Off Topic The Politics Thread

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Should the UK remain a part of the EU or leave?

  • Stay in

    Votes: 56 47.9%
  • Get out

    Votes: 61 52.1%

  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
I’m all for avoiding exploitation of workers, though I’m not sure drivers were/are being particularly exploited. This was all avoidable but for the government’s chosen ideology.

I think those long distance lorry drivers earn their money with unsociable hours, away from their families, sleeping at the side of the road, in danger of robbery etc.
 
If you don’t feel both foreign and home lorry drivers were being exploited then you are DEFINITELY a Tory, Bracknell
The weird thing is that the Tories are saying that wages have gone up because 20,000 EU drivers don’t bother with the U.K. anymore. But we have a shortfall of 100,000 drivers, so even if we hadn’t discouraged the EU drivers from working here, we would still have a shortfall of 80,000. Even issuing emergency short term visas for foreign drivers (which they will do) won’t solve the supply problem, nor will accelerating the testing of wannabe drivers, in the short term. How much in wages will tempt the thousands that have left this lonely, unhealthy job back? Perhaps the government changing its stupid IR35 rules might help, or offering big ‘welcome back’ bonuses for returning drivers and a promise of a golden handshake when the market has balanced out, in a couple of years, hopefully.
 
I think those long distance lorry drivers earn their money with unsociable hours, away from their families, sleeping at the side of the road, in danger of robbery etc.

They obviously shouldn’t be living in danger of being robbed but unsociable hours away from family is kind of a given.
 
Losing 20,000 European lorry drivers probably hasn’t helped.
Now, now. None of this has anything to do with Brexit whatsoever.
Shortage of drivers in aus USA and nz
Nothing to do with Brexit there

The main problems with truck drivers historically were the **** wages
**** hours
And a bloody long expensive undertaking to get the license
Lots of truckers got out or retired and no effort other than getting cheap overseas labour was put into replacing them
I miss the driving in the summertime but I get paid far more to tell the drivers what to do
Still keep the hgv license active just in case I need a fallback job
(Or the bosses work out I'm winging it)
 
I wonder what it feels like to rise to high office in public life and then be comprehensively ignored by the entire population?

Perhaps I’ll ask Grant Shapps, allegedly the Secretary of State for Transport, who has been urging us to ‘shop normally’ for petrol because ‘there is no shortage’. Every single petrol station I passed yesterday had massive queues, some blocking roads (had to wait 20 minutes to get through one junction). The one road the corner from my house had drivers blocking the road at 9.45 yesterday evening, and had run out of unleaded petrol (but there is no shortage). Speak up Grant, no one can hear you!

So in another U turn 5000 foreigners are being sought to alleviate the shortage of HGV drivers on a temporary basis. If we can get them this would cover about 5% of the shortfall. But amazingly, Priti Patel has made a good point. Yes Priti ****ing Patel! She notes that there are shortages of HGV drivers everywhere, including Europe, and there is no guarantee that drivers will want to come to warm, welcoming Britain to work.

Better get used to this, it’s going to go on for a very long time.
 
I wonder what it feels like to rise to high office in public life and then be comprehensively ignored by the entire population?

Perhaps I’ll ask Grant Shapps, allegedly the Secretary of State for Transport, who has been urging us to ‘shop normally’ for petrol because ‘there is no shortage’. Every single petrol station I passed yesterday had massive queues, some blocking roads (had to wait 20 minutes to get through one junction). The one road the corner from my house had drivers blocking the road at 9.45 yesterday evening, and had run out of unleaded petrol (but there is no shortage). Speak up Grant, no one can hear you!

So in another U turn 5000 foreigners are being sought to alleviate the shortage of HGV drivers on a temporary basis. If we can get them this would cover about 5% of the shortfall. But amazingly, Priti Patel has made a good point. Yes Priti ****ing Patel! She notes that there are shortages of HGV drivers everywhere, including Europe, and there is no guarantee that drivers will want to come to warm, welcoming Britain to work.

Better get used to this, it’s going to go on for a very long time.

The press are the main culprits fuelling (see what I did there?) the crisis by insisting there are shortages when there aren't.
Scaremongering as usual and idiots fall for it.
 
The press are the main culprits fuelling (see what I did there?) the crisis by insisting there are shortages when there aren't.
Scaremongering as usual and idiots fall for it.

If you can't get the petrol to the pumps, there are shortages.

I do blame the BBC, though. Sending this bloke out to cover the crisis doesn't help.

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I wonder what it feels like to rise to high office in public life and then be comprehensively ignored by the entire population?

Perhaps I’ll ask Grant Shapps, allegedly the Secretary of State for Transport, who has been urging us to ‘shop normally’ for petrol because ‘there is no shortage’. Every single petrol station I passed yesterday had massive queues, some blocking roads (had to wait 20 minutes to get through one junction). The one road the corner from my house had drivers blocking the road at 9.45 yesterday evening, and had run out of unleaded petrol (but there is no shortage). Speak up Grant, no one can hear you!

So in another U turn 5000 foreigners are being sought to alleviate the shortage of HGV drivers on a temporary basis. If we can get them this would cover about 5% of the shortfall. But amazingly, Priti Patel has made a good point. Yes Priti ****ing Patel! She notes that there are shortages of HGV drivers everywhere, including Europe, and there is no guarantee that drivers will want to come to warm, welcoming Britain to work.

Better get used to this, it’s going to go on for a very long time.

Left for work just before 7am today (local job for once), and all the petrol stations I drove past had big queues - what is wrong with these morons?

I'm going to need at least another two tanks of fuel this week for work, hope this **** gets sorted rapid.
 
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