PM to give a statement outside Downing Street at 5.40
Not sure but it looks like something to do with extremism
Isn't this the sort of needy, attention-seeking stunt he pulled after the Uxbridge by-election when he announced an end to the "war on motorists"?
It will be something they've cooked up during the day in an attempt to capitalise on Labour's Galloway-related difficulties. It will be lame and pathetic.
Things Sunak could announce to "protect our democratic processes": 1. Reduce the franchise by increasing the minimum voting age to 65 2. An additional £3bn injection of public money into GB News 3. People who wear hats to be excluded from the House of Commons
PM on R4 just said Rishi is giving a live press statement outside No.10 at about 5.40. Specifically been told it's not calling the election.
Hrm.
He’s probably going to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
I think it's war. He's going to declare war
And, frankly, it's about time
War against Woke.
You may joke, but this is serious
The nation is ready, and expectant. We all know this moment has been coming
War. Just writing that makes you realise the gravity of the situation. We shouldn't have left it this late, nor denied ourselves the options of peace, but we chose this path and we are where we are
Sunak must do it, and declare it, and I believe he will. War
PM to give a statement outside Downing Street at 5.40
Not sure but it looks like something to do with extremism
Isn't this the sort of needy, attention-seeking stunt he pulled after the Uxbridge by-election when he announced an end to the "war on motorists"?
It will be something they've cooked up during the day in an attempt to capitalise on Labour's Galloway-related difficulties. It will be lame and pathetic.
It is just politics
It’s politics, but it’s needy and pathetic, as noted. Demeaning to the office of PM.
PM to give a statement outside Downing Street at 5.40
Not sure but it looks like something to do with extremism
Isn't this the sort of needy, attention-seeking stunt he pulled after the Uxbridge by-election when he announced an end to the "war on motorists"?
It will be something they've cooked up during the day in an attempt to capitalise on Labour's Galloway-related difficulties. It will be lame and pathetic.
It is just politics
I think there was a point when the PM dragging the old lectern into Downing Street was only done on very special occasions. You could tell when it was nakedly political because then they only wandered outside with a carefully chosen coffee mug. But, like so much else in Britain, this has been progressively devalued to the point of banality.
I feel the same way. Canada is bonkers and you can't get in. Australia too far. USA obvious drawbacks. It's one thing escaping this shithole yourself but taking the family with you when your children are all over 18 is another thing.
Family, friends and familiarity keep one rooted here. I console myself with as much travelling as I can. Thank God for skiing - a winter here with no escape would do for me I think.
Canada is too cold. Australia yes, so remote, though I do have close family there and some friends, around Sydney, and Australia has that sunny optimism almost entirely missing in Europe and the USA... it is an option for me....
I want all my friends to move to Phnom Penh with me, but oddly they are not so keen
Piquantly, I just had exactly this discussion with a Brit friend based in New Orleans (who was out in Bangkok). He used to love America but he can't stand the USA now, he hears gunfire most nights, he sees crime everywhere, he says it is always menacing, and the politiics is poisonous and racially toxic, plus the drugs and homeless stuff - he is desperate to move away from the USA - but he says he can't go to Britain coz it is too grey and depressing
So where will he go? He does not know, everywhere has massive issues
I have kind of adopted your attitude for now. I shall be a nomad, just move around a lot, keep my little flat in London as a base, but keep moving too, see how the world pans out, it's gonna be a bouncy few years with the AI revolution. Keep options open
I'm happy with cold as long as it is by way of defined seasons and proper cold.
The Okanagan in Canada, for example, has a wonderful climate - skiing in winter very hot in summer. And it's gorgeous.
My eldest was married in 2015 in Kelowna to a Canadian and they live in Vancouver
Wonderful wedding ceremony and reception at Ancient Hill Winery
If the old world of shopping has gone, then we need to start adjusting, which means knocking down shops and old shopping centres.
May I humbly suggest that the cure to Wellington Way Shopping Centre is to knock it down flat and turn it either into a car park or a field. You could make a nice field out of it and it would give you somewhere nice to walk your dog
Or you can build some nice houses.
Town centers need to reinvent themselves, again.
They thrived, at first, because it was convenient to have all your shopping in one place, and you could get the bus there, do all your shopping and return home.
Then - as families became multi-car - out of center shopping centers (with parking!) thrived. Now you could go, park, and do all your shopping.
Now... most shopping takes place on-line.
I'm trying to think of the last time I went to a shop, with the exception of when I go to a grocery store to buy light, easily perishable things. I buy all my clothes on-line. I buy batteries, cat food, and other consumables on-line. Why would I visit a store?
The only shopping centers that are surviving are those that realised that you need to be an experience first: Westfield with their Kidzania and 100 food options. And that's it.
Town centers need to follow London's lead: they need to become entertainment and residential. Out go most stores, and in come apartments, restaurants, bars and gyms.
And we need councils to facilitate and encourage this.
Sadly, too often, they allow high streets to become charity stores and vape shops.
Restaurants, bars and gyms require well paying jobs so folk can keep them in business. That isn't easy outside London.
There are increasing numbers of young people who work remotely. If they could get a flat in a nice town center in Rochdale - assuming Rochdale had the amenities they wanted - for under £100k vs £400k in a pretty dingy part of London, why wouldn't you?
In a world of remote workers, lower cost places have a massive opportunity. And those digital nomads create jobs in restaurants, and coffee shops, and gyms.
"It has become clear in recent weeks that a clear and present danger exists in our democracy. A threat that risks sending us back to square one. Having taken soundings from a wide range of MPs across all parties, from Lee Anderson to Priti Patel, I can announce that my government will introduce emergency legislation on Monday to make it illegal to threaten British Values by voting for parties working against the People's Priorities."
You've all been pooh-poohing me since 4.56pm but I have been right all along
WAR. It's not like we have any alternative now, anyway
So he had 'Falklands moment' on his strategy list then.
Yep
I also just want to point out that this is another big call I got right. I said nearly 25 minutes ago that Sunak is going to declare war, and I've stuck by that through thick and thin, even when you were all mocking me, constantly and snidely, and often with personal abuse, for minute after minute
A weaker personality would have folded, I am not like that. I've beem persistent and consistent, I've ignored the naysayers, and now - YES: VINDICATION
"It has become clear in recent weeks that a clear and present danger exists in our democracy. A threat that risks sending us back to square one. Having taken soundings from a wide range of MPs across all parties, from Lee Anderson to Priti Patel, I can announce that my government will introduce emergency legislation on Monday to make it illegal to threaten British Values by voting for parties working against the People's Priorities."
The War Act 2024. All elections postponed until 2050.
"He has kept a receipt of every single Big Mac he’s eaten every day since that first one, and he’s retained each of the burgers’ containers..."
What a moron
He eats his favourite food every day. Don't knock it. And iirc American celebrity investor Warren Buffett eats McDonalds every day too. Donald Trump mixes McDonalds with KFC and is the picture of health, at least compared to his opponent. They've made it past the biblical three score years and ten.
I agree. Apologies if I've mis-remembered but isn't your diet similarly narrow?
I've never eaten at a McDonalds which, for some, makes me stranger than this dude.
The three major food groups, protein, fat and carbohydrates, aka fish and chips.
You've all been pooh-poohing me since 4.56pm but I have been right all along
WAR. It's not like we have any alternative now, anyway
I hope he is careful who he declares war with. Hopefully somewhere small and handy like the Isle of Man rather than Russia.
Yes, these crown dependencies not being part of the UK is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue. Leave Mann for much longer and next thing you know they'll be restoring the Kingdom of the Isles and snatching up the Hebrides.
I think it's worth saying ahead of time that any democracy worth a damn requires the freedom for a wide range of views to be expressed, and parties to represent those views.
If Sunak gives a speech about the need to protect British democracy which is little more than a partisan attempt to score points against Labour, it will be yet another indication that he isn't fit to be Prime Minister.
Will the Speaker be annoyed on Monday with Sunak for not making the announcement to the HOC first, or has he become ineffective due to his recent 'mistake'
Will the Speaker be annoyed on Monday with Sunak for not making the announcement to the HOC first, or has he become ineffective due to his recent 'mistake'
Will the Speaker be annoyed on Monday with Sunak for not making the announcement to the HOC first, or has he become ineffective due to his recent 'mistake'
It would be ineffective to be annoyed about such a thing in any case, but it traditional to maintain the fiction that it is unusual enough to get Parliament riled up.
"To protect our democratic process I can announce a new law making it illegal to have one of those letter boxes at the bottom of your door. With additional fines for those brush things in your letter box, 20 years imprisonment if you have both of those and a long footpath, and the death penalty if you have TWO gates."
Maybe Sunak is resigning! (He can't be risking annoying the Speaker by not announcing a policy thing to the Commons first, so it must be his resignation.)
"To protect our democratic process I can announce a new law making it illegal to have one of those letter boxes at the bottom of your door. With additional fines for those brush things in your letter box, 20 years imprisonment if you have both of those and a long footpath, and the death penalty if you have TWO gates."
"To protect our democratic process I can announce a new law making it illegal to have one of those letter boxes at the bottom of your door. With additional fines for those brush things in your letter box, 20 years imprisonment if you have both of those and a long footpath, and the death penalty if you have TWO gates."
Also those sideways ones which hinge at the top, I remember from childhood. Though perhaps as middle age approaches, the ones at the bottom might be worse.
Maybe Sunak is resigning! (He can't be risking annoying the Speaker by not announcing a policy thing to the Commons first, so it must be his resignation.)
I know Rochdale reasonably well. Strapline: at least we're not Oldham.
The Northwest is full of struggling post-industrial towns, but there are a handful which are doing ok-ish. Stockport. Bury. Warrington. Preston, at a push. I'd struggle to think of any more.
Doesn't it depress you, all the rubbish towns?
I was born in Oldham and all my children were born in Rochdale. If these towns didn't exist, we'd all have been born in a field.
"I have asked his majesty to recall the only man who can unite the country in these trying times: Boris Johnson. We will be creating him as Baron Johnson of Bloviation to lead us through these difficult moments.
To assist Lord Johnson I will be immediately taking up position as Minister for Technological Innovation, and embarking on a 6 month trip to Silicon Valley to learn from the best"
"To protect our democratic process I can announce a new law making it illegal to have one of those letter boxes at the bottom of your door. With additional fines for those brush things in your letter box, 20 years imprisonment if you have both of those and a long footpath, and the death penalty if you have TWO gates."
Letter boxes at the bottom of doors should be outlawed
"As your elected Prime Minister I am best placed to protect our democratic processes. It has become clear to those of us in the Conservative Party that elections are a terrible insult to democracy. And as our priorities are your priorities, I can announce that I am introducing emergency legislation to abolish all elections.
If members of parliament no longer have constituents, there can be no death threats against them for constituents. If MPs no longer have to waste their time talking to people, they will no longer need to wear stab vests and fear assault.
And in a final measure, to best protect the best men and men who will ensure our democracy survives, the identity of members of parliament will be kept secret. They will know, but the Islamists will not."
"To protect our democratic process I can announce a new law making it illegal to have one of those letter boxes at the bottom of your door. With additional fines for those brush things in your letter box, 20 years imprisonment if you have both of those and a long footpath, and the death penalty if you have TWO gates."
Death penalty reserved for houses with a barking dog in the hallway and a sharp upper edge to the letterbox.
"As your elected Prime Minister I am best placed to protect our democratic processes. It has become clear to those of us in the Conservative Party that elections are a terrible insult to democracy. And as our priorities are your priorities, I can announce that I am introducing emergency legislation to abolish all elections.
If members of parliament no longer have constituents, there can be no death threats against them for constituents. If MPs no longer have to waste their time talking to people, they will no longer need to wear stab vests and fear assault.
And in a final measure, to best protect the best men and men who will ensure our democracy survives, the identity of members of parliament will be kept secret. They will know, but the Islamists will not."
I've been playing Suzerain a lot lately, and turns out even actively trying to be a brutal authoritarian is trickier than we sometimes thing, but good on Rishi for trying.
I don't think George Galloway is real. He's got an alliterative name like a character from a Marvel comic: Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Steven Strange, J Jonah Jameson etc.
I don't think George Galloway is real. He's got an alliterative name like a character from a Marvel comic: Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Steven Strange, J Jonah Jameson etc.
It's a J sound followed by a G sound. No alliteration?
I don't think George Galloway is real. He's got an alliterative name like a character from a Marvel comic: Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Steven Strange, J Jonah Jameson etc.
It's a J sound followed by a G sound. No alliteration?
I am going to start a petition to pronounce it "Jalloway"...
I think we're in for a surprise. Sunak is going to announce that HS2 in full is to go ahead after all, to enable the newly-elected Member for Rochdale to get to Westminster more speedily.
I don't think George Galloway is real. He's got an alliterative name like a character from a Marvel comic: Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Steven Strange, J Jonah Jameson etc.
It's a J sound followed by a G sound. No alliteration?
Shit, I've been calling him Gorge Galloway this whole time and feel like a fool.
I think we're in for a surprise. Sunak is going to announce that HS2 in full is to go ahead after all, to enable the newly-elected Member for Rochdale to get to Westminster more speedily.
Comments
Sounds like a rotter.
Maybe he will resign, in order to spend more time on his Vision Pro.
We have no choice now. We have, if anything, left it far too late, we are perilously close to disaster, due to our havering
Sunak must fling down the gauntlet. Enough is enough. War it is, and we shall not be deterred
The nation is ready, and expectant. We all know this moment has been coming
War. Just writing that makes you realise the gravity of the situation. We shouldn't have left it this late, nor denied ourselves the options of peace, but we chose this path and we are where we are
Sunak must do it, and declare it, and I believe he will. War
Demeaning to the office of PM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj9M34DzAKo&t=14s
But desperate times need desperate responses.
No Labour Party means a Conservative landslide, or with Rishi's current luck, a coalition with Galloway?
War it is
You've all been pooh-poohing me since 4.56pm but I have been right all along
WAR. It's not like we have any alternative now, anyway
Wow.
Wonderful wedding ceremony and reception at Ancient Hill Winery
Not one of those Gay NATO Tactical Nuclear Wars.
Incidentally, any idea why the Russia obsession with NATO being Gayish?
In a world of remote workers, lower cost places have a massive opportunity. And those digital nomads create jobs in restaurants, and coffee shops, and gyms.
Russia?
Hamas?
Israel?
Space Aliens?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3BO6GP9NMY&t=2s
I also just want to point out that this is another big call I got right. I said nearly 25 minutes ago that Sunak is going to declare war, and I've stuck by that through thick and thin, even when you were all mocking me, constantly and snidely, and often with personal abuse, for minute after minute
A weaker personality would have folded, I am not like that. I've beem persistent and consistent, I've ignored the naysayers, and now - YES: VINDICATION
Obvious, really.
https://youtu.be/MZTvMYQSl_w
If Sunak gives a speech about the need to protect British democracy which is little more than a partisan attempt to score points against Labour, it will be yet another indication that he isn't fit to be Prime Minister.
To assist Lord Johnson I will be immediately taking up position as Minister for Technological Innovation, and embarking on a 6 month trip to Silicon Valley to learn from the best"
If members of parliament no longer have constituents, there can be no death threats against them for constituents. If MPs no longer have to waste their time talking to people, they will no longer need to wear stab vests and fear assault.
And in a final measure, to best protect the best men and men who will ensure our democracy survives, the identity of members of parliament will be kept secret. They will know, but the Islamists will not."
She will take up a new “Czar of just funnelling every last penny to the over 65s” position.
They are preparing us
Edit: Now 15828
Ordinary people know that Rishi has nothing interesting to communicate whatsoever.
PODIUM TALK with Rishi Sunak and a series of “hilarious guests from the worlds of light entertainment and crypto trading”.