Best Of
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Three or four years ago I took my wife to her dad's second wife's funeral at the crem in Sheffield. At the time my wife had a (by my modest standards) very expensive Mercedes Benz cabriolet with an all singing, all dancing Mercedes-NavTeq SatNav. This SatNav took us along Leppings Lane to our destination, but at Leppings Lane it got confused and took us all the way around Hillsborough twice, until I decided to go rogue.First time I ever got pulled over for suspected drink driving was when I drove round a roundabout three times.Defintely don't drive round a roundabout 7 times.Don't go there pleaseIf they’d stopped at the stop line, instead of driving round the roundabout 7 times…They did when we drove from Jerusalem to Jericho !!!!Did they have roundabouts in the holy land?Well Jews don't believe Jesus was the son of GodSome of them. But in any case people can support elements of a religious philosophy whilst being opposed to some fundamental tenets of the faith itself.You oppose the 10 commandments?Being opposed to Islam isn't islamophobic. It's a religion, and therefore a philosophy, a belief system, and may be opposed. Exactly as you may be opposed to a political philosophy.Islamism is different from Islam. Look them upIs opposing Islamism Islamophobic?Is opposing Judaism antisemitic? I'd say yes to that, so I'd also say yes to your question.
Similarly, being opposed to Judaism, the religion, isn't antisemitic.
Someone might find a lot they like about the teachings of Jesus but still oppose the religious institutions promoting it, or just not agree with (and so oppose) fundamental aspects of its beliefs (eg that Jesus was the son of God).
Not even in a roundabout way ?
You'll get dizzy.
I wasn’t sure what exit to take…
How did ever drive in unknown places before SatNav.
You can't beat an A to Z!
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
It's frustrating isn't it? Having people supposedly on your side obsessed with the minutiae of small ideological differences and missing the big picture they should all be able to unite around.Oh, this centre v Right stuff is such bullshit and so clichéd.The problem for Kemi is many Tory MPs still in the party will want a clearer shift to the centre to mild centre right to distinguish them from Labour and Reform. When Jenrick was there they weren't willing to challenge her as he would have shifted the party even further right, now he is gone Tory moderates will see Cleverly as the likeliest replacement for Kemi and he is much more to their taste than she is.I think the Tories should hold their ground and their nerve.Probably, though I don't see any good choices for the Tories. They'll be humiliated if/when they stand, but ceding the ground entirely is a big deal for one of the traditional big two, once they officially accept they have no shot and, implicitly or otherwise, their voters should back Reform to beat Labour, well, they're halfway to a pact/merger already.Former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for the Conservatives to stand aside in the Gorton and Denton by-election to help secure a victory for Reform UKIt's possible he's teetering, but I think the way he's wired and who he is that he's Conservative through and through - wears it like a skin - and has called for these deals before.
https://x.com/GBPolitcs/status/2016198346751328469?s=20
So it's probably just deal-making.
Which might not be so bad for them, except that Reform expect to be the leader in any such scenario, notwithstanding the Tories have 10x the seats at the moment.
They made some shit choices on leader over recent years, and badly fucked up on immigration, but I still think they have a distinctive offer that Reform and Labour don't and, weirdly, a place in the English (in particular) political psych rooted in history.
If the Tories fall to 3rd in May a VONC in her is likely so she needs to ensure second for the party
The Tories should live in the real world and come up with an offer for a strong country, rooted in independence, solvency, sovereignty and a vision for a strong and prosperous future for all.
That's it.
This reduco ad absurdium to just be either blue Lib Dems or blue Reform totally misses the point, and is a flase choice and flawed analysis.
Just be Tory.
Welcome to politics left-wing style!
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Perhaps I can introduce you to this thing called "Star Trek"...Kyle Broflovski: Think about it. Haven't Luke Skywalker and Santa Claus affected your lives more than most real people in this room? I mean, whether Jesus is real or not, he... he's had a bigger impact on the world than any of us have. And the same could be said of Bugs Bunny and, a-and Superman and Harry Potter. They've changed my life, changed the way I act on the Earth. Doesn't that make them kind of "real."? They might be imaginary, but, but they're more important than most of us here. And they're all gonna be around long after we're dead. So in a way, those things are more realer than any of us.They still do. The modern literature and scholarship on this, historical, philosophical and theological, is immense and forms a continuing cascade including work of outstanding quality.You don't say.Well Jews don't believe Jesus was the son of GodSome of them. But in any case people can support elements of a religious philosophy whilst being opposed to some fundamental tenets of the faith itself.You oppose the 10 commandments?Being opposed to Islam isn't islamophobic. It's a religion, and therefore a philosophy, a belief system, and may be opposed. Exactly as you may be opposed to a political philosophy.Islamism is different from Islam. Look them upIs opposing Islamism Islamophobic?Is opposing Judaism antisemitic? I'd say yes to that, so I'd also say yes to your question.
Similarly, being opposed to Judaism, the religion, isn't antisemitic.
Someone might find a lot they like about the teachings of Jesus but still oppose the religious institutions promoting it, or just not agree with (and so oppose) fundamental aspects of its beliefs (eg that Jesus was the son of God).
Of course, early Christians also famoulsy argued about the precise nature of Christ too, in their own way.
It seems to me, by the way, that one has to be oddly unimaginative as a member of our culture to have no interest in what Jesus was like, what he did and said, his history and his social and religious context. Regardless of whether one is a critic of its aftermath.
(I get all my life lessons from TV shows and movies)
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Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
I find it hard to imagine that the Green MPs are hobnobbing with the Reform UK MPs enough to pick up on stories like this before they are announced!One of his MP colleagues might have heard about it in Parliament, where he should want to beWith Goodwin standing, I can understand Zack chickening outPolanski, I believe, said he was out before Goodwin was announced.
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
With Goodwin standing, I can understand Zack chickening outPolanski, I believe, said he was out before Goodwin was announced.
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Has there ever been a "Free This Country" movement that was anti-Islamist, until Free Iran?Square me this circle. Why do British borderline fascists demanding the removal of Muslims from the UK find the Emirates such an attractive lifestyle destination? I'd take Monaco or Porto Fino any day of the week.
Has there ever been a "Free This Country" movement less supported by the Left since the Soviet Union?
Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Galloway has shat it, not standing in G&D:'Respected figures from the Sultana faction of Your Party have been hard at work today seeking to persuade us to stand down for the pro- NATO Green Party led by the man who said he couldn’t vote for
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9dv3x5yep4o
@jeremycorbyn
as “a European and a Jew”. They are howling at the moon.
Firstly Polanski said on TV he would never have anything to do with us because of my positions on his LGBTQ++ infatuations. That must include electoral co-operation right?
Second the current international situation means co-operation with a pro-NATO party is out of the question
Third we defeated the Deputy Leader of the Manchester City Council in this very constituency not two years ago. Our Councillor
@ShahbazSarwar
is the most popular in the city. It is WE who should be asking others to stand down to avoid splitting the anti-Starmer vote.
My erstwhile friends should take their toy tanks off our lawn. #WorkersParty #ByElection'
https://x.com/georgegalloway/status/2016138249337762246?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet
HYUFD
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Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
It is ironic, in light of that, to reflect that the Pilgrim Fathers insisted on a full separation of church and state on the grounds that secular power corrupted everything and they did not want it to damage their religious observances.But what is Islamism in people’s minds?Is opposing Islamism Islamophobic?Is opposing Judaism antisemitic? I'd say yes to that, so I'd also say yes to your question.
What if in their minds people think Islamism is against modern liberal, secularized societies, on basis they risk moral decay attempting to exist without a spiritual foundation, so Islamism insists on a structured society guided by Islamism principles, comprising a Islamic state.
* A Rejection of Neutrality: Islamism against the "neutral" state, believing that a society not built on Islamism values would inevitably fall into chaos.
* Structure:
* The State: Its laws and, to some extent, its public institutions should be guided by Islamism principles, even if not every citizen is a devout believer.
* The Community: A society where the rhythm of life (holidays, work) and morality are implicitly Islamist.
* The Community of Islamism: An intellectual and spiritual elite (the "conscious" part of the society) that maintains the theological and moral integrity of the culture. A supreme leader above all politicians.
* Islamism acts as a moral compass to the State, rather than being controlled by state.
If in your mind all this was Islamism, would you not say you are opposed to that?
ydoethur
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Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Coming round to thinking? Pierre Duhem was arguing that 150 years ago.A question to Blanche, and everyone else - switching word Islam to Christian - would you like to live in a society guided by Christian principles, comprising a Christian state?Some quite interesting people - Tom Holland is a very obvious example - are coming around to thinking that how Moon Rabbit describes things is actually in some part true, that the Christian foundations of western society go much deeper than people realise in day to day life, that there are dangers in not recognising the significance of the Christendom inheritance and so on. I share that broad understanding FWIW, but I am a Christian of very liberal views.
* A Rejection of Neutrality: Christianity against the "neutral" state, believing that a society not built on Christian values would inevitably fall into chaos.
* Structure:
* The State: Its laws and, to some extent, its public institutions should be guided by Christianity principles, even if not every citizen is a devout believer.
* The Community: A society where the rhythm of life (holidays, work) and morality are implicitly Christian.
* The Community of Christianity: An intellectual and spiritual elite (the "conscious" part of the society) that maintains the theological and moral integrity of the culture. A supreme leader above all politicians.
* Christianity acts as a moral compass to the State, rather than being controlled by state.
What is also the case is that 'state neutrality' is not an option. States decide things and states don't decide by lottery or at random. Neutrality doesn't exist. So the question of what Leviathan stands for and why is always in issue.
ydoethur
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Re: There is still time to enter the 2026 PB Predictions Competition – politicalbetting.com
Good guy. He turned down £1,000,000 to let us use Local Hero because he didn't believe in Thatcher's privatisationsWhore, or good guy ?@washingtonpost.comBravo to Philip Glass! I've used his music more than once. A unique talent and good to know he's not a whore like the rest of us*!
Breaking news: Composer Philip Glass withdrew his highly anticipated Symphony No. 15 from its scheduled Kennedy Center performance, saying “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”
https://bsky.app/profile/washingtonpost.com/post/3mdg5suxn3i2n
*Mark Knoffler being another one
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