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Could the new SNP leader declare UDI? – politicalbetting.com

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  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984
    edited May 5
    rcs1000 said:

    IanB2 said:


    Election Maps UK
    @ElectionMapsUK
    ·
    6h
    Aggregate Result in the 197 Wards where all 5 Major Parties Stood:

    🌹 LAB: 35.7%
    🌳 CON: 22.9%
    🔶 LDM: 13.8%
    🌍 GRN: 10.8%
    ➡️ RFM: 9.6%

    Looks like the Reform polling numbers are real, even if they can't convert it into seats.

    https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1787087915119497467

    With 9.6%, Reform got two seats in Havant.

    With 13.8%, the LibDems pulled in more seats than the Tories.
    Ummm:

    These seats will have been seats where Reform is more likely to do well, surely? They're much more likely to run candidates in (say) Rotherham than Richmond. So I would be wary about reading too much into this.
    That’s the question. Some evidence they weren’t that scientific about their choices, but I doubt they would have got the same score if they’d stood everywhere. There must have been some sort of selection going on.

    Given these were locals and a free hit I think the Reform performance demonstrates they are indeed a make believe party and their followers will return to the Tories come the general election.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984
    In celebration of this week’s locals results I have Coldplay’s Yellow playing.

    Looked at the charts, looked at the seats and wards, and all the party splits, and they were all yellow.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950
    edited May 5
    ..
    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

  • BatteryCorrectHorseBatteryCorrectHorse Posts: 3,647
    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950
    Carnyx said:

    DavidL said:

    Snigger. The SNP are more broke than a broken thing. They need a contested election with all the costs of that like a hole in the head. They will also have to give an update on their membership numbers again which they could do without.

    Yousaf has left a complete shambles behind him. In fairness to him he inherited exactly the same. What we need now are some more charges. A small soupcon of misery added to the dish.

    Perhaps Humza will be contributing a handy chunk of his £52k pa pension to party coffers?
    I rather think your satire has gone over the heads of PB ...
    So PB Yoons, what first attracted you to believing any old shite as long as it’s SNPbad?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,098

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    And in the pocket of John Swinney?
  • pm215pm215 Posts: 1,129
    TimS said:

    viewcode said:

    TimS said:

    ...Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs?...

    Oh Lord above, it's obvious (smacks own forehead): dissertation/PhD thesis binding services. Most quality university towns will have a local thesis binding services, which will turn your text into something that looks like a proper hardback thesis.

    Examples
    https://www.oxford-print-centre.co.uk/page/thesis-binding/hardback-thesis-binding.php
    http://www.caromar.ltd.uk/studentservices.htm
    https://www.pprussellsquare.com/web/thesis.php

    Like this?



    A tad academic for a holiday home but would certainly contribute to the studied poshness of the place.
    I appreciate the way a thesis about rainfall is assigned a sog number...
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,127
    TimS said:

    rcs1000 said:

    IanB2 said:


    Election Maps UK
    @ElectionMapsUK
    ·
    6h
    Aggregate Result in the 197 Wards where all 5 Major Parties Stood:

    🌹 LAB: 35.7%
    🌳 CON: 22.9%
    🔶 LDM: 13.8%
    🌍 GRN: 10.8%
    ➡️ RFM: 9.6%

    Looks like the Reform polling numbers are real, even if they can't convert it into seats.

    https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1787087915119497467

    With 9.6%, Reform got two seats in Havant.

    With 13.8%, the LibDems pulled in more seats than the Tories.
    Ummm:

    These seats will have been seats where Reform is more likely to do well, surely? They're much more likely to run candidates in (say) Rotherham than Richmond. So I would be wary about reading too much into this.
    That’s the question. Some evidence they weren’t that scientific about their choices, but I doubt they would have got the same score if they’d stood everywhere. There must have been some sort of selection going on.

    Given these were locals and a free hit I think the Reform performance demonstrates they are indeed a make believe party and their followers will return to the Tories come the general election.
    As an aside, the same is true of the Greens, and - to a lesser extent - the Liberal Democrats.
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,344

    DavidL said:

    Bernard Hill has died.

    This scene featuring Bernard Hill gave me the horn.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lwJOxN_gXc

    One of the greatest scenes in all of the films. Although the breaking of Gandalf's staff was a weird addition.
    Gandalf was a bit useless in defending that citadel I seem to remember. Lots of poncing about. Not many fireballs or lightning bolts.
    Olorin’s role was to inspire mankind not to defend them
    Magic in LOTR is far more about lore, and applying technology, (or in the case of evil magic, subjugating others’ wills), than about altering the laws of physics. A powerful Maia like Gandalf or Sauron could override the laws of physics, but would invoke Divine retribution.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,723
    malcolmg said:

    Why don't we have an age limit on voting?

    If you're above 75, you've had your time. Give way.

    Am I being serious? Who knows?

    More importantly who gives a F***
    It's gerrymandering
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984
    FF43 said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    Something I was involved with in a previous life but no longer up-to-date. Google short run book printing. On these quantities it will be digitally printed (ink jet) rather than offset so check the print quality is good enough for your purposes.
    Thanks, will look it up
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 5,911

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    I've had lovely reviews from every Airbnb host whose apartment I've stayed in. They never need cleaning as I leave them spotless
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,027
    edited May 5

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,344
    rcs1000 said:

    TimS said:

    rcs1000 said:

    IanB2 said:


    Election Maps UK
    @ElectionMapsUK
    ·
    6h
    Aggregate Result in the 197 Wards where all 5 Major Parties Stood:

    🌹 LAB: 35.7%
    🌳 CON: 22.9%
    🔶 LDM: 13.8%
    🌍 GRN: 10.8%
    ➡️ RFM: 9.6%

    Looks like the Reform polling numbers are real, even if they can't convert it into seats.

    https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1787087915119497467

    With 9.6%, Reform got two seats in Havant.

    With 13.8%, the LibDems pulled in more seats than the Tories.
    Ummm:

    These seats will have been seats where Reform is more likely to do well, surely? They're much more likely to run candidates in (say) Rotherham than Richmond. So I would be wary about reading too much into this.
    That’s the question. Some evidence they weren’t that scientific about their choices, but I doubt they would have got the same score if they’d stood everywhere. There must have been some sort of selection going on.

    Given these were locals and a free hit I think the Reform performance demonstrates they are indeed a make believe party and their followers will return to the Tories come the general election.
    As an aside, the same is true of the Greens, and - to a lesser extent - the Liberal Democrats.
    Comparing the list v mayoral votes in London suggests about 55% of Reform voters switched to the Tories, when it was a clear Lab v Con contest.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    "Service" should be 1.01 in Buzzword Bingo if a bookie offers it
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    We’ve been getting advice and anecdotes from our friends who let a clifftop house in County Waterford and they’ve said similar: that most guests are lovely and look after the place but every now and again you get the nightmare family.

    Some are demanding but fair and that’s useful because they voice the feedback others are too shy to share. One of those was the big man Paddy Power’s mum. I can imagine.

    They’re also inspiring me to up my insta game.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    I hope Phess Jillips is not leaving politics, I have a £2 bet on her for Labour leader from years ago.

    I think I had a couple of bets on her at 50/1 about three years ago ,maybe four... I tipped it on here...

    40s now!!!! Got the value!
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    I've had lovely reviews from every Airbnb host whose apartment I've stayed in. They never need cleaning as I leave them spotless
    Good. I’m sure most people are ok but if you’re doing it week in week out it’s the wankers you remember.
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,344

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    It’s a problem in the long run. A Labour government won’t diverge very much from US foreign policy, will pursue Western interests, won’t be red in tooth and claw, will do authoritarian things like deporting illegal immigrants.

    And that will enrage a lot of people who waver between Labour/Galloway/Green.

    But, it won’t affect the election result.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,653

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,027
    edited May 5

    malcolmg said:

    Why don't we have an age limit on voting?

    If you're above 75, you've had your time. Give way.

    Am I being serious? Who knows?

    More importantly who gives a F***
    It's gerrymandering
    Anyone who even thinks of disenfranchising 75 plus pensioners has a problem with respect for the elderly and democracy
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,009

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/seeking-allah-finding-jesus/
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,027
    Sean_F said:

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    It’s a problem in the long run. A Labour government won’t diverge very much from US foreign policy, will pursue Western interests, won’t be red in tooth and claw, will do authoritarian things like deporting illegal immigrants.

    And that will enrage a lot of people who waver between Labour/Galloway/Green.

    But, it won’t affect the election result.
    It will not prevent Starmer winning a majority
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,027

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
    I do not expect any labour to conservatives switchers but it is conservative votes Starmer needs and it will be a question of trust for many
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,747

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    Unfortunately I think scum encourages scum too. We see it here with fly tipping. Once someone’s done it in a place the bar is lowered for everyone else.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,009
    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,062
    edited May 5

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,354
    edited May 5

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    I think a very small number of people can have a disproportionate impact on everyone else. It only takes a single dog walker not to clean up after their hound, and then all the other people who take the same path, until it rains enough for the slugs to dispose of the waste, will have to dodge the result, and they will think what arseholes people are.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,354

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    Well, that’s good news. We’ll all feel right at home.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,653

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950
    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    I’m sure it would take only a minor adjustment to Allahu Akbar to say God, that was great.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
    A braver Starmer might put it in the manifesto, but he’s too scared of anything that might scare the horses. The result will shackle any attempts at serious change, sadly.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,354

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Tell Vladimir Putin they've been laughing at the size of his cock?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,407

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
    That's probably right.

    Not sure of mentality. Can get away with it. Too small to matter. Someone else will pick it up. Too messy for my car. Can't be bothered.

    Probably a mixture.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestinian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Getting Fast Show vibes 🙂



    https://youtu.be/4kI-PHegT34?si=_KqxHMYyrKjYeqHz
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,407

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
    No-one normal even talks about Gaza.
  • legatuslegatus Posts: 126


    Election Maps UK
    @ElectionMapsUK
    ·
    6h
    Aggregate Result in the 197 Wards where all 5 Major Parties Stood:

    🌹 LAB: 35.7%
    🌳 CON: 22.9%
    🔶 LDM: 13.8%
    🌍 GRN: 10.8%
    ➡️ RFM: 9.6%

    Looks like the Reform polling numbers are real, even if they can't convert it into seats.

    https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1787087915119497467

    I haven't delved into it, but that would seem to be comparing apples and oranges.

    It would suggest Labour are overpolling, and Greens and LDs underpolling too, so the same would apply to Labour if they stood in all seats too.
    The LDs and the Greens invariably poll higher at local elections. Those figures are consistent with a LD vote of 10% at the GE.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,984

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
    I wonder whether the civil penalty regime for this could be reformed to be more like speeding. Litter awareness courses. I think a lot of the people who let their dogs shit on the pavement or throw litter out of cars are doing it because they assume everyone else does.

    There will always be hardcore nihilists but I suspect you could influence a lot of people at the margins.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,653

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
    A braver Starmer might put it in the manifesto, but he’s too scared of anything that might scare the horses. The result will shackle any attempts at serious change, sadly.
    He won't achieve anything if he doesn't win power.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,362
    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    Edward Woodwards reaction to the Wicker Man ?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
    That's probably right.

    Not sure of mentality. Can get away with it. Too small to matter. Someone else will pick it up. Too messy for my car. Can't be bothered.

    Probably a mixture.
    A few years ago I visited a car showroom with the wife. One wamkervhad parked his expensive car in the middle of the last two spaces. I decided to to park as close as I could and deliberately opened my door into his (not hard enough to damage). Really pissed him off. Point being I would have done that if he had parked in one space.
    Some people are just dicks.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,027

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
    Sunak and Hunt have started that journey with reductions in NI and the grown up response is to increase basic tax to 25% for all and abolition NI
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814

    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    I’m sure it would take only a minor adjustment to Allahu Akbar to say God, that was great.
    Allahu art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,407

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Sorry to hear that.

    My stress levels dropped substantially when I was no longer an accidental landlord renting a property.

    My last tenant let her dog piss all over the carpet, had an alcohol problem, and left used fag-ends in the bathroom. She also had lots of unopened letters that kept arriving weeks after her tenancy ended, some forwarded and many of which were clearly legal ones.

    I was lucky she paid, though, as she was a semi-psychotic divorcee who ended up being taken to court, and made the papers.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
    A braver Starmer might put it in the manifesto, but he’s too scared of anything that might scare the horses. The result will shackle any attempts at serious change, sadly.
    He won't achieve anything if he doesn't win power.
    I think it’s signed sealed and done. No one is listening to the Tories any more. Blair famously was cautious in his first term too. Time in power is precious. Needs to be used to change the country for the better.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,009

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
    No-one normal even talks about Gaza.
    Some of us don't mix with normal people.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,723
    edited May 5
    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,375
    Taz said:

    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    Edward Woodwards reaction to the Wicker Man ?
    Who knows, but Edward Woodward would.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,407

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,354
    edited May 5
    TimS said:

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
    I wonder whether the civil penalty regime for this could be reformed to be more like speeding. Litter awareness courses. I think a lot of the people who let their dogs shit on the pavement or throw litter out of cars are doing it because they assume everyone else does.

    There will always be hardcore nihilists but I suspect you could influence a lot of people at the margins.
    I think a lot of this could also be tackled with good design. Modern life generates a lot of litter, and I think a lot of it could be designed away, or you could make disposing of litter responsibly easier, with better design.

    But a lot of design seems to be motivated by the wrong things. So, for example, lots of public waste bins are designed with very small holes to make it difficult for people to use them for their household or commercial waste, but that then makes them less pleasant to use anyway. Make it easy for people to do the right thing.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,362

    Taz said:

    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    Edward Woodwards reaction to the Wicker Man ?
    Who knows, but Edward Woodward would.
    Or Ewar Woowar, as Joe Pasquale once referred to him.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,062

    I notice Starmer is now referring to the Labour Party as his. He does seem to have got a total grip on it.

    @Keir_Starmer
    Thank you to everyone who put your trust in my changed Labour Party.

    Labour is back in the service of working people and ready to govern.

    https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1787124839687283115

    Working people? So ending the triple lock for the elderly money grabbers?
    Given the triple lock has acquired hallowed status what's to be done? who will be brave enough to ditch it? At some point it will have to be tackled.

    I think a simple link to earnings could be sold to the electorate. Alongside equalising taxation between earned, pension, and investment income, that might contain the costs for the medium term.
    A braver Starmer might put it in the manifesto, but he’s too scared of anything that might scare the horses. The result will shackle any attempts at serious change, sadly.
    He won't achieve anything if he doesn't win power.
    The manifesto will be like the conversion you have with someone on a first date. Nothing too controversial, but just enough to hold their interest and want to see you again.

    The depths of your Socialist depravity should only be revealed later.
    Everybody here is afraid that Starmer will go woke. You do actually get that he believes in nothing, yes? Just getting power and that's it?
  • WillGWillG Posts: 2,366

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,062

    Taz said:

    viewcode said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    AlsoLei said:


    Jess Phillips MP
    @jessphillips
    ·
    34m
    Personal statement coming shortly

    Unlike UCAS, who are getting rid of them.
    I wish they had abolished 27 years ago, I stressed over mine for weeks.

    In those daysI was genuinely shy and very wet behind the ears.
    The Irish system is like that - only your exam results count, there's no personal statement, no interviews, no letters of recommendations.

    Despite doing sciences, I was always much more of a bullshit artist so it sounded dreadful to me - I applied to English & Scottish universities instead!
    The interview I was well prepped for thanks to my school, they told me to avoid the bullshit, just stick to confident/assured.
    Did they tell you to avoid subtlety?
    No.

    It was at university I realised I couldn't do subtlety, as my friends observed when it came to love I was transparent as water.

    I arrived at university as a good Muslim boy but by the end of Lent I wasn't.
    Is that a tradition you Borrowed from Christianity?
    Kinda.
    I’ll leave it a loan.
    This is probably TMI but I was definitely think about Jesus/God when I ceased to be a good Muslim.
    I'm not sure going "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh Gooodddd, Jesusssss, uuuuh" at the crucial moment counts as a conversion, tbh.

    :):):)

    Edward Woodwards reaction to the Wicker Man ?
    Who knows, but Edward Woodward would.
    Complete with a magical token strapped to his cranium. A Head Ward, in fact. :)
  • SirNorfolkPassmoreSirNorfolkPassmore Posts: 7,149

    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.

    Ah for the good old days of Hugh Scully stroking a rather tedious bureau. What has happened to this once great country?
  • nico679nico679 Posts: 6,275

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    The Tories really are pathetic. The cheek after all the drama they’ve put the country through . Are the public really going to fall for this nonsense .
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 3,779
    Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but RIP Bernard Hill (who I first remember as Yosser Hughes). He was on the radio just the other week talking about the new stage production of Boys from the Blackstuff.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

    Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.

    He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.

    His breakout role was in 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled - and often failed - to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.

    He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed.

    His fiancé Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time.

    Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill's death was "a great loss and also a great surprise".

    "It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance - Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes."
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,311
    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    Nutter
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814
    ohnotnow said:

    Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but RIP Bernard Hill (who I first remember as Yosser Hughes). He was on the radio just the other week talking about the new stage production of Boys from the Blackstuff.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

    Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.

    He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.

    His breakout role was in 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled - and often failed - to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.

    He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed.

    His fiancé Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time.

    Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill's death was "a great loss and also a great surprise".

    "It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance - Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes."

    RIP, he also narrated the Indian Hill Railways documentaries.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,653
    nico679 said:

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    The Tories really are pathetic. The cheek after all the drama they’ve put the country through . Are the public really going to fall for this nonsense .
    No.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,071

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
    No-one normal even talks about Gaza.
    Some of us don't mix with normal people.
    Good, they are a bunch of losers.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814
    kle4 said:

    Good evening

    Scotland like the rest of the UK needs new elections asap

    And on labour seems trouble brewing from the left though I had not heard that Owen Jones was heading up an anti Stamer campaign

    One of the chairs of the left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum has quit her post and the party over Sir Keir Starmer's policy agenda, and his "disgusting response" to the war in Gaza.

    Hilary Schan, who is also a councillor in Worthing, said she will now join the We Deserve Better campaign, headed by journalist Owen Jones, which aims to oust prominent Labour MPs at the next election and put independent and Green Party candidates in their place.

    The announcement comes off the back of a widely successful local election campaign for Labour, but one where it suffered losses in its traditional council seats, especially in areas with large Muslim populations, over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Oh dear, you never really give up hope that Labour are going to come a cropper do you Big_G?

    None of this will make a blind bit of difference to the next GE result. It's effect will be like ULEZ in London - net zero.
    There are many in Labour who are angry with Starmer over his stance on Gaza and that was evidenced in yesterday's polling.

    I had no idea about Owen Jones and it is fair to say the middle east is about to get a whole lot worse if Netanyahu has his way, with direct consequences for Starmers stance which by the way I support

    https://news.sky.com/story/israels-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-ceasefire-deal-that-would-leave-hamas-intact-13129727
    I suspect >95% of the electorate don't have strong views on Gaza, beyond a general feeling that it's sad, complex, and pretty hopeless.

    I don't think it will sway many votes, and even fewer from Labour to Conservative which is what matters. Around the margin, it may cost Labour a seat or two but in the great scheme of things it's irrelevant to the GE.
    No-one normal even talks about Gaza.
    Some of us don't mix with normal people.
    Good, they are a bunch of losers.
    Scum, you mean :lol:
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,354

    ohnotnow said:

    Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but RIP Bernard Hill (who I first remember as Yosser Hughes). He was on the radio just the other week talking about the new stage production of Boys from the Blackstuff.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

    Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.

    He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.

    His breakout role was in 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled - and often failed - to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.

    He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed.

    His fiancé Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time.

    Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill's death was "a great loss and also a great surprise".

    "It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance - Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes."

    RIP, he also narrated the Indian Hill Railways documentaries.
    And several Horizons including this all-time classic chronicling the early years of scientific research on rogue waves (once scientists finally accepted they existed)

    https://youtu.be/mC8bHxgdHH4?si=dNTNCBjPXnwnL1xZ
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,311

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
    I saw a story re a review of some punter from England who said Ben Nevis was too steep and had no shops or toilets at the top so not worth visiting
  • DonkeysDonkeys Posts: 723
    edited May 5
    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,723

    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.

    Ah for the good old days of Hugh Scully stroking a rather tedious bureau. What has happened to this once great country?
    Furniture is less represented as it less interesting to modern tastes. People come onto the shoe to fing out what their antiques are (if not obvious) and their worth.
    There is far too much of the presenter and not enough about antiques.
    Its also not imho down to any presenter to decide not to give a valuation.
    I refuse to watch it live anymore. For me its been ruined by wokery.
    Record and fast forward are huge
    blessings
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,071

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    Are they really? Lack of original ideas or sheer brazenness?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,311

    ohnotnow said:

    Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but RIP Bernard Hill (who I first remember as Yosser Hughes). He was on the radio just the other week talking about the new stage production of Boys from the Blackstuff.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

    Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.

    He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.

    His breakout role was in 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled - and often failed - to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.

    He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed.

    His fiancé Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time.

    Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill's death was "a great loss and also a great surprise".

    "It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance - Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes."

    RIP, he also narrated the Indian Hill Railways documentaries.
    That was a great series
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,311
    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Yet they help or ignore Russia committing genocide , strange old world. Obviously they are not making money out of Israel
  • CiceroCicero Posts: 3,077

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    Hahahahahahahahahahaha. After the past 8 years, get tae f%ck, Tories.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestinian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Getting Fast Show vibes 🙂



    https://youtu.be/4kI-PHegT34?si=_KqxHMYyrKjYeqHz
    Reminded me of a letter to the Harry Hill Show in about 1998 "All these tensions in the Middle East, why don't they solve them by having a long, drawn out war?"
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392
    malcolmg said:

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
    I saw a story re a review of some punter from England who said Ben Nevis was too steep and had no shops or toilets at the top so not worth visiting
    That’s where Snowdon sorry Yr Wyddfa scores. A cafe, you can buy souvenirs and a railway station. Really the Scots just aren’t trying hard enough…
    I do recall scaling Snowdon (Pyg Trcak? Can’t recall) and being unable to reach the summit as too many people had slogged their way up from the summit station and were blocking the way, taking their summit photos.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,653

    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.

    Ah for the good old days of Hugh Scully stroking a rather tedious bureau. What has happened to this once great country?
    Furniture is less represented as it less interesting to modern tastes. People come onto the shoe to fing out what their antiques are (if not obvious) and their worth.
    There is far too much of the presenter and not enough about antiques.
    Its also not imho down to any presenter to decide not to give a valuation.
    I refuse to watch it live anymore. For me its been ruined by wokery.
    Record and fast forward are huge
    blessings
    You should get one of those new-fangled on/off buttons.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392
    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,214
    kle4 said:

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    Are they really? Lack of original ideas or sheer brazenness?
    Mental retreat to Happy Place, I reckon.

    It's going to be a long six months for everyone.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 15,767

    TimS said:

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    Many people are scum.

    And that is irrespective of their politics.
    How many people throw rubbish out of their cars? One percent? Maybe five percent? Would anyone on PB do that? (I’d like to think not). Yet the one (or five) percent are enough to strew litter over every verge in the land.
    Some wankers just don’t care.
    I wonder whether the civil penalty regime for this could be reformed to be more like speeding. Litter awareness courses. I think a lot of the people who let their dogs shit on the pavement or throw litter out of cars are doing it because they assume everyone else does.

    There will always be hardcore nihilists but I suspect you could influence a lot of people at the margins.
    I think a lot of this could also be tackled with good design. Modern life generates a lot of litter, and I think a lot of it could be designed away, or you could make disposing of litter responsibly easier, with better design.

    But a lot of design seems to be motivated by the wrong things. So, for example, lots of public waste bins are designed with very small holes to make it difficult for people to use them for their household or commercial waste, but that then makes them less pleasant to use anyway. Make it easy for people to do the right thing.
    The Americans have an incredible talent for creating waste. In the airport lounge in SFO just now there were whole apples available, each lovingly wrapped in clingfilm.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814

    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
    Test:
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392
    edited May 5

    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
    Test:
    Well quite.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,814

    Carnyx said:

    DavidL said:

    Snigger. The SNP are more broke than a broken thing. They need a contested election with all the costs of that like a hole in the head. They will also have to give an update on their membership numbers again which they could do without.

    Yousaf has left a complete shambles behind him. In fairness to him he inherited exactly the same. What we need now are some more charges. A small soupcon of misery added to the dish.

    Perhaps Humza will be contributing a handy chunk of his £52k pa pension to party coffers?
    I rather think your satire has gone over the heads of PB ...
    Went over mine.

    BTW, has anyone ever seen @malcolmg in the same room as Graeme McCormick?
    You do realise the 52k pension was a lie from the usual suspects down south? Evidently not.
  • DonkeysDonkeys Posts: 723
    edited May 5

    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
    Israel's supporters only have one song: "The only reason you criticise Israel for committing crimes against humanity is because you don't like Jews". One day nobody's going to listen to that boring thicko mendacious crap.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,723
    edited May 5

    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.

    Ah for the good old days of Hugh Scully stroking a rather tedious bureau. What has happened to this once great country?
    Furniture is less represented as it less interesting to modern tastes. People come onto the shoe to fing out what their antiques are (if not obvious) and their worth.
    There is far too much of the presenter and not enough about antiques.
    Its also not imho down to any presenter to decide not to give a valuation.
    I refuse to watch it live anymore. For me its been ruined by wokery.
    Record and fast forward are huge
    blessings
    You should get one of those new-fangled on/off buttons.
    It's the same with a lot of stuff on tv. No need for on off.. just fast forward thro Fiona Bruce, Adverts, trailers, intros. Most of the more interesting items on the Antiques Roadshow end up as clips on you tube. One just has to be more selective.
    All this shite will lead to the license fee going which hopefully will fuck the BBC good and proper and it will be soooo richly deserved.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392

    kle4 said:

    The Tories are saying that Labour can only form a government with a coalition of chaos.

    Are they really? Lack of original ideas or sheer brazenness?
    Mental retreat to Happy Place, I reckon.

    It's going to be a long six months for everyone.
    Nah. The sun is shining (albeit briefly, between the showers), the lilac is in bloom, the glorious succession of flowers is continuing apace. Longer nights, warmer temps, holidays, and I may even get a kitchen back by August (if the builders keep up the pace). There’s more to life than endlessly worrying over politics. At least for normal people…

    On PB, on the other hand!
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,814

    malcolmg said:

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
    I saw a story re a review of some punter from England who said Ben Nevis was too steep and had no shops or toilets at the top so not worth visiting
    That’s where Snowdon sorry Yr Wyddfa scores. A cafe, you can buy souvenirs and a railway station. Really the Scots just aren’t trying hard enough…
    I do recall scaling Snowdon (Pyg Trcak? Can’t recall) and being unable to reach the summit as too many people had slogged their way up from the summit station and were blocking the way, taking their summit photos.
    But did you have your ironing board? A red one, too?
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,950

    A new ULTRA low in wokery at the BBC where Antiques Roadshow isn't about antiques...it's about hospitals and those who worked there where no item is given a valuation. It might be interesting but its not the fffing Antiques Fffing Roadshow.
    It means more Fiona Bruce too.
    I switched off.

    Ah for the good old days of Hugh Scully stroking a rather tedious bureau. What has happened to this once great country?
    Good job people are switching off, don’t want the NHS being overwhelmed by a load of old red faced blokes with seizures.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392
    Donkeys said:

    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
    Israel's supporters only have one song: "The only reason you criticise Israel for committing crimes against humanity is because you don't like Jews". One day nobody's going to listen to that boring thicko mendacious crap.
    Is not related to what I posted. Do these countries also criticise Putin Russia for the same crimes?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,814
    Earlier, I gave a debriefing to General Waste re. the Count's mayoral election performance:


  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,354
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    DavidL said:

    Snigger. The SNP are more broke than a broken thing. They need a contested election with all the costs of that like a hole in the head. They will also have to give an update on their membership numbers again which they could do without.

    Yousaf has left a complete shambles behind him. In fairness to him he inherited exactly the same. What we need now are some more charges. A small soupcon of misery added to the dish.

    Perhaps Humza will be contributing a handy chunk of his £52k pa pension to party coffers?
    I rather think your satire has gone over the heads of PB ...
    Went over mine.

    BTW, has anyone ever seen @malcolmg in the same room as Graeme McCormick?
    You do realise the 52k pension was a lie from the usual suspects down south? Evidently not.
    Sounds like the Barnett Formula :trollface:
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,392
    Carnyx said:

    malcolmg said:

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
    I saw a story re a review of some punter from England who said Ben Nevis was too steep and had no shops or toilets at the top so not worth visiting
    That’s where Snowdon sorry Yr Wyddfa scores. A cafe, you can buy souvenirs and a railway station. Really the Scots just aren’t trying hard enough…
    I do recall scaling Snowdon (Pyg Trcak? Can’t recall) and being unable to reach the summit as too many people had slogged their way up from the summit station and were blocking the way, taking their summit photos.
    But did you have your ironing board? A red one, too?
    Shit, I think I remember where I left it!
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,814

    ..

    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    Off topic question:

    I’m soon going to be letting out my place in France as a holiday rental, and planning to do things properly ie nice toiletries in the bathrooms, crisp linens, welcome packs and so on.

    One thing I’d like to do is a glossy illustrated coffee table style book containing all the local information about walks, places to visit, history of the area etc. Much more appealing than a stapled together set of sheets with the WiFi code and number for the local vets.

    Does anyone know a good company for printing books like this in very short runs? I probably only need a dozen or so to start with. I’ve seen sone good self publishing businesses online but they tend to have very large minimum runs of several hundred, or be one off holiday snap printers like photo box that don’t quite have the quality.

    It will get stolen. Seriously. I have friends in this business and at one point I was gonna Airbnb my flat - due to travelling so much - and they all said: don’t leave anything which you care about too much, it will get nicked

    This is esp true of holiday homes - apparently - where guests presume “you won’t mind”
    People can be beasts. My partner Airb&b-ed her apartment in Rothesay for a few years and the crap (sometimes literally) she had to put up with..

    On a mildly connected note, with some competition today’s most depressing tweet

    https://x.com/theiaincameron/status/1786841458378408439?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

    That really is dismal. Maddening. The bothy/shelter network in the Highlands is a brilliant resource, maintained largely by volunteers and the estates. They will simply close them if they are abused like that. And who can blame them if they do?
    Bothies will probably be OK because they are sufficiently isolated that they don't get the footfall and volume of crud that Ben Nevis or Snowdon do.
    Yep. Ben Nevis is a big old draw as the highest in the land, and accessible via a long but easy walk (until the weather comes in and you really need that compass and the ability to use it). I stayed in Fort William once on the way to climbing it, and chatted with the landlady. The Locharber mafia (local mountain rescue) often encounter people very under equipped. I think most genuine hill walkers take care not to leave rubbish, but the idiots doing the three peaks and those doing the Ben on a whim not so much.
    That really is shitty (so to speak). A bothy once saved my bacon in really bad weather in the Cuillin.
  • gettingbettergettingbetter Posts: 552

    Donkeys said:

    WillG said:

    Anecdote: Chatting to a couple of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. I decided that silence would be prudent, as it was clear that my views are somewhat out of step with theirs. Plenty of talk of Israeli genocide, not a single mention of the murderous, rapist, hostage taking terrorists responsible for initiating the war and ensuring its continuation.

    Anecdote: Chatting to a group of fellow lefties today, and the conversation turned to Gaza. All agreed that the Hamas attack on October 7 was a total outrage and had no justification. All agreed that Netanyahu's response in killing thousands of innocent Gazans as collateral was also a total outrage. All wanted a peaceful outcome that included a Palestnian state and security for Israel, and that the future should exclude both Hamas and Netanyahu.
    Any ideas how to reach that end point?
    Stop funding Israel.
    The following countries have severed diplomatic ties with Israel or imposed sanctions in response to the crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in Gaza:

    Colombia
    Turkey
    Bolivia
    Belize

    The list needs to lengthen.
    Have they also done it with Russia, or do only certain crimes against humanity count?
    Colombia, Turkey and Belize did condemn Russia. Bolivia did not. Colombia under Petro has been a strong critic both of Russia and IsraeI; now Petro is thinking to send army doctors to Gaza. To me he appeaes to be proving a much better role model for the left than Chavez or Maduro.
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