Best Of

'A prison inmate has been charged with the murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley, police have said.

Anthony Russell, 43, will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court via video link on Wednesday, a spokesman for Durham Constabulary said.' Though given Russell is already serving a whole life order not really any sentence they can add further
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg8ll4l7d9o

In a way it’s a little surprising that this doesn’t happen more often.

If you put a group of the worst scumbags in the country in one place, those who are never getting out, they have little to lose by going for each other.

Russell committed three murders, one of which was preceded by rape, in 2020. One more murder makes no difference to him.

Stick 200 of the worst rats in a mega high security prison

Ease solitary and offer the last one standing a pardon.

Rinse and repeat

Ease overcrowding

Doesn't sound very civilised to me.

What's civil about mass murder, rape, child abuse.

Haven't they lost the right to civility

Which is why it’s a credit to the British State that they still treat people as humans, even when the scumbags have abdicated themselves from society.

It's more humane to execute someone than to lock them up with someone who will bash their skull in.

The state should never, ever be given the power to kill as punishment for crime. They are neither competent nor trustworthy enough to have that power.

100% agreed.

If a prisoner wishes to terminate their own life, I would allow them to do so (as I would for all adults) - that is their choice and their prerogative over their life.

The state must never, ever, under any circumstances have the right to kill prisoners in cold blood.

Killing people as a last resort in the cross-fire eg the Police killing an active shooter or terrorist, is something completely different again.

Truss gets it:

https://x.com/trussliz/status/2030958767278272838

Fundamental problem is all the models used by British state (economic model, energy model) are deterministic.

They don't take into account the value of options or sovereign capability.

They essentially bake in globalist assumptions (migration is a positive, Britain will always be able to get goods/commodities at affordable price, history has ended).

These models are hard wired into legislation and unaccountable bodies (such as the OBR and CCC).

It's one of the reasons it is so hard to get policies like fracking/migration cuts/defence projects through, you are fighting these projections.

We need to start from scratch. We should be basing policy on what Britain needs to thrive in all scenarios - not just the globalist utopian one.

I don't even know where to start with this.

She does have at least half a point. I was listening to a IFS (so hardly right wing extremist) podcast, and they noted that the OBR's migration modeling works roughly as follows:
Take projected number of immigrants, calculate their projected incomes, calculate tax due, add to projected government tax receipts.
All projected costs of this immigration are assumed to already be included in the government's spending plans, thus no adjustment is made for these costs.

Now, in a "steady state" sort of a way, this kind of works - if departmental spending has the correct amount in to cover the cost of immigration, one has to include the additional tax generated from immigration somewhere.

However, it means that plugging in different numbers of immigrants into the OBR model is meaningless, as it changes the projected tax take, but not the projected costs. This pretty much bakes into the forecasting model a presumption that lots of immigration is double plus good, and low immigration is very bad.

Obviously, it tells us nothing at-all about if migration is actually good news for the exchequer, but it means the treasury definitely wants lots of it anyway...

The main point on which Starmer and Badenoch publicly disagreed was on whether we should have allowed the USA the use of UK bases when asked. Starmer appears internally to have taken the same 'deranged, warmongering, X-brained' view as Badenoch on this, but was outvoted by the cabinet.

In any event, UK bases were still attacked, and our ability to defend our own territory, as well as to assist countries we are supposed to be close to (the Gulf States and the Europeans, most notably Cyprus) has been shown to be inadequate, which - needless to say - appears to have damaged our diplomatic reputation among those countries - a blunder for a Prime Minister who prides himself on his foreign policy acumen. This is where the opposition needs to focus its criticism - not on whether we should have supported a conflict that was happening anyway, but whether we have responded well to the fallout.

Sensible post and agree

Suggest @MoonRabbit takes note

Spinning or what.

Kemi is on completely the wrong side of public opinion.

Her comments this morning have dug the hole deeper still.

She has no off button.

Totally out of control.

How can the Tories attack Labour with a straight face when in 14 years to July 2024 they reduced defence spending by 22%,hollowed out all Services, recruitment, procurement.

To compound this they let Armed Forces Housing to rot, allowed veterans to rot.

Never in British history has so much wilful damage been done to our Armed Forces and Global reputation by so few.

These disastrous policies will take a decade to correct.

The Tories are shameful and treacherous on this issue.

If Badenoch had one slither or decency backbone contrition or respect she would apologise and apologise daily.

Replying to yourself now

Your invective would have more salience if you didn't want Tel Aviv flattened along with US oilfields and called out Iran ot slaughtering 40,000 of their own citizens

It's Beirut being flattened right now, and Israel did slaughter 50,000 Palestinians.

I do not argue that and both Netanyahu and Hamas are pure evil

However, Iran slaughted 40,000 of their own citizens for wanting to protest

This is how things escalate. I have heard the figure 30,000 but you are ther first to make it 40,000. Apparently it was less than 10,000 (but that isn't something to shout about) I strogly suggest you to read the Oborne piece. You might get a better perspective without having your prejudices tampererd with in any way.

The Ayatollah was an evil murderous bastard. In the interest of BBC style balance do we know Bibi's body count?

On a like-for-like basis of unarmed civilians murdered in cold blood without provocation?

AFAIK it is zero. If you know otherwise, I would be curious.

For starters 80,000 civilians, about half of whom women and children. We can add the bombings in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. Although my question was how many deaths has he been responsible for over the last 40 years.

80,000 casualties was the total, there is no breakdown on civilians versus non-civilians in that figure.

And that is not murdered in cold blood without provocation, it is casualties in war. A war with a damned big provocation.

War has casualties, including civilian casualties. Cold blooded murder is something entirely different.

What Iran has done, which Israel has not, is the latter.

No, what Israel has done has also often been cold blooded murder. They and you might pretend otherwise but that is the truth.

'A prison inmate has been charged with the murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley, police have said.

Anthony Russell, 43, will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court via video link on Wednesday, a spokesman for Durham Constabulary said.' Though given Russell is already serving a whole life order not really any sentence they can add further
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg8ll4l7d9o

In a way it’s a little surprising that this doesn’t happen more often.

If you put a group of the worst scumbags in the country in one place, those who are never getting out, they have little to lose by going for each other.

Russell committed three murders, one of which was preceded by rape, in 2020. One more murder makes no difference to him.

Stick 200 of the worst rats in a mega high security prison

Ease solitary and offer the last one standing a pardon.

Rinse and repeat

Ease overcrowding

Doesn't sound very civilised to me.

What's civil about mass murder, rape, child abuse.

Haven't they lost the right to civility

Which is why it’s a credit to the British State that they still treat people as humans, even when the scumbags have abdicated themselves from society.

It's more humane to execute someone than to lock them up with someone who will bash their skull in.

The state should never, ever be given the power to kill as punishment for crime. They are neither competent nor trustworthy enough to have that power.

Focaldata polling out including Restore and YP

Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 27% (+1)
LAB: 20% (-1)
CON: 18% (-2)
LDM: 14% (=)
GRN: 13% (+3)
SNP: 2% (-1)
RES: 2% (New)
YRP: 0% (New)

Via @focaldataHQ, 6-10 Mar.
Changes w/ 16-19 Jan.

I am slightly surprised to see the Greens still below the LibDems. If I were to guess what an election would result in, if held today, I would probably knock 2 points off the LibDems and add them to the Greens.

I'd knock 5 off the Greens and add it to Labour.

Vote Green, Get Farage has to be the message from Labour.

Didn’t work out too well in G&D but I think you’re right

Labour have no positive offer

Focaldata polling out including Restore and YP

Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 27% (+1)
LAB: 20% (-1)
CON: 18% (-2)
LDM: 14% (=)
GRN: 13% (+3)
SNP: 2% (-1)
RES: 2% (New)
YRP: 0% (New)

Via @focaldataHQ, 6-10 Mar.
Changes w/ 16-19 Jan.

2% a poor result for Restore, the Greens get a bounce post Gorton but Polanski would certainly have hoped for more than a 3% increase and still 5th behind the LDs.

As Farage and Jenrick look like going wobby on Iran, Kemi will hope her continued send the RAF to bomb the Ayatollahs and Iranian regime to bits line can get the Tories back up to 20%+ and gain some of the 57% of Reform voters who Yougov has supporting the US strikes on Iran

Gorton & Denton is a very unrepresentative constituency of the country as a whole. That's why doing well there doesn't mean the Greens go beyond 13% in the polls.

The main point on which Starmer and Badenoch publicly disagreed was on whether we should have allowed the USA the use of UK bases when asked. Starmer appears internally to have taken the same 'deranged, warmongering, X-brained' view as Badenoch on this, but was outvoted by the cabinet.

In any event, UK bases were still attacked, and our ability to defend our own territory, as well as to assist countries we are supposed to be close to (the Gulf States and the Europeans, most notably Cyprus) has been shown to be inadequate, which - needless to say - appears to have damaged our diplomatic reputation among those countries - a blunder for a Prime Minister who prides himself on his foreign policy acumen. This is where the opposition needs to focus its criticism - not on whether we should have supported a conflict that was happening anyway, but whether we have responded well to the fallout.

Sensible post and agree

Suggest @MoonRabbit takes note

Spinning or what.

Kemi is on completely the wrong side of public opinion.

Her comments this morning have dug the hole deeper still.

She has no off button.

Totally out of control.

How can the Tories attack Labour with a straight face when in 14 years to July 2024 they reduced defence spending by 22%,hollowed out all Services, recruitment, procurement.

To compound this they let Armed Forces Housing to rot, allowed veterans to rot.

Never in British history has so much wilful damage been done to our Armed Forces and Global reputation by so few.

These disastrous policies will take a decade to correct.

The Tories are shameful and treacherous on this issue.

If Badenoch had one slither or decency backbone contrition or respect she would apologise and apologise daily.

Replying to yourself now

Your invective would have more salience if you didn't want Tel Aviv flattened along with US oilfields and called out Iran ot slaughtering 40,000 of their own citizens

It's Beirut being flattened right now, and Israel did slaughter 50,000 Palestinians.

I do not argue that and both Netanyahu and Hamas are pure evil

However, Iran slaughted 40,000 of their own citizens for wanting to protest

This is how things escalate. I have heard the figure 30,000 but you are ther first to make it 40,000. Apparently it was less than 10,000 (but that isn't something to shout about) I strogly suggest you to read the Oborne piece. You might get a better perspective without having your prejudices tampererd with in any way.

The Ayatollah was an evil murderous bastard. In the interest of BBC style balance do we know Bibi's body count?

82,000 was the latest confirmed figure but there are still bodies under buildings. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/gaza-death-toll-higher-than-reported-lancet-study

'A prison inmate has been charged with the murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley, police have said.

Anthony Russell, 43, will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court via video link on Wednesday, a spokesman for Durham Constabulary said.' Though given Russell is already serving a whole life order not really any sentence they can add further
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg8ll4l7d9o

In a way it’s a little surprising that this doesn’t happen more often.

If you put a group of the worst scumbags in the country in one place, those who are never getting out, they have little to lose by going for each other.

Russell committed three murders, one of which was preceded by rape, in 2020. One more murder makes no difference to him.

Stick 200 of the worst rats in a mega high security prison

Ease solitary and offer the last one standing a pardon.

Rinse and repeat

Ease overcrowding

Doesn't sound very civilised to me.

What's civil about mass murder, rape, child abuse.

Haven't they lost the right to civility

Which is why it’s a credit to the British State that they still treat people as humans, even when the scumbags have abdicated themselves from society.

John Cusack: [while in the surveillance truck] This one's done it all: kidnapping, robbery, murder, extortion. His name is Cyrus Grissom, A.K.A. Cyrus the Virus. Thirty-nine years old, twenty-five of them spent in our institutions. But he's bettered himself inside. Earned two degrees, including his juris doctorate. He also killed eleven fellow inmates, incited three riots, and escaped twice. Likes to brag that he killed more men than cancer. Cyrus is a poster child for the criminally insane. He's a true product of the system.
Colm Meaney: What's that supposed to mean?
[to a co-worker]
Colm Meaney: What is he, one of these sociology majors who thinks we're responsible for breeding these animals?
John Cusack: No, but I can point a few fingers if it would make you feel comfortable.

Just such a great movie. I mean, John Cusack! John Malkovich! Steve Buscemi! And the incomparable Nicholas Cage! On a plane, crash landing on the Vegas Strip to Sweet Home Alabama. This is what Hollywood exists for.

I don't nomally watch a film for the actors. An actor is a tool, the director is the artist, and a much better guide to whether a film will be to your taste or not (I accept this is only partly true, but still, a good rule of thumb).
But Steve Buscemi and John Cusack have never, I don't think, been in a bad film. They are both at the very least both very good indicators of a good film.

Whereas Nicholas Cage has been in brilliant movies, terrible movies and everything in between, and is always a majestic and unmistakable presence on the screen.