Lee Anderson has joined the Reform UK political party!

I want to come back to the EDI point, because it’s about so much more than LGBTQ+.

To deny the need for EDI is to say:

- it was okay that for decades the AGPAR test used to determine a newborn’s health didn’t work equally well for dark and white skins, leading to worse outcomes for black and brown babies;
- it is fine that cars are routinely designed for men, meaning women are 73% more likely to be severely injured, and 17% more likely to die in a front end collision than men
- there is no problem with Muslim and Jewish children being much more at risk of measles, and all its complications, when a simple tweak to the vaccine could resolve the issue once it is as identified
- that it’s reasonable that people in poorer communities die younger, and live with ill-health much longer, than those in affluent areas;
- that its entirely appropriate that many older people live in isolation due to factors like poor house design, poor transport planning, fewer services for deprived communities
- that it’s fine that charities in poorer areas get less grant funding to provide help to local people than those in more affluent areas, where there are more likely to be volunteers with the skills and time to write funding bids, or the money to pay a professional

I could go on. Are you okay with all those things, Urms? Because without EDI staff and programmes, they would never have been challenged (or even identified).

The Rainbow flag has been around for many a long year now?

Granniesunite

I really need to get out more.. I’ve never seen a rainbow on a real live police car… perhaps Paw Patrol!

They are definitely about in Brighton & London no doubt in other towns/cities.

I really need to get out more.. I’ve never seen a rainbow on a real live police car… perhaps Paw Patrol!

rainbow flags, drag queens, illegals.....lets face it they are all much of a muchness.

Is there evidence that temporary civil servants taken on during the pandemic are still working for the government?

I have yet to see any pride banners in my area, or rainbows on police cars. How many councils and police forces have done this?

It is easy to make wild accusations about what councils have or have not done, but to be taken seriously, we need to see the evidence.

Exactly, Siope.

This is worth a read:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/04/tory-civil-service-jeremy-hunt-cuts-conservative-conference

Some extracts:

Of course, the chancellor is right to say that “new policies should not always mean new people”. But it’s worth remembering what drove the recent expansion of the civil service headcount, from less than 400,000 in 2016 (the smallest size it had been since the second world war, according to the Institute for Government) to 488,000 according to official figures for June 2023.

First, Brexit – which, even when only partially enacted, means permanently increasing the size of the civil service to take on functions previously carried out by European institutions on our behalf.

Covid, too, has shown that having permanent capacity in place to deal with pandemics – a capacity, incidentally, dismantled by Johnson months before Covid hit – is probably a good idea.

Our tech bro PM also has the challenge of squaring reduced headcount with, among other things, a desire to get more science, engineering and digital talent into the government. It was only six months ago that he launched the government’s plan to “cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030”.

Urmstongran

^e.g. how throwing lots of state employees out of work would help to grow the economy...^

Hundreds of extra civil servants were taken on to deal with the pandemic. Talk is now to cull their number. Sensible surely?

To be honest I have no idea what the State would be better not being involved in - all I do know is that it’s bloated, pretty useless in a lot of areas, taxpayers are fed up of EDI issues for example. Goodness knows the government are pretty useless at procurement (NHS, the Armed Forces), give Councils money that is then spent on ‘Pride’ flags and banners outside our town halls. And rainbows on Police cars. Scrap all this nonsense. Get back to basics but have better accountability?

Those civil servants were on temporary contracts and they ended over a year ago. The significant number of civil servants taken on to deal with the additional bureaucracy caused by Brexit are still there…

I have to say, it’s frightening to hear somebody say ‘I do t know what services I mean, but I’m going to vote to get rid of them’.

Germanshepherdsmum

You most certainly are not. He’s a Neanderthal.

I agree and how any right thinking woman or decent man can support him is utterly beyond me!

Urmstongran

^e.g. how throwing lots of state employees out of work would help to grow the economy...^

Hundreds of extra civil servants were taken on to deal with the pandemic. Talk is now to cull their number. Sensible surely?

To be honest I have no idea what the State would be better not being involved in - all I do know is that it’s bloated, pretty useless in a lot of areas, taxpayers are fed up of EDI issues for example. Goodness knows the government are pretty useless at procurement (NHS, the Armed Forces), give Councils money that is then spent on ‘Pride’ flags and banners outside our town halls. And rainbows on Police cars. Scrap all this nonsense. Get back to basics but have better accountability?

Where are your stats and evidence that “hundreds” of extra staff were taken on to deal with Covid AND kept on? Most were taken on as fixed term contractors or moved temporarily from other departments.

Urmstongran

^e.g. how throwing lots of state employees out of work would help to grow the economy...^

Hundreds of extra civil servants were taken on to deal with the pandemic. Talk is now to cull their number. Sensible surely?

To be honest I have no idea what the State would be better not being involved in - all I do know is that it’s bloated, pretty useless in a lot of areas, taxpayers are fed up of EDI issues for example. Goodness knows the government are pretty useless at procurement (NHS, the Armed Forces), give Councils money that is then spent on ‘Pride’ flags and banners outside our town halls. And rainbows on Police cars. Scrap all this nonsense. Get back to basics but have better accountability?

So as well as supporting sexists and racists you now feel supporting the LBGT+ community is wrong and “nonsense”?

Are there any minority groups you do want in “your country” ?

Growstuff, GSM and Dickens - spot on.

Urmston - children’s and adults services were so much better when run by local authorities. The pressure to close residential care/children’s homes and outsource was part of the nonsense austerity programme. Before long, ‘difficult’ adolescents were shipped out of borough because no local private care providers would take these difficult children. 12 years ago, one 13 year old placement was £2500 per week. It was useless. Nothing like what our L.A. could have offered.
I could rant on but I’ll just say, public I was often better, more efficient, higher skilled staff group because of the excellent training departments in many l.a’s

You most certainly are not. He’s a Neanderthal.

Dickens

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m glad that can’t be attributed to the Conservatives now. He is a deeply unpleasant individual.

I'd like to have seen him attempt to tell Margaret Thatcher to stay out of big-boy's politics, she would have roasted him.

Silly man.

Am I the only one who thinks Anderson would like to see a return to misogynistic bullying as the norm?

The "government" isn't responsible for NHS or armed forces procurement. The NHS and armed forces are.

Who are you suggesting should be responsible for procurement, if not the employers?

Maybe individual doctors and soldiers should be responsible for buying their own scanners and tanks!

e.g. how throwing lots of state employees out of work would help to grow the economy...

Hundreds of extra civil servants were taken on to deal with the pandemic. Talk is now to cull their number. Sensible surely?

To be honest I have no idea what the State would be better not being involved in - all I do know is that it’s bloated, pretty useless in a lot of areas, taxpayers are fed up of EDI issues for example. Goodness knows the government are pretty useless at procurement (NHS, the Armed Forces), give Councils money that is then spent on ‘Pride’ flags and banners outside our town halls. And rainbows on Police cars. Scrap all this nonsense. Get back to basics but have better accountability?

🤣🤣🤣 Dickens - what a sight that would be!

It's not his country, it's mine and he can't have it back because it belongs to me, so there!

The above is my appropriately childish response to a manchild who has lost his marbles.

Dickens

Urmstongran

I just wish the State would do less but manage to do what it does do better.

In what way URMS?

Or, rather - in which fields / areas - NHS, social care, criminal justice, education, infrastructure, local government, defence - should it do less (and better) ?

I was hoping for some sort of explanation. Like, how the economics of it would work... e.g. how throwing lots of state employees out of work would help to grow the economy...

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m glad that can’t be attributed to the Conservatives now. He is a deeply unpleasant individual.

I'd like to have seen him attempt to tell Margaret Thatcher to stay out of big-boy's politics, she would have roasted him.

Silly man.

... and (posted too soon)

Featuring a woman wearing a low-cut tank-top, he wrote (on Facebook), “Out with some great knockers tonight in Skegby.”

I think he was on the "Women and Equalities Committee at the time." 😂😂

I’m glad that can’t be attributed to the Conservatives now. He is a deeply unpleasant individual.

Anderson told a female District Councillor (Ashfield) to "stay out if big-boy's politics"

Urmstongran

I just wish the State would do less but manage to do what it does do better.

In what way URMS?

Or, rather - in which fields / areas - NHS, social care, criminal justice, education, infrastructure, local government, defence - should it do less (and better) ?

What a huge amount of fuss for no justifiable reason.