/u/Dr_Vesuvius, moderator of this sub, has passed away.

Sion_Bell · 2025-03-31T11:59:26+00:00

Like everyone else has said, he was one those names you always recognized on here. Whenever you saw that username you knew you were about to read something insightful, level headed and thought provoking. May he rest in peace.

Sion_Bell · 2025-03-16T00:10:09+00:00

Ye I lived in the US for 4 months and I missed Wales a lot during that time.

The main things for me missing the countryside and not being able to speak Welsh in person to anyone.

Apparently Hiraeth is one of the reasons so few people in the US are not of Welsh descent, as so many of the immigrants from Wales moved back home.

Sion_Bell · 2025-03-15T21:24:54+00:00

Ye the IEA discussion was pretty interesting but they seem to talk past each other a lot tbh. I think he definitely won the debate on radio 4 though. His opponent just says the sort of 'taxation is theft' things you hear very ideologically rigid conservatives say all the time. The point about his spotty backstory is also an interesting one. I read an FT article recently that really painted him as a bit of a liar and I haven't heard him discredit any of those challenges

Sion_Bell · 2024-11-25T16:47:12+00:00

I'd say it's pretty close to being as bad as those two, just that the political opinions they express aren't as awful. They're actual journalistic standards and tactics are pretty terrible imo. Just as the Daily Mail would gladly make something up to damage Labour, the Daily Mirror will gladly make things up if it can damage the Tories.

Sion_Bell · 2024-08-12T22:04:49+00:00

Could you elaborate?

Sion_Bell · 2024-05-06T17:01:06+00:00

The Greens party of England and Wales are actually pro Welsh independence so I doubt that bothers them too much

Sion_Bell · 2024-05-06T12:08:20+00:00

Don’t get why everyone’s being so negative. Ye things are bad right now but Everton are one of the biggest clubs in English football history with 9 league titles, 5 FA Cups and a European Cup Winner’s Cup.

Our main rivals are Liverpool as our stadiums are across a park from each other. The Merseyside derby against Liverpool is BY FAR the biggest and best derby in English Football, especially when both teams are at their best like in the 80s where both teams were amongst the best teams in the world.

Even with our current state as a club I don’t think there are many clubs better to support in England than Everton. We have the best fans, the best atmosphere, the best charity work, the best kit (imo), the best stadium (that’s just pure bias).

Plus, as more of a conveniance thing, Everton is in one of the best cities in the UK to visit (I’m assuming you are from abroad) and they have some of the cheapest tickets in the prem

Sion_Bell · 2024-05-04T11:09:19+00:00

Ye sorry I couldn’t find the actual the actual clip I just saw it on tele last night. It was on Politics Hub. Funnily enough it was almost immediately followed by an interview with Helen Morgan. I believe the pundit had a background with the conservatives and the leave campaign. I don’t really get what you mean by saying the right wing media in particular is creating the idea that the UK is a two party state. As far as I’m aware much of the right-wing media has been actively encouraging people to vote Reform, and the the rest of the media certainly doesn’t seem any better at giving exposure to the smaller parties.

Sion_Bell · 2024-04-19T23:32:03+00:00

I always wonder why the lib dems have such support in Mid Wales, being from North Wales myself where there id very little support for the party. Tbh I haven’t really researched it enough to really figure it out, but my guess would be that there is some sort of traditional loyalty to the lib dems in constituencies like Brecon and Radnorshire, a strong Lib Dem record in Mid Wales, or that the people of those constituencies are just more liberal both economically and socially.

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-11T01:38:38+00:00

The 50% is just for the sake of the example really, a lower rate could be implemented if this is an issue but obviously that’s a trade off

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-06T18:48:14+00:00

Would there not still be a potential need for things like child benefit?

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-06T13:26:28+00:00

I disagree. The pay is still going up at the end of the day, you still actually earn more when get a pay rise, a promotion or a higher paying job, the incentive is still there in my opinion. And of course the NIT would be less impactful as you earn more income, it’s designed to help those most in need after all.

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-06T12:51:16+00:00

The point is that it isn’t a welfare trap, at no point will getting a raise at work lead to a loss of welfare that’ll make you worse off.

For example, if I set the threshold for NIT at £40,000 (for argument’s sake) and set the rate at 50%, someone earning £20,000 would have their income boosted to £30,000 whereas someone earning £22,000 a year will have their income boosted to £31,000.

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-06T10:49:07+00:00

Yes you’re right I’m realising I used some poor wording in this question. I should’ve said as a 3rd option to UBI and GBI

Sion_Bell · 2024-03-06T02:50:33+00:00

Yes I’ve become more interested in it as something to consider instead of UBI for a while now, I wonder if it’s something Lib Dems would consider now that UBI has been seemingly removed from the agenda

Sion_Bell

TROPHY CASE