Reflecting back over the years, RIP to those former posters who were a significant part of the site, but, sadly, are not with us to mark the 20 year milestone.
I remember when you were Yanis Varoufakis. Anyhoo...
Left whilst still alive
@RodCrosby (Holocaust remarks) @isam (argued with hosts, since returned) @antifrank aka @AlistairMeeks (argued with others, now blog author) @Charles (argued with others), @TissuePrice (works in a big shed somewhere) @SeanT (left, never to return) @IshmaelZ (argued with others) @MrEd (argued with hosts, thought to have returned) @CorrectHorseBattery (argued with others, thought to have returned)
NY AG moves on Trump’s Seven Springs property in Westchester County north of NYC, to start satisfying the $464 million judgment against the Trumps
Trump claimed the property was worth $291 million — when it’s actually worth $25-50 million max
If there is debt secured on that property, then things could go very wrong, very fast for DJT.
I'm obviously missing something here.... If I want to borrow money using my house as security, shouldn't the lender do a bit of Due Diligence or get a valuation or something first, before handing over the money? If Trump says his gaff is worth $291 million and somebody believed him, then good luck to him.
You're missing I think that NY has fraud laws about loans dishonestly obtained, the impact that makes on third parties, and the way the dishonest valuations results in loss of tax revenue, making the citizens of NY victims.
In Trump's case, he is guilty of reducing values for one set of tax calculations to reduce tax, then inflating them for other sets of calculations, to reduce other taxes.
That impacts on tax, and impacts on the prospects for eg competitors.
NY law holds him responsible for all of that. And it added up to $464m or whatever, for which he is liable.
Normal NY law for 70 years, and he is an NY operator (albeit a dishonest, shyster one), so he has no excuse.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
many states/countries in the world just arent interested in enforcing sanctions against Russia - so there will always be a way around. the fact is, much of the world just doesnt really care about the invasion. Its a sad and difficult fact for us in the West, but Moscow has managed to keep most of the world disinterested in this war
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
many states/countries in the world just arent interested in enforcing sanctions against Russia - so there will always be a way around. the fact is, much of the world just doesnt really care about the invasion. Its a sad and difficult fact for us in the West, but Moscow has managed to keep most of the world disinterested in this war
But does that mean the sanctions are *not* working? Could they be more effective? Almost certainly, yes. But that does not mean that they're not hurting Russia's economy.
As for the messaging: it would help if people did not just repeat Russian lines (lies), e.g. on the causes of the war.
Reflecting back over the years, RIP to those former posters who were a significant part of the site, but, sadly, are not with us to mark the 20 year milestone.
I remember when you were Yanis Varoufakis. Anyhoo...
Left whilst still alive
@RodCrosby (Holocaust remarks) @isam (argued with hosts, since returned) @antifrank aka @AlistairMeeks (argued with others, now blog author) @Charles (argued with others), @TissuePrice (works in a big shed somewhere) @SeanT (left, never to return) @IshmaelZ (argued with others) @MrEd (argued with hosts, thought to have returned) @CorrectHorseBattery (argued with others, thought to have returned)
Reflecting back over the years, RIP to those former posters who were a significant part of the site, but, sadly, are not with us to mark the 20 year milestone.
I remember when you were Yanis Varoufakis. Anyhoo...
Left whilst still alive
@RodCrosby (Holocaust remarks) @isam (argued with hosts, since returned) @antifrank aka @AlistairMeeks (argued with others, now blog author) @Charles (argued with others), @TissuePrice (works in a big shed somewhere) @SeanT (left, never to return) @IshmaelZ (argued with others) @MrEd (argued with hosts, thought to have returned) @CorrectHorseBattery (argued with others, thought to have returned)
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
The Airbus and Boeing parts are getting in through Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia.
The luxury cars are getting in through Ukraine. Great time to be a Ukrainian Bentley dealer!
I see that the LibDems have re-achieved the total of 3,000 councillors on principal authorities, last held on the way down in 2011 during the first year of the coalition.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
The Airbus and Boeing parts are getting in through Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia.
The luxury cars are getting in through Ukraine. Great time to be a Ukrainian Bentley dealer!
Reflecting back over the years, RIP to those former posters who were a significant part of the site, but, sadly, are not with us to mark the 20 year milestone.
I remember when you were Yanis Varoufakis. Anyhoo...
Left whilst still alive
@RodCrosby (Holocaust remarks) @isam (argued with hosts, since returned) @antifrank aka @AlistairMeeks (argued with others, now blog author) @Charles (argued with others), @TissuePrice (works in a big shed somewhere) @SeanT (left, never to return) @IshmaelZ (argued with others) @MrEd (argued with hosts, thought to have returned) @CorrectHorseBattery (argued with others, thought to have returned)
Thank you and best wishes to Mike for his retirement. Do not go gentle into that good night and I trust you will be raging still come the autumn and the UK and US elections.
James Cleverly, the home secretary, spent £165,561 chartering a private jet for a one-day round trip to Rwanda to sign Rishi Sunak’s deportation deal in Kigali.
The trip took place on 4 December to sign the new deal with the east African state after the supreme court’s finding that Rwanda was an “unsafe country”.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
Yes, but some leakage does not mean the sanctions are not working. As an example, the oil they do sell is being sold at a discount, and the means and mechanisms of getting it to the buyer are more complex and expensive. Likewise, production is more expensive.
Not as good as perfect sanctions, but the idea that a few top-end western goods in stores is proof sanctions are pointless seems a bit silly.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
Thanks for making this site, Mr. Smithson. In 2007, I was irritated by the prospect of Brown's ID card nonsense and browsed for various political sites, but the only one I stuck with was this one.
And, as you said, thanks to Mr. 1000 and Mr. Eagles for keeping things going. Hopefully by the time of the 40th anniversary I'll have managed to teach Mr. Eagles a little classical history, although he's not the most promising student of it...
James Cleverly, the home secretary, spent £165,561 chartering a private jet for a one-day round trip to Rwanda to sign Rishi Sunak’s deportation deal in Kigali.
The trip took place on 4 December to sign the new deal with the east African state after the supreme court’s finding that Rwanda was an “unsafe country”.
I have the opening bars of Verdi’s Dies Irae ringing in my ears.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
The only problem with that is the scale of the wolloping that the Tories will receive is now likely to of a scale that Sunak simply could not resist the calls for him to go after such a shellacking. Indeed, he's finding it difficult to stay on, even ahead of the election. The only way he could stay, paradoxically, would be if every other plausible leader had lost their seats, so he is leading a rump of 40 or so MPs. That would be a purgatory so awful, that no one would want to lead the wreckage anyway.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
The Airbus and Boeing parts are getting in through Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia.
The luxury cars are getting in through Ukraine. Great time to be a Ukrainian Bentley dealer!
Not Azerbaijan, as has been implied a few times on social media by journalists.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
The only problem with that is the scale of the wolloping that the Tories will receive is now likely to of a scale that Sunak simply could not resist the calls for him to go after such a shellacking. Indeed, he's finding it difficult to stay on, even ahead of the election. The only way he could stay, paradoxically, would be if every other plausible leader had lost their seats, so he is leading a rump of 40 or so MPs. That would be a purgatory so awful, that no one would want to lead the wreckage anyway.
The Callaghan precedent is also an unfortunate one. By hanging on as leader for twelve months* support for Denis Healey had time to erode and Labour ended up with Michael Foot instead.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
I think your post was excellent. It made the point you say, and also showed SeanT to be an utter hypocrite.
The problem with having a firm border between childhood and adulthood is that kids grow up at different rates. Some kids may be perfectly able to be safe drivers on the road at 15; others may not be at 35. Some kids may be able to make firm decisions about their future life and work pre-teen, and work towards those goals; others are listless at 50 year and 364 days.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
By his own admission @SeanT committed many crimes judging by his tawdry tales
There’s possibly a serious discussion to be had about the transition from childhood to adulthood, as indeed there is on gender issues. But I still don’t believe this internet forum to be the right place. There are too many hotheads, and unlike political debate on here far too much ignorance, including of the many nuances involved. The cloak of anonymity and lack of face-to-face representation makes discussion of certain deep topics not only ill-advised but injurious.
There’s a time and a place for everything and knowing the limits in life is always a good lesson. For example, you wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come onto pb to air your recent session on a psychiatric couch.
This site is best when it sticks to politics.
I won’t of course stop people airing their views, I just shan’t participate even though I’ve been described as one of the country’s experts in this particular area.
I turned down a programme with Louis Theroux on this topic because even with him I didn’t feel the environment to be right. Saying no to Piers Morgan was a lot easier.
Many thing to say about that. What is the scale of the sanctions busting? Is it actually the companies or their shells, or 'importers' from third countries unrelated to the original manufacturers? Why do so many people screeching 'sanctions don't work' seem to be silent on Russia's evil actions? If real, why aren't the pro-Hamas crowd calling for boycotts of these companies? Is this actually evidence that the sanctions as a whole are not working?
etc, etc.
The Russian oil is getting out via China and India. The Western goods are getting in through unofficial means through China or the Middle East.
The Airbus and Boeing parts are getting in through Turkey, Thailand and Malaysia.
The luxury cars are getting in through Ukraine. Great time to be a Ukrainian Bentley dealer!
Not Azerbaijan, as has been implied a few times on social media by journalists.
I am sure every neighboring country is at it as I never knew a car dealer yet who was encumbered by any degree of ethical restraint. However, Ukraine seems to be the favoured route for RR/Bentley.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
Are you perhaps confusing two incidents there? SeanT described in his - beyond strange - memoir that he got a 17 year old schoolgirl pregnant and paid for her to have an abortion, and another time thought he'd got a prostitute (who AIR was rather older) and considered moving in with her and having the baby together.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
By his own admission @SeanT committed many crimes judging by his tawdry tales
There’s possibly a serious discussion to be had about the transition from childhood to adulthood, as indeed there is on gender issues. But I still don’t believe this internet forum to be the right place. There are too many hotheads, and unlike political debate on here far too much ignorance, including of the many nuances involved. The cloak of anonymity and lack of face-to-face representation makes discussion of certain deep topics not only ill-advised but injurious.
There’s a time and a place for everything and knowing the limits in life is always a good lesson. For example, you wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come onto pb to air your recent session on a psychiatric couch.
This site is best when it sticks to politics.
I won’t of course stop people airing their views, I just shan’t participate even though I’ve been described as one of the country’s experts in this particular area.
I turned down a programme with Louis Theroux on this topic because even with him I didn’t feel the environment to be right. Saying no to Piers Morgan was a lot easier.
It's not for you to stop people doing anything, thats the mods job.
However your vision for PB would have the site collapse in boredom much like UKPR
The UN Convention on the rights of a child (UNCRC) is, I was told this week, the most widely adopted Convention from the UN. It defines a child as a person who hasn't reached their 18th birthday. The UK signed the Convention in 1991 but it is not fully reflected in UK law. For example, the age of consent in Scotland remains 16 at present.
An earlier attempt by the Scottish Government to actually incorporate this into Scots law fell foul of a challenge in the Supreme Court because it required changes on reserved matters. A new bill, which has those bits stripped out, has been passed by the Scottish Parliament and is expected to come into force shortly.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
I thought we were rolling back this madness, now the NHS is going even FURTHER. It is bleak
And this is at a time when the entire health service is under intense pressure, yet they are making sure they can give double mastectomies to troubled teens who might just need therapy and counselling
Absolute insanity
The weirdest thing about the Trans stuff is that almost no one believes it over the age of 30, apart from a few ultra Woke-oids
I mean, I have lots of left wing friends who believe all kinds of left wing shit, bless them, but none of them approves of this; everyone on the right loathes it
It is some young people who have been brain washed, and don’t know what to think, so go along with it, and a tiny core of Trans cadres - and yet they successfully intimidate millions of people into staying silent for a quiet life
I am trying to remember which despotic leader it was, who said, All you need to capture a country is a few thousand dedicated followers, who will go to any lengths, the apathetic majority will yield. Either Mao or Mussolini. Maybe they both said it in different ways
We are seeing that truth evidenced here
This simply isn't true if you look at the polling.
"in all age groups, Britons tend to believe people should be able to socially identify as a different gender to the one they had recorded at birth. However, while this figure is 62% for those aged 18-24, and 61% for those aged 25-49, it falls to 54% of those aged 50-64 and 42% of those aged 65 and above (although for this oldest age group this opinion is still more common than the opposite, with only 33% thinking people should not be able to identify as they wish socially)."
It is also true that women are more supportive of Trans rights than men, including use of facilities like changing rooms ets
However, there is - I suspect - a wide range of opinions inside those. For example, I am fully onboard with people being able to choose their pronouns. You want me to call you Miss Foxy, totally ok with me.
But I'm much less happy with - for example - people being able to access women only spaces purely on the basis of self ID.
Yes, there is certainly a shift when that is the case, but it is far from a decisive shift: From that Yougov poll:
"Subsequently asking the same questions about toilets and changing rooms – but this time specifying trans people who had not undergone gender reassignment surgery – sees permissiveness decline. In the case of allowing such trans women to use women’s toilets, willingness falls from 38% in the generic question to 29%, and in the case of changing rooms, from 34% to 25%.
Belief that transgender men who have not undergone gender reassignment surgery should be allowed to use men’s toilets falls from 42% in the generic question to 32%, and changing rooms from 40% to 28%.
In all of these cases, the shift is not directly from being willing to unwilling to grant access to gendered spaces once it is specified the transgender person has not had reassignment surgery. About half of those who change their minds go into outright opposition, while the other are half unsure of how they feel."
No need to call me Miss Foxy, Dr is a gender neutral title
The UN Convention on the rights of a child (UNCRC) is, I was told this week, the most widely adopted Convention from the UN. It defines a child as a person who hasn't reached their 18th birthday. The UK signed the Convention in 1991 but it is not fully reflected in UK law. For example, the age of consent in Scotland remains 16 at present.
An earlier attempt by the Scottish Government to actually incorporate this into Scots law fell foul of a challenge in the Supreme Court because it required changes on reserved matters. A new bill, which has those bits stripped out, has been passed by the Scottish Parliament and is expected to come into force shortly.
Which does not seem to be followed by many countries:
Happy birthday PB (for yesterday) and thanks to OGH for everything he has done over the years.
In other news, here’s a Twitter thread on a Reform UK parliamentary candidate: https://x.com/snigskitchen/status/1770542877250105823 Turns out he’s openly a big fan of Putin and Tommy Robinson, and believes in chemtrails.
Will poor candidate vetting and choice undermine Reform UK?
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
The only problem with that is the scale of the wolloping that the Tories will receive is now likely to of a scale that Sunak simply could not resist the calls for him to go after such a shellacking. Indeed, he's finding it difficult to stay on, even ahead of the election. The only way he could stay, paradoxically, would be if every other plausible leader had lost their seats, so he is leading a rump of 40 or so MPs. That would be a purgatory so awful, that no one would want to lead the wreckage anyway.
Kettle is essentially warning them against making a quick and likely self-defeating decision, and elsewhere in the article refers to how Corbyn got chosen.
I expect he knows he is offering advice that won’t be taken.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
Happy birthday PB (for yesterday) and thanks to OGH for everything he has done over the years.
In other news, here’s a Twitter thread on a Reform UK parliamentary candidate: https://x.com/snigskitchen/status/1770542877250105823 Turns out he’s openly a big fan of Putin and Tommy Robinson, and believes in chemtrails.
Will poor candidate vetting and choice undermine Reform UK?
There was another one of those earlier this week - their candidate for Rutland was also called out about her posts and removed.
The problem with all this scrutiny is that brighter candidates will have cleaned out their social media so their views may not be so visible.
She may be right, of course (I don't know enough to comment either way) but it's a bit unfortunate she's taking that line when Donald Trump is as well.
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
A preserved battleship would take very little, if anything, out of the Royal Navy's coffers. I think the only things we have preserved as a frontline top-of-the-fleet 'battleships' (as in the most powerful contemporary ships in the fleet) are HMS Warrior and Victory?
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Fake news.
X-sex hormones have previously been available from 16 years.
There's a very narrow point in the tavistock not doing this, but only because x-sex hormones were handled by the adult endocrine clinics.
Just about everything is tightening up a bit. Even if it's just that the same stuff is available but only as part of research (in practical terms - you can still get it, but the outcomes need to be studied and you'd have to consent to the data being used etc).
Source: I've studied this professionally and worked with ex members of the tavistock
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
A preserved battleship would take very little, if anything, out of the Royal Navy's coffers. I think the only things we have preserved as a frontline top-of-the-fleet 'battleships' (as in the most powerful contemporary ships in the fleet) are HMS Warrior and Victory?
I would have thought if say, Warspite or Rodney had been put on display at Plymouth it would have been a veritable money spinner.
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
A preserved battleship would take very little, if anything, out of the Royal Navy's coffers. I think the only things we have preserved as a frontline top-of-the-fleet 'battleships' (as in the most powerful contemporary ships in the fleet) are HMS Warrior and Victory?
If the carriers spend more time in dry dock than at sea, do they count as 'preserved' ?
Heard the one about the brand new £24m border facility that’s obsolete before it’s even been used & may be demolished because Government kept changing its mind over Brexit?
BBC presenting a puff piece for the future Deputy PM. Hardly a forensic investigation. The interviewer should also have asked her how brilliant she is and why is she such an inspiration.
Dan Neidle had a good thread on it on twitter/X whatever you call it.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
The only problem with that is the scale of the wolloping that the Tories will receive is now likely to of a scale that Sunak simply could not resist the calls for him to go after such a shellacking. Indeed, he's finding it difficult to stay on, even ahead of the election. The only way he could stay, paradoxically, would be if every other plausible leader had lost their seats, so he is leading a rump of 40 or so MPs. That would be a purgatory so awful, that no one would want to lead the wreckage anyway.
Kettle is essentially warning them against making a quick and likely self-defeating decision, and elsewhere in the article refers to how Corbyn got chosen.
I expect he knows he is offering advice that won’t be taken.
As a general rule now defeated party leaders at a GE resign immediately after a GE. I think that it is easier to stay on for a period if your party has gained seats, even when insufficient to win, like Kinnock in 1987 or Howard in 2005. I think May is the only exception, staying on over 2 years after her 2017 GE fiasco.
Time to reflect and a long contest is a privilege of opposition, but not always one that produces a consistently good result. Foot in 1980 or Corbyn in 2015 spring to mind.
Happy birthday PB (for yesterday) and thanks to OGH for everything he has done over the years.
In other news, here’s a Twitter thread on a Reform UK parliamentary candidate: https://x.com/snigskitchen/status/1770542877250105823 Turns out he’s openly a big fan of Putin and Tommy Robinson, and believes in chemtrails.
Will poor candidate vetting and choice undermine Reform UK?
I wonder how much stuff like this will harm them, though. There are plenty of people with these kinds of opinions, and I'd imagine the party is their natural home.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
By his own admission @SeanT committed many crimes judging by his tawdry tales
There’s possibly a serious discussion to be had about the transition from childhood to adulthood, as indeed there is on gender issues. But I still don’t believe this internet forum to be the right place. There are too many hotheads, and unlike political debate on here far too much ignorance, including of the many nuances involved. The cloak of anonymity and lack of face-to-face representation makes discussion of certain deep topics not only ill-advised but injurious.
There’s a time and a place for everything and knowing the limits in life is always a good lesson. For example, you wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come onto pb to air your recent session on a psychiatric couch.
This site is best when it sticks to politics.
I won’t of course stop people airing their views, I just shan’t participate even though I’ve been described as one of the country’s experts in this particular area.
I turned down a programme with Louis Theroux on this topic because even with him I didn’t feel the environment to be right. Saying no to Piers Morgan was a lot easier.
That's fine. Just knowing you are one of the leading experts in the country is good enough for anyone to take anything you say on the matter as authoritative.
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
A preserved battleship would take very little, if anything, out of the Royal Navy's coffers. I think the only things we have preserved as a frontline top-of-the-fleet 'battleships' (as in the most powerful contemporary ships in the fleet) are HMS Warrior and Victory?
I would have thought if say, Warspite or Rodney had been put on display at Plymouth it would have been a veritable money spinner.
They still have to be made safe, maintained and dry docked. There is no way it would be profitable. The last time they dry docked Missouri it cost $18m.
Many thanks Mike for establishing this incredible forum. I have been around in various guises since the outset, I have rarely missed a day since, and I truly struggle to imagine life without PB. On a personal note, I wish you all the very best for the future.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
The only problem with that is the scale of the wolloping that the Tories will receive is now likely to of a scale that Sunak simply could not resist the calls for him to go after such a shellacking. Indeed, he's finding it difficult to stay on, even ahead of the election. The only way he could stay, paradoxically, would be if every other plausible leader had lost their seats, so he is leading a rump of 40 or so MPs. That would be a purgatory so awful, that no one would want to lead the wreckage anyway.
Kettle is essentially warning them against making a quick and likely self-defeating decision, and elsewhere in the article refers to how Corbyn got chosen.
I expect he knows he is offering advice that won’t be taken.
As a genetarule now defeated party leaders at a GE resign immediately after a GE. I think that it is easier to stay on for a period if your party has gained seats, even when insufficient to win, like Kinnock in 1987 or Howard in 2005. I think May is the only exception, staying on over 2 years after her 2017 GE fiasco.
Time to reflect and a long contest is a privilege of opposition, but not always one that produces a consistently good result. Foot in 1980 or Corbyn in 2015 spring to mind.
True, and I suspect one of the factors in 2019 was people's annoyance that Corbyn didn't take the hint in 2017. I'm not sure that a big party leader will get a second chance again.
But the aftermath of a big defeat isn't the best time to make a decision about a new leader. Partly because decisions taken while traumatised are rarely good decisions, but also because you need to see how the candidates function in the different world of opposition.
But unwisdom has never stopped anyone doing anything. Our collective desire for instant gratification trumps all.
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
Are you perhaps confusing two incidents there? SeanT described in his - beyond strange - memoir that he got a 17 year old schoolgirl pregnant and paid for her to have an abortion, and another time thought he'd got a prostitute (who AIR was rather older) and considered moving in with her and having the baby together.
Which is a bit different.
Possibly. His tales were many and strange, and easy to confuse. Happy to amend if wrong.
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
We have HMS Belfast but it was only a light cruiser. Of course, when we struggle to get our new aircraft carriers operational we perhaps have higher priorities.
A preserved battleship would take very little, if anything, out of the Royal Navy's coffers. I think the only things we have preserved as a frontline top-of-the-fleet 'battleships' (as in the most powerful contemporary ships in the fleet) are HMS Warrior and Victory?
I would have thought if say, Warspite or Rodney had been put on display at Plymouth it would have been a veritable money spinner.
They still have to be made safe, maintained and dry docked. There is no way it would be profitable. The last time they dry docked Missouri it cost $18m.
Yes, there are costs. But the same is true for all heritage. I'm not talking about preserving every battleship; just that it's a shame there isn't one preserved.
just seeing this thread - Congrats on 20 years and hope your health lasts for as long as can be . After reading through the deserved platitudes I noticed there was something missing - that being the actual superb betting tips and analysis that has made those of us that are punters wealthier. Its not just the outright tips but sometimes obscure info or analysis that we can then translate to getting on a good bet.
Personally I think a lot of politics is waffle and virtue signaling but always been a serious political punter ! So thanks
Liked your book on political betting as well - a great legacy
Just appalling. We will look back on this and weep at the madness
NEW: NHS England has announced that new youth gender services will provide masculinising and feminising hormones to children from ‘around their 16th birthday.’ This goes further than GIDS ever did: YPs cld only access hormones at 16 if they’d been on puberty blockers for 1 year🧵
How has a tiny band of crazy trans activists captured our entire health service? Indeed the entire establishment?
Here we run into the definition of adulthood. The former PB contributor @SeanT once wrote an article describing how in his thirties he made a prostitute pregnant and made her have an abortion. He stated that the age of the prostitute was seventeen. Now here's the question: when he did that, did he have sex with a child?
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
What a fantastic crushing response to Leon.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
I didn't mean it that way. My point was genuinely speaking to one of several concerns I have about the UK, which is the blurring of the difference between children and adults. This results in adultised children and infantilised adults, to nobody's benefit (and poor decision making). By selecting a well-known former contributor I hoped to concretize the issue: I genuinely don't think @SeanT commited a crime. But the UK needs to sort out the border between childhood and adulthood.
By his own admission @SeanT committed many crimes judging by his tawdry tales
There’s possibly a serious discussion to be had about the transition from childhood to adulthood, as indeed there is on gender issues. But I still don’t believe this internet forum to be the right place. There are too many hotheads, and unlike political debate on here far too much ignorance, including of the many nuances involved. The cloak of anonymity and lack of face-to-face representation makes discussion of certain deep topics not only ill-advised but injurious.
There’s a time and a place for everything and knowing the limits in life is always a good lesson. For example, you wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come onto pb to air your recent session on a psychiatric couch.
This site is best when it sticks to politics.
I won’t of course stop people airing their views, I just shan’t participate even though I’ve been described as one of the country’s experts in this particular area.
I turned down a programme with Louis Theroux on this topic because even with him I didn’t feel the environment to be right. Saying no to Piers Morgan was a lot easier.
Bit strange. What unique insight does one need to have a view on this. Analogous to the abortion debate. We all agree that the abortion limit should be somewhere between zero weeks and full term but no one "knows" and there is no one answer.
Same with views on gender. The two sides are pretty straightforward - why should (how dare) someone police my view of my own gender; and why should someone I consider of the opposite sex be allowed to intrude upon "my" space.
It's where we draw the line that is the debate and you and I are just as at liberty to discuss it as ContraPoints or Matt Walsh.
A bit late, since the new thread is up, but just wanted to thank Mike for running this site for 20 years. This is the only place where people of different sides seriously engage with the position of the other side (in order to validate their bets!) so it's always a great read. Best wishes for your health.
A bit late, since the new thread is up, but just wanted to thank Mike for running this site for 20 years. This is the only place where people of different sides seriously engage with the position of the other side (in order to validate their bets!) so it's always a great read. Best wishes for your health.
Also late to comment, and I was late to find this site, around 5 or 6 years ago, but it has been a revelation, I have learned and continue to learn so much from all the different viewpoints and links to news articles and opinion pieces from everyone who posts here. This site is a fantastic resource and a great thing for you to have created, Mike. I wish you all the very best in terms of your health and everything else.
My great thanks to Mike for creating this site, I've learned so much from it over the years, and had a lot of fun reading the posts too. I've also followed several of Mike's betting recommendations, and made a few thousand quid out of them (such as the Chesham and Amersham by-election). May the Force be with you in your retirement, Mike!
Comments
Tony Bennett - I Left My Heart in San Francisco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6DUwMnDxEs
In Trump's case, he is guilty of reducing values for one set of tax calculations to reduce tax, then inflating them for other sets of calculations, to reduce other taxes.
That impacts on tax, and impacts on the prospects for eg competitors.
NY law holds him responsible for all of that. And it added up to $464m or whatever, for which he is liable.
Normal NY law for 70 years, and he is an NY operator (albeit a dishonest, shyster one), so he has no excuse.
Even now, Trump is still lying to Court.
Can someone send Leon help?
etc, etc.
As for the messaging: it would help if people did not just repeat Russian lines (lies), e.g. on the causes of the war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYFDGl3muQU
Not seen the donate button in a while though, you should really bring it back ahead of what’s going to be a busy political year.
Enjoy your retirement Mike, very well earned.
Is that the impact of Hayabusa or whatever the latest drug was - it causes you to imagine ants leaping like Great Jumping Jehoshaphat?
Or perhaps he meant "rants"?
Give me leaf rolling weevils, any day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtqBY4DY8u4
🔵 CON, 425, 36.7%, -27.0%
🔘 LINCS IND, 369, 29.2% New
🔶 LIBDEM, 345, 27.3%, New
🔴 LAB, 123, 9.6%, -29.3%
🔴 LAB, 264, 34.3%,
🔶 LIBDEM, 505, 65.7%
The luxury cars are getting in through Ukraine. Great time to be a Ukrainian Bentley dealer!
CAMBRIDGESHIRE CC; Yaxley & Farcet Division
🔵 CON, 470, 28.6%, -28.3%
🔘 IND, 448, 27.3%,+27.3%
🔴 LAB, 175, 10.6%, -7.1%
🟢 GRN, 42, 2.6%, +2.6%
🔶 LIBDEM, 509, 31.0%, +5.6%
Morning all.
The More in Common Labour lead of 18% is Labour's highest under the new MiC methodology.
The Conservative 25% share of the vote is the lowest ever recorded with the firm, which usually finds them more support than other pollsters.
https://x.com/LukeTryl/status/1770888732708610098?s=20
Must be several others too
The trip took place on 4 December to sign the new deal with the east African state after the supreme court’s finding that Rwanda was an “unsafe country”.
Not as good as perfect sanctions, but the idea that a few top-end western goods in stores is proof sanctions are pointless seems a bit silly.
Sunak should stay on as Conservative leader if he loses the election. He should prepare the ground for staying on with trusted colleagues. He should then stand at the Downing Street lectern and say responsible leaders do not just jump ship. He should say it is his duty to see the party through a period of necessary reflection. He could even say what Callaghan told Labour MPs in 1979: “There is no vacancy for my job.”
But he needs to have a plan for what he can bring to opposition as well as a plan to then leave later. Here, Michael Howard could be the model. Howard stayed five months after losing the 2005 election before resigning. This had important consequences. The leadership election process was rethought, though not as radically as Howard wanted, and the shadow cabinet was reshaped. This allowed younger faces to catch the spotlight. The result was the election of David Cameron.
Sunak should think in similar terms. There are powerful civic reasons for him to stay. Politics and government need some restoration of continuity and stability. There should never again be three prime ministers or four chancellors in a single year. Ministerial careers should not average a mere eight months, as they have since 2019. Parts of the Tory party are spoiling for yet another fight, as is the Tory press. They need to be hosed down, not fired up. Politics needs to be about the good government of the nation again.
There are partisan Conservative reasons why Sunak should stay, too. The post-Brexit Tory party needs to work out what it now stands for, and to rebuild, if it can, in a united way. Its current divisions are unsustainable. The post-election numbers – and the bits of Britain they speak for – will make a lot of difference. The mood, priorities and sense of political discipline will feel very different with, say, 280 surviving Tory MPs than if there are only 180, or even a smaller number still.
Thanks for making this site, Mr. Smithson. In 2007, I was irritated by the prospect of Brown's ID card nonsense and browsed for various political sites, but the only one I stuck with was this one.
And, as you said, thanks to Mr. 1000 and Mr. Eagles for keeping things going. Hopefully by the time of the 40th anniversary I'll have managed to teach Mr. Eagles a little classical history, although he's not the most promising student of it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6cogix3cwQ&t=15s
Societies and their people suffer when they fail to differentiate children from adults. Children do not have agency but adults do. I understand the arguments against childhood transition but not for adults: their bodies, their choice. Given that the @SeanT threshold for adulthood seems to be between 16 and 18, this would meet that criterion.
The guy’s utter hypocrisy, and permaconfusion, stripped bare like that naked girl.
*In fact, on checking it was 18 months.
The problem with having a firm border between childhood and adulthood is that kids grow up at different rates. Some kids may be perfectly able to be safe drivers on the road at 15; others may not be at 35. Some kids may be able to make firm decisions about their future life and work pre-teen, and work towards those goals; others are listless at 50 year and 364 days.
There’s possibly a serious discussion to be had about the transition from childhood to adulthood, as indeed there is on gender issues. But I still don’t believe this internet forum to be the right place. There are too many hotheads, and unlike political debate on here far too much ignorance, including of the many nuances involved. The cloak of anonymity and lack of face-to-face representation makes discussion of certain deep topics not only ill-advised but injurious.
There’s a time and a place for everything and knowing the limits in life is always a good lesson. For example, you wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come onto pb to air your recent session on a psychiatric couch.
This site is best when it sticks to politics.
I won’t of course stop people airing their views, I just shan’t participate even though I’ve been described as one of the country’s experts in this particular area.
I turned down a programme with Louis Theroux on this topic because even with him I didn’t feel the environment to be right. Saying no to Piers Morgan was a lot easier.
Which is a bit different.
However your vision for PB would have the site collapse in boredom much like UKPR
A rare sight: an Iowa class battleship underway. New Jersey being taken to dry dock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbahiEILxUk&t=35s
(Sadly not under its own power, but still... And it's a shame we did not preserve any of our old ladies.)
An earlier attempt by the Scottish Government to actually incorporate this into Scots law fell foul of a challenge in the Supreme Court because it required changes on reserved matters. A new bill, which has those bits stripped out, has been passed by the Scottish Parliament and is expected to come into force shortly.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/age-of-consent-by-country
In other news, here’s a Twitter thread on a Reform UK parliamentary candidate: https://x.com/snigskitchen/status/1770542877250105823 Turns out he’s openly a big fan of Putin and Tommy Robinson, and believes in chemtrails.
Will poor candidate vetting and choice undermine Reform UK?
I expect he knows he is offering advice that won’t be taken.
Nope.
The problem with all this scrutiny is that brighter candidates will have cleaned out their social media so their views may not be so visible.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68632621
X-sex hormones have previously been available from 16 years.
There's a very narrow point in the tavistock not doing this, but only because x-sex hormones were handled by the adult endocrine clinics.
Just about everything is tightening up a bit. Even if it's just that the same stuff is available but only as part of research (in practical terms - you can still get it, but the outcomes need to be studied and you'd have to consent to the data being used etc).
Source: I've studied this professionally and worked with ex members of the tavistock
@pkelso
Heard the one about the brand new £24m border facility that’s obsolete before it’s even been used & may be demolished because Government kept changing its mind over Brexit?
https://x.com/pkelso/status/1771067197328183721?s=20
Dan Neidle had a good thread on it on twitter/X whatever you call it.
Time to reflect and a long contest is a privilege of opposition, but not always one that produces a consistently good result. Foot in 1980 or Corbyn in 2015 spring to mind.
Thanks for that.
This is the way fascism - and evil - wins.
NEW THREAD
But the aftermath of a big defeat isn't the best time to make a decision about a new leader. Partly because decisions taken while traumatised are rarely good decisions, but also because you need to see how the candidates function in the different world of opposition.
But unwisdom has never stopped anyone doing anything. Our collective desire for instant gratification trumps all.
But as ever, you are Mister Misery Say-No-Good
Personally I think a lot of politics is waffle and virtue signaling but always been a serious political punter ! So thanks
Liked your book on political betting as well - a great legacy
Same with views on gender. The two sides are pretty straightforward - why should (how dare) someone police my view of my own gender; and why should someone I consider of the opposite sex be allowed to intrude upon "my" space.
It's where we draw the line that is the debate and you and I are just as at liberty to discuss it as ContraPoints or Matt Walsh.