Woman whose post ignited false Springfield cat claim says it was based on rumor
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4879994-springfield-rumor-haitian-immigrants-facebook-post/ The woman whose social media post helped ignite false claims of pets being eaten in Springfield, Ohio, said Friday the post was based on a rumor and that she feels remorse for the Haitian immigrants. Erika Lee, a Springfield resident, recently authored a post on Facebook, saying that her neighbor’s cat was lost and she was told it was because the pet was attacked by a Haitian immigrant. Kimberly Newton, Lee’s neighbor, acknowledged this week to NewsGuard, “I don’t actually know the person who lost the cat.” Newton added that the cat’s owner was “an acquaintance of a friend.” Now, Lee, has said she was sorry about the way the events unfolded, with the unfounded conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants amplified by both former President Trump and his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R). ..
PB righties reaction - Trump’s race baiting is genius.
Oh FFS. Most children have developed a theory of mind by the age of 3.
Just dipped into Trump Central, the blog formerly known as politicalbetting.com
Good grief, dipping out again.
Because Tinkerbell Harris will fly into the White House if everyone in the audience claps their hands and says they believe in fairies, but drop down dead if some wicked ogre says they reckon Trump is in with a shout?
Seriously? This is just demented nonsense.
The election remains wide open and we know US polling is not without its flaws. Why are those who mention anything positive about Trump so hyper-sensitive?
He could win, he might win - he might lose, he could lose.
Because morons, a class which I am sure does not include you, visit the site, see posts which tentatively suggest that Trump might win, and say moronic things. It's soooo tedious having to explain that saying that Trump might derive some benefit from the Springfield thing, does not imply liking trump or hating cats and Haitians. Without any exaggeration at all, it's like me saying Hitler's rise to power was helped by the Jewish blood libel, and having a chorus of invertebrates saying Hur Hur, nazi-loving antisemite.
I hate trump, I desperately want him to lose, I have made a stack of money backing Harris before senile Joe dropped out, (and have now cashed out). But I find it disturbing that I live on the same planet as people who are incapable of understanding that I expect a thing to happen does not imply I want that thing to happen.
Indeed but separating the politically engaged from the politically disengaged is where this falls down. Those of us who understand politics can argue the "Springfield thing" "might" help Trump or rather see a way in which it could but that's true of almost any sentence in the English language.
Those whose political engagement is more fleeting and those whose political analysis comes from the spinning of others see a comment where Trump has claimed Haitian immigrants are eating pets and if that doesn't resonate with their experience it sounds ridiculous.
Some are trying to defend Trump's comment by claiming it is rooted in fact - perhaps it is - but we all know "facts" and "perceptions" are two different things. Do people generally believe immigrants are eating pets? I suspect not - I suspect the same would be true here if Lee Anderson or Nigel Farage were to make a similar claim. It's probably easy to find some evidence it might be true but it doesn't "sound" right or possible.
It comes down to politics by scapegoating - let's blame the immigrants for everything that's wrong. They are an easy target - it's the dark side of populist politics. Let's blame "the blob", the "Deep State" etc, etc.
Sure. I would not get on a soapbox in the US or the UK, nor post on potentially viral UK media, to say that Trump might benefit from the Springfield claim. But I would like to think PB was niche enough that one could afford to discuss the actual facts.
Who's having the shitter time? @Leon in North America, or @RochdalePioneers trying to convince himself the LD conference is fun?
I think we established that it’s all down to a couple of AIs that contacted alien intelligence, went loopy, then incarnated as voodoo gods on the internet. And the undead avatar of a Finnish illegal tech seller.
Edit: just realised as I wrote that, it’s the best explanation for U.K. politics in recent years.
Now claiming that Justin Trudeau is Fidel Castro's son. Canadians are a bit underwhelmed.
Uhm, that long-lasting rumour is not entirely insubstantiated
Some timelines fit, it is alleged. Margaret Trudeau has made slightly odd remarks - she certainly met and liked Castro, and she had many affairs. Also, Justin Trudeau quite closely resembles the younger Fidel
However - as with the Hewitt/Chuck rumours - Justin T also resembles Pierre Trudeau, his presumed father
It's a delicious conspiracy theory for that reason. It's not QAnon land, there is some basis on which you can enjoyably speculate
I wonder if this is Trump's latest shtick - trot out plausible conspiracy stuff, to distract from his many failings elsewhere
Doesn't feel like an election winning strategy, but it is a diverting one
Who's having the shitter time? @Leon in North America, or @RochdalePioneers trying to convince himself the LD conference is fun?
At least I'm not paying for this, however yeah this is not the best gig I've done. I guess it was my time for a bad 'un, I've had a decent sequence of excellent trips til now
The Okanagan is not horrible, it is pleasant and sometimes rather pretty, at other times the urban dreck is dispiriting. It is Meh with a side of Nice
Who's having the shitter time? @Leon in North America, or @RochdalePioneers trying to convince himself the LD conference is fun?
Mate, you’re the one in the Self Harm party with a coming conference to listen to a list of unelectable wazzocks plying for the votes of a membership disconnected from reality and sanity.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
On the upside it is so boring I have redrafted one Knapper's Gazette article and completely written another. Productive
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Interesting to see the number of EU flags at the last night of the proms. They possibly outnumber the union jacks.
That's not interesting. It's been going on for years now.
They set up a Remoaner stall outside the Albert Hall every time now and hand them out for free to "celebrate our European musicians".
They find a willing audience because most who go are well-off, internationalist, liberal urbanites, and many aren't even British at all.
I'm a brexiteer but I'd wave an EU flag if handed one. What the hell, we've left
I wouldn't. I love continental Europe dearly but the Last Night of the Proms is the one time when you're allowed unashamedly to celebrate being British (or you were). I'd ask for 20 for friends and family then put them in a nearby bin.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
On the upside it is so boring I have redrafted one Knapper's Gazette article and completely written another. Productive
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Do your new Lib Dem friends know about your Great Sin of 2016? If so, what is their reaction? Are you the prodigal son?
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Do your new Lib Dem friends know about your Great Sin of 2016? If so, what is their reaction? Are you the prodigal son?
(I kid, enjoy the conference.)
I’m hardly the only one. Besides, this is the LibDems. Campaigning against ourselves is practically a legal requirement
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
For a decade now, independence has been the hammer to make every difficulty, every choice, every prescription a nail. At least twice a year, Sturgeon would announce a fresh constitutional initiative, rallying her clans for the final push towards national emancipation. And at least twice a year, that drive would lead precisely nowhere. The people, whatever their merits, were unmoved; the people let their government down.
All governments eventually suffer from a kind of mental fatigue, and Sturgeon’s was no exception. The SNP has been Scotland’s dominant election-winning force since 2007. At the next Holyrood election, it will be asking for a third decade in office. Though the Scottish people are as divided on their constitutional future as ever — this is now an assumed normal in Scottish affairs — there are signs that they are tiring of the Nationalists.
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
Isn't plugging the £22 billion hole in the national finances important to the bond markets? I thought that was the sort of thing that sunk Truss's government.
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
It’s petty and pointless. Ok, cut the payment from mega rich pensioners if you can. But if the cost is shagging poor pensioners just above the hard cut line? Whither humanity.
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
There are, by the way, about 80 Tim Hortons in the UK. None near here, but I went to the Gloucester one on the way to somewhere else. Cracking value breakfasts.
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
WFA was a total and utter unforced error by a rookie CoE.
The prisons fuck up is totally the responsibility of last administration.
Interesting to see the number of EU flags at the last night of the proms. They possibly outnumber the union jacks.
That's not interesting. It's been going on for years now.
They set up a Remoaner stall outside the Albert Hall every time now and hand them out for free to "celebrate our European musicians".
They find a willing audience because most who go are well-off, internationalist, liberal urbanites, and many aren't even British at all.
I'm a brexiteer but I'd wave an EU flag if handed one. What the hell, we've left
I wouldn't. I love continental Europe dearly but the Last Night of the Proms is the one time when you're allowed unashamedly to celebrate being British (or you were). I'd ask for 20 for friends and family then put them in a nearby bin.
Seems a bit harsh to put your friends and family in a bin because of a few flags.
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Possibly a bit gamey to talk about 'unelectable' when your party got 12.1% of the vote, despite the best efforts of the twat on a trampoline, behind both the unelectable Tories on 23.6% and the unelectable Farage on 14.3% of the vote.
Interesting to see the number of EU flags at the last night of the proms. They possibly outnumber the union jacks.
That's not interesting. It's been going on for years now.
They set up a Remoaner stall outside the Albert Hall every time now and hand them out for free to "celebrate our European musicians".
They find a willing audience because most who go are well-off, internationalist, liberal urbanites, and many aren't even British at all.
I'm a brexiteer but I'd wave an EU flag if handed one. What the hell, we've left
I wouldn't. I love continental Europe dearly but the Last Night of the Proms is the one time when you're allowed unashamedly to celebrate being British (or you were). I'd ask for 20 for friends and family then put them in a nearby bin.
Seems a bit harsh to put your friends and family in a bin because of a few flags.
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
Isn't plugging the £22 billion hole in the national finances important to the bond markets? I thought that was the sort of thing that sunk Truss's government.
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
WFA was a total and utter unforced error by a rookie CoE.
The prisons fuck up is totally the responsibility of last administration.
What alternative did they have?
The tories did call in planning permission decisions on prisons and overrule them:
Just dipped into Trump Central, the blog formerly known as politicalbetting.com
Good grief, dipping out again.
Because Tinkerbell Harris will fly into the White House if everyone in the audience claps their hands and says they believe in fairies, but drop down dead if some wicked ogre says they reckon Trump is in with a shout?
Seriously? This is just demented nonsense.
The election remains wide open and we know US polling is not without its flaws. Why are those who mention anything positive about Trump so hyper-sensitive?
He could win, he might win - he might lose, he could lose.
Because morons, a class which I am sure does not include you, visit the site, see posts which tentatively suggest that Trump might win, and say moronic things. It's soooo tedious having to explain that saying that Trump might derive some benefit from the Springfield thing, does not imply liking trump or hating cats and Haitians. Without any exaggeration at all, it's like me saying Hitler's rise to power was helped by the Jewish blood libel, and having a chorus of invertebrates saying Hur Hur, nazi-loving antisemite.
I hate trump, I desperately want him to lose, I have made a stack of money backing Harris before senile Joe dropped out, (and have now cashed out). But I find it disturbing that I live on the same planet as people who are incapable of understanding that I expect a thing to happen does not imply I want that thing to happen.
Indeed but separating the politically engaged from the politically disengaged is where this falls down. Those of us who understand politics can argue the "Springfield thing" "might" help Trump or rather see a way in which it could but that's true of almost any sentence in the English language.
Those whose political engagement is more fleeting and those whose political analysis comes from the spinning of others see a comment where Trump has claimed Haitian immigrants are eating pets and if that doesn't resonate with their experience it sounds ridiculous.
Some are trying to defend Trump's comment by claiming it is rooted in fact - perhaps it is - but we all know "facts" and "perceptions" are two different things. Do people generally believe immigrants are eating pets? I suspect not - I suspect the same would be true here if Lee Anderson or Nigel Farage were to make a similar claim. It's probably easy to find some evidence it might be true but it doesn't "sound" right or possible.
It comes down to politics by scapegoating - let's blame the immigrants for everything that's wrong. They are an easy target - it's the dark side of populist politics. Let's blame "the blob", the "Deep State" etc, etc.
The basic point is surely that such populist scapegoating can and does work, providing you do it with a modicum of skill ands sanity. Trump's problem, which is more acute than 2016, is that he sounds like the lunatic shouting at pigeons in the street when he does it. Repeating the most ludicrous thing he's seen online in a rambling rant.
It's like on Covid. There were and are legitimate questions about the US medical establishment's response. Trump by and large discredited that side of the argument by sounding like a fruitcake who wanted people to drink bleach.
Trump lost in 2020 not because of a rejection of populism, but because the median American was sick of the drama. If he loses this time it will likely be for the same reason.
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Possibly a bit gamey to talk about 'unelectable' when your party got 12.1% of the vote, despite the best efforts of the twat on a trampoline, behind both the unelectable Tories on 23.6% and the unelectable Farage on 14.3% of the vote.
Gamey? I’d change the game in a heartbeat it is what it is - and we won 72 times vs how many FUKers?
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
WFA was a total and utter unforced error by a rookie CoE.
The prisons fuck up is totally the responsibility of last administration.
What alternative did they have?
Personally, I theorise it was Starmer more than Reeves. I think she likes to play the iron Chancellor but it 'feels' like a Starmer thing - I can't see him allowing her to freelance like this, this early on.
Dunno why @Casino_Royale has such a boner for me and the LD conference. I’m at a party conference where we’ve just had our best result in a century and have loads of ideas for a better future.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
Possibly a bit gamey to talk about 'unelectable' when your party got 12.1% of the vote, despite the best efforts of the twat on a trampoline, behind both the unelectable Tories on 23.6% and the unelectable Farage on 14.3% of the vote.
Watching Match of the Day for the first time in years. Villa versus Everton - the uniform movement of defence makes it look just like a game of Subbuteo
The government should rule out any changes to the single persons council tax discount . Would they really go ahead with this after having just cut the WFA? And removing the discount would also effect single parents with children under 18 in the household . I personally think changing the discount would be immeasurably cruel and would cause huge anger.
To be slightly more serious, how is it that the LibDems got 72 seats and the media and the public don't give a shit? An underemarked recent phenomenon.
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
It’s petty and pointless. Ok, cut the payment from mega rich pensioners if you can. But if the cost is shagging poor pensioners just above the hard cut line? Whither humanity.
Yep. Brown must be furious.
There's ways to hit the rich pensioners without doing this.
They are going to be dealing with this all winter.
The government should rule out any changes to the single persons council tax discount . Would they really go ahead with this after having just cut the WFA? And removing the discount would also effect single parents with children under 18 in the household . I personally think changing the discount would be immeasurably cruel and would cause huge anger.
Widows tax on top of the widely attacked loss of WFA from all parties, age organisations, and now by Unite who are putting it to the Labour conference next week would be the Ratner of all Ratners
Luke Tryl @LukeTryl · 46m The preponderance of EU flags at Last Night of the Proms is a depressing reminder of the hyper politicisation of *everything* it’s not surprising much of the public (regardless of their views on Europe) are exhausted by it.
The government should rule out any changes to the single persons council tax discount . Would they really go ahead with this after having just cut the WFA? And removing the discount would also effect single parents with children under 18 in the household . I personally think changing the discount would be immeasurably cruel and would cause huge anger.
Not just pensioners effected by this either. Single parents and people (like me) who were carers for sick relatives who have died and who have subsequently been left in the house on their own, would be effected too.
The government should rule out any changes to the single persons council tax discount . Would they really go ahead with this after having just cut the WFA? And removing the discount would also effect single parents with children under 18 in the household . I personally think changing the discount would be immeasurably cruel and would cause huge anger.
Widows tax on top of the widely attacked loss of WFA from all parties, age organisations, and now by Unite who are putting it to the Labour conference next week would be the Ratner of all Ratners
Ha! I read that as 'windows tax'. Wouldn't put it past them
Acyn @Acyn Tim Walz: Here’s my life hack for all the guys out there: surround yourself with smart women and listen to them and you’ll do just fine. That includes my fellow cat owner Taylor Swift.
It’s really great to have all of these women help us beat the smallest man in the world.. Donald Trump
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
The saving of £1.5bn is less than 0.2% of government spending. I think giving bungs like that to well off pensioners is wrong but the justifications are bordering on the irrational.
The government should rule out any changes to the single persons council tax discount . Would they really go ahead with this after having just cut the WFA? And removing the discount would also effect single parents with children under 18 in the household . I personally think changing the discount would be immeasurably cruel and would cause huge anger.
I think part of the reason the government is in the awkward situation it is currently in is the number of things (and especially revenue raising things) it has already "ruled out". The more they fence themselves in to not changing things the less likely it is they'll be able to fix any of the systemic problems the country has.
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
This is absolutely embarrassing now. No one believes this. Just STFU
Are they panicking? What is this for?
The media are at the Lib Dem conference and all they are talking about is the WFA especially now Unite are raising it at Labour's conference next week.
The story is simply not going away and is likely to dominate Labour's own conference
BBC News: "Sir Keir Starmer has said that the cut to winter fuel allowance was necessary to stabilise the economy"
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
The saving of £1.5bn is less than 0.2% of government spending. I think giving bungs like that to well off pensioners is wrong but the justifications are bordering on the irrational.
I think it is rightly totemic of being a serious government at what is a difficult time for the country, not to be giving out money unnecessarily. Some of these sums will be modest in themselves, but they add up.
What's irrational is that WFA survived Osborne's period of austerity.
So BBC news starts with the alleged assault of a woman by a man who was released today and then goes into the WFA once again. Government is proving tougher than mocking an inept and dysfunctional administration before the election.
WFA was a total and utter unforced error by a rookie CoE.
The prisons fuck up is totally the responsibility of last administration.
What alternative did they have?
Well, hang on, if they can suddenly find places in hotels for asylum seekers, by the same token they could have found places somewhere for prisoners, even if the prisons themselves were full.
Starmer backs away from ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 allowing hybrid sales until 2035
Inevitable and another broken promise
Hybrid sales were never part of the intention to stop petrol and diesel sales by 2030. It was always about non-hybrids, with a later cut-off date for hybrids.
Comments
Edit: just realised as I wrote that, it’s the best explanation for U.K. politics in recent years.
Some timelines fit, it is alleged. Margaret Trudeau has made slightly odd remarks - she certainly met and liked Castro, and she had many affairs. Also, Justin Trudeau quite closely resembles the younger Fidel
However - as with the Hewitt/Chuck rumours - Justin T also resembles Pierre Trudeau, his presumed father
It's a delicious conspiracy theory for that reason. It's not QAnon land, there is some basis on which you can enjoyably speculate
I wonder if this is Trump's latest shtick - trot out plausible conspiracy stuff, to distract from his many failings elsewhere
Doesn't feel like an election winning strategy, but it is a diverting one
The Okanagan is not horrible, it is pleasant and sometimes rather pretty, at other times the urban dreck is dispiriting. It is Meh with a side of Nice
But it's a fucking long way to come for "nice"
The Last Night of the Proms? Not so much. Especially as we've arrived at Land of Hope and Glory.
Is it really Trump Tower?
Compare and contrast with the blue meanies.
https://news.sky.com/story/starmer-faces-investigation-over-possible-breach-of-parliamentary-rules-after-labour-donor-pays-for-wifes-clothes-13215216
Forces warned the justice system could collapse, with dangerous offenders being released from custody and an ‘unendurable risk to public safety’
Tim Shipman"
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/early-prisoner-release-labour-tories-0t5smrplf
I fear my post where I guessed insulted the poor chap.
My guess of "Claridges" makes no sense when I look at the shabby state of the grey carpet on the right
He could be in Camden now, strolling down some canal side or other, several gins and red wines to the good, glorying in the multicultural triumph of 21st century London and enjoying bonhomie of the scant dressed young folk on a balmy early autumn eve.
Instead he is driving 200 miles across a desert no one knew existed to a Tim Horton.
Jack Surfleet
@jacksurfleet
·
1h
The Mail on Sunday: Assisted dying bill set to be 'rushed into law'
#TomorrowsPapersToday
https://x.com/jacksurfleet
Seems my nearest might be Derby.
Edit: There's TWO in Leicester @Foxy
It's going to be a fascinating debate with a very new HoC and very different membership.
His party have just has their worst result in 2 centuries and gather together in hate in a few weeks to have the remaining 4 morons spout unelectable bollox to the assembled member trying to cosplay Farage for who can be the nastiest and most unelectable.
I’m not to blame for the catastrophic demise of the Tories. He is.
"Canada. Is it the most boring country on earth?"
(I kid, enjoy the conference.)
I was amused earlier to see Rachel Reeves has attracted the soubriquet Rachel Freeze.
Really?
Has he said this?
If so, it is utter bollocks.
No one in the bond markets gives a shit about WFA.
All governments eventually suffer from a kind of mental fatigue, and Sturgeon’s was no exception. The SNP has been Scotland’s dominant election-winning force since 2007. At the next Holyrood election, it will be asking for a third decade in office. Though the Scottish people are as divided on their constitutional future as ever — this is now an assumed normal in Scottish affairs — there are signs that they are tiring of the Nationalists.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/7b2b4022-6e4d-40b0-8a99-49fd5bd1b5e7
The "rushed" bit sounds like tabloid bollocks frankly.
The prisons fuck up is totally the responsibility of last administration.
What alternative did they have?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-68992011.amp
Apparently not enough or early enough though.
It's like on Covid. There were and are legitimate questions about the US medical establishment's response. Trump by and large discredited that side of the argument by sounding like a fruitcake who wanted people to drink bleach.
Trump lost in 2020 not because of a rejection of populism, but because the median American was sick of the drama. If he loses this time it will likely be for the same reason.
"You're Unelectable!"
Inevitable and another broken promise
https://x.com/VoteHubUS/status/1835000791209230621
There's ways to hit the rich pensioners without doing this.
They are going to be dealing with this all winter.
@LukeTryl
·
46m
The preponderance of EU flags at Last Night of the Proms is a depressing reminder of the hyper politicisation of *everything* it’s not surprising much of the public (regardless of their views on Europe) are exhausted by it.
Acyn
@Acyn
Tim Walz: Here’s my life hack for all the guys out there: surround yourself with smart women and listen to them and you’ll do just fine. That includes my fellow cat owner Taylor Swift.
It’s really great to have all of these women help us beat the smallest man in the world.. Donald Trump
https://x.com/Acyn/status/1835057043419676922
Are they panicking? What is this for?
The story is simply not going away and is likely to dominate Labour's own conference
What's irrational is that WFA survived Osborne's period of austerity.