Best Of

So was that it, few quid for a mine in Cornwall, some new houses in Oxfordshire and a massive lengthy court battle ahead for rehash of rehash of a rehash of another runway at Heathrow.

I wish this government - heck, any government - would start taking a JFDI attitude to infrastructure.

"We, as a nation, have decided that LHR runway 3 / EWR / Thames Crossing / whatever is a nationally critical project. Enough enquiries have been done, and enough talk; we want bids in by the end of next month, CPOs by the end of the month after, and construction to have started in six months. Make it so."

It would have people howling, but it would get things done. Sadly, it'd almost certainly also be illegal...

Primary legislation….

I complained about Rachel from accounts yesterday. No longer. Far worse is what Teesside Tories have done. They called a pointless vote of Stockton Borough Council to call for a national grooming gangs enquiry. And are now promoting Facebook ads on community forums calling out Labour councillors who voted against.

In the comments - on Stockton Conservatives Facebook page - are people saying councillors are involved in grooming, are nonces, are rape gang supporters, should be abused in the street, should have people at their houses to shout at them.

Stockton Conservatives have decided to whip up a literal mob, with at least 3 female councillors having people banging on their front door shouting abuse, and one spat at in the street.

When one of their MPs was murdered they rightly were horrified. Now? Lets have Labour councillors targeted for votes. And the mind-numbingly stupid thing is that it will lose them votes. Because its highlighting the grooming gangs scandal which they themselves ignored and covered up. Create weaponised rage and all they're doing is handing more votes over to Reform.

Not sure whether today's Tories are stupid as well as trying dangerous as they try to get people attacked in their homes, but its going to backfire.

"BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

It's a mad world, my masters.

Is it bad that I want a war between France and America?

Would be the first time ever, France and America have never been at war before. We have been at war with both of course, indeed the French were allies of the American colonists in the Revolutionary War when they sought independence from the British Empire.

Macron is one of the few people in the world with as big an eco as Trump and France also has one of the biggest NATO armies and an independent nuclear missile deterrent so it is not a guaranteed easy US win.

I doubt anything will come of it though French troops in Greenland might put off the Americans

It's willy waving by both.

No it’s not. Surely we’ve all learned by now. Trump MEANS what he says - for good or bad. And this time he has surrounded himself with smart, cunning ideologues who fiercely agree - and who know how to do stuff

I can see a Trump reinforcement of the US base combined with threatened tariffs forcing Denmark to back off. Greenland will vote for Indy in April and then Trump will offer $$$ to its 54,900 people to become a kind of frozen Puerto Rico

France won’t do shit. Greenland isn’t even in the EU

Face.

The Danish government will not want to lose face. And the more the US threatens, the more the Danish government loses face by acceding to Trump's terms.

There is a deal to be had here, obviously. But as with Canada, the more the US throws its weight around, the more other parties will wish to demonstrate that they have agency.

I think I speak for all of PB when I say: all praise Donald Trump

We in the west need him to win these culture wars. He is fighting for our freedom. Fight Fight Fight!!!

I love him

Goodnight from The Goon, Burma

In what way is bullying Denmark a part of the culture wars?

'Cause here's the thing that pisses me off. If the EU had bullied countries the way that the US currently is, then people would be castigating them.

But because it's Donald Trump, and he's against woke, then it's OK.

No, it's not fucking OK. It's still fucking shitty behaviour.

Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72

But apparently cash is implicated in child abuse.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre8n7wr31jo

Given my day job, I can confidently say that 99% of all cash transactions are something to do with dodging taxes, drugs, and/or wider criminality.

Bollox. Where do most cash transactions take place - in supermarkets. It's people, often older, who don't trust electronic money or others who have limited financial skills and can budget better with physical money.

With all this Heathrow stuff going on, from the perspective of the grim north - where for most people air travel is about cheap flights from Liverpool etc - it still sounds very southern. I am wondering where is the plan for trains from Liverpool to Hull, buses that aren't pre war, dualling the A1 from London -Edinburgh (guess which bit is missing), and even west coast side Liverpool/Manchester) to Edinburgh.

When the Heathrow 3rd runways opens there will be five flights from Liverpool to London before 9am, and vice-versa.

Yes there is a missed opprtunity to run E-W rail in the North, from Liverpool to Hull.

The fact there would be that kind of demand, for a train journey of only 2 hours, demonstrates just how much we needed HS2 to open up some capacity (not speed FFS).

3rd runway at Heathrow to enable people to fly to Liverpool? Not a serious country.