Best Of

From the Observer today on yesterday's Robinson/Musk demo:

Religion was a recurring theme among the speakers and performers, with the first words said on the PA system praising “the king of kings, lord of lords, Jesus Christ”.



The Met said officers had been “assaulted with kicks and punches. Bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown”.

They are also going after the King.

Is it just me or do you think the KING should have paid some sort of tribute to Charlie Kirk and his life.

https://x.com/benonwine/status/1966766424942154075

The leftie trans guy (as confirmed on here by Leon last evening) couldn't have imagined the level of martyrdom he would inadvertently bestow on Kirk once the trigger was pulled.

@molly.wiki‬

> the shooter is trans
> ok the bullets were trans
> ok the roommate is trans



It is increasingly clear that the guy was a terminally online gamer and shooting Kirk was basically the ultimate shitpost

Listening to the politics programmes this morning It does seem a recognition is emerging that attacking the left and right from a partisan viewpoint does nothing to resolve the division, but rather to acknowledge that there is a real problem and how to start the process of addressing the divisions and calming society and their genuine concerns

Clive Lewis of the Socialist Republic of Norwich I live in wrote a long form tweet about an old school friend of his who attended Unite the etc yesterday and sent him pics. Its unusually thoughtful for Lewis
https://x.com/labourlewis/status/1966988870890963361?s=19

Very good from Lewis and more need to recognise the genuine concerns of just ordinary voters

That’s a good example of a thoughtful, considered post. That’s what we are missing from people like Clive Lewis who usually only issue soundbites. Considered and well argued posts are why I always enjoy @Cyclefree’s headers. Soundbites started with Blair. He’s got a lot to answer for.

Are soundbites not given because soundbites are wanted by interviewers?

When I first started being a TV talking head on subjects I knew about, one could expect two forms- a roughly 8 minute gig and a roughly two minute gig. Now the length of the average interview is measured in seconds, repeated three times an hour. The assumption being that the attention span of the punters is roughly the same as a gnat. The media blame the politicians for dumbing down, but "journalists" have become empty suits looking for the simplest lines in the shortest time.

On topic, if the answer is Burnham you asked the wrong question.

Though, it does show what a shambles labour are in, and in particular Starmer and Reeves performance over the last 15 months

It speaks to the paucity of talent in British politics. Every party is led by the second rate. Backed by the fifth rate.

You look at Thatcher’s cabinets - sure, there were one or two clowns. But a good half of them could have been PM.

Well, it's often said we get the politicians we deserve but I think the quality of political journalism and analysis as presented on all media is disappointing. GB News is unwatchable as is Sky. Most questions are presented as simplistic binary options (which they aren't) and nobody is given time to put forward complex arguments for discussion. Trying to "discuss" immigration in two and a half minutes in an informed and reasoned way is impossible unless your sole argument is "sink the boats" or "deport them all".

I think the coming of social media and the 24/7 news cycle and the end of any kind of deference have made an enormous and negative impact to the quality (as distinct from the quantity) of our politics.

What passes for debate now is a series of soundbites and gotchas.

50 years ago this is how it was done. Two heavyweight politicians listening to each other, not interrupting and civil countering each other's arguments.

https://youtu.be/CuZrzwm6CJs?si=DUsc53dtVl-Nf0gH

Daily Mail - 'Starmer cried: 'You're supposed to be protecting me'. The showdown between PM and key aide that's the talk of Westminster'

"According to the Whitehall grapevine, it was the moment that growing tensions between the two most senior men in the British Government finally exploded into the open.

'You are supposed to protect me from things like this!' a furious Sir Keir Starmer is said to have bellowed at Morgan McSweeney, the man dubbed The Real Deputy Prime Minister.

'That's exactly what I was trying to do!' Mr McSweeney roared back.

The extraordinary exchange – relayed to The Mail on Sunday by a highly placed source – came after Sir Keir returned to No10 on Wednesday following his Commons mauling over Peter Mandelson's links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

No 10 denies the encounter took place as described – and even tried to deny that chief of staff Mr McSweeney was in the country at the time, before backtracking.

But what is not in question is that the Mandelson scandal has turned into a full-blown political crisis which could lead to the end of Starmer's premiership.

Despairing Labour MPs are looking to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for salvation, with Lucy Powell running as his 'proxy' in the deputy leadership election.

Supporters hope Mr Burnham will return to the Commons in a by-election, making him eligible for a leadership bid."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15095781/Starmer-cried-showdown-PM-key-aide-Westminster.html

Backing Powell is starting to look like easy money?

I don't think so.

I think Phillipson will win comfortably and have bet accordingly.

Politically these is little between her and Powell, both being soft left. Phillipson is the better speaker. Here she is at the #TUC last week:

https://www.youtube.com/live/8GRutRRkLc4?si=dygUjELbDJtY65Tc

I note that those cheerleading Powell on here want to bring down the government. I don't think that will be the motivation of Labour members. Neither do I think that is the purpose of Powell!

Might be worth checking what the union leaders in the now banned smoked filled back rooms have decided at the recent TUC, I had one of my best ever results on a single long term bet I almost forgot about thanks to a late night Skynews blog post by Jon Craig who was at the TUC while the then leaders plotted who would be the best stop the Blairite David Milliband candidate. He reported that they had decided their best candidate was Ed Miliband and I bet accordingly at excellent odds that way out on the back of his report. I still remember being in the car with fitaloon and our lads when the news came through of the result of the Labour leadership contest and loudly shouting yes before informing fitaloon that I had just won a very nice three figure sum off the back of that bet.

On topic, if the answer is Burnham you asked the wrong question.

Though, it does show what a shambles labour are in, and in particular Starmer and Reeves performance over the last 15 months

It speaks to the paucity of talent in British politics. Every party is led by the second rate. Backed by the fifth rate.

You look at Thatcher’s cabinets - sure, there were one or two clowns. But a good half of them could have been PM.

Well, it's often said we get the politicians we deserve but I think the quality of political journalism and analysis as presented on all media is disappointing. GB News is unwatchable as is Sky. Most questions are presented as simplistic binary options (which they aren't) and nobody is given time to put forward complex arguments for discussion. Trying to "discuss" immigration in two and a half minutes in an informed and reasoned way is impossible unless your sole argument is "sink the boats" or "deport them all".

I think the coming of social media and the 24/7 news cycle and the end of any kind of deference have made an enormous and negative impact to the quality (as distinct from the quantity) of our politics.