My God, we need to get these people laid or the country itself will be screwed.
I have the solution. A massive government investment in pubs and discounted booze, and the internet to be switched off between 7pm and 5am.
It's not booze. There are few people as unattractive and frankly incapable as drunken twentysomethings, plus there are consent issues. I think there should be compulsory national courses for twentysomethings in washing, combing ones hair, getting a better haircut, shaving regularly, moisturising, showering, and going to the gym. Plus shaving those stupid f***ing beards off.
Both my boys have beards and lovely long term girlfriends. Neither has well paid jobs, but they are kind, good listeners do the cooking and housework and fun to be around. Neither is particularly classically good looking, though not ugly. Each met their girl via Hinge.
It's less marked in Britain, but in America there is a major difference between young men and young women over politics, and the divide is increasing:
Party politics is not everything, but increasingly it is about cultural and social issues rather than economic ones. These matter, so why would a young woman want to date a gun-toting anti-abortion climate change denier?. Their interests and aspirations are just too far apart, particularly for the College educated
So, it's not just a matter of brushing up on grooming, but also a brushing up of attitudes that's needed. This is an international phenomenon, with South Korea the most extreme example.
So the men all have to be left wing as well, to please the left wing women?
Why don’t the stupid left wing women veer right, to get the men?
Or have you considered the possibility that the politics ARISE from the way western society seems to favour women, hugely - and it does. And I speak as the father of two daughters. They massively benefit from structural sexism
You illustrate my point most excellently. Display those attitudes as a young man and don't expect to be dated. No one wants a whiney boyfriend complaining how life is so stacked in favour of girls.
Do you really want to compare numbers in terms of sexual conquests? Really? How can I put it politely: I don’t think you’re going to win
But let’s not go down that road eh
My point is, society is now structured towards women: women live longer, they get better grades in schools (as exams are changed to suit them), they now dominate the professions, they demand equality in every job yet somehow men still do all the shit physical jobs and they don’t demand equality there
And still men are legally discriminated against. Women only shortlists. Prizes for women. Jobs advertised for “minorities and women”. It’s obscene and absurd. And young men are starting to notice
I don't think comparing numbers is a good metric. I'm happy to concede a lower number, but in my humble opinion they were all stunners, non smokers, intelligent and no money ever changed hands.
Really? Your wife certainly charged me. But I don’t mind paying, TBF
Who on earth flagged this?? I am actually contributing useful advice for PB-ers, that if they meet @kjh’s charming wife DON’T EXPECT A FREE ONE
I am sure @kjh himself will happily back me up. He’s surely even keener than me to keep her income going
Why flag simple consumer advice that’s actually helpful??
*bewildered face*
Just so you know it wasn't me who flagged you. To be honest I would like to see the flag option taken away.. I didn't take offence. My wife might, but she won't see the post.
Regardless of the flagging dispute, having a high quality woman that will marry you - and stay married to you - is a far better marker of a real man that a hundred one night stands.
Is it? Who says?
I do. If you disagree, you can argue your reasons. And readers can determine for themselves who is more persuasive. That is the point of discussion.
Fair enough. I like a spirited debate - that’s why I’m here
My position is I love sex and I love women. Young women in particular. I genuinely tried gay sex - not for me
So it’s women and I physically prefer them under 30, that is the way I am made. I really really wish this was not the case - it’s a buyer’s market if you’re a sane male and straight and you fancy women over 45, but I don’t
Ergo if I’m to be sexually happy in a relationship I need a younger woman - this gets increasingly hard as I age (and increasingly ridiculous). There may come a time - soon - when I accept being celibate. Its not quite yet
If I were to marry someone she would have to accept that I won’t want to have sex with her after that age. That’s quite tough - cruel even. And then we’re both unhappy. Is that “better”? According to you it is
So do please explain how - with my make-up - I am meant to find a wife and settle down forever in marital bliss, as you define it, given the man I am
You play the hand you’re dealt. I have played and I still play the hand that god gave me. And I think that’s all you can do - and try not to hurt people
My wife is 40 years old, still hotter than many (most) 25 year olds and we still have great sex. You have to marry someone who's sexually compatible with you, always says yes, and who both really fancy each other.
Aren't you being a little silly?
I’m just being honest. Those are my tastes. This shit quite annoys me. I get it from my female feminist friends. “Just grow up Leon. Start fancying women your own age”
I simply don’t. I’ve tried believe me. Leads to embarrassment all round
If I said “I simply fancy men” would you say, “grow up” and “stop being silly”?
No. You wouldn’t
"Start fancying women your own age” is a misunderstanding. Men fancy women between, say, 20 - 30 years old . This doesn't change whether the man is 20, 40 or 60. It's hardly surprising when that age matches peak female fertility. The idea that men fancy older women as they themselves get older is absurd.
I think you are being far too absolute in your views, even more so than Leon who is expressing his preference in women on a solely personal basis.
While I'm only 34, I have found the age of women I find attractive has increased as I've gotten older.
Attraction is more complicated than who would choose for the cover of a magazine, at least for many people.
When they do polls on this most men - worldwide - express a basic physical preference for women age 18-25 - the years of peak fertility. This is obviously true and to be expected. Indeed it would be weird if it wasn’t true. We’d die out as a species
Of course around that there are a trillion variations and huzzah - human diversity is good. But that is a basic fact
We are more than physical beings though.
I am not anticipating needing to, but I don't think I could sustain a relationship with someone not of a similar age. There is a need for a common hinterland. Someone who remembers life before cellphones.
My best ever relationship - my greatest love - was with someone 32 years younger than me. We only broke up because of differing desires re children (due to age). We never argued, we had amazing sex, we were very happy, we still miss each other
Crucially, we had an identical and highly evolved/insistent sense of humour. We constantly made each other laugh which is quite fundamental to getting on
True story. It can happen, it’s rare but it can happen. Love is where it falls
I’m sort of the opposite to you. My last three long relationships have been with women 5 years older x2 then 7 years older (I’ve just messaged her which will go down really well). They are all beautiful, could pass for many years younger physically and from a fun and enjoying life perspective. What they have however is the understanding and confidence in who they are. They are beautiful, they have lived life, they know what they won’t put up with, they know what makes them tick mentally and sexually.
They can be your best friend because they can understand your cultural reference points and you were both raving to the same music and watching the same films but they can also be the best lover you will ever have because they are happy with themselves and not feeling the need to play a role.
It’s best mates who fancy the shit out of each other with a physical edge. Every one of my last three partners was physically in better shape than a lot of women I see around in their twenties and thirties - the world has changed where you can have Liz Hurley and salma hyek or rebel Wilson who is two decades younger.
I'm in a very flat, and quite dull scenery wise, period of the Camino, so I'm trying to get loads done each day
I've got to a village called Bercianos del Real Camino. I got a room for 25€. The room has a lock but I don't have a key, and I have to share a bathroom
I've found a little bar/restaurant and am now eating calamari and chips with quite a nice local red
Very impressed with your turn of speed, between St. Jean PdP and Santiago I averaged only about 26Km a day. Mostly starting at 6 then stopping around 1pm, taking a siesta and exploring the stop. I could have done it maybe a week quicker, but met people along the way and git into the same rhythm. Terrific experience though. Mind you only 25,000 did it in 2000, so totally different from the more than 300,000 doing it each year now.
It would appear that the gleeful report in the Guardian of the book's comparatively modest sales, reported equally gleefully by fat, unhappy people on PB (author's assumption), compared Truss's hardback sales with everybody else's hardback and paperback sales.
I am sure all on PB will wish the newly minted bestselling author and polemicist their hearty congratulations.
Take the case of Mark Dawson, a British writer who just over a week ago hit No 8 on the Sunday Times hardback list with his thriller The Cleaner, released by the independent publisher Welbeck at the end of June. This is a great achievement for any author or small publishing house, but Dawson had done something remarkable: he bought 400 copies of his own book, at a cost of £3,600, to push his sales high enough to make the top 10.
By my count (and not suggesting there's anything nefarious going on) she's still very far behind "The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook".
So how long does it take to air-fry a head of lettuce?
Thames Water collapse could trigger Truss-style borrowing crisis, Whitehall officials fear
Exclusive: Concerns over effect on UK’s finances lead officials to believe utility should be renationalised before general election
Senior Whitehall officials fear Thames Water’s financial collapse could trigger a rise in government borrowing costs not seen since the chaos of the Liz Truss mini-budget, the Guardian can reveal.
Such is their concern about the impact on wider borrowing costs for the UK, even beyond utilities and infrastructure, that they believe Thames should be renationalised before the general election.
Officials in the Treasury and the UK’s Debt Management Office fear that, unless the UK’s biggest water company is renationalised as soon as possible, “prolonged uncertainty” about its fate could “damage confidence in UK plc at a sensitive time”, with elections in the UK and the US later this year.
This must absolutely, categorically be resisted. Fuck them. Fuck the greedy shareholders now expecting the taxpayer to bail them out; Fuck the Treasury; Fuck the Debt Management Office. This crappy business going bust is the best thing that can happen to the UK economy.
Quite.
If the current management of Thames Water thinks the business is insolvent, they need to be calling the administrators, not lobbying the government for a bail out.
(That said, I think it is more likely the debt holders than the shareholders who are arguing for nationalisation. If it were nationalized it would be for £1. But if it was, the government would take on the entire liabilities - i.e. all the debt. The correct thing is for the administrators to come in, find a new owner for the business, and say "sorry folks, you're getting 40 pence in the pound" to all the bond holders.)
As I understand it there are around 4 layers of seniority or equity and debt interest.
1) Shareholders: who own the regulated Thames Water entity. They have already defaulted on the debt owed to group 2, and will likely be wiped out.
2) High yield bond holders outside the regulated Thames Water entity. Interest payments have already been missed on this debt and it is trading at pennies in the pound. There is no way to service this debt without dividend payments from the regulated entity, which looks highly unlikely. Bleak prospect.
3 and 4) Junior and Senior bondholders within the regulated entity, which is structured as a whole business securitisation. Assuming a zero debt Thames Water entity has some value, group 4 should be getting at least some money back.
The trouble is that the level of uncertainty over the future amount of investment needed vs. bill increases permitted makes valuing the entity near impossible.
Which is also why it probably shouldn't have been privatised in the first place.
This could become fascinating. The RoI sounds like it will expect the UK to behave (ie have Ireland's migrants returned to UK) exactly as France does not behave in relation to to UK.
The ramifications - EU relations, GFA, Brexit deal, CTA, open border etc - are substantial.
It’s gestural from Ireland. There’s no way they can return migrants from the EU to the UK without the EU reciprocating - allowing the UK to return the boat people to France. Not going to happen
If a coach travels from Dublin to Glasgow via Belfast, at what point do UK Border Force check whether the people on board have visas or passports?
Thames Water collapse could trigger Truss-style borrowing crisis, Whitehall officials fear
Exclusive: Concerns over effect on UK’s finances lead officials to believe utility should be renationalised before general election
Senior Whitehall officials fear Thames Water’s financial collapse could trigger a rise in government borrowing costs not seen since the chaos of the Liz Truss mini-budget, the Guardian can reveal.
Such is their concern about the impact on wider borrowing costs for the UK, even beyond utilities and infrastructure, that they believe Thames should be renationalised before the general election.
Officials in the Treasury and the UK’s Debt Management Office fear that, unless the UK’s biggest water company is renationalised as soon as possible, “prolonged uncertainty” about its fate could “damage confidence in UK plc at a sensitive time”, with elections in the UK and the US later this year.
This must absolutely, categorically be resisted. Fuck them. Fuck the greedy shareholders now expecting the taxpayer to bail them out; Fuck the Treasury; Fuck the Debt Management Office. This crappy business going bust is the best thing that can happen to the UK economy.
Quite.
If the current management of Thames Water thinks the business is insolvent, they need to be calling the administrators, not lobbying the government for a bail out.
(That said, I think it is more likely the debt holders than the shareholders who are arguing for nationalisation. If it were nationalized it would be for £1. But if it was, the government would take on the entire liabilities - i.e. all the debt. The correct thing is for the administrators to come in, find a new owner for the business, and say "sorry folks, you're getting 40 pence in the pound" to all the bond holders.)
It seems fairly clear that the systemic policy (Treasury, Foreigners Office*) is for a bailout to protect bond holders.
This comment by @billybragg perfectly sums up what left wing women have taken from left wing men over the last few years. The problem isn’t whether Julie Bindel and I are correct on the issues, but that certain right-wingers agree with us.
If you’ve spent any time at all on the left of politics, you’re familiar with the progressive male class warrior, usually middle-class himself, whose interest in women’s issues begins and ends with sex work, stripping and abortions. He might claim to be a feminist ally and mutter vaguely about ‘equality’ if the need arises, but when a genuine assault on women’s rights erupted under his nose, he cut left wing women adrift without a second thought. He expected us to be so blindly tribal that we’d surrender single sex spaces, jettison the very language we use to describe ourselves, give up fair sport, agree rapists should be locked up in women’s prisons and that lesbians are bigots for not wanting to sleep with the penis-ed, because (horrors!) some people on the right thought these things were wrong, too.
Over the last few years, a huge number of PMCWs have become men’s rights activists in all but name, and it’s been profoundly depressing, if not entirely unexpected, to see how enjoyable they’ve found it. Even while attacking women for finding themselves on the same side as right-wingers, the PMCWs stampeded to join the team that was threatening women with rape and violence, harassing women’s conferences, attempting to block access to gender critical events and physically assaulting female demonstrators. PMCWs are everywhere online, lecturing women reliant on state-run services for not welcoming the male-bodied into communal changing rooms and rape crisis shelters, presuming to police women’s language and tone, turning a blind eye to all statistics on male sexual violence that might contradict the ‘you’re all scaremongering bigots’ narrative and demonstrating that their deepest empathy will always be reserved for those who were born with a penis.
The truth is that the left has fucked up monumentally on gender identity ideology and until it owns the mistake, it will continue to hand the right valid talking points. As more and more PMCWs realise this, they’ll take shameless refuge in accusations that we, the women criticising the injustice and insanity of gender identity ideology, were enabling the far-right. The fact is that they’ve done exactly that, by refusing to accept that there was anything wrong with a movement that was causing serious harm to troubled young people, trampling all over women’s rights and seeking to remove single-sex services for the most vulnerable.
The sense of betrayal women on the left feel towards men like Bragg will take a long time to disappear, if it ever does. I think we all take some grim satisfaction, though, in the fact that evidence of the PMCWs’ misogyny and complicity is a matter of public record, because the panicky back-pedalling and whitewashing that’s just begun is quite something to behold.
My God, we need to get these people laid or the country itself will be screwed.
I have the solution. A massive government investment in pubs and discounted booze, and the internet to be switched off between 7pm and 5am.
It's not booze. There are few people as unattractive and frankly incapable as drunken twentysomethings, plus there are consent issues. I think there should be compulsory national courses for twentysomethings in washing, combing ones hair, getting a better haircut, shaving regularly, moisturising, showering, and going to the gym. Plus shaving those stupid f***ing beards off.
Both my boys have beards and lovely long term girlfriends. Neither has well paid jobs, but they are kind, good listeners do the cooking and housework and fun to be around. Neither is particularly classically good looking, though not ugly. Each met their girl via Hinge.
It's less marked in Britain, but in America there is a major difference between young men and young women over politics, and the divide is increasing:
Party politics is not everything, but increasingly it is about cultural and social issues rather than economic ones. These matter, so why would a young woman want to date a gun-toting anti-abortion climate change denier?. Their interests and aspirations are just too far apart, particularly for the College educated
So, it's not just a matter of brushing up on grooming, but also a brushing up of attitudes that's needed. This is an international phenomenon, with South Korea the most extreme example.
So the men all have to be left wing as well, to please the left wing women?
Why don’t the stupid left wing women veer right, to get the men?
Or have you considered the possibility that the politics ARISE from the way western society seems to favour women, hugely - and it does. And I speak as the father of two daughters. They massively benefit from structural sexism
You illustrate my point most excellently. Display those attitudes as a young man and don't expect to be dated. No one wants a whiney boyfriend complaining how life is so stacked in favour of girls.
Do you really want to compare numbers in terms of sexual conquests? Really? How can I put it politely: I don’t think you’re going to win
But let’s not go down that road eh
My point is, society is now structured towards women: women live longer, they get better grades in schools (as exams are changed to suit them), they now dominate the professions, they demand equality in every job yet somehow men still do all the shit physical jobs and they don’t demand equality there
And still men are legally discriminated against. Women only shortlists. Prizes for women. Jobs advertised for “minorities and women”. It’s obscene and absurd. And young men are starting to notice
I don't think comparing numbers is a good metric. I'm happy to concede a lower number, but in my humble opinion they were all stunners, non smokers, intelligent and no money ever changed hands.
Really? Your wife certainly charged me. But I don’t mind paying, TBF
Who on earth flagged this?? I am actually contributing useful advice for PB-ers, that if they meet @kjh’s charming wife DON’T EXPECT A FREE ONE
I am sure @kjh himself will happily back me up. He’s surely even keener than me to keep her income going
Why flag simple consumer advice that’s actually helpful??
*bewildered face*
Just so you know it wasn't me who flagged you. To be honest I would like to see the flag option taken away.. I didn't take offence. My wife might, but she won't see the post.
Regardless of the flagging dispute, having a high quality woman that will marry you - and stay married to you - is a far better marker of a real man that a hundred one night stands.
Is it? Who says?
I do. If you disagree, you can argue your reasons. And readers can determine for themselves who is more persuasive. That is the point of discussion.
Fair enough. I like a spirited debate - that’s why I’m here
My position is I love sex and I love women. Young women in particular. I genuinely tried gay sex - not for me
So it’s women and I physically prefer them under 30, that is the way I am made. I really really wish this was not the case - it’s a buyer’s market if you’re a sane male and straight and you fancy women over 45, but I don’t
Ergo if I’m to be sexually happy in a relationship I need a younger woman - this gets increasingly hard as I age (and increasingly ridiculous). There may come a time - soon - when I accept being celibate. Its not quite yet
If I were to marry someone she would have to accept that I won’t want to have sex with her after that age. That’s quite tough - cruel even. And then we’re both unhappy. Is that “better”? According to you it is
So do please explain how - with my make-up - I am meant to find a wife and settle down forever in marital bliss, as you define it, given the man I am
You play the hand you’re dealt. I have played and I still play the hand that god gave me. And I think that’s all you can do - and try not to hurt people
My wife is 40 years old, still hotter than many (most) 25 year olds and we still have great sex. You have to marry someone who's sexually compatible with you, always says yes, and who both really fancy each other.
Aren't you being a little silly?
I’m just being honest. Those are my tastes. This shit quite annoys me. I get it from my female feminist friends. “Just grow up Leon. Start fancying women your own age”
I simply don’t. I’ve tried believe me. Leads to embarrassment all round
If I said “I simply fancy men” would you say, “grow up” and “stop being silly”?
No. You wouldn’t
"Start fancying women your own age” is a misunderstanding. Men fancy women between, say, 20 - 30 years old . This doesn't change whether the man is 20, 40 or 60. It's hardly surprising when that age matches peak female fertility. The idea that men fancy older women as they themselves get older is absurd.
I think you are being far too absolute in your views, even more so than Leon who is expressing his preference in women on a solely personal basis.
While I'm only 34, I have found the age of women I find attractive has increased as I've gotten older.
Attraction is more complicated than who would choose for the cover of a magazine, at least for many people.
When they do polls on this most men - worldwide - express a basic physical preference for women age 18-25 - the years of peak fertility. This is obviously true and to be expected. Indeed it would be weird if it wasn’t true. We’d die out as a species
Of course around that there are a trillion variations and huzzah - human diversity is good. But that is a basic fact
We are more than physical beings though.
I am not anticipating needing to, but I don't think I could sustain a relationship with someone not of a similar age. There is a need for a common hinterland. Someone who remembers life before cellphones.
My best ever relationship - my greatest love - was with someone 32 years younger than me. We only broke up because of differing desires re children (due to age). We never argued, we had amazing sex, we were very happy, we still miss each other
Crucially, we had an identical and highly evolved/insistent sense of humour. We constantly made each other laugh which is quite fundamental to getting on
True story. It can happen, it’s rare but it can happen. Love is where it falls
I’m sort of the opposite to you. My last three long relationships have been with women 5 years older x2 then 7 years older (I’ve just messaged her which will go down really well). They are all beautiful, could pass for many years younger physically and from a fun and enjoying life perspective. What they have however is the understanding and confidence in who they are.They are beautiful, they have lived life, they know what they won’t put up with, they know what makes them tick mentally and sexually.
They can be your best friend because they can understand your cultural reference points and you were both raving to the same music and watching the same films but they can also be the best lover you will ever have because they are happy withthemselves and not feeling the need to play a role.
It’s best mates who fancy the shit out of each other with a physical edge. Every one of my last three partners was physically in better shape than a lot of women I see around in their twenties and thirties - the world has changed where you can have Liz Hurley and salma hyek or rebel Wilson who is two decades younger.
I think both positions can be true i.e. someone at peak fertility might always be most physically attractive, and yet there are more rewarding relationships to be had with older women as you yourself get older.
I can't imagine, for example, wanting to have sex with anyone except my wife, for the simple reason that noone else would know what gets me off, what my kinks are, and vice versa. Plus we both have a sexual confidence that feeds off each other and which I've never had with a short-term partner (perhaps ive just been unlucky). I've never really understood the desire for newness in sexual partners - aside from the thrill of the chase and conquest, the sex itself is always a bit awkward and dissatisfying in comparison with someone with whom you have no shame and no secrets.
Thames Water collapse could trigger Truss-style borrowing crisis, Whitehall officials fear
Exclusive: Concerns over effect on UK’s finances lead officials to believe utility should be renationalised before general election
Senior Whitehall officials fear Thames Water’s financial collapse could trigger a rise in government borrowing costs not seen since the chaos of the Liz Truss mini-budget, the Guardian can reveal.
Such is their concern about the impact on wider borrowing costs for the UK, even beyond utilities and infrastructure, that they believe Thames should be renationalised before the general election.
Officials in the Treasury and the UK’s Debt Management Office fear that, unless the UK’s biggest water company is renationalised as soon as possible, “prolonged uncertainty” about its fate could “damage confidence in UK plc at a sensitive time”, with elections in the UK and the US later this year.
This must absolutely, categorically be resisted. Fuck them. Fuck the greedy shareholders now expecting the taxpayer to bail them out; Fuck the Treasury; Fuck the Debt Management Office. This crappy business going bust is the best thing that can happen to the UK economy.
Quite.
If the current management of Thames Water thinks the business is insolvent, they need to be calling the administrators, not lobbying the government for a bail out.
(That said, I think it is more likely the debt holders than the shareholders who are arguing for nationalisation. If it were nationalized it would be for £1. But if it was, the government would take on the entire liabilities - i.e. all the debt. The correct thing is for the administrators to come in, find a new owner for the business, and say "sorry folks, you're getting 40 pence in the pound" to all the bond holders.)
AIUI everyone expects the holding company to be wiped out, but not the operating company. And for reasons I don't understand it would be a disaster if it was. The same people think the regulator totally screwed up and the companies should never have been allowed to pile up the debt in that way.
This could become fascinating. The RoI sounds like it will expect the UK to behave (ie have Ireland's migrants returned to UK) exactly as France does not behave in relation to to UK.
The ramifications - EU relations, GFA, Brexit deal, CTA, open border etc - are substantial.
It’s gestural from Ireland. There’s no way they can return migrants from the EU to the UK without the EU reciprocating - allowing the UK to return the boat people to France. Not going to happen
If a coach travels from Dublin to Glasgow via Belfast, at what point do UK Border Force check whether the people on board have visas or passports?
When they arrive at Glasgow, I believe.
You don't need a passport to get from Ireland to the UK. I regularly travel back and forth by car ferry and I've never once been asked for my passport, or indeed for any identification. I'm just waved through.
On topic, I think when people vote for mayors they want interesting personalities. That would seem to explain Livingstone winning as an independent, Boris winning in a Labour city, Burnham winning Manchester (though probably any Labour politician would win that one), Street in Birmingham and even Houchen in Teesside outperforming polls. Khan, seemingly the exception to this rule, has been blessed with two hopeless opponents, and likely a third.
London does not always vote Labour. The GLC was Tory- held 1967 - 1973 and again 1977 - 1981 when Labour only won narrowly. The last Tory GLC leader was Horace Cutler. As late as 1987 the Tories had a very good GE in London when they won Waltham Forest and Battersea - both having stayed Labour in 1983. Johnson's 2008 win was nothing like as exceptional as many like to suggest - particularly in the context of an unpopular Labour government nationally. The 2008 Mayoral election took place in the same month the Tories captured Crewe & Nantwich at the by election which followed the death of Gwynneth Dunwoody.
Waltham Forest is a London Borough, not a parliamentary seat, and never has been one. The Tories did win Walthamstow in 1987, which is what I assume you mean. Seems remarkable now: Stella Creasy sits on a majority there of 31,000.
On topic, I think when people vote for mayors they want interesting personalities. That would seem to explain Livingstone winning as an independent, Boris winning in a Labour city, Burnham winning Manchester (though probably any Labour politician would win that one), Street in Birmingham and even Houchen in Teesside outperforming polls. Khan, seemingly the exception to this rule, has been blessed with two hopeless opponents, and likely a third.
London does not always vote Labour. The GLC was Tory- held 1967 - 1973 and again 1977 - 1981 when Labour only won narrowly. The last Tory GLC leader was Horace Cutler. As late as 1987 the Tories had a very good GE in London when they won Waltham Forest and Battersea - both having stayed Labour in 1983. Johnson's 2008 win was nothing like as exceptional as many like to suggest - particularly in the context of an unpopular Labour government nationally. The 2008 Mayoral election took place in the same month the Tories captured Crewe & Nantwich at the by election which followed the death of Gwynneth Dunwoody.
Waltham Forest is a London Borough, not a parliamentary seat, and never has been one. The Tories did win Walthamstow in 1987, which is what I assume you mean. Seems remarkable now: Stella Creasy sits on a majority there of 31,000.
Indeed - formerly there had been two seats - Walthamstow East and Walthamstow West in addition to the Leyton seat..
Chingford is/was another Waltham Forest seat, although parts of its modern incarnation fall outside the borough I believe.
Woodford Green is in Redbridge
Some bits are, some slivers of it are in Waltham Forest
Woodford Green is in Redbridge, Chingford is in Waltham Forest.
(waves from da North Ilford Ghetto)
Some slivers of Woodford Green are in Waltham Forest.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
Thames Water collapse could trigger Truss-style borrowing crisis, Whitehall officials fear
Exclusive: Concerns over effect on UK’s finances lead officials to believe utility should be renationalised before general election
Senior Whitehall officials fear Thames Water’s financial collapse could trigger a rise in government borrowing costs not seen since the chaos of the Liz Truss mini-budget, the Guardian can reveal.
Such is their concern about the impact on wider borrowing costs for the UK, even beyond utilities and infrastructure, that they believe Thames should be renationalised before the general election.
Officials in the Treasury and the UK’s Debt Management Office fear that, unless the UK’s biggest water company is renationalised as soon as possible, “prolonged uncertainty” about its fate could “damage confidence in UK plc at a sensitive time”, with elections in the UK and the US later this year.
This must absolutely, categorically be resisted. Fuck them. Fuck the greedy shareholders now expecting the taxpayer to bail them out; Fuck the Treasury; Fuck the Debt Management Office. This crappy business going bust is the best thing that can happen to the UK economy.
Quite.
If the current management of Thames Water thinks the business is insolvent, they need to be calling the administrators, not lobbying the government for a bail out.
(That said, I think it is more likely the debt holders than the shareholders who are arguing for nationalisation. If it were nationalized it would be for £1. But if it was, the government would take on the entire liabilities - i.e. all the debt. The correct thing is for the administrators to come in, find a new owner for the business, and say "sorry folks, you're getting 40 pence in the pound" to all the bond holders.)
AIUI everyone expects the holding company to be wiped out, but not the operating company. And for reasons I don't understand it would be a disaster if it was. The same people think the regulator totally screwed up and the companies should never have been allowed to pile up the debt in that way.
There's a possible explanation here. My interpretation is that financing within the ring fenced institution came with an assumption of low risk - that was the whole point of the ring fencing. While you could argue the investors should have been more diligent, if they had been they would have charged much more for the credit from the off, and will do so across the board if those Thames Water investments default now. The increased cost of future credit will be more than the taxpayer saves in not taking on the debt and this ultimately falls on the taxpayer in the form of higher water charges.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
This comment by @billybragg perfectly sums up what left wing women have taken from left wing men over the last few years. The problem isn’t whether Julie Bindel and I are correct on the issues, but that certain right-wingers agree with us.
If you’ve spent any time at all on the left of politics, you’re familiar with the progressive male class warrior, usually middle-class himself, whose interest in women’s issues begins and ends with sex work, stripping and abortions. He might claim to be a feminist ally and mutter vaguely about ‘equality’ if the need arises, but when a genuine assault on women’s rights erupted under his nose, he cut left wing women adrift without a second thought. He expected us to be so blindly tribal that we’d surrender single sex spaces, jettison the very language we use to describe ourselves, give up fair sport, agree rapists should be locked up in women’s prisons and that lesbians are bigots for not wanting to sleep with the penis-ed, because (horrors!) some people on the right thought these things were wrong, too.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
Over the last few years, a huge number of PMCWs have become men’s rights activists in all but name, and it’s been profoundly depressing, if not entirely unexpected, to see how enjoyable they’ve found it. Even while attacking women for finding themselves on the same side as right-wingers, the PMCWs stampeded to join the team that was threatening women with rape and violence, harassing women’s conferences, attempting to block access to gender critical events and physically assaulting female demonstrators. PMCWs are everywhere online, lecturing women reliant on state-run services for not welcoming the male-bodied into communal changing rooms and rape crisis shelters, presuming to police women’s language and tone, turning a blind eye to all statistics on male sexual violence that might contradict the ‘you’re all scaremongering bigots’ narrative and demonstrating that their deepest empathy will always be reserved for those who were born with a penis.
The truth is that the left has fucked up monumentally on gender identity ideology and until it owns the mistake, it will continue to hand the right valid talking points. As more and more PMCWs realise this, they’ll take shameless refuge in accusations that we, the women criticising the injustice and insanity of gender identity ideology, were enabling the far-right. The fact is that they’ve done exactly that, by refusing to accept that there was anything wrong with a movement that was causing serious harm to troubled young people, trampling all over women’s rights and seeking to remove single-sex services for the most vulnerable.
The sense of betrayal women on the left feel towards men like Bragg will take a long time to disappear, if it ever does. I think we all take some grim satisfaction, though, in the fact that evidence of the PMCWs’ misogyny and complicity is a matter of public record, because the panicky back-pedalling and whitewashing that’s just begun is quite something to behold.
Rowling says far more, and at great length, about herself than about Billy Bragg, I feel.
If I were advising Anas Sarwar, I'd suggest he make sure one - or even two - of his MSPs miss next week's confidence votes. Very sad that they should be unwell but there you have it. Better to keep Humza in office but not in power.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May.The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May.
There is only one political party who can be seen to lose this election from here, so it will be a very difficult campaign for Labour, obvious jitters with polls tightening once election called. 9th May BOE interest rate cut announced, 10th May UK comes out of recession with good first quarter growth, 22nd May Inflation will fall below 2% - no arguing or doubt about this because its based on energy prices. Also in the campaign period at least 1 flight will take off for Rwanda, perhaps more with one on eve of polling. The sunny economic news will contrast with the depth of credit crisis in voters minds and credit given to Rishi and Hunt for the financial turnaround pulls rug from under Labours best argument for voters to switch to them. The Rwanda flights will return Ref voters back to the Conservatives. You can say recent polling on Rwanda doesn’t suggest the Rwanda flights will generate a stampede of Ref back to Con, and I will laugh at you because that hypothetical polling is a poor predictive measure for how humans radically change their views once elections are called and Rwanda flights are happening.
I can give you the July election result right now, in shares and seats.
CON33 LAB39 LDM16 REF3 GRN4 SNP2
CON180 LAB379 LDM48 REF0 GRN1 (Bristols not Brightons) SNP21 PLD4
Consider this my entry in the inevitable PB competition when it comes.
Good morning.
Top notch spoof, unless you are actually being serious. The Conservatives will not be trusted to run the economy again for a very long time.
John Major polled 30.7% in 1997 and there is no way this time they are going to get that high. Sub 30 looks odds on, evidenced by the ongoing slump in their opinion poll ratings. They are currently polling 6-9% below the 1997 figures for the commensurate period. That’s the maths of it.
The only part of your post which has possibility of traction is the July election. An intriguing idea. Unlikely, but not impossible.
all comparisons with 1997 are meaningless - the electorate is a different beast, the electorate of 1997 would never have voted for Brexit. The electorate in 2024 are more right wing and eurosceptic than 1997. polls are not predicting a Labour victory. Polls never predict. Pollsters are not future tellers. elections throw up unexpected results, voters succumb to campaigns and messaging. Guessing this is how money can be made from Political betting. you are wrong to think because an argument is the right its the way voters will vote, if a policy or piece of spin is ludicrous you assume voters won’t vote for it. You are wrong.
Analysis of the current polling - a double digit lead not based on Labour 10+% ahead of the Conservatives. You should see it in Brexit Britain, 2024, Starmer’s just a handful of points ahead of the centre right bloc. It’s not a big Labour lead, it’s a Tory polling struggle reform, a double digit RFM total added to CON is 36% just handful of points behind Labour. These voters are Tories in the last 3 General elections - will all those voters vowing to throw their vote away on Reform go through with it in actual 2 party type FPTP General Election? I don’t think so. The Conservatives don’t need to convince lots of voters for a stunning comeback, they don’t need 75% of the electorate to change its mind between now and voting day, just that 9% threatening to throw their vote away on Reform to have second thoughts. Labour have certainly proved they can’t convince that 9% to vote for them, because that 9% and the Tories are of the same mindset the same bloc of post Brexit vote.
It’s either the most votes ever thrown away by voters in a general election, or potential is there for this election to explode the polling stalemate and the presumed result blown apart in the last weeks of the coming campaign. So I am being serious. This is a very serious way to look at it.
I’m not ramping July 4th only to later say Sunak has bottled it - i genuinely believe with inflation under 2%, interest rate cut announced, economy out of recession and growing, promise of Rwanda deterrent working, optimism gives Tories a far better result on July 4th than mixed picture and less optimism in November or December.
I am 100% convinced Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May. The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May. And the right wing pro Brexit block of 37% will come together before election day.
I suspect the electorate is far less Thatcherite today than was the case in 1997 - much less likely to approve of privatisation and much more open minded about nationalisation and state intervention more generally. Returning Energy and the Water Industries to Public Control would now be well received. Even in 1997 the electorate was ready to see the Railways to State control - though Blair was too timid to take that step. Re- Thames Water - Why not let it go'bust' - and then renationalise for almost nothing? Ditto re-Royal Mail.
This makes the mistake of assuming the electorate of 2024 is that of 2016. The electorate *now* wouldn't vote again for Brexit. Polls predict 'remain' would win by a landslide and even rejoin would start a referendum campaign as favourite. We've also really reached a point where the public realm's decay is much more visible than under Cameron - something that's shifted the electorate left.
Little evidence too that the electorate is now more right-wing *now*. Despite all the noise around small boats it doesn't seem to be shifting any votes, ditto any of Sunak's performatively right wing flourishes.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
That seems unjust. Have you checked this with an employment lawyer or your union?
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
have had three separate “he’s going in the morning messages” from normally solid sources. worry, of course, is that they’ve all spoken to the same person and that person is wrong.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
I know it doesn't pay the bills, and I wouldn't blame you for not darkening the door of your place ever again, but thank you for all you do.
The degree to which everything is being knocked over to pretend to fund tax cuts is pretty unforgivable. And if that isn't coming from Number Ten, Rishi is an even more pathetic so-called leader than I think he is.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
That seems unjust. Have you checked this with an employment lawyer or your union?
Best wishes anyway.
First thing tomorrow. I keep being told that I've exceeded the permitted time off. However, they had me down as absent for the whole of December and on SSP when I was actually at work. Computer says no.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
All good wishes in fighting that - it sounds utterly unfair. And I think the Government is vanishing before our eyes.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
I know it doesn't pay the bills, and I wouldn't blame you for not darkening the door of your place ever again, but thank you for all you do.
The degree to which everything is being knocked over to pretend to fund tax cuts is pretty unforgivable. And if that isn't coming from Number Ten, Rishi is an even more pathetic so-called leader than I think he is.
Hope you are better soon.
I'm OK. It's just another kick in the crotch. Had 4 days off since Xmas. Don't get to post on PB, make doctors or dentists appointments or talk to utility companies or arrange repairs during working hours, or book holidays. Have to stand on a railway platform and block a kid from throwing themselves under a train. Be threatened with knives and scissors. Just another bone idle public sector worker who's pay needs docking. To teach me summat.
Indeed that might be a fun game for a Sunday evening
Ten places in the UK that should be UNESCO listed but aren’t because we’re a bit crap at selling ourselves (and bribing UNESCO)
Kilpeck church & the churches of SW Herefordshire Tintern Abbey The Victorian heart of Manchester Oxford Cambridge The guildhalls of the City of London The Wren churches of the City of London Victorian Glasgow Porchester The ensemble of Winchester cathedral and the walk to Holy Cross
I'm surprised you left out this one:
Mine's bigger than yours!
Is there something cool about those market houses?
For fans of wood, this building connects with a high-noom hilltop (shown in the photo) and also has some sexual history:
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
That seems unjust. Have you checked this with an employment lawyer or your union?
Best wishes anyway.
First thing tomorrow. I keep being told that I've exceeded the permitted time off. However, they had me down as absent for the whole of December and on SSP when I was actually at work. Computer says no.
That sounds wrong to me. Your employer has a duty of care to you. Injuries to you while at work are their responsibility. I'd get advice. But not from an anonymous internet lawyer but someone who really knows employment law as it affects schools. You should not have to put up with this.
This is a huge deal. Exemplary damages are very rare in the employment tribunal. Theyre used to signal extreme disapproval of egregious behaviour, in this case by Social Work England, the regulator. Whoever gave SWE legal advice that didn't consist of "you've massively screwed up, apologise immediately, offer a decent settlement and undertake to get proper training in belief discrimination" really doesn't deserve to get further work. They're a very costly liability to clients.
have had three separate “he’s going in the morning messages” from normally solid sources. worry, of course, is that they’ve all spoken to the same person and that person is wrong.
Perhaps they've heard he'll be making a short-notice announcement to the nation about something utterly boring, and spreading the rumour that he's going will let them (or even just one clever person) cash in on some market or other - between the announcement and the appearance.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
May I ask whether you have considered taking legal action against those who abused you in this way? Where a criminal offence has been committed - as is clear in your case - you could surely make a formal complaint to the police re- the individuals concerned. Beyond that the LEA is likely to have failed in its duty of care to you.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
May I ask whether you have considered taking legal action against those who abused you in this way? Where a criminal offence has been committed - as is clear in your case - you could surely make a formal complaint to the police re- the individuals concerned. Beyond that the LEA is likely to have failed in its duty of care to you.
Yeah I know. It's part of the job. And the quid pro quo has always been we get paid in full. But that seems to have ended to make up for the teachers pay rise. I fucking love it really too. It's a specialist role that gives us a buzz.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Thank you for the tip. I will bet accordingly. Con majority is now out at 35/1 on Oddschecker It was 12/1 not long ago, so I am planning on topping up on your advice.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
That seems unjust. Have you checked this with an employment lawyer or your union?
Best wishes anyway.
First thing tomorrow. I keep being told that I've exceeded the permitted time off. However, they had me down as absent for the whole of December and on SSP when I was actually at work. Computer says no.
That sounds wrong to me. Your employer has a duty of care to you. Injuries to you while at work are their responsibility. I'd get advice. But not from an anonymous internet lawyer but someone who really knows employment law as it affects schools. You should not have to put up with this.
Take care of yourself.
Yes. Get an employment lawyer.
Two of my wife’s sister had issues at work - both cases the lawyer turned the situation around.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
Ha. How embarrassing for you. Can you try reading this site rather than just posting to it?
I was actually in reply to same bit of Beth you just posted and Foxy commented on !
Unless the explanation I gave - why what Beth is pushing here will not get any media or political traction now this side of the election - couldn’t get round the blinkers you are wearing.
Can you actually read the argument I made and reply to it?
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
Process detached from morality and humanity, is how it happens.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
The last thing I want or need is a taser. I want timely specialist mental health and other interventions.
Could the SNP select a new leader capable of getting the Greens back on board?
In theory, however the Green membership are riled up and have the ability to vote down an attempt to restart the Bute House agreement. Which would be extremely amusing, so lets hope that plays out.
I will never forget reading Social Work England's assertion that a GRC 'changes your biological sex' - a wholly false and actively insane assertion which I asked them through their barrister Robin Moira White to withdraw. They did not.
So I am just taking a moment here to savour 58,000 chickens coming home to roost.
This could become fascinating. The RoI sounds like it will expect the UK to behave (ie have Ireland's migrants returned to UK) exactly as France does not behave in relation to to UK.
The ramifications - EU relations, GFA, Brexit deal, CTA, open border etc - are substantial.
It’s gestural from Ireland. There’s no way they can return migrants from the EU to the UK without the EU reciprocating - allowing the UK to return the boat people to France. Not going to happen
If a coach travels from Dublin to Glasgow via Belfast, at what point do UK Border Force check whether the people on board have visas or passports?
When they arrive at Glasgow, I believe.
You don't need a passport to get from Ireland to the UK. I regularly travel back and forth by car ferry and I've never once been asked for my passport, or indeed for any identification. I'm just waved through.
I think you do need one if you fly: they check it when you check in.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
Process detached from morality and humanity, is how it happens.
I just find it so incomprehensible how it’s “ok” to behave in a way at school because it’s the diametric opposite to my life. The fear of being told off, my parents bollocking me, the detentions, the threat of rustication or expulsion. It mattered so much but Dixie has to work without that being a consideration and threat. I don’t want us to be China but really we need a bit of brutal discipline that’s supported by parents, schools and gov because it will make the country better in the long term.
This is a huge deal. Exemplary damages are very rare in the employment tribunal. Theyre used to signal extreme disapproval of egregious behaviour, in this case by Social Work England, the regulator. Whoever gave SWE legal advice that didn't consist of "you've massively screwed up, apologise immediately, offer a decent settlement and undertake to get proper training in belief discrimination" really doesn't deserve to get further work. They're a very costly liability to clients.
I know well the lawyer who acted for Ms Meade. Not someone to be messed with.
This is a pretty significant case for regulators and employers. It's not just the exemplary damages on top of the normal compensation. Social Work England and Westminster City Council have also been ordered to provide proper training on equality law and freedom of speech not rely on the rubbish churned out by lobby groups making stuff up. Some of the stuff SWE was saying was so obviously - comically - wrong it was just embarrassing. And yet, even when given an opportunity to withdraw and apologise, they refused.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
The last thing I want or need is a taser. I want timely specialist mental health and other interventions.
I know, I was being overly angry and bemused. But I still think of you had a taser it might make you feel better. Or pepper spray.
have had three separate “he’s going in the morning messages” from normally solid sources. worry, of course, is that they’ve all spoken to the same person and that person is wrong.
Perhaps they've heard he'll be making a short-notice announcement to the nation about something utterly boring, and spreading the rumour that he's going will let them (or even just one clever person) cash in on some market or other - between the announcement and the appearance.
Or he could be going.
Wait - who is he talking about?? I was thinking he meant Sunak. Does he mean Yousaf? I doubt many markets could care less whether Yousaf goes or stays.
PS A Gaza connection is possible with Yousaf. See also the surprise resignation of Varadkar after he came back from the US after St Patrick's Day. Ireland was about to intervene in the ICJ genocide case against Israel but AFAIAA the intervention hasn't happened. Incidentally this wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I heard Varadkar had gone. The first thing was [better not mention it here, because of libel law, but not foreign policy-related].
This could become fascinating. The RoI sounds like it will expect the UK to behave (ie have Ireland's migrants returned to UK) exactly as France does not behave in relation to to UK.
The ramifications - EU relations, GFA, Brexit deal, CTA, open border etc - are substantial.
It’s gestural from Ireland. There’s no way they can return migrants from the EU to the UK without the EU reciprocating - allowing the UK to return the boat people to France. Not going to happen
If a coach travels from Dublin to Glasgow via Belfast, at what point do UK Border Force check whether the people on board have visas or passports?
When they arrive at Glasgow, I believe.
You don't need a passport to get from Ireland to the UK. I regularly travel back and forth by car ferry and I've never once been asked for my passport, or indeed for any identification. I'm just waved through.
I think you do need one if you fly: they check it when you check in.
Yup - imagine the exploding heads if the security theatre dance was abbreviated for flying.
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
"The problem, say smartphone critics, is that large-scale adoption occurred before any scientific studies had been carried out into their effects on children’s health. The evidence now emerging, as laid out in The Anxious Generation, suggests that smartphone use in children is linked with poor mental health outcomes. One recent study of 28,000 young adults worldwide, published by the Washington DC-based Sapien Lab, found that the younger children got their first smartphone, the more likely they were later in life to experience suicidal thoughts, feelings of aggression towards others and a sense of detachment from reality. There are several reasons smartphone use might cause poor mental health among young people, all of which interact with each other.
Smartphones are designed by the smartest minds in Silicon Valley to be addictive, to hold our attention for longer and to keep us coming back for more. Greenwell’s co-founder, Clare Fernyhough, a psychologist who lives in Hampshire, believes young people are uniquely vulnerable to this “rewiring” because their brains aren’t fully developed until their early twenties. Executive function skills, “the child’s growing ability to make plans and… execute those plans” writes Haidt, are largely based in the frontal cortex, “the last part of the brain to rewire during puberty”. The dopamine released every time we receive a notification “affects our brains in the way gambling does”, Fernyhough said. “[Children] are becoming completely wired to be addicted to dopamine hits.”"
The issue Im annoyed about is the deduction of pay. Rest is just the job which I love. Haven't had a day off since February which makes it doubly confusing.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Thank you for the tip. I will bet accordingly. Con majority is now out at 35/1 on Oddschecker It was 12/1 not long ago, so I am planning on topping up on your advice.
Truth is Mex, we can repetitively post T R U S S in whatever spam trap format we wish, it doesn’t change the fact that Truss and her budget is ancient history now compared to a new reality this summer of inflation below 2%, interest rate cuts and an economy bouncing out of recession with strong growth.
When you have one party at an election hailing an economic miracle that came from their sound stewardship, and promising to alleviate all household budgets with national insurance and other tax cuts - and an opposition refusing to promise tax cuts, and even threatening more years ahead of belt tightening for households and tight government spending budgets, there can only be polling shift one way, can’t there.
Unless you think votes always go the way of honesty and reality, and “electioneering” doesn’t matter a jot.
Of all posters I’m sure your mind is already suitably sardonic enough to appreciate the truth of political elections I am making here?
And all this is in reply to Heathener, who just can’t grasp how something ignoring what has been witnessed the last 5 years, is ludicrously untrue, dishonest and unfair, and asks us to defy reality, could never have hordes of voters won over by it so last minute in a General Election campaign.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
Process detached from morality and humanity, is how it happens.
I just find it so incomprehensible how it’s “ok” to behave in a way at school because it’s the diametric opposite to my life. The fear of being told off, my parents bollocking me, the detentions, the threat of rustication or expulsion. It mattered so much but Dixie has to work without that being a consideration and threat. I don’t want us to be China but really we need a bit of brutal discipline that’s supported by parents, schools and gov because it will make the country better in the long term.
You might as well trying exorcism.
Most such kids generally have a head full of bad wiring and need to be helped to find a way out of the maelstrom of anger and confusion in their own minds. The violence is the external symptom.
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
The last thing I want or need is a taser. I want timely specialist mental health and other interventions.
I know, I was being overly angry and bemused. But I still think of you had a taser it might make you feel better. Or pepper spray.
It would make me feel better if we could give them a big bear hug when we are asked. But we can't. Cos we're paedophiles or summat.
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
If they don't want their children to have smartphones, they should stop buying them and giving it to them. What kind of country have we built where people ask the Government to stop them doing things?
Well. I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget. So. Fuck this Tory government. I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated. The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared. It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
I've been bitten, drawing blood, twice this year. They're deducting the time for appointments to have Hep B injections (which I had to fight to get). Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis. And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month. Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
That’s just fucking disgraceful. You can be a righty like me and know that it’s wrong. Every right wing/tory should be protecting and supporting teachers and it’s infuriating that you are suffering this. You should be allowed a taser in the classroom. How on god’s earth can they penalise you financially for something that isn’t your fault.
Process detached from morality and humanity, is how it happens.
I just find it so incomprehensible how it’s “ok” to behave in a way at school because it’s the diametric opposite to my life. The fear of being told off, my parents bollocking me, the detentions, the threat of rustication or expulsion. It mattered so much but Dixie has to work without that being a consideration and threat. I don’t want us to be China but really we need a bit of brutal discipline that’s supported by parents, schools and gov because it will make the country better in the long term.
You might as well trying exorcism.
Most such kids generally have a head full of bad wiring and need to be helped to find a way out of the maelstrom of anger and confusion in their own minds. The violence is the external symptom.
Spot on. Absolutely no effort is being made to do that.
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
If they don't want their children to have smartphones, they should stop buying them and giving it to them. What kind of country have we built where people ask the Government to stop them doing things?
"First they came for the smokers, and I did not speak out because I was not a smoker..."
This could become fascinating. The RoI sounds like it will expect the UK to behave (ie have Ireland's migrants returned to UK) exactly as France does not behave in relation to to UK.
The ramifications - EU relations, GFA, Brexit deal, CTA, open border etc - are substantial.
It’s gestural from Ireland. There’s no way they can return migrants from the EU to the UK without the EU reciprocating - allowing the UK to return the boat people to France. Not going to happen
If a coach travels from Dublin to Glasgow via Belfast, at what point do UK Border Force check whether the people on board have visas or passports?
When they arrive at Glasgow, I believe.
You don't need a passport to get from Ireland to the UK. I regularly travel back and forth by car ferry and I've never once been asked for my passport, or indeed for any identification. I'm just waved through.
I think you do need one if you fly: they check it when you check in.
AFAIK you don't legally need a passport for journey but the airlines insist so, practically, you do. For land/sea crossings there is no check as we are in a Common Travel Area.
Simon Harris can bluster about returning migrants to the UK but the CTA means they can pop back whenever they want.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Future potential is a magic bullet?? And the sunk costs fallacy helps the sitting government?
Lab: "This won't work". Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic. And we've spent a lot of money on it."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Future potential is a magic bullet??
Lab: "This won't work". Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
The French have finally worked out how to solve the problem: slash the boats.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Future potential is a magic bullet??
Lab: "This won't work". Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
The French have finally worked out how to solve the problem: slash the boats.
I can think of six ways to stop the boats. One or two even have death tolls less than WWII.
In my slightly-informed opinion, true humans began with homo erectus, who made hand axes -- which would have evened out competition among men. They were different from their more ape-like predecessors in another, perhaps even more important, way: "H. erectus males and females may have been roughly the same size as each other (i.e. exhibited reduced sexual dimorphism), which could indicate monogamy in line with general trends exhibited in primates." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_erectus#Culture
(Adult male gorillas are about twice as large as adult females, by way of comparison.)
"Wellbeing and fitness The active commuters making travelling to work a workout People are cycling, running and even skiing to the office for better mental and physical health"
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Future potential is a magic bullet??
Lab: "This won't work". Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
The French have finally worked out how to solve the problem: slash the boats.
I can think of six ways to stop the boats. One or two even have death tolls less than WWII.
One would make a profit.
Selling organs?
It's easy to imagine "Stop the Boats" giving way to "Defend Our Shores".
Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May.The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May.
There is only one political party who can be seen to lose this election from here, so it will be a very difficult campaign for Labour, obvious jitters with polls tightening once election called. 9th May BOE interest rate cut announced, 10th May UK comes out of recession with good first quarter growth, 22nd May Inflation will fall below 2% - no arguing or doubt about this because its based on energy prices. Also in the campaign period at least 1 flight will take off for Rwanda, perhaps more with one on eve of polling. The sunny economic news will contrast with the depth of credit crisis in voters minds and credit given to Rishi and Hunt for the financial turnaround pulls rug from under Labours best argument for voters to switch to them. The Rwanda flights will return Ref voters back to the Conservatives. You can say recent polling on Rwanda doesn’t suggest the Rwanda flights will generate a stampede of Ref back to Con, and I will laugh at you because that hypothetical polling is a poor predictive measure for how humans radically change their views once elections are called and Rwanda flights are happening.
Also as background narrative to the campaign, the last week of June and into July will be near record breaking heatwave in UK, throwing attention to how major parties have backed away from climate commitments ahead of this election. Escalating events in the Gaza War will return to the conflict to greater attention than it is currently getting, and make UKs political leaders look impotent and without influence at the worst possible moment for them.
I can give you the July election result right now, in shares and seats.
CON33 LAB39 LDM16 REF3 GRN4 SNP2
CON180 LAB379 LDM48 REF0 GRN1 (Bristols not Brightons) SNP21 PLD4
Consider this my entry in the inevitable PB competition when it comes.
I can't decide if this is performance art or a genuine mental health crisis.
I laughed like I drain when I read this.
But truth is, even with just the 6 % election win, it results thanks mainly to Brexit driven and Corbyn gone tactical voting, in still an historic Labour majority from such low starting position, Libdems winning many seats too, and the Tories down to 180.
There’s a centre right pro Brexit bloc out there right now of about 37/38 %. It’s not crazy to anticipate the polls to start tightening once the election is called, even down to just 6 or 7 % gap come the end - becuase that’s the science of what FPTP does. The Tory election campaign does not need to win over lots of different voter groups for this dramatic tightening, just a significant chunk of the double digit Reform polling.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 50m PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
No. As usual you are not paying attention to what is actually happening. Unlike the old Rwanda narrative, the attention now is shifted onto the potential of the Rwanda Scheme to work, and this optimism neutralises what should be very negative narrative for the Tories in what is becoming record boat crossings. The Tories have cleverly shifted focus from what has happened and is happening, onto the future potential of their scheme to finally stop the boats, completely. Additionally the Labour Parties mistake in pledging to bin the scheme on day 1, wasting all the time and costs getting here as it’s binned despite being unproven the scheme has failed and won’t work, is actually making this into a General Election vote winner for the conservatives.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
Future potential is a magic bullet??
Lab: "This won't work". Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
The French have finally worked out how to solve the problem: slash the boats.
I can think of six ways to stop the boats. One or two even have death tolls less than WWII.
One would make a profit.
Selling organs?
Mr Steinway regrets manufacturing the wrong keyboard.
Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May.The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May.
There is only one political party who can be seen to lose this election from here, so it will be a very difficult campaign for Labour, obvious jitters with polls tightening once election called. 9th May BOE interest rate cut announced, 10th May UK comes out of recession with good first quarter growth, 22nd May Inflation will fall below 2% - no arguing or doubt about this because its based on energy prices. Also in the campaign period at least 1 flight will take off for Rwanda, perhaps more with one on eve of polling. The sunny economic news will contrast with the depth of credit crisis in voters minds and credit given to Rishi and Hunt for the financial turnaround pulls rug from under Labours best argument for voters to switch to them. The Rwanda flights will return Ref voters back to the Conservatives. You can say recent polling on Rwanda doesn’t suggest the Rwanda flights will generate a stampede of Ref back to Con, and I will laugh at you because that hypothetical polling is a poor predictive measure for how humans radically change their views once elections are called and Rwanda flights are happening.
Also as background narrative to the campaign, the last week of June and into July will be near record breaking heatwave in UK, throwing attention to how major parties have backed away from climate commitments ahead of this election. Escalating events in the Gaza War will return to the conflict to greater attention than it is currently getting, and make UKs political leaders look impotent and without influence at the worst possible moment for them.
I can give you the July election result right now, in shares and seats.
CON33 LAB39 LDM16 REF3 GRN4 SNP2
CON180 LAB379 LDM48 REF0 GRN1 (Bristols not Brightons) SNP21 PLD4
Consider this my entry in the inevitable PB competition when it comes.
I can't decide if this is performance art or a genuine mental health crisis.
I laughed like I drain when I read this.
But truth is, even with just the 6 % election win, it results thanks mainly to Brexit driven and Corbyn gone tactical voting, in still an historic Labour majority from such low starting position, Libdems winning many seats too, and the Tories down to 180.
There’s a centre right pro Brexit bloc out there right now of about 37/38 %. It’s not crazy to anticipate the polls to start tightening once the election is called, even down to just 6 or 7 % gap come the end - becuase that’s the science of what FPTP does. The Tory election campaign does not need to win over lots of different voter groups for this dramatic tightening, just a significant chunk of the double digit Reform polling.
It's far too early to make predictions for the election IMO.
Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May.The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May.
There is only one political party who can be seen to lose this election from here, so it will be a very difficult campaign for Labour, obvious jitters with polls tightening once election called. 9th May BOE interest rate cut announced, 10th May UK comes out of recession with good first quarter growth, 22nd May Inflation will fall below 2% - no arguing or doubt about this because its based on energy prices. Also in the campaign period at least 1 flight will take off for Rwanda, perhaps more with one on eve of polling. The sunny economic news will contrast with the depth of credit crisis in voters minds and credit given to Rishi and Hunt for the financial turnaround pulls rug from under Labours best argument for voters to switch to them. The Rwanda flights will return Ref voters back to the Conservatives. You can say recent polling on Rwanda doesn’t suggest the Rwanda flights will generate a stampede of Ref back to Con, and I will laugh at you because that hypothetical polling is a poor predictive measure for how humans radically change their views once elections are called and Rwanda flights are happening.
Also as background narrative to the campaign, the last week of June and into July will be near record breaking heatwave in UK, throwing attention to how major parties have backed away from climate commitments ahead of this election. Escalating events in the Gaza War will return to the conflict to greater attention than it is currently getting, and make UKs political leaders look impotent and without influence at the worst possible moment for them.
I can give you the July election result right now, in shares and seats.
CON33 LAB39 LDM16 REF3 GRN4 SNP2
CON180 LAB379 LDM48 REF0 GRN1 (Bristols not Brightons) SNP21 PLD4
Consider this my entry in the inevitable PB competition when it comes.
I can't decide if this is performance art or a genuine mental health crisis.
I laughed like I drain when I read this.
But truth is, even with just the 6 % election win, it results thanks mainly to Brexit driven and Corbyn gone tactical voting, in still an historic Labour majority from such low starting position, Libdems winning many seats too, and the Tories down to 180.
There’s a centre right pro Brexit bloc out there right now of about 37/38 %. It’s not crazy to anticipate the polls to start tightening once the election is called, even down to just 6 or 7 % gap come the end - becuase that’s the science of what FPTP does. The Tory election campaign does not need to win over lots of different voter groups for this dramatic tightening, just a significant chunk of the double digit Reform polling.
During election campaigns the incumbent party has tended to lose ground to the opposition - partly because the latter then receives equal media coverage by broadcasters etc. Swingback as such really only tends to apply to the period leading up to the formal election campaign itself.
"Inside the fight for smartphone-free childhoods A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
If they don't want their children to have smartphones, they should stop buying them and giving it to them. What kind of country have we built where people ask the Government to stop them doing things?
People have lost pride and spirit. It's a slave culture. And I'm a leftie saying this.
Rishi Sunak is announcing the General Election date 1037hrs 13th May.The 2024 General Election is being held on 4th July. Parliament will end on 23rd May.
There is only one political party who can be seen to lose this election from here, so it will be a very difficult campaign for Labour, obvious jitters with polls tightening once election called. 9th May BOE interest rate cut announced, 10th May UK comes out of recession with good first quarter growth, 22nd May Inflation will fall below 2% - no arguing or doubt about this because its based on energy prices. Also in the campaign period at least 1 flight will take off for Rwanda, perhaps more with one on eve of polling. The sunny economic news will contrast with the depth of credit crisis in voters minds and credit given to Rishi and Hunt for the financial turnaround pulls rug from under Labours best argument for voters to switch to them. The Rwanda flights will return Ref voters back to the Conservatives. You can say recent polling on Rwanda doesn’t suggest the Rwanda flights will generate a stampede of Ref back to Con, and I will laugh at you because that hypothetical polling is a poor predictive measure for how humans radically change their views once elections are called and Rwanda flights are happening.
Also as background narrative to the campaign, the last week of June and into July will be near record breaking heatwave in UK, throwing attention to how major parties have backed away from climate commitments ahead of this election. Escalating events in the Gaza War will return to the conflict to greater attention than it is currently getting, and make UKs political leaders look impotent and without influence at the worst possible moment for them.
I can give you the July election result right now, in shares and seats.
CON33 LAB39 LDM16 REF3 GRN4 SNP2
CON180 LAB379 LDM48 REF0 GRN1 (Bristols not Brightons) SNP21 PLD4
Consider this my entry in the inevitable PB competition when it comes.
I can't decide if this is performance art or a genuine mental health crisis.
I laughed like I drain when I read this.
But truth is, even with just the 6 % election win, it results thanks mainly to Brexit driven and Corbyn gone tactical voting, in still an historic Labour majority from such low starting position, Libdems winning many seats too, and the Tories down to 180.
There’s a centre right pro Brexit bloc out there right now of about 37/38 %. It’s not crazy to anticipate the polls to start tightening once the election is called, even down to just 6 or 7 % gap come the end - becuase that’s the science of what FPTP does. The Tory election campaign does not need to win over lots of different voter groups for this dramatic tightening, just a significant chunk of the double digit Reform polling.
It's far too early to make predictions for the election IMO.
If you think it’s too early to make predictions now, we’ll ask you after breakfast. The election is on July 4th.
You could rubbish this election date by saying the Con position will be stronger in November, but truth is the economic platform definitely won’t be stronger, sunnier or more optimistic in Autumn than it will seem in June and July, nor will a further fiscal event or Party conference help at all. The strongest thing about Rwanda policy is in its potential, not the speed it starts delivering as a deterrent .
The date is driven by waiting hoping for better polls and ratings as the year goes on? Nope, the date as it always has been is based on science, the art of electioneering, and thisis about shaping an electorate, and this shaping is best achieved when the iron is hottest. As it’s about to become…
My God, we need to get these people laid or the country itself will be screwed.
I have the solution. A massive government investment in pubs and discounted booze, and the internet to be switched off between 7pm and 5am.
It's not booze. There are few people as unattractive and frankly incapable as drunken twentysomethings, plus there are consent issues. I think there should be compulsory national courses for twentysomethings in washing, combing ones hair, getting a better haircut, shaving regularly, moisturising, showering, and going to the gym. Plus shaving those stupid f***ing beards off.
Both my boys have beards and lovely long term girlfriends. Neither has well paid jobs, but they are kind, good listeners do the cooking and housework and fun to be around. Neither is particularly classically good looking, though not ugly. Each met their girl via Hinge.
It's less marked in Britain, but in America there is a major difference between young men and young women over politics, and the divide is increasing:
Party politics is not everything, but increasingly it is about cultural and social issues rather than economic ones. These matter, so why would a young woman want to date a gun-toting anti-abortion climate change denier?. Their interests and aspirations are just too far apart, particularly for the College educated
So, it's not just a matter of brushing up on grooming, but also a brushing up of attitudes that's needed. This is an international phenomenon, with South Korea the most extreme example.
So the men all have to be left wing as well, to please the left wing women?
Why don’t the stupid left wing women veer right, to get the men?
Or have you considered the possibility that the politics ARISE from the way western society seems to favour women, hugely - and it does. And I speak as the father of two daughters. They massively benefit from structural sexism
You illustrate my point most excellently. Display those attitudes as a young man and don't expect to be dated. No one wants a whiney boyfriend complaining how life is so stacked in favour of girls.
Do you really want to compare numbers in terms of sexual conquests? Really? How can I put it politely: I don’t think you’re going to win
But let’s not go down that road eh
My point is, society is now structured towards women: women live longer, they get better grades in schools (as exams are changed to suit them), they now dominate the professions, they demand equality in every job yet somehow men still do all the shit physical jobs and they don’t demand equality there
And still men are legally discriminated against. Women only shortlists. Prizes for women. Jobs advertised for “minorities and women”. It’s obscene and absurd. And young men are starting to notice
I don't think comparing numbers is a good metric. I'm happy to concede a lower number, but in my humble opinion they were all stunners, non smokers, intelligent and no money ever changed hands.
Really? Your wife certainly charged me. But I don’t mind paying, TBF
Who on earth flagged this?? I am actually contributing useful advice for PB-ers, that if they meet @kjh’s charming wife DON’T EXPECT A FREE ONE
I am sure @kjh himself will happily back me up. He’s surely even keener than me to keep her income going
Why flag simple consumer advice that’s actually helpful??
*bewildered face*
Just so you know it wasn't me who flagged you. To be honest I would like to see the flag option taken away.. I didn't take offence. My wife might, but she won't see the post.
Regardless of the flagging dispute, having a high quality woman that will marry you - and stay married to you - is a far better marker of a real man that a hundred one night stands.
Is it? Who says?
I do. If you disagree, you can argue your reasons. And readers can determine for themselves who is more persuasive. That is the point of discussion.
Fair enough. I like a spirited debate - that’s why I’m here
My position is I love sex and I love women. Young women in particular. I genuinely tried gay sex - not for me
So it’s women and I physically prefer them under 30, that is the way I am made. I really really wish this was not the case - it’s a buyer’s market if you’re a sane male and straight and you fancy women over 45, but I don’t
Ergo if I’m to be sexually happy in a relationship I need a younger woman - this gets increasingly hard as I age (and increasingly ridiculous). There may come a time - soon - when I accept being celibate. Its not quite yet
If I were to marry someone she would have to accept that I won’t want to have sex with her after that age. That’s quite tough - cruel even. And then we’re both unhappy. Is that “better”? According to you it is
So do please explain how - with my make-up - I am meant to find a wife and settle down forever in marital bliss, as you define it, given the man I am
You play the hand you’re dealt. I have played and I still play the hand that god gave me. And I think that’s all you can do - and try not to hurt people
My wife is 40 years old, still hotter than many (most) 25 year olds and we still have great sex. You have to marry someone who's sexually compatible with you, always says yes, and who both really fancy each other.
Aren't you being a little silly?
I’m just being honest. Those are my tastes. This shit quite annoys me. I get it from my female feminist friends. “Just grow up Leon. Start fancying women your own age”
I simply don’t. I’ve tried believe me. Leads to embarrassment all round
If I said “I simply fancy men” would you say, “grow up” and “stop being silly”?
No. You wouldn’t
By 60 most married couples and partners rarely have sex anyway
When the husband is aged 55-65 there is a strong positive correlation between frequency of sex and the M-F age gap.
I made that up. Bet it's true though. Biologically obvious because of fertility.
It would appear that the gleeful report in the Guardian of the book's comparatively modest sales, reported equally gleefully by fat, unhappy people on PB (author's assumption), compared Truss's hardback sales with everybody else's hardback and paperback sales.
I am sure all on PB will wish the newly minted bestselling author and polemicist their hearty congratulations.
Hey, I bought Liz Truss's book, though I've not read it.
Comments
They can be your best friend because they can understand your cultural reference points and you were both raving to the same music and watching the same films but they can also be the best lover you will ever have because they are happy with themselves and not feeling the need to play a role.
It’s best mates who fancy the shit out of each other with a physical edge. Every one of my last three partners was physically in better shape than a lot of women I see around in their twenties and thirties - the world has changed where you can have Liz Hurley and salma hyek or rebel Wilson who is two decades younger.
3-5 minutes it seems.
https://forktospoon.com/air-fryer-romaine-lettuce/
1) Shareholders: who own the regulated Thames Water entity. They have already defaulted on the debt owed to group 2, and will likely be wiped out.
2) High yield bond holders outside the regulated Thames Water entity. Interest payments have already been missed on this debt and it is trading at pennies in the pound. There is no way to service this debt without dividend payments from the regulated entity, which looks highly unlikely. Bleak prospect.
3 and 4) Junior and Senior bondholders within the regulated entity, which is structured as a whole business securitisation. Assuming a zero debt Thames Water entity has some value, group 4 should be getting at least some money back.
The trouble is that the level of uncertainty over the future amount of investment needed vs. bill increases permitted makes valuing the entity near impossible.
Which is also why it probably shouldn't have been privatised in the first place.
*See foreign pension funds
https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1784586797525184794
This comment by @billybragg perfectly sums up what left wing women have taken from left wing men over the last few years. The problem isn’t whether Julie Bindel and I are correct on the issues, but that certain right-wingers agree with us.
If you’ve spent any time at all on the left of politics, you’re familiar with the progressive male class warrior, usually middle-class himself, whose interest in women’s issues begins and ends with sex work, stripping and abortions. He might claim to be a feminist ally and mutter vaguely about ‘equality’ if the need arises, but when a genuine assault on women’s rights erupted under his nose, he cut left wing women adrift without a second thought. He expected us to be so blindly tribal that we’d surrender single sex spaces, jettison the very language we use to describe ourselves, give up fair sport, agree rapists should be locked up in women’s prisons and that lesbians are bigots for not wanting to sleep with the penis-ed, because (horrors!) some people on the right thought these things were wrong, too.
Over the last few years, a huge number of PMCWs have become men’s rights activists in all but name, and it’s been profoundly depressing, if not entirely unexpected, to see how enjoyable they’ve found it. Even while attacking women for finding themselves on the same side as right-wingers, the PMCWs stampeded to join the team that was threatening women with rape and violence, harassing women’s conferences, attempting to block access to gender critical events and physically assaulting female demonstrators. PMCWs are everywhere online, lecturing women reliant on state-run services for not welcoming the male-bodied into communal changing rooms and rape crisis shelters, presuming to police women’s language and tone, turning a blind eye to all statistics on male sexual violence that might contradict the ‘you’re all scaremongering bigots’ narrative and demonstrating that their deepest empathy will always be reserved for those who were born with a penis.
The truth is that the left has fucked up monumentally on gender identity ideology and until it owns the mistake, it will continue to hand the right valid talking points. As more and more PMCWs realise this, they’ll take shameless refuge in accusations that we, the women criticising the injustice and insanity of gender identity ideology, were enabling the far-right. The fact is that they’ve done exactly that, by refusing to accept that there was anything wrong with a movement that was causing serious harm to troubled young people, trampling all over women’s rights and seeking to remove single-sex services for the most vulnerable.
The sense of betrayal women on the left feel towards men like Bragg will take a long time to disappear, if it ever does. I think we all take some grim satisfaction, though, in the fact that evidence of the PMCWs’ misogyny and complicity is a matter of public record, because the panicky back-pedalling and whitewashing that’s just begun is quite something to behold.
Humza Yousaf said he thinks he could carry on as FM propped up by Alba - that it would be a credible position.
SNP source points out, “Does he imagine Nicola Sturgeon would turn up to vote for that?”
Likely Swinney, Robertson also struggle to back that outcome. He’d still lose
I can't imagine, for example, wanting to have sex with anyone except my wife, for the simple reason that noone else would know what gets me off, what my kinks are, and vice versa. Plus we both have a sexual confidence that feeds off each other and which I've never had with a short-term partner (perhaps ive just been unlucky). I've never really understood the desire for newness in sexual partners - aside from the thrill of the chase and conquest, the sex itself is always a bit awkward and dissatisfying in comparison with someone with whom you have no shame and no secrets.
@sgfmann
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2m
The i: Sunak to resist early election as Tory rebels on manoeuvres
https://twitter.com/sgfmann
@BethRigby
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50m
PM says success is “stopping the boats”. The number of migrants who’ve crossed by this small boats in the first four months of the year is at highest ever level. 7,167 people have arrived on small boats btwn Jan 1 & April 27 April, against 5,745 same period ‘23 & 6,691 ‘22
https://twitter.com/BethRigby/status/1784682597869568452
https://blog.twentyfouram.com/insights/thames-water-a-fluid-situation
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days
Wtf is happening to this country !
Meanwhile, The Mail have woken up to the fact that lots of people are getting into the UK as visa overstayers;
https://www.tomorrowspapers.co.uk/daily-mail-front-page-2024-04-29/
#notjustboats
I've been put on half pay due to having too much time off work, because of being assaulted at work. It's policy to save money on the education budget.
So. Fuck this Tory government.
I'll walk through fire to see them humiliated.
The funding for a special needs child was set at £10k in 2010. It's still £10k today. Whilst all external agency expert support has disappeared.
It isn't moral or clever. It's a scandal. I'll be voting to strike.
If I were advising Anas Sarwar, I'd suggest he make sure one - or even two - of his MSPs miss next week's confidence votes. Very sad that they should be unwell but there you have it. Better to keep Humza in office but not in power.
A rising number of parents want to ban under-16s from owning smartphones: “If it’s impossible for adults to regulate their emotions around phones, how can a 12-year-old?”
By Pippa Bailey"
https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-report/2024/04/inside-fight-smartphone-free-childhoods
Slapped, punched, pissed on, faeces thrown over me. Accused of being a paedophile on a weekly basis.
And you don't know what the TA's put up with for £1500 a month.
Still. We're just bone idle public sector drags on the economy.
Little evidence too that the electorate is now more right-wing *now*. Despite all the noise around small boats it doesn't seem to be shifting any votes, ditto any of Sunak's performatively right wing flourishes.
Best wishes anyway.
have had three separate “he’s going in the morning messages” from normally solid sources. worry, of course, is that they’ve all spoken to the same person and that person is wrong.
Truth is, in the minds eye of every voter they can see the Tories magic bullet to stop illegal migration, but they can’t see Labours. If Labour are taking 5 minutes to explain why the Rwanda Policy won’t work to justify why they are junking it, and a further 5 minutes to explain what they will do differently and why it will deliver better results, then Labour have already lost on this one.
Labour have been outmanoeuvred on boats. Labour are about to be outmanoeuvred on the main reason to change government - management of the economy.
The degree to which everything is being knocked over to pretend to fund tax cuts is pretty unforgivable. And if that isn't coming from Number Ten, Rishi is an even more pathetic so-called leader than I think he is.
Hope you are better soon.
Computer says no.
Has Richi "stopped the boats" ? That's a NO, then...
Have to stand on a railway platform and block a kid from throwing themselves under a train. Be threatened with knives and scissors.
Just another bone idle public sector worker who's pay needs docking.
To teach me summat.
For fans of wood, this building connects with a high-noom hilltop (shown in the photo) and also has some sexual history:
Take care of yourself.
Is the message getting though yet?
https://x.com/mforstater/status/1784685462717689952
This is a huge deal. Exemplary damages are very rare in the employment tribunal. Theyre used to signal extreme disapproval of egregious behaviour, in this case by Social Work England, the regulator. Whoever gave SWE legal advice that didn't consist of "you've massively screwed up, apologise immediately, offer a decent settlement and undertake to get proper training in belief discrimination" really doesn't deserve to get further work. They're a very costly liability to clients.
https://x.com/hjoycegender/status/1784686943197950361
Or he could be going.
It's part of the job. And the quid pro quo has always been we get paid in full.
But that seems to have ended to make up for the teachers pay rise.
I fucking love it really too.
It's a specialist role that gives us a buzz.
https://x.com/maxtempers/status/1784564827165261985?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q
Exemplary damages are so rare some practitioners were beginning to doubt their existence
The gender Borg have just got Social Work England both
That’s how bad at law they are
Leave @stonewalluk schemes now
https://x.com/Jebadoo2/status/1784708028974960751
Two of my wife’s sister had issues at work - both cases the lawyer turned the situation around.
I was actually in reply to same bit of Beth you just posted and Foxy commented on !
Unless the explanation I gave - why what Beth is pushing here will not get any media or political traction now this side of the election - couldn’t get round the blinkers you are wearing.
Can you actually read the argument I made and reply to it?
I want timely specialist mental health and other interventions.
I will never forget reading Social Work England's assertion that a GRC 'changes your biological sex' - a wholly false and actively insane assertion which I asked them through their barrister Robin Moira White to withdraw. They did not.
So I am just taking a moment here to savour 58,000 chickens coming home to roost.
https://x.com/SVPhillimore/status/1784690304538316993
This is a pretty significant case for regulators and employers. It's not just the exemplary damages on top of the normal compensation. Social Work England and Westminster City Council have also been ordered to provide proper training on equality law and freedom of speech not rely on the rubbish churned out by lobby groups making stuff up. Some of the stuff SWE was saying was so obviously - comically - wrong it was just embarrassing. And yet, even when given an opportunity to withdraw and apologise, they refused.
PS A Gaza connection is possible with Yousaf. See also the surprise resignation of Varadkar after he came back from the US after St Patrick's Day. Ireland was about to intervene in the ICJ genocide case against Israel but AFAIAA the intervention hasn't happened. Incidentally this wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I heard Varadkar had gone. The first thing was [better not mention it here, because of libel law, but not foreign policy-related].
Smartphones are designed by the smartest minds in Silicon Valley to be addictive, to hold our attention for longer and to keep us coming back for more. Greenwell’s co-founder, Clare Fernyhough, a psychologist who lives in Hampshire, believes young people are uniquely vulnerable to this “rewiring” because their brains aren’t fully developed until their early twenties. Executive function skills, “the child’s growing ability to make plans and… execute those plans” writes Haidt, are largely based in the frontal cortex, “the last part of the brain to rewire during puberty”. The dopamine released every time we receive a notification “affects our brains in the way gambling does”, Fernyhough said. “[Children] are becoming completely wired to be addicted to dopamine hits.”"
Rest is just the job which I love. Haven't had a day off since February which makes it doubly confusing.
When you have one party at an election hailing an economic miracle that came from their sound stewardship, and promising to alleviate all household budgets with national insurance and other tax cuts - and an opposition refusing to promise tax cuts, and even threatening more years ahead of belt tightening for households and tight government spending budgets, there can only be polling shift one way, can’t there.
Unless you think votes always go the way of honesty and reality, and “electioneering” doesn’t matter a jot.
Of all posters I’m sure your mind is already suitably sardonic enough to appreciate the truth of political elections I am making here?
And all this is in reply to Heathener, who just can’t grasp how something ignoring what has been witnessed the last 5 years, is ludicrously untrue, dishonest and unfair, and asks us to defy reality, could never have hordes of voters won over by it so last minute in a General Election campaign.
Most such kids generally have a head full of bad wiring and need to be helped to find a way out of the maelstrom of anger and confusion in their own minds. The violence is the external symptom.
But we can't. Cos we're paedophiles or summat.
https://youtu.be/rC95MEenIxA?si=ddhjXz8VNr644KtE
I will now be wearing all pink next Saturday for a day out. And a cravat.
Simon Harris can bluster about returning migrants to the UK but the CTA means they can pop back whenever they want.
Lab: "This won't work".
Con: "You haven't proved it won't. You're letting Britain down by being so pessimistic. And we've spent a lot of money on it."
Cue laughs in the audience. At the Tory. Because it's very easy for Labour to make their message punchy.
I think the Tories will win the election, that immigration is their issue, and that the idea that Labour can take it from them is ludicrous. But it will play out differently from how you say. It will be Penny with Neptune's trident. There will be an unexpected ingredient, beyond the procedural crap. Trident in one hand, sword cutting the Gordian knot on live TV in the other.
One would make a profit.
"H. erectus males and females may have been roughly the same size as each other (i.e. exhibited reduced sexual dimorphism), which could indicate monogamy in line with general trends exhibited in primates."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_erectus#Culture
(Adult male gorillas are about twice as large as adult females, by way of comparison.)
The active commuters making travelling to work a workout
People are cycling, running and even skiing to the office for better mental and physical health"
https://www.ft.com
It's easy to imagine "Stop the Boats" giving way to "Defend Our Shores".
But truth is, even with just the 6 % election win, it results thanks mainly to Brexit driven and Corbyn gone tactical voting, in still an historic Labour majority from such low starting position, Libdems winning many seats too, and the Tories down to 180.
There’s a centre right pro Brexit bloc out there right now of about 37/38 %. It’s not crazy to anticipate the polls to start tightening once the election is called, even down to just 6 or 7 % gap come the end - becuase that’s the science of what FPTP does. The Tory election campaign does not need to win over lots of different voter groups for this dramatic tightening, just a significant chunk of the double digit Reform polling.
You could rubbish this election date by saying the Con position will be stronger in November, but truth is the economic platform definitely won’t be stronger, sunnier or more optimistic in Autumn than it will seem in June and July, nor will a further fiscal event or Party conference help at all. The strongest thing about Rwanda policy is in its potential, not the speed it starts delivering as a deterrent .
The date is driven by waiting hoping for better polls and ratings as the year goes on? Nope, the date as it always has been is based on science, the art of electioneering, and thisis about shaping an electorate, and this shaping is best achieved when the iron is hottest. As it’s about to become…
I made that up.
Bet it's true though.
Biologically obvious because of fertility.