase has run the same numbers (albeit with fewer zeroes).
Or are you saying the entire leasing industry is a con? (might have some sympathy with that stance mind 
)
Para 1, we agree.
Para 2 is true of business but not true of government, which can do things (borrowing, taxation, QE) which businesses can’t.
Austerity however was a con.
Well, even then not a con - the public had no power to choose austerity or not, in fact I doubt the rank and file MPs in parliament did either so they were not “conned”. they were lied to about its necessity.
Brexit, now there’s a con.
Sometimes, yes - but we’re talking the “Black Wednesday” era which limited the government’s options quite a bit.
And the rest is politics!
I was about to type something similar but life got in the way.
There’s a difference between what can technically be done and what can be politically done. We might not like it but it is the reality.
See Yes Minister for responses to polls and questionnaires regarding the questions asked and the way they are phrsed. It’s a classic.
Are you sure that’s genuine? The ankles and feet of the woman on the left look AI-ish.
Someone thought of that. The Byline Times has an article.
Yes, I saw that before I wrote my response. I also searched for the image, and couldn’t find it in any reliable source. The Byline Times is notoriously left-wing, of course, and seems to be the only media site to have published it. (It’s exactly the sort of thing the Guardian would publish, of course!)
All very interesting, of course!
I’ve never seen Byline Times as an unreliable source. They’re good investigative journos and are often early with stories. Time will tell if this one’s right but they do detail quite a few deletions of posts by Reform people and even 30p Lee.
It certainly could be true!
I have seen suggestions that it has been doctored.
Where did you see that, plod?
The story is on LBC’s website now.
‘A statement from Cllr Paul Watson, Reform UK Group Leader at Wigan Council, said: I can confirm that Wigan Council’s legal team is currently conducting a thorough investigation into this matter. As such, we are not in a position to comment further until the process has been completed." ‘
Why is Byline Times notorious?
Below is a fairly neutral description of the organisation:-
Byline Times claims to focus on investigative reporting and publishing articles that are not found in the mainstream media. The organization also claims it is not “politically partisan” but is “not neutral” and “stands against corruption, injustice and the erosion of truth and the rule of law.”
What I find most interesting about the affair is that what Reform claim to be the ‘original’ pre-doctored photograph has apparently been edited with AI.
3 Likes
Liverpool Echo running it now.
Spiked is where I got the information.