Mrs J never wanted children, but after we got married and her biological clock ticked on, she changed her mind. If she had not, we would now have two large disposable incomes with masses of free time. I would probably be out walking as much as possible, and she would be doing her hobbies.
Having a little 'un has utterly changed that. We have one income (by choice), and whilst that income is reasonable , we do not have that much free time in which to spend it.
But his presence in our lives has been so unutterably great. Every day he amuses us, annoys us, entertains us, and staggers us as we see him growing from a baby into a toddler, then a boy, and soon into a young man. He has interests that have caused us to explore new places and discover new facts.
If we had not had him, we would be happy. But we would also be stuck in a rut. He has taken us out of that. But it is hard work - and that's just with one...
I wanted 2 kids. Ended up with 3 due to pressure from the wife. I massively under-estimated the workload increase between 2 and 3 children. I have no idea how those with 4 or more children cope. Doesn't help that each of our kids is 4 years apart which makes doing things together they all like simultaneously very difficult!
There are of course magical moments with the kids. However, the counterbalance is that it is massively demanding. You seem to never get any time to yourself which as a natural introvert I find difficult.
My eldest turns 13 next month. I look back on pictures before she was born and I look so young! Having kids ages you.
On Ukraine, it does seem like the US/UK have played a blinder on the information war. Putin is damned if he does invade and damned if he doesn't invade. Finally, after a decade or so, the west have started to wise up to how to deal with his regime. What would be nice to see is a bit more hard power on the eastern border, rather than the endless pathetic attempts at 'dialogue'. None of this will stop military conflict, but the reality is that the area has been in conflict since 2014, and the west in 'retreat'. Like dealing with any bully, it will only be bought to an end by confrontation, running away or pacification is not an option.
Best approach, surely, is to arm Ukraine and Taiwan to the teeth with defensive weapons so as to make any invasion attempt too costly to contemplate. Everyone knows the West won't actually go to war over them but we can make the morsels Putin and Xi wish to digest extremely spiky when it comes to swallowing. This, I believe, is the approach taken by Singapore.
I don't want to speak to soon, but so far here in the south east this 'red' storm is a disappointment. Few gusts of wind, trees blowing around, etc, but nothing visibly unusual; just a windy day so far.
The start time for the red warning was 10am. Give it longer than 16 minutes!
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
I'm not a friend of any of those, as far as I know.
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Mrs J never wanted children, but after we got married and her biological clock ticked on, she changed her mind. If she had not, we would now have two large disposable incomes with masses of free time. I would probably be out walking as much as possible, and she would be doing her hobbies.
Having a little 'un has utterly changed that. We have one income (by choice), and whilst that income is reasonable , we do not have that much free time in which to spend it.
But his presence in our lives has been so unutterably great. Every day he amuses us, annoys us, entertains us, and staggers us as we see him growing from a baby into a toddler, then a boy, and soon into a young man. He has interests that have caused us to explore new places and discover new facts.
If we had not had him, we would be happy. But we would also be stuck in a rut. He has taken us out of that. But it is hard work - and that's just with one...
I wanted 2 kids. Ended up with 3 due to pressure from the wife. I massively under-estimated the workload increase between 2 and 3 children. I have no idea how those with 4 or more children cope. Doesn't help that each of our kids is 4 years apart which makes doing things together they all like simultaneously very difficult!
There are of course magical moments with the kids. However, the counterbalance is that it is massively demanding. You seem to never get any time to yourself which as a natural introvert I find difficult.
My eldest turns 13 next month. I look back on pictures before she was born and I look so young! Having kids ages you.
It gets easier I think. I probably felt a bit like you when our eldest was 13, now she is 15, the youngest is 9 and our son is 12, and in the last year or two they have all got a bit more independent and time gets freed up somehow. The eldest can babysit for one thing! Agree that there is a huge step up from 2 to 3, I guess there is something about being outnumbered (with 2 parents). My wife and I both wanted 3 kids maybe because we are both the youngest of 3 ourselves.
I dont have kids or really desire to, but I have to admire the gumption of a political operator whose message is 'your kids dont make you special, mate'.
While simultaneously claiming the most important thing in life is an inheritance . . .
Inheritance is important to set your children up in life, it is not the be all and end all of your own life.
Plenty of people also inherit property and do not then have children themselves, I still as a Tory of course support them having that inheritance
Total unmitigated bollocks. Inheritance is not remotely important to set your children in life, especially since most people will be about 65+ before they lose both parents.
Good parenting is important to set your children up in life.
Actually it is, especially if you live south of Watford and in the London commuter belt which you don't and you want to help them on the property ladder as property is so much more expensive than in the North where you live.
You can be as good a parent as you can to set your children up in life but while an average salary will enable first time buyers to buy in the North even if your children get an above average salary job in London and the Home Counties that does not mean they will necessarily be able to buy a property without assistance for a deposit
Help from your parents is not the same thing as an inheritance and you know it.
I'm 39 and I've never received, wanted or asked for a single penny of inheritance. I'm fortunate that all my grandparents are alive (my wife has lost all of hers, so I know how fortunate I am) and my parents are healthy too.
The way you speak about inheritances is like I should consider myself unfortunate that none of my relatives have died sooner. Its disgusting quite frankly.
If you want to help your family, do so while you're alive, don't wait until you're dead. The obsession over inheritances you have is deeply weird and concerning, people should be able to work for a living (both the young and their family) while they're alive not post-mortem.
Fine but you live in the Northwest where property prices on average are half those of the Southeast and a third the price of those in London.
Plenty of parents in the Home Counties effectively give their children much of their inheritance early with help with deposits for their first property. Inheritance does not have to wait until death
Life expectancy's lower in the North West, too.
Depends where you go, in Knutsford for example life expectancy is well above the English average but property prices are still cheaper even there than most of London and the Home Counties
I don't want to speak to soon, but so far here in the south east this 'red' storm is a disappointment. Few gusts of wind, trees blowing around, etc, but nothing visibly unusual; just a windy day so far.
Not even that windy here in Camden. Sunny and breezy. There are meant to be corpses in the street
Surely a hung Parliament means a non-Tory government? Anyway, on these figures does he hold his own seat?
Polling also shows Sunak only gets a hung parliament as well. Unless Labour get a consistent 10%+ poll lead and to be heading for a possible majority then as I said Boris is safe
Note too we had a non Oxford graduate as PM just 12 years ago, Gordon Brown and just 13 years before that too, John Major.
Starmer might have an Oxford postgraduate degree but he did his undergraduate degree at Leeds
Brown never won an election and Major did not go to university
So what, they were still both PMs who did not go to Oxford University
No grauduate if a University other than Oxfords has led his party to a General Election victory since 1935
Though Brown, a graduate of Edinburgh, was not outright defeated by Oxford educated Cameron in 2010 and Oxford educated May failed to outright defeat non Oxford educated Corbyn in 2017. Note too non Oxford educated Churchill beat Oxford graduate Attlee in 1951.
However a lot of general elections have been Oxford graduate v Oxford graduate eg 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1983, 2001 and 2015 or Oxford v Cambridge ie 2005, so Oxford or at least Oxbridge, could not lose those general elections anyway.
Oxford does seem to let people down. It’s graduates to tend to go on about it a tad. Life somehow seems to stop there.
Unless you also become a self made multi-millionaire or a billionaire (or indeed PM) going to Oxford is probably the highlight of your life if you get in
Without wanting to come across like Andrea Leadsom but having kids is the highlight of the lives of most people.
That is more continuing the line and investing in their lives, rather than the main achievement in your own life.
Nope.
Most of the population have children at some point, family is important but having children is not really an achievement which marks you out from most other people
Having kids is not an “achievement” or a “highlight”, but if it happens it is the most intense, profound, mysteriously moving human experience - for most people. You create and form another soul. It brings a lifetime of angst, guilt and worry, but, ultimately, for most, it also brings a sense of meaning and purpose and infrequent moments of incomparable happiness
It has rightly been compared to Brexiting
I so wanted to like that, but you had to add the last sentence. I know it's a joke and not a bad one at that, but you seriously need help. It is going to drive you crazy (if that is not too late).
Good grief. It was a self deprecating joke!
Eh? I acknowledged that, even complemented you on it (I know it is a joke and not a bad one at that) and your well written message.
Brexit is driving you mad though.
It’s kind of you to care but it is misplaced. This is (er, largely) a politics forum. Brexit is still a huge presence in our political lives and still impacts actual UK, EU even global politics in multiple ways. Thus it will be referenced on here endlessly, by me and others
One example: the choice of the next Tory leader (should Boris the Brexiteer depart). Has to be a Leaver. Meanwhile at least 5% of the country - a vocal 5% - would reverse Brexit tomorrow, and fuck democracy
Outside of this forum I barely think about Brexit at all. It doesn’t affect my daily life. I’m glad it happened for all its griefs. I only think about it at the moment (beyond PB) when I’m in passport queues. Seriously
Discussing the current progress of Brexit, and its implications, is entirely sensible. We aren't doing it enough.
Obsessing about the events of six years ago is, however, a tad less sensible.
But the reasons Brexit is the Brexit we have, now, is all entangled with the way Brexit was parented, conceived, gestated, delivered (and almost strangled in the crib by Remoaners). You can’t disentangle these things
I agree wholeheartedly with Ian on this. It's done. Move on. Discuss now how we are going to move forward to improve the consequences of it. It's like whinging about Harold's tactics at the Battle of Hastings centuries later. Pointless and doesn't improve relationships with the Saxons.
I don't want to speak to soon, but so far here in the south east this 'red' storm is a disappointment. Few gusts of wind, trees blowing around, etc, but nothing visibly unusual; just a windy day so far.
It is. We've just abandoned the regular dog walk along Brighton promenade. The dog was okay, but the grandchild could make no progress and was flirting with being thrown into the sea.
Surely a hung Parliament means a non-Tory government? Anyway, on these figures does he hold his own seat?
Polling also shows Sunak only gets a hung parliament as well. Unless Labour get a consistent 10%+ poll lead and to be heading for a possible majority then as I said Boris is safe
As I said, a hung Parliament will result in a non Conservative government, and having checked, yes Uxbridge would be a Labour gain.
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
Given your views on the Duke of York, you might enjoy his fate in this piece of Harry Potter fan fiction.
I have just come off my terrace where I went to move two chairs inside and lay the olive trees in their pots on their side. It is indeed quite blowy in Hampstead.
Son has gone to work in Canary Wharf so let's hope those tall buildings are secure.
That's assuming UNS, though, and doesn't account for anti-tory tactical voting. Labour are probably heading north of 300 seats if they've got a 5% lead on a 39% vote share.
Surely a hung Parliament means a non-Tory government? Anyway, on these figures does he hold his own seat?
Polling also shows Sunak only gets a hung parliament as well. Unless Labour get a consistent 10%+ poll lead and to be heading for a possible majority then as I said Boris is safe
Cobblers. As no other party will work with yours, you either secure a majority (bigger than DC's to be viable) or you will be out of office.
What I can't understand is why this isn't obvious to you? You are supposedly a political player yet seem utterly unwilling to recognise the position your party has put itself in.
Labour and the LDs are working already on how to maximise their position. Scottish Tories have disowned the English party for the same reason. Alliance and SDLP working on reducing the various Unionist parties. Everyone is at it except you guys. Why?
I don't want to speak to soon, but so far here in the south east this 'red' storm is a disappointment. Few gusts of wind, trees blowing around, etc, but nothing visibly unusual; just a windy day so far.
The start time for the red warning was 10am. Give it longer than 16 minutes!
Lol - I spoke too soon. We just had a 15 minute power cut.
I don't want to speak to soon, but so far here in the south east this 'red' storm is a disappointment. Few gusts of wind, trees blowing around, etc, but nothing visibly unusual; just a windy day so far.
Not sure what's going on here. Very draughty at street level and the clouds are whizzing by but the tops of the trees are barely moving.
Note too we had a non Oxford graduate as PM just 12 years ago, Gordon Brown and just 13 years before that too, John Major.
Starmer might have an Oxford postgraduate degree but he did his undergraduate degree at Leeds
Brown never won an election and Major did not go to university
So what, they were still both PMs who did not go to Oxford University
No grauduate if a University other than Oxfords has led his party to a General Election victory since 1935
Though Brown, a graduate of Edinburgh, was not outright defeated by Oxford educated Cameron in 2010 and Oxford educated May failed to outright defeat non Oxford educated Corbyn in 2017. Note too non Oxford educated Churchill beat Oxford graduate Attlee in 1951.
However a lot of general elections have been Oxford graduate v Oxford graduate eg 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1983, 2001 and 2015 or Oxford v Cambridge ie 2005, so Oxford or at least Oxbridge, could not lose those general elections anyway.
Oxford does seem to let people down. It’s graduates to tend to go on about it a tad. Life somehow seems to stop there.
Unless you also become a self made multi-millionaire or a billionaire (or indeed PM) going to Oxford is probably the highlight of your life if you get in
Without wanting to come across like Andrea Leadsom but having kids is the highlight of the lives of most people.
That is more continuing the line and investing in their lives, rather than the main achievement in your own life.
Nope.
Most of the population have children at some point, family is important but having children is not really an achievement which marks you out from most other people
Having kids is not an “achievement” or a “highlight”, but if it happens it is the most intense, profound, mysteriously moving human experience - for most people. You create and form another soul. It brings a lifetime of angst, guilt and worry, but, ultimately, for most, it also brings a sense of meaning and purpose and infrequent moments of incomparable happiness
It has rightly been compared to Brexiting
I so wanted to like that, but you had to add the last sentence. I know it's a joke and not a bad one at that, but you seriously need help. It is going to drive you crazy (if that is not too late).
Good grief. It was a self deprecating joke!
Eh? I acknowledged that, even complemented you on it (I know it is a joke and not a bad one at that) and your well written message.
Brexit is driving you mad though.
It’s kind of you to care but it is misplaced. This is (er, largely) a politics forum. Brexit is still a huge presence in our political lives and still impacts actual UK, EU even global politics in multiple ways. Thus it will be referenced on here endlessly, by me and others
One example: the choice of the next Tory leader (should Boris the Brexiteer depart). Has to be a Leaver. Meanwhile at least 5% of the country - a vocal 5% - would reverse Brexit tomorrow, and fuck democracy
Outside of this forum I barely think about Brexit at all. It doesn’t affect my daily life. I’m glad it happened for all its griefs. I only think about it at the moment (beyond PB) when I’m in passport queues. Seriously
Discussing the current progress of Brexit, and its implications, is entirely sensible. We aren't doing it enough.
Obsessing about the events of six years ago is, however, a tad less sensible.
But the reasons Brexit is the Brexit we have, now, is all entangled with the way Brexit was parented, conceived, gestated, delivered (and almost strangled in the crib by Remoaners). You can’t disentangle these things
I agree wholeheartedly with Ian on this. It's done. Move on. Discuss now how we are going to move forward to improve the consequences of it. It's like whinging about Harold's tactics at the Battle of Hastings centuries later. Pointless and doesn't improve relationships with the Saxons.
We need to make our post-Brexit position work. The problem is that to do so is to revisit how we got here, and that prompts the two extremes to start screaming betrayal at each other.
So yes, Brexit is done. But BREXIT is not done and can never be resolved in a way that makes the disparate opposed pro-Brexit groups happy.
No doubt, good local reasons for this result, but you do wonder if there could conceivably be an element of "shy-Boris" people out there, ie, folk who tell themselves, and pollsters, they disapprove of BJ but, secretly, can't help liking him. I wonder...
That's not to say he shouldn't go. He really should.
An alternative explanation might be that there are people who are prepared to vote for good Conservative candidates in a local election who are not prepared to vote for Johnson as PM.
Spot on. Boris is now a drag on Conservative polling - local versus national shows the extent. Which is why he won't lead the Party into the next election. Not unless he can reinvent himself from debauched Prince Hal to huzzah! King Henry V in well under 2 years. Not seeing it.
What about pretending to pilot fighter jets and drive tanks? Lots of top drawer photo opportunities beckon for a Churchillian Statesman.
The Archbishop of Canterbury should live a Saintly life
Runcie was once memorably described in Dear Bill as 'no mean slayer of the bosch' for his WW2 service.
He won the MC if I remember correctly. Was a tankist. May be why he made some Tories nervous.
There was at least one Rev who won the VC - Rev. Theodore Bayley Hardy, who has a House named after him at Nottingham High School. DSO MC VC. When he was about 50 - there's hope yet for some younger PBers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Hardy
He might be in your party - teetotal vegetarian.
Suspect there are others.
VC first or people will think you are a Russian troll or Oxbridge graduate.
Breaking News! @ForwomenScot have won their Inner House appeal on the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act. It turns out that #SexMatters & concerns about the undermining of the protected characteristic are valid. This will have significant implications
Surely a hung Parliament means a non-Tory government? Anyway, on these figures does he hold his own seat?
Polling also shows Sunak only gets a hung parliament as well. Unless Labour get a consistent 10%+ poll lead and to be heading for a possible majority then as I said Boris is safe
As I said, a hung Parliament will result in a non Conservative government, and having checked, yes Uxbridge would be a Labour gain.
Yes but polling also shows even Sunak as PM would still result in a Labour government, just the Tories might have a chance of most seats but Starmer would still be PM with SNP support.
So unless polls show Sunak would clearly beat Starmer and win another Tory majority or Boris is heading for a landslide defeat, which for now he is not, Boris stays
On Ukraine, it does seem like the US/UK have played a blinder on the information war. Putin is damned if he does invade and damned if he doesn't invade. Finally, after a decade or so, the west have started to wise up to how to deal with his regime. What would be nice to see is a bit more hard power on the eastern border, rather than the endless pathetic attempts at 'dialogue'. None of this will stop military conflict, but the reality is that the area has been in conflict since 2014, and the west in 'retreat'. Like dealing with any bully, it will only be bought to an end by confrontation, running away or pacification is not an option.
I agree with most of this, apart from the "rather than". Speak softly / big stick.
Every time the west tries to deal to his regime they respond by some form of humiliating put down. The reality is that they only respect hard power, and this should be the basis of future 'dialogue'.
The Archbishop of Canterbury should live a Saintly life
Runcie was once memorably described in Dear Bill as 'no mean slayer of the bosch' for his WW2 service.
He won the MC if I remember correctly. Was a tankist. May be why he made some Tories nervous.
There was at least one Rev who won the VC - Rev. Theodore Bayley Hardy, who has a House named after him at Nottingham High School. DSO MC VC. When he was about 50 - there's hope yet for some younger PBers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Hardy
He might be in your party - teetotal vegetarian.
Suspect there are others.
VC first or people will think you are a Russian troll or Oxbridge graduate.
Runcie's war record was very impressive. He was in the thick of some of the bloodiest fighting.
No doubt, good local reasons for this result, but you do wonder if there could conceivably be an element of "shy-Boris" people out there, ie, folk who tell themselves, and pollsters, they disapprove of BJ but, secretly, can't help liking him. I wonder...
That's not to say he shouldn't go. He really should.
An alternative explanation might be that there are people who are prepared to vote for good Conservative candidates in a local election who are not prepared to vote for Johnson as PM.
Spot on. Boris is now a drag on Conservative polling - local versus national shows the extent. Which is why he won't lead the Party into the next election. Not unless he can reinvent himself from debauched Prince Hal to huzzah! King Henry V in well under 2 years. Not seeing it.
What about pretending to pilot fighter jets and drive tanks? Lots of top drawer photo opportunities beckon for a Churchillian Statesman.
Without getting all feminist about life it is notable that Liz Truss in a faux fur hat is charged with channelling Mrs T whereas Boris and indeed Mrs T herself are allowed to use the dressing up box.
Mr. kjh, Harold's tactics were sound, it was his men falling for the Norman (perhaps feigned) retreat and overdoing things that cost him.
Sadly I knew that. At least the Normans revelled in their good fortune and moved on. They didn't complain endless about the Saxon bastards inconsiderately letting them win like a certain Brexiters for years afterwards.
Interesting to see further progress has been announced with Japan with regard to British CPTPP accession. This will be a gamechanger if this can be agreed IMO and fully justify Brexit on its own.
I wonder if all the Russian and Chinese shenanigans in recent years, plus Britain standing up for her allies, is playing a role in encouraging allies like Japan to help facilitate British accession?
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
I'm not a friend of any of those, as far as I know.
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Sex trafficking and prostitution involve coercion at every level. It is an utterly revolting sad nasty business. In no sense is it comparable to genuinely consensual sex between two adults in the privacy of their home.
If Andrew is going to be castigated for being a friend of Epstein - for his appalling lack of judgment - then so should all of Epstein's other friends. Clinton, for instance. And yet he isn't.
We’re about 40-45 moh at the moment and it is good to be back inside. A few wheelie bins have set off on journeys around town but otherwise so far so good.
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
I'm not a friend of any of those, as far as I know.
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Sex trafficking and prostitution involve coercion at every level. It is an utterly revolting sad nasty business. In no sense is it comparable to genuinely consensual sex between two adults in the privacy of their home.
If Andrew is going to be castigated for being a friend of Epstein - for his appalling lack of judgment - then so should all of Epstein's other friends. Clinton, for instance. And yet he isn't.
Sex trafficking and coerced prostitution are evil but they're evil because they're in the hands of the criminals. Like drugs.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with completely legalised prostitution with background checks and safety protocols. Many men and women around the world in nations with safe, secure and legal systems quite happily and safely work in that profession - many of them unionised too.
I would rather put power in the hands of the women and men who want to work safely and legally in that profession, than have it controlled by men and women who control the gangs that control access and pimp out their victims as there's no safe or legal alternative.
Prohibition does not work. Never has done, never will do.
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
I'm not a friend of any of those, as far as I know.
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Sex trafficking and prostitution involve coercion at every level. It is an utterly revolting sad nasty business. In no sense is it comparable to genuinely consensual sex between two adults in the privacy of their home.
If Andrew is going to be castigated for being a friend of Epstein - for his appalling lack of judgment - then so should all of Epstein's other friends. Clinton, for instance. And yet he isn't.
Trafficking yes; prostitution not necessarily. You occasionally risk sounding like those coppers dismissing Yorkshire Ripper victims as asking for it if they were part-time prostitutes.
On friends of friends, the Neil/Arcuri libel case should be fun since he has conceded he might have been in Epstein's little black book but only as a man of influence, and I'm not sure Arcuri ever went much further than that. Trebles all round at the inns of court.
I dont have kids or really desire to, but I have to admire the gumption of a political operator whose message is 'your kids dont make you special, mate'.
While simultaneously claiming the most important thing in life is an inheritance . . .
Inheritance is important to set your children up in life, it is not the be all and end all of your own life.
Plenty of people also inherit property and do not then have children themselves, I still as a Tory of course support them having that inheritance
Total unmitigated bollocks. Inheritance is not remotely important to set your children in life, especially since most people will be about 65+ before they lose both parents.
Good parenting is important to set your children up in life.
It would be a better world if inheritance weren't necessary to achieve a decent standard of living, as was the case, fortunately for me, when I was young. In the bigger scheme of things, inheritance tax is actually a pretty sensible way of raising money, given the alternatives.
If it were up to me there would be no inheritance tax, instead any inheritance would be simply treated as income with the same rate of tax (including both forms of national insurance) as any other income applied to the entire thing.
Unearned income should not be less taxed than earned income.
Ideally then the tax rate on earned income would come down commensurate with the increase in taxes on unearned incomes.
The problem here is that this would mean more tax on smaller inheritances. It would also push lots of low earners in to a higher tax bracket when they get their inheritances, so they end up paying disproportionate amounts of tax when compared with existing high earners.
Surely a hung Parliament means a non-Tory government? Anyway, on these figures does he hold his own seat?
Polling also shows Sunak only gets a hung parliament as well. Unless Labour get a consistent 10%+ poll lead and to be heading for a possible majority then as I said Boris is safe
As I said, a hung Parliament will result in a non Conservative government, and having checked, yes Uxbridge would be a Labour gain.
Yes but polling also shows even Sunak as PM would still result in a Labour government, just the Tories might have a chance of most seats but Starmer would still be PM with SNP support.
So unless polls show Sunak would clearly beat Starmer and win another Tory majority or Boris is heading for a landslide defeat, which for now he is not, Boris stays
While the current PM resigning in shame and disgrace e would be good for our country, the greater good would be the end of this period of government by the Tories (as opposed to Conservatives). Especially if it were replaced by a tolerant and honest Centre-Left administration.
Note too we had a non Oxford graduate as PM just 12 years ago, Gordon Brown and just 13 years before that too, John Major.
Starmer might have an Oxford postgraduate degree but he did his undergraduate degree at Leeds
Brown never won an election and Major did not go to university
So what, they were still both PMs who did not go to Oxford University
No grauduate if a University other than Oxfords has led his party to a General Election victory since 1935
Though Brown, a graduate of Edinburgh, was not outright defeated by Oxford educated Cameron in 2010 and Oxford educated May failed to outright defeat non Oxford educated Corbyn in 2017. Note too non Oxford educated Churchill beat Oxford graduate Attlee in 1951.
However a lot of general elections have been Oxford graduate v Oxford graduate eg 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1983, 2001 and 2015 or Oxford v Cambridge ie 2005, so Oxford or at least Oxbridge, could not lose those general elections anyway.
Oxford does seem to let people down. It’s graduates to tend to go on about it a tad. Life somehow seems to stop there.
Unless you also become a self made multi-millionaire or a billionaire (or indeed PM) going to Oxford is probably the highlight of your life if you get in
Without wanting to come across like Andrea Leadsom but having kids is the highlight of the lives of most people.
That is more continuing the line and investing in their lives, rather than the main achievement in your own life.
Nope.
Most of the population have children at some point, family is important but having children is not really an achievement which marks you out from most other people
You are a very sad person, to most having family is the single most important achievement in their lives and their grandchildren enrich them in later life
On Ukraine, it does seem like the US/UK have played a blinder on the information war. Putin is damned if he does invade and damned if he doesn't invade. Finally, after a decade or so, the west have started to wise up to how to deal with his regime. What would be nice to see is a bit more hard power on the eastern border, rather than the endless pathetic attempts at 'dialogue'. None of this will stop military conflict, but the reality is that the area has been in conflict since 2014, and the west in 'retreat'. Like dealing with any bully, it will only be bought to an end by confrontation, running away or pacification is not an option.
I agree with most of this, apart from the "rather than". Speak softly / big stick.
Every time the west tries to deal to his regime they respond by some form of humiliating put down. The reality is that they only respect hard power, and this should be the basis of future 'dialogue'.
It’s only a humiliating put down if you treat it as such.
For example in Truss / Lavrov, Truss was foolish and Lavrov a wanker. I don’t think that was a “humiliating put down” or told us anything we didn’t already know.
Wow - I really struggle though to understand how a tree like that can be dislodged by wind.
Now I'm panicking. We have the same type of tree in our front garden and we aren't there at the moment. I have been told it is an Austrian pine. It's girth is 3 metres. If it comes down it will make a hell of mess of our or our neighbours house. The wood is also extremely heavy surprisingly for a pine. It is loaded with resin. When I had it trimmed I couldn't use the logs for firewood as it was like throwing petrol on the fire. I chopped it into small bits and used it as firelighters.
Well, that's the archbish sorted out the one person that expects Royals to be superhuman saints, now to the rest of us who'd rather they weren't self-deceiving cretinous pals of paedos..
Is the archbish the one pushing the new ditty:
Oh the grand old Duke of York, He had ten million quid, He gave it to someone he never met, For something he never did.
Are we going to apply this new standard to all the other friends of paedophiles, friends, agents, advisors to men who sleep with under age girls like some celebrities, all the friends of all those men who use prostitutes, all those who turn a blind eye to the activities of men who do all these bad things?
Because if so the Grand Old Duke of York is going to have no trouble at all finding 10,000 men to join him.
I'm not a friend of any of those, as far as I know.
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Sex trafficking and prostitution involve coercion at every level. It is an utterly revolting sad nasty business. In no sense is it comparable to genuinely consensual sex between two adults in the privacy of their home.
If Andrew is going to be castigated for being a friend of Epstein - for his appalling lack of judgment - then so should all of Epstein's other friends. Clinton, for instance. And yet he isn't.
Prostitution could theoretically work as Bartholomew suggests, but in practice in the real world I dont see how there could ever be a lack of coercion in all but the most atypical instances so it's pretty pointless to imagine 'ideal' prostitution.
Comments
There are of course magical moments with the kids. However, the counterbalance is that it is massively demanding. You seem to never get any time to yourself which as a natural introvert I find difficult.
My eldest turns 13 next month. I look back on pictures before she was born and I look so young! Having kids ages you.
77mph - Plymouth
80mph - Isles of Portland
@itvwestcountry #StormEunice
https://twitter.com/itvcharliep/status/1494620211412185088?s=21
For perspective Heathrow is currently 33mph
However as a point of principle I see absolutely nothing wrong with prostitution, so long as both parties are fully consensual and there's no coercion involved. I wouldn't do it myself, but I see nothing bad or immoral about whatever two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms its nothing to do with me.
Chicago is heading south, possibly diverting to Geneva (!)
Vienna coming in for the third attempt, no-one else approaching so they’re all holding or diverting.
Only a bit of sleet in Edinburgh. The A82 has closed.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26566792/chapters/74935143#workskin
Son has gone to work in Canary Wharf so let's hope those tall buildings are secure.
What I can't understand is why this isn't obvious to you? You are supposedly a political player yet seem utterly unwilling to recognise the position your party has put itself in.
Labour and the LDs are working already on how to maximise their position. Scottish Tories have disowned the English party for the same reason. Alliance and SDLP working on reducing the various Unionist parties. Everyone is at it except you guys. Why?
https://twitter.com/NorthDevonNews/status/1494616634899767333
Vienna got in, third time of asking.
Chicago now over France, he’s definitely given up on London. BA296.
Edinburgh go-around, and the Portuguese from Lisbon.
So yes, Brexit is done. But BREXIT is not done and can never be resolved in a way that makes the disparate opposed pro-Brexit groups happy.
https://twitter.com/joannaccherry/status/1494620066515755009?s=21
So unless polls show Sunak would clearly beat Starmer and win another Tory majority or Boris is heading for a landslide defeat, which for now he is not, Boris stays
Edit: he finally landed!
I wonder if all the Russian and Chinese shenanigans in recent years, plus Britain standing up for her allies, is playing a role in encouraging allies like Japan to help facilitate British accession?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-secretary-secures-major-trade-bloc-milestone-ahead-of-asia-visit
If Andrew is going to be castigated for being a friend of Epstein - for his appalling lack of judgment - then so should all of Epstein's other friends. Clinton, for instance. And yet he isn't.
"Here we go. C'mon mate"
"No no no no no no no no"
There's absolutely nothing wrong with completely legalised prostitution with background checks and safety protocols. Many men and women around the world in nations with safe, secure and legal systems quite happily and safely work in that profession - many of them unionised too.
I would rather put power in the hands of the women and men who want to work safely and legally in that profession, than have it controlled by men and women who control the gangs that control access and pimp out their victims as there's no safe or legal alternative.
Prohibition does not work. Never has done, never will do.
On friends of friends, the Neil/Arcuri libel case should be fun since he has conceded he might have been in Epstein's little black book but only as a man of influence, and I'm not sure Arcuri ever went much further than that. Trebles all round at the inns of court.
Especially if it were replaced by a tolerant and honest Centre-Left administration.
For example in Truss / Lavrov, Truss was foolish and Lavrov a wanker. I don’t think that was a “humiliating put down” or told us anything we didn’t already know.