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Voter suppression could work for the Tories – politicalbetting.com

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  • Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 122,889
    Statue of Sir David Amess unveiled on Southend seafront in memory of murdered MP

    Lady Julia Amess attended the ceremony with family members with the life-size statue positioned on a grass bank looking out over the estuary
    https://x.com/Telegraph/status/1778692123719557504
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,643
    edited April 12
    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,239

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Yes, it is a big city thing. One advantage of your living in a redbrick semi near Newent

    It is universal in Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, any American city: watch your phone
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,814
    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Good news! Government threatening an MoD contractor to pony up some flights to Kigali

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/12/rwanda-deportation-flights-airtanker-charter-airline-talks

    What the article doesn't explain is that following Rwanda's sale of refugee accommodation, anyone who gets flown to Rwanda will have to live on the plane.

    Once they get to German East Africa, I doubt anyone involved is going to give a fuck where they are or are not living.

    AirTanker is probably the right operator for this caper because those A330s in the surge fleet are starting to age out of viability in the lease market. Also they can make reservists crew them. It does look like somebody who vaguely knows what they are doing is starting to think about this.

    If they do get the Kigali Express running I fully expect SKS won't can it after the GE.
    Oddly enough I was watching this video last night about a flight in one of those planes owned and operated by that hybrid of CrabAir and some sort of civilian charter business I can't make sense of. It's not obvious to me that civilian airline pilots normally have assault rifles and flak jackets in the cockpit.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl-Fl66Jfao
    Military pilots and crew, with civilian training and type ratings on the A330. Used for transporting soldiers, air-to-air refuelling, but also able to be chartered out for civilian use when free. One of them has the flag livery, and is used for VIP travel by ministers and royals.

    It’s a weird video because the report came from an RAF Board of Inquiry, rather than the usual civvy AAIB report, and they look at things from different angles.
    They very rarely use the Brexit Belle for VVIP movements because the interior fit is fucking horrible. Hence 2 x A321 and 3 x F900 leased and painted in National Front Airlines livery. It's only money.

    There are also weird crew who are AirTanker employees but breveted to FLT rank and given wings despite zero military background much to the existential despair of our chubby friends in light blue. It's probably these fuckers who will be tasked with the Extraordinary Renditions.
    Imagine if one of those gets a medal. He'd be a shoo-in for the next Tory constituency selection committee meeting.
  • In London, walk with purpose, put your phone away when coming out of a Tube station and just look like you know what's going on. They will leave you alone.

    Of course if the Tories hadn’t cut the Police force since 2010 we’d have a much better handle on it.
  • Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    City of London Police did this just last week. Recovered 16 phones in one go.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368

    kjh said:

    I have no idea about the Rayner case, but one thing I am aware of (having been involved in an election case [as a witness I hasten to add for the prosecution]) is that the police are fed up to the back teeth of people being reported to them for petty stuff for electioneering purposes. This has the consequence that when something is serious it often gets ignored by the police (at least initially) as being 'not this crap again'.

    My view is the police should start charging people with wasting police time to get rid of the dross that is thrown at them by all parties particularly at election time such that when a proper election offence is committed it is not lost in the dross.

    I would also like to add that the election laws need updating. They are a mess. Not enough time to list out here.

    I was going to comment, the Tory who got the Police to re-investigate SKS should have been fined for wasting Police time.
    That was Ric Holden, who is quite a piece of work. But it took the heat off Boris-Rishi cake gate. It got Big G very excited too!
    Nothing gets me excited - indeed I need to look after my pacemaker

    Mind you on Rayner, it would seem to be a minor story but only if she had not demanded such high standards from conservative politicians, and she and many others in Labour will see increasing scrutiny as they close in on power
    Glad to hear you are taking all of this excitement with calm!

    What truly bemuses me about Raynergate is that the Tories don't understand that the deeper they probe the worse they look.

    Polls show that most voters see politics - and specifically the Tory party / government - as corrupt. Endless scandals over very large amounts of money. Peerages and gongs openly being sold. PPE money accidentally deposited in Tory pockets. So from this position of propriety they have decided to go into bat over £1,500 of alleged CGT which HMRC have already said isn't due. Which reopens the floodgates of people on social media highlighting the real (Tory) scandals.

    I genuinely don't get it. People in glass houses are told not to throw stones. And yet here are the Tories being showered with glass whilst people encourage them to throw more stones.
    You may be right and it is a non story, but turn it round and Labour would be having a field day

    It is called politics
    Not just Labour, *everyone* is having a field day about genuine real verified Tory corruption. For massive sums of money. Dodgy donors, dodgy contracts, dodgy peerages. Go ask normals what exercises them - it isn't Rayner.

    This is my point. If Tories want to focus on Rayner thats fine, as long as you're comfortable with the spotlight on the vastly worse Tory scandals.
    I am not a member of the conservative party and am politically homeless

    I am comfortable with the spotlight on conservative scandals and justice being achieved

    Rayner is likely a non story but I would not be surprised if Starmer hopes it is a story so he and Reeves can remain on the centre ground and not turned left by Rayner
    This wasn't specifically about you. But as you touched on it my view is that you're not a Tory member. But you do project the Tory propaganda. Exclusively. You may not vote for them, but you remain travelling in their direction. Happy to be corrected, but you can't just say it isn't true, you need to stop focusing on these pitiful Tory attempts to deflect.

    There are some genuine serious outrageous scandals out there, happening right now. Raynergate is not one of them, just as Beergate was also not one of them.
    If the Tory press and the simpering BBC are jumping on Rayner's tax affairs and back in the day ignoring ex-Chancellor Zahawi's is it any wonder the outrageous corrupt piss-takes are being forgotten and the insignificant froth stirred?

  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,068
    edited April 12
    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Good news! Government threatening an MoD contractor to pony up some flights to Kigali

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/12/rwanda-deportation-flights-airtanker-charter-airline-talks

    What the article doesn't explain is that following Rwanda's sale of refugee accommodation, anyone who gets flown to Rwanda will have to live on the plane.

    Once they get to German East Africa, I doubt anyone involved is going to give a fuck where they are or are not living.

    AirTanker is probably the right operator for this caper because those A330s in the surge fleet are starting to age out of viability in the lease market. Also they can make reservists crew them. It does look like somebody who vaguely knows what they are doing is starting to think about this.

    If they do get the Kigali Express running I fully expect SKS won't can it after the GE.
    Oddly enough I was watching this video last night about a flight in one of those planes owned and operated by that hybrid of CrabAir and some sort of civilian charter business I can't make sense of. It's not obvious to me that civilian airline pilots normally have assault rifles and flak jackets in the cockpit.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl-Fl66Jfao
    Military pilots and crew, with civilian training and type ratings on the A330. Used for transporting soldiers, air-to-air refuelling, but also able to be chartered out for civilian use when free. One of them has the flag livery, and is used for VIP travel by ministers and royals.

    It’s a weird video because the report came from an RAF Board of Inquiry, rather than the usual civvy AAIB report, and they look at things from different angles.
    They very rarely use the Brexit Belle for VVIP movements because the interior fit is fucking horrible. Hence 2 x A321 and 3 x F900 leased and painted in National Front Airlines livery. It's only money.

    There are also weird crew who are AirTanker employees but breveted to FLT rank and given wings despite zero military background much to the existential despair of our chubby friends in light blue. It's probably these fuckers who will be tasked with the Extraordinary Renditions.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,859
    edited April 12
    The result from today’s count of yesterday’s Scottish by-election for Highland council:

    Ind 22%
    LibD 20% (+11%)
    SNP 19% (-16%)
    Con 16% (-1%)
    Lab 11% (+5%)
    Green 7% (+2%)
    Alba 3% (+1%)
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,678
    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    Can't they invent a phone that explodes when it's a considerably distance from its rightful owner in a short space of time. That should stop 'em!
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,865
    It was noted the other day that it was getting harder to reconcile different forecasts from the BoE and OBR.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,576
    edited April 12
    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    One bike theft gang in the City was sent down a couple of months ago. They found 57 bikes and loads of parts in a tool hire shop.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/gang-bike-theft-london-jailed-louey-baldwin-inner-london-crown-court-b1138666.html

    Police refused to reveal their methods, but I suspect that ‘Q’ has found a way to hide trackers on bikes.
  • Bring Truss back, I want to put a bet in somehow on the Tories polling under 10%.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,129
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Yes, it is a big city thing. One advantage of your living in a redbrick semi near Newent

    It is universal in Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, any American city: watch your phone
    I got my phone nicked in Hong Kong (well, technically Kowloon) like that.
  • rkrkrk said:

    rkrkrk said:

    Starmer sounds pretty convinced that Rayner will be cleared of any wrongdoing. If there were a scintilla of doubt, I reckon he'd be more cautious.

    I would like to understand why police will investigate a non crime, almost historic, maliciously reported by an MP but are often too busy to investigate car thefts, rapes and assaults?

    HMRC deal with tax, the electoral stuff is just nonsense. Think of students, they can register at term address, home address or both.
    Pretty worrying to see them being politicised like this to be honest. Another small chisel in the wall of our democracy.
    Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember you saying the same during Partygate.
    You are not wrong at all.

    Partygate was a legitimate investigation, instigated by an ITV news report, which issued penalty notices to 83 people including the then prime minister and the now prime minister.

    Angela Rayner is being investigated because she has been reported to the police by a Conservative MP - accused of listing the wrong address on an electoral register ten years ago.

    If you can't see the difference, I can't help you.
    I think the issue for me is that in the case of Downing Street, it was very much still going on and current.

    This allegation is about something that happened a decade ago, instigated by a Tory MP.

    Is this really a good use of Police time?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,213

    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    City of London Police did this just last week. Recovered 16 phones in one go.
    Many years back, in Trujillo, in Northern Peru, there was a problem with a crime wave.

    The administration in the capital made a usual mistake and appointed a new police general who had a sense of humour and some style.

    He pedestrianised some streets - scooter borne bag snatching was a problem. Yes, a few tried invade the pedestrianised areas. But the police policy was to run the scooter riders down. Well, over, really.

    And sent some policemen to prison. Try imagining a policeman in a Peruvian prison - no, you don't really want to. And other things, the offences were about framing people who they'd shot, to justify shootings.

    That cleared out of the way, he dealt with the next problem. Armed car jacking. Of people returning from the shopping areas.

    He filled cars with plain clothes police and let what happens, happen.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,213
    Sandpit said:

    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    One bike theft gang in the City was sent down a couple of months ago. They found 57 bikes and loads of parts in a tool hire shop.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/gang-bike-theft-london-jailed-louey-baldwin-inner-london-crown-court-b1138666.html

    Police refused to reveal their methods, but I suspect that ‘Q’ has found a way to hide trackers on bikes.
    AirTags belonging to owners, I'll bet.

    We've noticed, round here, that when a car is stolen, the thieves park it a half dozen streets away and leave it for a week or 2. To see if the owner has a hidden tracker.

    Years back, a jerk of a former boss had his bike stolen. Since it was over 5 figures, the Police actually took interest. At the trial, the defence actually claimed it was unfair that that happened, apparently.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,213
    edited April 12

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    Can't they invent a phone that explodes when it's a considerably distance from its rightful owner in a short space of time. That should stop 'em!
    {Alan B'Stard enters the chat, and nonchalantly pulls out a remote}

    EDIT - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pK4JDFLazs - Gun Jesus shows the way.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,239
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Yes, it is a big city thing. One advantage of your living in a redbrick semi near Newent

    It is universal in Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, any American city: watch your phone
    I got my phone nicked in Hong Kong (well, technically Kowloon) like that.
    That surprises me. Hong Kong is - or was - incredibly crime-free, in my experience
  • I dropped my AirPods Pro case in Richmond Park and a kind soul put it round a tree and it was still there five hours later.
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    Can't they invent a phone that explodes when it's a considerably distance from its rightful owner in a short space of time. That should stop 'em!
    Except that I regularly go out with no phone, so not only would it explode, it would explode in my house!
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 8,721
    New passport has arrived (within a week of me sending off the old one - all, surprisingly, very efficient).

    I can confirm it's blue, not black. Generally quite nice, although I miss the parts of UK illustrations and/or wildlife illustrations in previous ones on the pages.

    Overall, thumbs up for the new passport, but I'm not sure it was worth Brexit (particularly as Brexit wasn't needed to produce such a passport!).

    Also, I've passed seamlessly from looking like a early teenage child in all my earlier passports to looking like a middle aged murder suspect in this one. Whereas in earlier passports my face has looked wider than it normally does, in this one it looks longer.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,174

    rkrkrk said:

    rkrkrk said:

    Starmer sounds pretty convinced that Rayner will be cleared of any wrongdoing. If there were a scintilla of doubt, I reckon he'd be more cautious.

    I would like to understand why police will investigate a non crime, almost historic, maliciously reported by an MP but are often too busy to investigate car thefts, rapes and assaults?

    HMRC deal with tax, the electoral stuff is just nonsense. Think of students, they can register at term address, home address or both.
    Pretty worrying to see them being politicised like this to be honest. Another small chisel in the wall of our democracy.
    Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember you saying the same during Partygate.
    You are not wrong at all.

    Partygate was a legitimate investigation, instigated by an ITV news report, which issued penalty notices to 83 people including the then prime minister and the now prime minister.

    Angela Rayner is being investigated because she has been reported to the police by a Conservative MP - accused of listing the wrong address on an electoral register ten years ago.

    If you can't see the difference, I can't help you.
    I think the issue for me is that in the case of Downing Street, it was very much still going on and current.

    This allegation is about something that happened a decade ago, instigated by a Tory MP.

    Is this really a good use of Police time?
    Vicky Pryce has entered the chat.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,576
    edited April 12

    Sandpit said:

    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    One bike theft gang in the City was sent down a couple of months ago. They found 57 bikes and loads of parts in a tool hire shop.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/gang-bike-theft-london-jailed-louey-baldwin-inner-london-crown-court-b1138666.html

    Police refused to reveal their methods, but I suspect that ‘Q’ has found a way to hide trackers on bikes.
    AirTags belonging to owners, I'll bet.

    We've noticed, round here, that when a car is stolen, the thieves park it a half dozen streets away and leave it for a week or 2. To see if the owner has a hidden tracker.

    Years back, a jerk of a former boss had his bike stolen. Since it was over 5 figures, the Police actually took interest. At the trial, the defence actually claimed it was unfair that that happened, apparently.
    I suspect it’s a bit more sophisticated than a set-up bike with an AirTag on it, something which the scumbags now know to look for. It might be a shrunk version of the Tracker system they put on cars, or the components of a phone curled up and stuck in a frame tube.

    (At pro cycling tours the scrutineers now x-ray the bikes, because it was thought that motors and batteries were possible to get installed surreptitiously).

    Lol at a defence lawyer arguing how unfair it was that the police actually paid attention. The theives would likely have been stumped with a professional bike, you can’t just eBay the really high-end components without someone noticing, and they have serial numbers. (Cue @Dura_Ace telling us about all the top end stuff he buys cheap on eBay or facebook).
  • tlg86 said:

    rkrkrk said:

    rkrkrk said:

    Starmer sounds pretty convinced that Rayner will be cleared of any wrongdoing. If there were a scintilla of doubt, I reckon he'd be more cautious.

    I would like to understand why police will investigate a non crime, almost historic, maliciously reported by an MP but are often too busy to investigate car thefts, rapes and assaults?

    HMRC deal with tax, the electoral stuff is just nonsense. Think of students, they can register at term address, home address or both.
    Pretty worrying to see them being politicised like this to be honest. Another small chisel in the wall of our democracy.
    Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember you saying the same during Partygate.
    You are not wrong at all.

    Partygate was a legitimate investigation, instigated by an ITV news report, which issued penalty notices to 83 people including the then prime minister and the now prime minister.

    Angela Rayner is being investigated because she has been reported to the police by a Conservative MP - accused of listing the wrong address on an electoral register ten years ago.

    If you can't see the difference, I can't help you.
    I think the issue for me is that in the case of Downing Street, it was very much still going on and current.

    This allegation is about something that happened a decade ago, instigated by a Tory MP.

    Is this really a good use of Police time?
    Vicky Pryce has entered the chat.
    Hmm, fair point. I defer to you.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,694

    Carnyx said:

    Tres said:

    kjh said:

    I have no idea about the Rayner case, but one thing I am aware of (having been involved in an election case [as a witness I hasten to add for the prosecution]) is that the police are fed up to the back teeth of people being reported to them for petty stuff for electioneering purposes. This has the consequence that when something is serious it often gets ignored by the police (at least initially) as being 'not this crap again'.

    My view is the police should start charging people with wasting police time to get rid of the dross that is thrown at them by all parties particularly at election time such that when a proper election offence is committed it is not lost in the dross.

    I would also like to add that the election laws need updating. They are a mess. Not enough time to list out here.

    Indeed. If Rayner has broken electoral registration law, which has yet to be determined, it wouldn’t pass a threshold for prosecution as far as I can see from reading about the case. This is all just weak sauce.

    Rishi Sunak has twice been fined by the police for breaking the law and he didn’t resign. The idea that this is a resigning matter for Rayner… I’m not remotely convinced.
    It seems spurious to me. Does your main residence for electoral purposes have to be the same as your main residence for tax purposes?
    no
    There is not even a main residence for electoral purposes. It is perfectly acceptable to be registered in multiple places as long as you only vote once (in national and London elections, others you can vote more than once). You can be registered places other than your main home as long as you have a reasonable connection to the property.

    Unless she has voted twice, which afaik no one has even suggested, it is a complete non issue and utter waste of police time.
    So this is about her address for her own vote?? Not address as a candidate?? I had assumed the latter.

    Bloody hell, I hope Labour make all MPs' tax and wealth records open access once they get in.
    She wasnt a candidate until two months after the house sale afaik.
    the only thing the police can be investigating though is if she made a false statement in her own nomination papers
  • NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245
  • eristdooferistdoof Posts: 5,065
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Yes, it is a big city thing. One advantage of your living in a redbrick semi near Newent

    It is universal in Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, any American city: watch your phone
    To be honest, I haven't heard of this in Berlin. Yet. There is plenty of other crime about, but that one hasn't seemed to hit yet. I suspect it might be more of a thing as the weather gets better and more people are hanging around on the streets and in beer gardens with their phones out.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,576
    Tres said:

    Carnyx said:

    Tres said:

    kjh said:

    I have no idea about the Rayner case, but one thing I am aware of (having been involved in an election case [as a witness I hasten to add for the prosecution]) is that the police are fed up to the back teeth of people being reported to them for petty stuff for electioneering purposes. This has the consequence that when something is serious it often gets ignored by the police (at least initially) as being 'not this crap again'.

    My view is the police should start charging people with wasting police time to get rid of the dross that is thrown at them by all parties particularly at election time such that when a proper election offence is committed it is not lost in the dross.

    I would also like to add that the election laws need updating. They are a mess. Not enough time to list out here.

    Indeed. If Rayner has broken electoral registration law, which has yet to be determined, it wouldn’t pass a threshold for prosecution as far as I can see from reading about the case. This is all just weak sauce.

    Rishi Sunak has twice been fined by the police for breaking the law and he didn’t resign. The idea that this is a resigning matter for Rayner… I’m not remotely convinced.
    It seems spurious to me. Does your main residence for electoral purposes have to be the same as your main residence for tax purposes?
    no
    There is not even a main residence for electoral purposes. It is perfectly acceptable to be registered in multiple places as long as you only vote once (in national and London elections, others you can vote more than once). You can be registered places other than your main home as long as you have a reasonable connection to the property.

    Unless she has voted twice, which afaik no one has even suggested, it is a complete non issue and utter waste of police time.
    So this is about her address for her own vote?? Not address as a candidate?? I had assumed the latter.

    Bloody hell, I hope Labour make all MPs' tax and wealth records open access once they get in.
    She wasnt a candidate until two months after the house sale afaik.
    the only thing the police can be investigating though is if she made a false statement in her own nomination papers
    That’s what it now sounds like, that she put her address on the nomination papers as the house that had just been sold.

    Were the two houses in different Parliamentary constituencies? Because otherwise it seems a really silly thing to do, knowing that the nomination paper and the house sale would both be public record.
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 2,998
    A bit of trivia on voting rules: In the US, the state of North Dakota, and only the state of North Dakota, does not require voter registration. (It does require voter IDs for in-person voting.)

    There's a brief explanation here: https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_in_North_Dakota

    (I can't think of any big vote fraud examples in North Dakota, though I did read, some years ago, of an example in its neighor, South Dakota. The Democrats staged a rally with a barbecue on one of the reservations, inviting voters to bring their ballots and fill them out at the rally.)
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368
    edited April 12

    NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    It almost makes one reminiscent for the gentler days of Corbyn.

    I was at funeral yesterday, where I was told, and I am quoting, "the next election is between a Hindu fundamentalist and a Zionist." Make of that what you will.
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 13,677
    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    One thing I noticed in France last year is the sheer number of people on public transport using their phone with a lanyard style case that is physically attached to their clothing or across their shoulders like a crossbody bag.

    I did wonder how long it'd be before that caught on over here.
    That's a damn good idea. I've seen them in the USA but never thought to buy one

    I'm gonna buy one

    Ta!
    I currently make a roaring trade in such devices. Can be as simple as some rated accessory cord attached to your belt - getting it onto the phone is more tricky.

    Like bike theft, It's so simple rectify. It's usually a gang with a warehouse somewhere, and a honeytrap bike/phones with a decent tracker can see literally hundreds returned to lots of very grateful people.

    Great PR for the police, but it's but generally violent so low on the list of priorities.

    One bike theft gang in the City was sent down a couple of months ago. They found 57 bikes and loads of parts in a tool hire shop.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/gang-bike-theft-london-jailed-louey-baldwin-inner-london-crown-court-b1138666.html

    Police refused to reveal their methods, but I suspect that ‘Q’ has found a way to hide trackers on bikes.
    AirTags belonging to owners, I'll bet.

    We've noticed, round here, that when a car is stolen, the thieves park it a half dozen streets away and leave it for a week or 2. To see if the owner has a hidden tracker.

    Years back, a jerk of a former boss had his bike stolen. Since it was over 5 figures, the Police actually took interest. At the trial, the defence actually claimed it was unfair that that happened, apparently.
    I suspect it’s a bit more sophisticated than a set-up bike with an AirTag on it, something which the scumbags now know to look for. It might be a shrunk version of the Tracker system they put on cars, or the components of a phone curled up and stuck in a frame tube.

    (At pro cycling tours the scrutineers now x-ray the bikes, because it was thought that motors and batteries were possible to get installed surreptitiously).

    Lol at a defence lawyer arguing how unfair it was that the police actually paid attention. The theives would likely have been stumped with a professional bike, you can’t just eBay the really high-end components without someone noticing, and they have serial numbers. (Cue @Dura_Ace telling us about all the top end stuff he buys cheap on eBay or facebook).
    I only ever buy new bike parts because I wear shit out. Shimano stuff only has the serial number on the packaging in a QR code (apart from Di2 batteries). Dunno about Campag or SRAM.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,549
    edited April 12

    NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    I wonder if his role in the Litvinenko case has coloured his view on this topic?

    Edit: I mean in the fact he bought proceedings against Russia over it; not that he was 'involved' in the case.... ;)
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,399
    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Yes, it is a big city thing. One advantage of your living in a redbrick semi near Newent

    It is universal in Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, any American city: watch your phone
    I got my phone nicked in Hong Kong (well, technically Kowloon) like that.
    That surprises me. Hong Kong is - or was - incredibly crime-free, in my experience
    You never heard of Snakeheads?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368

    NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    I wonder if his role in the Litvinenko case has coloured his view on this topic?

    Did he provide the safe house?
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 2,998
    Going back to an earlier discussion: "Two of Blue Origin's earliest employees, former president Rob Meyerson and chief architect Gary Lai, have started a company that seeks to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here.

    The company has been operating in stealth since its founding in 2022, but it emerged on Wednesday by announcing it has raised $15 million, adding to previous rounds of angel investments."
    source: https://www.wired.com/story/interlune-helium-3-moon-mining/
    "Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed a law that allows private American space companies the rights to resources they mine on celestial bodies, including the moon."
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/moon-mining-plans-interlune/

    (Would I invest in such a company? No, but I turned 80 last August. If I were 20, I might consider it -- after investigating the company and the technology, carefully.)
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368

    I dropped my AirPods Pro case in Richmond Park and a kind soul put it round a tree and it was still there five hours later.

    After West Brom's third draw in a week in their quest for a play off place, in my frustration I nailed my season ticket to the tree in Dartmouth Square. By the following day I had my misgivings and returned to collect my season ticket. I couldn't believe it, some barsteward had stolen my nail
  • NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    I wonder if his role in the Litvinenko case has coloured his view on this topic?

    Edit: I mean in the fact he bought proceedings against Russia over it; not that he was 'involved' in the case.... ;)
    If he was 'involved' in the case it would explain how he rose so high under Jeremy Corbyn :D
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 13,677

    Going back to an earlier discussion: "Two of Blue Origin's earliest employees, former president Rob Meyerson and chief architect Gary Lai, have started a company that seeks to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here.

    The company has been operating in stealth since its founding in 2022, but it emerged on Wednesday by announcing it has raised $15 million, adding to previous rounds of angel investments."
    source: https://www.wired.com/story/interlune-helium-3-moon-mining/
    "Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed a law that allows private American space companies the rights to resources they mine on celestial bodies, including the moon."
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/moon-mining-plans-interlune/

    (Would I invest in such a company? No, but I turned 80 last August. If I were 20, I might consider it -- after investigating the company and the technology, carefully.)

    I know shit all about helium mining and space stuff but I feel like $15m wouldn't even pay for the stationery such an enterprise would need.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,098

    Leon said:

    Sandpit said:

    Leon said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Yes, happened to me in my own street, about 6pm, last year, midsummer. A guy on a bike come from behind me and sailed past, grabbing the phone in one go and cycling speedily away. He did it with astonishing skill, the ratfaced wanker. Luckily my phone was insured, I now insure all my phones - because of this

    It is wearisome. It is the same in all big western cities, you cannot afford to leave your phone lying about on outdoor tables, you cannot walk down a road looking at it without the risk of its being snatched

    When you go to a city where this simply does not happen (generally in east Asia) the feeling of relief is palpable
    I need to remember next time I’m in London, that one doesn’t leave one’s ipad and wallet on the bar when going for a leak.
    It is tiring. You don't get that in the Sandpit or Singapore, you don't even get it in dirtpoor Phnom Penh

    Petty crime, littering, graffiti, shoplifting, drug use, homelessness, migrants rough sleeping - these are afflicting all major western cities I have visited in recent years. I wonder how long the voters will tolerate it before they rebel
    I've never seen it up here either. I'll often walk around with my phone out, never had a problem.
    Me neither, and I live in London.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 42,549

    NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    I wonder if his role in the Litvinenko case has coloured his view on this topic?

    Did he provide the safe house?
    Bah. You got in before my edit. I posted the post, read it back, and thought: "Hmmm, that could be taken the wrong way..."
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,009
    rkrkrk said:

    TOPPING said:

    While my interest in it does not quite approach Leon AI status nevertheless the London phone snatching phenomenon grows apace. Everywhere you look there are notices warning against it and everyone you speak to has experience of (seeing) it. I have seen it twice in the recent past (1x Piccadilly, 1x Sloane Square).

    The overriding element is how blatant it is, how powerless (to chase after those electric bikes) the victims are, and how dexterous the perps are, swooping in, grabbing, and then racing away.

    Plain clothes policeman/woman walking around hotspots, phone with a tracker, try to wrap up the whole gang.
    How about one person with a phone, a second down the street with a baseball bat?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,061
    This is the best - and easiest to understand - thread on investing I've ever seen.
    Sadly I'm too old to follow the advice, but @Casino_Royale might be interested.

    My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.

    Here's how:

    https://twitter.com/StocksWithBrian/status/1591036815166779392
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Sir Keir in full robot mode, same answer four times

    https://youtu.be/9b068tB5X7c
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368

    NEW: Keir Starmer says he'd be willing to push the nuclear button if Britain was under attack

    https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1778791218408751245

    I wonder if his role in the Litvinenko case has coloured his view on this topic?

    Did he provide the safe house?
    Bah. You got in before my edit. I posted the post, read it back, and thought: "Hmmm, that could be taken the wrong way..."
    Confession time. No I didn't, I cheated.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,694
    Nigelb said:

    This is the best - and easiest to understand - thread on investing I've ever seen.
    Sadly I'm too old to follow the advice, but @Casino_Royale might be interested.

    My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.

    Here's how:

    https://twitter.com/StocksWithBrian/status/1591036815166779392

    have rich parents?
  • isam said:

    Sir Keir in full robot mode, same answer four times

    https://youtu.be/9b068tB5X7c

    Is he taking inspiration from you?
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 2,998
    For DavidL (and others): There's a well-known difference between men and women that one should be careful about mentioning in some circles. In general, men and women have the same average IQ -- but the variance is greater among males than females.

    Which means there are proportionately more male dunces -- and more male geniuses -- than female. (You can see the first in almost any "special ed" class in the US, and the second in almost any list of Nobel prize winners in science.)

    That could partly explain why, for example, there are more male chess grandmasters than female -- and more boys who can't be taught the game no matter how much instruction they receive.

    (Mentioning that well-known fact helped get Larry Summers fired at Harvard, so consider yourself warned, if you work in academia. Or politics.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Summers )

  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,368
    isam said:

    Sir Keir in full robot mode, same answer four times

    https://youtu.be/9b068tB5X7c

    But does he have a plan? Is that plan working? And do you want Labour to take you back to square one?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,620

    NEW THREAD

  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 28,895

    Dura_Ace said:

    Good news! Government threatening an MoD contractor to pony up some flights to Kigali

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/12/rwanda-deportation-flights-airtanker-charter-airline-talks

    What the article doesn't explain is that following Rwanda's sale of refugee accommodation, anyone who gets flown to Rwanda will have to live on the plane.

    Once they get to German East Africa, I doubt anyone involved is going to give a fuck where they are or are not living.

    AirTanker is probably the right operator for this caper because those A330s in the surge fleet are starting to age out of viability in the lease market. Also they can make reservists crew them. It does look like somebody who vaguely knows what they are doing is starting to think about this.

    If they do get the Kigali Express running I fully expect SKS won't can it after the GE.
    What Kigali Express? Remember the barriers:
    1. We don't catch all the boats
    2. We have nowhere to securely intern all the people from the boats
    3. We don't have the Home Office staff to process their claims
    4. We don't have courts capacity to hold the hearings to declare them illegal

    Only then do we get to the Kigali Express which in itself fails because
    6. Rwanda has sold the accommodation built to house refugees
    7. Rwanda only built for - and said it would only ever take - a few hundred

    Starmer won't need to stop something that isn't happening.
    1 - 4 we don't need to.

    6 is their issue, I'm sure they can find temporary accommodation if need be (which is exactly how we're housing people now currently anyway).
    Can I get a citation on 7, because I think that's bullshit personally.
    Endless reportage about how many Rwanda have said they will take - including direct quotes from their ministers. Why not google it?

    As for 1-4, what do you mean "we don't need to". How do you propose to get from boat arrives at UK coast to boat occupants put on a plane? Pick them up off the beach and directly bus them to Brize Norton?
  • kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 4,938
    Tres said:

    Nigelb said:

    This is the best - and easiest to understand - thread on investing I've ever seen.
    Sadly I'm too old to follow the advice, but @Casino_Royale might be interested.

    My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.

    Here's how:

    https://twitter.com/StocksWithBrian/status/1591036815166779392

    have rich parents?
    Hyperinflation?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,576
    Nigelb said:

    This is the best - and easiest to understand - thread on investing I've ever seen.
    Sadly I'm too old to follow the advice, but @Casino_Royale might be interested.

    My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.

    Here's how:

    https://twitter.com/StocksWithBrian/status/1591036815166779392

    That’s really cool. Perhaps a couple of grand a year invested over time to make serious money.

    And of course when you have the first million, you can earn a 50-year average of about $70k a year just from an S&P tracker.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,213
    Dura_Ace said:

    Going back to an earlier discussion: "Two of Blue Origin's earliest employees, former president Rob Meyerson and chief architect Gary Lai, have started a company that seeks to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here.

    The company has been operating in stealth since its founding in 2022, but it emerged on Wednesday by announcing it has raised $15 million, adding to previous rounds of angel investments."
    source: https://www.wired.com/story/interlune-helium-3-moon-mining/
    "Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed a law that allows private American space companies the rights to resources they mine on celestial bodies, including the moon."
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/moon-mining-plans-interlune/

    (Would I invest in such a company? No, but I turned 80 last August. If I were 20, I might consider it -- after investigating the company and the technology, carefully.)

    I know shit all about helium mining and space stuff but I feel like $15m wouldn't even pay for the stationery such an enterprise would need.
    There is also exactly no market for tons of Helium-3 - you might be able to sell a bit more for the various uses it does actually have.

    There are no Helium-3 fusion reactors or any prospect of anyone starting to build one.

    There are vastly cheaper ways of getting it, here on Earth, for the amounts that people might be interested in buying.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,061
    Tres said:

    Nigelb said:

    This is the best - and easiest to understand - thread on investing I've ever seen.
    Sadly I'm too old to follow the advice, but @Casino_Royale might be interested.

    My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.

    Here's how:

    https://twitter.com/StocksWithBrian/status/1591036815166779392

    have rich parents?
    Not particularly - read the details.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,061

    Dura_Ace said:

    Going back to an earlier discussion: "Two of Blue Origin's earliest employees, former president Rob Meyerson and chief architect Gary Lai, have started a company that seeks to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here.

    The company has been operating in stealth since its founding in 2022, but it emerged on Wednesday by announcing it has raised $15 million, adding to previous rounds of angel investments."
    source: https://www.wired.com/story/interlune-helium-3-moon-mining/
    "Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed a law that allows private American space companies the rights to resources they mine on celestial bodies, including the moon."
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/moon-mining-plans-interlune/

    (Would I invest in such a company? No, but I turned 80 last August. If I were 20, I might consider it -- after investigating the company and the technology, carefully.)

    I know shit all about helium mining and space stuff but I feel like $15m wouldn't even pay for the stationery such an enterprise would need.
    There is also exactly no market for tons of Helium-3 - you might be able to sell a bit more for the various uses it does actually have.

    There are no Helium-3 fusion reactors or any prospect of anyone starting to build one.

    There are vastly cheaper ways of getting it, here on Earth, for the amounts that people might be interested in buying.
    Someone's been watching For All Mankind (whose scientific adviser seems steeped in NASA lore from around the mid 1980s and little beyond that?) and taken its plot as a serious business plan.
This discussion has been closed.