Bring it on Elon!

I think it's absolutely essential to have assistance in certain areas. Not speeding fines (slap it on and give a leaflet!) or renting a home, (up to the person to ensure help!)
but for healthcare, courts, and some benefits.

In the UK govt pamphlets aimed at the public are translated into a variety of languages which can be very helpful

My point exactly illustrated right here. These helpful administrative aids cost a lot of money!

Have you looked at the back of NHS literature - pamphlets, blood test appointments - Urdu anyone? Gujarati perhaps? Polish? As in other countries, let those who need the service find their own interpreters. I’m with Reform on this.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I think Reform (Tice in particular) want to seriously address the wastage in the UK. I think that Musk will have this in his sights too. Look what he did when he bought Twitter (now X), Cut unless jobs and encouraged free speech. No wonder the Twitterati moved on ..

This illustrates the scale of wastage of taxpayers money:-

In October, Reform MP Rupert Lowe (I really like him) tabled a Parliamentary question to uncover the cost of translation and interpretation to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over the last five years. From £2.7 million in 2019-20, it had jumped up to £6.9 million in 2023-24. 😮

Over the whole five year period, it had cost taxpayers over £27 million in translation and interpretation costs for just one government department. According to Mr Lowe, nearly a million calls to the DWP last year required an interpreter.

The scenario is much the same across the public sector, be it the NHS, the Judiciary, or local authorities.

In the UK govt pamphlets aimed at the public are translated into a variety of languages which can be very helpful. Here in France I have to use Deepl sometimes to translate official documents. Furthermore, documents are written in plain English whereas here they are sometimes incomprehensible.

When we lived in Suffolk my DH had a French lady teaching him French. He took a document to her and she didn't understand it. She said that most people have a fonctionnaire in their family and that person is asked to explain.

Go to any European country and local authorities transact only in their mother tongue. Get a speeding fine in Spain? - Spanish. Want to rent a home in France? - French. Need a hospital appointment in Germany? - German. Stop this nonsense.
We really ARE soft!

*useless

I think Reform (Tice in particular) want to seriously address the wastage in the UK. I think that Musk will have this in his sights too. Look what he did when he bought Twitter (now X), Cut unless jobs and encouraged free speech. No wonder the Twitterati moved on ..

This illustrates the scale of wastage of taxpayers money:-

In October, Reform MP Rupert Lowe (I really like him) tabled a Parliamentary question to uncover the cost of translation and interpretation to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over the last five years. From £2.7 million in 2019-20, it had jumped up to £6.9 million in 2023-24. 😮

Over the whole five year period, it had cost taxpayers over £27 million in translation and interpretation costs for just one government department. According to Mr Lowe, nearly a million calls to the DWP last year required an interpreter.

The scenario is much the same across the public sector, be it the NHS, the Judiciary, or local authorities.

Wyllow3

"We are seeing a once in a hundred years seismic shift in our politics."

Towards what? In what ways? with what policies?

There is a definite move towards Popularism in Europe and the USA and I think that young people in this country who were too young to vote re the EU will find these policies of Farage appealing.. I despair frankly for the future.. but this is what inequalities, lack of available housing, very expensive education and an unsustainable high cost of living can lead to..

I think Iraq was the point when public anger about the tail wagging the dog became a real issue and many were disgusted we followed the USA blind into a dodgy war.

Since then we have acted within NATO (yes, that does include the war in Afghanistan) and security wise/geographically it makes sense to continue to align ourselves within NATO Especially vis a vis Russia.

This is the man who is trying to get the rule which requires companies to report automated vehicle crash data. On Thanksgiving Day 2022 the autopilot of a Tesla crossing the Bay Bridge in San Francisco suddenly failed and it veered across into another lane causing a pileup. Luckily no one was seriously injured.

This from an American motoring organisation.:

"Washington, D.C. – November 1, 2024 – The U.S. government auto safety regulator is investigating Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) over crashes that have occurred in the so-called full self-driving mode (FSD).

The investigation could lead to a recall of roughly 2.4 million electric vehicles and comes on the back of four accidents, including one that resulted in a fatality."

Some food for thought - but realistically Starmer is making huge efforts to re engage with Europe according to the newspapers. Let’s not forget that Starmer is pm so he is ahead of the game so unsure the USA will dictate our foreign policies, health systems etc. It has felt to me that the USA has a record of dominance in foreign affairs. It has a much greater budget but that’s regardless of Musk buying into Reform.
As my family live in the Uk, I do have a forlorn hope that some good news will eventually filter through!

ronib

But why would anyone want to buy this country? Musk is the world’s richest man - why for one minute would he throw his money away in our direction? We haven’t got the best economy so isn’t this debate all pointless media spin to undermine Farage?

1. A foothold in Europe that is USA aligned not looking like becoming more Europe aligned.

2. Open door policy for US investment in such areas as health.

3. Imposing US standards on goods and services so we become attached economically.

4. Not having an independent foreign policy generally but returning to being the tail that the dog wags.

The obscenely rich in the USA seem to want to cause chaos by buying their way into political decision making. An "I've paid, now you do what I want" attitude.
It won't matter what happens to the ordinary Americans because whatever goes wrong, the billionaires and millionaires won't be affected very much.

Here Farage, Tice and Candy (who apparently contributed to both Labour and Conservatives) are millionaires too. They have the same attitude. Unfortunately, in both countries, the seemingly brainwashed hail the far right as the being able to save their country from the ills that any opposition party will bring. Delusion anyone?

Farage is only interested in money and power. Being aligned to Musk etc gives him the boost his ego needs. Quite pathetic really.

ronib

But why would anyone want to buy this country? Musk is the world’s richest man - why for one minute would he throw his money away in our direction? We haven’t got the best economy so isn’t this debate all pointless media spin to undermine Farage?

I think it will be interesting to see what happens in the US. Trump and Musk between them have completely bonkers ideas about how to run a national economy.

According to economist , Stephanie Kelton, a great deal of what they want to do to 'reduce the debt, will require the approval of Congress. We don't know how Congress is going to jump, even if it does have a Republican majority. Some of them could still be quite sensible...

There's also a strong possibility that the US stock market is heading for something of a crash. It's running very hot at the moment with shares overvalued. It would only take investors starting to sell off their shares, hoping to make massive profits at the top of the market, to start a slide in share values as too many come onto the market to be sold...

Delila

Chocolatelovinggran

Hmm - what does one of the world's richest men buy himself for Christmas?
Let me think...oh, a country..

For a start, at least, little old Britain - start small.

🤣 ha! That did make me laugh - thank you!

But why would anyone want to buy this country? Musk is the world’s richest man - why for one minute would he throw his money away in our direction? We haven’t got the best economy so isn’t this debate all pointless media spin to undermine Farage?

Promises of seismic change and Musk potentially handing over 78 million pounds doesnt just mean fiddling around with current political directions. It indicates fundamental policy changes.

They are talking about rebuilding a new political movement

and it's no good just talking about walking into sunnier uplands

yet being evasive on even the broad brush principles on which this is based.

Until we know what it involves - for us, for others - home and foreign policy, we simply cant discuss pros and cons.

Farage hasn't spent 5 or was it 6 visits to Musk just talking about how much will you give us.

It had to involve give us for what and the directions Reform backed by foreign agency intend to propose. Reform have talked about "building a movement" - you cant do that on rhetoric that has no policy flesh and bones.

Chocolatelovinggran

Hmm - what does one of the world's richest men buy himself for Christmas?
Let me think...oh, a country..

For a start, at least, little old Britain - start small.

Hmm - what does one of the world's richest men buy himself for Christmas?
Let me think...oh, a country..

I am at the stage in life where if a politician’s lips are moving, they’re lying

Will this change for me? I have no idea, but it will take a strong truthful politician/party leader with truthful and dedicated people behind them to make me think differently.

Cannot see anyone of that calibre in U.K. politics at the moment.

Labour supporters presumably also took it on trust Parsley3? Looks like trust is an outdated concept. Bound to be disappointed.

Reform supporters can only take it on trust that Musk has developed a love for Britain. Why would he? Reform must be trading something important in return for his donation to make it worth his while. Musk is a business man after all so what is the deal they are considering?

Shinamae

Wyllow3

I'm just asking what the politics/policies actually are.

Well, we were told what labours policies were weren’t we
and look how that has ended up,a complete car crash. so many lies to get into government and then reneging on so many policies.
Reform have plenty of time to put their policies together..

Exactly. I can't understand why some on here continually defend Labour. They have lied and done so much damage in such a short space of time and the rate of inflation continues to rise!

Wyllow3

I'm just asking what the politics/policies actually are.

Well, we were told what labours policies were weren’t we
and look how that has ended up,a complete car crash. so many lies to get into government and then reneging on so many policies.
Reform have plenty of time to put their policies together..

This is what Farage actually said and, in my interpretation means little. Vague sort of promises; social chit-chat maybe? Every day I give some thought to something and dismiss it the next.

He said: “Money was discussed. We are in negotiations about whether he can help. He is fully behind this. He is motivated enough by what’s going on in Britain to give serious thought to giving money.

The Greens will never develop into a full party in our lifetime…. So where does that leave us?