The Poolie Bunker

So Labour are responsible for the fact that the economy basically tanked from getting into power until the start of the Iran war then. We finally got there. You don't service your debt by destroying your economy, the ideal is for more to pay a lower proportion of taxes than fewer to pay a higher proportion of taxes, the former disincentives individual and businesses the latter disincentives. - basic economics. What's the point of being successful if the government are going to take a bigger percentage of your money alive or dead?
Labour is destroying the economy, the war will simply accelerate that but FFS accept that the last 2 budgets have had a negative impact and that's Labours fault.

thats what i said about the time unemployment reached a million. it was a disaster under thatcher but worse now. thatcher was hated and called uncaring but this present lot only seem to care about a certain minority who will look after itself anyway.

And live their entire lives knee deep in shit.

Not my problem, Starmer’s …..he wanted the job.

According to the Siam Daily Red Star newspaper the UK is thriving under its current leader Sir Keir Can't Put A Foot Wrong Starmer, the UK economy is outperforming every other country in the world, and the population are super happy with their government.
Meanwhile in the real world that is the UK the country is rapidly turning into a cess pit, led by possibly the sleaziest PM in history, the economy is on the brink of recession, the National Debt is rising while GDP is falling (both to continue year on year according to the OBR), employment is falling, spending on benefits is rising, inflation is up, and most of the country are royally pissed off.

Point out where I said the U.K. is thriving PTID, spending on benefits is never going to go down as long as working part time low earners are being topped
with benefits. We now have the bad back syndrome, hundreds of GPs have said they have never refused to sign a patient off work for mental health issues, with no disrespect is a GP qualified to diagnose a mental health illness ? Don’t Psychiatrists/psychologists diagnose mental health issues ?
End of my discussion about the state of the U.K.,economy, it depends on what daily rag or news channel you watch.
Just a suggestion if the U.K. is such a cess pit move elsewhere, Google most affordable places to retire too, plenty of choices out there.

I'd rather stay put thanks, but I'd rather the country wasn't going to the dogs.

Stop complaining about the state of the U.K. then, unfortunately nowts going to change not in our lifetime as long there is wealth inequality, in the UK its severe and widening, with the top 10% of households owning roughly 57% of all wealth, while the bottom 50% own less than 5%. Driven by soaring property and pension asset prices, the wealth gap has grown by 50% in eight years, with the top 1% holding as much as the bottom 50% combined.

What about the pig…?

It's my prerogative to complain I'm a resident, tax payer, council tax payer, voter, etc
You don't live here but constantly criticise Reform, Farage, Truss, Boris, etc etc
If we don't make our voices heard then we have no right to expect anything to change for the better.
Labour are doing nothing to close the wealth divide, driving wealth away from the country, depressing ambition, robbing pensioners and fuelling inflation are making things worse.

All the above I have paid all my working life and still pay income tax and I am eligible to vote, I have a right to criticise as I like to know how my taxes are being spent.
You live on cloud 9 if you think the millionaire Tories and Reform would close the wealth gap, Reform have already said the minimum wage is too high.

You sound like a dedicated Labour Voter who has suddenly realised it’s all going tits up and just can’t admit to it…so try and deflect their fire at every other Party in a vain attempt to pretend……things can only get better…but you never criticise the Greens ….. who are actually taking the labour votes.

So Jamie the expat has a right to criticise but tells me to stop complaining? Yep definitely a Labour stasi member trying to shutdown free speech - for others.

Yes I was at one time a dedicated Labour supporter but currently sitting on the fence.

Not shutting down free speech, you are good at making bullets but never do nought about it.

So why were you telling me to stop complaining while claiming the right for you to do so.
I do plenty of stuff to try to improve my lifestyle, including corresponding with my MP and local Councillors, volunteering, charity stuff, etc, you move away then continue to attack any politician that isn't Labour from afar.
You really do need to start considering your previous posts before writing the next one, it's easy to make yourself look silly otherwise - "stop complaining" followed by the next post saying "I'm not shutting down free speech" being a prime example.

PTID don’t you realise I am winding up most of time, previous posts, too many to think about tbh, for some reason you appear to be going out of your way to trip me up. It’s like the Spanish Inquisition, the phrase "Spanish Inquisition" meaning that people ask questions all the time, it is used idiomatically to describe a situation involving intense, unexpected, or unreasonable questioning of a person.
Let’ts put the subject to bed as the topic is about Trump not Labour Party.

I don't need to go out of my way to trip you up, you do a fine job of stumbling over your own 2 left feet absolutely unaided.
Threads often evolve from one subject to another, as I said maybe worth considering previous posts before posting any more eh?

You are repeating what I just posted, I don’t remember what I post, why should I, in fact some times I don’t know what day or time it is, part of growing old, you take life too seriously, chill. Time for a stroll down to the beach to have a beer and watch the sun go down albeit it looks like rain so might not see the sunset, no problem it’s warm rain.

Yes I was at one time a dedicated Labour supporter but currently sitting on the fence.[/quote]


Farage has a lot of mates in the farming community,Jamie..best be careful where you sit.

Farage has a lot of mates in the farming community,Jamie..best be careful where you sit.[/quote]

Reform UK has lost more than 5 per cent of the councillors it had elected six months ago, their support is waning, they got elected by saying they would freeze council tax on their flyers and none of them have.

could be a case of reality hitting them once in power and found it was impossible to do what they wished. when your main slogen is about stopping the boats it has nothing to do with the day to day running of a council. may might tell us if there support is waning although i feel myself its peaked now.

I suspect debating with Jamie is like debating with a semi educated speaking clock, he addresses everyone like he’s at a public meeting…..that repeats the same old cobblers….best leave him to chunter to himself.

He says to stop talking about Labour because it's a Trump thread and then almost immediately switches it to his bogeyman Farage!!

He pretends he's moved to Paradise.
Well Aye.

well i actually did, but it was paradise street in rugby.

Well aye you will never know as it sounds like you never leave the town but prepared to criticise people who do, through work and holidays I have been to many places some hell holes, some ok but would never class any of them as paradise. Thailand currently gives me an affordable living, Europe some where like Italy, Malta although Portugal would be my choice if I had to leave Thailand, it’s great to have choices in life though, no barb wire fences round Hartlepool.

You wouldn’t know Snowy, I think you and me could have a d3cent debate, I will be looking out for you in Seaton on my trip there in April/May, 1 man with 2 dogs, my accommodation overlooks the promenade.

accomodation. is that going to be squatting in an old boarded up hotel.

I can’t think of a boarded up hotel in Seaton, now if I told everyone where I was staying they could come knocking on the door, hopefully the Trump fiasco isn’t going to curtail my trip.

Man of the world eh…really…? …..nah, people who tell the world and give a list of where they’ve been, tend to miss the point.
They say travel broadens the mind….in your case it put it through food blender..
Oh and the constant digs about ‘never leaving the town’ give it a rest, what are you clumsily trying to imply about the residents….you’re only out there to save more of your money hoard….I find it all a bit….sad.

I am not saying all the residents of Hartlepool don’t leave the town, I have met a few here and elsewhere.
Of course I am here to save money, why not, what I save contributes to my holidays, I don’t horde it.

Trump has relaxed the sanctions on Russian oil exports for 30 days, great idea, what does he think they are going to use the money for ?
The same Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft
President Donald Trump has stated that rising oil prices benefit the United States because the country is the world's largest producer of oil, allowing the US to "make a lot of money". I thought the idea of the war was to remove the regime in Iran ?
Yet Ukraine sends drone experts to assist the Americans on their expertise on how to deal with drones, that’s gratitude for you !

Weapons,missiles,oil ,gas,drones and gold....There's money to be made from a smart investor,Jamie?

How strange, there's money to be made from oil and gas production, jobs to be created and sustained, tax revenues to boost government coffers, an absolute reliance on those sources of energy until they are adequately and sustainably replaced, yet Mad Milliband refuses to allow the UK to open up any new oil and gas fields or consider fracking for the vast resources under our feet.
A green zealot as Energy Secretary is plain stupid.
Russian oil and gas has been under sanction but never cut off completely. Like it or not the whole world is reliant on oil and gas.

Bankrupt councils..Does the 14 years of Tory rule or the 2 years of Labour Party economic disaster apply here,Jamie?

Nah,i'd be looking at maybe los poscillos,matgaorda ,puerto del carmen,Lanzarote..La carihuela,marina Benalmadena...Adeje,Arona Tenerife ...2 months of the winter tops...


Egypt's the best value for a pensioner's jolly in the sun for a month by a long way..

I don't believe a word unless i see it on Truth Social.

Tried most of the above places certainly not affordable to live on a U.K. State pension because of high rental, most of the decent places on Tenerife are booked up solid in the winter months. I couldn’t stay in any EU country for 90 days at a time due to the new rules since Brexit. Only ever spent a week in Egypt at Sharm el Sheik which is not the real Egyptian, just a purpose built resort.

TBH I wouldn’t believe anything Trump put up on Trump Social, just to keep you up speed Sussex,
Temporary Oil Waivers (March 2026): In March 2026, the Trump administration issued a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase Russian oil that was "stuck at sea". Trump stated these sanctions would "go back as soon as the crisis is over"

Help us,or else,Trump warns NATO..Get your arses over here and help us defend the Strait of Hormuz.Now!!

Given how important the Straits of Hormuz are to the Worlds oil supplies I'm guessing he'll get the response he wants excepting from the UK who according to Mad Ed shouldn't be dependent on fossil fuels controlled by nations.
We're going to be dependent on Wind, Solar, and Nuclear all owned and built by foreigners.

Stop feeding the ferret…I am.

It’s good to hear other people’s opinions on a very serious issue instead of snidey insignificant replies, obviously you are 100% behind Trump, Netanyahu and probably Putin Snowy.
Your mate Trump angry because he is not receiving any backing from other countries, why should they after his indiscriminate tariffs, he has short memory.

Trump calls all shots on tariffs,he blows hot and cold whenever he feels like it..Starmer,Macron and Merz ? They're all on the phone together, panicking,flapping, i would guess...The message to NATO from Trump was clear months ago.I think we'd be better off listening to whatever he has to say,he's ragging Starmer nearly every day,Jamie..

Trump "You know,the Prime minister of the United kingdom yesterday told me "I'm meeting with my team to make a determination " ...and his team is ??

His WEF masters, Merz, Macron, and Von de Leyden of course.

Trump told everyone this week he predicted 9/11 a year before it happened, he said he wrote about in a book. Except he didn’t do either he just blurted it out in one of his long rambling interviews, all I know for certain is if Farage or Starmer or the Greens fella had said it would be pilloried by people who oppose that shade of politics. Trump just gets the usual free pass, along the lines of ‘ oh he tells lies but you know Trump that’s what he’s like’ once you accept he tells lies how do you believe anything he says?

They all tell lies, it's just that the likes of Trump and Boris told bigger and more of them.
Anyone believing everything a politician tells them really shouldn't be let out on the streets alone.

That’s why you’re a big Trump and Johnson fan, it’s all clear now.