About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
I note this reappointment comes barely a month after his "Change from previous consensus" speech at conference. Now objectively I don't think that was a terrible idea for a speech, but he obviously didn't mean a word of it as the appointment of DC - again in isolation not a terrible move clearly shows A PM with no conviction
I think it is very clear now that Sunak isn’t very good, has been pulled in lots of different ways by lots of different people, and doesn’t really have a grasp for political strategy.
He has I think finally realised that going down the pound shop Enoch route is just going to keep generating negative headlines and will force him into a GE campaign strategy he doesn’t really want to fight.
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
Ironic if you didn't approve of wales' testicles in sheep fat.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
My last visit to Iceland was great for food because it was with work and I was taken out to restaurants by colleagues every night, meaning I didn’t need to cower in fear at the prices (especially the drinks prices).
It was also fun as I was on a tour to talk Brexit and got interviewed for 10 whole minutes on the main news bulletin by the Icelandic equivalent of Andrew Marr including being asked questions I had no idea of the answer to, like what was the likelihood of a better fishing deal post Brexit, or what did I think the chances were of a big electric interconnector being built.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
What about £ for £ comparison? I'm guessing Iceland most expensive, then Wales then France?
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
I misread that as "A large proportion of Iceland’s GOP now derives from tourism." and was picturing confused SE.Asian tourists pointing at people wearing 'MIGA' hats.
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
Has any Cabinet reshuffle ever led to a polling bounce?
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
I can’t think of any reshuffle that led to a polling bounce. The question is whether a better (or worse) Cabinet team leads to a slow polling incline (or decline).
The one thing that can save Sunak is not this stupid reshuffle - it’s Labour imploding over Gaza
The prize is so close people who matter will hold their tongue, do the respectful call for temporary ceasefire to allow aid etc. Starmer can afford to lose councillors, in fact ot looks good that any members who hold more extreme views reveal themselves.
What we could do to prepare for a climate-changing eruption depends very much on how much warning we would have.
If we had a hundred years to prepare and the world worked together -- I know, I know, but grant me the hypothetical, for a moment -- it could have very little effect. So we ought to keep looking for ways to predict such eruptions for longer and longer times.
But we don't have that capability -- and it may not even be something we can do, even in the next century. So for now we should look at what we would wish we had done last year, if a serious eruption happens this year.
We should, as TimS said, stockpile food. (Good politicians should be able increase support for such stockpiles by making them partly about protecting farmers.)
Second, we should find out what kinds of protective equipment might be needed for people, and begin stockpiling that, too.
What is the average height - 5"9? Yet 5"7 is notably short and no-one says that 5"11 is tall. Hmmm
I think that average height must include a lot of little old men. 5" 7' for a man in his 40s is quite short. Though actually not as short as he tends to look in photos. Does he have a small head? Quite often, short people have normal sized heads. But a short person with a small head just looks like a normal sized person who is far away, which creates a weird dissonance when you see that person with normal sized people and/or objects.
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
Has any Cabinet reshuffle ever led to a polling bounce?
Its basically an admission of failure. Companies don't go sacking all their top team if its all going gangbusters or moving the finance director to HR director to freshen things up a bit....
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
I can’t think of any reshuffle that led to a polling bounce. The question is whether a better (or worse) Cabinet team leads to a slow polling incline (or decline).
Yes, he wants the Mandelson effect. He unquestionably stabilised Labour before 2010, and he and Campbell might have got a leader who wasn’t Brown over the line.
Following the death of Lord Brougham and Vaux on 27 August 2023 there is another hereditary peer by-election, this time elected by the whole House with the successor expected to sit as a Conservative.
Candidature statements
Annaly, L. (Conservative) Short Service Commission Royal Hussars 4 years RARO 8 years Previously member of House from 1991 Government Whip 1994 Conservative District Councillor 2007-2010 Steward for BHSA 2006-2020 Logistics Driver 2007-2023 – Delivering & demonstrating vehicles nationwide on remuneration close to minimum wage
Ashbourne, L. (Conservative) Experienced and highly regarded mining financial professional from a Naval family with considerable media experience (used to host LBC's 'Dawn Traders'). Resident in the division bell area and a party member for over three decades, I have extensive knowledge and experience in the fields of mining, finance, science, history, Ireland and Africa (inter alia). I am seeking election to be a part of the solution that finally arrests 80 years of relative British decline.
Baillieu, L. (Conservative) I am a Conservative Party member, who wishes to become a working member of the House. For 45 years I worked in banking and financial consulting in Australia (17 years), in Hong Kong (5 years), covering China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and in Russia and Ukraine (23 years). I have wide experience of cross border negotiations in parts of the world which are now politically significant. Interests: The Commonwealth, and International Trade.
Bristol, M. (Conservative) I run a successful property technology company which I founded 8 years ago. Previously lived and worked in the Baltic States for 8 years. Also worked within the UK residential and commercial property sector. Involved with 6 wide-ranging charities in Suffolk, one of which I founded. Other interests include heritage, countryside, and international relations. Aged 44, I live in London, and am willing and able to commit fully and energetically to the House if elected.
Camoys, L. (Conservative) My 26 years' experience in investment and foreign affairs, including running my own business advising on Western engagement in China (based in Beijing from 2010-15) follows my time in the Foreign Office (Afghanistan, Iran, India and Counter Terrorism). A founder of the UK's premier film studio planned for Marlow and chairman of a Nepalese nature conservation charity, I would look to contribute on foreign affairs, finance, nature conservation and the creative economy.
Eglinton and Winton, E. (Conservative) ln the last year I have been a regular attendee at ACP meetings; renewed my Party membership, attended the Scottish Party Conference in Glasgow in April. A former Royal Navy Officer I believe in national defence, strong immigration policy, healthy and sustainable economic growth with fit for-purpose-services. I am also a keen supporter of the Union. I look forward to being an active & full-time member of the House and the Party.
Elected by Alternative Vote, because what’s good enough for the masses is not good enough for the elite.
The Rest is Politics had over 100,000 viewers. Political Currency... dunno but they also had one.
Poor Rory will be pissing himself that he didnt get the call
Rory's theory is that Rishi wanted William Hague, who turned it down and then helped recruit Cameron. Rory was not very complimentary about Cameron's grasp of foreign policy.
Hague has already been Foreign Secretary anyway, when Cameron was PM
Rory is so far out of the loop he's left the gravitational orbit of the solar system.
No aspiring Tory is nowadays allowed to make a landing on planet sensible.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Just read Andrea Jenkyns' letter. It's incredibly badly written. She doesn't even appear to know where to put full stops. It's like a rambling whatsapp penned while drunk.
I still find it a remarkable quirk of history that this third-rate quarterwit replaced Ed Balls, one of the sharpest intellects in the Commons. Politics is a funny old game.
Balls is a classic example of someone who is better employed understanding, and commenting upon, politics, than actually doing it. Like Portillo, we all love him a lot more now that he’s no longer out on the front line.
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Yeah. Are millions of voters leaping about with delight now that the loser Cameron has been made a Lord, so he can swank about the world? No
It is easily as likely to annoy as many people as it pleases. Or worse. Or nothing at all, because no one will notice or care
The Israeli Army took control of the Rantisi children’s hospital in Gaza & found a secret tunnel leading 20 m below ground to a Hamas command & control center.
Weapons, baby bottles & motorcycles in the tunnel indicate hostages were held there
What is the average height - 5"9? Yet 5"7 is notably short and no-one says that 5"11 is tall. Hmmm
I think that average height must include a lot of little old men. 5" 7' for a man in his 40s is quite short. Though actually not as short as he tends to look in photos. Does he have a small head? Quite often, short people have normal sized heads. But a short person with a small head just looks like a normal sized person who is far away, which creates a weird dissonance when you see that person with normal sized people and/or objects.
He's also very slender, so it eccentuates his smallness.
I'm the same height, but quite a bit pudgier, so would not look so tiny.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
What about £ for £ comparison? I'm guessing Iceland most expensive, then Wales then France?
I was actually on the English side of the border and the trip was food oriented so it’s a touch unfair
Nonetheless the food was better than Iceland and way better than France - which was utter crap. Obviously frozen food thawed out in “authentic” bistros. My Cornish arse
Just read Andrea Jenkyns' letter. It's incredibly badly written. She doesn't even appear to know where to put full stops. It's like a rambling whatsapp penned while drunk.
I still find it a remarkable quirk of history that this third-rate quarterwit replaced Ed Balls, one of the sharpest intellects in the Commons. Politics is a funny old game.
Balls is a classic example of someone who is better employed understanding, and commenting upon, politics, than actually doing it. Like Portillo, we all love him a lot more now that he’s no longer out on the front line.
I think it is doublely frustrating when you know they aren't a numpty yet been forced when an MP to defend some right old BS....where as when they are outside, they aren't forced to do that and can give a more honest opinion.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a 'real' Conservative party leader."
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
Has any Cabinet reshuffle ever led to a polling bounce?
Only when it involves a PM - certainly in it mattering for more than a week or so (and if it involves a PM, it's more a new government than a reshuffle).
Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a 'real' Conservative party leader."
Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a 'real' Conservative party leader."
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
Just read Andrea Jenkyns' letter. It's incredibly badly written. She doesn't even appear to know where to put full stops. It's like a rambling whatsapp penned while drunk.
I still find it a remarkable quirk of history that this third-rate quarterwit replaced Ed Balls, one of the sharpest intellects in the Commons. Politics is a funny old game.
Balls is a classic example of someone who is better employed understanding, and commenting upon, politics, than actually doing it. Like Portillo, we all love him a lot more now that he’s no longer out on the front line.
I think it is doublely frustrating when you know they aren't a numpty yet been forced when an MP to defend some right old BS....where as when they are outside, they aren't forced to do that and can give a more honest opinion.
I remember being delighted Balls had lost his seat, right up until he gave his concession speech and revealed himself as a human (albeit an odd one). Where had he been hiding that? And why? On the same night, IIRC Sadiq Khan gave one of the mist unpleasant, ungracious victory speeches i have ever heard.
Does this reshuffle make any difference to HMG's response to the forthcoming Supreme Court Rwanda verdict? Is "Quit the ECHR" dead in the water?
That's exactly what I was thinking - that it makes less likely that quitting the ECHR will be in the Tory manifesto.
That’s the silver lining to any improvement in Tory fortunes. It makes some of the wilder end points of the drift towards MAGA much less likely. Leaving ECHR, putting death penalty on the table, going full on rogue on rule of law, all seemingly much less likely.
Those might come back again of course after an election defeat and under new management.
The Israeli Army took control of the Rantisi children’s hospital in Gaza & found a secret tunnel leading 20 m below ground to a Hamas command & control center.
Weapons, baby bottles & motorcycles in the tunnel indicate hostages were held there
Visegrad24 is a bit of a FoxEurope (see their reporting of the beloved Suella’s defenestration) so best to wait until verified elsewhere, but it doesn’t surprise me.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
I don't think it's that. It's more that a Russian war atrocity is not unusual, or surprising, and there isn't much disagreement about whether it is justified. But for civilian casualties of an Israeli attack in Gaza I think that, because the board is more evenly split, people are more inclined to discuss it in the hope of changing people's minds, or at least to score points in an ongoing argument.
Does this reshuffle make any difference to HMG's response to the forthcoming Supreme Court Rwanda verdict? Is "Quit the ECHR" dead in the water?
That's exactly what I was thinking - that it makes less likely that quitting the ECHR will be in the Tory manifesto.
That’s the silver lining to any improvement in Tory fortunes. It makes some of the wilder end points of the drift towards MAGA much less likely. Leaving ECHR, putting death penalty on the table, going full on rogue on rule of law, all seemingly much less likely.
Those might come back again of course after an election defeat and under new management.
Meanwhile the left eagerly imports millions of people who believe in all these ultra reactionary things. With extra homophobia and misogyny and patriarchy and anti Semitism. I just don’t get it
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
N I can’t think of any reshuffle that led to a polling bounce. The question is whether a better (or worse) Cabinet team leads to a slow polling incline (or decline).
Yes, he wants the Mandelson effect. He unquestionably stabilised Labour before 2010, and he and Campbell might have got a leader who wasn’t Brown over the line.
Noone could have got a leader like McDoom over the line He looked unwell at the senotaph.. could barely walk....
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
I'm tempted to think that today's announcements may be rather like many Budgets. Most measures are met with general acclaim on the day itself, but within a few days the whole thing begins to unravel, and acrimony sets in as it begins to dawn on people what it all means. The praise Sunak has received today may not last long.
I agree. I think it’s all going to unravel
David Duke of Brexit has a dodgy past. It will haunt him. Meanwhile the right wing will want revenge for Sweller B
My brother, true swing voter, voted for Johnson's Tories in 2019, reacted with: WTAF? That c*** Cameron back?!
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
Tallies with my conversations today too.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
I can’t think of any reshuffle that led to a polling bounce. The question is whether a better (or worse) Cabinet team leads to a slow polling incline (or decline).
Yes, he wants the Mandelson effect. He unquestionably stabilised Labour before 2010, and he and Campbell might have got a leader who wasn’t Brown over the line.
Hmmm... This has got me thinking.
Could the next election be 2010 in reverse? A year out from the 2010 GE the government were polling mid-20s, the opposition were polling low-mid 40s with a consistent 15-20% lead.
Sound familiar? I am racking my memory as to what caused the opposition to lose 5-10% and the government to gain 3-5% by the time of the GE. Net result the Tories won by 7% rather than 20%, and that of course was not enough for a majority.
One 2010 factor which appears unlikely to repeat was the rise of the LDs over that last year.
I don't think this will be a reverse repeat of 2010 but... oh, er.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
My last visit to Iceland was great for food because it was with work and I was taken out to restaurants by colleagues every night, meaning I didn’t need to cower in fear at the prices (especially the drinks prices).
It was also fun as I was on a tour to talk Brexit and got interviewed for 10 whole minutes on the main news bulletin by the Icelandic equivalent of Andrew Marr including being asked questions I had no idea of the answer to, like what was the likelihood of a better fishing deal post Brexit, or what did I think the chances were of a big electric interconnector being built.
PB is the perfect training ground for having a strong opinion on a question you have no idea of the answer to…
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
I think it’s largely because, as we discussed at the weekend, there is no big divide either between groups within UK public or between the public and the government on the Russia-Ukraine issue. Aside for a few cranks (some of whom were doubtless at the march on Saturday) everyone is in agreement Russia is a war crime committing nihilistic mafia of a rogue state. So no need for marches to make that point.
And yes I think there is war fatigue. There will be over Gaza soon too, indeed I think he’s already starting a bit.
About this time last year I stood in the lava field of Laki. The biggest in the world I believe
I saw the place where the lava met the ocean
About a quarter of Iceland’s population died. If we get another Laki we are fucked
I was hoping you were on a flight out there to give us a "from our own correspondent" feed ;-)
Sadly not. Tho I am going somewhere interesting
Iceland is so fabulous and they now have a brilliant volcano museum next to Laki. You are left in no doubt of the devastation wrought - and also that this will certainly happen again, some time soon
Hopefully not now
Indeed, we have been for a couple of weeks a while back - fascinating place. Amazing scenery and geology. Very good looking people. Terrible food though.
When were you there? I first went in the 1980s and yes the food was hideous. Now it is much much better. Lots of fantastic fish, delicious lamb. Its really improved
Alcohol is still insanely pricey however
It was the late 90s tbf. We had some truly memorable (but not in a good way) food. Couldn't manage the fermented shark (wow that stinks) but I remember some lamb and yogurt salad that tasted like vomit, some cured lamb that was a big mistake, a diner en route to Akureyri that only offered chicken legs and those chicken legs had clearly been in their warming cabinet for several days.
The only things we enjoyed were skyr and smoked salmon really. But yes we must go back, I am sure the food will have improved.
A large proportion of Iceland’s GDP now derives from tourism. They realised they had to do something about the food, not everyone likes whale testicles in sheep fat
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
My last visit to Iceland was great for food because it was with work and I was taken out to restaurants by colleagues every night, meaning I didn’t need to cower in fear at the prices (especially the drinks prices).
It was also fun as I was on a tour to talk Brexit and got interviewed for 10 whole minutes on the main news bulletin by the Icelandic equivalent of Andrew Marr including being asked questions I had no idea of the answer to, like what was the likelihood of a better fishing deal post Brexit, or what did I think the chances were of a big electric interconnector being built.
PB is the perfect training ground for having a strong opinion on a question you have no idea of the answer to…
Yet the answer to both questions is quite obviously, ‘nil’.
Does this reshuffle make any difference to HMG's response to the forthcoming Supreme Court Rwanda verdict? Is "Quit the ECHR" dead in the water?
I think it does. Perhaps it has occurred to them that Rwanda policy is a no win. The SC can do three things:
Government wins; government wins but with qualifications which means everything gets individually contested; government loses pretty much altogether.
1) If they win we all soon discover it is expensive and doesn't work (the numbers and capacity just isn't there)
2) If they win with qualifications its cumbersome and useless, and only any use for Daily Mail types who want to attack judges for telling the government to observe its own laws. This is going out of fashion.
3) If they lose, they can forget it all and move on. Best result.
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
Mate. Its a dog
And yet appears, even on the evidence of two photographs, to have more self-awareness and emotional intelligence than you do.
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Reform leader Richard Tice on GB news says Sunak today has showed he doesn't care about the redwall or cutting immigration and some Tory members are coming over to his party
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Please god no, not your pet subject again!
I'm extending my compassionate sympathy! Cut me some slack!
When do we get Suella and Rishi's letters to each other?
There won’t be any, apparently. An actual sacking with no agreed “resignation” fiction.
All Ministers technically resign as it's His Majesty's Government, and in reality he can never sack anyone, so a constitutional fiction has to be maintained.
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
Reform leader Richard Tice on GB news says Sunak today has showed he doesn't care about the redwall or cutting immigration and some Tory members are coming over to his party
What was it Mandy Rice-Davis said?
"My life has been one long descent into respectability" apparently
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
Mate. Its a dog
And yet appears, even on the evidence of two photographs, to have more self-awareness and emotional intelligence than you do.
I've got a wasp in my garden, shall I go and pretend it's my friend, take a photo of it, maybe show it hovering by the fridge, then another photo of me putting it in a matchbox with its little wasp face all smiley? Would that justify a surge of glowing pride?
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Who said the dog was my only friend?
Well, you, obviously. But based on what?
Since you ask, “seriously”, the love of my life died of cancer, eventually, as I sat in the hospice, after three long and very painful years, holding her hand. Make something of that, if you wish.
The dog is happy if I go to the park and throw him a ball. That’s enough for me, now.
You are the most miserable poster on here, and the tragedy is that I suspect you have no idea how badly you come across to anyone who can see beyond your bigotry and prejudice, and childish desperation to shock and amuse.
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Who said the dog was my only friend?
Well, you, obviously. But based on what?
The love of my life died of cancer, eventually, as I sat in the hospice, after three long and very painful years, holding her hand. Make something of that, if you wish.
The dog is happy if I go to the park and throw him a ball. That’s enough for me, now.
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
No he won't and no it isn't. The end of the Tories as we know them is to carry on down the Braverman route. Today could, after a few years in opposition, be the start of the pattern for how the Tories manage to clamber back to sanity.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
You sadly have me on that one. I remember being taken aback by this at the time. The question was rather leading though. “Do you agree that” is not supposed to be used in polls. There were other polls differently worded at the same time that gave different results - YouGov asked if Suella’s words were appropriate and 43% agreed.
She’s lost touch recently though. A large majority disagreed with her on tents, large majorities disapproved of her attack on the police last week and a 60% today agreed Rishi was right to sack her.
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Who said the dog was my only friend?
Well, you, obviously. But based on what?
The love of my life died of cancer, eventually, as I sat in the hospice, after three long and very painful years, holding her hand. Make something of that, if you wish.
The dog is happy if I go to the park and throw him a ball. That’s enough for me, now.
Well now I feel guilty. Thanks
Awks. But don't feel so bad, we none of us know very much of the background of the posters we joust with. I am sure I've put my foot in it plenty of times.
Sympathies @IanB2, sounds like you've been through the stuff of my worst nightmares. A dog is a good companion.
Just a had brace of pheasant breasts (with a Fruilian pinot and mustard sauce).
Can heartily recommend to SB fans everywhere! No tofu in sight....
One of the great consolations of these darker days.
Got some pheasants and some partridges in over the weekend. Made me very happy.
Concur. We had pheasant breast panfried with shallots and mushrooms, with mange tout and mash, the other day.
Ooh. Sounds good. Recipe?
Really just that: breasts fried in a littlke olive oil with sliced shallots and mushrooms. Separately steamed mangetout and, again separately, normal mashed potatoes. (The cabbage we had was dud.)
I've got a wasp in my garden, shall I go and pretend it's my friend, take a photo of it, maybe show it hovering by the fridge, then another photo of me putting it in a matchbox with its little wasp face all smiley? Would that justify a surge of glowing pride?
Back in the day I learned with some uni chums you can put a wasp in a freezer and then put it on a lead before it revives. It doesn't end well for the wasp but it lasts longer than you'd think.
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
TBH I think it is mixed. On some issues she has strong support (cutting immigration, need for assimilation) on other issues she has much smaller support - eg "lifestyle choice" - I imagine most Brits recoiled from the language there, even if they agreed with the sentiment. I did, and I'm quite flinty
The more pertinent point is that she represents a large slice of British public opinion, and she is - was - the only salient minister giving voice to those opinions. You may not like them, but it is deeply unhealthy if they are not represented in parliament by senior politicians. This is why the whole issue menaces the Tories. If they aren't capable of speaking these truths in power, what is the bloody point of their existence? Do we need another Wokey centrist party with the exact same policies as Labour but slightly posher surnames?
Have been considering Rishi's reshuffle and concluded that he played a mini-blinder. I doubt there will be any significant polling bounce, but if he can make the Tories look vaguely sensible for a year - i.e. that Boris, Truss and Braverman never happened - then he might just be able to claw back some of the people who really don't like Labour but would be appalled at voting for vandals, cranks and bovver boys. The Red Wall has gone whatever Rishi did, so he may as well ingratiate himself with the Middle England of village fetes, seaside boarding houses and trips to the theatre. Boring but safe.
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
Mate. Its a dog
And yet appears, even on the evidence of two photographs, to have more self-awareness and emotional intelligence than you do.
I've got a wasp in my garden, shall I go and pretend it's my friend, take a photo of it, maybe show it hovering by the fridge, then another photo of me putting it in a matchbox with its little wasp face all smiley? Would that justify a surge of glowing pride?
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
You think the left are pro-Russia? I think the far right are more so.
No here. Not knowingly (they can be manipulated on some issues). There’s folk memory of Russia as the baddies.
Doesn't seem to be the case in the GOP.
It’s a strange metamorphosis the GOP have gone through. That’s the power of the single charismatic individual isn’t it? If it weren’t for Trump I doubt the US right would be so far down the Putinist rabbit hole.
Over here support for Russia does seem to be more of a fringe, crank far left and far right preoccupation. But very fringe. It’s not remotely mainstream.
"The number of people injured in the Russian shelling of Kherson has risen to 10, with two people killed, according to the regional military administration.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
There's silence from everyone on here (left and right) until you posted that.
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
Because we just saw a massive march over what's happening in Gaza, with lots of talk about hospitals being attacked, yet Russia has, for many years, attacked hospitals in various countries.
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
Anyhow, my dog has had to spend his birthday evening locked in the spare room while I go to a town council meeting. So by way of consolation, here’s his sixth birthday photo again:
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
If it's any consolation, imagine being responsible for a parrot, given how long they live. I myself was beginning to worry about my *tortoise* which seemed to be going on forever, till it went to the great haybox in the sky.
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
TBH I think it is mixed. On some issues she has strong support (cutting immigration, need for assimilation) on other issues she has much smaller support - eg "lifestyle choice" - I imagine most Brits recoiled from the language there, even if they agreed with the sentiment. I did, and I'm quite flinty
The more pertinent point is that she represents a large slice of British public opinion, and she is - was - the only salient minister giving voice to those opinions. You may not like them, but it is deeply unhealthy if they are not represented in parliament by senior politicians. This is why the whole issue menaces the Tories. If they aren't capable of speaking these truths in power, what is the bloody point of their existence? Do we need another Wokey centrist party with the exact same policies as Labour but slightly posher surnames?
Nope
That’s why I think Cleverly was a good pick. I reckon he can deliver much the same message, better, without the drawbacks.
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
We should be grateful at least that you have progressed from spreading false fear, to spreading false hope.
How come your only friend is a dog? What happened there? Did you upset the cat? Fuck the budgie? Seriously. What happened? Sympathies on the budgie, if she dumped you - quixotic creatures
Who said the dog was my only friend?
Well, you, obviously. But based on what?
The love of my life died of cancer, eventually, as I sat in the hospice, after three long and very painful years, holding her hand. Make something of that, if you wish.
The dog is happy if I go to the park and throw him a ball. That’s enough for me, now.
Well now I feel guilty. Thanks
Awks. But don't feel so bad, we none of us know very much of the background of the posters we joust with. I am sure I've put my foot in it plenty of times.
Sympathies @IanB2, sounds like you've been through the stuff of my worst nightmares. A dog is a good companion.
I don't feel remotely guilty, really, not for more than a moment anyway. @IanB2 constantly harangues me, he harbours some weird bitterness, I've come to accept it with a cheerful and sardonic heart, but if he endlessly dishes it out he is, sometimes, gonna get it back
Meanwhile we all have people dying on us every day, I certainly do, it's what they do, I'm not gonna bleat about it on PB like a twat, nor use it to elicit sympathy. Vita brevis, ars longa
Comments
I ate better in Iceland last year than I ate in France last month. Tho I ate better in the Welsh Marches in September than either
He has I think finally realised that going down the pound shop Enoch route is just going to keep generating negative headlines and will force him into a GE campaign strategy he doesn’t really want to fight.
Can heartily recommend to SB fans everywhere! No tofu in sight....
Sample of one and anecdote alert of course but that's one vote not coming back to the Tories.
It was also fun as I was on a tour to talk Brexit and got interviewed for 10 whole minutes on the main news bulletin by the Icelandic equivalent of Andrew Marr including being asked questions I had no idea of the answer to, like what was the likelihood of a better fishing deal post Brexit, or what did I think the chances were of a big electric interconnector being built.
Not going to a lead to a polling bounce....
If we had a hundred years to prepare and the world worked together -- I know, I know, but grant me the hypothetical, for a moment -- it could have very little effect. So we ought to keep looking for ways to predict such eruptions for longer and longer times.
But we don't have that capability -- and it may not even be something we can do, even in the next century. So for now we should look at what we would wish we had done last year, if a serious eruption happens this year.
We should, as TimS said, stockpile food. (Good politicians should be able increase support for such stockpiles by making them partly about protecting farmers.)
Second, we should find out what kinds of protective equipment might be needed for people, and begin stockpiling that, too.
No doubt many of you can add to those two ideas.
Does he have a small head? Quite often, short people have normal sized heads. But a short person with a small head just looks like a normal sized person who is far away, which creates a weird dissonance when you see that person with normal sized people and/or objects.
Its something Cameron got right in government.
Two medical workers and an 81-year-old patient were injured in a strike on a hospital."
https://twitter.com/United24media/status/1724097280150532390
Russia attacks a hospital (in Ukraine, Syria, etc), and there's silence from the left. Why?
It is easily as likely to annoy as many people as it pleases. Or worse. Or nothing at all, because no one will notice or care
Weapons, baby bottles & motorcycles in the tunnel indicate hostages were held there
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1724162143421903309?t=Hm0inVvpLp3LEcBD8uZEyw&s=19
I'm the same height, but quite a bit pudgier, so would not look so tiny.
I went to many of the places mentioned here
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-welsh-marches-englands-foodie-frontier/
Nonetheless the food was better than Iceland and way better than France - which was utter crap. Obviously frozen food thawed out in “authentic” bistros. My Cornish arse
Iceland was most expensive by far
Why? Because a) most of us didn't know it had happened and b) we are, sadly, suffering war atrocity fatigue.
Why you think this is a left/right issue baffles me.
@andreajenkyns
Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a 'real' Conservative party leader."
https://twitter.com/andreajenkyns/status/1724124983843045539
Never mind extra maths, Sunak should be putting additional grammar, punctuation and syntax lessons into schools.
The sad thing is that his life expectancy is still, probably, less than mine, yet he doesn’t look much different from the photo I have taken in the same spot every year, below being his first birthday, each year requiring me to buy another useless candlestick. Dogs seem to be able to look the same through youth, middle and old age, until they sadly drop dead.
At least he still has the same toy as his (second) best friend…his brother long ago destroyed his puppyhood toy.
@CatharineHoey
Very disappointed that @SuellaBraverman has been sacked. We need Cabinet members who speak out and tell the public the truth not follow a cosy establishment consensus so out of touch with the views of the quiet majority"
https://twitter.com/CatharineHoey/status/1723989401527611790
On the same night, IIRC Sadiq Khan gave one of the mist unpleasant, ungracious victory speeches i have ever heard.
Those might come back again of course after an election defeat and under new management.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-will-regret-bringing-back-david-cameron/
I suspect it is bang on the money. Sunak will regret this move and it might just be the end of the Tories as we know them
By chance, that’s the same as my height.
He looked unwell at the senotaph.. could barely walk....
But there's silence from those same people. No protests, no marches.
If it was "war atrocity fatigue", then Israel/Gaza should be the victim of it; not Ukraine. As Russia has been doing this for years to various countries. It's a policy of theirs to attack healthcare infrastructure.
"Over that period, there were 292 attacks that damaged or destroyed 218 hospitals and clinics, 181 attacks on other health infrastructure (such as pharmacies, blood centres, and dental clinics), and 65 attacks on ambulances. There were also 86 attacks on healthcare workers, with 62 killed and 52 injured."
https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p451
Or Syria:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian–Syrian_hospital_bombing_campaign#
And with that, shopping.
Oh, and still almost exactly 1 year to the election (1 year tomorrow, probably), and Lab 100+ majority.
Could the next election be 2010 in reverse? A year out from the 2010 GE the government were polling mid-20s, the opposition were polling low-mid 40s with a consistent 15-20% lead.
Sound familiar? I am racking my memory as to what caused the opposition to lose 5-10% and the government to gain 3-5% by the time of the GE. Net result the Tories won by 7% rather than 20%, and that of course was not enough for a majority.
One 2010 factor which appears unlikely to repeat was the rise of the LDs over that last year.
I don't think this will be a reverse repeat of 2010 but... oh, er.
"More than half of Britons back Braverman claim that migrant crossings are an ‘invasion’
Polling results follow recent hardening in language by the Home Secretary who warned of threat of ‘hurricane’ of mass migration"
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/20/51pc-britons-agree-braverman-small-boats-migrants-invasion/
And yes I think there is war fatigue. There will be over Gaza soon too, indeed I think he’s already starting a bit.
Government wins; government wins but with qualifications which means everything gets individually contested; government loses pretty much altogether.
1) If they win we all soon discover it is expensive and doesn't work (the numbers and capacity just isn't there)
2) If they win with qualifications its cumbersome and useless, and only any use for Daily Mail types who want to attack judges for telling the government to observe its own laws. This is going out of fashion.
3) If they lose, they can forget it all and move on. Best result.
Well done @IanB2, you must be very proud.
I've got a wasp in my garden, shall I go and pretend it's my friend, take a photo of it, maybe show it hovering by the fridge, then another photo of me putting it in a matchbox with its little wasp face all smiley? Would that justify a surge of glowing pride?
What the fuck is wrong with you
Well, you, obviously. But based on what?
Since you ask, “seriously”, the love of my life died of cancer, eventually, as I sat in the hospice, after three long and very painful years, holding her hand. Make something of that, if you wish.
The dog is happy if I go to the park and throw him a ball. That’s enough for me, now.
You are the most miserable poster on here, and the tragedy is that I suspect you have no idea how badly you come across to anyone who can see beyond your bigotry and prejudice, and childish desperation to shock and amuse.
In bygone times, you’d have been the court fool.
She’s lost touch recently though. A large majority disagreed with her on tents, large majorities disapproved of her attack on the police last week and a 60% today agreed Rishi was right to sack her.
Sympathies @IanB2, sounds like you've been through the stuff of my worst nightmares. A dog is a good companion.
The more pertinent point is that she represents a large slice of British public opinion, and she is - was - the only salient minister giving voice to those opinions. You may not like them, but it is deeply unhealthy if they are not represented in parliament by senior politicians. This is why the whole issue menaces the Tories. If they aren't capable of speaking these truths in power, what is the bloody point of their existence? Do we need another Wokey centrist party with the exact same policies as Labour but slightly posher surnames?
Nope
Over here support for Russia does seem to be more of a fringe, crank far left and far right preoccupation. But very fringe. It’s not remotely mainstream.
Meanwhile we all have people dying on us every day, I certainly do, it's what they do, I'm not gonna bleat about it on PB like a twat, nor use it to elicit sympathy. Vita brevis, ars longa