It would have helped a lot if the bonus cap had gone. It is nonsensical self-harm to keep it.
It is to do with reducing office space as more wfh
I am sure it's to do with various things, but ending the bonus cap would have factored into many banks' decisions on where to locate. All the bonus cap means is that bankers have to be paid their bonuses in their salaries, which means they get paid more, it's just not tied to performance. Keeping it is pure virtue-signalling nonsense, and pleases nobody except rival finance centres in the EU.
.Khan says taxpayers' money 'wasted' in court case
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has just been speaking to the BBC.
He told us: "I welcome the judgement today. I've been told more than £1m of council taxpayers' money has been wasted on this case".
He adds: "I'm quite clear though, I made this decision to expand Ulez because it is really important we address the public health crisis."
Asked about increased costs to Londoners, Khan says nine out of 10 cars in London are already compliant with Ulez and the scrappage scheme would offer support.'
Good luck to the Tories if the best they can come up with is a "let climate change rip" stance, for short-term political advantage.
Stopping ULEZ in outer London is a separate matter from the government's overall net zero target.
Today Khan has won his legal battle that he has the power as Mayor to extend ULEZ London wide. However the Tories have won a political battle as Susan Hall and Tory London Assembly candidates and parliamentary candidates in London suburban and M25 belt seats can say only a Tory vote can reverse ULEZ
When are the right going to stop playing silly buggers with the environment?
Equally one could ask about why car taxation in London is so regressive - the rich pay nothing.
Why do the rich pay nothing?
Electric vehicles?
Do you mean that the rich travel only by electric vehicles?
I was suggesting one way the poster might be thinking the rich could avoid it. They have the money to buy them. Whether they do, I don't know. Hence the question mark.
Maybe it would be easier to let Malmesbury answer, rather than guessing what s/he might have meant?
That would subvert the whole point of PB and lead to the collapse of civilisation as we know it via the return of Liz Truss.
Turns out I was right as well, that was what he meant.
I must have missed his/her answer. But if s/he really thinks rich people all travel by electric cars, it was no great loss.
You missed his answer?
Despite replying to it?
Okaaaaaayyyyyyyy....
Edit - I suppose on a careful check I should say 'referencing' rather than 'replying' but the point stands.
"The Coutts scandal has something for everyone: politics, media, cover-up.
But its biggest gift is to the cultural right, which has asserted for a long time that elite institutions are deliberately trying to muzzle them. Now, they..."
Ok, PB Brains Trust, here is a completely random question.
I know some of you have had success in beating Sky down on renewal charges.
How did you do it? Ring up and ask or just say you were cancelling and they made an offer?
Speak to cancellations.
Cancel.
Make sure your contact preferences are up to date.
On the day it cancels you’ll get a Winback team call or email with a good deal.
Edit this should only be done for TV.
Ok - mine includes Broadband as well.
In that case tell them you are leaving for Virgin as they are offering you a BB and TV deal similar to what you are on for £60.
Is your advice I should switch to Virgin, or is that just a suggested negotiating ploy?
It can't be the former as I don't have Virgin coverage where I live.
Suggested negotiating ploy.
Say that Virgin knocked on your saying it is in your area saying it is available.
Ok, I will try, thanks.
Truthfully, I could get all the services I am paying £90 a month for from Sky for about £48 if I split them between other providers. So it may be I end up leaving anyway.
It would have helped a lot if the bonus cap had gone. It is nonsensical self-harm to keep it.
It is to do with reducing office space as more wfh
I am sure it's to do with various things, but ending the bonus cap would have factored into many banks' decisions on where to locate. All the bonus cap means is that bankers have to be paid their bonuses in their salaries, which means they get paid more, it's just not tied to performance. Keeping it is pure virtue-signalling nonsense, and pleases nobody except rival finance centres in the EU.
They are looking at the Old City. Smaller office now that WFH seems permanent.
A guesstimate is that the office space required for *existing jobs* is 2/3rds of what it was.
Mind you, the number of people squealing that they are losing a permanently allocated desk, when they come in the office once a week. Did they really think that a company will rent space for that, long term. Or that the number counters wouldn’t look at empty floors in buildings and ask why??
Easier to move to a smaller office where you have the whole building than contracting in place and lease some floors. Plus the prestige/snob value of having the whole building.
Seems like many people aren’t aware of the ding ding battle between the Old City and a Canary Wharf since the later was created. Prices and quality of buildings… it’s an example of an actual market in real estate functioning.
'Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Prediction - ULEZ is now going to get brought up as a campaign issue in the GE, repeatedly, despite the bewilderment of the rest of the nation who aren’t affected by it. Particularly if it helps save the Tories from a shellacking in the mayoral.
Danger of the rest of the country thinking "what are the Tories doing going all Wockney Cankers" given how much has been spent on e.g. Crossrail. While the rest of us if we want to go to London on HS2 in maybe 7 years will have to stop at Old Oak and get out and walk.
You think HS2 is going to be ready in 7 years?
I was being kind as I couldn't keep up mentally with the speed of the project, or rather its changes.
It's tricky isn't it? Just like the Tyrannosaurus rex being closer to us in time than the age of the stegosaurus that we normally see them eating you have to wonder are we nearer the beginning of HS2 or the end? Such vast tracts of time discombobulate the human mind.
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
A proper batsmen’s innings from Labuchagne there. Nine runs from 82 balls!
It's nice to have some real test cricket for a change, instead of playing as if it's a 20/20 match.
There's no rule to say how you have to play test cricket. England want a result; Australia don't. Each side is playing accordingly.
Both approaches are entirely "real".
And there’s nothing to stop us pointing out that Australia are a boring, cautious side compared to England, and that Test cricket - if it is to have any future (I doubt it does, after this series) - has to adopt a more English mentality. A result at almost any cost
Australia's approach made sense - until they lost five wickets. The problem with scoring slowly is that you don't make runs quickly.
Their gamble - which might still work - is to tire England's bowlers, so they'll struggle to take ten wickets in the second innings. It's precariously balanced at the moment.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Our legislators have nothing better to do than banning the sale of food item X in conjunction with food item Y while the purchase of X and Y remain entirely legal?
Ham and trifle in combination illegal? Lime juice cordial and basmati rice? Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Our legislators have nothing better to do than banning the sale of food item X in conjunction with food item Y while the purchase of X and Y remain entirely legal?
Ham and trifle in combination illegal? Lime juice cordial and basmati rice? Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Are they insane?
If they're not, they will certainly do until some genuinely insane MPs turn up.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Our legislators have nothing better to do than banning the sale of food item X in conjunction with food item Y while the purchase of X and Y remain entirely legal?
Ham and trifle in combination illegal? Lime juice cordial and basmati rice? Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Are they insane?
The [edit] pre-allocated quantities provided in the box. Temptation to cook and eat the lot, plus sometimes not being sure what to do with the leftovers anyway (which is somewhat implicit in the entire concept).
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Our legislators have nothing better to do than banning the sale of food item X in conjunction with food item Y while the purchase of X and Y remain entirely legal?
Ham and trifle in combination illegal? Lime juice cordial and basmati rice? Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Are they insane?
Clearly you don't work in education or you wouldn't need to ask that.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Our legislators have nothing better to do than banning the sale of food item X in conjunction with food item Y while the purchase of X and Y remain entirely legal?
Ham and trifle in combination illegal? Lime juice cordial and basmati rice? Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Are they insane?
My first thought is that *some* prepared meals are extremely low in whatever factor you are interested in - sugar, fat, salt. Because people look for and pay for that.
Bet you that the political problem is that the cheap prepared meals are where the problem is. So a nuanced ban would hit the £2.99 frozen meals, leaving the £15 a portion market untouched.
'Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Brilliant result for my Party in Sussex. yesterday.
Heathfield and Mayfield (East Sussex) council by-election result:
GRN: 61.5% (+43.0) CON: 38.5% (-20.7)
No Lab (-11.6) and LDem (-10.7) as prev.
Votes cast: 2,231
Green GAIN from Conservative.
Blimey. Thus is truest-blue country, and E. Sussex has actually been very well run by the Conservatives.
Full disclosure: I voted Conservative. As it happens, our MP Nus Ghani was acting as a teller when I voted. I know her very well from the days when I was a party member. She's a good MP, currently doing excellent work on helping Ukraine with planning for (and actually doing) reconstruction, in particular helping them with the process of negotiating contracts with Western companies.
After exchanging pleasantries, she asked me whether they could rely on my vote. "In the locals, yes, but I'm afraid not in national elections, sorry." We had an interesting exchange on what it would take to change my mind. I gave her a long list, starting with getting rid of Suella Braverman.
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Teller was also an agnostic of Jewish origins - and was decidedly not persecuted in the same way. The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists. (I have yet to watch it.)
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
It smacks of MPs away from home wolfing down an M&S dine in for two, and blaming the existence of such evil wizardry for their spare tyre.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Some of these meals are horrific piles of fat, sugar, salt and preservative chemicals. Some.
Mandating food standards has been a thing since medieval times.
What they need the guts (ha!) to do, is to mandate levels. Say you get a Green, Amber or Red band on the box. Big old massive stripe. So people are aware.
There’s a young male busker here who is so utterly tuneless and dreary I might actually report him for draft dodging
Mozart played in four flats.
His neighbours complained so much about the noise he had to move three times.
Long ago, in the Age of Paper Tickets, on the tannoy at Tottenham Court Tube - “London Underground would like to apologise for the quality of your busker this evening”.
Everyone stopped, including the busker. After an awkward moment, he started packing up.
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Yep I liked very much Baddiel's "Jews Don't Count" but this is not right. It's....pause....acting. Or should we take away Daniel Day Lewis' My Left Foot Oscar.
Even if it focused on his Jewishness and nothing else then so what. It's a portrayal.
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Teller was also an agnostic of Jewish origins - and was decidedly not persecuted in the same way. The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists. (I have yet to watch it.)
Oppenheimer got into trouble because in an age when sympathisers to Soviet Communism were stealing secrets by the ton*, he was a fellow traveller and his brother was a full bore communist. He (Oppenheimer) had real, actual NKVD agents attending cocktail parties at his house. Invited by his brother - but still. Then he told some weird lies to security people about being approached by the NKVD.
*litterally. The story of the Alaskan base where flights to the USSR in WWII happened is hilarious.
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Teller was also an agnostic of Jewish origins - and was decidedly not persecuted in the same way. The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists. (I have yet to watch it.)
Oppenheimer got into trouble because in an age when sympathisers to Soviet Communism were stealing secrets by the ton*, he was a fellow traveller and his brother was a full bore communist. He (Oppenheimer) had real, actual NKVD agents attending cocktail parties at his house. Invited by his brother - but still. Then he told some weird lies to security people about being approached by the NKVD.
*literally. The story of the Alaskan base where flights to the USSR in WWII happened is hilarious.
Rhodes' Dark Sun is very good on both those stories.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
However, there's soemthing odd going on with those meal deals anyway in terms of inflation, as @kinabalu (I think) was remarking the other day, quite coincidentally.
One other way of superkarkets dealing with inflation is to reduce product quality so I wonder if there is a bit of that going on here.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Some of these meals are horrific piles of fat, sugar, salt and preservative chemicals. Some.
Mandating food standards has been a thing since medieval times.
What they need the guts (ha!) to do, is to mandate levels. Say you get a Green, Amber or Red band on the box. Big old massive stripe. So people are aware.
Both salt and fat are essential to human health, though the case for refined sugar is a lot weaker. Personally I hate a ready-meal where they're removed all the salt - I reach for the salt immediately.
Not comparable. Personal account of a PEP, and political party account. Both hassles to have, is th eonly connection.
Even the DT is publishing articles feelign sorry for the poor banks and demanding they be left alone (or so it looks from the bit I can see), as I remarked a little earlier.
I believe am literally the only foreigner in this melancholy old gem of a Habsburg city
NYT did a featured feature on Chernivtsi a week or so ago.
When I was a grad student many years ago, a professor told us about a friend of his, a woman of German ancestry who was born and grew up in Bukovina. Until she and her family were evacuated/transported to Germany during (not after) WW2.
At that time was studying records from Imperial Austrian census reports. Even for the Dual Monarchy, the demographics of Bukovina - the easternmost and most backward province of the Austrian half of the Hapsburg Empire - was incredibly diverse.
For example, at one point, one of the delegation that Bukovina sent to the Reichsrath in Vienna, included a representative of . . . wait for it . . . the Armenian Poles.
A community descended from Armenian merchants who'd settled in Bukovina back when it was part of Ottoman Moldavia. And who'd assimilated to Polish language and culture, during period when the Poles ran the local roost.
The were able to elect one of their own to Viennese parliament at turn of 18th>19th-century, due to the property qualifications for voting AND representation, which gave the wealthier section of the populace - including the Armenian Poles - a very disproportionate share.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
However, there's soemthing odd going on with those meal deals anyway in terms of inflation, as @kinabalu (I think) was remarking the other day, quite coincidentally.
One other way of superkarkets dealing with inflation is to reduce product quality so I wonder if there is a bit of that going on here.
Superkarket is genius branding for the co-op funeral service
The cricket isn't as bad as I expected it to be based on the comments here. One could almost say finely balanced. We were 184 for 3 at one point in our first innings.
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Teller was also an agnostic of Jewish origins - and was decidedly not persecuted in the same way. The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists. (I have yet to watch it.)
Honestly, representation on stage and screen is a difficult issue full of grey areas. Do I think, as Michael Sheen suggested the other day, that Welsh parts should go to Welsh actors only? No.
Do I think that actors with actual disabilities should have as much chance to play characters with disabilities? Yes, I do. Equally, do I think movies and TV would put a little more thought in casting non-white people to non-white roles (Hollywood has a long track record of casting people as 'generic brown' to represent a whole gamut of ethnicities)? Yes, also.
It's hard to deal in absolutes here. I think it comes down to a couple of things: representation and authenticity, and is not (or should not be) about essentialism. Can a cisgender person authentically play a trans character? Yes, I think so - but is it fair that all that trans roles go to non-trans actors? No. Ditto Jewish characters. So he does have a point, but I don't agree entirely.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
However, there's soemthing odd going on with those meal deals anyway in terms of inflation, as @kinabalu (I think) was remarking the other day, quite coincidentally.
One other way of superkarkets dealing with inflation is to reduce product quality so I wonder if there is a bit of that going on here.
Superkarket is genius branding for the co-op funeral service
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Some of these meals are horrific piles of fat, sugar, salt and preservative chemicals. Some.
Mandating food standards has been a thing since medieval times.
What they need the guts (ha!) to do, is to mandate levels. Say you get a Green, Amber or Red band on the box. Big old massive stripe. So people are aware.
Both salt and fat are essential to human health, though the case for refined sugar is a lot weaker. Personally I hate a ready-meal where they're removed all the salt - I reach for the salt immediately.
I seem to recall reading a while back that when guidelines on salt content were introduced for ready meals the manufacturers reached into the sugar jar to compensate for the loss of flavour. Hence lots of fatties waddling around the streets these days.
A decent dollop of salt plus some MSG and citric acid, melded together with good honest unprocessed fats and you have a tasty meal. It's when the glucose syrup, modified corn starch and hydrogenated vegetable oil start to make an appearance that things go downhill.
Not comparable. Personal account of a PEP, and political party account. Both hassles to have, is th eonly connection.
Even the DT is publishing articles feelign sorry for the poor banks and demanding they be left alone (or so it looks from the bit I can see), as I remarked a little earlier.
I think it is comparable. Banks are a vital utility, not a trade and they should not be permitted to bar or remove customers except for very specific legal reasons.
Well, he's got a point about ethnic casting although whether Baddiel is best placed to make it in light of his Fantasy Football exploits is another question. But in this particular instance, Baddiel is in danger of arguing they should have made a quite different film focussing on Oppenheimer's Jewish background, in which case a Jewish actor might have been more important, perhaps an atheist too. The reason Oppenheimer was (arguably) persecuted was because of his politics and humanity, not his religion or ethnicity.
Teller was also an agnostic of Jewish origins - and was decidedly not persecuted in the same way. The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists. (I have yet to watch it.)
Honestly, representation on stage and screen is a difficult issue full of grey areas. Do I think, as Michael Sheen suggested the other day, that Welsh parts should go to Welsh actors only? No.
Do I think that actors with actual disabilities should have as much chance to play characters with disabilities? Yes, I do. Equally, do I think movies and TV would put a little more thought in casting non-white people to non-white roles (Hollywood has a long track record of casting people as 'generic brown' to represent a whole gamut of ethnicities)? Yes, also.
It's hard to deal in absolutes here. I think it comes down to a couple of things: representation and authenticity, and is not (or should not be) about essentialism. Can a cisgender person authentically play a trans character? Yes, I think so - but is it fair that all that trans roles go to non-trans actors? No. Ditto Jewish characters. So he does have a point, but I don't agree entirely.
I'm not as bothered by the casting as what Baddiel has to say about the storytelling.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
However, there's soemthing odd going on with those meal deals anyway in terms of inflation, as @kinabalu (I think) was remarking the other day, quite coincidentally.
One other way of superkarkets dealing with inflation is to reduce product quality so I wonder if there is a bit of that going on here.
Superkarket is genius branding for the co-op funeral service
Or the mass market version of Dignitas.
Checkout at the checkouts.
Superbarket - dog food wholesaler Superharket - Record store dedicated to classic Aha tracks Supernarket - illicit drug store Superparket - large car park Superquarket - German curd cheese outlet Supersnarket - Twitter Supersharket - Rare marine delicacy counter Supersparket - hardware store for electricians
A proper batsmen’s innings from Labuchagne there. Nine runs from 82 balls!
It's nice to have some real test cricket for a change, instead of playing as if it's a 20/20 match.
There's no rule to say how you have to play test cricket. England want a result; Australia don't. Each side is playing accordingly.
Both approaches are entirely "real".
And there’s nothing to stop us pointing out that Australia are a boring, cautious side compared to England, and that Test cricket - if it is to have any future (I doubt it does, after this series) - has to adopt a more English mentality. A result at almost any cost
There has to be a response to letting bad weather deprive this Ashes series of being a thrilling and decisive contest.
A proper batsmen’s innings from Labuchagne there. Nine runs from 82 balls!
It's nice to have some real test cricket for a change, instead of playing as if it's a 20/20 match.
There's no rule to say how you have to play test cricket. England want a result; Australia don't. Each side is playing accordingly.
Both approaches are entirely "real".
And there’s nothing to stop us pointing out that Australia are a boring, cautious side compared to England, and that Test cricket - if it is to have any future (I doubt it does, after this series) - has to adopt a more English mentality. A result at almost any cost
There has to be a response to letting bad weather deprive this Ashes series of being a thrilling and decisive contest.
Or it really will be the end of Test cricket.
Definitely. Start by telling England's batsmen not to bat like headless chickens when they're 180-2 and going like a train.
Once again, England are going to play the most entertaining cricket in this match, and Australia are probably going to win it. But that's okay because England have said they're not "results oriented".
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Obviously one can come up with perfectly reasonable explanations for someone to be stuffing cash into a bank account, but the idea that this is normal thing to do that doesn’t need explaining is clearly ridiculous on it’s face. What this woman really means is that /people like her/ shouldn’t have to answer these questions.
I just saw a group of very dark south Asians walk last. Possibly Tamil or South Indian. Really dark
They were speaking pure Ukrainian
I saw a massive Union Jack beach towel draped across one of the sunloungers here at the resort swimming pool, and naturally assumed it was a British family on hols.
A middle-aged Ukrainian lady sat down on it with her daughter, next to her Ukrainian friend.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Wait until Labour take office.
This sort of stuff is going to get much worse.
When LAB get in there will be a limit of no more than 10 posts a day per person on political blogs😈
With Red Bull having won 12 races on the bounce, does that mean that the RB19 is a better car than the utterly magnificent McLaren MP4/4 which only won 11 on the bounce?
A proper batsmen’s innings from Labuchagne there. Nine runs from 82 balls!
It's nice to have some real test cricket for a change, instead of playing as if it's a 20/20 match.
There's no rule to say how you have to play test cricket. England want a result; Australia don't. Each side is playing accordingly.
Both approaches are entirely "real".
And there’s nothing to stop us pointing out that Australia are a boring, cautious side compared to England, and that Test cricket - if it is to have any future (I doubt it does, after this series) - has to adopt a more English mentality. A result at almost any cost
There has to be a response to letting bad weather deprive this Ashes series of being a thrilling and decisive contest.
Or it really will be the end of Test cricket.
Get the players to bowl the overs they're supposed to bowl when it isn't raining. Waterproof the ball so it doesn't die when the outfield is damp.
Cook-at-home meal deals ‘should be banned to tackle obesity’ A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
That is truly bonkers. What they describe as "meal deals" are a starter, a main and a side. Perhaps they should ban people having multiple courses in a restaurant as well.
Wait until Labour take office.
This sort of stuff is going to get much worse.
When LAB get in there will be a limit of no more than 10 posts a day per person on political blogs😈
You jest, perhaps.
But some deep greens are suggesting limiting online activity and compute capability due to energy usage. Apparently, they think that what’s needed is Proper Usage Only Internet access.
A proper batsmen’s innings from Labuchagne there. Nine runs from 82 balls!
It's nice to have some real test cricket for a change, instead of playing as if it's a 20/20 match.
There's no rule to say how you have to play test cricket. England want a result; Australia don't. Each side is playing accordingly.
Both approaches are entirely "real".
And there’s nothing to stop us pointing out that Australia are a boring, cautious side compared to England, and that Test cricket - if it is to have any future (I doubt it does, after this series) - has to adopt a more English mentality. A result at almost any cost
There has to be a response to letting bad weather deprive this Ashes series of being a thrilling and decisive contest.
Or it really will be the end of Test cricket.
Absolutely
Without that stupid rain enforced draw, this would be one of the great Test matches of all time
I just saw a group of very dark south Asians walk last. Possibly Tamil or South Indian. Really dark
They were speaking pure Ukrainian
I saw a massive Union Jack beach towel draped across one of the sunloungers here at the resort swimming pool, and naturally assumed it was a British family on hols.
A middle-aged Ukrainian lady sat down on it with her daughter, next to her Ukrainian friend.
You get it everywhere. I had it this lunchtime as they served my bruschetta. The waiter leaned a bit closer as he heard my accent and he said “England?”
And I said yes and he beamed and said “England is great country!”
They really are grateful. Boris (and others) did good
With Red Bull having won 12 races on the bounce, does that mean that the RB19 is a better car than the utterly magnificent McLaren MP4/4 which only won 11 on the bounce?
I just saw a group of very dark south Asians walk last. Possibly Tamil or South Indian. Really dark
They were speaking pure Ukrainian
I saw a massive Union Jack beach towel draped across one of the sunloungers here at the resort swimming pool, and naturally assumed it was a British family on hols.
A middle-aged Ukrainian lady sat down on it with her daughter, next to her Ukrainian friend.
The union jack is a proper global fashion icon - you see it in all sorts of random places like on French handbags or cushions in Italian sitting rooms, things that have no actual meaningful connection with Britain. I like that about it and it's why it's so much better than the cross of St George which just evokes England losing heroically in football tournaments.
Other flags with the same iconic impact only loosely connected with the actual country? The stars and stripes obviously, but then what? Jamaica arguably. Cuba at a push. But everything else is getting much more nationally-focused e.g. if you see an Italian flag it's going to be on a sports car or ice cream vendor.
Comments
Despite replying to it?
Okaaaaaayyyyyyyy....
Edit - I suppose on a careful check I should say 'referencing' rather than 'replying' but the point stands.
Seems rather a leftie [sic] argument for the DT
"The Coutts scandal has something for everyone: politics, media, cover-up.
But its biggest gift is to the cultural right, which has asserted for a long time that elite institutions are deliberately trying to muzzle them. Now, they..."
But I can't read it ...
Say that Virgin knocked on your saying it is in your area saying it is available.
Truthfully, I could get all the services I am paying £90 a month for from Sky for about £48 if I split them between other providers. So it may be I end up leaving anyway.
A guesstimate is that the office space required for *existing jobs* is 2/3rds of what it was.
Mind you, the number of people squealing that they are losing a permanently allocated desk, when they come in the office once a week. Did they really think that a company will rent space for that, long term. Or that the number counters wouldn’t look at empty floors in buildings and ask why??
Easier to move to a smaller office where you have the whole building than contracting in place and lease some floors. Plus the prestige/snob value of having the whole building.
Seems like many people aren’t aware of the ding ding battle between the Old City and a Canary Wharf since the later was created. Prices and quality of buildings… it’s an example of an actual market in real estate functioning.
A cross-party committee of MPs has recommended the move as part of a broader crackdown on junk food promotions'
'Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said in June: “I firmly believe in people’s right to choose – and at a time when household budgets are under continuing pressure from the global rise in food prices, it is not fair for government to restrict the options available to consumers on their weekly shop.”
However, the committee, which described the delay as “regrettable”, called on the Government to instead expand the regulation'
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/07/28/ban-cook-at-home-meals-tackle-obesity-food-committee-efra/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1690531688-1
The problem with scoring slowly is that you don't make runs quickly.
Their gamble - which might still work - is to tire England's bowlers, so they'll struggle to take ten wickets in the second innings.
It's precariously balanced at the moment.
Today marks that day where it has officially taken Nadine Dorries longer to resign than Liz Truss was Prime Minister
https://twitter.com/NedHartley/status/1684862990573547520
Ham and trifle in combination illegal?
Lime juice cordial and basmati rice?
Potatoes and mint flavoured ice cream?
Are they insane?
Bet you that the political problem is that the cheap prepared meals are where the problem is. So a nuanced ban would hit the £2.99 frozen meals, leaving the £15 a portion market untouched.
But yes, Smith is still the key and he's looking far too good.
His neighbours complained so much about the noise he had to move three times.
And he's only a few months older than I am.
Full disclosure: I voted Conservative. As it happens, our MP Nus Ghani was acting as a teller when I voted. I know her very well from the days when I was a party member. She's a good MP, currently doing excellent work on helping Ukraine with planning for (and actually doing) reconstruction, in particular helping them with the process of negotiating contracts with Western companies.
After exchanging pleasantries, she asked me whether they could rely on my vote. "In the locals, yes, but I'm afraid not in national elections, sorry." We had an interesting exchange on what it would take to change my mind. I gave her a long list, starting with getting rid of Suella Braverman.
The greatest intellect of them all - von Neumann - ditto.
But I do think Baddiel has a point, not just about the casting but possibly the movie too, if it ignores the cultural background of the protagonists.
(I have yet to watch it.)
Mandating food standards has been a thing since medieval times.
What they need the guts (ha!) to do, is to mandate levels. Say you get a Green, Amber or Red band on the box. Big old massive stripe. So people are aware.
Everyone stopped, including the busker. After an awkward moment, he started packing up.
Even if it focused on his Jewishness and nothing else then so what. It's a portrayal.
Yorkshire have been docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship and fined £400,000 - of which £300,000 is suspended for two years - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
They have also been deducted four points in the 2023 T20 Blast.
Yorkshire said they accepted the sanctions imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission.
The club had previously admitted four amended charges.
Former Yorkshire player Rafiq said English cricket was "institutionally racist", and racist language was used "constantly" at the
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66339035
Canny bowling for a batsman.
Gloucestershire will not now finish bottom.
To both teams.
*litterally. The story of the Alaskan base where flights to the USSR in WWII happened is hilarious.
But they haven't made it count when they have got on the field.
But it looks like nothing will shift Sandpaper Enabler.
https://twitter.com/nigel_farage/status/1684916350207066112
One other way of superkarkets dealing with inflation is to reduce product quality so I wonder if there is a bit of that going on here.
Even the DT is publishing articles feelign sorry for the poor banks and demanding they be left alone (or so it looks from the bit I can see), as I remarked a little earlier.
When I was a grad student many years ago, a professor told us about a friend of his, a woman of German ancestry who was born and grew up in Bukovina. Until she and her family were evacuated/transported to Germany during (not after) WW2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukovina_Germans
At that time was studying records from Imperial Austrian census reports. Even for the Dual Monarchy, the demographics of Bukovina - the easternmost and most backward province of the Austrian half of the Hapsburg Empire - was incredibly diverse.
For example, at one point, one of the delegation that Bukovina sent to the Reichsrath in Vienna, included a representative of . . . wait for it . . . the Armenian Poles.
A community descended from Armenian merchants who'd settled in Bukovina back when it was part of Ottoman Moldavia. And who'd assimilated to Polish language and culture, during period when the Poles ran the local roost.
The were able to elect one of their own to Viennese parliament at turn of 18th>19th-century, due to the property qualifications for voting AND representation, which gave the wealthier section of the populace - including the Armenian Poles - a very disproportionate share.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukovina
Do I think that actors with actual disabilities should have as much chance to play characters with disabilities? Yes, I do. Equally, do I think movies and TV would put a little more thought in casting non-white people to non-white roles (Hollywood has a long track record of casting people as 'generic brown' to represent a whole gamut of ethnicities)? Yes, also.
It's hard to deal in absolutes here. I think it comes down to a couple of things: representation and authenticity, and is not (or should not be) about essentialism. Can a cisgender person authentically play a trans character? Yes, I think so - but is it fair that all that trans roles go to non-trans actors? No. Ditto Jewish characters. So he does have a point, but I don't agree entirely.
Checkout at the checkouts.
A decent dollop of salt plus some MSG and citric acid, melded together with good honest unprocessed fats and you have a tasty meal. It's when the glucose syrup, modified corn starch and hydrogenated vegetable oil start to make an appearance that things go downhill.
Beijing was helped by a cabal of conspiring scientists
Ian Birrell"
https://unherd.com/2023/07/the-secret-messages-behind-the-lab-leak-cover-up/
Should Alyssa Healy be worried?
I just saw a group of very dark south Asians walk last. Possibly Tamil or South Indian. Really dark
They were speaking pure Ukrainian
Superharket - Record store dedicated to classic Aha tracks
Supernarket - illicit drug store
Superparket - large car park
Superquarket - German curd cheese outlet
Supersnarket - Twitter
Supersharket - Rare marine delicacy counter
Supersparket - hardware store for electricians
England still up against it.
She said something daft in the heat of the moment. Her career is in ruins. She’s never going to the House of Lords
And yet people point and laugh. And point and laugh. And again.
Leave her alone at this point
Or it really will be the end of Test cricket.
How the AfD won over Germany
The political mainstream is blind to their allure
BY LILY LYNCH"
https://unherd.com/2023/07/how-the-afd-won-over-germany/
https://sports.ndtv.com/ashes-2023/if-theyre-not-results-driven-ricky-pontings-jibe-at-england-test-team-post-loss-in-ashes-opener-4146598
FIA please take note, for when Red Bull are found to have overspent again.
This sort of stuff is going to get much worse.
Obviously one can come up with perfectly reasonable explanations for someone to be stuffing cash into a bank account, but the idea that this is normal thing to do that doesn’t need explaining is clearly ridiculous on it’s face. What this woman really means is that /people like her/ shouldn’t have to answer these questions.
A middle-aged Ukrainian lady sat down on it with her daughter, next to her Ukrainian friend.
But some deep greens are suggesting limiting online activity and compute capability due to energy usage. Apparently, they think that what’s needed is Proper Usage Only Internet access.
Guess who defines “Proper”?
Without that stupid rain enforced draw, this would be one of the great Test matches of all time
It must never happen again. Simple as that
And I said yes and he beamed and said “England is great country!”
They really are grateful. Boris (and others) did good
Other flags with the same iconic impact only loosely connected with the actual country? The stars and stripes obviously, but then what? Jamaica arguably. Cuba at a push. But everything else is getting much more nationally-focused e.g. if you see an Italian flag it's going to be on a sports car or ice cream vendor.
Our national self-image as a safe, caring country is starting to unravel.
Jacob Sundberg"
https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/07/27/sweden-is-in-denial-about-its-gun-crime-problem/