If staff members / prospective MPs with insider knowledge of the date of the general election are found to have made a bet on that date before it was announced, do you think they should or should not face criminal prosecution?Should: 77%Should not: 10%https://t.co/FiPucbqwaI pic.twitter.com/xaojWMK7Wl
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Like the Tories, what they thought was an easy second might end up being third.
Argh third. Not so good.
Imagine trying to bet where you have to factor in 40p tax on any profit you make, on top of Betfair commission.
1. Companies not allowed to decide odds or max limits based on customer profiling.
2. Companies not allowed to advertise on TV during sports events, nor to sponsor sports teams.
1. Tax on all foreigners living abroad
2. Tax on thingy. You know... thingy!
Now he was an Officer in the Special Boat Service? Has the world gone mad? You can literally make up anything you like about your life and media will buy it?! Provided you’re Labour I suppose..
2, absolutely. We have gone far too far in removing restrictions on gambling and it causes serious harm.
The Canadians have not forgotten.
Edit: don't diasgree about Slapton (or rather the S-boat battle en route there).
"Paddy Ashdown is the only party leader who's a trained killer.Though, to be fair, Mrs Thatcher was self taught"
That you can't see the jeopardy in the Foreign Secretary shaking off his minders and attending a party held by a close associate of Putin, an enemy of our nation is remarkable.
Oh the injustices of the world.
Gambling regulator on hunt for more 21 May bettors
2. Will save them a fortune, and have the positive (for Labour) effect of annoying Sky TV.
1. Is about fairness, as the back end data mining is as out of control as the advertising, but it’s not visible to the punters.
If you think the probablily of some event happening is 10/1 and you decide to let people bet £100 on that outcome, then the bet should be available to anyone who wants it until weight of money makes you adjust the odds or the limit. That’s how the old-fashioned on-course bookies work. The large online companies will, as many here know, reduce you to pennies or close accounts arbitrarily, purely because you got a big win from them.
4th I see, things getting spicy in the ‘Dee.
In fact they erroneously allowed advertising for the more pernicious side of punting such as internet bingo, poker and slots.
You will almost certainly be well educated middle classes with considerable ability and funds to pay the various middlemen.
The Somalia equivalent of Times and Guardian Readers.
As an aside, if members of the Conservative Party are paid Russian stooges, then Russia has got incredibly poor value for money given the vehement support for Russia within the party. IMV that alone negates your point. Now if you were talking about Fico's government in Slovakia, I might agree.
What evidence do you have that attending parties with Russians has caused the UK government to be less harsh on Russia's misdeeds?
The result is that Russia in the decades ahead will have a greater proportion of its population from the Muscovy core, than would have otherwise been the case, and that might be regarded as a score draw on the demographic front by the ethno-nationalists who run Russia.
Few people who do not share our passion for betting understand much about gambling. When I tell people that bookmakers won't take my bets because I am too successful they are generally genuinely surprised that is legal. They don't understand the nuances and see it as a black and white issue.
Same applies to Sunak's people betting on the date of the GE. Punters like us can see the angles, but it's absolutely straight forward cheating to most people. Worse, it's the kind of thing they would love to do themselves but can't because they don't have the connections and never will have.
That's really annoying. No wonder it cut through.
MITTYGATE!
Johnny Mercer, 7.29am: “I will leave it there.”
Johnny Mercer, 7.56am, 8.04am, 8.06am, 8.24am, 8.26am, 8.34am, 8.43am: “Wahh wahhh wahhhh wahhhhhh”
Farage is a lucky guy* - his car-crash interview has been sunk by Bettinggate.
(*Though probably not the Luckyguy)
You also need to speak to our resident expert, ex-MP Aaron Bell [Tissue Price]* He would point out, I think, that whilst a change in the law might be desirable, it would come at a certain cost. The business model would change. So yes, the likes of me and thee would be able to place our bets without being knocked back, but the overrounds would have to increase to absorb the undoubted cost of this to bookmakers.
Swings and roundabouts then.
*Sadly, it is likely Aaron will have soon have rather more time soon to represent his views on the matter here in person.
More than we did last year. I am really not sure in what alternative world Hunt now lives but its nice that we are not so insolvent there.
In this one our finances are continuing to deteriorate, we are consuming far more than we are earning, urgent cuts in public spending and tax rises are needed and several sacred cows are for the chopping block.
Politicians of all stripes who say they will not increase taxes are LIARS.
Politicians of all stripes who claim that they can fund better public services are LIARS.
Politicians who claim debt is falling are...well you've got the idea by now.
I genuinely cannot recall a political campaign where the competition seems to be who can stick their fingers in their ears the hardest to this extent. No wonder Reeves looks miserable all the time.
Alec Douglas Home's government fell for a lot less, but rather than banish the Minister to a lifetime of charitable works as we did with Profumo we made this Foreign Secretary Prime Minister.
https://x.com/AndrewmitchMP/status/1804194167511232691
Pen hovered over a few options (LD, WPOGB, Independent) but came down on Green
It is a question of common sense as much as morality.
Not sure the law can be of much help in this area, but the relevant associations (such as EUFA and the Conservative Party) certainly can.
*As does the recent news yesterday about a certain Chief Constable.
There is no one being honest about the finances. Where are "sound money" centre right people like us supposed to put our cross?
*Greens being the exception, as they have major tax rises in their manifesto.
Hunt, as much as Sunak, was always going to lose the verdict of the electorate about now. Their flailing around to change that has cost them the verdict of history too- and, if they listen hard enough, I suspect their own self-respect.
He is quite the opposite, what communists would call a reactionary.
Basically a King Church and Country, Christian Civilisaton hardliner. He has suppressed rival brands of Christianity. Massively promoted the Russian Orthodox Church. Turned the KGB /FSB into a holy inquisition to root out spiritual threats to Russian Culture (the Lubyanka has a full time chaplain and daily Mass attendance is expected). State funeral for the Czar. Economic polices are a mixture of free market and paternalist welfarism. Lumberjacks are expected to be ok, sleep all night and work all day - without the other bits. Flying flags that look a bit like the South African Flag will get you into big trouble and foreigners causing a nuisance get the sort of treatment Britain doled out to "mad mullahs" in 1920s mandates and if the Russian equivalent of White Rhodesians in post 1990 independent countries get the Mugabe Treatment he invades them. Basically a total repudiation of western post world war one secular liberalism. Plus prisons are brutal places of hard labour.
Can't think why that goes down well among Mail readers and a slew of Mirror Readers. (Telegraph readers are more split as the Colonel Blimp types want to reenact the Crimean War).
And ironically: When Mohamad was just 15, she faced a barrage of online abuse after winning a competition for delivering a speech defending Palestinian rights. She was accused of “vicious blood libels against the state of Israel” by pro-Israel trolls. Streeting came to her defence in a Facebook post. Now, the teenager he defended is campaigning to unseat him.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/uk-election-ilford-north-leanne-mohamad-wes-streeting
Nigel Farage
@Nigel_Farage
·
10h
I am one of the few figures that have been consistent & honest about the war with Russia.
Putin was wrong to invade a sovereign nation, and the EU was wrong to expand eastward.
The sooner we realise this, the closer we will be to ending the war and delivering peace.
Farage is a Putinista, no ifs ands or buts, he just cannot help spewing Putin talking points even if he grudgingly claims not to be a fan, and that should be a major problem, but we'll just let it slide.
You may have missed it because I am modest and I don't like to brag, I tipped a July election at 20s.
The wrongness of it just leaves you open mouthed.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/uk-election-ilford-north-leanne-mohamad-wes-streeting
It's the same with these political betting scandals and even the boat people, outrage that others get away with breaking the rules. In some ways we are a deeply conservative country by expecting that the rules will be followed, and angered that they are not.
And I don't say that lightly.
All those millions abandoning the Tories have very good reasons, but I hope they reflect on the alternative options carefully.
Anyway, no one is taking @No_Offence_Alan's laurels for election date forecasting. He was spot on, no one else was within four weeks.
On the plus side, it's helped me slightly narrow my options. I wasn't going to vote Reform but was wondering about going Conservative. But the incumbent's pro-Boris side was not pleasing and her shoving Farage on her electoral literature is too much.
So... maybe I'll end up voting Lib Dem. There's also the Yorkshire Party, though their plan to slice England into pieces is abominable.
Like the police, doctors should not be allowed to strike.
Junior doctors threaten winter strikes if Labour rejects 35% pay rise
NHS staff are preparing a five-day walkout next week as the Tories say it would ‘not be appropriate’ to make an offer during the pre-election period
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/junior-doctors-vow-winter-strikes-if-labour-rejects-35-percent-pay-rise-cwmlkq2fz
For what is supposed to be the nicest weekend of the year so far it is as yet disappointingly overcast. But I am optimistic that it will improve.
It's all going improbably well so far, in that I left my house on time, cycled the six miles to Victoria without incident, was in time for an indulgent low-quality coffee and a snack, encountered only entirely cheerful and helpful railway staff and fully working lifts and been only mildly poisoned by diesel fumes at Victoria, and been greeted by the Ribblehead train turning up on time. Disaster almost struck when another cyclist snuck on ahead of me, taking the one remaining cycle parking space - Northern are at pains to tell you that they'll only allow two bikes on the train, and mine was the third, but the guard didn't seem to mind - and the train has been bustling; everyone cheerful and excited for their days out, and everyone who has sat opposite me has been full of conversation.
And now the sun has come out. Almost.
The nonsense about 'responsible gambling' is also bollox, for the same reason.
This is why values are so much more important than policies in politics. Most people do not want to have to decide between two different complicated options, so instead they will choose the person with the values they like most to choose for them. So the system needs good quality leaders who can win the trust of the voters with their values, and convince the public of the necessity of making hard choices, of not doing one thing so that we can do another.
The fundamental failure of the Clinton/Blair third-way in politics was that it was an abdication of this role of leadership, in favour of following the whims of the electorate.
I don't see it putting off a single Reform voter as long as they see net zero immigration on the ballot
But it's also why we need real leaders, who can lead us to realise the truth or persuade us what needs to be done and not just take the easy route.
It's mostly on us, but they've still let us down too.
One more problem for the incoming Labour Government to deal with.
Part of the Consultants pay dispute was a pay rise, but mostly what was wanted was a truly independent pay body, which is the only way to stop strikes. Reforms we're made, but if there isn't evidence of real change the militancy will return.
“A quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing”.
Let's say we agree for a second the EU should not have expanded eastward. How the heck would that have any bearing on the war? Last I looked Ukraine had not been in the EU or NATO when if was invaded, it was just looking at them distantly buy hopefully.
Even on its own merits it makes no sense. And this is the guy even most of the remaining Tory voters secretly support.
Presumably it's the same old 5 day strike in England only that was announced 3 weeks ago.
This is wrong for several reason.
Firstly, if it is the democratic will of the countries in eastern Europe to become members of the EU, why was that wrong? What was Russia's alternative 'offer'?
Secondly, it puts the two clauses on the same level; as tough the EU's eastwards expansion is as wrong as EU's imperialist war of aggression.
Thirdly, by extension, would those countries leaving the EU stop the war?
Fourthly, and perhaps most obviously, Ukraine never joined the EU.
This war is occurring because Russia is an imperialistic, fascistic state. Anything else is just victim-blaming.