Best Of

On the decline of high streets, I sense a degree of hypocrisy in the zeitgeist, as in:

It's a bloody disgrace. Our high street is collapsing before our very eyes. Shops are closing all the time. Something should be done. Mind you, personally I've bought everything I need from Amazon and Asda home delivery for the last 10 years, so couldn't be arsed to go to the high street anyway.

Trying to return it to what it once was is a fool's game. I don't think everywhere which used to have a viable high street will get one back no matter the policy pronouncements, and our expectations need to change about what they can offer and how many places even have one worthy of the name.

What we need in our High Streets is a lot more people and the obvious way to achieve that is to have them live there by converting a lot of the unused retail space into housing. Once enough people live in our town centres again local shops, restaurants and cafes will thrive making them more attractive place to go.

What is needed is changes to the General Development Order so that there is an almost irrebuttable presumption in favour of change of use and a removal of conditions about parking and the like so that the alterations are commercially viable. Its really not complicated.

Its not just unused retail space which needs converting but much of the used retail space as well.

Quality of shops is as important as quantity of shops and the former locations of M&S, HoF and Debenhams becoming what look like third world jumble sales is not an improvement.

Various vape shops, convenience stores, cafes which never have any customers and sundry other shops which don't seem to have a purpose would also be better used for residential purposes.

It's the never ending supply of charity shops, who are exempted something like 80% of their business rates and who increasingly exist as adjuncts of the state who funnel them money for the "services" that they provide that irritate me. Vaping shops, with their colourful goods designed to attract children, are indeed another blight.

Charity shops near me include…

Cancer Research UK: god forbid we cure cancer! I’m not aware of CRUK taking any money from the state.

Amnesty: don’t receive any money from the state.

British Heart Foundation: ditto.

PDSA: ditto.

If anyone's feeling over-promoted and out of their depth in their day job, I can heartily recommend "listening to Zach Polanski talk about foreign policy and defence" as a cure

https://x.com/BristOliver/status/2018027180094107988

There are two people best qualified to screw the nation and their own voters and they are on the ascent. They are Wacky "we are leaving NATO" Zachy and Nigel "I'm Americanising UK healthcare" Farage.

I can't abide populism. It's all delusional nonsense. But if pushed I'd prefer my delusional nonsense to be free of small-minded, mean-spirited xenophobia, so it's Reform UK I'm most worried about.

The problem with Zach, like Corbyn before him is his function will be to split the left of centre vote and deliver some degree of RefCon Government.

That’s down to Labour. I’m sure that a wealth tax, clean rivers, cost of living issues acknowledged and tackled, plus policies designed to build the backlog of unbuilt houses in land banks, would undercut Zack and renew Kier.


TBH I’m not in this politics lark for personal power or gain. I just want to change our fucking grim future.

Labour need to own their failure. And if not I suggest a change to PR. Else it will be Nigel vs Zack for the foreseeable.

So rehashed Corbynism in other words? And if that was really the case the Greens would already be well ahead of Labour in second not level with the LDs in 4th. What is Labour's mansion tax on properties, farms and family businesses over £2 million and ISA cash limit if not a wealth tax anyway?

Looks as if the political class are demanding Andrew and Mandelson both give evidence in the US

At the risk of reigniting last night's debate, @HYUFD isn't entirely wrong when he draws comparison with the Ann Sacoolas case. Who are they trying to go after? Epstein is dead, Maxwell in prison.

All those complicit in their crimes and justice for their victims

And how will Andy and Mandy help? They know the names of the staff? Really? Besides, they are never going to testify.

Either you or @HYUFD are naive or in denial

Mandelson set to be ordered to give evidence in US Epstein inquiry

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/01/mandelson-could-be-ordered-to-give-evidence-in-us-epstein/

I have no great sympathy for Mandy on this but 'ordered?' The Americans can just 'order' a British peer of the realm to come to them but when the likes of Americans like Anne Sacoolas kill UK citizens there is no way on earth they will be expected to appear in some British court. Who are the Americans in these disclosures who have been 'ordered' to appear before this Congressional cttee? Next to none that I can see

Okay something is seriously kicking off in Iran. But it’s good that a comedian has some of the best takes on the situation.

https://x.com/omid9/status/2017631358030381188

Absolutely nothing confirmed and currently zero on the mainstream TV channels. But news of multiple bombings targeting IRGC strongholds is flooding in on the Telegram channels. At the risk of sounding like Gillette soccer Saturday, these are the cities:

Bandar Abbas
Ahvaz
Khorramshahr
Abadan
Qasr-e Shirin
Parand
Qeshm
Dezful
Reports of explosions in places like Qeshm and at the Qom Governor's Office building.

Just to cover my tracks currently waiting for Chris Kamara to verify.

So what sparked the recent unrest in Iran? Could it have been foreign interference? My Dad has these books in his office room I read when I was small, where, before Sov Bloc attacked Mega City One, they sowed chaos and lawlessness in Mega City One, to soften it up and it take its eye off what they were up to.

Well, the regime is only in place because (a) they don't allow opponents to stand in elections, and (b) they have a highly efficient security service that tortures and kills opponents. (Come to mention it, that sounds a bit like Russia too.)

Add to which, over the past 20 years, Iranians have gotten poorer and even less free.

The proximate cause of unrest is the fact that oil prices have come down, the regime was weakened by US strikes, and sanctions are biting. There have also been a lot of protests in recent years -such as the one over the killing of the girl by the religious police- so the anger (particularly in urban Iran) is palpable.

And at some point resisting the regime becomes less painful than sticking with it.

Yes. But my hypothesis is a really smart way to do these things though, and some of the things you mentioned could be the actual reasons and support my hypothesis at the same time.

Truth is always the first casualty of a Cold War. For example, 1st February 2026 not a single PBer will claim the CIA never actually bought Pollocks at exorbitant prices - but during Cold War many would be sceptical even dismissive here.

If anyone's feeling over-promoted and out of their depth in their day job, I can heartily recommend "listening to Zach Polanski talk about foreign policy and defence" as a cure

https://x.com/BristOliver/status/2018027180094107988

There are two people best qualified to screw the nation and their own voters and they are on the ascent. They are Wacky "we are leaving NATO" Zachy and Nigel "I'm Americanising UK healthcare" Farage.

I can't abide populism. It's all delusional nonsense. But if pushed I'd prefer my delusional nonsense to be free of small-minded, mean-spirited xenophobia, so it's Reform UK I'm most worried about.

The problem with Zach, like Corbyn before him is his function will be to split the left of centre vote and deliver some degree of RefCon Government.

That’s down to Labour. I’m sure that a wealth tax, clean rivers, cost of living issues acknowledged and tackled, plus policies designed to build the backlog of unbuilt houses in land banks, would undercut Zack and renew Kier.


TBH I’m not in this politics lark for personal power or gain. I just want to change our fucking grim future.

Labour need to own their failure. And if not I suggest a change to PR. Else it will be Nigel vs Zack for the foreseeable.

Looks as if the political class are demanding Andrew and Mandelson both give evidence in the US

At the risk of reigniting last night's debate, @HYUFD isn't entirely wrong when he draws comparison with the Ann Sacoolas case. Who are they trying to go after? Epstein is dead, Maxwell in prison.

All those complicit in their crimes and justice for their victims

And how will Andy and Mandy help? They know the names of the staff? Really? Besides, they are never going to testify.

Either you or @HYUFD are naive or in denial

Mandelson set to be ordered to give evidence in US Epstein inquiry

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/01/mandelson-could-be-ordered-to-give-evidence-in-us-epstein/

I have no great sympathy for Mandy on this but 'ordered?' The Americans can just 'order' a British peer of the realm to come to them but when the likes of Americans like Anne Sacoolas kill UK citizens there is no way on earth they will be expected to appear in some British court. Who are the Americans in these disclosures who have been 'ordered' to appear before this Congressional cttee? Next to none that I can see

It's the Telegraph's British media dodgy wording in the headline.

The headline refers to Congress "summoning" Mandelson.

Later on the article admits he cannot be forced to attend.

Full article link:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/fb1d0a01204e33d8

Looks as if the political class are demanding Andrew and Mandelson both give evidence in the US

At the risk of reigniting last night's debate, @HYUFD isn't entirely wrong when he draws comparison with the Ann Sacoolas case. Who are they trying to go after? Epstein is dead, Maxwell in prison.

All those complicit in their crimes and justice for their victims

And how will Andy and Mandy help? They know the names of the staff? Really? Besides, they are never going to testify.

Either you or @HYUFD are naive or in denial

I think I’m just a bit more realistic. I don’t doubt the scale of the crime, but how much evidence do they need? They have vast files. Andy and Mandy are being crucified in the press, rightly so, and I think this ends badly for Mandy as he has almost certainly lied about money, and repeatedly. Andrew is done, gone, everything stripped from him.

I think anyone who thinks the key to the puzzle is those two clowns testifying is naive in the extreme.

Asolutely.

For the UK it's a further emanation of the usual "who can we blame that is not like us", which is the warp and woof standard UK political-media process.

For the USA it let's some of them go with "look at THE UK", which again is something of a diversion.

The USA is much worse than even we are at looking ourselves in the mirror.

Somebody commented about the why. There are hundreds of women and girls who have been waiting for 2 or 3 decades to testify about how they were trafficked and abused by movers and shakers in society, enabled by further movers and shakers, lawyers, judges, public political officials, bankers etc.

And many said movers and shakers do not want anything to come out.

My best comparison is perhaps Georgian or Victoria society, preeningly virtuous on the surface, but rotten underneath.

I think it's important to recall that the release process has been deliberately manipulated by to protect Trump and his friends.