Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and have a go bag packed.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
That's quite fair, coming from you. I won't take issue.
BTW, am I the only PBer who likes both Keir Starmer AND Owen Jones? I sense I might be.
Gosh I'm a free thinking, unpredictable unit.
You’re mad, aren’t you? Just MAD. A crazy fucker on life’s crystal meth, one minute playing golf, the next minute playing golf. Then - just three years later - you’re haring off to Bruges for a short city break or enjoying some foot-tapping live music in the open air terrace-bars of Lanzarote
The description ‘mad’ was one of the most over-used and seldom appropriate epithets in modern parlance, right up there with ‘nightmare’ and ‘ironic’. ‘You must meet my pal Mandy, she’s mad.’ ‘They’re all mad down our pub, so they are.’ ‘You should’ve been at Eileen’s party, it was mad.’ The most ordinary and dull people were awarded this status as a kind of personality compliment, usually on the basis of a truly minor quirkiness or in testament to some occasion of (usually drunken) shared hilarity. Everybody was ‘mad’. Friends were mad, family were mad, colleagues were mad, TV presenters were mad. Except that they weren’t. They were just people you found even slightly interesting.
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
That's quite fair, coming from you. I won't take issue.
BTW, am I the only PBer who likes both Keir Starmer AND Owen Jones? I sense I might be.
Gosh I'm a free thinking, unpredictable unit.
Nick Palmer could be another. I mean, he seems to like everyone.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
That's quite fair, coming from you. I won't take issue.
BTW, am I the only PBer who likes both Keir Starmer AND Owen Jones? I sense I might be.
Gosh I'm a free thinking, unpredictable unit.
Nick Palmer could be another. I mean, he seems to like everyone.
It was bad already, but in the last few months people suddenly seem willing to give Reform a shot.
That may be an illusion, and Reform do nowhere near as well in a GE, but it surely shows discontent and, critically, that scaring people about a Labour government probably won't work very well. Too many Tories themselves expect and are OK with losing right now.
At this point the Tories would take a 1997 result if it was offered. They genuinely could do much worse.
Looks increasingly like it will take a generation to recover from making Truss the PM.
According to austerity Reeves they will inherit the worst position since WW2
Remind me did the incoming Labour Government decide austerity was the answer, or the complete opposite
It didn't stop that government from creating the NHS and modern welfare state, nor rearing for the Cold War with an Atomic programme.
Considering the economic conditions the Attlee government was remarkeable.
And yet, for all that, the 1945 landslide melted away with remarkable speed.
If anyone knew a bit about the politics of how and why that happened it could make for an interesting thread header.
Labour made several key mistakes:
1) prioritised building factories over permanent replacement housing, leaving people living in essentially Nissen huts 2) Didn't relegate Shinwell and Bevan, who went round abusing potential voters as 'not worth two hoots or a Tinker's cuss' and 'lower than vermin' to Ambassadors to Outer Mongolia 3) Pushed austerity hard and cleverly linked it to paying for welfare programmes (although that was actually paid for by Marshall Aid) 4) Failed to bring through younger ministers so the cabinet looked like refugees from the 2024 Presidential election.
They also faced some severe headwinds:
5) Due to poor harvests, rationing actually got stricter, making people think Labour were the party of hunger and mismanagement 6) Nationalisation was highly bureaucratic and made it difficult to order necessities, never mind luxuries (for example, failing to order coal by specific dates meant you couldn't get any). 7) Inflation due to currency devaluation 9) On top of this, dealing with major conflicts in Malaya, Greece etc and finally in Korea.
But if I was to pick one thing that really cost Labour, it was that they stupidly - and in many cases actually spitefully - gave goodies to working class voters and launched financial and political attacks on everyone without releasing that under the FPTP system that they brought to its current state you can't win elections on solely working class votes. They're too concentrated in particular seats. You need to appeal to a wider spectrum.
In 1951 weren't more than 60% of voters working class, so not a daft strategy?
Also I think that 1951 was both the highest percentage share and highest number of votes ever for the Labour Party, but defeated because of the collapse of 3rd party votes (mostly Liberal). Labour won the popular vote over the Conservatives but lost seats under FPTP.
In retrospect Attlee had a majority, albeit slim and didn't need to call the election yet.
1) it's not the numbers, it's where they are. If 60% of working class voters tip under 50% of seats it's a stupid strategy to concentrate on them.
2) I was talking about 1950, which was actually the crucial election in overturning Labour's majority. The 1951 election was somewhat skewed by the reduction in Liberal candidates from 475 to 109 (because Lloyds refused to insure deposits after the debacle in 1950). 60% of former Liberal voters went Tory, which meant that even as the Labour share rose slightly they went backwards in key marginals.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
That's quite fair, coming from you. I won't take issue.
BTW, am I the only PBer who likes both Keir Starmer AND Owen Jones? I sense I might be.
Gosh I'm a free thinking, unpredictable unit.
Nick Palmer could be another. I mean, he seems to like everyone.
I’ve also been commissioned to go to Brittany France, Southern Italy, Moldova and Transdniester, all across Japan, around the western USA, and back here to Colombia to go to Mompox and follow the Rio Maddalena to the Andes
I probably need to do a spot of carbon offsetting, TBH
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
There seems to be an awful lot of ‘haw haw, who cares about little Owen and his membership card!’ It’s almost like…they care.
That is the conundrum with Owen Jones. An irrelevant extremist grifter yet at the same time threatening Labour's prospects with his tiresome dissent.
I'd rather he was in the party, trying to pull it towards socialism, and I hope the reasons he gives for leaving (red tories) are proved wrong. I don't like all of those 'full fat' leftist characters who gathered around Jez by any means, there's some horrors in there, but I do like him.
Dunno. I suspect:
Average voter won't notice
Some OJ haters will see it as a positive/reason to risk Labour (but most OJ haters are probably not Lab candidate voters anyway)
Some OJ fans will follow (but most of them probably not very enthusiastic about Starmer anyway)
It feels pretty marginal to me. What's his big demographic? Right-on Guardian readers - such as myself, but even I am not influenced by OJ, although I find him interesting? We're either going to dutifully hold our noses and vote Starmer, do it enthusiastically or waste our vote on the Lib Dems/Greens like usual. Students, still? Or is he too old for that now? But then, is there going to be a big student vote for Lab anyway? The lazy feckers () probably won't bother to vote and if they do it'll be Green or SWP anyway?
I agree, pretty marginal. Esp with the poll lead as it is. He's a leading voice of the modern urban left but I can't see his defection making much difference given he's been a full-on critic of SKS for ages now.
My theory is he felt guilty for wavering over Corbyn, at one point saying he should step down, so ever since that surprise 2017 GE showing he's been overcompensating slightly.
As I say, I think he's a good guy and a good pundit. Plenty of excellent output over the years, imo easily outweighing the piss-poor stuff, best example of the latter probably being his "Why Russell Brand Matters" article.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
I’ve also been commissioned to go to Brittany France, Southern Italy, Moldova and Transdniester, all across Japan, around the western USA, and back here to Colombia to go to Mompox and follow the Rio Maddalena to the Andes
I probably need to do a spot of carbon offsetting, TBH
Plant a tree or two. It worked for Prince Harry when he flew on Elton John's private jet to visit him (before Harry became a Z-Lister who attracts little interest and they fell out).
It's a tool to enable the wealthy to continue to pollute and salve their conscience.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
Despite being pretty pro-environment, the Greens are the only party I would never vote for.
If I was going to vote I would possibly vote for them at a local level, but never nationally.
Local for the Greens = Al Shifa Hospital.
It's moot anyway. They don't stand in my ward. Former pit villages are not really fertile territory for the lentil munching car haters.
Had to google Al Shifa Hospital. Came up as "Permanently Closed" on the search which made it sound rather like a failed bistro or failed craft beer bar that tried selling piss at £10 a pint, rather than the site of potential war crimes.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
I entirely understand the position. So vote to smash the current Tory party to dust and get a proper one reborn to replace it.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
That's quite fair, coming from you. I won't take issue.
BTW, am I the only PBer who likes both Keir Starmer AND Owen Jones? I sense I might be.
Gosh I'm a free thinking, unpredictable unit.
You’re mad, aren’t you? Just MAD. A crazy fucker on life’s crystal meth, one minute playing golf, the next minute playing golf. Then - just three years later - you’re haring off to Bruges for a short city break or enjoying some foot-tapping live music in the open air terrace-bars of Lanzarote
Yep. You don't have to be crazee to be me but it helps.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
There's no point to any political party.
Join me in the "Don't Vote for Any" Party. Onwards with our refusal to partake in this charade. Don't legitimise the illegitimate.
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
This will be framed as the government "stealing from my pension pot".
After the boomer reaction to the NICs cut, Hunt will have to compensate the WASPIs as quickly and loudly as possible.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
There's no point to any political party.
As I said yesterday, eventually we will hand governance and policy making to A.I., and they will do it better, because they can extrapolate outcomes a million times better, further, faster. Speed the day
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Has a passing resemblance to the rice paddies of Banaue. Now there's a trip. If done at Easter (get your skates on) you can also see the flagellations all over the Philippines at the time.
Despite being pretty pro-environment, the Greens are the only party I would never vote for.
If I was going to vote I would possibly vote for them at a local level, but never nationally.
Local for the Greens = Al Shifa Hospital.
It's moot anyway. They don't stand in my ward. Former pit villages are not really fertile territory for the lentil munching car haters.
Had to google Al Shifa Hospital. Came up as "Permanently Closed" on the search which made it sound rather like a failed bistro or failed craft beer bar that tried selling piss at £10 a pint, rather than the site of potential war crimes.
Yes I know - they will just need to confirm what appears to be strong evidence that Hamas based themselves (and their hostages) there and they can prosecute.
I’ve also been commissioned to go to Brittany France, Southern Italy, Moldova and Transdniester, all across Japan, around the western USA, and back here to Colombia to go to Mompox and follow the Rio Maddalena to the Andes
I probably need to do a spot of carbon offsetting, TBH
If this is as a journalist who is commissioning all these pieces? Or are you preparing the ground/gathering info for Mi6. You did mention knowing a few patriotic types within the deep state.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
There seems to be an awful lot of ‘haw haw, who cares about little Owen and his membership card!’ It’s almost like…they care.
That is the conundrum with Owen Jones. An irrelevant extremist grifter yet at the same time threatening Labour's prospects with his tiresome dissent.
I'd rather he was in the party, trying to pull it towards socialism, and I hope the reasons he gives for leaving (red tories) are proved wrong. I don't like all of those 'full fat' leftist characters who gathered around Jez by any means, there's some horrors in there, but I do like him.
Dunno. I suspect:
Average voter won't notice
Some OJ haters will see it as a positive/reason to risk Labour (but most OJ haters are probably not Lab candidate voters anyway)
Some OJ fans will follow (but most of them probably not very enthusiastic about Starmer anyway)
It feels pretty marginal to me. What's his big demographic? Right-on Guardian readers - such as myself, but even I am not influenced by OJ, although I find him interesting? We're either going to dutifully hold our noses and vote Starmer, do it enthusiastically or waste our vote on the Lib Dems/Greens like usual. Students, still? Or is he too old for that now? But then, is there going to be a big student vote for Lab anyway? The lazy feckers () probably won't bother to vote and if they do it'll be Green or SWP anyway?
I agree, pretty marginal. Esp with the poll lead as it is. He's a leading voice of the modern urban left but I can't see his defection making much difference given he's been a full-on critic of SKS for ages now.
My theory is he felt guilty for wavering over Corbyn, at one point saying he should step down, so ever since that surprise 2017 GE showing he's been overcompensating slightly.
As I say, I think he's a good guy and a good pundit. Plenty of excellent output over the years, imo easily outweighing the piss-poor stuff, best example of the latter probably being his "Why Russell Brand Matters" article.
I’m not a great fan of OJ but I’ve got some sympathy with the views in the article. What does Starmer, and today’s Labour Party stand for? Why is Diane Abbot still excluded? What about the children of three and four child families? Student loans? I could go on, as Jones does, but I’m not (now) a member of any political party, so I’m not as committed to any of them as he is, or maybe was. I just know I’m not going to vote for the Conservatives.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
Yes that’s fair
Having just praised Jones - as a journalist (and he is good) - there are definitely questions about his alleged antisemitism and bullying. AIUI two or three gender critical female writers have quit the Guardian because of trans-rights bullying - and he is implicated. Not good
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
Actually in the worst case they had five years notice they would have to work three years longer. This was challenged and significant changes were made. In the end they got no notice at all they would have to work 18 months longer.
I think WASPI women have a good claim even if they massively overstated it. A pension is never completely guaranteed but it is a promise you shouldn't break lightly. When you do, you need to act equitably and with plenty of notice, which didn't happen on the second change to retirement age at 67.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
This will be framed as the government "stealing from my pension pot".
After the boomer reaction to the NICs cut, Hunt will have to compensate the WASPIs as quickly and loudly as possible.
They can frame it how they like. I cannot see them gaining anything in the short term. The DWP has already said it needs time to look at it and consider the reply.
I think some woolly statement in the manifesto is what they will get from either Party. Corbyn's Labour in 2019, not averse to spending our cash, offered full restitution. They won't get that.
They are not victims. This really is a pyrrhic victory. I will enjoy social media tonight and the reactions. All those mugs who were led to believe full restitution was possible throwing money into legal actions that went nowhere may get a grand or two. Delicious.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
At one time I thought that a remote possibility, but having seen Boris backing Trump: there's probably no manoeuvre - no matter how foolish and short term - that he won't try out as a first step to realizing greater ambitions.
I’ve also been commissioned to go to Brittany France, Southern Italy, Moldova and Transdniester, all across Japan, around the western USA, and back here to Colombia to go to Mompox and follow the Rio Maddalena to the Andes
I probably need to do a spot of carbon offsetting, TBH
If this is as a journalist who is commissioning all these pieces? Or are you preparing the ground/gathering info for Mi6. You did mention knowing a few patriotic types within the deep state.
Mix of everything, plus some flint work. Foreign basalt sex toy makers fly me in as a consultant. Surprisingly lucrative
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I think his earnestness winds people up. Obviously a bit of controversy is not unhelpful for an activist who wants to raise awareness of certain things.
Aside from Iraq (rather a large aside) - I always felt he was quite positive about New Labour and its achievements... certainly more so than others I would consider hard left.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
Yes that’s fair
Having just praised Jones - as a journalist (and he is good) - there are definitely questions about his alleged antisemitism and bullying. AIUI two or three gender critical female writers have quit the Guardian because of trans-rights bullying - and he is implicated. Not good
Dunno if he is personally implicated, I thought he just had a strong view in writing on it and that is all, but Suzanne Moore and Hadley Freeman certainly moved on due to the issue.
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
Actually in the worst case they had five years notice they would have to work three years longer. This was challenged and significant changes were made. In the end they got no notice at all they would have to work 18 months longer.
I think WASPI women have a good claim even if they massively overstated it. A pension is never completely guaranteed but it is a promise you shouldn't break lightly. When you do, you need to act equitably and with plenty of notice, which didn't happen on the second change to retirement age at 67.
As Steve Webb has just said on the radio, it would be odd for parliament to ignore entirely its ombudsman who has spent so long poring over the detail, and especially in an election year. He reckons there’ll be some quick and dirty modest level of compensation hoping to make the issue go away.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
Yes that’s fair
Having just praised Jones - as a journalist (and he is good) - there are definitely questions about his alleged antisemitism and bullying. AIUI two or three gender critical female writers have quit the Guardian because of trans-rights bullying - and he is implicated. Not good
Dunno if he is personally implicated, I thought he just had a strong view in writing on it and that is all, but Suzanne Moore and Hadley Freeman certainly moved on due to the issue.
The way Moore and Freeman phrased their accounts seemed - to me - to point directly at Jones. I can’t think of anyone else on the Guardian with his high profile and social media clout who is so vocal on Trans
Unless Adrian Chiles has stopped writing about his favourite milk cartons and has developed a sudden nasty side
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
There's no point to any political party.
As I said yesterday, eventually we will hand governance and policy making to A.I., and they will do it better, because they can extrapolate outcomes a million times better, further, faster. Speed the day
Isn't Rishi the closest we've had to an AI Prime minister? He doesn't seem to be a great advert for it. Even I'm losing faith in him after the whole Hester business.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
What a badly written piece, full of falsehoods and unchallenged nonsense.
And what, pray, is the Trusty Savings Bank?
Assume they mean the Trustee Savings Bank.
How far our local press have fallen.
Presumably they spoke 'Trustee' into some sort of voice-recognition software.
Over the past three or so years I’ve had to use voice recognition software and it can be very frustrating. One thing I’ve noted is that, apparently, I pronounce the word ‘two’ as ‘true’. Although my wife says I don’t!
Farage seems to want to go back to the Tory party of Michael Howard. Tough, no nonsense on crime and immigration and an economic message for those near the top of the income distribution. Bozo the clown is more redistributionist, levelling up etc but secretly quite likes migration. Neither really reflects the disaffected.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
Yes that’s fair
Having just praised Jones - as a journalist (and he is good) - there are definitely questions about his alleged antisemitism and bullying. AIUI two or three gender critical female writers have quit the Guardian because of trans-rights bullying - and he is implicated. Not good
Dunno if he is personally implicated, I thought he just had a strong view in writing on it and that is all, but Suzanne Moore and Hadley Freeman certainly moved on due to the issue.
The way Moore and Freeman phrased their accounts seemed - to me - to point directly at Jones. I can’t think of anyone else on the Guardian with his high profile and social media clout who is so vocal on Trans
Unless Adrian Chiles has stopped writing about his favourite milk cartons and has developed a sudden nasty side
You may well be right, I didn't really see their accounts in any detail. Just that they had moved on and the trans issue was at the heart of it.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
All are welcome at the party for the demise of the Tories, and I wouldn't want you to miss out.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
I simply do not recognize this from what I've seen of his output (which is quite a lot).
Eg on antisemitism, to my eyes he's been one of the best as regards the people associated with Corbyn. There's a line to be walked, recognizing there is a real problem with it on parts of the left whilst at the same time combatting how it was exaggerated and weaponized by people with an agenda not of fighting anti-jewish prejudice but of promoting prejudice against the left, and he walked that line admirably. Many didn't but he did.
Misogynist and a bully? I don't think so. His style is hard-hitting but he doesn't particularly target women or the vulnerable. Of course, social media being what it is, some of his 'followers' might sometimes do this. I don't know. I don't follow his followers.
Bitter? Again, I don't see it. He's doing ok in his chosen field. Doesn't come over to me as massively angry or frustrated. His style hasn't changed that much. Motormouth, assertive, but not obnoxious. And an absolute angel and a gentleman and a scholar compared to many others on the hard left and to literally everyone on the hard right.
At one time I thought that a remote possibility, but having seen Boris backing Trump: there's probably no manoeuvre - no matter how foolish and short term - that he won't try out as a first step to realizing greater ambitions.
@NickPalmer shares a local pub with Bozza: The Red Lion in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. Maybe he could ask him over a jar or two?
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
As an aside, this should remind those who would abolish NICs or roll NI up into income tax that there is still a link between NICs and pensions that will need to be broken.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate him go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
I admire Jones professionally - he’s a good writer, he’s sharp and plausible on TV - I’ve seen him get the better of Andrew Neil, no easy thing
I detest his politics obvs but then I detest ALL left wing politics so it makes no difference; indeed I sometimes prefer the honest hardcore socialism to the mimsy Woke social democratic pap - the stuff that we will get from Starmer
And sometimes he makes really good points that others won’t out of cowardice or careerism. He’s like a left wing version of Douglas Murray
Have 15m of Owen Jones talking to Dan Hannan about the b-word a few years ago.
Actually an intelligent conversation, with good points from both of them. I’d much rather see this sort of political discourse, than people screaming past each other on Twitter all day, or on a three-minute news slot.
Having taken ayahuasca twice (and for other reasons) I am utterly convinced there is a much much deeper layer of reality; where consciousness entwines with the universe in some kind of divinely glittering double helix. A descending baroque staircase of beauty and meaning, made of the diamonds of time
Do I “know” this? Not in any scientific way. Do I believe this? No, it is more than “belief”
So what is the word? There isn’t one. But I have seen this and it is the case
It’s the same argument I had with my philosophy tutor at university. He was also the college chaplain and we were arguing about whether there are any good arguments for the existence of god.
He eventually relented that my agnosticism was rationally correct, but trumped it by saying ‘but I have had a direct revelation in which I talked to God.’
Do I believe he has talked to God? No. Otherwise I’d share his faith. But do I believe he believes wholeheartedly that he has spoken directly to his god? Yes.
The much more interesting question in my mind is whether we can trust our own certainties, be that under the influence of ayahuasca or having perceived a direct conversation with a god.
I’m minded not to trust my own certainties, but I would probably feel differently had I taken ayahuasca or had a religious revelation.
Religious revelation is an extraordinarily powerful phenomenon. The whole world changes.
God doesn't need intoxicants to be perceived though, it is our own minds that put up the barriers to revelation, so it does take a bit of discipline and exercise to overcome these.
I accept the intoxication is more extreme in the case of ayahuasca, but what is collective worship if not a form of mental intoxication?
I get the same dancing to techno music - with or without mdma it has at times been an almost religious experience.
Music, movement and collective action are common to many mystical experiences, but it isn't just about enjoying it while it lasts, it is about a transformation where nothing is the same again.
But do most religious people experience it? Is it a requirement for salvation? Can one grow faith gently and slowly, without a transformative moment or threshold crossed?
I don't really discuss my faith here but to answer you as well as I can mine grew slowly, I didnt really have the transformative moment till long after I believed and there is no salvation.
That's interesting, thank-you. My late night thoughts.
I'd suggest both are usual, and that some have a big conversion, some a less sudden conversion, and all slow change that is not noticed until much (possibly many years or decades) later. There's also a concept around depth of conversion - in the capitalist West a provocative question is "has your wallet / bank account been converted?"
It's also as much about human psychology as it is about 'how God acts', and in Anglicanism (for example) there is room for a faith from full blown "God acts now" to "God as a mental construct through which to view life" and everything in between, combined with one of the best musical traditions in the world and 11,000 huge listed buildings.
There are also elements of big conversions or sudden impulses needing follow-up to sustain, and socialisation, because if we have a changed worldview we need to explore what it means and and think about it, and the implications. One relevant Gospel question might the young man who asked "What then must I do?".
Follow-up perhaps started being an emphasis as far back as Mission England back in 1984. There was a strong emphasis on "bring your friends to hear".
You can see follow-ons from that emphasis in process evangelism, setting the conversation in a social context facilitating consideration and allowing for conversion. Alpha is one example.
It's a pattern explored by even the British Humanist Association. And is not dissimilar amongst British who convert to Islam - an enquirer enquires, then converts by repeating the Shahada, then explores their new faith in a new social setting.
As one example, I had (now dead) older friend who was a confirmed atheist, who had a moment of conversion one day when he had agreed to accompany his wife to church. He came to some sort of realisation between starting to kneel down on the hassock, and actually getting there - his account. He then became a notably analytical evangelical for the next 30 years.
Yes, conversion is like bankruptcy, it happens slowly then suddenly!
Great Post.
My conversion - in the other direction - happened quite slowly and gently. I was a fairly secure believer as a youngster, got confirmed, went to bible study lessons etc. Sang in a cathedral choir and loved the aesthetics of the whole thing, the smells, the wonderful music, the emptiness of the dark cathedral on a weekday evensong in January.
But I don’t think I have the God gene. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe what seemed obviously ludicrous biblical stories, but without the “spiritual” instinct (or ayahuasca) pushing me to some other religion I just gradually dropped the belief, without any moral falling out with the organised religion itself. I’d still describe myself as an Anglican, just one who doesn’t believe in God.
The brain is a wonderful thing but it’s ultimately just a big algorithm. One reason I’m a believer when it comes to AI. Give it time and it will replicate large swathes of the human brain and experience.
There was an explosion of interesting discussion here last night.
I just wanted to respond to this bit - "The brain is a wonderful thing but it’s ultimately just a big algorithm".
Thank Goddess for the mind then! :-)
But I respect the way you are couching your materialist take in religious terms, when you say "I'm a believer".
With my own take where belief is concerned I would go as far as saying "I believe in God", just because - here regarding the phrase "believe in" - you cannot fight on the meaning of words the whole time, but I do not follow any religion so I am not "a believer". Following a religion would be far too submissive an approach for my taste. The supposed wisdom "If you want to make your own suit, you had better be a damned good tailor" can be misleading and hold people back with its reductionist dualism.
The prospect of list-of-instruction-ism mounting an assault in the astral is super-scary but perhaps that's where the front line will be.
@Pagan2 - "If you're not in doubt, make sure you get in doubt". Indeed. And in the kind of doubt where you are pushing or digging at the edge. This is absolutely the right approach. See the parable of the hunchback and the soldier.
Can I just say thanks to the PBer who pointed me to the Edenic Okanagan valley, in British Colombia, with its wineries, orchards, art galleries, and sunny microclimate
It triggered my curiosity so I did a bit of research… and now the Gazette is sending me there in the summer
Sweet. Gracias 👍🥂😎🍷
Pay attention to the news, keep your fuel tank full, know your escape routes and a go bag packed.
Was it you that mentioned it? If so, sincere thanks
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
Oh no, wasn't me, but I wouldn't want you burnt to a crisp before you have the chance to experience the reckoning coming for the Tories.
But I HATE the Tories now. 14 years of abject mediocrity in most departments, total failure to combat Wokeness, economic ineptitude and Covid flailing, and now 1.4 million migrants in two years
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
There's no point to any political party.
As I said yesterday, eventually we will hand governance and policy making to A.I., and they will do it better, because they can extrapolate outcomes a million times better, further, faster. Speed the day
Isn't Rishi the closest we've had to an AI Prime minister? He doesn't seem to be a great advert for it. Even I'm losing faith in him after the whole Hester business.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
I simply do not recognize this from what I've seen of his output (which is quite a lot).
Eg on antisemitism, to my eyes he's been one of the best as regards the people associated with Corbyn. There's a line to be walked, recognizing there is a real problem with it on parts of the left whilst at the same time combatting how it was exaggerated and weaponized by people with an agenda not of fighting anti-jewish prejudice but of promoting prejudice against the left, and he walked that line admirably. Many didn't but he did.
Misogynist and a bully? I don't think so. His style is hard-hitting but he doesn't particularly target women or the vulnerable. Of course, social media being what it is, some of his 'followers' might sometimes do this. I don't know. I don't follow his followers.
Bitter? Again, I don't see it. He's doing ok in his chosen field. Doesn't come over to me as massively angry or frustrated. His style hasn't changed that much. Motormouth, assertive, but not obnoxious. And an absolute angel and a gentleman and a scholar compared to many others on the hard left and to literally everyone on the hard right.
My son is a huge fan of OJ. I will have to persuade him not to follow him and end up voting Green. Regardless of OJ's virtues (and I'm not against him, though not as pro as you), I reckon it's pretty shoddy of him at this stage to leave Labour so publicly rather than fight within the party for what he believes. It won't have much impact, but socialists should be entirely focused just on getting the Tories out this year. Anything that distracts from that is poor.
Ideological battles within the left should be postponed until after the GE, I think. I'm disappointed with Owen.
Many would like to see interest rates cut. However we are in a period where wages are going up faster than house prices. This is exactly what is needed. Possibly some signs of growing business investment too. The danger has to be that once interest rates start coming down the property bubble will reflate, absorbing all our financial resources because everyone knows there will always be a supply shortage and it's the safest investment you can make.
If there is one thing I'd like Starmer to talk about it is the property price to earnings ratio. The problem is that under Tony Blair it went to a level not seen since the Victorian age.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
I simply do not recognize this from what I've seen of his output (which is quite a lot).
Eg on antisemitism, to my eyes he's been one of the best as regards the people associated with Corbyn. There's a line to be walked, recognizing there is a real problem with it on parts of the left whilst at the same time combatting how it was exaggerated and weaponized by people with an agenda not of fighting anti-jewish prejudice but of promoting prejudice against the left, and he walked that line admirably. Many didn't but he did.
Misogynist and a bully? I don't think so. His style is hard-hitting but he doesn't particularly target women or the vulnerable. Of course, social media being what it is, some of his 'followers' might sometimes do this. I don't know. I don't follow his followers.
Bitter? Again, I don't see it. He's doing ok in his chosen field. Doesn't come over to me as massively angry or frustrated. His style hasn't changed that much. Motormouth, assertive, but not obnoxious. And an absolute angel and a gentleman and a scholar compared to many others on the hard left and to literally everyone on the hard right.
My son is a huge fan of OJ. I will have to persuade him not to follow him and end up voting Green. Regardless of OJ's virtues (and I'm not against him, though not as pro as you), I reckon it's pretty shoddy of him at this stage to leave Labour so publicly rather than fight within the party for what he believes. It won't have much impact, but socialists should be entirely focused just on getting the Tories out this year. Anything that distracts from that is poor.
Ideological battles within the left should be postponed until after the GE, I think. I'm disappointed with Owen.
Yes, I agree. Stayed under Blair despite Iraq yet can't tolerate SKS before he's had a single day in government and before even the manifesto and GE campaign? Doesn't scan.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
These will be the WASPI women then. Turns out they were right after all.
ETA scooped by Theuniondivvie!
Not really. They are never going to get back to 60 which was the demand of them to start with and claiming sex discrimination. Most recently the demand was £10K.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
Actually in the worst case they had five years notice they would have to work three years longer. This was challenged and significant changes were made. In the end they got no notice at all they would have to work 18 months longer.
I think WASPI women have a good claim even if they massively overstated it. A pension is never completely guaranteed but it is a promise you shouldn't break lightly. When you do, you need to act equitably and with plenty of notice, which didn't happen on the second change to retirement age at 67.
As Steve Webb has just said on the radio, it would be odd for parliament to ignore entirely its ombudsman who has spent so long poring over the detail, and especially in an election year. He reckons there’ll be some quick and dirty modest level of compensation hoping to make the issue go away.
The trouble is that it's probable that a pretty small proportion of those affected were very badly impacted, while quite a big proportion weren't affected at all.
The latter group have been vocal in this because they believe their pension age shouldn't have been changed at all. Fine - but that emphatically is not what this is about. The issue is where people did something materially different to what they would have done had they known.
The problem is that it is very hard to distinguish between those who lost out and those who didn't. It'll probably end up with a lot of people getting a small windfall over a "loss" they didn't actually suffer, and a few getting inadequately compensated for a significant loss.
In light of the Owen news it's interesting that long standing Labour leftie Paul Mason has been on a different journey. Here he is full throated behind the current leadership:
"Labour's @RachelReevesMP spells out her vision for workers rights, at the heart of a state-directed green growth strategy. Never been a better time to join Labour. ✊ My five takeaways from the Mais Lecture..."
What a badly written piece, full of falsehoods and unchallenged nonsense.
And what, pray, is the Trusty Savings Bank?
Assume they mean the Trustee Savings Bank.
How far our local press have fallen.
I’m intrigued. Which ‘falsehoods’ and ‘badly written nonsense’ did you see?
Falsehoods
Trusty Savings Bank. Doesn't exist.
"My business uses bank transfer or cash as I can't afford a card machine as a small business".
It's cheaper to use SumUp than cash, by an absolute mile. That's one reason why so many businesses are going cashless – it's much cheaper than handling cash.
Unchallenged nonsense
"People still have them because they don't want to be paid through their bank so they use the Post Office."
Why? It's pointlessly laborious for people do that. Just get it put straight into your account.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
There seems to be an awful lot of ‘haw haw, who cares about little Owen and his membership card!’ It’s almost like…they care.
That is the conundrum with Owen Jones. An irrelevant extremist grifter yet at the same time threatening Labour's prospects with his tiresome dissent.
I'd rather he was in the party, trying to pull it towards socialism, and I hope the reasons he gives for leaving (red tories) are proved wrong. I don't like all of those 'full fat' leftist characters who gathered around Jez by any means, there's some horrors in there, but I do like him.
Dunno. I suspect:
Average voter won't notice
Some OJ haters will see it as a positive/reason to risk Labour (but most OJ haters are probably not Lab candidate voters anyway)
Some OJ fans will follow (but most of them probably not very enthusiastic about Starmer anyway)
It feels pretty marginal to me. What's his big demographic? Right-on Guardian readers - such as myself, but even I am not influenced by OJ, although I find him interesting? We're either going to dutifully hold our noses and vote Starmer, do it enthusiastically or waste our vote on the Lib Dems/Greens like usual. Students, still? Or is he too old for that now? But then, is there going to be a big student vote for Lab anyway? The lazy feckers () probably won't bother to vote and if they do it'll be Green or SWP anyway?
I agree, pretty marginal. Esp with the poll lead as it is. He's a leading voice of the modern urban left but I can't see his defection making much difference given he's been a full-on critic of SKS for ages now.
My theory is he felt guilty for wavering over Corbyn, at one point saying he should step down, so ever since that surprise 2017 GE showing he's been overcompensating slightly.
As I say, I think he's a good guy and a good pundit. Plenty of excellent output over the years, imo easily outweighing the piss-poor stuff, best example of the latter probably being his "Why Russell Brand Matters" article.
I’m not a great fan of OJ but I’ve got some sympathy with the views in the article. What does Starmer, and today’s Labour Party stand for? Why is Diane Abbot still excluded? What about the children of three and four child families? Student loans? I could go on, as Jones does, but I’m not (now) a member of any political party, so I’m not as committed to any of them as he is, or maybe was. I just know I’m not going to vote for the Conservatives.
Yes, he does an effective critique of Starmer's Labour from the left. I'd like him to continue that from within the party rather than (as now) actively working to reduce its vote. But, you know, up to him. Hopefully his (and your) 'red tory' fears will be proved wrong.
Oh No, bad news for SKS. Owen Jones has quit Labour after 24 years.
expect a polling slump.
I like and rate OJ and I'm sorry to hear this. IMO he should have waited to see what Labour do in government. If he's right that in office they end up changing nothing of substance in favour of working people, and worse not even trying, I'll be quitting the party too (far more serious for SKS than Owen leaving) but there's no way I'm going to pretend there's enough evidence to conclude that now. I'll leave this spooky 'crystal balling' to his sour grapes critics of left and right - most of whom are pissed off purely because he's winning.
Surely no one can rate Jones these days? He's really gone off the end of the pier. Last seen questioning if Hamas were rapists as he didn't actually get to see the gory act. He revealed who he was back in 2018 when his defence of laying a wreath for brutal terrorists was that 'no one was killed' by it. That's not to mention his attitude towards women who disagree with him. A textbook misogynist. Labour is so much better off without someone whose morals long ago went into the toilet due to twisted ideological obsessions.
If Owen's leaving, it's a sign Labour is doing something right and isn't as tolerant of the despicable, genuinely troubling side of the far left that Jones has long been a cheerleader for.
I've followed his output for a long time (books, press, internet, tv) and found it (still do) principled, intelligent and well-expressed. Not all of it but mostly. I think it's mainly his effectiveness as a polemicist, and his uppity urban way of speaking, that irritates people who don't share his (admittedly quite hard left) politics.
I also find that lots of those who hate Jones go by things that others who hate him say about him rather than by the source material of what he's actually said and written. The risible misogyny charge is a prime example.
What really changed my view of Jones from someone who at one time admired him, and thought his heart was in the right place even when I disagreed, was his behaviour on antisemitism. Obviously there were and are disagreements on the left about the issue, but I found Jones' behaviour dishonest to the point it was no accident or a good faith disagreement. You simply could not defend the things he defended and pose as someone interested in "fighting antisemitism" - especially when he'd go out of his way to shout down those who were making objections as not doing so in good faith.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
I simply do not recognize this from what I've seen of his output (which is quite a lot).
Eg on antisemitism, to my eyes he's been one of the best as regards the people associated with Corbyn. There's a line to be walked, recognizing there is a real problem with it on parts of the left whilst at the same time combatting how it was exaggerated and weaponized by people with an agenda not of fighting anti-jewish prejudice but of promoting prejudice against the left, and he walked that line admirably. Many didn't but he did.
Misogynist and a bully? I don't think so. His style is hard-hitting but he doesn't particularly target women or the vulnerable. Of course, social media being what it is, some of his 'followers' might sometimes do this. I don't know. I don't follow his followers.
Bitter? Again, I don't see it. He's doing ok in his chosen field. Doesn't come over to me as massively angry or frustrated. His style hasn't changed that much. Motormouth, assertive, but not obnoxious. And an absolute angel and a gentleman and a scholar compared to many others on the hard left and to literally everyone on the hard right.
My son is a huge fan of OJ. I will have to persuade him not to follow him and end up voting Green. Regardless of OJ's virtues (and I'm not against him, though not as pro as you), I reckon it's pretty shoddy of him at this stage to leave Labour so publicly rather than fight within the party for what he believes. It won't have much impact, but socialists should be entirely focused just on getting the Tories out this year. Anything that distracts from that is poor.
Ideological battles within the left should be postponed until after the GE, I think. I'm disappointed with Owen.
He’s also made a silly error - professionally
Labour is about to take power with a big majority. He could and should have stayed in the party to be an influential voice from the Left, steering things somewhat, even if he didn’t get most of what he wanted
Now he will be dismissed as some frivolous turncoat who ran off to another party at the crucial moment, and his views will be ignored. I imagine the Guardian is quite annoyed
i am reminded of Matthew Parris, who was driven so insane by Brexit he quit the Tories and joined the Lib Dems, and lost any of the influence he had over Tory politics, when he was before a respected figure with a definite Tory following
🔵 Penny Mordaunt failed to praise Rishi Sunak when challenged to confirm her support for the Prime Minister today amid speculation about a plot to oust him
🔵 Penny Mordaunt failed to praise Rishi Sunak when challenged to confirm her support for the Prime Minister today amid speculation about a plot to oust him
He has only a few hours left to call the palace...
There's a lot of discussion on PB.com about when Sunak will hold the election, and whether he'll be given the heave by his MPs before then. These are the two greatest unknowns in British politics this year.
The third should get more attention. When, if at all, will Farage take up the mantle of leader of Reform?
It will make a massive difference to the votes they receive at the GE. They surely would have done a lot better in recent by-elections if they'd had Farage as party leader campaigning for their candidates.
He's never going to be appointed to the instructing staff of the 77th Brigade.
I’m enjoying this insane but flattering discourse. Do continue
That link reminds me that I miss @MonikerDiCanio - he was fun
“The French are a mix of Celt, Teuton, and Latin. They've inherited every deplorable trait of those peoples while the virtues have vanished. They're a dysgenic disaster.”
Comments
Do I vote Labour to infuriate @bigjohnowls?
Or Conservative to send @Luckyguy1983 into apoplexy?
Or libdem to annoy @Pagan2
Choices, choices, choices
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/21/trump-biden-polling-lead-problems-00148131
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-evacuations-latest-aug-22-2023-1.6943320
BoE way behind the curve. As per usual under Bailey.
US on brink of recession.
This had been in the offing since the nineties. So how any women can claim they didn't know is beyond belief.
The only failing in maladministration was the last change to the date not the previous ones.
The report suggests - from sample cases it has seen - that compensation could be between £1,000 and £2,950.
I hope the years of frothing on facebook about it and paying for crowdfunded legal fees are worth it. The govt does not have to do it and won't this side of an election.
Choices, choices.
It looks absolutely stunning. My editor said YES instantly
2) I was talking about 1950, which was actually the crucial election in overturning Labour's majority. The 1951 election was somewhat skewed by the reduction in Liberal candidates from 475 to 109 (because Lloyds refused to insure deposits after the debacle in 1950). 60% of former Liberal voters went Tory, which meant that even as the Labour share rose slightly they went backwards in key marginals.
I probably need to do a spot of carbon offsetting, TBH
https://twitter.com/abel_prize/status/1770406243355517056
@RJPartington
UK government borrows more in February than forecast with highest debt since 1960s
My theory is he felt guilty for wavering over Corbyn, at one point saying he should step down, so ever since that surprise 2017 GE showing he's been overcompensating slightly.
As I say, I think he's a good guy and a good pundit. Plenty of excellent output over the years, imo easily outweighing the piss-poor stuff, best example of the latter probably being his "Why Russell Brand Matters" article.
What are they FOR? What’s the point of them? I really don’t know. If they go extinct I will laugh with pleasure, you won’t find me greeting at their demise
The country needs a proper right wing party with backbone, nous, and intellectual self confidence. The Tories are simply in the way, now
It's a tool to enable the wealthy to continue to pollute and salve their conscience.
Had to google Al Shifa Hospital. Came up as "Permanently Closed" on the search which made it sound rather like a failed bistro or failed craft beer bar that tried selling piss at £10 a pint, rather than the site of potential war crimes.
When did I last raise the issue? (TLDR: months ago).
If he backs them, and they flounder, then he is a busted flush.
On the other hand, if he backs them and they do well (say, 15% and half a dozen seats) then he's back in business.
After the boomer reaction to the NICs cut, Hunt will have to compensate the WASPIs as quickly and loudly as possible.
He's also earned a well-founded reputation as an online bully who'll find accounts who say things that are less than complimentary about him or the left, and flag them up to followers to abuse. He knows this happened and people pointed out to him and carries on doing it. Most recently doing so with someone who has a relative being held hostage by Hamas. Numerous women have complained about his behaviour too. If he had decency he'd have long ago realised the unpleasant impacts of his actions and apologised for and changed that, even while defending his underlying views.
There's a parallel perhaps with the Tory right - in that he got everything that in theory he wanted (the left in charge of Labour in his case), and it's driven him a bit mad and into a toxic rabbit hole when the land of milk, honey and electoral success did not arrive and people pointed out their objections to the more sinister or destructive attitudes there.
It's in some ways got a Greek tragedy about it. He's someone that could have been an interesting force for good - even if you disagree with him often. But his ego and self-righteousness are so huge that he's essentially destroyed the credibility he once had as a critical voice from the left. He is now just a bitter individual who can't handle his own spiral towards mainstream irrelevance, towards a GB News grifter type figure with a hyper-engaged online audience that gives a degree of power within a certain social media ecosystem, but is radioactive outside that and destructive to the causes it claims to want to champion. The sad thing is he'll likely get worse as that section of the left comes more to resemble a left-wing version of QAnon in its conspiracist beliefs rather than the old left of Labour.
I could go on, as Jones does, but I’m not (now) a member of any political party, so I’m not as committed to any of them as he is, or maybe was.
I just know I’m not going to vote for the Conservatives.
Now, is it possible? Sure. But it would take a lot of stars aligning.
Having just praised Jones - as a journalist (and he is good) - there are definitely questions about his alleged antisemitism and bullying. AIUI two or three gender critical female writers have quit the Guardian because of trans-rights bullying - and he is implicated. Not good
I think WASPI women have a good claim even if they massively overstated it. A pension is never completely guaranteed but it is a promise you shouldn't break lightly. When you do, you need to act equitably and with plenty of notice, which didn't happen on the second change to retirement age at 67.
And what, pray, is the Trusty Savings Bank?
Assume they mean the Trustee Savings Bank.
How far our local press have fallen.
I think some woolly statement in the manifesto is what they will get from either Party. Corbyn's Labour in 2019, not averse to spending our cash, offered full restitution. They won't get that.
They are not victims. This really is a pyrrhic victory. I will enjoy social media tonight and the reactions. All those mugs who were led to believe full restitution was possible throwing money into legal actions that went nowhere may get a grand or two. Delicious.
The local press nowadays is dying and it is no wonder, many of the articles are churnalism. Recycled press releases. Local news is similar.
Aside from Iraq (rather a large aside) - I always felt he was quite positive about New Labour and its achievements... certainly more so than others I would consider hard left.
Unless Adrian Chiles has stopped writing about his favourite milk cartons and has developed a sudden nasty side
Although my wife says I don’t!
Eg on antisemitism, to my eyes he's been one of the best as regards the people associated with Corbyn. There's a line to be walked, recognizing there is a real problem with it on parts of the left whilst at the same time combatting how it was exaggerated and weaponized by people with an agenda not of fighting anti-jewish prejudice but of promoting prejudice against the left, and he walked that line admirably. Many didn't but he did.
Misogynist and a bully? I don't think so. His style is hard-hitting but he doesn't particularly target women or the vulnerable. Of course, social media being what it is, some of his 'followers' might sometimes do this. I don't know. I don't follow his followers.
Bitter? Again, I don't see it. He's doing ok in his chosen field. Doesn't come over to me as massively angry or frustrated. His style hasn't changed that much. Motormouth, assertive, but not obnoxious. And an absolute angel and a gentleman and a scholar compared to many others on the hard left and to literally everyone on the hard right.
He would be the first to have a total public mental meltdown if Sunak wins re-election.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=o1fNkj5i0LM
Actually an intelligent conversation, with good points from both of them. I’d much rather see this sort of political discourse, than people screaming past each other on Twitter all day, or on a three-minute news slot.
That was @Leon playing with an AI, wasn’t it?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/21/rishi-sunak-should-go-resignation
I just wanted to respond to this bit - "The brain is a wonderful thing but it’s ultimately just a big algorithm".
Thank Goddess for the mind then! :-)
But I respect the way you are couching your materialist take in religious terms, when you say "I'm a believer".
With my own take where belief is concerned I would go as far as saying "I believe in God", just because - here regarding the phrase "believe in" - you cannot fight on the meaning of words the whole time, but I do not follow any religion so I am not "a believer". Following a religion would be far too submissive an approach for my taste. The supposed wisdom "If you want to make your own suit, you had better be a damned good tailor" can be misleading and hold people back with its reductionist dualism.
The prospect of list-of-instruction-ism mounting an assault in the astral is super-scary but perhaps that's where the front line will be.
@Pagan2 - "If you're not in doubt, make sure you get in doubt". Indeed. And in the kind of doubt where you are pushing or digging at the edge. This is absolutely the right approach. See the parable of the hunchback and the soldier.
Ideological battles within the left should be postponed until after the GE, I think. I'm disappointed with Owen.
If there is one thing I'd like Starmer to talk about it is the property price to earnings ratio. The problem is that under Tony Blair it went to a level not seen since the Victorian age.
https://www.economist.com/interactive/us-2024-election/trump-biden-polls/
The latter group have been vocal in this because they believe their pension age shouldn't have been changed at all. Fine - but that emphatically is not what this is about. The issue is where people did something materially different to what they would have done had they known.
The problem is that it is very hard to distinguish between those who lost out and those who didn't. It'll probably end up with a lot of people getting a small windfall over a "loss" they didn't actually suffer, and a few getting inadequately compensated for a significant loss.
He's never going to be appointed to the instructing staff of the 77th Brigade.
Northrop Grumman to Develop Concept for Lunar Railroad
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-to-develop-concept-for-lunar-railroad
Trusty Savings Bank. Doesn't exist.
"My business uses bank transfer or cash as I can't afford a card machine as a small business".
It's cheaper to use SumUp than cash, by an absolute mile. That's one reason why so many businesses are going cashless – it's much cheaper than handling cash.
Unchallenged nonsense
"People still have them because they don't want to be paid through their bank so they use the Post Office."
Why? It's pointlessly laborious for people do that. Just get it put straight into your account.
Labour is about to take power with a big majority. He could and should have stayed in the party to be an influential voice from the Left, steering things somewhat, even if he didn’t get most of what he wanted
Now he will be dismissed as some frivolous turncoat who ran off to another party at the crucial moment, and his views will be ignored. I imagine the Guardian is quite annoyed
i am reminded of Matthew Parris, who was driven so insane by Brexit he quit the Tories and joined the Lib Dems, and lost any of the influence he had over Tory politics, when he was before a respected figure with a definite Tory following
@TelePolitics
🔵 Penny Mordaunt failed to praise Rishi Sunak when challenged to confirm her support for the Prime Minister today amid speculation about a plot to oust him
Rep Claudia Tenney on Fox Business calls on Democrats to "face their own reality" and impeach Joe Biden
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1770800584410443956
The third should get more attention. When, if at all, will Farage take up the mantle of leader of Reform?
It will make a massive difference to the votes they receive at the GE. They surely would have done a lot better in recent by-elections if they'd had Farage as party leader campaigning for their candidates.
What is he waiting for?
That link reminds me that I miss @MonikerDiCanio - he was fun
“The French are a mix of Celt, Teuton, and Latin. They've inherited every deplorable trait of those peoples while the virtues have vanished. They're a dysgenic disaster.”
lol