Best Of

I had a terrible, ominous thought today. As I did my exciting car club trip to the Regis Road recycling centre (it's a good place to think about the mortality of all things, including bathroom furniture)

There is one absolute definitive way for America to end the war with Iran, and be totally victorious

Drop a nuke on Tehran, or Qom, or whatever

The Iranians would submit within hours, as did the Japanese in 1945

Trust me, I hate the Iranian regime and I'd be delighted to see the mullahs vapourised, but I am not keen on the idea of nukes falling across Persia. Nonetheless i can see how that might be a route out for a desperate Trump and a careless Bibi (who would probably like to see Iran levelled)

I started the day on here saying I was expecting Hegseth to at least threaten Iran with nukes.

Within a day the Russians would be having a go, so the Europeans will go totally apeshit at the Americans- far from ensuring victory, it could lead to a total boycott of the US.

You think Hegseth sees that far ahead?

Kemi going in boots on over Starmer having sent petrol prices through the roof with his war with Iran.

I wonder if she's thought about blockading Ebbsfleet and Fawley with trucks and tractors like Hague did in 2000.

Go on girl!

Surely Starmer just says: I never supported this war, but you did - you own these rises.

Some insane idiots actually believe her shit

They need sectioning.

Global oil price rises are all Starmer's fault

That what she is saying.

Well Ed Miliband thinks we can save the climate by setting an example to other countries so why wouldn't the same logic work here?

If we set an example by going to war with Iran and everyone else followed our lead, it would surely be over in no time, leading to a glut of oil on global markets.

Evening all

Another day, another, well, we'll see, at Cheltenham.

I come on here and read we are going to deport immigrants - I thought we already deported those whose applications for asylum were unsuccessful but it seems instead as was the case once with tax and spend, we are embarking on a dutch auction to see who can be the "hardest" on immigration. A fine example of what happens when your have Government and Opposition positions determined by focus groups and tweets rather than what is good for the country.

It also seems we want to continue with one of our stupidest moves in the past 30-40 years - there's no problem with taking infrastructure out of public hands but we sell it to foreign companies. Fine, we get a nice little sum in the coffers but longer term you end up with the spectacle of British consumers having to pay more for their electricity and gas to foreign companies who use that to subsidise the costs their home customers pay.

Poor foreign people aren't welcome but rich foreign companies are - we begrudge any money going to the former but we are happy to pay more than we should to the latter - makes no sense at all.

How do you explain so many favourites turned over by winners so far out in the betting at this Cheltenham Stodge?

Correct me where I have the science wrong, Punters back horses down to shorter odds - a few antepost fancied runners have drifted, and won, whilst some horses have come in on the betting in the last week to go off favourites and come nowhere - I should know, I was on them and watched them go backwards as 40-1 outsiders glided passed them.

It’s got to be something to do with where punters are getting their guidance? It should be based on what we have seen, evidence based? Course and distance hasn’t changed nor has the going.

Is mainstream media, alt and social media, pushing some runners without enough evidence, or journalism not previewing races objectively enough?

Might be all of that or none of that.

Mullins has had a right go at Jon Pullin and Cheltenham over the going but the problem is the course drains so well and so quickly you can have the wettest January and February for years and you are still having to water to stop the ground going too fast.

At Auteuil, they water constantly to provide Soft or Heavy ground all year round and Cheltenham could provide that on one of the courses I imagine but the truth is the course just doesn't hold the moisture as it once did.

Throw in the nonsense of the starts and you get a meeting which for me is getting too big for its own boots. I'd take it back to three days and move some of the championship races to other tracks.

I'd also look seriously at having the whole Festival in mid February with the National at the end of February IF you want a soft ground spectacle.

You can't have the three main staying chases (the Betfair, the King George and the Gold Cup) all run on Good ground - you need to guarantee one can be run on genuinely soft or even heavy turf.

I'm sure the Ed Chamberlins of this world will have you believe Cheltenham is an unqualified triumph which, to paraphrase Mary Poppins, is "practically perfect in every way". It isn't and pandering to the crowds to get 60,000 every day through the gates misses the point if the racing itself is the victim whether it's the starts or the surface.

Kemi going in boots on over Starmer having sent petrol prices through the roof with his war with Iran.

I wonder if she's thought about blockading Ebbsfleet and Fawley with trucks and tractors like Hague did in 2000.

Go on girl!

Surely Starmer just says: I never supported this war, but you did - you own these rises.

Some insane idiots actually believe her shit

They need sectioning.

Global oil price rises are all Starmer's fault

That what she is saying.

Well Ed Miliband thinks we can save the climate by setting an example to other countries so why wouldn't the same logic work here?

If we set an example by going to war with Iran and everyone else followed our lead, it would surely be over in no time, leading to a glut of oil on global markets.

You seriously think that.
Your off your rocker

Thanks to 14 years and 22% cut in defence spending under Kemi Badenoch Tory Party our Armed Forces are hollowed out.

So let's assume we'd have gone all in, every available plane, ship

What difference would we have made

2% 3%??

Every citizen, city, town, village in this Country would be at risk to soothe the blinking idiots fucking vanity.

2% or 3% would be more than our share of global climate emissions.

It's more about our ability to lead by example and encourage others to step up. Is Keir Starmer not a globally respected figure to whom people around the world look for guidance on moral and political questions? If people saw him getting involved, it would be a signal to the likes of Xi and Modi to get on the right side of history.

What's global warming got to do with declaring war on Iran

What's petrol pump increases got to do with starmer

If the sea level went up by 150 meters there would be no problem in the strait of Hormuz.



Admittedly no Qatar, Basra or Bahrain either, but you can't have everything.

https://x.com/JasonGroves1/status/2032075935252447484

No 10 says ministers were right to give Peter Mandelson a £75k payoff after he was sacked in disgrace - but also that he should give it back

Would those against the payout prefer we paid him £250k and lawyers another £500k after a court battle?

Sir Keir said he lied during the vetting.

Lying on a job application or during vetting is Gross Misconduct and grounds for termination without compensation.

If he did not do that, then Sir Keir has lied.

Either he should have been fired, with cause, without notice, or the PM should be resigning.

More to the point his contract made it expressly clear that he was not entitled to notice and there at the whim of the government. I don't understand why an early termination payment was even being discussed.

#NU10K - failure looks different.

For most people failure means losing your job. Prison even.

For the Blessed Ones, failure means a payout, followed by getting another job. A better one. With a golden hello.

To not give him a payout would be “vindictive”. It would break the moral obligation to treat him as One of Us, rather than a prole.

'NU10k' or not - I'd argue he's something a little more unusual than that - I doubt Peter Mandelson is going to progress to a better job.

He will “rest” for a bit. Then gradually, he will accidentally fall into new jobs.

Probably charity stuff to start the rehabilitation - on the board of a few.

Then, after the next election, the potential prosecution will be dropped - insufficient evidence and not in the public interest….

Hmm, maybe, but I think not in this case. It's a pretty high profile and intense disgrace. And there's that 'pedo' aspect. It's not just corruption and £££.

How much do you want to bet?

FIFTY POUNDS

Charity bet. Loser pays to Battersea Dogs. Trust basis, no proof required. Word is our bond. English gentlemen.

Criteria: New job for Mandy of power and prestige. You say Yes, eye say No.

Timeframe: by end of 2028

No further discussion. Accept with 'like'. Decline with no like.

Will check later. Busy with yoga.

Need to define prestige and power - otherwise yes.

Let's say yes then. We can't really define that but I'm sure we're on the same page. Eg main board substantial company, yes. Some shady consulting nonsense, no. @rcs1000 or @TSE as arbitrator in the unlikely event of a dispute.

Ok - site moderators to adjudicate “prestige and power” position for Mandy.

£50, deadline end of 2028. Done.

Morning all

The third day of Cheltenham approaches and my thoughts on the day as follows:
.
Mares Novices Hurdle: BAMBINO FEVER

Jack Richards Novices Handicap Chase: SIXMILEBRIDGE

Mares Hurdle - WODHOOH

Stayers Hurdle - MA SHANTOU (win), IMPOSE TOI (each way)

Ryanair Chase: IMPAIRE ET PASSE

What became of proper horse's names, such as Dobbin?

If I ever own a race horse then I would call it ‘My face’.

You'd be embarrassed when you had to employ jockeys.

I have no sense of shame or embarrassment.

But imagine during Royal Ascot thousand of attendees who had backed my horse all saying ‘Come on my face’.

Kemi going in boots on over Starmer having sent petrol prices through the roof with his war with Iran.

I wonder if she's thought about blockading Ebbsfleet and Fawley with trucks and tractors like Hague did in 2000.

Go on girl!

Surely Starmer just says: I never supported this war, but you did - you own these rises.

Some insane idiots actually believe her shit

They need sectioning.

Global oil price rises are all Starmer's fault

That what she is saying.

Well Ed Miliband thinks we can save the climate by setting an example to other countries so why wouldn't the same logic work here?

If we set an example by going to war with Iran and everyone else followed our lead, it would surely be over in no time, leading to a glut of oil on global markets.

You seriously think that.
Your off your rocker

Thanks to 14 years and 22% cut in defence spending under Kemi Badenoch Tory Party our Armed Forces are hollowed out.

So let's assume we'd have gone all in, every available plane, ship

What difference would we have made

2% 3%??

Every citizen, city, town, village in this Country would be at risk to soothe the blinking idiots fucking vanity.

2% or 3% would be more than our share of global climate emissions.

It's more about our ability to lead by example and encourage others to step up. Is Keir Starmer not a globally respected figure to whom people around the world look for guidance on moral and political questions? If people saw him getting involved, it would be a signal to the likes of Xi and Modi to get on the right side of history.

Evening all

Another day, another, well, we'll see, at Cheltenham.

I come on here and read we are going to deport immigrants - I thought we already deported those whose applications for asylum were unsuccessful but it seems instead as was the case once with tax and spend, we are embarking on a dutch auction to see who can be the "hardest" on immigration. A fine example of what happens when your have Government and Opposition positions determined by focus groups and tweets rather than what is good for the country.

It also seems we want to continue with one of our stupidest moves in the past 30-40 years - there's no problem with taking infrastructure out of public hands but we sell it to foreign companies. Fine, we get a nice little sum in the coffers but longer term you end up with the spectacle of British consumers having to pay more for their electricity and gas to foreign companies who use that to subsidise the costs their home customers pay.

Poor foreign people aren't welcome but rich foreign companies are - we begrudge any money going to the former but we are happy to pay more than we should to the latter - makes no sense at all.

How do you explain so many favourites turned over by winners so far out in the betting at this Cheltenham Stodge?

Correct me where I have the science wrong, Punters back horses down to shorter odds - a few antepost fancied runners have drifted, and won, whilst some horses have come in on the betting in the last week to go off favourites and come nowhere - I should know, I was on them and watched them go backwards as 40-1 outsiders glided passed them.

It’s got to be something to do with where punters are getting their guidance? It should be based on what we have seen, evidence based? Course and distance hasn’t changed nor has the going.

Is mainstream media, alt and social media, pushing some runners without enough evidence, or journalism not previewing races objectively enough?

Might be all of that or none of that.

Mullins has had a right go at Jon Pullin and Cheltenham over the going but the problem is the course drains so well and so quickly you can have the wettest January and February for years and you are still having to water to stop the ground going too fast.

At Auteuil, they water constantly to provide Soft or Heavy ground all year round and Cheltenham could provide that on one of the courses I imagine but the truth is the course just doesn't hold the moisture as it once did.

Throw in the nonsense of the starts and you get a meeting which for me is getting too big for its own boots. I'd take it back to three days and move some of the championship races to other tracks.

I'd also look seriously at having the whole Festival in mid February with the National at the end of February IF you want a soft ground spectacle.

You can't have the three main staying chases (the Betfair, the King George and the Gold Cup) all run on Good ground - you need to guarantee one can be run on genuinely soft or even heavy turf.

I'm sure the Ed Chamberlins of this world will have you believe Cheltenham is an unqualified triumph which, to paraphrase Mary Poppins, is "practically perfect in every way". It isn't and pandering to the crowds to get 60,000 every day through the gates misses the point if the racing itself is the victim whether it's the starts or the surface.

Kemi going in boots on over Starmer having sent petrol prices through the roof with his war with Iran.

I wonder if she's thought about blockading Ebbsfleet and Fawley with trucks and tractors like Hague did in 2000.

Go on girl!

Surely Starmer just says: I never supported this war, but you did - you own these rises.

Some insane idiots actually believe her shit

They need sectioning.

Global oil price rises are all Starmer's fault

That what she is saying.

Well Ed Miliband thinks we can save the climate by setting an example to other countries so why wouldn't the same logic work here?

If we set an example by going to war with Iran and everyone else followed our lead, it would surely be over in no time, leading to a glut of oil on global markets.

You seriously think that.
Your off your rocker

Thanks to 14 years and 22% cut in defence spending under Kemi Badenoch Tory Party our Armed Forces are hollowed out.

So let's assume we'd have gone all in, every available plane, ship

What difference would we have made

2% 3%??

Every citizen, city, town, village in this Country would be at risk to soothe the blinking idiots fucking vanity.

2% or 3% would be more than our share of global climate emissions.

It's more about our ability to lead by example and encourage others to step up. Is Keir Starmer not a globally respected figure to whom people around the world look for guidance on moral and political questions? If people saw him getting involved, it would be a signal to the likes of Xi and Modi to get on the right side of history.

What's global warming got to do with declaring war on Iran

What's petrol pump increases got to do with starmer

If the sea level went up by 150 meters there would be no problem in the strait of Hormuz.



Admittedly no Qatar, Basra or Bahrain either, but you can't have everything.

On the other hand, if sea level dropped by 100 m, the entire Gulf as far east as Hormuz would be dry land. Just like during the Ice Age 15,000 years back.