Fourth comment is pushing the claims of John Redwood. Oh pretty please!
PM Redwood could be a dark horse, he would stand as the candidate to return the party to pure Thatcherism as he did against Major in 1995 if he stood. However the membership did not get a say then, now they do. In the unlikely event he got to the final 2 with MPs after Boris lost a VONC then Redwood could win the membership on a pure Thatcherite, hard Brexit platform and become the new PM
John Redwood as PM would be a dream for the opposition in my opinion.
Maybe but he would still get at least 2 years as PM to run a pure Thatcherite government. He is also extremely intelligent, far more so than Boris or Starmer for that matter
I wasn't disagreeing with you at all. However with regard to your last post how do you know he is more intelligent? I don't think there is any obvious way of telling. Boris and Starmer are both clearly quite bright. Also intelligence comes in many forms and I would say he definitely does not have emotional intelligence whereas Boris and Starmer clearly do have more.
He is a distinguished fellow of All Souls College as well as having had a very successful City career before politics.
I was not talking about emotional intelligence but intellect
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
From each according to his ability (to pay) - it's very socialist really.
As long as it scales with assets and income... Your speeding ticket might seem a little steep if it costs 15% of your total monthly revenue.
They actually did that for a while back in the 80s/early 90s and stopped it because of the perceived injustice (unit based fines)
It appears to still be the case: in theory a Band F penalty is 500-700% of your weekly income, except that it is capped at £2,500.
Raining in Monaco. Cool and damp here too. Have a roaring fire going whilst I wonder how much of this I get to watch before turning over for the Indy 500.
Spectacular crash yesterday and amazing the driver was unhurt
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Correction: AIUI the £400 is for all households (hence the frustration that rich people with multiple homes will be entitled to claim it multiple times.)
But on the broader point, it's no wonder traditional Tories aren't happy. Sunak can't cover all this extra largesse with infinite borrowing. When the bumper increases in social security come due he's going to have to hike taxes on the incomes of the better off, corporate profits and assets; soaking the wages of the poor and the struggling (e.g. through yet more NI increases) is only going to tip them back into the mass poverty that these one-off handouts are intended to prevent.
It's the kind of redistributive policy beloved of social democrats which, in the magical thinking of the free market radicals, ought always to be avoidable if only we can grow the economy fast enough or if poor people work hard enough. The fact that the likes of the fabulously wealthy Jacob Rees-Mogg find this anathema should come as a surprise to nobody.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
So it’s even more socialist than the socialists would have done! Some boast that! 😂
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
Can they prove the music was coming from the no 10 flat? Or that Carrie wasn’t singing in the shower?
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
So it’s even more socialist than the socialists would have done! Some boast that! 😂
Yep. Cue much outrage and head scratching utter mystification about why Labour may be perceived as the lower tax Party? A small clue may be that you keep raising taxes. And then boast that it's more than Labour planned.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
Can the price the music was coming from the no 10 flat? Or that Carrie wasn’t singing in the shower?
To be boring StillWater, there was a dingdong dom is gone victory rave up for NutNut and her mates that Boris was in the middle of, everyone knows this now, the opposition parties are on to the cack handed way the Save Big dog tried to cover this up - being the cover up is the new scandal to hollow out the Tories with.
Which part of that paragraph is factually incorrect.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
I did call him “a fucking moron”, to be fair. Which, in this case, he is
Tbilisi is exceptional. And while I am sure Goole Docks has its rough period charms, I rather doubt it is Tbilisi Old Town
I can’t think of anything like it in terms of still-largely-undeveloped and yet full of incredible and beautiful potential. Maybe Naples? Palermo? But they are maybe lost causes. Tbilisi is bursting with energy and purpose. Hoxton in 1995, with oodles of sun
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
I did call him “a fucking moron”, to be fair. Which, in this case, he is
Tbilisi is exceptional. And while I am sure Goole Docks has its rough period charms, I rather doubt it is Tbilisi Old Town
I can’t think of anything like it in terms of still-largely-undeveloped and yet full of incredible and beautiful potential. Maybe Naples? Palermo? But they are maybe lost causes. Tbilisi is bursting with energy and purpose. Hoxton in 1995, with oodles of sun
And much better wine
Haven't a lot of Russians who don't approve of Putin moved to Georgia recently?
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
If this YouTuber did it recently, I am seriously impressed. It is not easy right now, at all. The FCO sternly advises against ANY travel
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
I did call him “a fucking moron”, to be fair. Which, in this case, he is
Tbilisi is exceptional. And while I am sure Goole Docks has its rough period charms, I rather doubt it is Tbilisi Old Town
I can’t think of anything like it in terms of still-largely-undeveloped and yet full of incredible and beautiful potential. Maybe Naples? Palermo? But they are maybe lost causes. Tbilisi is bursting with energy and purpose. Hoxton in 1995, with oodles of sun
And much better wine
Haven't a lot of Russians who don't approve of Putin moved to Georgia recently?
I have heard that. There are Ukrainian flags EVERYWHERE
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
The video where he stayed in the worst hotel in Kyrgyzstan was pretty amazing.
I can't recall exactly how he got into Abkhazia. I think he borrowed a car and just drove over the border relying on his not inconsiderable powers of bullshit.
I am surprised he hasn't got a TV deal as he is very good at gonzo travel journalism in the worst places in the world.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
The video where he stayed in the worst hotel in Kyrgyzstan was pretty amazing.
I can't recall exactly how he got into Abkhazia. I think he borrowed a car and just drove over the border relying on his not inconsiderable powers of bullshit.
I am surprised he hasn't got a TV deal as he is very good at gonzo travel journalism in the worst places in the world.
I hear it is basically impossible since your hero Putin waded into Ukraine
No, Con at around 280 would be perfect. The mathematics ought ideally to be such that there is a good chance of another Conservative victory at the election after next, whilst Labour is still some distance from achieving a majority (especially bearing in mind that the recent Tory achievement of increasing its Parliamentary strength at successive elections whilst in Government is very much the exception rather than the rule.) It'd also leave a Labour minority critically dependent on the Liberal Democrats as well as the SNP, especially in those Commons votes not affecting Scotland where the latter traditionally sit on their hands.
The more Labour is forced to be dependent on other partners, and the more remote its chances of winning another election under the existing system appear, so the more willing it'll be to contemplate electoral reform for Westminster - and PR is how you minimise the probability of our ever again having to make a choice between two unsuitable potential Prime Ministers advanced by radical factions, such as that we were forced into in 2019. What's good enough for the devolved parliaments ought to be good enough for the central one, after all.
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
Yes. But that is what we have now. Fake tickets are detected at the ground so fans are turned away which causes bottlenecks outside the ground so fans with real tickets are blocked. That is what happened last night but with added pepper-spray.
So if we could educate the fans that fake tickets are not going to cut it, they wouldn't bother buying/turning up with them presumably?
Also there's an actual footballer on twitter saying he got a ticket from UEFA and gave it to a mate and it was rejected as fake when clearly wasn't
No, because most of the fans with fake tickets believe they have genuine tickets. That's the point.
At the Euro final there were far more people trying to get in without a ticket at all than a fake ticket. A lot of the people causing the problems are not able to afford £2k per ticket from the touts (whether real or not). The stadia for these big finals are going to have to have a perimeter more like 250-500m from the stadium rather than 50-100m from the stadium.
Maybe even have a hash number on each ticket and a website where fans can check. Or just allocate more tickets to the finalists and not to clubs who never made it. There are lots of ways we can brainstorm and a lot of cleverer people than us are no doubt available for hire. But while authorities get away with blaming fans, there will be no pressure for change. Trouble is, some of what has already been done by government to stop scalping arguably makes things worse.
One problem with that is the authorities effectively acknowledging widespread ticket touting which for football is illegal in many countries. So buying one you have already broken the law (even if it genuine) and there could be an argument that it will increase the amount of touting because people wouldn't be put off by possibility of getting a fake.
Its a bit like having drug testing at festivals, you have to acknowledge there will be widespread drug taking, so harm reduction argument says should test to ensure people have bought what they think they have. The counter-argument is that it encourages people to try drugs as they can get them tested as "safe".
Personally it seems crazy in this day and age you can't check the validity of a ticket for sport /gigs. Its not a difficult thing to do technically.
The new systems for gig tickets are all electronic - you can sell tickets back and transfer them - all online. When you get to the venue, you have a changing (usual rotating crypto stuff) QR code in an app that links to the backend servers via the door guys scanners.
What if you don't have a phone? Or will those of us without phones in the future be shunned or imprisoned like that rambler guy who didn't like wearing clothes?
I must say, this sort of thingh from Mr Sunak* is not going to go down well in the countryside, or make any more convincing the whining from the Tory and business opposition to giving more Welsh second homes the same council tax as everyone else pays.
* Edit: irrrespective of the expedience of a quick and dirty solution. And it needs only a few reports of grasping landlords and the coin in the slot meters to go even sourer.
If you own 10 homes Sunak is giving you 10 times as much benefit as the plebs.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
Not just that. It (just about) stops the SNP even thinking about playing silly buggers.
(I don't think they would be wise to, anyway; the "we could back the Tories" card is high cost/low value to play. But it would be reassuring if it were out of circulation.)
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
The video where he stayed in the worst hotel in Kyrgyzstan was pretty amazing.
I can't recall exactly how he got into Abkhazia. I think he borrowed a car and just drove over the border relying on his not inconsiderable powers of bullshit.
I am surprised he hasn't got a TV deal as he is very good at gonzo travel journalism in the worst places in the world.
I would be surprised if he did, he's got more skeletons in his closet than just being bankrupt.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
I am surprised we are not seeing more of this kind of critique.
Rishi is providing a bung to everyone, and especially to pensioners, and he’s chiefly paying for it on the credit card.
He’s also doing so at a time of high inflation, and these measures are inflationary (esp the skew towards pensioner hand-outs).
Thatcher is not just spinning in her grave, she has gone into orbit.
Full admission: I was/am in favour of both a windfall tax and support for the least well off (via restoration of the UC uplift).
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
Can the price the music was coming from the no 10 flat? Or that Carrie wasn’t singing in the shower?
To be boring StillWater, there was a dingdong dom is gone victory rave up for NutNut and her mates that Boris was in the middle of, everyone knows this now, the opposition parties are on to the cack handed way the Save Big dog tried to cover this up - being the cover up is the new scandal to hollow out the Tories with.
Which part of that paragraph is factually incorrect.
“Everyone knows”
To be boring for a moment, if “everyone knows” but no one has proof is it just to include the accusation in an official report?
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
If this YouTuber did it recently, I am seriously impressed. It is not easy right now, at all. The FCO sternly advises against ANY travel
He rather specialises in getting into places he shouldn't. He was in Syria 3-4 weeks ago, Ukraine when the invasion happened, and got fined a couple of weeks ago for visiting a Russian controlled space centre in Kazakhstan.
His videos are very good, but he is rather a dodgy individual if the internet is to be believed.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
There was a suggestion earlier that the government were briefing that the ABBA party should not be investigated because there are “mental health problems” inside No.10.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
The other issue is that the government has squandered any moral claim to an “we’re all in this together” message.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
The other issue is that the government has squandered any moral claim to an “we’re all in this together” message.
Also true.
I wonder how much people here (let alone more widely) have taken on board how bad the economic outlook is at the level of individuals and families?
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
The other issue is that the government has squandered any moral claim to an “we’re all in this together” message.
Also true.
I wonder how much people here (let alone more widely) have taken on board how bad the economic outlook is at the level of individuals and families?
Putting aside this board (which is reasonably privileged), my sense is that even the UK media haven’t fully grokked it.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
There was a suggestion earlier that the government were briefing that the ABBA party should not be investigated because there are “mental health problems” inside No.10.
Did I get that right?
Quite possible, but perhaps not the best day for this story. It is the Johnson's first anniversary today, so they must want some quiet family time together. Hasn't the year just flown by?
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
If this YouTuber did it recently, I am seriously impressed. It is not easy right now, at all. The FCO sternly advises against ANY travel
He rather specialises in getting into places he shouldn't. He was in Syria 3-4 weeks ago, Ukraine when the invasion happened, and got fined a couple of weeks ago for visiting a Russian controlled space centre in Kazakhstan.
His videos are very good, but he is rather a dodgy individual if the internet is to be believed.
Anyone that does that kind of shit is going to be dodgy. It comes with the terroir. I speak from experience
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
The Late Judith Chalmers would be an excellent name for a tv comedy revue.
No, Con at around 280 would be perfect. The mathematics ought ideally to be such that there is a good chance of another Conservative victory at the election after next, whilst Labour is still some distance from achieving a majority (especially bearing in mind that the recent Tory achievement of increasing its Parliamentary strength at successive elections whilst in Government is very much the exception rather than the rule.) It'd also leave a Labour minority critically dependent on the Liberal Democrats as well as the SNP, especially in those Commons votes not affecting Scotland where the latter traditionally sit on their hands.
The more Labour is forced to be dependent on other partners, and the more remote its chances of winning another election under the existing system appear, so the more willing it'll be to contemplate electoral reform for Westminster - and PR is how you minimise the probability of our ever again having to make a choice between two unsuitable potential Prime Ministers advanced by radical factions, such as that we were forced into in 2019. What's good enough for the devolved parliaments ought to be good enough for the central one, after all.
PR boosts the likelihood of centrist governments but also makes it more difficult for radical governments to get elected. Even the Attlee government in 1945 and the Thatcher government of 1979 would have failed to get a majority for example and needed Liberal support to form a government.
On the other side, extremist parties of left and right would find it easier to win seats, as the BNP did under PR in the 2009 European elections when they won 2 MEPs on just 6% of the vote. Only if they are ahead in the polls does FPTP help extreme parties
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
Yes, I enjoy your contributions and think PB would be less without you. Sometimes I agree with you, more often not, but nothing wrong with that. The travelogues are just interesting. Don't stop.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
Can the price the music was coming from the no 10 flat? Or that Carrie wasn’t singing in the shower?
To be boring StillWater, there was a dingdong dom is gone victory rave up for NutNut and her mates that Boris was in the middle of, everyone knows this now, the opposition parties are on to the cack handed way the Save Big dog tried to cover this up - being the cover up is the new scandal to hollow out the Tories with.
Which part of that paragraph is factually incorrect.
“Everyone knows”
To be boring for a moment, if “everyone knows” but no one has proof is it just to include the accusation in an official report?
Getting more interesting for a moment, ABBA party nite can’t be properly investigated and reported without it bringing down Boris, hence Operation Big Dog, as now becoming clear to everyone, identified this early on, and have nobbled investigation and reporting all the way through.
Good news, the Libdems have realised this and are on the care now 🙂
Watch this move up news bulletins to the top now is my prediction.
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
Yes, I enjoy your contributions and think PB would be less without you. Sometimes I agree with you, more often not, but nothing wrong with that. The travelogues are just interesting. Don't stop.
Seconded. And the language doesn't always evoke the much lamented Judith either.
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
Yes, I enjoy your contributions and think PB would be less without you. Sometimes I agree with you, more often not, but nothing wrong with that. The travelogues are just interesting. Don't stop.
Absolutely, it is all very enlightening and entertaining.
There was a suggestion earlier that the government were briefing that the ABBA party should not be investigated because there are “mental health problems” inside No.10.
Did I get that right?
Quite possible, but perhaps not the best day for this story. It is the Johnson's first anniversary today, so they must want some quiet family time together. Hasn't the year just flown by?
It is only one of the Johnson's first anniversary!
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
I note you almost always manage to get young ladies in your pictures
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
So it’s even more socialist than the socialists would have done! Some boast that! 😂
Yep. Cue much outrage and head scratching utter mystification about why Labour may be perceived as the lower tax Party? A small clue may be that you keep raising taxes. And then boast that it's more than Labour planned.
What labour say they planned and what they actually do are two different things. If labour plan to raise income tax by 5% I assume they will really raise it by 15% and are lying
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
If this YouTuber did it recently, I am seriously impressed. It is not easy right now, at all. The FCO sternly advises against ANY travel
He rather specialises in getting into places he shouldn't. He was in Syria 3-4 weeks ago, Ukraine when the invasion happened, and got fined a couple of weeks ago for visiting a Russian controlled space centre in Kazakhstan.
His videos are very good, but he is rather a dodgy individual if the internet is to be believed.
Anyone that does that kind of shit is going to be dodgy. It comes with the terroir. I speak from experience
I’m going to check him out back at my hotel
His dodgyness is more to do with allegations over how he became bankrupt and also behaviour towards women. There is creditable evidence of his involvement in the whole pick-up artist thing and posting stories of rather exploiting women in poorer countries for sex, and that his cheeky chappie image on video can have a darker side.
That all been said, he visits some fascinating places, that you rarely if ever see elsewhere.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
Don’t be ridiculous. This is far too obvious for me. The artists are ALREADY HERE
I’m thinking: Abkhazia
Bald and Bankrupt has already done it with great vim and less dribbling on about sauce.
In all seriousness, who is “bald and bankrupt” and how did he/she/it get into Abkhazia?
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Big YouTuber who speaks Russian and specialises going around Russia and former USSR countries.
If this YouTuber did it recently, I am seriously impressed. It is not easy right now, at all. The FCO sternly advises against ANY travel
He rather specialises in getting into places he shouldn't. He was in Syria 3-4 weeks ago, Ukraine when the invasion happened, and got fined a couple of weeks ago for visiting a Russian controlled space centre in Kazakhstan.
His videos are very good, but he is rather a dodgy individual if the internet is to be believed.
Anyone that does that kind of shit is going to be dodgy. It comes with the terroir. I speak from experience
I’m going to check him out back at my hotel
His dodgyness is more to do with allegations over how he became bankrupt and also behaviour towards women. There is creditable evidence of his involvement in the whole pick-up artist thing and posting stories of rather exploiting women in poorer countries for sex.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
You're highlighting the intrinsic sterility of your travelogues in recent years.
When they were for book research there was a 'sowing the seeds' importance and anticipation about them.
Remember when you travelled for a purpose ?
Kurdistan, Cambodia, the Basque country, Fair Isle ?
The current 'look at my bread roll' style doesn't provide the same vicarious pleasure.
My complete lack of military knowledge makes me think this jacket is a bit short - he's not a tall man, was one not possible to cover a bit more of the torso?
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
You are boasting the Tory’s raise taxes higher than Starmer would have done, and clearly in love with Windfall Tax being magic money tree without any downsides? Windfall tax - although popular in polls - As the government and the financial press have been explaining for months. does come with negatives. I understand it well I think.
Oil businesses works in cyclical way, which Windfall Tax loving voters don’t perhaps appreciate. Energy groups find it incredible Boris government whacked them with a windfall tax. These companies made a loss during covid, but we still expect them to pour investment in to transform and revolutionise the energy sector where they can, despite creaming off their profits in a good year? and undermining relationship of working well with them for the time being to change the energy sector as the government plans. Aside from this money is better invested by the companies themselves on research and development and production capacity, it’s dividends are paid to pension funds too, not just the likes of Jacob Rees Moog.
Surely it’s a dangerous game for any government at all, particularly a Tory one, to go into the market claiming “your profits are underserved”, which is exactly what this action screams doesn’t it? particularly for the Conservatives whose policy principles are founded upon faith in the market? For example in terms of fairness are the energy companies the only ones in profit right now, short term though it may be for them, what about Amazon Etc? Why pick on some making huge profit this year, not the others?
This is the long-standing Conservative understanding of fairness the Boris all over the shop government has ripped up, expecting his PLP and party at large zip their mouths and not react? Once you pull out the roots of credibility that hold your distinctive tree up, it’s going to take long time to reverse the mess made to your credibility and ideological niche, You see this point? Boris is doing the credibility shred on Tories, Corbyn done on Labour credibility.
And the negatives politically, all the TV News mentioned it was Tory U turn to Labours idea. it made Starmer look like the idea’s man to rescue the public from cost of living nightmare and the true leader of the country, whilst the Tory’s merely dither short on solutions. you think of how much money the Tory’s will spend in the next general election campaign trying to beat Labour, they might well take that money outside now and burn it for as much good it done them gifting Starmer and his front bench a multi billion pound makeover by surrendering lock stock and barrel to his policy idea - gifting Labour this win - Why are we expecting a Tory poll boost from such a scenario?
If Starmer’s Labour suggest other idea’s now, and Tories refuse to obey Starmer, what do the voters make of that now after this U Turn?
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
The other issue is that the government has squandered any moral claim to an “we’re all in this together” message.
Also true.
I wonder how much people here (let alone more widely) have taken on board how bad the economic outlook is at the level of individuals and families?
I'm fortunate enough (not through very high income, but doing ok and limited outgoings) to not really have felt much impact, but I know quite a few people, who I'd not consider particularly poor, who are definitely being much more careful about any amount of random spending, about turning off devices to save electricity, that sort of thing. I have never seen people be quite so cautious before, which leads me to think it must be pretty bad, or people think it will be very bad.
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
I note you almost always manage to get young ladies in your pictures
Doesn’t every artist?
In all seriousness, in the cool about-to be-Shoreditch parts of Tbilisi it is impossible to avoid. The young people - hipsters, gays, trendies, trannies, musicians, writers, students, painters - are the only people here in the REALLY crusty bits. Because the buildings are beautiful, and central, in an amazing old city, but you wouldn’t want to be 36 with kids, or 45 with older kids, not here. Half of these incredible houses are derelict (tho being speedily bought up and redeveloped, even as I sit here and type: I can see it happening down the street)
What is particularly amazing about Tbilisi is the scale of the “Old Town”. This isn’t just a few nice blocks and then you get Soviet shit.
It is kilometre after kilometre, of medieval, “Georgian”, “Victorian” plus some sensitive Art Deco and subtle modernism. There aren’t ANY carbuncles and it is all walkable. With a mighty river in the middle and the snow capped Caucasus on the horizon
The potential is obvious and immense. I’m hardly the first person to notice it
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
I note you almost always manage to get young ladies in your pictures
Shhh I was enjoying that bit. Don’t alert the authorities.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
51% yesterday said it is a distraction and that is up 8%
Of course some want to continue the issue but already over half see it as a distraction
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
I take your cationing me better if you weren’t shockingly factually wrong 🙂
Neither police or Gray fully investigated ABBA party.
I didn't use the word fully and my point remains
Beware of voter fatigue
And my point remains, when you lose a woolly it starts with that teeny strand, with number ten removing “music was heard” from the report the opposition have that little strand and pulling on it. Big G, the 6 in 10 voters who want Boris gone now will love his cover up to unravel, and whoop at every sexy reveal of flesh certainly coming now.
51% yesterday said it is a distraction and that is up 8%
Of course some want to continue the issue but already over half see it as a distraction
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
Yes. But that is what we have now. Fake tickets are detected at the ground so fans are turned away which causes bottlenecks outside the ground so fans with real tickets are blocked. That is what happened last night but with added pepper-spray.
So if we could educate the fans that fake tickets are not going to cut it, they wouldn't bother buying/turning up with them presumably?
Also there's an actual footballer on twitter saying he got a ticket from UEFA and gave it to a mate and it was rejected as fake when clearly wasn't
No, because most of the fans with fake tickets believe they have genuine tickets. That's the point.
At the Euro final there were far more people trying to get in without a ticket at all than a fake ticket. A lot of the people causing the problems are not able to afford £2k per ticket from the touts (whether real or not). The stadia for these big finals are going to have to have a perimeter more like 250-500m from the stadium rather than 50-100m from the stadium.
Maybe even have a hash number on each ticket and a website where fans can check. Or just allocate more tickets to the finalists and not to clubs who never made it. There are lots of ways we can brainstorm and a lot of cleverer people than us are no doubt available for hire. But while authorities get away with blaming fans, there will be no pressure for change. Trouble is, some of what has already been done by government to stop scalping arguably makes things worse.
One problem with that is the authorities effectively acknowledging widespread ticket touting which for football is illegal in many countries. So buying one you have already broken the law (even if it genuine) and there could be an argument that it will increase the amount of touting because people wouldn't be put off by possibility of getting a fake.
Its a bit like having drug testing at festivals, you have to acknowledge there will be widespread drug taking, so harm reduction argument says should test to ensure people have bought what they think they have. The counter-argument is that it encourages people to try drugs as they can get them tested as "safe".
Personally it seems crazy in this day and age you can't check the validity of a ticket for sport /gigs. Its not a difficult thing to do technically.
The new systems for gig tickets are all electronic - you can sell tickets back and transfer them - all online. When you get to the venue, you have a changing (usual rotating crypto stuff) QR code in an app that links to the backend servers via the door guys scanners.
What if you don't have a phone? Or will those of us without phones in the future be shunned or imprisoned like that rambler guy who didn't like wearing clothes?
I must say, this sort of thingh from Mr Sunak* is not going to go down well in the countryside, or make any more convincing the whining from the Tory and business opposition to giving more Welsh second homes the same council tax as everyone else pays.
* Edit: irrrespective of the expedience of a quick and dirty solution. And it needs only a few reports of grasping landlords and the coin in the slot meters to go even sourer.
If you own 10 homes Sunak is giving you 10 times as much benefit as the plebs.
Quite. And of course every MP will benefit twice, unless the leccy is directly charged (no pun intended) pound for pound to the Parliamentary body in question.
All that the papers need now is a Tory councillor landlord gouging his tenants at the coin meter, or better still (from the papers' point of view) a Tory MP.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
The crazy way they done this windfall tax is it has all the grandees and party complaining about ripping up party principles to save big dog, without actually raising that much money he could have got that elsewhere and stuck to Tory principles!
It raises 5 billion, 3 billion more than labour's proposal
That's not anything to boast about, Big_G, the government is spending £37bn and only raising £5bn. This is going to make inflation worse, not better. The best way to help the poor is to cut their taxes and raise their wages, not expensive and unfunded one off handouts.
Still not spending enough according to dodgy BBC analysis...
Depends what we're trying to achieve.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
The other issue is that the government has squandered any moral claim to an “we’re all in this together” message.
Also true.
I wonder how much people here (let alone more widely) have taken on board how bad the economic outlook is at the level of individuals and families?
I'm fortunate enough (not through very high income, but doing ok and limited outgoings) to not really have felt much impact, but I know quite a few people, who I'd not consider particularly poor, who are definitely being much more careful about any amount of random spending, about turning off devices to save electricity, that sort of thing. I have never seen people be quite so cautious before, which leads me to think it must be pretty bad, or people think it will be very bad.
The next year or so has the potential to be seriously grim for a lot of people. Though of course, as in the 70s, plenty will float through it quite happily, for various reasons.
No, Con at around 280 would be perfect. The mathematics ought ideally to be such that there is a good chance of another Conservative victory at the election after next, whilst Labour is still some distance from achieving a majority (especially bearing in mind that the recent Tory achievement of increasing its Parliamentary strength at successive elections whilst in Government is very much the exception rather than the rule.) It'd also leave a Labour minority critically dependent on the Liberal Democrats as well as the SNP, especially in those Commons votes not affecting Scotland where the latter traditionally sit on their hands.
The more Labour is forced to be dependent on other partners, and the more remote its chances of winning another election under the existing system appear, so the more willing it'll be to contemplate electoral reform for Westminster - and PR is how you minimise the probability of our ever again having to make a choice between two unsuitable potential Prime Ministers advanced by radical factions, such as that we were forced into in 2019. What's good enough for the devolved parliaments ought to be good enough for the central one, after all.
PR boosts the likelihood of centrist governments but also makes it more difficult for radical governments to get elected. Even the Attlee government in 1945 and the Thatcher government of 1979 would have failed to get a majority for example and needed Liberal support to form a government.
On the other side, extremist parties of left and right would find it easier to win seats, as the BNP did under PR in the 2009 European elections when they won 2 MEPs on just 6% of the vote. Only if they are ahead in the polls does FPTP help extreme parties
You mean the Tory party isn;t an extremist party oft he right?
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
Yes. But that is what we have now. Fake tickets are detected at the ground so fans are turned away which causes bottlenecks outside the ground so fans with real tickets are blocked. That is what happened last night but with added pepper-spray.
So if we could educate the fans that fake tickets are not going to cut it, they wouldn't bother buying/turning up with them presumably?
Also there's an actual footballer on twitter saying he got a ticket from UEFA and gave it to a mate and it was rejected as fake when clearly wasn't
No, because most of the fans with fake tickets believe they have genuine tickets. That's the point.
At the Euro final there were far more people trying to get in without a ticket at all than a fake ticket. A lot of the people causing the problems are not able to afford £2k per ticket from the touts (whether real or not). The stadia for these big finals are going to have to have a perimeter more like 250-500m from the stadium rather than 50-100m from the stadium.
Maybe even have a hash number on each ticket and a website where fans can check. Or just allocate more tickets to the finalists and not to clubs who never made it. There are lots of ways we can brainstorm and a lot of cleverer people than us are no doubt available for hire. But while authorities get away with blaming fans, there will be no pressure for change. Trouble is, some of what has already been done by government to stop scalping arguably makes things worse.
One problem with that is the authorities effectively acknowledging widespread ticket touting which for football is illegal in many countries. So buying one you have already broken the law (even if it genuine) and there could be an argument that it will increase the amount of touting because people wouldn't be put off by possibility of getting a fake.
Its a bit like having drug testing at festivals, you have to acknowledge there will be widespread drug taking, so harm reduction argument says should test to ensure people have bought what they think they have. The counter-argument is that it encourages people to try drugs as they can get them tested as "safe".
Personally it seems crazy in this day and age you can't check the validity of a ticket for sport /gigs. Its not a difficult thing to do technically.
The new systems for gig tickets are all electronic - you can sell tickets back and transfer them - all online. When you get to the venue, you have a changing (usual rotating crypto stuff) QR code in an app that links to the backend servers via the door guys scanners.
What if you don't have a phone? Or will those of us without phones in the future be shunned or imprisoned like that rambler guy who didn't like wearing clothes?
I must say, this sort of thingh from Mr Sunak* is not going to go down well in the countryside, or make any more convincing the whining from the Tory and business opposition to giving more Welsh second homes the same council tax as everyone else pays.
* Edit: irrrespective of the expedience of a quick and dirty solution. And it needs only a few reports of grasping landlords and the coin in the slot meters to go even sourer.
If you own 10 homes Sunak is giving you 10 times as much benefit as the plebs.
Quite. And of course every MP will benefit twice, unless the leccy is directly charged (no pun intended) pound for pound to the Parliamentary body in question.
All that the papers need now is a Tory councillor landlord gouging his tenants at the coin meter, or better still (from the papers' point of view) a Tory MP.
PS Sorry - only those MPs who have constituency homes and separate London accommodation, of course. Not used to thinking in terms of constituencies a trundle to the HoC on the U'ground.
There was a suggestion earlier that the government were briefing that the ABBA party should not be investigated because there are “mental health problems” inside No.10.
Did I get that right?
Quite possible, but perhaps not the best day for this story. It is the Johnson's first anniversary today, so they must want some quiet family time together. Hasn't the year just flown by?
Hahahahahaha. Impressively deadpan if that's what it is, but I suspect you're the last person in Leicester to know that Galadriel slung her hook weeks ago, and is enjoying quiet time with someone quite different from phatboi.
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
We're doing better than 1997 and 2001. That don't impress me much.
It does me as I campaigned in both and went to the count in 2001. Some of us are not fairweather Tories who voted Labour at those general elections unlike a certain North Wales resident poster but stuck with the party in times even more difficult than now
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
No North Wales conservatives will hold their seats while Boris squats in office
Your complacency is breathtaking and the only consolation will be watching Labour hit your inheritance
Conservatives would hold Montgomeryshire, Clwyd West, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Monmouth, and Brecon and Radnorshire on the same poll. Clwyd West of course in north Wales
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
No North Wales conservatives will hold their seats while Boris squats in office
Your complacency is breathtaking and the only consolation will be watching Labour hit your inheritance
Conservatives would hold Montgomeryshire, Clwyd West, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Monmouth, and Brecon and Radnorshire on the same poll. Clwyd West of course in north Wales
Not much in those areas apart from sheep, rocks and seaweed (some only), so it'll look good on the map all right. But not amount to much in bums on seats terms.
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
We're doing better than 1997 and 2001. That don't impress me much.
It does me as I campaigned in both and went to the count in 2001. Some of us are not fairweather Tories who voted Labour at those general elections unlike a certain North Wales resident poster but stuck with the party in times even more difficult than now
You think that is a strenth - blind unquestioning loyalty no matter what is best for the country
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
No North Wales conservatives will hold their seats while Boris squats in office
Your complacency is breathtaking and the only consolation will be watching Labour hit your inheritance
Conservatives would hold Montgomeryshire, Clwyd West, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Monmouth, and Brecon and Radnorshire on the same poll. Clwyd West of course in north Wales
Not just that. It (just about) stops the SNP even thinking about playing silly buggers.
(I don't think they would be wise to, anyway; the "we could back the Tories" card is high cost/low value to play. But it would be reassuring if it were out of circulation.)
Only for Little Englanders who prefer it rigged their way all the time. You arseholes would rather have a bunch of lying , stealing cheating arseholes in power as long as they are English.
I think Liverpool Street might need them too, Whitechapel can be reached from Stratford via the Elizabeth Line going through Zone 1, or via the District Line via Mile End avoiding Zone 1.
Not just that. It (just about) stops the SNP even thinking about playing silly buggers.
(I don't think they would be wise to, anyway; the "we could back the Tories" card is high cost/low value to play. But it would be reassuring if it were out of circulation.)
Only for Little Englanders who prefer it rigged their way all the time. You arseholes would rather have a bunch of lying , stealing cheating arseholes in power as long as they are English.
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
Not all Welsh Conservatives will lose, 5 would keep their seats, so 5 more Tory MPs than were elected in 1997 and 2001 when the Tories had 0 Welsh MPs
No North Wales conservatives will hold their seats while Boris squats in office
Your complacency is breathtaking and the only consolation will be watching Labour hit your inheritance
Conservatives would hold Montgomeryshire, Clwyd West, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Monmouth, and Brecon and Radnorshire on the same poll. Clwyd West of course in north Wales
There’s a block of Tbilisi old town which is quite touristy and looks like this
But then you get loads of streets which still look like THIS
It’s fantastic
If you saw streets like that in England would you think it fantastic ?
In fact you can - there are plenty of old industrial buildings not far from town centres which have been waiting for redevelopment for decades.
With that authentic 18th-19th century ornate woodwork and cast iron glazed balconies and original facades - echoing a vernacular which has lasted for centuries, and has miraculously survived as part of an intact Old Town, elements of which date back - literally - to the 6th century?
Of course I would think it is “fantastic” you fucking moron
Did the rotting plaster and 1950s pipes get you even more excited ?
But congrats you've travelled to the Caucasus to see disintegrating Georgian and Victorian buildings.
I suppose if it had a canal running between the buildings instead of a dusty side street you might convince yourself you were in Venice before mass tourism.
But it doesn't so its a dusty side street with disintegrating buildings.
I thought Tories were meant to approve of making money. My god you could make so much money here in Tbilisi property. It is at that perfect point. The kids and the artists are already colonising: tiny boutiques, little studios, avocado toast & bubble tea cafes.
It is a Caucasian Shoreditch in 1996
No doubt @BartholomewRoberts would knock it all down to build large estates of tiny red brick semis with ample parking
So why don't you stay ?
You've got the time and money to invest and would enjoy dealing with the local gangsters and corrupt politicians.
You might even make yourself one of the leaders of the local cultural set.
Isn't it what you fancied doing in Camden in the 1980s ?
You’re being rather unpleasant
@Leon is enjoying his holiday and I, for one, am enjoying his observations
In what way was I being unpleasant ?
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
AM I FUCKING CHARGING YOU?
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
You're highlighting the intrinsic sterility of your travelogues in recent years.
When they were for book research there was a 'sowing the seeds' importance and anticipation about them.
Remember when you travelled for a purpose ?
Kurdistan, Cambodia, the Basque country, Fair Isle ?
The current 'look at my bread roll' style doesn't provide the same vicarious pleasure.
Speak for yourself , I find them very interesting.
Comments
I was not talking about emotional intelligence but intellect
But on the broader point, it's no wonder traditional Tories aren't happy. Sunak can't cover all this extra largesse with infinite borrowing. When the bumper increases in social security come due he's going to have to hike taxes on the incomes of the better off, corporate profits and assets; soaking the wages of the poor and the struggling (e.g. through yet more NI increases) is only going to tip them back into the mass poverty that these one-off handouts are intended to prevent.
It's the kind of redistributive policy beloved of social democrats which, in the magical thinking of the free market radicals, ought always to be avoidable if only we can grow the economy fast enough or if poor people work hard enough. The fact that the likes of the fabulously wealthy Jacob Rees-Mogg find this anathema should come as a surprise to nobody.
I assume Monaco will not see a F1 race again
A small clue may be that you keep raising taxes.
And then boast that it's more than Labour planned.
it looks bloody hard. It is also meant to be AMAZING. One of the most beautiful yet melancholy places on earth. A non-country. Stalin’s Weird Eden
Lab 300
Con 250
LD 22
Grn 1
SNP 54
PC 4
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2022/01/britain-predicts
Which part of that paragraph is factually incorrect.
I did call him “a fucking moron”, to be fair. Which, in this case, he is
Tbilisi is exceptional. And while I am sure Goole Docks has its rough period charms, I rather doubt it is Tbilisi Old Town
I can’t think of anything like it in terms of still-largely-undeveloped and yet full of incredible and beautiful potential. Maybe Naples? Palermo? But they are maybe lost causes. Tbilisi is bursting with energy and purpose. Hoxton in 1995, with oodles of sun
And much better wine
I can't recall exactly how he got into Abkhazia. I think he borrowed a car and just drove over the border relying on his not inconsiderable powers of bullshit.
I am surprised he hasn't got a TV deal as he is very good at gonzo travel journalism in the worst places in the world.
But I might give it a go
The more Labour is forced to be dependent on other partners, and the more remote its chances of winning another election under the existing system appear, so the more willing it'll be to contemplate electoral reform for Westminster - and PR is how you minimise the probability of our ever again having to make a choice between two unsuitable potential Prime Ministers advanced by radical factions, such as that we were forced into in 2019. What's good enough for the devolved parliaments ought to be good enough for the central one, after all.
I was making a reasonable suggestion to someone who has been promoting Tbilisi as the next big thing.
Over the years we've had numerous tips from the Delancey Street Collective that X, Y or Z was the place to invest - I'm curious as to whether he ever did.
Because if not, aren't we left with nothing more that PB's equivalent of Judith Chalmers ?
And that's available in myriad forms on YouTube.
(I don't think they would be wise to, anyway; the "we could back the Tories" card is high cost/low value to play. But it would be reassuring if it were out of circulation.)
A Nordic yet subtropical Eden. Apparently
But also full of Soviet decay and Stalinist ghosts. And depopulated. God I so want to go
Rishi is providing a bung to everyone, and especially to pensioners, and he’s chiefly paying for it on the credit card.
He’s also doing so at a time of high inflation, and these measures are inflationary (esp the skew towards pensioner hand-outs).
Thatcher is not just spinning in her grave, she has gone into orbit.
Full admission: I was/am in favour of both a windfall tax and support for the least well off (via restoration of the UC uplift).
These are good sites:
https://www.youtube.com/c/EvazuBeckOfficial/videos
https://www.youtube.com/c/SailingUma/videos
To be boring for a moment, if “everyone knows” but no one has proof is it just to include the accusation in an official report?
His videos are very good, but he is rather a dodgy individual if the internet is to be believed.
The real answer is that there ought to be pain incoming, because the UK has been making decadent decisions and living beyond its means for a while now. Retrenchment is inevitable, we should all feel the pinch and chip in to help those who need help.
But that is a challenge in democratic politics. As long as someone is willing to say that the solution is something easy (see outrider politicians on the left and right), it's hard to actually address the reality.
Did I get that right?
I wonder how much people here (let alone more widely) have taken on board how bad the economic outlook is at the level of individuals and families?
https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/05/untouchoutable.html
No. I am not. You don’t even have to log on to YouTube and see a couple of ads. You can just clock into PB as normal and you get my opinions and insights and travelogues for free, and if you find them tedious, wanky, silly, whatever, you just scroll past
Eg A few weeks ago I gave you guys an insight into Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, before anyone else. Including my own personal photos of the latest revelations. About 2 months later that wanker SeanT published an article on it in the Spectator which was the most read ever on their website, basically copying me word for word, and everyone went OMFG this is amazing
You guys got my insight FIRST. For Free. Does the late Judith Chalmers give you revelations about 13,000 year old secret buried civilisations, 8 weeks before the rest of the world gets it from some plagiarist? No, she does not
Anyone that does that kind of shit is going to be dodgy. It comes with the terroir. I speak from experience
I’m going to check him out back at my hotel
On the other side, extremist parties of left and right would find it easier to win seats, as the BNP did under PR in the 2009 European elections when they won 2 MEPs on just 6% of the vote. Only if they are ahead in the polls does FPTP help extreme parties
Good news, the Libdems have realised this and are on the care now 🙂
Watch this move up news bulletins to the top now is my prediction.
And the language doesn't always evoke the much lamented Judith either.
That all been said, he visits some fascinating places, that you rarely if ever see elsewhere.
When they were for book research there was a 'sowing the seeds' importance and anticipation about them.
Remember when you travelled for a purpose ?
Kurdistan, Cambodia, the Basque country, Fair Isle ?
The current 'look at my bread roll' style doesn't provide the same vicarious pleasure.
Oil businesses works in cyclical way, which Windfall Tax loving voters don’t perhaps appreciate. Energy groups find it incredible Boris government whacked them with a windfall tax. These companies made a loss during covid, but we still expect them to pour investment in to transform and revolutionise the energy sector where they can, despite creaming off their profits in a good year? and undermining relationship of working well with them for the time being to change the energy sector as the government plans. Aside from this money is better invested by the companies themselves on research and development and production capacity, it’s dividends are paid to pension funds too, not just the likes of Jacob Rees Moog.
Surely it’s a dangerous game for any government at all, particularly a Tory one, to go into the market claiming “your profits are underserved”, which is exactly what this action screams doesn’t it? particularly for the Conservatives whose policy principles are founded upon faith in the market? For example in terms of fairness are the energy companies the only ones in profit right now, short term though it may be for them, what about Amazon Etc? Why pick on some making huge profit this year, not the others?
This is the long-standing Conservative understanding of fairness the Boris all over the shop government has ripped up, expecting his PLP and party at large zip their mouths and not react? Once you pull out the roots of credibility that hold your distinctive tree up, it’s going to take long time to reverse the mess made to your credibility and ideological niche, You see this point? Boris is doing the credibility shred on Tories, Corbyn done on Labour credibility.
And the negatives politically, all the TV News mentioned it was Tory U turn to Labours idea. it made Starmer look like the idea’s man to rescue the public from cost of living nightmare and the true leader of the country, whilst the Tory’s merely dither short on solutions. you think of how much money the Tory’s will spend in the next general election campaign trying to beat Labour, they might well take that money outside now and burn it for as much good it done them gifting Starmer and his front bench a multi billion pound makeover by surrendering lock stock and barrel to his policy idea - gifting Labour this win - Why are we expecting a Tory poll boost from such a scenario?
If Starmer’s Labour suggest other idea’s now, and Tories refuse to obey Starmer, what do the voters make of that now after this U Turn?
Doesn’t every artist?
In all seriousness, in the cool about-to be-Shoreditch parts of Tbilisi it is impossible to avoid. The young people - hipsters, gays, trendies, trannies, musicians, writers, students, painters - are the only people here in the REALLY crusty bits. Because the buildings are beautiful, and central, in an amazing old city, but you wouldn’t want to be 36 with kids, or 45 with older kids, not here. Half of these incredible houses are derelict (tho being speedily bought up and redeveloped, even as I sit here and type: I can see it happening down the street)
What is particularly amazing about Tbilisi is the scale of the “Old Town”. This isn’t just a few nice blocks and then you get Soviet shit.
It is kilometre after kilometre, of medieval, “Georgian”, “Victorian” plus some sensitive Art Deco and subtle modernism. There aren’t ANY carbuncles and it is all walkable. With a mighty river in the middle and the snow capped Caucasus on the horizon
The potential is obvious and immense. I’m hardly the first person to notice it
Of course there are clear threats. Putin for one
A poll shows all North Wales conservatives will lose their seats and you still think Boris is a winner
(I enjoy your tourism posts, FWIW.)
All that the papers need now is a Tory councillor landlord gouging his tenants at the coin meter, or better still (from the papers' point of view) a Tory MP.
Though of course, as in the 70s, plenty will float through it quite happily, for various reasons.
Perils of going off to Stratford for the weekend.
Your complacency is breathtaking and the only consolation will be watching Labour hit your inheritance
Wasn't expecting that. Bayern apparently.
Leicester to know that Galadriel slung her hook weeks ago, and is enjoying quiet time with someone quite different from phatboi.
https://twitter.com/historydefined/status/1529953809967071233
https://www.vale50plus.org/new-poll-suggests-conservatives-would-be-decimated-in-wales-in-election/
The poll incudes Clwyd West in which I was David Jones driver in the 2010 election
Conservatives would lose all North Wales seats if election was held says poll
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/conservatives-would-lose-north-wales-24091868#ICID=Android_DailyPostNewsApp_AppShare