Best Of

On reading the header, my first thought was rather than lawyers, we should look at sons and daughters of the manse, but other than May, Thatcher and Brown, I could not find any.

One advantage lawyers do have as MPs is understanding the legalese in which bills are written. The drawback might be they are too keen to ban things of which they disapprove; to legislate rather than persuade.

It is voters who tend to want to ban things.

I'm a litigator & investigator. Most of the time I tried to persuade clients not to litigate as it's rarely the best way to resolve problems. Similarly with investigations: if I had a £ for every time I told people it was best to behave in a way which avoided the need for investigations I'd be as rich as Croesus by now.

Good lawyers do try and persuade and, frankly, that's the difference between a lawyer who knows the law and has all sorts of tactical games up their sleeve and one who has good judgment. Examples of the former can be seen advising the Post Office. The latter are worth their weight in gold.

MPs job is to persuade and explain and, often, to speak unpleasant truths to the voters. Leaders who do not do this are leaders in name only and it really is not good enough to blame voters for not wanting to listen as a reason not to do this. Cowardice is not what you want in a leader.

Of course it's hard to spell out uncomfortable truths. I've been doing it most of my professional life. But eventually if you are trustworthy and honest people will listen. But you have to earn that trust and that takes hard work. Too many in our political class simply do not understand why integrity matters nor are they willing to do the hard work. So here we are. With a society where a significant part of it seems to have lost its moral compass and another part of it is too afraid to say so.

As for me, I'm fine today. But I have had a tough few weeks.

Since February I have had so many X-rays, ultrasounds, MRiS, CT scans, biopsies, ECGs, oxygen masks, blood tests, intravenous antibiotics, BP tests and temperatures taken I've lost count. I've been treated by specialists in A&E, chest, breast cancer, haematology, oncology and now I'll be seeing a gastroenterologist for a cyst on my pancreas. It's by telephone so I'm hoping this means it's not serious. Either that or it's so bad it's not even worth a hospital visit. On Friday I had a load of radiation injected so that a gamma camera could take a photo of my entire skeleton. My white blood cell count is low. My mood was even lower at the end of the day. I have a small tower of pill boxes on my bedside table: I resemble nothing so much as my hypochondriac grandparents who lived until their late 80's.

Fat chance.

I'm told to listen to my body & it is exhausted. And a bit fucking fed up frankly. I went to all the screenings, was told there was no problem despite 3 previous operations on the now cancerous breast & so being at risk, ate healthily, rarely drank, cycled for decades, avoided Covid and did not have even a bloody cold for years. So how the absolute fuck did I end up with Stage 4 fucking cancer? And now the government gives every impression of thinking that people like me are a waste of space and money, though it has been more than happy to take my higher rate tax for the last few decades.

Still, I get free parking at the hospital. So there is that.

On reading the header, my first thought was rather than lawyers, we should look at sons and daughters of the manse, but other than May, Thatcher and Brown, I could not find any.

One advantage lawyers do have as MPs is understanding the legalese in which bills are written. The drawback might be they are too keen to ban things of which they disapprove; to legislate rather than persuade.

It is voters who tend to want to ban things.

I'm a litigator & investigator. Most of the time I tried to persuade clients not to litigate as it's rarely the best way to resolve problems. Similarly with investigations: if I had a £ for every time I told people it was best to behave in a way which avoided the need for investigations I'd be as rich as Croesus by now.

Good lawyers do try and persuade and, frankly, that's the difference between a lawyer who knows the law and has all sorts of tactical games up their sleeve and one who has good judgment. Examples of the former can be seen advising the Post Office. The latter are worth their weight in gold.

MPs job is to persuade and explain and, often, to speak unpleasant truths to the voters. Leaders who do not do this are leaders in name only and it really is not good enough to blame voters for not wanting to listen as a reason not to do this. Cowardice is not what you want in a leader.

Of course it's hard to spell out uncomfortable truths. I've been doing it most of my professional life. But eventually if you are trustworthy and honest people will listen. But you have to earn that trust and that takes hard work. Too many in our political class simply do not understand why integrity matters nor are they willing to do the hard work. So here we are. With a society where a significant part of it seems to have lost its moral compass and another part of it is too afraid to say so.

As for me, I'm fine today. But I have had a tough few weeks.

Since February I have had so many X-rays, ultrasounds, MRiS, CT scans, biopsies, ECGs, oxygen masks, blood tests, intravenous antibiotics, BP tests and temperatures taken I've lost count. I've been treated by specialists in A&E, chest, breast cancer, haematology, oncology and now I'll be seeing a gastroenterologist for a cyst on my pancreas. It's by telephone so I'm hoping this means it's not serious. Either that or it's so bad it's not even worth a hospital visit. On Friday I had a load of radiation injected so that a gamma camera could take a photo of my entire skeleton. My white blood cell count is low. My mood was even lower at the end of the day. I have a small tower of pill boxes on my bedside table: I resemble nothing so much as my hypochondriac grandparents who lived until their late 80's.

Fat chance.

I'm told to listen to my body & it is exhausted. And a bit fucking fed up frankly. I went to all the screenings, was told there was no problem despite 3 previous operations on the now cancerous breast & so being at risk, ate healthily, rarely drank, cycled for decades, avoided Covid and did not have even a bloody cold for years. So how the absolute fuck did I end up with Stage 4 fucking cancer? And now the government gives every impression of thinking that people like me are a waste of space and money, though it has been more than happy to take my higher rate tax for the last few decades.

Still, I get free parking at the hospital. So there is that.

On reading the header, my first thought was rather than lawyers, we should look at sons and daughters of the manse, but other than May, Thatcher and Brown, I could not find any.

One advantage lawyers do have as MPs is understanding the legalese in which bills are written. The drawback might be they are too keen to ban things of which they disapprove; to legislate rather than persuade.

It is voters who tend to want to ban things.

I'm a litigator & investigator. Most of the time I tried to persuade clients not to litigate as it's rarely the best way to resolve problems. Similarly with investigations: if I had a £ for every time I told people it was best to behave in a way which avoided the need for investigations I'd be as rich as Croesus by now.

Good lawyers do try and persuade and, frankly, that's the difference between a lawyer who knows the law and has all sorts of tactical games up their sleeve and one who has good judgment. Examples of the former can be seen advising the Post Office. The latter are worth their weight in gold.

MPs job is to persuade and explain and, often, to speak unpleasant truths to the voters. Leaders who do not do this are leaders in name only and it really is not good enough to blame voters for not wanting to listen as a reason not to do this. Cowardice is not what you want in a leader.

Of course it's hard to spell out uncomfortable truths. I've been doing it most of my professional life. But eventually if you are trustworthy and honest people will listen. But you have to earn that trust and that takes hard work. Too many in our political class simply do not understand why integrity matters nor are they willing to do the hard work. So here we are. With a society where a significant part of it seems to have lost its moral compass and another part of it is too afraid to say so.

As for me, I'm fine today. But I have had a tough few weeks.

Since February I have had so many X-rays, ultrasounds, MRiS, CT scans, biopsies, ECGs, oxygen masks, blood tests, intravenous antibiotics, BP tests and temperatures taken I've lost count. I've been treated by specialists in A&E, chest, breast cancer, haematology, oncology and now I'll be seeing a gastroenterologist for a cyst on my pancreas. It's by telephone so I'm hoping this means it's not serious. Either that or it's so bad it's not even worth a hospital visit. On Friday I had a load of radiation injected so that a gamma camera could take a photo of my entire skeleton. My white blood cell count is low. My mood was even lower at the end of the day. I have a small tower of pill boxes on my bedside table: I resemble nothing so much as my hypochondriac grandparents who lived until their late 80's.

Fat chance.

I'm told to listen to my body & it is exhausted. And a bit fucking fed up frankly. I went to all the screenings, was told there was no problem despite 3 previous operations on the now cancerous breast & so being at risk, ate healthily, rarely drank, cycled for decades, avoided Covid and did not have even a bloody cold for years. So how the absolute fuck did I end up with Stage 4 fucking cancer? And now the government gives every impression of thinking that people like me are a waste of space and money, though it has been more than happy to take my higher rate tax for the last few decades.

Still, I get free parking at the hospital. So there is that.

You have my sympathies for the difficult times, both endured and to come. I sympathise with your outrage that after doing all the right things you have somehow ended up with stage four cancer. I was diagnosed at 39 with APML (a type of leukemia). Luckily for me it’s now a very treatable disease with a great prognosis, but I still couldn’t understand why it had happened to me. At the time I ran three times a week, including marathons and half marathons, played football, cricket. I drank, but not excessively (a few pints a week) and ate mostly a decent diet.
I became fixated on the wire in my knee from an injury to the extent that I almost wanted it removed, but gradually made my peace with it.
As I tell my third years on the oncology unit despite what health professionals tell you, and the many state, only around 40% of cancers are linked to lifestyle. The rest - we don’t yet know why, although random chance in mutations, unknown reactions to viral infection, and other mechanisms will cover a lot. In the end you were just unlucky, and it sucks. But while there is life, there is hope and we all, I am certain, wish you many more years of ascerbic comment and common sense.

I feel very sympathetic to Ms Cyclefree. The surgeon told me, back in Sept 22 that if he didn’t operate I’d be completely paralysed and bedridden in six months.
So, of course, I said go ahead and in Oct of that year he did. According to the schedule I was given afterwards things are as good as they’re going to get. I can walk, with a ‘walker’ or Zimmer frame, quite a long way. Around 500 steps on a good day. At least that’s as far as the nearest pub!
I can’t stand, or take more than a few steps, unaided.
I type with one finger; two if it’s a good day.
I can’t shower, or do or anything else in the bathroom unaided.
I’ve been told I’m unfit to drive.

But I’m keeping going.

So, Ms Cyclefree, nil desperandum. Keep, as someone said, buggering on. Once you get sorted, and it does sometimes seem forever before you do, you’ll find there are all sorts of help you can get.

Best of luck.

On reading the header, my first thought was rather than lawyers, we should look at sons and daughters of the manse, but other than May, Thatcher and Brown, I could not find any.

One advantage lawyers do have as MPs is understanding the legalese in which bills are written. The drawback might be they are too keen to ban things of which they disapprove; to legislate rather than persuade.

It is voters who tend to want to ban things.

I'm a litigator & investigator. Most of the time I tried to persuade clients not to litigate as it's rarely the best way to resolve problems. Similarly with investigations: if I had a £ for every time I told people it was best to behave in a way which avoided the need for investigations I'd be as rich as Croesus by now.

Good lawyers do try and persuade and, frankly, that's the difference between a lawyer who knows the law and has all sorts of tactical games up their sleeve and one who has good judgment. Examples of the former can be seen advising the Post Office. The latter are worth their weight in gold.

MPs job is to persuade and explain and, often, to speak unpleasant truths to the voters. Leaders who do not do this are leaders in name only and it really is not good enough to blame voters for not wanting to listen as a reason not to do this. Cowardice is not what you want in a leader.

Of course it's hard to spell out uncomfortable truths. I've been doing it most of my professional life. But eventually if you are trustworthy and honest people will listen. But you have to earn that trust and that takes hard work. Too many in our political class simply do not understand why integrity matters nor are they willing to do the hard work. So here we are. With a society where a significant part of it seems to have lost its moral compass and another part of it is too afraid to say so.

As for me, I'm fine today. But I have had a tough few weeks.

Since February I have had so many X-rays, ultrasounds, MRiS, CT scans, biopsies, ECGs, oxygen masks, blood tests, intravenous antibiotics, BP tests and temperatures taken I've lost count. I've been treated by specialists in A&E, chest, breast cancer, haematology, oncology and now I'll be seeing a gastroenterologist for a cyst on my pancreas. It's by telephone so I'm hoping this means it's not serious. Either that or it's so bad it's not even worth a hospital visit. On Friday I had a load of radiation injected so that a gamma camera could take a photo of my entire skeleton. My white blood cell count is low. My mood was even lower at the end of the day. I have a small tower of pill boxes on my bedside table: I resemble nothing so much as my hypochondriac grandparents who lived until their late 80's.

Fat chance.

I'm told to listen to my body & it is exhausted. And a bit fucking fed up frankly. I went to all the screenings, was told there was no problem despite 3 previous operations on the now cancerous breast & so being at risk, ate healthily, rarely drank, cycled for decades, avoided Covid and did not have even a bloody cold for years. So how the absolute fuck did I end up with Stage 4 fucking cancer? And now the government gives every impression of thinking that people like me are a waste of space and money, though it has been more than happy to take my higher rate tax for the last few decades.

Still, I get free parking at the hospital. So there is that.

Keep buggering on @Cyclefree

Thought Matthew Syed's piece in the Times today deserves wider circulation. He hits the nail on the head.

"Our only chance is for more people — pundits, politicians, informed voters — to stop pussyfooting around and call out the root cause of the crisis in democracy. It isn’t hopeless leaders or weak PMs but the denialism and entitlement of the people who put them there. The more we make this case, explain it, expound it, the higher the probability that the delusion will be exposed and the electorate will come to see what was true all along. Fairies don’t exist at the bottom of the garden, state payouts can’t keep rising faster than growth (any more than rights can keep outpacing responsibilities) and no matter how much you shut your eyes and wish it were so, two plus two will never equal five."

As I am here I should also add that Palestine is nowhere near the most pressing issue facing this country regardless of how many Islamists we elect to parliament or how many trendies parade around in their black and white scarves.

Wrapping up any money with 3 years is rarely if ever a good move unless you have infinite money. Even betting on winners of next seasons EPL isn't an attractive prospect, when you could make a lot more bets inbetween now and then.

What you can bet on is Starmer being awful. Surely the worst prime minister of our times

As I posted on the last thread, I’ve given up on Starmer.
However he is better than his three predecessors, which tells you how bad those predecessors were.

Right now I have him below May in my list of post 1979 PMs.

1. Thatcher
2. Blair
3. Major
4. Cameron
5. Brown
6. May
7. Starmer (new entry)
8. Sunak
9. Johnson
10. Truss

I'd have Sunak above Starmer, and I think May was woeful:

1. Thatcher
2. Blair
3. Major
4. Cameron
5. Brown
6. Sunak
7. Starmer (new entry)
8. May
9. Johnson
10. Truss

Given that a lot of the tax and money issues that Starmer has were created by Rishi as a trap I would rate Rishi below May so for me that would be

1. Thatcher
2. Blair
3. Major
4. Cameron
5. Brown
6. May
7. Sunak
8. Starmer (new entry)
9. Johnson
10. Truss

The problem with all this numbering is that it suggests that there's the same between each of the entrants.

It should be more like:

1. Thatcher
2. Blair
5. Major
10. Cameron
5,000. Brown
6,000,000. May
6,000,001. Sunak
8,000,000,000,000. Starmer (new entry)
9,000,000,000,005. Johnson
10e234. Truss

Jon Rentoul on SKS’s poor judgement

It was unwise of PM to say he “deeply regrets” the “island of strangers” phrase – & even more so to admit that he doesn’t always read his speeches before delivering them

https://x.com/johnrentoul/status/1939239317957714325?s=61

I suspect it will be. ‘Taxi for Starmer’ sooner rather than later.

They made me say things. Wicked things, terrible things. Me, a poor dupe of a toolmakers son, forced to speak their rotten, evil words with not a moment to question them. Oh, nobody knows the troubles i've seen, poor Keir, alone and misunderstood in this cruel world.

Not unlike his kneeling for BLM, then regretting it, then regretting regretting it. The man is a chump.

Second. No third. Unlike Arsenal, and way ahead of Glastonbury's position in cultural importance this month which trails way behind the death of Alfred Brendel.

That’s sad, i missed that news. His son was a friend of mine at school. Also a very talented musician.

The BBC more or less lost Brendel's death in a cornucopia of trivia about attention seeking pop idols of the moment and a self indulgent middle class 'only one opinion at a time is allowed' bonfire of the vanities borefest in Somerset.

Prediction: In 100 years time he will still a 'go to' performer showing people what Beethoven and Schubert piano music is about. Beethoven will then be 350 years old and still going strong. Kneecap and their fellow travellers won't even be a footnote.

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Sir Keir on a number of occasions. He is a decent, grounded, well-meaning man.

But it’s clear the pressures of what is an almost intolerably difficult job are already bearing down upon him. In an interview with The Observer he reveals his anger at criticism of his wife’s gifts from Lord Alli, the impact of the death of his brother in December and the firebomb attacks on his North London home. ‘I was really, really worried… Vic [his wife] was really shaken up as, in truth, was I.’

These attacks and bereavement would test any normal person. But being leader of a major Western democracy is not a normal job. Margaret Thatcher addressed her conference hours after the Brighton bombing. Barack Obama delivered his final speech before being elected President shedding tears over the passing of his mother. Donald Trump shook his fist defiantly at the gunman who had just bloodied him.

Keir Starmer, for all his qualities, is not a leader. His political opponents sense it. His own ministers and MPs realise it. And I suspect deep down, he is starting to recognise it himself.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-14856729/DAN-HODGES-Keir-Starmers-time-Prime-Minister-over.html

Brilliant take down of Sir Keir’s double standards/U-turns/lies from Dan Hodges in todays Mail on Sunday.

Just listen to the man himself. Last month he delivered his Island of Strangers speech on immigration. ‘People who like politics will try to make this all about politics,’ Starmer claimed, ‘about this or that strategy, targeting these voters, responding to that party. No. I am doing this because it is right, because it is fair, and because it is what I believe in.’

But on Friday he dropped the pretence. He hadn’t actually read the speech properly. He now disavowed the Island of Strangers line – ‘I deeply regret using it.’ Most significantly, he then wanted to distance himself from his claim that immigration had done ‘incalculable damage’ to the country. ‘This wasn’t the way to do this in the current environment,’ he said.

In other words, he didn’t think it was right, fair or believe it at all. So if Keir Starmer doesn’t actually believe what Keir Starmer’s saying, why should anyone else?

Well, quite.

I don't think Sir Kier or his fans on here realise quite how damaging this admission is. He has effectively admitted that he stood up, and with the appearance of earnest sincerity, gave voice to sentiments he was not only not really on board with, but found repugnant. There can no longer be any trust in anything he says, ever.

What is more, his current confession doesn't seem to be any more an accurate reflection of his true feelings than the strangers speech. When he made that speech he was hoping to retain the red wall - now he's hoping to create a leftie coalition to save his party. What comes out of his mouth at any one time is based purely on expediency.

Quite an amazing admission, confirming what his critics have always said about him

There's nothing there. He is utterly hollow. Airfix kit PM

That’s disgraceful. I have many fond memories of Airfix. They produced solid, well made kits. On one occasion, when a piece got broken, on writing a letter to them, they sent the replacement free of charge.

Oh for a PM of that quality.