Best Of

Off topic, but some may find this amusing:

The Loser lost another fight.

President Donald Trump broke off an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday after host Kristen Welker challenged his false claims about elections and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” he said after a tense exchange lasting about four minutes. “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”

He then stood up and walked off the set in a barn in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, taped before an event focused on farmers that Trump held there Friday.

(Link omitted.)
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/07/trump-walks-out-meet-press-interview-when-challenged-over-false-claims/

But you might not have heard of it, if you live in the Seattle area (or any other place with a Sinclair TV station). Ours did mention the interview — but for some reason did not include the TACO that ended it. Which was, by far, the most interesting part of the story.

For years and years I have argued that bias in our news media is more a matter of what they choose to cover — and what they choose to skip. But you seldom see an example for my argument this neat — and this funny.

Cyclists piss me right off.

Specially designed cycle paths on the hill out of Brixham and towards Paignton. Specifically introduced to help cyclist safety from large articulated fish lorries, and seasonal traffic.

Cyclists generally ignore it, block traffic cause gridlock.

Many with more fecking cameras on them than GCHQ... Ready to report you for yelling "get on the fucking cycle path" as you drive past.

There are three types of cycle path.

1. Well-designed cycle paths that make cycling better - cyclists will use these paths.
2. Badly-designed cycle paths that make cycling more dangerous, or less convenient - cyclists will not use these paths.
3. Paint on the road surface - car drivers will ignore these.

Which category are the ones you are talking about?

Much though I hate to defend that poster, that's not altogether true. Next to the A449 from Wolverhampton to Penkridge (on both sides) is a cycleway that's beautifully laid out. It's wide, straight, surfaced properly, grade separated, no pedestrians and has pelican crossings so you can navigate safely. It must be the best cycleway in the whole Midlands.

Some utter twat persists, every day, in cycling rather slowly up the middle of the nearside lane of the dual carriageway, causing total chaos.

There is no excuse for that other than to be a total arsehole. Unless this person is such a total idiot he has not noticed the cycleway signs literally at his elbow, in which case he should probably not be allowed out without an escort.

If that total idiot was in a car he would not be causing traffic either.

This is what our can't misguided think-beyond-their-own-experiences city dwellers fail to comprehend. Roads that typically travel at or about the speed limit can be seriously damaged by one individual who is not doing the limit that then snarls everyone behind them until they can get into a different lane to overtake.

Whether that one individual be an agricultural vehicle, the bin lorry, a cyclist or an elderly driver afraid to drive properly.

Shared spaces mean they can all be on the road, but the idea its great that they are and should be celebrated is not necessarily correct and depends upon the circumstances.

It's not a matter of celebrating that one is stuck behind someone driving more slowly than you are comfortable doing. It's a matter of co-operating with other road users so everyone gets to their final destination in one piece.

There are too many drivers who seem to have either a death wish, or believe that they are invincible, or in their rage at being slightly inconvenienced and delayed lose all sense of proportion and put everyone else on the road in the vicinity at risk of death or serious injury.

Not bad for a sitting government to be six points behind.

YouGov

Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention, 7-8 June 2026

Reform UK: 25% (-2 from 31 May-1 Jun)
Conservatives: 19% (+1)
Labour: 19% (+1)
Greens: 14% (-1)
Lib Dems: 12% (-1)
SNP: 3% (=)
Restore Britain: 3% (=)
Plaid Cymru: 2% (+1)
Your Party: 1% (+1)

https://x.com/yougov/status/2064263713348112877?s=61&t=c6bcp0cjChLfQN5Tc8A_6g

Not great for a sitting government to be on 19%.

Nor for the main opposition party to be on 19%.

Currently, the main opposition party is Reform. It is ahead in the polls and in a panic the governing party is stealing its policies. The Conservative Party occasionally features, and its leader says nasty things to the PM which cheers the Party up, but it's not really winning arguments nor setting the agenda.

Sorry to be pedantic but Reform are no more the "main opposition party" now than the Alliance were when they led polls in the mid-80s.

The Conservatives, for all their many problems, are the credible alternative Government in terms of seats in the Commons. That may not be the case after the next election but until it is, it is Kemi Badenoch, not Nigel Farage, who gets the questions at PMQs and it is Kemi Badenoch, not Nigel Farage, who responds first to any Budget.

It's tempting to compare them to the Alliance, but Reform have already achieved a much more sustained breakthrough. The Alliance only led in the polling average for a couple of months.

EICIPM led for four years.

Midterm opinion polls mean diddly squat. What is sustained is when real General Elections occur.

AI assistants to be rolled out to Crown Courts to help clear backlog of cases
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/artificial-intelligence-crown-court-backlog-uk-lammy-5HjdbJL_2/

Holy s**t, how many miscarriages of justice will that cause?

Not sure, but I could check with Claude to find out?

How many times do we need to tell people that AI is really useful if all you want is a junior person who often lies (due to knowing no better) helping you...

At least junior people often know that they don't know the answer and should either research it, or escalate it to someone who does.

AI will just invent the answer rather than admitting it doesn't know much of the time.