The Andy Burnham Thread

[Lynn and John]

23 hours ago, Alteredbhoy said:

Absolutely stupid post.

The only good news to.come out of the recent events in Middlesbrough is that there have not been riots on the streets following the fatal crash. I'm pretty certain that if the driver and passenger of the car driven the wrong way on a dual carriageway had been recent arrivals to the UK, there would have been anti-immigration riots on the streets and the usual suspects on this Forum would have called the reaction "understandable" (as they did the ring after the Southport murders).

The silence, because the occupant's of the car were likely to have been those who would have rioted, is deafening.

There has been no silence regarding those who caused the death of the 2 police officers.  What Middlebrough needs now is another Ray Malllon and a zero tolerance policy. In the meantime  Burnham should bring in the army to sort out the troublemakers. 

[c_cubed51]

32 minutes ago, Lynn and John said:

There has been no silence regarding those who caused the death of the 2 police officers.  What Middlebrough needs now is another Ray Malllon and a zero tolerance policy. In the meantime  Burnham should bring in the army to sort out the troublemakers. 

A tad authoritarian IMHO. But a suggestion which is totally predictable, coming from you. Any words of sympathy for the family and friends of the two police officers?

[Alteredbhoy]

12 hours ago, Lynn and John said:

There has been no silence regarding those who caused the death of the 2 police officers.  What Middlebrough needs now is another Ray Malllon and a zero tolerance policy. In the meantime  Burnham should bring in the army to sort out the troublemakers. 

The man who goes on about the need to follow a democratic mandate, when it suits him, now calls for martial law. Hilarious.

[Lynn and John]

On 8/29/2026 at 10:02 PM, Alteredbhoy said:

The man who goes on about the need to follow a democratic mandate, when it suits him, now calls for martial law. Hilarious.

We are not calling for martial law. We are calling for the army to help the police preventing the Middlesborough area turning into a no go area like Liverpool.

[c_cubed51]

20 hours ago, Lynn and John said:

We are not calling for martial law. We are calling for the army to help the police preventing the Middlesborough area turning into a no go area like Liverpool.

Isn't calling in the army the very essence of martial law? Military control. The thin edge of the wedge, in this case.

Edited September 2 by c_cubed51

[Lynn and John]

2 hours ago, c_cubed51 said:

Isn't calling in the army the very essence of martial law? Military control. The thin edge of the wedge, in this case.

No. The army can legally be used to help the police maintain public order if needed. We are not suggesting the army replaces civilian government which would be martial law. 

 

[Alteredbhoy]

7 hours ago, Lynn and John said:

No. The army can legally be used to help the police maintain public order if needed. We are not suggesting the army replaces civilian government which would be martial law. 

 

The policing of local communities is the responsibility of local.police constabularies overseen by elected police and crime commissioners. The armed forces have no authority over civilians outside military matters.

[c_cubed51]

3 hours ago, Alteredbhoy said:

The policing of local communities is the responsibility of local.police constabularies overseen by elected police and crime commissioners. The armed forces have no authority over civilians outside military matters.

The army was called in to assist with fire fighting in various places in the UK this summer. Who asked for their help? Who authorised it?

[Alteredbhoy]

13 minutes ago, c_cubed51 said:

The army was called in to assist with fire fighting in various places in the UK this summer. Who asked for their help? Who authorised it?

I imagine the Fire Brigades request help from the Home Office, who request it from the MoD.

But in that instance the army were not involved in controlling the population, or enforcing laws against them. Suggesting the Army can assist law enforcement is a wholly different scenario. And one that only authoritarians and Fascists would tolerate or suggest.

[explorer1954]

This is a summary from House of Common library.

Deploying the armed forces in the UK - House of Commons Library https://share.google/bb4JJ1K9OG5ocr1N3

[Lynn and John]

Watched Prime Minister's question time yesterday and we both nearly fell asleep. Never in our country's history has our country had such a boring useless Prime Minister. God help us.

[c_cubed51]

11 hours ago, Lynn and John said:

Watched Prime Minister's question time yesterday and we both nearly fell asleep. Never in our country's history has our country had such a boring useless Prime Minister. God help us.

You must lead an incredibly boring life if you have nothing better to do than watch TV, especially PMQ! It's no wonder your brain has atrophied!

[Alteredbhoy]

1 hour ago, c_cubed51 said:

You must lead an incredibly boring life if you have nothing better to do than watch TV, especially PMQ! It's no wonder your brain has atrophied!

Quite. Some of us are unable to watch daytime TV because we are working. I think Tudor epitomises the posters that rowlf refers to as layabouts.

[nylon10]

I don`t know I always thought Lord Aberdeen was quite the bore 😜

[ruby]

13 hours ago, c_cubed51 said:

You must lead an incredibly boring life if you have nothing better to do than watch TV, especially PMQ! It's no wonder your brain has atrophied!

I didn't watch it but a lot of people wanted to see Andy's first PMQ. I don't think PMQs is going to atrophy your brain, pepper pig with all those subliminal messages from the BBC, yes.

[c_cubed51]

14 hours ago, ruby said:

I didn't watch it but a lot of people wanted to see Andy's first PMQ. I don't think PMQs is going to atrophy your brain, pepper pig with all those subliminal messages from the BBC, yes.

I've no idea what you are talking about, as I am busy working for a living during the day.

[ruby]

1 hour ago, c_cubed51 said:

I've no idea what you are talking about, as I am busy working for a living during the day.

Really, well I did for very many years, all that time when I was young staying in and doing my homework paid off. So now I get this thing called a final salary pension which means I don't have to do it anymore. For information purposes I don't watch TV during the day other than the lunchtime news. Most of it though is on the web. In fact you could have watched PMQs on your phone if you were that interested. As to Pepper Pig, never watched it but it appears AB does and my mate does with his grandchild which he seems to think is his own.

[c_cubed51]

5 minutes ago, ruby said:

Really, well I did for very many years, all that time when I was young staying in and doing my homework paid off. So now I get this thing called a final salary pension which means I don't have to do it anymore. For information purposes I don't watch TV during the day other than the lunchtime news. Most of it though is on the web. In fact you could have watched PMQs on your phone if you were that interested. As to Pepper Pig, never watched it but it appears AB does and my mate does with his grandchild which he seems to think is his own.

Some of the SEN students I worked with used to love Peppa Pig. Is that the programme to which you are referring? 

I can't spend time on my phone during working hours, and I don't stream stuff on it, anyway.

My own father pretty much wasted away when he went on pension, which is one reason I have decided to keep working. One tries to avoid having one's brain turning to mush through inactivity or watching TV all day. PMQ is particularly debilitating, I believe.

[Sparkler]

“My mate”… is that like the “they” that trump always refers to?

😂😂😂😂😂

[Alteredbhoy]

On 05/09/2026 at 12:51, ruby said:

So now I get this thing called a final salary pension which means I don't have to do it anymore. 

Hmmmm.

The man who brags about the size of his final salary also draws a state retirement pensions and his son draws the highest level of PIP, but he criticises the much smaller welfare payments made to people who don't have access to a substantial independent income.

[ruby]

10 hours ago, Alteredbhoy said:

Hmmmm.

The man who brags about the size of his final salary also draws a state retirement pensions and his son draws the highest level of PIP, but he criticises the much smaller welfare payments made to people who don't have access to a substantial independent income.

Of course I draw a retirement pension, my pension is good but not that good. I have also paid into the system for a very long time. I don't think I have ever criticised welfare payments, I know how difficult it is to get them, I think the last form I filled in for my son, was at least 10 pages long. Of course some people are expert at it, generally those that shouldn't get it but that always happens. I don't know if it is envy in your case or whether you didn't have much to moan about. As to my son's PIP payment, nothing to do with me, he collects it, I NEVER TOUCH IT, it is his. When he gets really bad we will use it to help him get around the house and when we are out. The Government decided via Capita on a face to face interview that he was permanently disabled and would never get better, hence why he gets it. Don't be a sh*t head.

[Alteredbhoy]

6 hours ago, ruby said:

Of course I draw a retirement pension, my pension is good but not that good. I have also paid into the system for a very long time. I don't think I have ever criticised welfare payments, I know how difficult it is to get them, I think the last form I filled in for my son, was at least 10 pages long. Of course some people are expert at it, generally those that shouldn't get it but that always happens. I don't know if it is envy in your case or whether you didn't have much to moan about. As to my son's PIP payment, nothing to do with me, he collects it, I NEVER TOUCH IT, it is his. When he gets really bad we will use it to help him get around the house and when we are out. The Government decided via Capita on a face to face interview that he was permanently disabled and would never get better, hence why he gets it. Don't be a sh*t head.

Ah, now what was it you said about people becoming abusive when they had lost an argument?

[Alteredbhoy]

6 hours ago, ruby said:

I don't think I have ever criticised welfare payments, I know how difficult it is to get them, I think the last form I filled in for my son, was at least 10 pages long. Of course some people are expert at it, generally those that shouldn't get it but that always happens.

So you never criticise welfare payments, but go on to complain about people getting it who shouldn't be?

And when you said:

On 17/08/2026 at 09:27, ruby said:

Welfare is the bigger issue, the more unemployed you have the higher the Welfare bill, then there is Universal Credit. 

you were trying to suggest that paying welfare to the unemployed and those on low wages was a bigger issue than the amount paid to pensioners and those with disabilities or illness, despite pensioners and those with disabilities taking over two thirds of the welfare bill.

The cost of unemployment is only about 4% of the welfare bill, but you highlighted this as "the bigger issue".

But you never criticise welfare payments to others, or so you claim.

[ruby]

1 hour ago, Alteredbhoy said:

Ah, now what was it you said about people becoming abusive when they had lost an argument?

Picking on my son is out or order, that is the reason for the abuse. I didn't think I lost any argument you just came out with a stupid answer. I suspect you will claim State Pension and if as you say were in the Civil Service a very good pension, probably better than mine. So I don't what you are bleating about but I suppose you have to find someting.

As to welfare, State Pensions should be covered by NI contributions, in fact at one point you were either contracted in or out. Once upon a time you could only get a full pension if you contributed a set number of years NI contributions. Now I can't help it if the Government runs a Ponzi scheme for pensions that is their problem, not mine.

 

[Alteredbhoy]

Just now, ruby said:

Picking on my son is out or order, that is the reason for the abuse. I didn't think I lost any argument you just came out with a stupid answer. I suspect you will claim State Pension and if as you say were in the Civil Service a very good pension, probably better than mine. So I don't what you are bleating about but I suppose you have to find someting.

As to welfare, State Pensions should be covered by NI contributions, in fact at one point you were either contracted in or out. Once upon a time you could only get a full pension if you contributed a set number of years NI contributions. Now I can't help it if the Government runs a Ponzi scheme for pensions that is their problem, not mine.

 

The State Pension has always been a Ponzi scheme. The National Insurance contributions taken from today's earnings have always paid for today's pensions.

I wasn't insulting your son, so stop saying I was. I was pointing out the hypocrisy of a man whose household draws about £25k per annum in welfare payments, but complains about others drawing welfare.

I imagine that I'm well passed the age you were when you retired. But I haven't stopped working and don't spend my time bitching and moaning that others are getting advantages over me like you do.

I expect my pension from the European Parliament will make yours look like peanuts. Just look at how much Farage claims and he is only in his early 60s and has been claiming it for years.

[Alteredbhoy]

7 minutes ago, ruby said:

Picking on my son is out or order, that is the reason for the abuse. I didn't think I lost any argument you just came out with a stupid answer. I suspect you will claim State Pension and if as you say were in the Civil Service a very good pension, probably better than mine. So I don't what you are bleating about but I suppose you have to find someting.

As to welfare, State Pensions should be covered by NI contributions, in fact at one point you were either contracted in or out. Once upon a time you could only get a full pension if you contributed a set number of years NI contributions. Now I can't help it if the Government runs a Ponzi scheme for pensions that is their problem, not mine.

 

For State Pensions to be covered by NI contributions a worker's NI contributions would have to go up by the amount of the triple lock each year, as the pension does. But whenever Rachel Reeves increased NI you criticised her.

So which is it? Annual NI contributions increases, or criticism of Reeves? You can't have it both ways. Well actually you probably "think" you can.

[ruby]

1 hour ago, Alteredbhoy said:

For State Pensions to be covered by NI contributions a worker's NI contributions would have to go up by the amount of the triple lock each year, as the pension does. But whenever Rachel Reeves increased NI you criticised her.

So which is it? Annual NI contributions increases, or criticism of Reeves? You can't have it both ways. Well actually you probably "think" you can.

I criticised her because she lowered the threshold, I realised straight away the effect it would have on hospitality and teenage employees. Labour did it before many years ago and created the same effect. She basically deleted most low paid jobs in an instance, but of course you like my mate wouldn't understand that. As to the triple lock do you hear me complaining about them deleting it, now my mate who is an out and out socialist gets really would up about it. As to the Reeves the least said about her the better I even think the Labour Party wishes she had never been Chancellor.