"The problem the Tories have is that they are ridiculously addicted to Drama. I think because of all of the bonkersness that they foisted on the country since 2016. They just love this stuff. The squabbles, the leaking, the arguments, the recriminations. They can’t get enough of it.
They run the party like a soap opera. Until they realise that people are really not very impressed with this sh*t, to put it bluntly, then they are not going to recover.
The fact Badenoch has waded in to the latest Drama does not bode well if she becomes leader."
This. At present, I'm inclined to vote against both.
I want a grown-up who stamps this culture out.
You need a Keir Starmer. Con the members with some juicy right wing rhetoric, become leader, then execute The Project - of becoming serious, moderate and electable again.
No, they need a Kinnock.
Someone from the right, who is bold enough and bad enough to take the right on, tell them straight that they can’t continue living on Fantasy Island, and to be tough with those who won’t play ball.
Now that must narrow the field. Who’s left?
The Tories haven't even got to the right yet, Sunak and Hunt were the centrist candidates against Truss and Boris remember!
They also lost far more voters to Reform on July 4th than to Labour and the LDs. Most Conservative members and indeed many Tory MPs want some rightwing red meat now.
Clearly you haven’t studied Ashcroft’s exit poll. The Tories lost more 2019 voters to the opposition parties of the left than they did to Reform.
Yougov has 25% of 2019 Conservative voters voting Reform in 2024 to only 10% of 2019 Conservative voters switching to Labour and just 7% to the LDs and 2% to the Greens
Why don't we look at how the "classes" matched up between 2024 and 2019:
AB: Labour 36% (+6), Conservatives 25% (-20), Liberal Democrats 14% (-2) C1: Labour 36% (+4), Conservatives 23% (-22). Liberal Democrats 13% (+1) C2: Labour 32% (nc), Conservatives 24% (-23), Liberal Democrats 11% (+2) DE: Labour 34% (-7), Conservatives 23% (-18), Liberal Democrats 10% (+1)
That pretty much tells you all you need to know especially around where the Labour gains were and possibly why the Conservatives managed to hold 30-40 seats which looked as though they could fall to either Labour or the LDs.
As an aside, Redfield & Wilton picked up higher levels of uncertainty among women voting than men and it looks as though the DK women broke disproportionately back to the Conservatives.
There's increasing evidence the "supermajority" meme had some impact in the final days but I'm very much of the view a lot of Labour supporters just didn't bother to vote as the result seemed a foregone conclusion. I hope someone is tracking turnout numbers by constituency - my suspicion is the biggest falls in turnout will be in those areas which were nominally "safe" for Labour.
Yes Reform are now the most working class party, not Labour. The LDs the most middle class party, not the Tories.
Age and home ownership status is the biggest difference between Tories and Labour now not social class and income
Here's the chart you want.
All the constituencies, deprived on left, undeprived on right. Colours as you'd expect.
Ballesteros, the bullfighter. That's what I call him.... ..he combines.. all the beauty of a ballerina.. with the hard nosed, ruthless thuggery of a bastard.
I’m thinking of challenges in the league I’ve seen where red cards have been given because even though the player went for the ball they damaged the player so a foul.
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
lol. Thanks "Declan"
Declan's correct, 'Leon'.
I shall refraim from resurrecting the many many comments where you claimed Biden is fine, not senile, just a bit doddery, getting old, all good, he simply wanders off a bit, and that I was "ranting on"
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
lol. Thanks "Declan"
Declan's correct, 'Leon'.
I shall refraim from resurrecting the many many comments where you claimed Biden is fine, not senile, just a bit doddery, getting old, all good, he simply wanders off a bit, and that I was "ranting on"
Fuck off and watch the football; ranting on with this nonsense. What’s wrong with you?
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
lol. Thanks "Declan"
Declan's correct, 'Leon'.
I shall refraim from resurrecting the many many comments where you claimed Biden is fine, not senile, just a bit doddery, getting old, all good, he simply wanders off a bit, and that I was "ranting on"
Fuck off and watch the football; ranting on with this nonsense. What’s wrong with you?
There’s some good money to be made day trading that market at the moment, following the ups and downs of a party and media elite tearing itself apart.
I think it's almost inevitable that Biden goes now. The only question is when it happens.
Unless another Democrat starts polling significantly better v Trump than Biden does and is willing to run and challenge Biden at the convention it certainly isn't
Every time Biden goes up on stage, he will perform a little bit worse, because that is the nature of mental decline. And Americans are not electing a President to take them through to Christmas, they are electing one who is expected to be compis mentis through to the end of 2028.
The comparison with even the video reel of him the White House released in February is quite marked. I’m fairly sure he’s capable of discharging the duties of his office for the next four months - but four years ? No.
It is beyond stupid.
The Dems are condemning the rest of the world to Trump 2.0 chaos and danger because they don't want to upset an old man and his stupidly ambitious wife.
The NY Times opinion writers and board all have it right.
I'm fucking
Most of PB told me I was "ranting on" when I started mentioning Biden's obvious senility about a year ago
You’re always ranting on, the subject matter is immaterial.
I'm nearly always RIGHT
More notably, I'm usually right against the PB consensus, because you are all a bit intellectually mediocre, and you all herd like some pathetic sheepfold of bleating centrist dads. Soz
Utter bollocks. Cyclefree is more right than you on most stuff. See the header for instance. Or on the PO which you thought was a non-story until even you had to admit it. She'd wipe the floor with you.
lol. Thanks "Declan"
Declan's correct, 'Leon'.
I shall refraim from resurrecting the many many comments where you claimed Biden is fine, not senile, just a bit doddery, getting old, all good, he simply wanders off a bit, and that I was "ranting on"
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd says Biden’s refusal to step aside has made him “rethink a lot of the Biden biography. I still can’t believe he ran for president in the first place, given that his family was in crisis in 2018…You look at what has happened, I can’t believe he has put his family through this. And now, looking at his behavior now, in clinging to this, I think the entire narrative on Joe Biden is gonna change, in that everything’s always been about his ambition and his ambition comes first.”
This is finally more like a Premier league match which hopefully allows the best to come out of the English players, and of course the Dutch PL players. Mitch fun though.
Still think it was a very soft penalty, but England have been the better side that half and deserve not to be behind. A bit of karmic balance going on.
At the Future of Britain Conference 2024, Tony Blair is joined by Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind Demis Hassabis to discuss how AI is catalysing a new era of technology, productivity and growth.
I'm confused by football fans and consensus around the penalty award...
If you go for any tackle and miss the ball but kick the player, it is a foul.
It you go for a studs up tackle that misses the ball and kicks the player, it is at least a yellow card.
If you foul someone in your penalty area, it is a penalty.
What am I missing?
Yes, it’s a bit Curtis Jones v Spurs where someone is going for the ball, considered dangerous but just naturally where a foot goes in the trajectory, and even though it didn’t change where the ball went after but considered a red. Nowadays you can’t risk going in with studs no matter what.
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd says Biden’s refusal to step aside has made him “rethink a lot of the Biden biography. I still can’t believe he ran for president in the first place, given that his family was in crisis in 2018…You look at what has happened, I can’t believe he has put his family through this. And now, looking at his behavior now, in clinging to this, I think the entire narrative on Joe Biden is gonna change, in that everything’s always been about his ambition and his ambition comes first.”
Ah the media folks. Build em up, knock em down.
I don’t know what is going on in the minds of the Biden campaign. And I think it needs to be stressed again - the guy has had a pretty decent presidency.
I’m not sure it’s ambition. I think it’s this religious-like sense of purpose he seems to have (or his family/advisors feed him). Only he can beat Trump. Only he can hold NATO together and keep China at bay (he pretty much said that in recent days). If he truly believes that then he has failed in his pledge to be a bridge to the next generation of leaders.
I'm confused by football fans and consensus around the penalty award...
If you go for any tackle and miss the ball but kick the player, it is a foul.
It you go for a studs up tackle that misses the ball and kicks the player, it is at least a yellow card.
If you foul someone in your penalty area, it is a penalty.
What am I missing?
Kane kicked him, not the other way around. Kane was not intending to foul him, he was trying to shoot, but all the defender was doing was trying to block the shot. It was not a penalty in a million years.
"Some historians count the wars between Britain and the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland during the Napoleonic era as the Fifth and Sixth Anglo-Dutch wars."
My daughter did a year in Groningen and we were over seeing her a couple of times. I really liked the country and the people. There was much to admire in their society, the cities and their general social attitudes. Much to admire.
"Some historians count the wars between Britain and the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland during the Napoleonic era as the Fifth and Sixth Anglo-Dutch wars."
None of those conflicts has left any real lasting animosity.
Not like with eg France or Germany (or from the other way around Scotland and Ireland etc).
"Some historians count the wars between Britain and the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland during the Napoleonic era as the Fifth and Sixth Anglo-Dutch wars."
None of those conflicts has left any real lasting animosity.
Not like with eg France or Germany (or from the other way around Scotland and Ireland etc).
It feels like the game is in an energy-saving phase on both sides.
Forgive me Andy, you may have already posted this - and I missed it, or you might not want to say...
but I'm interested - How did you vote?
I always end up voting LibDem despite disagreeing with about half of their policies, and this time was no exception. But I still think Goodwin and John Gray have interesting things to say.
Watching this match does take me back to my first Subbuteo set. One Christmas I got a World Cup final set, west Germany v Argentina - but I wanted the Netherlands for some reason so my brother kindly went and bought me the Orange team. Unfortunately it turned out he’d managed to buy the Dundee United team. So in my room as a kid Dundee Utd beat both Argentina and West Germany on a regular basis.
"Some historians count the wars between Britain and the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland during the Napoleonic era as the Fifth and Sixth Anglo-Dutch wars."
None of those conflicts has left any real lasting animosity.
Not like with eg France or Germany (or from the other way around Scotland and Ireland etc).
Then there were the Boer Wars...
Bloody disgrace that the concentration camps were blamed on the Brits when it was them Boer kommandos hiding in their civilian communities that were really responsible for them.
Comments
Glad to be on level terms but should never have been a penalty.
So OF COURSE it was a pen!
Going for the ball is fair enough, had he gone for the player instead of the ball it should be a penalty.
But harsh decision.
Attempting to block a shot and having someone kick you is not a foul.
Which was it? Not clear and obvious.
Anyway, apart from the goal conceded, England have been looking better.
Plus the social pressure not to make the check a waste of time.
Kane had already taken the shot so no goal scoring opportunity was blocked either.
That's just not England.
Denying a goal scoring opportunity is in the laws of the game a reason for a yellow card, as the referee gave to the defender.
Not sure the specific reason why he gave the yellow, but it wasn't a goal scoring opportunity denied since the strike had already happened.
https://x.com/ChristopherJM/status/1811121542228791707
That Reform were storming the youth vote.
That Reform were going to get dozens of seats.
Etc
Etc
Doesn't bother me.
https://x.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1811075448337477749
"Suella Braverman MP
@SuellaBraverman
Kemi, and the rest of the cabinet, should not have nodded along, as they and Rishi took the party to disaster.
The refusal to take responsibility is at the root of our problem.
It was not someone else’s fault."
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd says Biden’s refusal to step aside has made him “rethink a lot of the Biden biography. I still can’t believe he ran for president in the first place, given that his family was in crisis in 2018…You look at what has happened, I can’t believe he has put his family through this. And now, looking at his behavior now, in clinging to this, I think the entire narrative on Joe Biden is gonna change, in that everything’s always been about his ambition and his ambition comes first.”
Let's hope they take each other down.
This is finally more like a Premier league match which hopefully allows the best to come out of the English players, and of course the Dutch PL players. Mitch fun though.
1-1 -> 3.35
Eng 2, Neth 1 -> 5.2
Neth 2, Eng 1 -> 7.2
2-2 -> 8.2
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/football/market/1.230477038
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/live/c1ww68xd63et#LiveReporting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZDrxsJkRbQ
If you go for any tackle and miss the ball but kick the player, it is a foul.
It you go for a studs up tackle that misses the ball and kicks the player, it is at least a yellow card.
If you foul someone in your penalty area, it is a penalty.
What am I missing?
I don’t know what is going on in the minds of the Biden campaign. And I think it needs to be stressed again - the guy has had a pretty decent presidency.
I’m not sure it’s ambition. I think it’s this religious-like sense of purpose he seems to have (or his family/advisors feed him). Only he can beat Trump. Only he can hold NATO together and keep China at bay (he pretty much said that in recent days). If he truly believes that then he has failed in his pledge to be a bridge to the next generation of leaders.
Along with Portugal, one of the very few major European countries with no animosity between us or vice-versa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Anglo-Dutch_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Dutch_War
Plus the late straggler:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Anglo-Dutch_War
"Some historians count the wars between Britain and the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland during the Napoleonic era as the Fifth and Sixth Anglo-Dutch wars."
Not like with eg France or Germany (or from the other way around Scotland and Ireland etc).
but I'm interested - How did you vote?
7.6 v. 9 or 13% v. 11% chance of winning.
Kamala should be odds on for the nomination now.
You have to pass it from side to side and back to the keeper so that the defending team can organise.
England are asleep, just watch how much they've gone down since the end of the first half.
https://x.com/alexchristy17/status/1811024855250210964
“Don't worry about who's at the top of the Democratic ticket. If the French can unite to defeat fascism, Americans can do it, too"