Best Of

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/22/transgender-police-allowed-strip-search-women-new-guidance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1732308411

Actual state sanctioned sexual assault on women by men. Also forcing women to change and shower with men.

With every vile policy like this, he can add a % or two. Someone yesterday questioned about the trans lobby having captured the police. Can't believe they questioned it.

Badenoch and Farage will gain a % or two every time this happens.

Full article:

https://archive.ph/iwvtW

(I note that the guidelines discussed by the T require that such staff have a Gender Recognition Certificate.

There are enough detailed issues around that to constitute an entire rabbit warren, so I'm not going there.

Govt GRC processes are here:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-gender-recognition-certificate/what-documents-you-need )

OT but something one needs to know: not only are banks sometimes imposing an upper limit on scam refunds, many are now bringing in an £100 excess deduction.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/nov/23/uk-bank-fraud-victims-100-excess-refund-claims

I think there has to be at least a small element of personal responsibility for where you send your money. As long as the bank didn’t do anything wrong, why should they have to pay for your mistake?

The banks haven't been that great, it must be said. The delays in bringing in checking of the destination account and name were very telling (!). But either way somerthing to know about.

I'm actually surprised at how many scams are for less than £100 - once it's set up, why settle for so little?

I had one where someone managed to spend 2.99 GBP on my Amazon account. Spotted the and rang them. They said it was a scam and they used a small amount first hoping it was not noticed. Then they’d spend big,after a few days,

I had one where they ordered chocolates , car air fresheners, putty and a few other items to my home address, sent money e-cards to themselves.
We enjoyed the chocolates etc, never found a use for the modelling putty mind you and Amazon refunded everything

Afternoon Malc.

How's Storm Bert for you? Been much snow in the north?

He's not in the North. Ayrshire is dahn sarf.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/22/transgender-police-allowed-strip-search-women-new-guidance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1732308411

Actual state sanctioned sexual assault on women by men. Also forcing women to change and shower with men.

With every vile policy like this, he can add a % or two. Someone yesterday questioned about the trans lobby having captured the police. Can't believe they questioned it.

Badenoch and Farage will gain a % or two every time this happens.

Good Morning everyone.

I would just point out, on topic, that it's in the Telegraph, so probably as reliable as if in the Star.
Also, does anyone know how many trans male>female police 'persons' are actually employed by the Met?

That's rather an unkind statement.

The Star has some decent journalists among the indecent photos.

On topic, why would Farage want to lead the Tories? It is already a 50/50 toss up who will lead the forthcoming Tory-Reform administration. Reform could be running Wales soon. Kemi is going to have to be brilliant and make the most of all her opportunities not to see the Tories go the way of the Liberals.

I agree, I'd say there's a real risk the Tories become the UUP to Reform's DUP.

However, and it's a big however, the Tories can also fish for LD (home counties) and Labour (switchers and floating voters as well) so they can face and pull in multiple directions, if they get the mix and tone right.

Not sure Badenoch is quite the right candidate to go fishing for LD and centrist Labour votes. Davey is a more conservative leader and overall safer bet.

Davey is anything but conservative. He's a socialist in a yellow suit with a flying bird on it.

Not at all.

For example the LDs oppose the abolition of AR on farms and imposition of VAT on private schools.

Davey certainly wasn't a Socialist when in government either.

It will be tough to expand the number of LD seats at the next GE, as there will surely be some dead cat bounce for the Tories, but it isn't impossible. There is not a lot of love out there for either of the big two parties. We may well be in one of those decades where the tectonic plates of party politics shift.

I suggest you read the interviews with him on his background and political philosophy, which was so left-wing the interviewer even asked him why he didn't join the Labour Party then - to which he gave some weakish answer about how he didn't like its tradition.

He's a Lefty through and through.

Don't confuse political opportunism for where his real sympathies lie, and he'd be delighted to prop up a Labour administration that fell short next time.

One of the interesting curiosities of modern politics is that Conservatives don’t look or act conservative. It’s all topsy turvey

On the contrary they seem determined to trash the country rather than conserve it.

It's to do now, with party loyalty running vertically through classes, rather than horizontally, across them.

People are still used to the idea of upper middle class people being overwhelmingly Conservative, and working class people being mainly Labour (with a substantial Conservative minority).

When in reality, the Conservatives have very little in common now, with much of the Establishment, and Labour have very little in common now, with broad swathes of working class Britain.

And, the same is true of the US, France, and other rich world democracies. Quite often now, the most solidly left-leaning constituencies are the most well-heeled.

It's fascinating to consider why that's the case.

Luxury beliefs of the university educated, especially women. They have to distinguish themselves from the hoi poloi who have always had small-c conservative views. Used to be done by owning a Jaguar, etc.

I think that's what a lot of Jaguar fans have picked up on: the company is dominated by such types who deliberately want to triangulate against them for those reasons.

I think that "elite overproduction" is one reason. The Greens in particular, pick up support from people who are very well-educated, but in relatively poorly-paying occupations. Revolutions are almost always driven by people who are just outside the magic circle of power and wealth, rather than the genuinely poor.

So, you have a lot of elite-adjacent people who really detest their own society, along with its history and culture.

Also economics isn't really the dividing line it once was. No genuintely socialist party can expect to come to power now, and nor can any party that believes in radically cutting back the public sector. A form of social democracy prevails in most rich world democracies. So, people seek other dividing lines.

That's a good analysis.

I'm astonished at how extreme I find the views of some of my peer group but they seem to be seen as normal by most.

Do you wonder how many Jaguars are driven by women or men under 50?

Well, I'm one of them. And I bought mine in my 30s.

Jaguar are targeting a market that simply doesn't exist and, to the extent it does, it's the distinct Britishness and heritage of the marque that attracts customers to it as a luxury brand, just as for RR or Bentley.

On topic, why would Farage want to lead the Tories? It is already a 50/50 toss up who will lead the forthcoming Tory-Reform administration. Reform could be running Wales soon. Kemi is going to have to be brilliant and make the most of all her opportunities not to see the Tories go the way of the Liberals.

I agree, I'd say there's a real risk the Tories become the UUP to Reform's DUP.

However, and it's a big however, the Tories can also fish for LD (home counties) and Labour (switchers and floating voters as well) so they can face and pull in multiple directions, if they get the mix and tone right.

Not sure Badenoch is quite the right candidate to go fishing for LD and centrist Labour votes. Davey is a more conservative leader and overall safer bet.

Davey is anything but conservative. He's a socialist in a yellow suit with a flying bird on it.

Not at all.

For example the LDs oppose the abolition of AR on farms and imposition of VAT on private schools.

Davey certainly wasn't a Socialist when in government either.

It will be tough to expand the number of LD seats at the next GE, as there will surely be some dead cat bounce for the Tories, but it isn't impossible. There is not a lot of love out there for either of the big two parties. We may well be in one of those decades where the tectonic plates of party politics shift.

I suggest you read the interviews with him on his background and political philosophy, which was so left-wing the interviewer even asked him why he didn't join the Labour Party then - to which he gave some weakish answer about how he didn't like its tradition.

He's a Lefty through and through.

Don't confuse political opportunism for where his real sympathies lie, and he'd be delighted to prop up a Labour administration that fell short next time.

One of the interesting curiosities of modern politics is that Conservatives don’t look or act conservative. It’s all topsy turvey

On the contrary they seem determined to trash the country rather than conserve it.

It's to do now, with party loyalty running vertically through classes, rather than horizontally, across them.

People are still used to the idea of upper middle class people being overwhelmingly Conservative, and working class people being mainly Labour (with a substantial Conservative minority).

When in reality, the Conservatives have very little in common now, with much of the Establishment, and Labour have very little in common now, with broad swathes of working class Britain.

And, the same is true of the US, France, and other rich world democracies. Quite often now, the most solidly left-leaning constituencies are the most well-heeled.

It's fascinating to consider why that's the case.

Luxury beliefs of the university educated, especially women. They have to distinguish themselves from the hoi poloi who have always had small-c conservative views. Used to be done by owning a Jaguar, etc.

I think that's what a lot of Jaguar fans have picked up on: the company is dominated by such types who deliberately want to triangulate against them for those reasons.

I think that "elite overproduction" is one reason. The Greens in particular, pick up support from people who are very well-educated, but in relatively poorly-paying occupations. Revolutions are almost always driven by people who are just outside the magic circle of power and wealth, rather than the genuinely poor.

So, you have a lot of elite-adjacent people who really detest their own society, along with its history and culture.

Also economics isn't really the dividing line it once was. No genuintely socialist party can expect to come to power now, and nor can any party that believes in radically cutting back the public sector. A form of social democracy prevails in most rich world democracies. So, people seek other dividing lines.

That's a good analysis.

I'm astonished at how extreme I find the views of some of my peer group but they seem to be seen as normal by most.

Do you wonder how many Jaguars are driven by women or men under 50?

Well, I'm one of them. And I bought mine in my 30s.

Jaguar are targeting a market that simply doesn't exist and, to the extent it does, it's the distinct Britishness and heritage of the marque that attracts customers to it as a luxury brand, just as for RR or Bentley.

On topic, why would Farage want to lead the Tories? It is already a 50/50 toss up who will lead the forthcoming Tory-Reform administration. Reform could be running Wales soon. Kemi is going to have to be brilliant and make the most of all her opportunities not to see the Tories go the way of the Liberals.

I agree, I'd say there's a real risk the Tories become the UUP to Reform's DUP.

However, and it's a big however, the Tories can also fish for LD (home counties) and Labour (switchers and floating voters as well) so they can face and pull in multiple directions, if they get the mix and tone right.

Not sure Badenoch is quite the right candidate to go fishing for LD and centrist Labour votes. Davey is a more conservative leader and overall safer bet.

Davey is anything but conservative. He's a socialist in a yellow suit with a flying bird on it.

Not at all.

For example the LDs oppose the abolition of AR on farms and imposition of VAT on private schools.

Davey certainly wasn't a Socialist when in government either.

It will be tough to expand the number of LD seats at the next GE, as there will surely be some dead cat bounce for the Tories, but it isn't impossible. There is not a lot of love out there for either of the big two parties. We may well be in one of those decades where the tectonic plates of party politics shift.

On topic, why would Farage want to lead the Tories? It is already a 50/50 toss up who will lead the forthcoming Tory-Reform administration. Reform could be running Wales soon. Kemi is going to have to be brilliant and make the most of all her opportunities not to see the Tories go the way of the Liberals.

I agree, I'd say there's a real risk the Tories become the UUP to Reform's DUP.

However, and it's a big however, the Tories can also fish for LD (home counties) and Labour (switchers and floating voters as well) so they can face and pull in multiple directions, if they get the mix and tone right.

Not sure Badenoch is quite the right candidate to go fishing for LD and centrist Labour votes. Davey is a more conservative leader and overall safer bet.

Davey is anything but conservative. He's a socialist in a yellow suit with a flying bird on it.

He looks conservative. A safe bank manager type. Harmless and welcoming.

On topic, why would Farage want to lead the Tories? It is already a 50/50 toss up who will lead the forthcoming Tory-Reform administration. Reform could be running Wales soon. Kemi is going to have to be brilliant and make the most of all her opportunities not to see the Tories go the way of the Liberals.

I agree, I'd say there's a real risk the Tories become the UUP to Reform's DUP.

However, and it's a big however, the Tories can also fish for LD (home counties) and Labour (switchers and floating voters as well) so they can face and pull in multiple directions, if they get the mix and tone right.

Not sure Badenoch is quite the right candidate to go fishing for LD and centrist Labour votes. Davey is a more conservative leader and overall safer bet.