Best Of

Someone in Ireland has won £208 million but they don't seem to realise.

"A EuroMillions player has become £208million richer after winning Tuesday night's record-breaking jackpot, but still has yet to claim the staggering nine-figure prize. The winning ticket, purchased at a shop in Ireland's Munster provice, matched all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars to secure the largest jackpot in the game's history. The Irish National Lottery confirmed the location of the winning ticket on Wednesday, revealing online that the life-changing ticket was sold in Munster. But lottery officials have said that by Thursday morning, the winner had still not come forward to claim their fortune."

https://www.gbnews.com/news/euromillions-jackpot-prize-unclaimed-national-lottery-ticket

British news, always behind.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0619/1519332-euromillions/

Winner has now come forward and the winning ticket was sold in my county, Cork. Odds of being distantly related (through marriage) to the winner increasing...

Are they seriously suggesting 47C in Central London??????

Like, WTAF

Possibly sometime in the next 12 years....according to Met Office models....who would like even more funding for even bigger computers for climate modelling.

No, they* are suggesting we will see that in the next few weeks. A literal and scienticic prediction that London will hit 47C or even higher - THIS SUMMER

This is pretty calamitous

*The only consolation, as we look at these desolating predictions, is that I have entirely made this up, for no good reason at all. Apart from being very slightly bored. But still, despite the total non-existence of any such prediction, this is ominous

47C!!!!

Jeez

I’m currently in Phoenix where the high today is 46C. It’s not so bad in the shade!

You and I have swapped places - I'm in London

Get a Waymo while you're there, you won't regret it. (Probably. There have been some high profile examples of Waymos getting "stuck".)

People are missing the biggest threat from driverless taxis - the loss of the taxi driver anecdote. If that crucial link between the common people and the political elite isn't there anymore, it will have literally untold consequences.

Are they seriously suggesting 47C in Central London??????

Like, WTAF

Possibly sometime in the next 12 years....according to Met Office models....who would like even more funding for even bigger computers for climate modelling.

No, they* are suggesting we will see that in the next few weeks. A literal and scienticic prediction that London will hit 47C or even higher - THIS SUMMER

This is pretty calamitous

*The only consolation, as we look at these desolating predictions, is that I have entirely made this up, for no good reason at all. Apart from being very slightly bored. But still, despite the total non-existence of any such prediction, this is ominous

47C!!!!

Jeez

Link?

The only link I have seen is media spinning an academic paper for clicks.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/met-office-weather-45c-month-long-heatwaves-b1233569.html

I'm too scared to link; also linking would be clearly impossible. Nonetheless and despite the fact I invented this prediction just now, simply to entertain myself, and it has absolutely no basis in reality, because I made it all up, I'm still horrified

47C??!

That's.... incredible. This will be bad

If global warming continues, summer holidays in Iceland, Sweden, Scotland and Alaska to become more popular?

Some people say that is already happening.

https://www.rte.ie/news/europe/2025/0616/1518635-holidaymakers-opting-for-cooler-destinations-in-europe/

If you allow assisted dying it is inevitable that some people will be coerced or emotionally blackmailed into killing themselves, whatever safeguards are put in place. If you don't allow assisted dying, a far greater number of people will endure unnecessary pain and suffering. The reality is that there is a trade-off, and there are no easy answers. People can reasonably come to different views on it. It's an emotive topic for obvious reasons, and it's good we are having a thorough debate about it. Being of a greater good for the greater number kind of frame of mind, I am supportive.

Isn't it the same as the death penalty. A main argument against is that "even one innocent person killed...." is too much. That is exactly analagous to this - for all the undoubted good/relief/etc it might do are you happy that one "innocent" (ie coerced, felt pressured) person is killed.

One major difference is I think is about motivation.

The death penalty is, like "lock 'em up and throw away they key" and "whole life terms without possibility of parole" is about satisfying the psychological desires of those who want to impose it, with little consideration as to whether it works.

So your argument against is that because it doesn't stop the crimes that could result in the death penalty, it shouldn't be available? That's a reasonable stand point. I am also queezy about the one innocent amongst the deserving dead and we can all recall certain cases from history (not all of which, I think are that). However, part of the punishment should be about punishment. The killers of the Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, or Sarah Everard will never leave prison, but why should they be allowed decades more life? They took that from their victims.

I'm questioning the reliability and breadth of the comparison made.

On the question of prison penalties, I agree that punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation are all important, and I think in the UK in this, and I think we have a massive lack of focus on rehabilitation / non-prison sentences. IMO - as in many other questions - the pull of the USA setup is a real problem for us.

If anything, the USA is the poster child for "Prison Doesn't Work". They now have 1.8m in prison - third world numbers - and 50k imprisoned on LWOP sentences, with an average age of under 50. And they also have USA crime levels. I think the real underlying question there is over the entire USA model of society they have adopted.

(I've not tried to address the question of individual cases and the death penalty sentences itself, as that would need a very detailed response.)

Prison works in the sense of when you are locked up you are not committing crimes. Though yes that needs to be combined with effective community orders for lower level offenders and rehabilitation in prison for those who will come out

It is necessary for some but it doesn't work. More prisoners come out dehabilitated rather than rehabilated.

Which can be changed, see Norway's effective prison rehabilitation and work programme

If we are willing to invest in Scandi style public services and pay their tax rates then yes, more things will work. Is this something Kemi might pivot to?

It doesn't just need lots of public spending, North Carolina, Missouri and Texas have an effective prisons rehabilitation programme too. It is more ensuring prisoners, especially the lower level prisoners who will be more likely to be able to get a job on release, are given work training and education not just spending 90% of their prison day in their cells

https://texas2036.org/posts/a-closer-look-at-the-texas-prison-system/

There were 132,955 inmates in Texas prison facilities in April. Of the roughly 40,000 Texans released from state prisons every year, nearly half are rearrested within three years, and between 15-20% return to prison.

The majority not getting rearrested sounds positive, be curious to know how the 'nearly half' compares with other systems.

If you allow assisted dying it is inevitable that some people will be coerced or emotionally blackmailed into killing themselves, whatever safeguards are put in place. If you don't allow assisted dying, a far greater number of people will endure unnecessary pain and suffering. The reality is that there is a trade-off, and there are no easy answers. People can reasonably come to different views on it. It's an emotive topic for obvious reasons, and it's good we are having a thorough debate about it. Being of a greater good for the greater number kind of frame of mind, I am supportive.

Isn't it the same as the death penalty. A main argument against is that "even one innocent person killed...." is too much. That is exactly analagous to this - for all the undoubted good/relief/etc it might do are you happy that one "innocent" (ie coerced, felt pressured) person is killed.

One major difference is I think is about motivation.

The death penalty is, like "lock 'em up and throw away they key" and "whole life terms without possibility of parole" is about satisfying the psychological desires of those who want to impose it, with little consideration as to whether it works.

So your argument against is that because it doesn't stop the crimes that could result in the death penalty, it shouldn't be available? That's a reasonable stand point. I am also queezy about the one innocent amongst the deserving dead and we can all recall certain cases from history (not all of which, I think are that). However, part of the punishment should be about punishment. The killers of the Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, or Sarah Everard will never leave prison, but why should they be allowed decades more life? They took that from their victims.

I'm questioning the reliability and breadth of the comparison made.

On the question of prison penalties, I agree that punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation are all important, and I think in the UK in this, and I think we have a massive lack of focus on rehabilitation / non-prison sentences. IMO - as in many other questions - the pull of the USA setup is a real problem for us.

If anything, the USA is the poster child for "Prison Doesn't Work". They now have 1.8m in prison - third world numbers - and 50k imprisoned on LWOP sentences, with an average age of under 50. And they also have USA crime levels. I think the real underlying question there is over the entire USA model of society they have adopted.

(I've not tried to address the question of individual cases and the death penalty sentences itself, as that would need a very detailed response.)

Prison works in the sense of when you are locked up you are not committing crimes. Though yes that needs to be combined with effective community orders for lower level offenders and rehabilitation in prison for those who will come out

It is necessary for some but it doesn't work. More prisoners come out dehabilitated rather than rehabilated.

Which can be changed, see Norway's effective prison rehabilitation and work programme

If we are willing to invest in Scandi style public services and pay their tax rates then yes, more things will work. Is this something Kemi might pivot to?

It doesn't just need lots of public spending, North Carolina, Missouri and Texas have an effective prisons rehabilitation programme too. It is more ensuring prisoners, especially the lower level prisoners who will be more likely to be able to get a job on release, are given work training and education not just spending 90% of their prison day in their cells

https://texas2036.org/posts/a-closer-look-at-the-texas-prison-system/

There were 132,955 inmates in Texas prison facilities in April. Of the roughly 40,000 Texans released from state prisons every year, nearly half are rearrested within three years, and between 15-20% return to prison.

The majority not getting rearrested sounds positive, be curious to know how the 'nearly half' compares with other systems.

Seeing as many crimes have very low conviction and even arrest rates, nearly half doesnt sound at all positive to me, unless you own shares in one of the prison firms of course.

That's comparing apples and oranges. Many crimes have a very low conviction and arrest rates, however many criminals commit many crimes. Someone committing multiple crimes is more likely to be arrested.

Many criminals also have high recidivism rates. Recidivism of nearly 50% is bad if compared to if it is an average of 20% elsewhere, but is good compared to if it is an average of 80% elsewhere.

Ultimately this will pass i think, but people have many different reasons for supporting or opposing on wide societal or very personal terms - on the latter, as much as some will have had family members in pain who wished to have this which informs their perspective there will be others who have spent a single part or much of their lives fighting suicidal thoughts who feel horrified that the government and medical profession could ever support voluntarily ending your life. Basically its very very triggering. Ive tried to state that in as neutral terms as possible, but the concepts here go way beyond easing suffering and its the casting off of proposed safeguards that i am most upset by (im against it anyway)

I do think it will pass, but I genuinely hope we do not see champagne corks popping by those who support the bill

Assisted death may well be desired, but like the adverts for funeral plans it is not really a smiling and cheering matter

I absolutely would be cheering if this passes. Its something I've supported for 30 years, since I first debate euthanasia in the 1990s at school.

'Debate euthanasia'
Schools and their innocence

I was in debate club in school and euthanasia was a major political issue in 1990s Melbourne as they were debating in Parliament whether to legalise it or not (they voted not to then). Should people not be debating topical issues in debate clubs in schools?

Should children be debating the State killing people?
This house believes no, they should not

Of course they should, yes. Children should be learning about the issues facing the country and if it is a major issue being debated then yes of course they should.

Secondary school children are plenty old enough to be both learning about and debating serious issues.

Yeah, i dont agree.

Why not?

Why aren't secondary school age children old enough to be learning about or debating issues?

Isn't that the entire purpose of education? Especially in things like Debate Clubs.

I agree with Bart.

On holiday in italy, I shared a train compartment with an italian academic who has going to be on a judging panel for their national schools debating finals - debating in German!

Richard Shops are filled with all the pretty things
Such a lot of pretty things, to wear.
Hey there, pretty face, make the world a prettier place!
Hey pretty face, come buy your clothes at... Richard Shops

Jeez, that's inane. For anyone else in pb's younger demographic (i.e. under 60) I have Googled this and it genuinely existed and was even more inane than Leon makes it sound.

I do vaguely remember the brand 'Richard Shops'. Even just the brand was inane.

In fact, you've motivated me to see if I can find where in my childhood it featured, and here it is, at the top right, in Stockport - a photo which proves that every photo of old Britain looks like you think Britain looked at least a decade previously. I used to go to that 'Sarah's' with my mum for a prawn open sandwich and a slice of Black Forest Gateau. This was 1985.

Actually, I object to this

IT was a genuinely good-ish song. I'm not kidding. It was so good they turned it into an ACTUAL song, by Paul Young


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io-RouRFfxI

The jingle was written by two of the most successful and prolofic songwriters of the 60s-70s, so it makes sense

Fair enough. I admire your contrarianism.
Though I've looked up the fellas concerned (I think?) and while their output is prolific, I'd argue inanity is something of a feature. Though clearly they know what the public want...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_written_by_Roger_Cook_and_Roger_Greenaway

Yeah. I'm not saying this is Lennon & McCartney or even Stock Aitken Watermen - but its journeymen like this that made up the charts, and sometimes they did OK


"I'd like to teach the world to sing" is a genuinely famous song, and really pretty good, albeit not Mozart's Requiem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlR0KElxxVg