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What do we want and when do we want it – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,615
edited March 2024 in General
What do we want and when do we want it – politicalbetting.com

When do you want the next general election to be?Spring 2024: 33%Summer 2024: 16%Autumn 2024: 16%Winter 2024: 5%January 2025: 7%https://t.co/5YJNFN4KKK pic.twitter.com/a14xd7rsXf

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  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 55,582
    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,434
    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be
  • stodgestodge Posts: 15,043
    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 23,224
    Presumably the 21% of Tories saying don't know include a fair chunk who want emergency legislation to avoid the need for a GE at all.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 80,003
    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Even fewer who expressed an opinion want it in the autumn or later.

    You're grasping at straws.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,434
    edited March 2024
    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    So 2/3 of Tory voters don't want a general election before the autumn and we have a Tory majority government
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,340
    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 23,224
    19% of Tories are turkeys voting for an early Christmas.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    Doubtless there are people who are longing to be rid of the current lot, but of course they're going to be immensely disappointed if and when that happens, because nothing of substance will change. At all.

    We have collapsing public services, a catastrophically dysfunctional housing market and spiralling population growth, and the situation will continue to deteriorate at a roughly equal pace regardless of which band of empty suits presides over it.

    Thus the timing of the election is irrelevant because the election itself is irrelevant (unless you're looking to earn a little money betting on when it will be called!)
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,434
    edited March 2024
    Stuartinromford said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
    No in 1979 Callaghan still led Thatcher as preferred PM in polls whereas Starmer now leads
    Sunak as Cameron led Brown
    as preferred PM in 2010 too and Blair led Major in 1997
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 14,716
    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 5,398
    FPT
    @Chameleon
    If you are on a decent income and can't afford housing the best thing to do is surely relocate out of London. This is what I did 10 years ago and looking back it was a key life decision. I regret not getting my head around the mortgage system sooner. This decision plus the DB Pension has put me in a good position financially. In an alternative world I could be earning £120k plus but I would have a massive mortgage still and all my wealth would be stuck in the London property market. It is possible though in my industry to earn a similar amount in Birmingham or Manchester so perhaps I could have alternatively pursued that.
  • ChrisChris Posts: 12,091
    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    And whoever.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,340
    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    That's what's odd about this round of Decline And Fall. There's always a bit of coveting the freedom of opposition... it's one of the morbid signs of a government that's played out. But collapsing governments usually hold it together until they have lost. This lot really don't seem able to wait.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    edited March 2024
    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    For the Tories, the next election will be a large dose of political Fentanyl

    If all goes well, they will come out of it with their pants round their knees, in a quivering semi-stupor, wandering in a daze down the centre of the road

    If they’re unlucky they go into a coma on the pavement and possibly die

    Either way, however, they will achieve that oblivion. A quietus. Which is some consolation
  • ChameleonChameleon Posts: 4,267
    edited March 2024
    darkage said:

    FPT
    @Chameleon
    If you are on a decent income and can't afford housing the best thing to do is surely relocate out of London. This is what I did 10 years ago and looking back it was a key life decision. I regret not getting my head around the mortgage system sooner. This decision plus the DB Pension has put me in a good position financially. In an alternative world I could be earning £120k plus but I would have a massive mortgage still and all my wealth would be stuck in the London property market. It is possible though in my industry to earn a similar amount in Birmingham or Manchester so perhaps I could have alternatively pursued that.

    I'm lucky in that I'll be fine - because my family are moderately well off and I've done well in my career so far, but most of my colleagues are not so lucky to have both. Social mobility is effectively dead for my generation - someone inheriting/gifted a two bed house on £25k with a lodger paying £1k/month has the same disposable income as someone on £80k.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 74,781
    edited March 2024
    SandyRentool said:

    19% of Tories are turkeys voting for an early Christmas.

    I think it's fair to say whether Christmas is early or late they're already completely stuffed.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,360
    Tories talking to no-one but themselves.
    They were told cutting NI wouldn't help.
    It didn't help last time.
    But that didn't compute with their ideology.
    Their solution appears to do it again in the Autumn.
    With similar results, no doubt.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 44,622
    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,434
    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    Opposition in some ways is more fun, I expect most Labour members preferred campaigning for Corbyn than the deathly dull Starmer even if they have backed the latter to win.

    When in opposition you also don't have to take responsibility for government mistakes, you can just blame it on the governing party.

  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,519
    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    Even amongst those Tory MPs who haven't chosen to retire or stand down publicly, one would imagine that a great many are actively job hunting and working out how far the parachute payment will stretch (whilst maintaining the pretence that they still care about all this crap.) The notion of being a survivor of defeat and then having to pretend to support whatever crazed loon the party membership chooses to be the next leader can't be appealing for the remaining sane members of the Parliamentary party, either.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    With Crufts building towards its final day climax, you’re all doing very well to disguise your excitement…
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,340
    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    I fear it's to get 200 unfortunates on a plane to Rwanda, just to show he can.

    Otherwise, to give the horse some more singing lessons.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 129,434
    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Maximise his time as PM in the history books
  • kjhkjh Posts: 13,012
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,519
    IanB2 said:

    With Crufts building towards its final day climax, you’re all doing very well to disguise your excitement…

    Have we had best hound and terrier yet?
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Same as with similar doomed figures in the past. Defeat is the end of his political career, so he probably wants to keep playing with the train set until the last possible moment. The point is his gratification, not anything to do with us.

    The prospect of the Prime Minister firing the starting gun on a general election campaign the week before Christmas shouldn't be entirely discounted.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,360
    John Stones!
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 25,478
    edited March 2024
    HYUFD said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Maximise his time as PM in the history books
    That may be his desire but it is not his duty
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,519
    HYUFD said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Maximise his time as PM in the history books
    He will be best remembered for outstaying his welcome...
  • londonpubmanlondonpubman Posts: 3,704
    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I have liked this post 👍
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    edited March 2024
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    As a Scotland sports fan you surely recognise the rapid cycling of hope and despair
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    HYUFD said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Maximise his time as PM in the history books
    Indeed, and "Prime Minister, 2022-2025" sounds rather better than "Prime Minister, 2022-2024."

    He's going to stall, isn't he?
  • londonpubmanlondonpubman Posts: 3,704
    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    Let's get on with the GE now. Rishi you can still call it for 2 May 👍
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 5,398
    Chameleon said:

    darkage said:

    FPT
    @Chameleon
    If you are on a decent income and can't afford housing the best thing to do is surely relocate out of London. This is what I did 10 years ago and looking back it was a key life decision. I regret not getting my head around the mortgage system sooner. This decision plus the DB Pension has put me in a good position financially. In an alternative world I could be earning £120k plus but I would have a massive mortgage still and all my wealth would be stuck in the London property market. It is possible though in my industry to earn a similar amount in Birmingham or Manchester so perhaps I could have alternatively pursued that.

    I'm lucky in that I'll be fine - because my family are moderately well off and I've done well in my career so far, but most of my colleagues are not so lucky to have both. Social mobility is effectively dead for my generation - someone inheriting/gifted a two bed house on £25k with a lodger paying £1k/month has the same disposable income as someone on £80k.
    I agree with this and probably in similar position myself. But the point that is not understood is that those on £80 or even £100k are not the 'rich' with the 'broadest shoulders'. The tax system has too many perverse incentives built in against work and self advancement - and what is suprising is that it is all largely a creation of the conservative government.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 13,012
    edited March 2024
    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    France are gonna win just by being bigger

    “God is on the side of the heavy battalions”
  • AverageNinjaAverageNinja Posts: 1,169
    Since Leon's entire life is made up, what exactly is there to hide? It's not like he ever leaves his basement.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 66,334
    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    Opposition in some ways is more fun, I expect most Labour members preferred campaigning for Corbyn than the deathly dull Starmer even if they have backed the latter to win.

    When in opposition you also don't have to take responsibility for government mistakes, you can just blame it on the governing party.

    The problem is the conservatives have made sure Labour can blame them for years
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 66,334
    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    Opposition in some ways is more fun, I expect most Labour members preferred campaigning for Corbyn than the deathly dull Starmer even if they have backed the latter to win.

    When in opposition you also don't have to take responsibility for government mistakes, you can just blame it on the govern party.

    The problem is the conservatives have made sure Labour can blame them for years
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 66,334
    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    Opposition in some ways is more fun, I expect most Labour members preferred campaigning for Corbyn than the deathly dull Starmer even if they have backed the latter to win.

    When in opposition you also don't have to take responsibility for government mistakes, you can just blame it on the govern party.

    The problem is the conservatives have made sure Labour can blame them for years
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 25,567
    Eabhal said:

    BartholomewRoberts said:

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    MattW said:

    viewcode said:

    Clutch_Brompton said:

    viewcode said:

    Eabhal said:

    Fun fact of the day: there are 26 million spare bedrooms in England & Wales...

    Um plausibility check! That's more than the number of households! A "household" is a group of people living together in a single address, usually a family. If you are right, it means that every family has a spare bedroom on average. I'll be honest with you, that doesn't seem plausible. Are you including things like hotels, prisons, student accommodation?

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/householdandresidentcharacteristicsenglandandwales/census2021

    I'd certainly count houses that people don't live in.
    How many empty houses would you have to have for that stat to make sense?
    I don't understand this peculiar questioning.

    Spare bedrooms is a basic statistic in the English Housing Survey which has been collected for years and years. I've discussed the survey fairly often here, and on occasion under-occupation.

    Under-occupied means 2 or more spare bedrooms, and in the recent survey 9.3 million owner occupied dwellings were "under-occupied":

    1.83 The overall rate of under-occupation in England in 2021-22 was 39% with around 9.3 million households living in under-occupied homes (i.e. with two or more spare bedrooms), Annex Table 1.25.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report#glossary

    That's 18.6 million from your 26 million just for a start, plus any third spare bedrooms, and all those households that only have one spare bedroom.

    26 million sounds about right, but I'd punt that that is an England-only figure.

    The biggest distortion, and most gaping wound, in our housing market, remains the owner-occupied sector, its unfortunate existence as a store of wealth and tax free accumulation of wealth, and the tax breaks, politics and rhetoric that goes into justifying those practices.

    Distractedly rant against pensioners and landlords as much as you like. The OO sector, and related tax breaks and market distortion, is the core problem.
    It's E&W. Powys has 1.3 spare bedrooms per household, for example.
    I get 8.3 million 1 extra bedrooms, 8.9 million * 2 extra bedrooms, and 1.1 million with one fewer bedrooms than needed.
    So?

    Many people get a home with the number of rooms they need. Later on they no longer need them, but they're settled there and have a support network there. Even later on those people 'move on' and the house is freed up for someone who once more needs that many bedrooms.

    It's the circle of life. So long as we construct enough houses for our population growth it isn't remotely a problem.
    What did you make of my point that immigrants are much less like to have spare bedrooms?

    I wonder if the main reason for the housing crisis is actually changes to household composition. Indeed, over the last 10 years there are an additional 2 million spare bedrooms, despite the huge immigration that we have had over that period.
    I think its utterly irrelevant.

    Immigrants are much less likely to be retired grandparents and great grandparents who are still living in the same home they've had for decades after the kids have flown the nest.

    But they might be decades from now and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    Chameleon said:

    darkage said:

    FPT
    @Chameleon
    If you are on a decent income and can't afford housing the best thing to do is surely relocate out of London. This is what I did 10 years ago and looking back it was a key life decision. I regret not getting my head around the mortgage system sooner. This decision plus the DB Pension has put me in a good position financially. In an alternative world I could be earning £120k plus but I would have a massive mortgage still and all my wealth would be stuck in the London property market. It is possible though in my industry to earn a similar amount in Birmingham or Manchester so perhaps I could have alternatively pursued that.

    I'm lucky in that I'll be fine - because my family are moderately well off and I've done well in my career so far, but most of my colleagues are not so lucky to have both. Social mobility is effectively dead for my generation - someone inheriting/gifted a two bed house on £25k with a lodger paying £1k/month has the same disposable income as someone on £80k.
    Taxation on earned incomes is excessive relative to taxation of assets, but the central issue is the lack of housing. Mortgages and especially rents are so astonishingly dear as a result that virtually anyone who owns a home outright has reached the promised land. It's possible to live very well indeed on average earnings if you're not being forced to piss half your income up the wall paying off your mortgage or that of a BTL landlord.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    edited March 2024
    ...
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 56,075
    When I was at University I came across the wage claim submitted in one of the Leyland plants. The Management had asked for a costed and detailed application. The application for the wage increase was, "Jonny wants a biscuit and he wants it now."

    I stole this for the heading of my essay on collective bargaining but it clearly amused me a lot more than it did the course director.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    And so it’s the Belgian champs Road Runners versus British champs Tails in the flyball semis

    First round..the Runners have a fault, the Tails win on 14.77 secs, a cracking time

    Second round..a fault for Tails, it’s even

    Final round…the Belgian Runners win on speed…! The Runners through to the final, for the third year running


  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    edited March 2024
    AverageNinja said:

    Since Leon's entire life is made up, what exactly is there to hide? It's not like he ever leaves his basement.

    Basement? I’m on a balcony. In Cartagena Colombia

    Here is 50k pesos. You can ask for multiples of this for proof



    It is FEROCIOUSLY hot
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 56,075
    edited March 2024
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    As a Scotland sports fan you surely recognise the rapid cycling of hope and despair
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    As a Scotland sports fan you surely recognise the rapid cycling of hope and despair
    Despair certainly, hope only occasionally.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    Now it’s Watson’s Legacy, the outsiders from Stoke, running all collies, in red, versus Elements in blue.

    First round, a fault for Elements, dropped the ball, the Legacy take it

    The PB server struggling with the excitement…

    Second round…and the Legacy win through, 2:0
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    So it’s a Runners v Legacy final. The super fast Runners must be the favourite to win, yet again

    Time for a go at Sweet Caroline…
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 44,622
    edited March 2024
    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    And we’re ready for the Grand Final 2024….the Belgian defending champions, versus the outsiders from Stoke.

    First round….the Runners’ first dog refuses to run! A re-run, or a win for Legacy? Legacy are given it!!

    Second round…the outsiders one win away from victory…the Runners winning on speed ..but a fault!!

    The Legacy have taken it! The champions are blown away!

    The reliability of Collies has won through against the speed of the Whippets
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    ..


  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 44,622
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    And yet here you are.
    Heat, kitchen, snipey dorks etc.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    DavidL said:



    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    As a Scotland sports fan you surely recognise the rapid cycling of hope and despair
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    As a Scotland sports fan you surely recognise the rapid cycling of hope and despair
    Despair certainly, hope only occasionally.
    But this is a moment of hope for Scottish rugby

    You have two of the best players in the world. You’re not far from being a world class side that could win anything

    I’d be delighted if you beat the arrogant Irish in Dublin, and it’s far from impossible
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,447
    Stuartinromford said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
    No, 1979 wasn’t as bad. 2010 was. At least at Christmas 1996 we knew the election had to come by May and the Major government had form for a long campaign.
    IIRC 1964 seemed to be forever coming!
  • londonpubmanlondonpubman Posts: 3,704
    Big goal

    Mac Allister knows how to deliver when it matters
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    And yet here you are.
    Heat, kitchen, snipey dorks etc.
    I’m not seeking sympathy. Merely explaining why I might be unusually touchy
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    It’s non-stop excitement this afternoon, now moving on to the Agility finals, for intermediate and large. The climax of four days of competition.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,447
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    Sorry to read that. Sympathy.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 6,806
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    Sorry to hear that. I shall try and cheer you up with an absolutely true story of my hungover quick wits this morning.

    Last night I met a woman called Honey and went back home with her. In the early part of proceedings she was using my thigh as a rubbing post and I didn’t think much about it as matter progressed.

    So this morning I threw on my clothes and wandered along to get my car to go home and I bumped into an old school friend I haven’t seen for ages. Anyway we were talking and he pointed at my jeans and the biological stain worthy of a Lewinsky dress and mentioned I had something on my jeans and I replied “oh that’s just a bit of Honey”.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 52,519
    edited March 2024
    IanB2 said:

    ..


    Did you catch this? Dogs will be dogs...

    https://twitter.com/Crufts/status/1766531940742504519?t=eKdfgNQewo0zvZ1SCIfWxQ&s=19

  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    Eleven competitors at intermediate, every seat taken in the arena as the first dog, Zuri the Collie from Lanarkshire, gets ready to try this particularly long 197m arena course…competitors go in reverse order of qualifying. Five faults, missing the dog walk contact point, on 38.3 seconds.

    Second, Gamble the Collie, five faults, first place on 35.5

    Third competitor, Otto, eliminated

    Next, Vice the collie…good handling…but eliminated for going the wrong way

    Now, Amanda and her dog - unusually not a collie, Bun, goes into first place with a clear round.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    boulay said:

    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    Sorry to hear that. I shall try and cheer you up with an absolutely true story of my hungover quick wits this morning.

    Last night I met a woman called Honey and went back home with her. In the early part of proceedings she was using my thigh as a rubbing post and I didn’t think much about it as matter progressed.

    So this morning I threw on my clothes and wandered along to get my car to go home and I bumped into an old school friend I haven’t seen for ages. Anyway we were talking and he pointed at my jeans and the biological stain worthy of a Lewinsky dress and mentioned I had something on my jeans and I replied “oh that’s just a bit of Honey”.
    lol! That has cheered me up

    I think

    I’ve never lost a really close friend before (which probably means I’ve been lucky - especially given the lifestyle my friends and I have all shared)

    It’s a different kind of sadness. I’m just gonna miss the old bastard. He was funny

    Ayahuasca helps tho. I’m glad I did it recently
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    Jodie and Digit the collie are next - clear on 35.3, goes into the lead

    Natasha and veteran 11-y-o brown collie Pebbles, probably her last competition… clear on 36.1 seconds for second place !

    Now, Martina and her 3-y-o collie, very fast…34.36 and clear, goes into the lead!

    Next, Sarah and her collie…five faults on the see-saw. Now ten faults 34.8

    Narrah and Banana the collie…fast but five faults on the dog walk. 33.8 but faults

    Final dog, Lee and his collie Eurostar, runner up last year, super fast, wins on 34.1 clear !!!
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,629
    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Using the @HYUFD methodology only 37.5% voted for Brexit.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 44,622
    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    And yet here you are.
    Heat, kitchen, snipey dorks etc.
    I’m not seeking sympathy. Merely explaining why I might be unusually touchy
    Ok, sorry about your friend. It's kinda snipey on here at the best of times, we need a bit of warning about dialling it down.
  • Twickbait_55Twickbait_55 Posts: 128
    OldKingCole said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
    No, 1979 wasn’t as bad. 2010 was. At least at Christmas 1996 we knew the election had to come by May and the Major government had form for a long campaign.
    IIRC 1964 seemed to be forever coming!
    "Just make it stop" is correct. The public have plainly had enough. May would make sense, hell, the government might even pick up a few extra votes out of gratitude! Autumn is likely though, probably October.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    kjh said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    This is a cracking game of rugby. What a superb weekend of 6 Nations.

    It’s really good

    There is so much young talent in the French and English sides. I suspect they will dominate world rugby for a few years as Ireland fade
    If you hadn’t privatised your profile I would go back to your posts of a few short weeks ago saying English rugby was irredeemably down the shitter and Borthwick was a useless ****.
    Why do some people do that. It is not as if there is anything there that people haven't posted here. Leon didn't used to and there seems to be quite a few across a range of poster types who do.

    And on the subject of hiding stuff is the 'like' change going to be fixed? Let's be as open as possible on stuff, after all we have our ability to be anonymous anyway so there isn't any real loss of privacy.
    I’ll do what I fucking like. Thanks
    That's incredibly sensitive of you. I wasn't having a go at you at all. I was just asking why people did it and you didn't used to and lots of others do it as well. You seem to be a bit paranoid.
    Some people need a confessional, preferably without their gory, contradictory, vomity confessions available to be picked over.
    Alternatively, one of my best and oldest friends died yesterday of liver failure, and I am in no mood to be sniped at by dorks
    And yet here you are.
    Heat, kitchen, snipey dorks etc.
    I’m not seeking sympathy. Merely explaining why I might be unusually touchy
    Ok, sorry about your friend. It's kinda snipey on here at the best of times, we need a bit of warning about dialling it down.
    No drama. All good
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    edited March 2024
    Now the large dogs…

    Veteran competitor Dave Munnings with brown collie Legacy, five faults for a dropped pole, 34.5

    Alan with collie Ticket, super weaves, into the lead on 34.6 seconds clear

    Now Naarah with Lemon the collie, silver in the European competition, goes into first on 34.3 clear

    Mike with his 5-y-o sheepdog Falcon, dropped a pole, five faults, 34.4

    Bonny and 7-y-o collie Cly, fast round but hesitated at a jump, five faults
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,447
    Twickbait_55 said:

    OldKingCole said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
    No, 1979 wasn’t as bad. 2010 was. At least at Christmas 1996 we knew the election had to come by May and the Major government had form for a long campaign.
    IIRC 1964 seemed to be forever coming!
    "Just make it stop" is correct. The public have plainly had enough. May would make sense, hell, the government might even pick up a few extra votes out of gratitude! Autumn is likely though, probably October.
    I’m one of the 7%, although I’m not voting Conservative. I think Sunak will hold on to the last minute, but after his defeat he’ll be off to California.
    Unless Trump wins, when I think he’ll hold on for a few years.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 32,271
    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    Some tories must be yearing for the deathless oblivion of opposition. It must be enervating to keep up the pretence of enthusing about whatever the fuck this government is now.
    For the Tories, the next election will be a large dose of political Fentanyl

    If all goes well, they will come out of it with their pants round their knees, in a quivering semi-stupor, wandering in a daze down the centre of the road

    If they’re unlucky they go into a coma on the pavement and possibly die

    Either way, however, they will achieve that oblivion. A quietus. Which is some consolation
    I gave you a like for beautiful prose.

    I don't believe in giving up though, it's for wimps.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 6,772
    Hate to bring the conversation round to THE BREGGSIT but Tim Shipman's round up of likely Starmer steps towards further agreements with the EU in The Times is worth a read:

    https://archive.is/pR57i
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,593
    Ewan and Crazy the collie from Scotland, Second Last competitor, needs to push, clear and 35.3

    Last dog, Dalton and Eclipse the collie, hotly tipped, very fast, clear on 33.9 - WINS!
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Seattle Times - Seattle-born head of London’s ‘Wall Street’ seeks hometown business partners

    SSI - 'head of London's "Wall Street"' = Lord Mayor of London, Michael Mainelli

    From his wiki page:

    First elected Alderman for Broad Street Ward on the City of London Corporation in 2013,[32] Mainelli is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of World Traders (for 2017–18),[33] and an Honorary Liveryman of the Furniture Makers',[34] Water Conservators',[35] Marketors',[36] Tax Advisers',[37] Management Consultants',[38] Security Professionals',[39] Engineers',[40] Chartered Architects',[41] Playing Card Makers',[42] International Bankers',[43] and Scientific Instrument Makers' Companies,[44] an Honorary Freeman of the Educators' Company,[45] as well as a Craft-Owning Freeman of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen.[46]

    SSI - Must say that "Worshipful Company of World Traders" makes me wonder, just WHAT or WHO(M) are they worshiping?

    Moloch?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    Oh dear. This is…. quite something



  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    OldKingCole said:

    Twickbait_55 said:

    OldKingCole said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:

    So less than half of UK voters want a general election before the autumn when it will likely be

    Yet only 16% of all voters and only 25% of the dwindling band of Conservative voters want one in the autumn.

    Unsurprising the majority of opposition voters want to vote now but a third of Conservative voters want an election before the autumn as well.
    This government has reached the "Just make it stop" phase for a lot of people. We saw it (somewhat artificially) in 2019. I wonder if 1979 was similar? 1997 and 2010 weren't as bad as this. Brown and Major were both clearly dead, but their decomposing flesh wasn't quite stinking the place out.
    No, 1979 wasn’t as bad. 2010 was. At least at Christmas 1996 we knew the election had to come by May and the Major government had form for a long campaign.
    IIRC 1964 seemed to be forever coming!
    "Just make it stop" is correct. The public have plainly had enough. May would make sense, hell, the government might even pick up a few extra votes out of gratitude! Autumn is likely though, probably October.
    I’m one of the 7%, although I’m not voting Conservative. I think Sunak will hold on to the last minute, but after his defeat he’ll be off to California.
    Unless Trump wins, when I think he’ll hold on for a few years.
    California Dreaming - The Mamas and Papas
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aK6JnyFmk
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 32,186
    AI comes for the lawyers.

    You got legal trouble? Better call SauLM-7B
    Cooked in a math lab, here's an open source LLM that knows the law
    https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/09/better_call_saul_llm/
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 44,622
    edited March 2024
    Leon said:

    Oh dear. This is…. quite something



    Disgraceful.
    The 2015 ffs..
  • AlsoLeiAlsoLei Posts: 1,527
    Stuartinromford said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    I fear it's to get 200 unfortunates on a plane to Rwanda, just to show he can.

    Otherwise, to give the horse some more singing lessons.
    But a single flight isn't going to cut it. Not now, not after all this time - and especially not after committing so much money.

    £370m divided by 200 is an easy enough sum to do. Labour won't need to put the figure on a side of a bus - it's all the media will be talking about for weeks after the flight departs.

    Unless there's a steady stream of departures, the Rwanda scheme can only cause further harm to the Tories at this point.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 15,092
    Yay. One all to the Arsenal.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 25,567
    edited March 2024
    That final challenge by Doku on Mac Allister looked like a clear red card to me.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,966
    algarkirk said:

    Yay. One all to the Arsenal.

    Brilliant game.

    City vs Arsenal is now huge.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 56,075
    algarkirk said:

    Yay. One all to the Arsenal.

    That was some game.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 56,240
    edited March 2024
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Oh dear. This is…. quite something



    Disgraceful.
    The 2015 ffs..
    Actually, 2015 is a good year for St Emilion. I’d leave it a bit longer in the bottle, personally.

    Hmmmm

    A certain PB regular decried the suffering caused by the invasion of Ukraine. Apparently he was expecting the mood at his favourite hotel in Monaco to be bleak - since so many Good People had had their yachts seized.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Oh dear. This is…. quite something



    Disgraceful.
    The 2015 ffs..
    I can’t work out whether he’s being a provocative troll, or this is grossly insensitive drivel and he doesn’t realise

    I fear it might be the latter
  • Clutch_BromptonClutch_Brompton Posts: 763
    So they can 'own the libs' by delaying the GE until January. Is that what I'm hearing. Well that's fine if you don't have a problem with Ed Davey becoming Leader of the Opposition.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    FYI - PB appears to have gone wonky re: my humble pc. Just won't load, but other sites do.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    SeaShantyIrish2 said:

    FYI - PB appears to have gone wonky re: my humble pc. Just won't load, but other sites do.

    Yes. Same for me. Some annoying server problem I think
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 23,224
    Malmesbury said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    Leon said:

    Oh dear. This is…. quite something



    Disgraceful.
    The 2015 ffs..
    Actually, 2015 is a good year for St Emilion. I’d leave it a bit longer in the bottle, personally.

    Hmmmm

    A certain PB regular decried the suffering caused by the invasion of Ukraine. Apparently he was expecting the mood at his favourite hotel in Monaco to be bleak - since so many Good People had had their yachts seized.
    I for one do not have any difficulty in leaving wine in the bottle.
  • AverageNinjaAverageNinja Posts: 1,169
    Argylle must be the worst film I've ever seen other than The Room.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 6,772
    AlsoLei said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    I fear it's to get 200 unfortunates on a plane to Rwanda, just to show he can.

    Otherwise, to give the horse some more singing lessons.
    But a single flight isn't going to cut it. Not now, not after all this time - and especially not after committing so much money.

    £370m divided by 200 is an easy enough sum to do. Labour won't need to put the figure on a side of a bus - it's all the media will be talking about for weeks after the flight departs.

    Unless there's a steady stream of departures, the Rwanda scheme can only cause further harm to the Tories at this point.
    Do you think that people whose vote would be changed by one or more flights care about the cost? Bet they don't.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 19,340
    AlsoLei said:

    Stuartinromford said:

    Foxy said:

    Looking at that table, leaving it until late in the year is just going to annoy.

    What is the point of carrying on? What is it that Sunak actually wants to do with the time?

    I fear it's to get 200 unfortunates on a plane to Rwanda, just to show he can.

    Otherwise, to give the horse some more singing lessons.
    But a single flight isn't going to cut it. Not now, not after all this time - and especially not after committing so much money.

    £370m divided by 200 is an easy enough sum to do. Labour won't need to put the figure on a side of a bus - it's all the media will be talking about for weeks after the flight departs.

    Unless there's a steady stream of departures, the Rwanda scheme can only cause further harm to the Tories at this point.
    And that's the problem.

    Rwanda haven't signed up to take a steady stream (they're not idiots) and don't have the capacity to process them. So what happens on R-Day plus one?

    Rwanda only really works as a political talking point as long as it doesn't happen. Then it turns into an unpleasant impractical way to not solve problems. Reminds me of another cherished project of the Conservative right.

    (It would make calling the election very soon, while it's still up in the air, sensible. But given the insanity of the Rwanda (up is down) bill, sensible seems to gave gone out of the window a while back.)
  • TimSTimS Posts: 15,780
    Britain elects has just dropped a series of polls all at once, which is useful. Some have already been posted on here but I think most are pretty recent.

    LLG:RefCon scores:

    WeThink 58:37 (RefCon up 4)
    Opinium 58:36 (LLG up 1)
    BMG 57:38 (RefCon flat bit their best result)
    YouGov 63:33 (LLG up 3)
    Techne 61:30 (RefCon up 1)

    The difference between 63:33 and 57:38, assuming minor party squeeze, is the difference between a fairly small Labour majority and a wipeout.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 63,927
    THIS is an absolutely magnificent history book which I reckon many PBers will enjoy

    Bolívar by Marie Arana

    Obvs it’s the story of Simon Bolívar but it’s also the story of how independent South America was born. Absolutely incredible. Packed with juicy anecdotes, personal and geopolitical. It explains why this part of the world is as it is and how it could easily have been different

    Also, chauvinistically, I had no idea how important Britain was in this story. At one point Bolivar nearly established an independent United States of South America - from Panama to Peru - which would have been a protectorate of the British empire




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