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The Ayrshire hotelier is running scared – politicalbetting.com

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  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    edited August 3
    carnforth said:

    Timpson the cobbler is going to have a tricky task if this carries on much longer.

    More people in prison after a year of Labour? Probably not. Early releases are on a massive scale.
    Well he won't be short of new staff. They might have to hide the dodgy tattoos though.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,890
    carnforth said:

    Timpson the cobbler is going to have a tricky task if this carries on much longer.

    More people in prison after a year of Labour? Probably not. Early releases are on a massive scale.
    Serious Q: do you have a reference to numbers on that?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,472
    MattW said:

    Mortimer said:

    MattW said:

    Nunu5 said:

    Courts to be open 24hrs a day.

    I have never forgotten telling man after man in cell after cell how long they would get in prison for the 2011 London riots.

    Once enthusiasm for lobbing bins at police has waned, once your pals have been arrested, once the booze & adrenaline subside - you realise.

    Then regret.

    Guess who won’t be coming along to give character evidence at your sentencing hearing? It’s the anonymous idiots-on-the-internet who inspired you to be the worst version of yourself after a few cans of beer and too much time on Facebook.

    Ask any lawyer who blearily pressed the cell buzzer at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in the early hours of those hot, dangerous days in August 2011.

    There’s always a reckoning.


    https://x.com/Joanna__Hardy/status/1819692360915091742
    You was a criminal defence lawyer?
    I think one outcome from this may be that a deal may be cut with the lawyers. Are they still working to rule, or whatever the lawyerly term is for that?

    Is there a hope that something might be done around scheduling in Courts and time lost waiting?

    (I may have lost track I admit ... have not kept track of the legal profession's ructions.)
    More Govt. spending, no doubt.

    All in all, this Labour government are looking likely to run out of other people's money faster than ever before.

    What does it cost to keep the 16,500 people who are the current remand population in prison?

    And how much money is being wasted when 1/3 of them will either be found not guilty, or will not receive a prison sentence?

    At ~60k a year per pop, it is about a £1bn per annum afaics.

    Some of that money could perhaps be better spent elsewhere?

    And how much value to the economy has been unnecessarily lost?
    We've been put on 24 hour courts apparently. I went to see the out of hours GP today. The homeless were all housed over a weekend during COVID.
    How often are we penny wise and billions fucking moronic?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,090

    Sandpit said:

    Courts to be open 24hrs a day.

    I have never forgotten telling man after man in cell after cell how long they would get in prison for the 2011 London riots.

    Once enthusiasm for lobbing bins at police has waned, once your pals have been arrested, once the booze & adrenaline subside - you realise.

    Then regret.

    Guess who won’t be coming along to give character evidence at your sentencing hearing? It’s the anonymous idiots-on-the-internet who inspired you to be the worst version of yourself after a few cans of beer and too much time on Facebook.

    Ask any lawyer who blearily pressed the cell buzzer at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in the early hours of those hot, dangerous days in August 2011.

    There’s always a reckoning.


    https://x.com/Joanna__Hardy/status/1819692360915091742
    Perhaps one of the most amusing consequences of the court delays from the pandemic, has been the various disruptive campaigners see their friends get serious prison time, when their own case is still a year away and they’ve been picked up again for more disruption in the meantime.
    People, even villains, respect the judiciary, but the way things are going, it might only be a question of time before one radical group or other takes revenge on magistrates or judges handing out exemplary sentences.
    The PIRA tried that. Hence Diplock courts.

    So the story goes, the first time they tried to murder a judge with an RPG-7, they fired it inside a small van. Took a few days to work out what had happened.
    Diplock courts were judge-only. Even unionist politicians disliked Diplock courts. As they said, the problem wasn't juries but witness intimidation.

    As for the future, it is hard to attack crown court judges. You can run into magistrates in the supermarket of a Saturday. The point is that up to now, people have accepted, even respected, the system. In future they might not, especially with exemplary sentences being by definition at one extreme, and ideological rather than criminal motivation and self-justification.
    Attacking a judge or a magistrate gets you into the bottom right hand corner of the sentencing matrices.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,122
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    Nah, because the Tories are about to elect an even bigger numpty, one of the ones who ran down our country over the last decade.

    The Tories have to treble their seats to form a majority government, so pace yourself. We get nearly a decade of starmer
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,836
    edited August 3
    MattW said:

    carnforth said:

    Timpson the cobbler is going to have a tricky task if this carries on much longer.

    More people in prison after a year of Labour? Probably not. Early releases are on a massive scale.
    Serious Q: do you have a reference to numbers on that?
    No. Just spitballing, as Americans would say.

    Imagine 1000 people are convicted in these riots. Maybe 250 go to prison. Early release could let out, say, 2500 otherwise incarcerated.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,935
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police officer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Do you accept that the Southport Stabber is NOT a Muslim and did NOT come over in a small boat?
    Leon has a great view of the disturbances in northern England. from his hotel in France. Our man on the spot.

    2 arrests in Leicester, both far right, including this fellow:

    https://x.com/TripleBarrelKid/status/1819792661634523634?t=FoDFsOY0S2istES24TXEiA&s=19
    Risks Putin invading Leicester to de-Nazify it....
  • MortimerMortimer Posts: 14,142
    MattW said:

    Mortimer said:

    MattW said:

    Nunu5 said:

    Courts to be open 24hrs a day.

    I have never forgotten telling man after man in cell after cell how long they would get in prison for the 2011 London riots.

    Once enthusiasm for lobbing bins at police has waned, once your pals have been arrested, once the booze & adrenaline subside - you realise.

    Then regret.

    Guess who won’t be coming along to give character evidence at your sentencing hearing? It’s the anonymous idiots-on-the-internet who inspired you to be the worst version of yourself after a few cans of beer and too much time on Facebook.

    Ask any lawyer who blearily pressed the cell buzzer at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in the early hours of those hot, dangerous days in August 2011.

    There’s always a reckoning.


    https://x.com/Joanna__Hardy/status/1819692360915091742
    You was a criminal defence lawyer?
    I think one outcome from this may be that a deal may be cut with the lawyers. Are they still working to rule, or whatever the lawyerly term is for that?

    Is there a hope that something might be done around scheduling in Courts and time lost waiting?

    (I may have lost track I admit ... have not kept track of the legal profession's ructions.)
    More Govt. spending, no doubt.

    All in all, this Labour government are looking likely to run out of other people's money faster than ever before.

    What does it cost to keep the 16,500 people who are the current remand population in prison?

    And how much money is being wasted when 1/3 of them will either be found not guilty, or will not receive a prison sentence?

    At ~60k a year per pop, it is about a £1bn per annum afaics.

    Some of that money could perhaps be better spent elsewhere?

    And how much value to the economy has been unnecessarily lost?
    How much will permanently higher public sector wages/rates cost.

    Far more than £1bn pa I suspect....
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,472
    carnforth said:

    dixiedean said:

    carnforth said:

    dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    We didn't start the fire.

    PB quiz.
    Name the three people mentioned in that song (individually, so Beatles don't count) who are still alive.
    Without Googling.
    Chubby Checker.
    We have a winner!
    By contrast. Everyone mentioned in Madonna's Vogue is now dead.
    I've never heard, or even heard of, either song. I could have been a high court judge.
    You'd heard of Chubby Checker though, right?
    If he hasn't heard of Bob Dylan he gets blocked. And @DavidL will probably prosecute him.
    The Chubby Checker wiki rabbithole leads to this fella:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabian_Forte

    Never heard of him, but a rollercoaster life.
    The disappearance of Fabian was cited by Bob Dylan as one of the reasons he went back to rock (his original oeuvre).
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    Nah, because the Tories are about to elect an even bigger numpty, one of the ones who ran down our country over the last decade.

    The Tories have to treble their seats to form a majority government, so pace yourself. We get nearly a decade of starmer
    The Unknown Stuntman is still waiting in the wings.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    Though the divide on the right between Tory and Reform under FPTP may yet save them next time too voteshare wise on 4th July Starmer got even less than Kinnock 1992 and Corbyn 2017 let alone Blair 1997. His win was a rejection of the Tory government rather than a huge endorsement for him
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,122

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police officer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Do you accept that the Southport Stabber is NOT a Muslim and did NOT come over in a small boat?
    Leon has a great view of the disturbances in northern England. from his hotel in France. Our man on the spot.

    2 arrests in Leicester, both far right, including this fellow:

    https://x.com/TripleBarrelKid/status/1819792661634523634?t=FoDFsOY0S2istES24TXEiA&s=19
    Risks Putin invading Leicester to de-Nazify it....
    No, our pathetic bunch of Nazis were drowned out by chanting from the counter protest, then buggered off. Total victory for the good citizens of Leicester, without a punch or rock being thrown.

    Master race, my arse.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,935

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    If the left turn on them and the unions demand 22% payrises for everyone, then they may not last that long.
    Is there a market on first Cabinet Minister out? Home Secretary is always a reasonable shout, but I have a sneaky notion it might yet be the Chancellor...
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,416
    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    Nah, because the Tories are about to elect an even bigger numpty, one of the ones who ran down our country over the last decade.

    The Tories have to treble their seats to form a majority government, so pace yourself. We get nearly a decade of starmer
    Nothing is impossible after Starmer gained 211 seats in one election with just a 1% rise in his party's voteshare
  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Posts: 1,312
    *Far right smash up the country*
    Far Right: Starmer has lost control of the country. Resign Starmer.
  • Nunu5Nunu5 Posts: 976

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    If the left turn on them and the unions demand 22% payrises for everyone, then they may not last that long.
    Is there a market on first Cabinet Minister out? Home Secretary is always a reasonable shout, but I have a sneaky notion it might yet be the Chancellor...
    It will be Ed Milliband. For Something stupid
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,653

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    He's not sounding the cognitive-est.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,653
    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    She's either a nation wrecker or a nation erecter, depending on how hard one tries to re-articulate his words.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    He's now saying Kamala is low IQ.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865
    edited August 3
    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,472
    Jeez.
    The medication I've been asking for for donkey's months is so nice.
    My ADHD brain is given a rest.
    You look for productivity gains. Look there.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    Those people with signs behind Trump.

    Jeez.

    Have they been dragged off the street and paid $200 to stand for an hour or what?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,122

    *Far right smash up the country*
    Far Right: Starmer has lost control of the country. Resign Starmer.

    It's the ones that are calling for a recall of parliament and a Confidence vote that get me!
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,472
    Foxy said:

    *Far right smash up the country*
    Far Right: Starmer has lost control of the country. Resign Starmer.

    It's the ones that are calling for a recall of parliament and a Confidence vote that get me!
    You lost. Suck it up.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    EPG said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    He's not sounding the cognitive-est.
    It's just a random ramble of all the things that are currently hurting his thin-skinned, tiny ego.

    Pathetic.

    How on earth can americans put him back in WH?
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,099

    Those people with signs behind Trump.

    Jeez.

    Have they been dragged off the street and paid $200 to stand for an hour or what?

    https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1817616289566790100
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,122
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
    Kamalas parents met while doing their PhDs in the days when very few did, I suspect Dozy Donald is wrong again.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    The paid flunkies behind The Clown are struggling to make sure their signs are the right way around.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,090

    EPG said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    He's not sounding the cognitive-est.
    It's just a random ramble of all the things that are currently hurting his thin-skinned, tiny ego.

    Pathetic.

    How on earth can americans put him back in WH?
    It's mesmeric fascination of The Leader. Objectively looked at, these characters are often comic and pathetic. To their worshipers they are semi-divine.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    Foxy said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
    Kamalas parents met while doing their PhDs in the days when very few did, I suspect Dozy Donald is wrong again.
    He knows he is wrong. He doesn't care.

    He projects all the time. What he is saying is 'I dont want to debate her, because she is much cleverer than me'.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    "No more cows" says Trump
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,653
    My guess is that on current form he'll seem confused if he's on the same stage as her.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,099

    "No more cows" says Trump

    weird
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,175
    edited August 3
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
    It’s all projection with Trump.
    Stirred with bile.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,129
    edited August 3
    Nigelb said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
    It’s all projection with Trump.
    Stirred with bile.
    Psychopathic self-interest in there too.

    Also a narcisisstic love of self-publicity.

    And a complete lack of interest in debating policy as most on this website understand it.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,220
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,099
    @maggieNYT

    "I have a bad trait: I only like people that like me," Trump says as he disses Bruce Springsteen, a wildly popular musician with Trump's own base.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865
    'This is the lunatic the fake news is trying to big up to be the next Margaret Thatcher'
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    *Far right smash up the country*
    Far Right: Starmer has lost control of the country. Resign Starmer.

    Believe that was
    Nigelb said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Trump MAGA rally live downstream
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UAZqFLVYI

    '1929 era depression with Kamaaala or big economic boom with Trump and control of our borders again' in summary if you don't want to watch it!
    'She is considered more left wing than Crazy Bernie, can you believe it. She is low IQ, President Xi said 'great another one' they love dealing with low IQ level individuals'
    It’s all projection with Trump.
    Stirred with bile.
    Plus sexism, racism and gumjob for Xitler. (Since DJT forgot to give his best buddy a moniker.)
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,036
    Speaking of IQ: In the US, since 1955, ambitious would-be college students have been taking the National Merit Tests.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Merit_Scholarship_Program
    It is much like a two-stage IQ test.

    The names of the semi-finalists and finalists are published. If the Loser was really smart back then, he could prove it by releasing his score on the preliminary test, and the finalist test, if he got that far.

    That he hasn't shows to me that there is an upper limit on his IQ, that he may be above average, but is no genius.

    (FWIW, Hillary Clinton was a semi-finalist, passing the first round, but not the second, proving you can be fairly smart, but still not very good at politics.)
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,269
    Scott_xP said:

    @maggieNYT

    "I have a bad trait: I only like people that like me," Trump says as he disses Bruce Springsteen, a wildly popular musician with Trump's own base.

    Do many NYT columnists understand Trump’s base better than Trump?
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865
    edited August 3

    Speaking of IQ: In the US, since 1955, ambitious would-be college students have been taking the National Merit Tests.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Merit_Scholarship_Program
    It is much like a two-stage IQ test.

    The names of the semi-finalists and finalists are published. If the Loser was really smart back then, he could prove it by releasing his score on the preliminary test, and the finalist test, if he got that far.

    That he hasn't shows to me that there is an upper limit on his IQ, that he may be above average, but is no genius.

    (FWIW, Hillary Clinton was a semi-finalist, passing the first round, but not the second, proving you can be fairly smart, but still not very good at politics.)

    In US presidential elections (and indeed most global democratic elections now) leaders are elected more for their charisma than IQ most of the time. Though occasionally you get one like Obama, Bill Clinton, Thatcher or Macron who combines a high level of both
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,608

    Scott_xP said:

    @maggieNYT

    "I have a bad trait: I only like people that like me," Trump says as he disses Bruce Springsteen, a wildly popular musician with Trump's own base.

    Do many NYT columnists understand Trump’s base better than Trump?
    Trump's base likes Trump because the libs - including NYTimes columnists - dislike him. My enemy's enemy is my friend.

    The best way for "the libs" to defeat Trump is to embrace him.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    edited August 3
    Springsteen and Trump have long not seen eye to eye. Its hard new news. Springsteen has said all the standard stuff about the evils of Trump, repeatedly and stopped him playing his music at events. And yet there are a base of people who like Trump and like Springsteen's music.

    Weirdly people seem to be able like somebodies music and detach that from what an artist might think about a politician. Strange I know.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 52,269
    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @maggieNYT

    "I have a bad trait: I only like people that like me," Trump says as he disses Bruce Springsteen, a wildly popular musician with Trump's own base.

    Do many NYT columnists understand Trump’s base better than Trump?
    Trump's base likes Trump because the libs - including NYTimes columnists - dislike him. My enemy's enemy is my friend.

    The best way for "the libs" to defeat Trump is to embrace him.
    It’s strange that they haven’t tried that: “The Republicans might be scary but we know Trump is one of us.”
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    edited August 3
    The scouser mob are burning down a library now and looting shops. It looks proper bad.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,608

    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @maggieNYT

    "I have a bad trait: I only like people that like me," Trump says as he disses Bruce Springsteen, a wildly popular musician with Trump's own base.

    Do many NYT columnists understand Trump’s base better than Trump?
    Trump's base likes Trump because the libs - including NYTimes columnists - dislike him. My enemy's enemy is my friend.

    The best way for "the libs" to defeat Trump is to embrace him.
    It’s strange that they haven’t tried that: “The Republicans might be scary but we know Trump is one of us.”
    It's because there's no organized "they", and no individual incentive to do so.

    Ms Haberman earns her crust because NYTimes readers want to read shit about Trump. If she embrace Trump, she would lose her readership and her job.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,865

    The scouser mob are burning down a library now and looting shops. It looks proper bad.

    Not much different to what they were doing in the 1980s then
  • Nunu5Nunu5 Posts: 976
    Liberal, middle class Guardian reading compilation:

    https://x.com/andy_5088/status/1819683340221292557
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,090
    Space stuff


  • Nunu5Nunu5 Posts: 976
    "What a good time for Labour to win an election! "
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    BBC starts removing Huw Edwards from archives
    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0w44nz6nneo
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,721
    edited August 3
    HYUFD said:

    The scouser mob are burning down a library now and looting shops. It looks proper bad.

    Not much different to what they were doing in the 1980s then
    Who is "they"?

    I think you'll find the 1980s riots were a bit different.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 22,359
    edited August 3

    The scouser mob are burning down a library now and looting shops. It looks proper bad.

    Also known as Saturday night in Walton.
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,376
    It's all getting a bit serious isn't it?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    edited August 4
    GIN1138 said:

    It's all getting a bit serious isn't it?

    An issue I can see being spread on social media is all sides from today now got their examples of ingroup being oppressed or out group attacking ingroup, this is being used to perpetuating the issues and anger. I am sure the busy fingers of Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) have nothing to do with this.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,945
    edited August 4

    We didn't start the fire.

    Lateral with Tom Scott

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduGUJDNAQQ
  • Nunu5Nunu5 Posts: 976
    GIN1138 said:

    It's all getting a bit serious isn't it?

    Yeah but Starmer was in charge of the cps during the 2011 riots and 24 hour courts so hopefully he has learned what to do.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,945
    Luckiest person in the UK at the moment: one Rishi Sunak.
  • GIN1138 said:

    It's all getting a bit serious isn't it?

    Not really.

    A few coke-ridden twats need to be arrested and sent behind bars for what they're doing.

    This isn't a race war, its criminals out for a ruck. It'll end when the criminals are arrested.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    Andy_JS said:

    We didn't start the fire.

    Lateral with Tom Scott

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduGUJDNAQQ
    My favourite Tom Scott game is that Two Of These People Are Lying.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,945

    Andy_JS said:

    We didn't start the fire.

    Lateral with Tom Scott

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduGUJDNAQQ
    My favourite Tom Scott game is that Two Of These People Are Lying.
    I'll have to watch it. Don't think I've seen it so far.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,672
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Guardian, BBC, Telegraph, etc - multiple screeds on the awful far right thugs. And there has been some awful far right thuggery - no question. It needs vehement calling out

    But not a single fucking mention of the many many videos of Muslims with machetes, of white people being brutalised, of the police offer politely asking Muslims to “please leave your weapons at the mosque”

    This just won’t do. I don’t simply mean it’s wrong or bad I mean it is stupidly counterproductive. Anyone with half a brain can find this stuff on social media and will then ask: why aren’t they showing me THIS???

    And thus the corrosion of trust continues

    Certainly useful for those pushing the TwoTierKeir hashtag.
    Within a year Starmer could be less popular than Truss. Despite their majority, I think this will be a feeble clueless one term Labour govt
    Nah, because the Tories are about to elect an even bigger numpty, one of the ones who ran down our country over the last decade.

    The Tories have to treble their seats to form a majority government, so pace yourself. We get nearly a decade of starmer
    You do know it doesn't work like this, right?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,945
    edited August 4
    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    Andy_JS said:

    Andy_JS said:

    We didn't start the fire.

    Lateral with Tom Scott

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduGUJDNAQQ
    My favourite Tom Scott game is that Two Of These People Are Lying.
    I'll have to watch it. Don't think I've seen it so far.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UAOs9B9UH8&list=PLfx61sxf1Yz2I-c7eMRk9wBUUDCJkU7H0
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,144
    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    She must have overdosed on the calories again. Tory Police Commissioner says “don’t arrest people rioting”. What is the world coming to?
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,708
    On topic the Ayrshire hotelier is trying, successfully, to distract from the fact that he took a 10 million dollar bribe from the president of Egypt.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,890
    edited August 4
    One I hadn't noticed.

    Former MP Andrew Bridgen at the recent Tommy Robinson rally in Trafalgar Square. Reported by Hope Not Hate, and others.

    An interesting read, looking at our Far Right following the USA in some measure, pitching a Christian Nationalist style. Having checked a couple, their "British Priest" associated are from splinter groups and overseas affiliations.

    https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/07/27/tommy-robinson-leads-huge-far-right-demonstration-in-london/
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,175
    Did he mean Russia, or France ?

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/03/government-warns-that-rioters-will-pay-the-price-as-wave-of-violence-sweeps-uk
    ...He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”..
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,890
    edited August 4
    IanB2 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    She must have overdosed on the calories again. Tory Police Commissioner says “don’t arrest people rioting”. What is the world coming to?
    It's quite a political statement which I think won't age well, but TBF she didn't say say don't arrest them. She portrayed it as a violent minority, and was too keen to try and explain their narrative.

    I wonder if she spoke to her Chief Constable first? Or if there has been much violence in her area?
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,144
    edited August 4
    MattW said:

    IanB2 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    She must have overdosed on the calories again. Tory Police Commissioner says “don’t arrest people rioting”. What is the world coming to?
    It's quite a political statement which I think won't age well, but TBF she didn't say say don't arrest them. She portrayed it as a violent minority, and was too keen to try and explain their narrative.

    I wonder if she spoke to her Chief Constable first? Or if there has been much violence in her area?

    Is she perhaps projecting her local perceptions nationally without careful thought? Hampshire and the IOW is hardly insurrection central.
    She says that arresting people is treating the symptom, not the cause. That sounds like criticism to me. And then puts forward her alternative approach, which doesn’t mention penalties for those involved, at all.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,997
    Andy_JS said:

    We didn't start the fire.

    Lateral with Tom Scott

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduGUJDNAQQ
    Ha, brilliant!
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,144
    IanB2 said:

    MattW said:

    IanB2 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    She must have overdosed on the calories again. Tory Police Commissioner says “don’t arrest people rioting”. What is the world coming to?
    It's quite a political statement which I think won't age well, but TBF she didn't say say don't arrest them. She portrayed it as a violent minority, and was too keen to try and explain their narrative.

    I wonder if she spoke to her Chief Constable first? Or if there has been much violence in her area?

    Is she perhaps projecting her local perceptions nationally without careful thought? Hampshire and the IOW is hardly insurrection central.
    She says that arresting people is treating the symptom, not the cause. That sounds like criticism to me. And then puts forward her alternative approach, which doesn’t mention penalties for those involved, at all.
    Anyhow, I see she has now deleted her own tweet, removed her media release from the PCC website, and tweeted something new about putting those responsible behind bars.

    Which strongly suggests she knows she has ***ked up.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,443
    Nigelb said:

    Interesting.
    The U.S. is going to build the first molten salt test reactor.

    Construction of next-gen nuclear reactor ‘Hermes’ begins in Oak Ridge
    https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/construction-of-next-gen-nuclear-reactor-hermes-begins-in-oak-ridge/amp/

    Not 'the first'. The US had two test reactors back in the 50s and 60s. Including one meant for use in aircraft...

    Different times.

    It is apparently the first non-LWR permitted to be built in 50 years, which is perhaps more notable.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,443
    Nigelb said:

    Did he mean Russia, or France ?

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/03/government-warns-that-rioters-will-pay-the-price-as-wave-of-violence-sweeps-uk
    ...He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”..

    Russia has its useful little idiot in France.
  • ChrisChris Posts: 11,778
    Some people here have obviously learned absolutely nothing in the last decade about the dangers of pandering to the far right.

    Let's hope Tory politicians have more intelligence.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,175
    Trump's nonsense raises the interesting question of who actually was the worst VP in history.

    "she's the worst vice president in history" we literally had a vice president shoot someone in the face??
    https://x.com/dieworkwear/status/1819802417493573882

    Cheney is certainly in the running.

    But, Aaron Burr ? Spiro Agnew ? Andrew Johnson ?

    Or was the latter even the worst Johnson ?

    ...In 1836, (Richard Mentor) Johnson was the Democratic nominee for vice-president on a ticket with Martin Van Buren. Campaigning with the slogan "Rumpsey Dumpsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh", Johnson fell one short of the electoral votes needed to secure his election. Virginia's delegation to the Electoral College refused to endorse Johnson, voting instead for William Smith of South Carolina. The Senate elected him to the vice-presidential office. Johnson proved such a liability for the Democrats in the 1836 election that they refused to renominate him for vice president in 1840. Van Buren campaigned for reelection without a running mate...

  • darkagedarkage Posts: 5,398

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.

    I don't think anyone would disagree that the vandals and thugs should be arrested etc, and imprisoned. The problem starts when their treatment in the criminal justice system gets politicised. In 2011 there was a strategy of harsh, instant justice against the rioting which was political but it was a strategy that worked. But I think it is a mistake to repeat this strategy now because of the wider political context (ie concern about immigration, and also the different approach taken in 2020), and I think also this is reflected in the comments of the Hampshire PCC. But anyway, it is what the labour government is going to try and do, and I think it will just make the problem worse.
  • DM_AndyDM_Andy Posts: 1,127
    darkage said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    It is an insightful statement, if a bit clumsy. The problem with the 'tough/zero tolerance' option, ie repeating the 2011 approach, is that it did not apply to the BLM riots in 2020, which were basically supported by the 'establishment' at the time, with the police kneeling down before the participants, Sir Keir Starmer kneeling down in pictures, labour politicians actually breaking the law to join the protests, and promoting that they were doing so on social media. So, what you actually have, is one approach towards rioting where the group is supported by the establishment, and another where the group is disliked by the establishment. It is very easy for the 'far right' to communicate this via memes. They can use this to expand their appeal, as they are doing already. Farage is also good at communicating this with his Trump style addresses and he has the skill and experience to keep appropriate separation from those involved in the rioting.

    No one wants this, but I am afraid it is nearly inevitable. Douglas Murray and countless others (who have been unfairly dismissed themselves as 'far right') have been warning about it for the past decade. Because there is widespread support for resolution of the underlying issues, ie immigration and integration, the instinctive approach on the part of the government 'to 'crack down', round people up, send them to prison, outlaw it, make it hate speech' will not work and instead just inflame the problem, which will be very skilfully exploited by the opposition to the government, which includes people like Farage and Anderson who are there to rock the boat.

    There's a bit of rewriting history here by you calling them "BLM riots", the vast majority of demonstrations in 2020 were completely peaceful. When they weren't, the police didn't take the knee but the thugs responsible were arrested. If a group wanted to demonstrate their opposition to children being stabbed to death then why wouldn't the Establishment support that. But that's not what the far-right want to do is it.

  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,997
    NBC News polling says Trump was right:

    49% of registered voters have a negative view of Vice President Kamala Harris, compared to 32% with a positive view, per a new NBC News poll.

    Why it matters: NBC News says Harris' net-negative rating of -17 is the lowest for a vice president in the history of its poll.

    Zoom out: In Oct. 2019, 34% had a positive view of then-Vice President Mike Pence, while 38% had a negative view, for a rating of -4, per NBC News.


    https://www.axios.com/2023/06/26/kamala-harris-poll-2024-election-biden
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,443
    darkage said:

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.

    I don't think anyone would disagree that the vandals and thugs should be arrested etc, and imprisoned. The problem starts when their treatment in the criminal justice system gets politicised. In 2011 there was a strategy of harsh, instant justice against the rioting which was political but it was a strategy that worked. But I think it is a mistake to repeat this strategy now because of the wider political context (ie concern about immigration, and also the different approach taken in 2020), and I think also this is reflected in the comments of the Hampshire PCC. But anyway, it is what the labour government is going to try and do, and I think it will just make the problem worse.
    There was a 'wider political context' back in 2011 as well. It was bullshit, but so are the reasons that people are rioting now.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,416
    Josh Shapiro is drifting ever so slightly in the Dem VP nomination market, from 1.4 to 1.42 in the last half hour or so. Whether that is profit-taking or cold feet, who knows?

    1.42 Shapiro
    5.9 Walz
    16 Kelly
    17.5 Beshear
    40 Buttigieg
    https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/politics/market/1.190716127
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,997

    Sandpit said:

    Re the likes of Time and Telegraph doing articles on Russian disinformation. One thing they miss and was widely documented by the expert that Obama hired during the end of his time in the White House to look into what the Russians were up to. It isn't a one side thing, they run the same tactics across all angles.

    The examples given in the US is they would have Facebook groups say for mostly Black church goers and then also have ones for mostly White church goes. And these groups for 90% of the time would be posting Christian things and information about local events etc, as you would expect, then every so often they would slip in a story about a black person being beaten by a white gang on the one group and vice versa on the other group. Sometimes true stories, sometimes fake ones.

    Joe Rogan has been going about this for years, that 19 of the top 20 Christian Facebook pages were being run by the Russians.
    All Sounds like a conspiracy that would require an awful lot of people to run it.

    Senator McCarthy was convinced the Russians were up to similar things in the 1950s.
    KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov explained it in the 1980s.

    A quite deliberate strategy to confuse Americans into fighting each other, done slowly and in the open over a period of decades.

    https://bigthink.com/the-present/yuri-bezmenov/
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 72,175
    Sandpit said:

    NBC News polling says Trump was right:

    49% of registered voters have a negative view of Vice President Kamala Harris, compared to 32% with a positive view, per a new NBC News poll.

    Why it matters: NBC News says Harris' net-negative rating of -17 is the lowest for a vice president in the history of its poll.

    Zoom out: In Oct. 2019, 34% had a positive view of then-Vice President Mike Pence, while 38% had a negative view, for a rating of -4, per NBC News.


    https://www.axios.com/2023/06/26/kamala-harris-poll-2024-election-biden

    No it doesn't.
    It says that the GOP is a MAGA cult.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    darkage said:

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.

    I don't think anyone would disagree that the vandals and thugs should be arrested etc, and imprisoned. The problem starts when their treatment in the criminal justice system gets politicised. In 2011 there was a strategy of harsh, instant justice against the rioting which was political but it was a strategy that worked. But I think it is a mistake to repeat this strategy now because of the wider political context (ie concern about immigration, and also the different approach taken in 2020), and I think also this is reflected in the comments of the Hampshire PCC. But anyway, it is what the labour government is going to try and do, and I think it will just make the problem worse.

    Guess who was behind the strategy in 2011.

    A lot of neanderthal far-right rioters and looters probably bought the lefty lawyer stuff that has been thrown at Starmer. They are about to find out they have been sold a pup.

  • darkagedarkage Posts: 5,398
    DM_Andy said:



    darkage said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    It is an insightful statement, if a bit clumsy. The problem with the 'tough/zero tolerance' option, ie repeating the 2011 approach, is that it did not apply to the BLM riots in 2020, which were basically supported by the 'establishment' at the time, with the police kneeling down before the participants, Sir Keir Starmer kneeling down in pictures, labour politicians actually breaking the law to join the protests, and promoting that they were doing so on social media. So, what you actually have, is one approach towards rioting where the group is supported by the establishment, and another where the group is disliked by the establishment. It is very easy for the 'far right' to communicate this via memes. They can use this to expand their appeal, as they are doing already. Farage is also good at communicating this with his Trump style addresses and he has the skill and experience to keep appropriate separation from those involved in the rioting.

    No one wants this, but I am afraid it is nearly inevitable. Douglas Murray and countless others (who have been unfairly dismissed themselves as 'far right') have been warning about it for the past decade. Because there is widespread support for resolution of the underlying issues, ie immigration and integration, the instinctive approach on the part of the government 'to 'crack down', round people up, send them to prison, outlaw it, make it hate speech' will not work and instead just inflame the problem, which will be very skilfully exploited by the opposition to the government, which includes people like Farage and Anderson who are there to rock the boat.

    There's a bit of rewriting history here by you calling them "BLM riots", the vast majority of demonstrations in 2020 were completely peaceful. When they weren't, the police didn't take the knee but the thugs responsible were arrested. If a group wanted to demonstrate their opposition to children being stabbed to death then why wouldn't the Establishment support that. But that's not what the far-right want to do is it.

    There isn't much point going over this debate as it is one where people just have their own version of the truth. I would just note that, in 2020, firstly we were in the middle of covid restrictions but the rules were waived/bent, including by labour politicians. Secondly it involved a lot of criminal damage and there were also assaults of police, but light on prosecutions afterwards - no 24 hour courts despatching instant justice. Third, you have the symbolism of the police kneeling before the protestors. I am not even really commenting on the rights v wrongs of all this, just pointing out that it will all be dug up and used by internet memes by the 'far right' now.

    Even if you perceive 2020 as 'mostly peaceful protests' it is not how other people perceive the events.

    Regarding the 'far right', I am not a supporter of the 'far right' even though people always seem to interpret my comments that way. I am not even in the 40% of people that would vote for conservative/reform, I voted for labour.

  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    DM_Andy said:



    darkage said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    It is an insightful statement, if a bit clumsy. The problem with the 'tough/zero tolerance' option, ie repeating the 2011 approach, is that it did not apply to the BLM riots in 2020, which were basically supported by the 'establishment' at the time, with the police kneeling down before the participants, Sir Keir Starmer kneeling down in pictures, labour politicians actually breaking the law to join the protests, and promoting that they were doing so on social media. So, what you actually have, is one approach towards rioting where the group is supported by the establishment, and another where the group is disliked by the establishment. It is very easy for the 'far right' to communicate this via memes. They can use this to expand their appeal, as they are doing already. Farage is also good at communicating this with his Trump style addresses and he has the skill and experience to keep appropriate separation from those involved in the rioting.

    No one wants this, but I am afraid it is nearly inevitable. Douglas Murray and countless others (who have been unfairly dismissed themselves as 'far right') have been warning about it for the past decade. Because there is widespread support for resolution of the underlying issues, ie immigration and integration, the instinctive approach on the part of the government 'to 'crack down', round people up, send them to prison, outlaw it, make it hate speech' will not work and instead just inflame the problem, which will be very skilfully exploited by the opposition to the government, which includes people like Farage and Anderson who are there to rock the boat.

    There's a bit of rewriting history here by you calling them "BLM riots", the vast majority of demonstrations in 2020 were completely peaceful. When they weren't, the police didn't take the knee but the thugs responsible were arrested. If a group wanted to demonstrate their opposition to children being stabbed to death then why wouldn't the Establishment support that. But that's not what the far-right want to do is it.

    There was a vigil in Southport for the poor girls who were brutally murdered. It passed off entirely peacefully because those who attended were there to express their grief and their horror and to show their love and support for the families affected. Then the far-right moved in.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,507
    edited August 4
    Nigelb said:

    Did he mean Russia, or France ?

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/03/government-warns-that-rioters-will-pay-the-price-as-wave-of-violence-sweeps-uk
    ...He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”..

    The police are being a little disingenuous. The video people were highlighting, the guy was attacked after throwing rocks at a group of Asians. There were various claims online of how he got those injuries ranging from being hit back with rocks to being stabbed. There are also multiple videos of a gang of Asians running around armed with knives, and they kicked the shit out of multiple other people. The police were also recorded saying to this gang, come on, no weapons, leave them back at the mosque.

    So the police going well nothing to see here, is not quite true.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,755

    darkage said:

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.

    I don't think anyone would disagree that the vandals and thugs should be arrested etc, and imprisoned. The problem starts when their treatment in the criminal justice system gets politicised. In 2011 there was a strategy of harsh, instant justice against the rioting which was political but it was a strategy that worked. But I think it is a mistake to repeat this strategy now because of the wider political context (ie concern about immigration, and also the different approach taken in 2020), and I think also this is reflected in the comments of the Hampshire PCC. But anyway, it is what the labour government is going to try and do, and I think it will just make the problem worse.

    Guess who was behind the strategy in 2011.

    A lot of neanderthal far-right rioters and looters probably bought the lefty lawyer stuff that has been thrown at Starmer. They are about to find out they have been sold a pup.

    One of the first announcements his govt made after winning was to say they intended to release a third of the prison population. Bit odd to paint him as Judge Dredd.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    darkage said:

    DM_Andy said:



    darkage said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    It is an insightful statement, if a bit clumsy. The problem with the 'tough/zero tolerance' option, ie repeating the 2011 approach, is that it did not apply to the BLM riots in 2020, which were basically supported by the 'establishment' at the time, with the police kneeling down before the participants, Sir Keir Starmer kneeling down in pictures, labour politicians actually breaking the law to join the protests, and promoting that they were doing so on social media. So, what you actually have, is one approach towards rioting where the group is supported by the establishment, and another where the group is disliked by the establishment. It is very easy for the 'far right' to communicate this via memes. They can use this to expand their appeal, as they are doing already. Farage is also good at communicating this with his Trump style addresses and he has the skill and experience to keep appropriate separation from those involved in the rioting.

    No one wants this, but I am afraid it is nearly inevitable. Douglas Murray and countless others (who have been unfairly dismissed themselves as 'far right') have been warning about it for the past decade. Because there is widespread support for resolution of the underlying issues, ie immigration and integration, the instinctive approach on the part of the government 'to 'crack down', round people up, send them to prison, outlaw it, make it hate speech' will not work and instead just inflame the problem, which will be very skilfully exploited by the opposition to the government, which includes people like Farage and Anderson who are there to rock the boat.

    There's a bit of rewriting history here by you calling them "BLM riots", the vast majority of demonstrations in 2020 were completely peaceful. When they weren't, the police didn't take the knee but the thugs responsible were arrested. If a group wanted to demonstrate their opposition to children being stabbed to death then why wouldn't the Establishment support that. But that's not what the far-right want to do is it.

    There isn't much point going over this debate as it is one where people just have their own version of the truth. I would just note that, in 2020, firstly we were in the middle of covid restrictions but the rules were waived/bent, including by labour politicians. Secondly it involved a lot of criminal damage and there were also assaults of police, but light on prosecutions afterwards - no 24 hour courts despatching instant justice. Third, you have the symbolism of the police kneeling before the protestors. I am not even really commenting on the rights v wrongs of all this, just pointing out that it will all be dug up and used by internet memes by the 'far right' now.

    Even if you perceive 2020 as 'mostly peaceful protests' it is not how other people perceive the events.

    Regarding the 'far right', I am not a supporter of the 'far right' even though people always seem to interpret my comments that way. I am not even in the 40% of people that would vote for conservative/reform, I voted for labour.

    There have been dozens of pre-organised attempts to inflict violence on communities across England over the course of the last few days. Some have succeeded. I suspect most people will be fully supportive of the perpetrators being dealt with as quickly and as harshly as the law permits. I doubt many beyond their apologists will be that bothered by what happened under a completely different set of circumstances in 2020.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    edited August 4
    moonshine said:

    darkage said:

    Good morning, everyone.

    Mr. darkage, vandals and thugs should not be able to run amok but you're entirely right that the kneeling before BLM sets a damned foolish precedent, as many pointed out at the time.

    I don't think anyone would disagree that the vandals and thugs should be arrested etc, and imprisoned. The problem starts when their treatment in the criminal justice system gets politicised. In 2011 there was a strategy of harsh, instant justice against the rioting which was political but it was a strategy that worked. But I think it is a mistake to repeat this strategy now because of the wider political context (ie concern about immigration, and also the different approach taken in 2020), and I think also this is reflected in the comments of the Hampshire PCC. But anyway, it is what the labour government is going to try and do, and I think it will just make the problem worse.

    Guess who was behind the strategy in 2011.

    A lot of neanderthal far-right rioters and looters probably bought the lefty lawyer stuff that has been thrown at Starmer. They are about to find out they have been sold a pup.

    One of the first announcements his govt made after winning was to say they intended to release a third of the prison population. Bit odd to paint him as Judge Dredd.

    Good luck with that! The Tories bequeathed a prison system that would have been unable to absorb the far-right rioters and looters. The new government has taken action that will ensure they can serve the time they so richly deserve.

  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,997
    Nigelb said:

    Sandpit said:

    NBC News polling says Trump was right:

    49% of registered voters have a negative view of Vice President Kamala Harris, compared to 32% with a positive view, per a new NBC News poll.

    Why it matters: NBC News says Harris' net-negative rating of -17 is the lowest for a vice president in the history of its poll.

    Zoom out: In Oct. 2019, 34% had a positive view of then-Vice President Mike Pence, while 38% had a negative view, for a rating of -4, per NBC News.


    https://www.axios.com/2023/06/26/kamala-harris-poll-2024-election-biden

    No it doesn't.
    It says that the GOP is a MAGA cult.
    And there was me thinking that this site likes polling evidence to back up people’s opinions.

    Trump was right, until about three weeks ago Harris was the most unpopular VP in history.
  • WhisperingOracleWhisperingOracle Posts: 9,259

    DM_Andy said:



    darkage said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Donna Jones's statement about the riots. She's the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, elected with 68% of the vote after transfers.

    https://x.com/prwhittle/status/1819858575587700885

    It is an insightful statement, if a bit clumsy. The problem with the 'tough/zero tolerance' option, ie repeating the 2011 approach, is that it did not apply to the BLM riots in 2020, which were basically supported by the 'establishment' at the time, with the police kneeling down before the participants, Sir Keir Starmer kneeling down in pictures, labour politicians actually breaking the law to join the protests, and promoting that they were doing so on social media. So, what you actually have, is one approach towards rioting where the group is supported by the establishment, and another where the group is disliked by the establishment. It is very easy for the 'far right' to communicate this via memes. They can use this to expand their appeal, as they are doing already. Farage is also good at communicating this with his Trump style addresses and he has the skill and experience to keep appropriate separation from those involved in the rioting.

    No one wants this, but I am afraid it is nearly inevitable. Douglas Murray and countless others (who have been unfairly dismissed themselves as 'far right') have been warning about it for the past decade. Because there is widespread support for resolution of the underlying issues, ie immigration and integration, the instinctive approach on the part of the government 'to 'crack down', round people up, send them to prison, outlaw it, make it hate speech' will not work and instead just inflame the problem, which will be very skilfully exploited by the opposition to the government, which includes people like Farage and Anderson who are there to rock the boat.

    There's a bit of rewriting history here by you calling them "BLM riots", the vast majority of demonstrations in 2020 were completely peaceful. When they weren't, the police didn't take the knee but the thugs responsible were arrested. If a group wanted to demonstrate their opposition to children being stabbed to death then why wouldn't the Establishment support that. But that's not what the far-right want to do is it.

    There was a vigil in Southport for the poor girls who were brutally murdered. It passed off entirely peacefully because those who attended were there to express their grief and their horror and to show their love and support for the families affected. Then the far-right moved in.
    Quite.
    This is largely just an outburst of hatred against minorities in general, rather than an organised "protest" on immigration.
    The attacker in the Southport atrocity wasn't an immigrant.
This discussion has been closed.