John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
“Yorkshire’s Liz Truss”, huh? I thought she was a Buddy.
- “…makes me doubt the wisdom of laying a Labour majority at the next general election.”
Lab Maj is currently 7/2, which looks like amazingly poor value to me, and an obvious LAY. I am, of course, open to counter arguments, but it appears to me that there are only two routes to Lab Maj:
A. Labour landslide in England (45%+), or B. strong Labour recovery in Scotland (35%+)
Anybody familiar with the polling data will know that both A and B look profoundly unlikely. On a good day English Labour are hovering around the 40% mark and Scottish Labour around the 20% mark. Good, but no cigars.
Of course TSE is correct that an economic catastrophe makes A more likely, but I remain skeptical for the simple reason that so much has already gone catastrophically wrong for Cameron, May and The Oaf and yet they are still polling quite decent numbers in the low to mid 30s. If the electorate had any gumption at all the Tories would already be in the teens, or worse.
There is some speculation about inflation and our politics here. The one thing that is clear is that there is, as yet, no surge toward the conventional opposition
- “One in five UK households will be left with no savings at all by 2024. “
One of the biggest tragedies of modern society is that we ditched thrift. Consumerism will be the death of us. Quite literally.
Schools must teach basic financial survival skills to the next generations. Starting with the importance of building up a strong buffer.
- “And yet look at the Thursday poll that showed that, in a match-up of Starmer v Truss, it is Truss who is ahead by two points. Labour is in front in other surveys, of course, but given this climate it should be out of sight.”
This is the killer point: Starmer is a total dud. Any half-competent Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition ought to be smashing any and all named Con leaders off the field at this point in proceedings.
Mike Smithson is a huge fan of the Leader stats, and with good reason. They have a great track record of being better prediction tools than headline VI.
- “I asked Albrecht Ritschl, professor of economic history at the LSE, what single move the UK government could make to alleviate the pain. “Suspend Brexit for 20 years,” came the reply. He knows that’s not going to happen. But he explains that today’s crisis is not one of demand, but of supply: there’s just not enough stuff to meet demand, thanks in part to the post-Covid blockages in the global supply chain. In Britain, that’s exacerbated because we can no longer import European goods as freely or as cheaply as before.”
England and the English economy is not going to recover until they admit the horrific unforced error they have committed. I confidently predict that they won’t, and therefore can’t.
- “That decade brought a surge in political violence and a rise in support for the racist far right, in the form of the National Front. Under Boris Johnson, the Conservative party has shifted towards a nationalist populism that Truss seems unlikely to jettison. That creed is already of an ugly hue, but it could darken – especially when winter comes.”
The Conservatives are now a meld of English Nationalists, Brexit Revolutionaries and far-right thinking. It will not end well.
There is only one antidote, and that is the counter-revolution, which is inevitable. It is just a matter of time.
I've not been keeping up, is Frosty a Trusstafarian? If so there appears to be still a considerable amount of revolution to go. The flabby peer even calls it the Brexit Revolt.
People voted Conservative in 2019 to Get Brexit Done and make it go away, so we could move on.
They were sick of hearing about it. They don't want to "sustain the revolt". They want domestic public services and the economy fixed.
If voters sense that (and Labour are smart) then they will start to vote Labour the other way to make it go away again.
Yep, most people want a quiet life politically and economically. They do not want constant upheaval and confrontation. That is why they tend to react against extremism except in the most extreme circumstances. The Tories used to understand this.
It's also why lots of people used to vote Tory.
Vote Tory for stability, good governance and keeping politics boring & out your life.
It might not be very exciting but there's a big market for that.
Which is why Starmer has a chance.
Vote Starmer for stability, good governance and keeping politics boring & out of your life.
Starmer's best pitch has always been centrist boring competence
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I agree our flag is so ugly. Like so much else poisonous in this country it is because of political correctness. When we absorbed Scotland and Ireland we had to pretend it was a partnership so we included their flags in our flag. So the beautiful simple English flag was corrupted. However it is well known so we seem to be stuck with it.
There is no reason UJ could not be updated - the American flag in its current version has only been around for 60 years.... But no need to add the Welsh (could be done easily by applying a yellow cross from the flag of St David) - we are happy to be left off it so we can sing 'F*** the Union Jack' at our football matches
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I agree our flag is so ugly. Like so much else poisonous in this country it is because of political correctness. When we absorbed Scotland and Ireland we had to pretend it was a partnership so we included their flags in our flag. So the beautiful simple English flag was corrupted. However it is well known so we seem to be stuck with it.
The UK is a messy country, with a messy flag. It's remarkable how good it looks despite that.
It's sort of assertive? In a way that a simple saltire, tricolour or US flag isn't.
It seems to me like there is a bad winter ahead. On some basic calculations, if interest rates go up 1%, then its about £165 extra per month on a 200k mortgage. If you look at the predicted rise in energy bills, its going to add about £200 per month to each bill. Thats £365 per month. .... and on top of ongoing increases in fuel and food.
The current leadership contest suggests that the tories have lost the plot completely and are ripe for complete obliteration. The party are based on finding ways to reinvent themselves to stay in power. Against this backdrop of pending catastophe for working people; Truss and Sunak are going on about protecting the green belt, stopping the woke stuff, and cutting taxes for the rich.
Dom Cummings predicted that a revolt could be based on the slogan and action 'stop paying bills'. Also, he claims that MP's have been in touch with him about this. The net zero and green stuff can ultimately be depicted as elite hobbyhorses. They are easy political scapegoats. It is something to watch.
“No, we are in this mess because, for most of the twenty-first century, we have ignored economic reality in pursuit of theatrical decarbonisation. Actually, no, that understates our foolishness. Decarbonisation will happen eventually, as alternative energy sources become cheaper than fossil fuels. It is proper for governments to seek to speed that process up. But this goes well beyond emitting less CO2. Our intellectual and cultural leaders – TV producers, novelists, bishops, the lot – see fuel consumption itself as a problem. What they want is not green growth, but less growth. … But raising the price of energy is not something we can do in isolation. When power becomes more expensive, so does everything else. Fuel is not simply one among many commodities; it is the enabler of exchange, the motor of efficiency, the vector of economic growth. … When did you last hear a politician admit as much? When did you hear any public figure extol cheap energy as an agent of poverty alleviation? When did you hear any historian describe how coal and later oil liberated the mass of humanity from back-breaking drudgery and led to the elimination of slavery?”
Hang on a minute. Where is the bountiful cheap energy we have been ignoring?
Gas? This *was* cheap. But the free market "Dash for Gas" allowed scumbags like Norweb build gas-fired power stations to burn North Sea reserves in a decade. Which makes us reliant on imported gas from dodgy places which isn't cheao.
Coal? We *could* have invested in CCS and kept places like Drax open, burning domestic coal and pumping the emissions underground. But no, coal miners are communists.
Nuclear? The chance for a renaissance of British nuclear was killed by Nick Clegg in 2010. So what we have is now decades late and absurdly expensive.
Which leaves renewables. We *could* have been leading on this. We have a lot of wind turbines - built by countries like Germany - and increasingly solar. With absurd rigged transmission prices to make it expensive despite us having so much available. Put solar and a battery on every new build for the last decade and that would have made a real difference.
So what is Hannanananan drooling on about?
I find it fascinating that many of the ex-miners I know are generally extremely socially conservative, though admittedly most of them are knocking on a bit now. I expect a lot of them will be, and always will have been, generally receptive to Conservative ideas. Not all of them, but plenty of them. More than you might think.
If the Tories had shovelled money at them and invested in the industry in the 80s they might well have captured the Red Wall decades ago, and we might still have a domestic deep-mining industry providing coal to clean, CCS-equipped power stations. Giving us a large degree of energy security. With well-paid jobs for grateful miners and their communities. Ferrybridge C and Eggborough - the other two huge coal-fired, and now demolished, power stations along with Drax I grew up in the shadow of - would still be operational, providing more well-paid jobs locally.
An interesting counter-factual.
Carbon capture and storage is much talked about but is more of a pipedream than fusion.
It's superficially attractive - just bolt this black box of pipes onto our existing infrastructure - which promises minimal change and disruption and allows the people currently making energy profits to continue doing so. Yet despite those attractions and the support its received for decades, nothing has come of it.
It is odd. Some folk get jobs in philosophy or become kirk ministers and the like. And plenty of people who do STEM end up as bankers etc.
And what about the classics and the history of art which are apparently the best and poshest and most intellectual of all degrees?
My degree was in Medieval English history. It taught me a range of skills around interrogating evidence and asking questions that have been absolutely central to my professional career.
Excellent article by Simon Heffer in the Telegraph yesterday on the value of humanities degrees
The built in bias in questions like this just annoys me. Of course no one is going to unaffected by increasing energy costs like this but the vast majority will cope by rebalancing other spending and being a bit more careful when the heating is put on. They may even resort to jumpers.
Sunak set a dangerous precedent in having the government effectively pay for the first round of these increases but this was (a) unrepeatable and (b) a one off leaving us fully exposed to the increases next year. The only way of avoiding that would be a reduction in the global energy prices which is possible but far from certain.
Most peoples response to this will be to demand more wages resulting in another sprial of inflation and public sector strikes. So what does a Truss government do?
I think that green levies and VAT on fuel do indeed have to go. We are making a very bad situation worse for ourselves. It is unnecessary. Their suspension will be another suspended fuel duty escalator if you can remember that. I think this will be prioritised over CT tax cuts.
We absolutely need to get on with fracking and doing what we can to squeeze more gas out of the north sea.
We do indeed need to get on with insulation, even more wind, solar and tidal. Not only do all these help with balance of payments, it also makes us much less vulnerable to international energy markets. They should be branded as making Britain secure and they will help.
Sorry that millions sliding into a dire poverty you can barely comprehend annoys you. In a decent society it isn't only about the "vast majority", its how we treat those who fall below this middle band.
Energy bills will be higher than wages and UC payments. Literally impossible to pay. And for millions of others who work the bills will take us such a proportion of money that they go way beyond "just put a jumper on".
The challenge right now is to set aside the long term questions and focus on the micro - how to get people though this winter. It simply doesn't matter what the long term policy debates are, people are going to suffer grinding poverty in a few months unless this shitbox party you support does something.
I completely agree that the limited resources we have to help should be focused on the poorest. That is why I opposed Sunak's refunds which were far too widely spread and should have been limited to those on benefits. The elimination of green tariffs and VAT will help the larger users (probably the better off) more and will need to be supplemented by targeted additional assistance for those most in need but we cannot be in a position where the government is expected to pick up the tab of higher energy costs for everyone. We simply cannot afford to do that.
That is fiddling around the edges as people die. What they need to be talking about is: 1. Amnesty for non-payment. These bills are not getting paid because its impossible to do so. Accept that, mandate the various companies - energy, internet, landlords etc - to not cut people off or throw them out when they don't pay 2. Amnesty for debt. No point taking unpayable bills now and turning them int unpayable debt. The energy companies are making record profits, loss is a risk, this winter they will make a loss for a few months. Its called business.
Once we get to late Spring 2023 and the threat to life is over, we can discuss green tariffs. But Mistress Truss says "no handouts" to individuals to allow tax cuts for energy companies. So we know where this is going...
I'm supportive of paying more tax to help those at the bottom of the pile afford to pay to heat their homes, but how would you organise an amnesty for unpaid energy bills to ensure that rich chancers wouldn't simply save themselves a few thousand pounds at my expense?
Adding £x to Universal Credit, and other social security payments, is the way to ensure that the poorest can afford the energy price rises. Particularly as an amnesty for non-payment of bills does nothing to help those on prepayment meters.
I would do the things you suggest as well. But the reality is clear - adding £20 onto UC whilst something is not going to fix this problem.
As for who pays for it, that would be energy company shareholders. Sorry boys, companies make profits and they make losses. This winter they will make a loss. They could have mitigated against this coming loss by not paying the huge dividends they have just declared. Divis are supposed to be the cream on top when you have managed your business properly, not a guaranteed income for shareholders.
That would, of course, be an enormous incentive to invest more in energy production mitigating future problems 😒
We need solutions that work with the market, not against it.
I can't think of a worse policy than having an amnesty for non-payment of utility bills. Food prices and taxes have risen, but we wouldn't introduce an amnesty for shoplifters or tax evaders.
Why does the energy cap need to be increased? Does the government not have the power to keep it at the current rate, and if necessary bail out the energy companies?
Plenty of those who do theology then train to become priests at say Cuddesdon or Wycliffe Hall. Philosophy encourages you to think even if you don't become a philosophy professor
It is odd. Some folk get jobs in philosophy or become kirk ministers and the like. And plenty of people who do STEM end up as bankers etc.
And what about the classics and the history of art which are apparently the best and poshest and most intellectual of all degrees?
My degree was in Medieval English history. It taught me a range of skills around interrogating evidence and asking questions that have been absolutely central to my professional career.
I can't help feeling though that the bits of such subjects which have been useful to your career could have been covered in about three months.
I did a social science degree which was actually pretty relevant to the career I ended up in - but again, the stuff which was relevant was vastly outweighed by the stuff which wasn't and was never going to be. I'm not saying it wasn't interesting, nor that there isn't a role for education for its own sake. But if we were setting up a system from scratch to make graduates employable, this isn't how we'd do it.
I suppose the bits everyone else found relevant should have been cut out, for your benefit.
I think the relevance of various bits of qualification varies considerably with the branch of the occupation in which one ends up. Much of that which I studied during my pharmacist qualification course seemed irrelevant for some years but later on proved quite useful! Although I never actually made pills that we're going to be used!
It seems to me like there is a bad winter ahead. On some basic calculations, if interest rates go up 1%, then its about £165 extra per month on a 200k mortgage. If you look at the predicted rise in energy bills, its going to add about £200 per month to each bill. Thats £365 per month. .... and on top of ongoing increases in fuel and food.
The current leadership contest suggests that the tories have lost the plot completely and are ripe for complete obliteration. The party are based on finding ways to reinvent themselves to stay in power. Against this backdrop of pending catastophe for working people; Truss and Sunak are going on about protecting the green belt, stopping the woke stuff, and cutting taxes for the rich.
Dom Cummings predicted that a revolt could be based on the slogan and action 'stop paying bills'. Also, he claims that MP's have been in touch with him about this. The net zero and green stuff can ultimately be depicted as elite hobbyhorses. They are easy political scapegoats. It is something to watch.
The danger for Tories is that some kind of revolt over cost of living results in a new party on the right or resurrects one of the ukip splinters. Packed full of very angry people.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite. The National Anthem, on the other hand is awful. It is a crime against music.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
The built in bias in questions like this just annoys me. Of course no one is going to unaffected by increasing energy costs like this but the vast majority will cope by rebalancing other spending and being a bit more careful when the heating is put on. They may even resort to jumpers.
Sunak set a dangerous precedent in having the government effectively pay for the first round of these increases but this was (a) unrepeatable and (b) a one off leaving us fully exposed to the increases next year. The only way of avoiding that would be a reduction in the global energy prices which is possible but far from certain.
Most peoples response to this will be to demand more wages resulting in another sprial of inflation and public sector strikes. So what does a Truss government do?
I think that green levies and VAT on fuel do indeed have to go. We are making a very bad situation worse for ourselves. It is unnecessary. Their suspension will be another suspended fuel duty escalator if you can remember that. I think this will be prioritised over CT tax cuts.
We absolutely need to get on with fracking and doing what we can to squeeze more gas out of the north sea.
We do indeed need to get on with insulation, even more wind, solar and tidal. Not only do all these help with balance of payments, it also makes us much less vulnerable to international energy markets. They should be branded as making Britain secure and they will help.
Sorry that millions sliding into a dire poverty you can barely comprehend annoys you. In a decent society it isn't only about the "vast majority", its how we treat those who fall below this middle band.
Energy bills will be higher than wages and UC payments. Literally impossible to pay. And for millions of others who work the bills will take us such a proportion of money that they go way beyond "just put a jumper on".
The challenge right now is to set aside the long term questions and focus on the micro - how to get people though this winter. It simply doesn't matter what the long term policy debates are, people are going to suffer grinding poverty in a few months unless this shitbox party you support does something.
I completely agree that the limited resources we have to help should be focused on the poorest. That is why I opposed Sunak's refunds which were far too widely spread and should have been limited to those on benefits. The elimination of green tariffs and VAT will help the larger users (probably the better off) more and will need to be supplemented by targeted additional assistance for those most in need but we cannot be in a position where the government is expected to pick up the tab of higher energy costs for everyone. We simply cannot afford to do that.
That is fiddling around the edges as people die. What they need to be talking about is: 1. Amnesty for non-payment. These bills are not getting paid because its impossible to do so. Accept that, mandate the various companies - energy, internet, landlords etc - to not cut people off or throw them out when they don't pay 2. Amnesty for debt. No point taking unpayable bills now and turning them int unpayable debt. The energy companies are making record profits, loss is a risk, this winter they will make a loss for a few months. Its called business.
Once we get to late Spring 2023 and the threat to life is over, we can discuss green tariffs. But Mistress Truss says "no handouts" to individuals to allow tax cuts for energy companies. So we know where this is going...
I'm supportive of paying more tax to help those at the bottom of the pile afford to pay to heat their homes, but how would you organise an amnesty for unpaid energy bills to ensure that rich chancers wouldn't simply save themselves a few thousand pounds at my expense?
Adding £x to Universal Credit, and other social security payments, is the way to ensure that the poorest can afford the energy price rises. Particularly as an amnesty for non-payment of bills does nothing to help those on prepayment meters.
I would do the things you suggest as well. But the reality is clear - adding £20 onto UC whilst something is not going to fix this problem.
As for who pays for it, that would be energy company shareholders. Sorry boys, companies make profits and they make losses. This winter they will make a loss. They could have mitigated against this coming loss by not paying the huge dividends they have just declared. Divis are supposed to be the cream on top when you have managed your business properly, not a guaranteed income for shareholders.
That would, of course, be an enormous incentive to invest more in energy production mitigating future problems 😒
We need solutions that work with the market, not against it.
I can't think of a worse policy than having an amnesty for non-payment of utility bills. Food prices and taxes have risen, but we wouldn't introduce an amnesty for shoplifters or tax evaders.
Why does the energy cap need to be increased? Does the government not have the power to keep it at the current rate, and if necessary bail out the energy companies?
It seems to me like there is a bad winter ahead. On some basic calculations, if interest rates go up 1%, then its about £165 extra per month on a 200k mortgage. If you look at the predicted rise in energy bills, its going to add about £200 per month to each bill. Thats £365 per month. .... and on top of ongoing increases in fuel and food.
The current leadership contest suggests that the tories have lost the plot completely and are ripe for complete obliteration. The party are based on finding ways to reinvent themselves to stay in power. Against this backdrop of pending catastophe for working people; Truss and Sunak are going on about protecting the green belt, stopping the woke stuff, and cutting taxes for the rich.
Dom Cummings predicted that a revolt could be based on the slogan and action 'stop paying bills'. Also, he claims that MP's have been in touch with him about this. The net zero and green stuff can ultimately be depicted as elite hobbyhorses. They are easy political scapegoats. It is something to watch.
The danger for Tories is that some kind of revolt over cost of living results in a new party on the right or resurrects one of the ukip splinters. Packed full of very angry people.
Farage has already said he thinks Truss or Sunak would be as useless as Starmer and might be tempted to come back if the economy tanks, inflation continues to surge and the boats keep crossing and in opposition to net zero
John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
Farage has already said he thinks Truss or Sunak would be as useless as Starmer and might be tempted to come back if the economy tanks, inflation continues to surge and the boats keep crossing and in opposition to net zero
Nigel Fucking Farage on TV every week (again) is probably a precursor to the triumphant return of BoZo...
The King of Hawaii liked the UJ so much he incorporated it into the flag of Hawaii. No Brutish rule or anything, just liked the aesthetics. Personally, I like both the England flag and the Union Flag, and indeed the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish flags. Much better than slightly dull tricolores. Slightly uncomfortable with the explicit Christianity of it, but a lot of flags start to look either duller or less appealing if you look into their backgrounds. Fully on board with the complaints about GSTQ as an anthem though, and particularly as an English anthem.
Plenty of those who do theology then train to become priests at say Cuddesdon or Wycliffe Hall. Philosophy encourages you to think even if you don't become a philosophy professor
Oh, what a twat Sunak must be. Is that all he thinks education is about? Many of the biggest earners do so without a degree at all, and large numbers of the greatest contributors to culture died penniless. I am sure he is playing to the gallery, but I really do despair at the lack of thinking that politicians, who are delegated to think on our behalf, seem to be capable of.
The only way of viewing this idiotic observation is that perhaps he was taking a pop at people who read Classics at Oxford.
John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
I’m regretting voting for Rishi now.
I have also just voted for Rishi
Not a proper Tory imo.
Rishi has always been a Tory unlike Liz
I refer the honourable poster to the October 22 version of himself who will hear no bad word said about Dear Leader Liz.
Plenty of those who do theology then train to become priests at say Cuddesdon or Wycliffe Hall. Philosophy encourages you to think even if you don't become a philosophy professor
A friend of mine who spent his life teaching theology in University said that many of his students went onto careers in marketing. They could argue questionable points down to fine detail!
I was canvassed by a Lib Dem yesterday who asked if there was anything I'd like to suggest.
I told him I'd suggest reversing Brexit.
"Ah Brexit!" he said "We've always been against it".
"So are you going to reverse it?" I asked.
"We certainly are" he said
You heard it here first!
If you had been a Leave voter you can be assured the same LD canvasser would have told you the party would keep Brexit but just do a better job of it than the Tory Brexit.
Classic LD tactic no 1 is always tell the voter what they want to hear!
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
I hope that's a joke about rotational symmetry without reflectional symmetry being "genius and distinctive" on a flag.
For interestingness, the Union flag is no match whatsoever for the Turkmen effort:
John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
I’m regretting voting for Rishi now.
I have also just voted for Rishi
Not a proper Tory imo.
Rishi has always been a Tory unlike Liz
I guess you don't think W S Churchill was a proper tory on that basis?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
I’m regretting voting for Rishi now.
I have also just voted for Rishi
You mean you have abandoned the Johnson bed-warmer candidate, young HY? Well, I never.....
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
“No, we are in this mess because, for most of the twenty-first century, we have ignored economic reality in pursuit of theatrical decarbonisation. Actually, no, that understates our foolishness. Decarbonisation will happen eventually, as alternative energy sources become cheaper than fossil fuels. It is proper for governments to seek to speed that process up. But this goes well beyond emitting less CO2. Our intellectual and cultural leaders – TV producers, novelists, bishops, the lot – see fuel consumption itself as a problem. What they want is not green growth, but less growth. … But raising the price of energy is not something we can do in isolation. When power becomes more expensive, so does everything else. Fuel is not simply one among many commodities; it is the enabler of exchange, the motor of efficiency, the vector of economic growth. … When did you last hear a politician admit as much? When did you hear any public figure extol cheap energy as an agent of poverty alleviation? When did you hear any historian describe how coal and later oil liberated the mass of humanity from back-breaking drudgery and led to the elimination of slavery?”
Hang on a minute. Where is the bountiful cheap energy we have been ignoring?
Gas? This *was* cheap. But the free market "Dash for Gas" allowed scumbags like Norweb build gas-fired power stations to burn North Sea reserves in a decade. Which makes us reliant on imported gas from dodgy places which isn't cheao.
Coal? We *could* have invested in CCS and kept places like Drax open, burning domestic coal and pumping the emissions underground. But no, coal miners are communists.
Nuclear? The chance for a renaissance of British nuclear was killed by Nick Clegg in 2010. So what we have is now decades late and absurdly expensive.
Which leaves renewables. We *could* have been leading on this. We have a lot of wind turbines - built by countries like Germany - and increasingly solar. With absurd rigged transmission prices to make it expensive despite us having so much available. Put solar and a battery on every new build for the last decade and that would have made a real difference.
So what is Hannanananan drooling on about?
I find it fascinating that many of the ex-miners I know are generally extremely socially conservative, though admittedly most of them are knocking on a bit now. I expect a lot of them will be, and always will have been, generally receptive to Conservative ideas. Not all of them, but plenty of them. More than you might think.
If the Tories had shovelled money at them and invested in the industry in the 80s they might well have captured the Red Wall decades ago, and we might still have a domestic deep-mining industry providing coal to clean, CCS-equipped power stations. Giving us a large degree of energy security. With well-paid jobs for grateful miners and their communities. Ferrybridge C and Eggborough - the other two huge coal-fired, and now demolished, power stations along with Drax I grew up in the shadow of - would still be operational, providing more well-paid jobs locally.
An interesting counter-factual.
Carbon capture and storage is much talked about but is more of a pipedream than fusion.
It's superficially attractive - just bolt this black box of pipes onto our existing infrastructure - which promises minimal change and disruption and allows the people currently making energy profits to continue doing so. Yet despite those attractions and the support its received for decades, nothing has come of it.
I am, and always have been, *very* bearish on CCS. It's a cr@p solution to the wrong problem. It can be an okay solution in certain circumstances (where it is sometimes used now), but for general power-station use? Nah.
IMV it has always been a very silly and costly distraction from the things we could be doing. Coal power is one of, if not the, worst polluting energy source, even with CCS. Soot, radiation, and millions of tonnes of ash every year.
I was canvassed by a Lib Dem yesterday who asked if there was anything I'd like to suggest.
I told him I'd suggest reversing Brexit.
"Ah Brexit!" he said "We've always been against it".
"So are you going to reverse it?" I asked.
"We certainly are" he said
You heard it here first!
If you had been a Leave voter you can be assured the same LD canvasser would have told you the party would keep Brexit but just do a better job of it than the Tory Brexit.
Classic LD tactic no 1 is always tell the voter what they want to hear!
As you were the No1 apologist for the most dishonest individual ever to hold high office in the UK, it is a little rich for you to criticise a very low ranking LD canvasser for alleged flexing of the truth.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Sunak opposes it on the basis it will do nothing for people that actually need help. And he's right.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
John Stevens @johnestevens · 22m Liz Truss's reversal of NI hike would give a full-time worker on National Living Wage just £59, but someone on six figure salary would get more than £1,000, according to figures from Team Sunak
I’m regretting voting for Rishi now.
I have also just voted for Rishi
Not a proper Tory imo.
Rishi has always been a Tory unlike Liz
I refer the honourable poster to the October 22 version of himself who will hear no bad word said about Dear Leader Liz.
Or the June 22 version of himself who considered Rishi a vile traitor.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
I don't particularly like either of them, but they are IMO, certain to lose with Lightweight Lizzy and her gang of Viz Tory stereotypes sitting at her top table.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Sunak opposes it on the basis it will do nothing for people that actually need help. And he's right.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
It will help people who need help. The people who need help will keep more of their own money, allowing them to pay for their bills from their own labours. How is that a bad thing?
Support Truss has said for those who need help include temporarily axeing the green levy which would reduce bills, relative to what they'll otherwise be, and cutting tax so working people have more disposable income to spend on their bills.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Add that to his green belt nimbyism when what we really need is houses, houses, houses.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Sunak opposes it on the basis it will do nothing for people that actually need help. And he's right.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
It will help people who need help. The people who need help will keep more of their own money, allowing them to pay for their bills from their own labours. How is that a bad thing?
Support Truss has said for those who need help include temporarily axeing the green levy which would reduce bills, relative to what they'll otherwise be, and cutting tax so working people have more disposable income to spend on their bills.
What would your better solution be CHB?
We need to heavily subsidise energy bills until inflation is brought under control. Because right now your party is making people homeless.
If you had been a Leave voter you can be assured the same LD canvasser would have told you the party would keep Brexit but just do a better job of it than the Tory Brexit.
Classic LD tactic no 1 is always tell the voter what they want to hear!
The classic Conservative canvassing technique, especially where they run the Council, is to try and put as much distance between Conservative Council and Conservative Government as possible.
If the voter starts going on about how bad the Government is, the canvasser nods along and then says "we're the Council, not the Government, They don't listen to us. Just remember what a good job we're doing locally".
By the way, if the voter is critical of the Conservative council, the canvasser will say "it's the Government. We ask them for money but they don't listen. If only we had a little more money, the town would be so much better".
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
Because the UK isn’t a nation. It is a political union of three nations and part of a fourth one.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
I don't particularly like either of them, but they are IMO, certain to lose with Lightweight Lizzy and her gang of Viz Tory stereotypes sitting at her top table.
With Liz they may lose, so be it, that's democracy.
With Sunak they'll deserve to lose, and I for one would be voting for the Lib Dems. With his NIMBYism he's just as bad as them on the one thing I dislike about them the most, so why not?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It's only an ideological thing in the sense that if I had a burning sense of British patriotism then perhaps that would outweigh my aesthetic objections to the flag. I don't look at it and think "eugh, a hated symbol of British imperial oppression", I just think it's kind of ugly and fussy - and also not fit for purpose as one of the constituent parts of the flag is redundant and two of the constituent parts of the Union aren't adequately represented.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
I agree. The UK flag isn't a problem at all unless you make it a problem. You see Britons from all backgrounds proudly standing with the Union flag after sporting victories or even new Britons at citizenship ceremonies.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
Because the UK isn’t a nation. It is a political union of three nations and part of a fourth one.
No shit Sherlock. And here was me thinking Nats were all thick as planks, and you pop and surprise me with your depth of understanding abut the history and politics of these isles.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Add that to his green belt nimbyism when what we really need is houses, houses, houses.
We do not need houses, houses, houses in the already overheated South-East, nor do we need more high-rise flats in London as Rishi proposes. We need to spread prosperity throughout the country, to make levelling up more than a slogan, and to build new homes and even new towns with new employers in the less affluent parts of the country.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
White, Red and Blue were all RN ensigns (indicating squadron affiliation) until 1864.
That’s one of the most sensible things he’s said during the campaign. At least both candidates understand that education needs serious reform.
Whether they can actually effect meaningful reform, is of course a question left to the reader.
Agree, he's right. Let's hope this gets adopted whoever wins.
I know a few people who have done what small minded traditionalists would think of as "crap degrees" and have gone on to earn salaries that are probably far in excess of said small minded zealots. Who, prey, is the arbiter of what is a "crap" degree FFS? If they are crap, people will cease to do them.
“No, we are in this mess because, for most of the twenty-first century, we have ignored economic reality in pursuit of theatrical decarbonisation. Actually, no, that understates our foolishness. Decarbonisation will happen eventually, as alternative energy sources become cheaper than fossil fuels. It is proper for governments to seek to speed that process up. But this goes well beyond emitting less CO2. Our intellectual and cultural leaders – TV producers, novelists, bishops, the lot – see fuel consumption itself as a problem. What they want is not green growth, but less growth. … But raising the price of energy is not something we can do in isolation. When power becomes more expensive, so does everything else. Fuel is not simply one among many commodities; it is the enabler of exchange, the motor of efficiency, the vector of economic growth. … When did you last hear a politician admit as much? When did you hear any public figure extol cheap energy as an agent of poverty alleviation? When did you hear any historian describe how coal and later oil liberated the mass of humanity from back-breaking drudgery and led to the elimination of slavery?”
Hang on a minute. Where is the bountiful cheap energy we have been ignoring?
Gas? This *was* cheap. But the free market "Dash for Gas" allowed scumbags like Norweb build gas-fired power stations to burn North Sea reserves in a decade. Which makes us reliant on imported gas from dodgy places which isn't cheao.
Coal? We *could* have invested in CCS and kept places like Drax open, burning domestic coal and pumping the emissions underground. But no, coal miners are communists.
Nuclear? The chance for a renaissance of British nuclear was killed by Nick Clegg in 2010. So what we have is now decades late and absurdly expensive.
Which leaves renewables. We *could* have been leading on this. We have a lot of wind turbines - built by countries like Germany - and increasingly solar. With absurd rigged transmission prices to make it expensive despite us having so much available. Put solar and a battery on every new build for the last decade and that would have made a real difference.
So what is Hannanananan drooling on about?
I'm not sure what your point is? You've suggested multiple paths that could have lead to cheaper energy, and no doubt there are several more. Hannan is clearly blaming Governments of all stripes rather than blaming Labour. So what are you drooling on about?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
You say colonised a quarter of the world like it was a good thing. What did the quarter of the world think about it?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Perhaps the Jacobites, as distinct from Scots? A quick google isn't conclusive.
The Duke of Cumberland (of Culloden infamy) was called the butcher.
This kind of dirge is exactly what I was talking about in my last post. White middle class intellectual comedian sneers at multicultural celebration and everyone who enjoyed it purely because it doesn't fit with his narrative that the UK is the heir to Mussolini's Italy. Tired and boring writing.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
Most of the clearances were carried out by the Scottish nobility. I am assuming that by your ignorance of history you must be a Nat?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
You say colonised a quarter of the world like it was a good thing. What did the quarter of the world think about it?
No, I was suggesting the complete opposite. Red Ensign = old RN Ensign associated with Empire.
Though as DA has pointed out, hit more complicated than that.
That’s one of the most sensible things he’s said during the campaign. At least both candidates understand that education needs serious reform.
Whether they can actually effect meaningful reform, is of course a question left to the reader.
Agree, he's right. Let's hope this gets adopted whoever wins.
I know a few people who have done what small minded traditionalists would think of as "crap degrees" and have gone on to earn salaries that are probably far in excess of said small minded zealots. Who, prey, is the arbiter of what is a "crap" degree FFS? If they are crap, people will cease to do them.
I'm sure that's true. I studied with several people doing crap degrees, and they were a complete waste of time. The content could have been covered in a single year, and the only beneficiaries were local hostelries.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
I agree. The UK flag isn't a problem at all unless you make it a problem. You see Britons from all backgrounds proudly standing with the Union flag after sporting victories or even new Britons at citizenship ceremonies.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
You can be neutral about it, though. Being proud of your country feels as rational to me as being proud of rocks or the sky or the colour purple.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Add that to his green belt nimbyism when what we really need is houses, houses, houses.
We do not need houses, houses, houses in the already overheated South-East, nor do we need more high-rise flats in London as Rishi proposes. We need to spread prosperity throughout the country, to make levelling up more than a slogan, and to build new homes and even new towns with new employers in the less affluent parts of the country.
You do need houses, houses, houses all over the country including the South East. The South East like the entire country has seen its population dramatically rise in a generation thanks to longer life expectancies and net immigration. That should not be be a bad thing but housing hasn't kept up so many people can't get a home of their own.
Unless you want to start major net emigration we need more housing for the people already living here to get a home of their own. North, South, East and West.
If you want to have any immigration at all, which is a very good thing in my eyes to have I don't know about you, then we need even more housing just to stand still let alone sort out the backlog of missing homes.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
You think the design of the Union flag, which incorporates flags from England, Scotland, and Ireland, and from no other country, is "genius", and you "cannot see" what is not to like about it unless a person is "inherently" (whatever that means) "anti-British" or a supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Imagine if it were made from flags representing only Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and take it from there.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
Most of the clearances were carried out by the Scottish nobility. I am assuming that by your ignorance of history you must be a Nat?
You intimated that Scots were British patriots in the service of starving and killing Indians. I explained the true reason. If you think English fawning supplicancy to local intrabred nobles is shared by advocates of the SNP, check yourself.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
I agree. The UK flag isn't a problem at all unless you make it a problem. You see Britons from all backgrounds proudly standing with the Union flag after sporting victories or even new Britons at citizenship ceremonies.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
If we wanted a flag that was a reminder of our great achievements as a nation, a unifying symbol and a great piece of instantly recognisable design, I would suggest we replace the Union flag with the British Rail symbol. We could follow Billy Connoly's suggestion of making the Archers theme tune the national anthem at the same time.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Sunak opposes it on the basis it will do nothing for people that actually need help. And he's right.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
It will help people who need help. The people who need help will keep more of their own money, allowing them to pay for their bills from their own labours. How is that a bad thing?
Support Truss has said for those who need help include temporarily axeing the green levy which would reduce bills, relative to what they'll otherwise be, and cutting tax so working people have more disposable income to spend on their bills.
What would your better solution be CHB?
"Keep more of their own money" as a way to describe tax cuts is to frame tax as theft. This is a nonsense (obviously) so it's a phrase I'm not keen on.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
You say colonised a quarter of the world like it was a good thing. What did the quarter of the world think about it?
No, I was suggesting the complete opposite. Red Ensign = old RN Ensign associated with Empire.
Though as DA has pointed out, hit more complicated than that.
But then you switched to white. East India Company had its own flag, red n white stripes with Union flag top left
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
You think the design of the Union flag, which incorporates flags from England, Scotland, and Ireland, and from no other country, is "genius", and you "cannot see" what is not to like about it unless a person is "inherently" (whatever that means) "anti-British" or a supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Imagine if it were made from flags representing only Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and take it from there.
It is a flag. Get over it. It also incorporates two Christian crosses. Perhaps the Scots should change theirs too? Maybe just a plain blue in case it offends any non-Christians? Though maybe the blue might be a little offensive to women or LBGT people? Maybe we should have no flags?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
I agree. The UK flag isn't a problem at all unless you make it a problem. You see Britons from all backgrounds proudly standing with the Union flag after sporting victories or even new Britons at citizenship ceremonies.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
You can be neutral about it, though. Being proud of your country feels as rational to me as being proud of rocks or the sky or the colour purple.
It's entirely logical to be proud of your country, especially when it does well, and embarrassed of your country when it does badly ... And to desire the best for your country so there's more things to be proud of than embarrassed about.
Saying you should be neutral about your country is as logical as saying you should be neutral about your football club or job or family or anything else you identify with or relate to.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
You think the design of the Union flag, which incorporates flags from England, Scotland, and Ireland, and from no other country, is "genius", and you "cannot see" what is not to like about it unless a person is "inherently" (whatever that means) "anti-British" or a supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Imagine if it were made from flags representing only Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and take it from there.
It is a flag. Get over it. It also incorporates two Christian crosses. Perhaps the Scots should change theirs too? Maybe just a plain blue in case it offends any non-Christians? Though maybe the blue might be a little offensive to women or LBGT people? Maybe we should have no flags?
Why do you people always have problems with women, LGBT and so on?
The thing about the Union Flag is that there is no other flag you will see around the world in such numbers - Japanese girls’ backpacks, posters on teenage bedroom walls, Union flag cushions and throws.
It’s nothing to do with Empire or necessarily loving the British but it’s a design icon. It’s a symbol of rebellion with some weird relationship with punk. It got boosted by “cool brittania”.
You see it on walls in houses on tv and magazines.
It’s a really punchy bit of design that people associate with various things about the UK or culture.
You don’t see the same with the French tricolour, when do you see a German flag apart from directly related to Germany or a German event? The Japanese flag is cool, the US flag is also peppered around the world but really no other flag comes close in its ubiquity.
That’s one of the most sensible things he’s said during the campaign. At least both candidates understand that education needs serious reform.
Whether they can actually effect meaningful reform, is of course a question left to the reader.
Agree, he's right. Let's hope this gets adopted whoever wins.
I know a few people who have done what small minded traditionalists would think of as "crap degrees" and have gone on to earn salaries that are probably far in excess of said small minded zealots. Who, prey, is the arbiter of what is a "crap" degree FFS? If they are crap, people will cease to do them.
I'm sure that's true. I studied with several people doing crap degrees, and they were a complete waste of time. The content could have been covered in a single year, and the only beneficiaries were local hostelries.
That seems a little harsh on those doing arts courses. Though I think on reflection most of these could be done in a max of two years, even those from the type of universities that Rishi Sunak approves of
“No, we are in this mess because, for most of the twenty-first century, we have ignored economic reality in pursuit of theatrical decarbonisation. Actually, no, that understates our foolishness. Decarbonisation will happen eventually, as alternative energy sources become cheaper than fossil fuels. It is proper for governments to seek to speed that process up. But this goes well beyond emitting less CO2. Our intellectual and cultural leaders – TV producers, novelists, bishops, the lot – see fuel consumption itself as a problem. What they want is not green growth, but less growth. … But raising the price of energy is not something we can do in isolation. When power becomes more expensive, so does everything else. Fuel is not simply one among many commodities; it is the enabler of exchange, the motor of efficiency, the vector of economic growth. … When did you last hear a politician admit as much? When did you hear any public figure extol cheap energy as an agent of poverty alleviation? When did you hear any historian describe how coal and later oil liberated the mass of humanity from back-breaking drudgery and led to the elimination of slavery?”
Hang on a minute. Where is the bountiful cheap energy we have been ignoring?
Gas? This *was* cheap. But the free market "Dash for Gas" allowed scumbags like Norweb build gas-fired power stations to burn North Sea reserves in a decade. Which makes us reliant on imported gas from dodgy places which isn't cheao.
Coal? We *could* have invested in CCS and kept places like Drax open, burning domestic coal and pumping the emissions underground. But no, coal miners are communists.
Nuclear? The chance for a renaissance of British nuclear was killed by Nick Clegg in 2010. So what we have is now decades late and absurdly expensive.
Which leaves renewables. We *could* have been leading on this. We have a lot of wind turbines - built by countries like Germany - and increasingly solar. With absurd rigged transmission prices to make it expensive despite us having so much available. Put solar and a battery on every new build for the last decade and that would have made a real difference.
So what is Hannanananan drooling on about?
I find it fascinating that many of the ex-miners I know are generally extremely socially conservative, though admittedly most of them are knocking on a bit now. I expect a lot of them will be, and always will have been, generally receptive to Conservative ideas. Not all of them, but plenty of them. More than you might think.
If the Tories had shovelled money at them and invested in the industry in the 80s they might well have captured the Red Wall decades ago, and we might still have a domestic deep-mining industry providing coal to clean, CCS-equipped power stations. Giving us a large degree of energy security. With well-paid jobs for grateful miners and their communities. Ferrybridge C and Eggborough - the other two huge coal-fired, and now demolished, power stations along with Drax I grew up in the shadow of - would still be operational, providing more well-paid jobs locally.
An interesting counter-factual.
Listen to the album "Every Valley" by Public Service Broadcasting. A coal mining industry proud and confident of the future, with 400 years of coal sat there waiting to be mined...
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Add that to his green belt nimbyism when what we really need is houses, houses, houses.
We do not need houses, houses, houses in the already overheated South-East, nor do we need more high-rise flats in London as Rishi proposes. We need to spread prosperity throughout the country, to make levelling up more than a slogan, and to build new homes and even new towns with new employers in the less affluent parts of the country.
The trouble with that argument is that it becomes a neverland. Are we telling people caught up in the housing crisis that they have to move to areas with no employment and decaying infrastructure and hope that eventually levelling up works? Or that they need to carry on renting in the South until the rest of the country is ready? The one thing that could really help is the move to home working. I find it depressing that government and business are beginning to fight this shift in the name of a return to normal.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
Most of the clearances were carried out by the Scottish nobility. I am assuming that by your ignorance of history you must be a Nat?
You intimated that Scots were British patriots in the service of starving and killing Indians. I explained the true reason. If you think English fawning supplicancy to local intrabred nobles is shared by advocates of the SNP, check yourself.
The Highland clearances were carried out by Scots, on Scots. The British army wasn't responsible, so your snide comments about recruitment are a very easily disprovable invention.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
It is a flag for the UK, there never was a flag for the British Empire
Hence the association.
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
The Red Ensign is a symbol of pride in our maritime past . Let's face it, the only people that get tight lipped and prissy about flags are twats like Jeremy Corbyn and nationalistic Anglophobes like Stuart Dickson, who is clearly carrying on his father's tradition.
A maritime past that colonised about a quarter of the world.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
You say colonised a quarter of the world like it was a good thing. What did the quarter of the world think about it?
No, I was suggesting the complete opposite. Red Ensign = old RN Ensign associated with Empire.
Though as DA has pointed out, hit more complicated than that.
But then you switched to white. East India Company had its own flag, red n white stripes with Union flag top left
1) It's a shame we don't have an Empire flag to burn in an orgy of virtue-signalling (equivalent to the confederate flag)
2) Of all the options, reckon the red Ensign is probably the closest we have. Well known, associated with the RN (rightly or wrongly) when it was in business of Empire rather than being sunk by U-boats/liberating the Falklands.
I see that Sunak has said it's wrong for Truss to cut his National Insurance tax hike, so people who work many of whom are seeing wages go up less than inflation can keep more of their own money, as he thinks we should do more to support Triple Locked pensioners instead.
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
Sunak opposes it on the basis it will do nothing for people that actually need help. And he's right.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
It will help people who need help. The people who need help will keep more of their own money, allowing them to pay for their bills from their own labours. How is that a bad thing?
Support Truss has said for those who need help include temporarily axeing the green levy which would reduce bills, relative to what they'll otherwise be, and cutting tax so working people have more disposable income to spend on their bills.
What would your better solution be CHB?
We need to heavily subsidise energy bills until inflation is brought under control. Because right now your party is making people homeless.
Right now I don't have a party, which is why I have no vote in the leadership election.
Of the two candidates Truss's plan to cut the green levy to reduce energy bills (as well as her plan to reverse the NI hike) would be closer to what you want than Sunak's plan to give more aid to pensioners whose pensions are triple lock protected from inflation anyway, would it not?
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
Eg '"They left their windswept crofts behind looking for adventure and the promised land"
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
It was the Scots that first called it the Butchers Apron wasn't it?
Kind of ironic seeing as it was often the Scottish regiments that carried out the butchery of Empire with such enthusiasm
It does help recruitment when you rob people of their land. (Cue some Unherd take about how the clearances were good for Scots.)
Most of the clearances were carried out by the Scottish nobility. I am assuming that by your ignorance of history you must be a Nat?
You intimated that Scots were British patriots in the service of starving and killing Indians. I explained the true reason. If you think English fawning supplicancy to local intrabred nobles is shared by advocates of the SNP, check yourself.
The Highland clearances were carried out by Scots, on Scots. The British army wasn't responsible, so your snide comments about recruitment are a very easily disprovable invention.
The point is simply that when people are subjected to poverty, with no means of support, it is easy to recruit them for a money wage. You invent a causation to assuage guilt about how this has worked in places where the British bore direct responsibility (Ireland; India).
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I think for a lot of people they dislike the flag because of its association with empire. Not saying that is true in your case but the national flag seems to be culturally divisive in the UK in the way that it is not in other countries.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
If the flag of the UK was something else entirely then some would still feel the need to hate it. It's not that particular flag they hate, it's any expression of an absence of shame in the country at all.
I agree. The UK flag isn't a problem at all unless you make it a problem. You see Britons from all backgrounds proudly standing with the Union flag after sporting victories or even new Britons at citizenship ceremonies.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
You can be neutral about it, though. Being proud of your country feels as rational to me as being proud of rocks or the sky or the colour purple.
I don't agree that it's irrational. A country is just a large community at the end of the day so it's nice to celebrate achievements. It doesn't mean you have to wave flags and have a military parade, it's just nice to know that someone from a small island with c. 1% of the global population has done something outstanding. It should be inspiring more than anything else.
Of course, if you want to be neutral, that's no problem either, I just think people that do want to feel a bit of pride don't deserve to be sneered at.
And wee Union Jacks on insulation. That’ll do the trick.
Does a Union Jack not give you a warm glow all of its own Stuart?
Only if decent accelerant is applied.
Jesting aside, I have a surprisingly high tolerance level for the Butcher’s Apron, for a despicable, seditious Jock. For example, it is liberally displayed on 2 of our cars. I gave up frowning about them after a few years. I even quite like them on occasion. When I drive like an arsehole fellow motorists just blame ‘engelsmannen’.
I've never liked the Union flag. It's not an ideological thing, I just think it's unattractive. I don't like the colour combination, it's too busy, and it's not even symmetric. It's just an ugly flag. Like our ugly, tuneless dirge of a national anthem. Why are our totems of nationhood so rubbish?
I completely disagree about the flag, much as I'm instinctively wary of nationalism.
Blue, white and red are a great colour combination, as you can see in this great knitted shawl.
The flag has rotational symmetry, which is genius and distinctive. And it's way more interesting than the dull, dull, dull tricolours used by so many countries.
The Union flag is a genius design. It conforms to the basic principles of logo design; it is unlikely to be confused with others (unlike so many tricolour designs) and it can be reduced to a tiny size and is still recognisable. I cannot see what is not to like unless one is inherently anti-British or a self-loathing Corbynite.
Ask somebody from Wales and they may be able to assist.
I used to live in Wales many years ago, and once went out with a very attractive Welsh lass. They all seemed quite keen on the Union Flag which they held in equal esteem to their beautiful Welsh one, so sorry, no idea what you are on about.
You think the design of the Union flag, which incorporates flags from England, Scotland, and Ireland, and from no other country, is "genius", and you "cannot see" what is not to like about it unless a person is "inherently" (whatever that means) "anti-British" or a supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Imagine if it were made from flags representing only Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and take it from there.
Wales didn't have a flag until relatively recently did it? I think the dragon was adopted in the 1950s.
Comments
It's sort of assertive? In a way that a simple saltire, tricolour or US flag isn't.
On some basic calculations, if interest rates go up 1%, then its about £165 extra per month on a 200k mortgage.
If you look at the predicted rise in energy bills, its going to add about £200 per month to each bill.
Thats £365 per month.
.... and on top of ongoing increases in fuel and food.
The current leadership contest suggests that the tories have lost the plot completely and are ripe for complete obliteration.
The party are based on finding ways to reinvent themselves to stay in power.
Against this backdrop of pending catastophe for working people; Truss and Sunak are going on about protecting the green belt, stopping the woke stuff, and cutting taxes for the rich.
Dom Cummings predicted that a revolt could be based on the slogan and action 'stop paying bills'.
Also, he claims that MP's have been in touch with him about this.
The net zero and green stuff can ultimately be depicted as elite hobbyhorses. They are easy political scapegoats.
It is something to watch.
It's superficially attractive - just bolt this black box of pipes onto our existing infrastructure - which promises minimal change and disruption and allows the people currently making energy profits to continue doing so. Yet despite those attractions and the support its received for decades, nothing has come of it.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/06/how-britain-abandoned-classical-education/
Flower if Scotland is just a boring translation of it.
With regard to the national anthem, I have thought for a long time that it should be 'I vow to thee my country' by Holst, but this is more a historical missed opportunity than a serious prospect for change.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/07/cost-of-living-crisis-four-things-the-government-could-do-to-help
I told him I'd suggest reversing Brexit.
"Ah Brexit!" he said "We've always been against it".
"So are you going to reverse it?" I asked.
"We certainly are" he said
You heard it here first!
It would useful if there was an Empire flag we could burn every now again. I suppose the closest thing would be the Red Ensign.
Meanwhile here is the famous "what crisis?" master class from James Callaghan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX06xqN6710
Personally, I like both the England flag and the Union Flag, and indeed the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish flags. Much better than slightly dull tricolores. Slightly uncomfortable with the explicit Christianity of it, but a lot of flags start to look either duller or less appealing if you look into their backgrounds.
Fully on board with the complaints about GSTQ as an anthem though, and particularly as an English anthem.
The only way of viewing this idiotic observation is that perhaps he was taking a pop at people who read Classics at Oxford.
Classic LD tactic no 1 is always tell the voter what they want to hear!
I'd consider small pipes but ££££. And low whistle is really hard.
For interestingness, the Union flag is no match whatsoever for the Turkmen effort:
IMV it has always been a very silly and costly distraction from the things we could be doing. Coal power is one of, if not the, worst polluting energy source, even with CCS. Soot, radiation, and millions of tonnes of ash every year.
How Labour Plan To Benefit From A Week Of Gaffes By Liz Truss And Rishi Sunak
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-benfit-from-week-of-gaffes-liz-truss-rishi-sunak_uk_62ef6efee4b09fecea4eb835
Sunak represents everything that is wrong with the modern Conservative Party. If he wins, the Party deserves to lose.
What is Truss going to do for people who see their energy going up to £2000 a year in October?
He's always been at war with Eastasia.
Support Truss has said for those who need help include temporarily axeing the green levy which would reduce bills, relative to what they'll otherwise be, and cutting tax so working people have more disposable income to spend on their bills.
What would your better solution be CHB?
If the voter starts going on about how bad the Government is, the canvasser nods along and then says "we're the Council, not the Government, They don't listen to us. Just remember what a good job we're doing locally".
By the way, if the voter is critical of the Conservative council, the canvasser will say "it's the Government. We ask them for money but they don't listen. If only we had a little more money, the town would be so much better".
With Sunak they'll deserve to lose, and I for one would be voting for the Lib Dems. With his NIMBYism he's just as bad as them on the one thing I dislike about them the most, so why not?
Wandsworth Council has been Labour run for many months now and we're not all identifying as penguins and the council hasn't gone bankrupt.
I think we could probably have some pride in the White Ensign, if we're to choose one.
I can think of only two groups (three if you include Scottish nationalists but that's a given) of people who make a point of actively despising the flag as a symbol of the UK. First, the in denial Corbynites who think Starmer standing in front of it makes him a hard line nationalist. Second, the white middle class intellectuals and columnists who feel that looking down on anything British boosts their IQ by 50%.
If you want to be critical about empire, you can do it without hating everything this country now is. It's not the same place it was even in 1970, let alone during the prime years of empire.
@OpiniumResearch
, 3-6 Aug:
Truss 29% vs Starmer 28%
Sunak 24% vs Starmer 28%
(Rest "none of these" or "don't know")
https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/1556014335662723075?s=20&t=t7v6daQ9PEF3FBui1pOuTA
The Duke of Cumberland (of Culloden infamy) was called the butcher.
Though as DA has pointed out, hit more complicated than that.
Unless you want to start major net emigration we need more housing for the people already living here to get a home of their own. North, South, East and West.
If you want to have any immigration at all, which is a very good thing in my eyes to have I don't know about you, then we need even more housing just to stand still let alone sort out the backlog of missing homes.
Saying you should be neutral about your country is as logical as saying you should be neutral about your football club or job or family or anything else you identify with or relate to.
It’s nothing to do with Empire or necessarily loving the British but it’s a design icon. It’s a symbol of rebellion with some weird relationship with punk. It got boosted by “cool brittania”.
You see it on walls in houses on tv and magazines.
It’s a really punchy bit of design that people associate with various things about the UK or culture.
You don’t see the same with the French tricolour, when do you see a German flag apart from directly related to Germany or a German event? The Japanese flag is cool, the US flag is also peppered around the world but really no other flag comes close in its ubiquity.
2) Of all the options, reckon the red Ensign is probably the closest we have. Well known, associated with the RN (rightly or wrongly) when it was in business of Empire rather than being sunk by U-boats/liberating the Falklands.
Of the two candidates Truss's plan to cut the green levy to reduce energy bills (as well as her plan to reverse the NI hike) would be closer to what you want than Sunak's plan to give more aid to pensioners whose pensions are triple lock protected from inflation anyway, would it not?
https://twitter.com/BBCScotland/status/879996367271333888?s=20&t=Xk5-ou5LS75TvW9I2c_tdg
Of course, if you want to be neutral, that's no problem either, I just think people that do want to feel a bit of pride don't deserve to be sneered at.