Category: General

MP's under fire

MP’s earnings

I have a dangerously radical idea, one that would instantly separate MPs who are actually in politics out of love for community and country from those who’ve mistaken Westminster for an all-inclusive luxury cruise.

What if MPs had to clock in, fill out timesheets, and justify their £93k salary?

An MP earns roughly £93,000 a year. Based on a standard 40-hour week, that’s about £45 an hour. For that sort of money, I’d expect a little more graft and a little less “I’ll just dial this one in from the sofa.” And yes, Nigel, that includes not working by proxy either. Revolutionary stuff, I know.

Here’s the concept: if MPs aren’t physically working in their constituency, they should be in Parliament. Wild. I know, right? And to make this madness measurable, all MPs should complete timesheets showing exactly how they spend their working day.

Before anyone faints:
– Breaks don’t count.
– Lunch doesn’t count.
– Party-promotion events don’t count.

Only the hours spent actually working for us—you know, the people paying the bill- should count.

Travel time? Nope, absolutely not. They already claim thousands in travel expenses and enjoy subsidised food. Do you get paid for commuting? Are you reimbursed for your food habit? No? Thought not.

Parliament is in recess for around 100 days a year, which is already generous by normal human standards, but fear not—MPs can still work a 40-hour week in their constituency during that time. The horror of it all; I can see them clutching their pearls already.

Naturally, they should receive 28 days’ holiday per year, which must be booked in advance like the rest of civilisation. If they’re ill, they get Statutory Sick Pay—£118.75 a week for up to 28 weeks. Again, just like everyone else who is bravely holding the country together without a chauffeur.

Yes, I realise this might severely interfere with their second, third, or fourth jobs—but tragic as that is, being an MP is supposed to be a full-time job, a calling. Not a side hustle. Not a networking opportunity. Not a stepping stone to the after-dinner speaking circuit.

Finally, they publish the timesheets. Come election time, voters can see which MPs offer the best value for money—just like any other product we buy. And let’s be clear: if we’re paying for it, then we are buying it.

Funny how accountability suddenly feels like an extreme sport when it applies to the people at the top.

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Fake pensioner

You couldn’t make this up

Welcome back to This Week in You Absolutely Couldn’t Make This Sh!t Up. Today’s episode features the Gorton and Denton by-election, Matt Godwin of Reform UK, one mysteriously prolific pensioner, and a printing company.

So, constituents received a heartfelt letter from a woman named Patricia. Patricia, we are told, is a disgruntled pensioner bravely speaking truth to power. Touching stuff. One tiny hitch: Patricia does not exist. Not in the “can’t be reached right now” sense, but in the “entirely fictional character” sense.

Even better, the envelope helpfully lists the printer’s address as the return address. Subtle. Sleek. Truly the Banksy of political operations.

Turn Left Media, sensing blood in the water, rang the number on the envelope and asked—politely, one assumes—for Patricia. Cue recorded call, cue awkward pause, cue printer cheerfully admitting that yes, they did indeed send the letters out. For a brief moment, honesty lived. The video can be found here.

They then went on to explain that this was official Reform party literature sent to people on the electoral register. Oops. Silly little slip. Happens to the best of us. You know—when your imaginary pensioner accidentally becomes an authorised political campaign.

But wait, there’s more…

There’s also the small, fiddly issue of the imprint. That boring bit of text that says “Printed by X on behalf of Y” and exists because democracy occasionally enjoys a paper trail. It is, inconveniently in this case, a legal requirement that it is, inconveniently, missing.

This means Reform may have—purely hypothetically, of course—broken electoral law. Naturally, Reform’s response was swift and decisive: blame the printers. I look forward to their response.

Yes, the same professional printers who, by their own admission, were responsible for most of Reform’s printing somehow didn’t notice a missing legal requirement on a full print run of party political material. Easy mistake. Happens all the time. Like forgetting to put wheels on a car.

And finally, let’s all cross our fingers and hope Reform remembered to declare the expense, because if they didn’t… well, things could get really messy.

So to recap:
• Fake pensioner
• Real letters
• Printer spills the beans on tape
• Legal imprint missing
• Expenses question mark
• Everyone points at everyone else

Democracy, folks. Working beautifully. 🍿

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Peter Tatchell arrested

Green party activist and human rights campaigner arrested

Peter Tatchell is an Australian-born British human rights campaigner. A member of the Green Party, he was arrested for carrying a placard calling for a global intifada. To be fair, the sign also said “non-violent resistance”; however, that is not what “intifada” means. Just to be clear, “Intifada” refers to a rebellion or resistance movement, commonly used to describe Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation.
A peace-loving Green Party member is calling for a violent uprising against Jews (presumably). What would happen if the small minority of Muslims who live in the UK who agree with him started said intifada?
The Greens have the nerve to call anyone to the right of their belief a fascist and/or a Nazi. Nazism incorporates antisemitism – the murder of the Jewish people. One of the descriptors of fascism is the forcible suppression of opposition. It is not those on the right of the political spectrum who are calling for the extermination of a race or calling for the suppression of Israel by force.
And they call the right wing violent…
What are your thoughts? Comment below and please share.

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Are communism and socialism the same?

The Core Ideological Link (aka “It’s Complicated”)

Common Origin:
Both ideologies showed up in the 1800s like angry Yelp reviews of the Industrial Revolution. The revolution meant long factory hours and saw a rise in child labour, in short, capitalism meant misery for many.

ideological journey through socialism and communism
It is quite complicated

Their shared dream is of a collective ownership of the means of production—factories, land, resources, and anything else that sounds impressive in a manifesto but in reallity-not so much.

Think of their relationship like an onion 🧅. You peel back a layer, expecting something new… and surprise! It’s the same old thing, just slightly more radical and makes you cry even more. In many political frameworks, communism is basically socialism that drank too much coffee.

  • All communists are socialists

  • Not all socialists want to delete the state, money, and possibly vibes

Marxist-Leninist Lore Drop

According to Marxist-Leninist theory, socialism is the “lower stage” of communism.
This is the awkward teenage phase where:

  • The state still exists

  • The economy is managed centrally

  • People are paid based on what they contribute

Communism, meanwhile, is the eventual utopia where the state disappears, money vanishes, and everyone somehow agrees to behave perfectly forever.

In short:
Socialism and communism are less like rivals and more like siblings who won’t stop arguing over who’s the “final form.”

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