I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
I suspect Rayner arrived at the figure by estimating how much she would have spent on a week's holiday if paying for herself rather than the value of the specific trip in question.
lol
“Ok I got a free ten grand holiday but if paying for myself I’d have done a coach trip to Whitby, had some chips on the seafront, then got a bus home, costing £73, so I declare this a £73 holiday”
Add in a bit of fudge around airline flights and five days not a whole week, and now sharing with another MP, and suddenly the scandal is blurred.
That’s the long term rate.
Good luck booking a holiday rental for that.
Occasionally (actually, who am I kidding: often) when reading PB I find myself getting caught up in the froth of news that won't stick beyond a few news cycles.
I suspect this is that. Don't get me wrong, the hypocrisy of a government 'dedicating itself to service' yet unable to see that freebies of any sort are almost always unnecessary and compromising leaves a bad taste in the mouth. But the prospect of the top three ministers resigning en masse, or an October election, is utterly farcical.
There are lots of seriously damaging stories that could hit the government this winter. What if one of Starmer's released prisoners is implicated in a serious crime or if particularly cold weather causes a spike in deaths among the elderly?
I suspect with the prisoners it is “when” not “if”.
The Conservatives have been very critical of Labour's early release scheme. They will inevitably be able to make hay with the Government's failed prisons policy.
Reminds me a bit of the time the Home Secretary refused an impassioned appeal for the release of a prisoner, condemned to death, by a leading frontbencher, Sir Frank Soskice, saying there were no grounds for a reprieve.
Except...after Sokice's question, there had been an election and a change of government. So the Home Secretary who refused this impassioned appeal was *checks notes* Sir Frank Soskice.
(And, ironically, it later turned out he'd been right first time and Timothy Evans was innocent.)
THERE ARE NO MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE DO YOU HEAR?
Except for the exceptions to this rule
Also, when Evans's family were offered a posthumous reprieve, they indignantly responded that never mind Rillington Place, he was such an utter and unbelievable shit and 2nd to 5th letters of Scunthorpe, they were having no truck with it.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
Laura Kuenssberg you say. Mandy Rice-Davies applies.
Nah, it's almost certainly true. That's what the Sundays do, and unlike MPs expenses, this info is available. Journalists will be combing through all cabinet minister's returns.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
On topic. Forgive me for not understanding the appeal of Robert Jenrick.
Lay the favourite?
His appeal is that he is a (Cambridge educated) lawyer.
The 2024 is the year of the lawyer.
Starmer, Jenrick, then Kamala Harris.
He is Cambridge educated (John's, history) but not a Cambridge lawyer.
Jenrick (St John's, Cambridge) v Starmer (St Edmund Hall, Oxford by way of Leeds) would be the first Oxford v Cambridge general election Varsity Match since Howard v Blair in 2005. Oxford won that one, though Cambridge won the last one before that when Baldwin (Trinity, Cambridge) beat Attlee (University College, Oxford) in 1935
Baldwin was the best Tory ever.
Got rid of the King.
To replace him with his brother as King who successfully with Churchill led us through WW2
Churchill the closet Shinner?
There is nothing so British as firing inconvenient Kings. Kings rule by divine right - if they fall off the throne, that’s God saying “You’re chips are done”.
Indeed. England can boast Edward II, Richard II, Henry VI, Richard III and James II.
Scotland can mention John, Mary, James I and James VII.
And both can boast of Edward VIII.
I’d add Charles I to the list, I think…
D'oh! I hadn't even thought of him.
Honestly, I'll lose my head next.
Add Harold d.1066, and Edward V.
Maud/Matilda?
She never took power. She was about to when the Londoners booted her out.
If we count her if we have to count Jane as well.
I’d forgotten her.
The most important question I think is who had the best play written about their downfall? I haven’t seen Edward II, but I hear it’s pretty good.
Someone should make a miniseries about the Godwinsons. That was one wild family - dad made Joe Kennedy look poor, quiet and unambiguous. And then you have Sven the Swine….
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
Laura Kuenssberg you say. Mandy Rice-Davies applies.
Nah, it's almost certainly true. That's what the Sundays do, and unlike MPs expenses, this info is available. Journalists will be combing through all cabinet minister's returns.
There's bound to be more revelations. The question is whether there are more interesting revelations. We're at least as likely to get clarifications like the Highbury one.
So far, it has boiled down to things that allow people who didn't like Starmer before (a majority, lest we forget) to say "I told you so" and indications that he's not naturally good at politics. Both of which were known knowns beforehand.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
I refer the Hon Gentleman to my earlier answer. If we start counting from summer 2019, his own brother had resigned from the government by this point and we were entering that deliberately mad bit where Boris and Dom tried to engineer an early election. If we restart the clock at the election, we've passed the bit where the Saj and the Smith had been thrown under the bus.
This is bad, but it's nothing like the starts the last three PMs had.
Ten weeks after the 2019 election, those who already hated Boris still hated Boris. Those who thought Boris was a dude still thought Boris was a dude. He had not done his reputation the harm that Starmer has managed to inflict in ten weeks after his massive election majority.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
Laura Kuenssberg you say. Mandy Rice-Davies applies.
Nah, it's almost certainly true. That's what the Sundays do, and unlike MPs expenses, this info is available. Journalists will be combing through all cabinet minister's returns.
I really scratching my head over this. There is absolutely no doubt we need more hospital capacity yesterday and if you are going to borrow, to build infrastructure is something that I don't think is hard financially or politically to get through. And it is something you absolutely expect Labour to do.
If your mission is growth, growth, growth, building infrastructure is a key component.
Looks increasingly to me that Reeves is trapped in Treasury Land and if Starmer wants to win in 2028 he is going to have to jettison her.
There was a guy in the gym going on about how the feminisation of western culture, which has accelerated over the past 10 years, could well have been encouraged/engineered by Russia.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
I refer the Hon Gentleman to my earlier answer. If we start counting from summer 2019, his own brother had resigned from the government by this point and we were entering that deliberately mad bit where Boris and Dom tried to engineer an early election. If we restart the clock at the election, we've passed the bit where the Saj and the Smith had been thrown under the bus.
This is bad, but it's nothing like the starts the last three PMs had.
Ten weeks after the 2019 election, those who already hated Boris still hated Boris. Those who thought Boris was a dude still thought Boris was a dude. He had not done his reputation the harm that Starmer has managed to inflict in ten weeks after his massive election majority.
I don't think Starmer has had a great start as PM, but it's worth remembering that he was already historically unpopular for an opposition leader winning election, so he started from a low base.
He really couldn't afford much in the way of missteps, because he didn't have the credit with the electorate to absorb the damage.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
It's all very well the media exposing gifter Keith now but wouldn't it have been more helpful if they'd done it 6 months ago? 🤷♂️
I would just say I am pleased Sunak called the election and how it unfolded with unexpected results including labour getting just under 34%, Reform with 14% and 5 mps, Lib Dems with just 12% and 72 mps, and the SNP virtually extinguished
Labour are now facing the reality of governing, and Starmer has made his theme about integrity and I am not only amazed, but astonished, that he and labour should be in this mess which is all of their own making and in such a short time
I would suggest it makes the next GE impossible to call
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
It's all very well the media exposing grifter Keith now but wouldn't it have been more helpful if they'd done it 6 months ago? 🤷♂️
Absolutely not. The Sunak Government was bad. It was a passenger in the face of national decline. It needed to go. And Starmer's mob needed to come in, and this needed to happen. It is all very much as it should be.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
Laura Kuenssberg you say. Mandy Rice-Davies applies.
Well we will see when tomorrow's papers are published
It may well be a career defining moment, just like Currygate and Rayner's council house. For what it's worth I didn't see Starmer's curry was the scandal that you believed it to be. I despise Rayner for her "right to buy" hypocrisy. "Right to buy " was a despicable confidence trick and she bought into it. James Daly calling the police in on it however was bollocks.
I suspect some Conservative no mark will pull a similar stunt, forgetting that when he returns as Prime Minister, Johnson will likely need Mrs Bamford's Waitrose account to feed the sprogs.
1 big Russian ammunition depot on Thursday night, 2 big Russian ammunition depots on Friday night, I'm crossing my fingers for more huge explosions at Russian ammunition depots tonight. If you're a Russian soldier guarding one of these it would be a good time to need to rush home because of a family emergency.
Imagine how different the war might have been if Ukraine had been provided the long-range weapons to hit these depots in 2022?
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
I really scratching my head over this. There is absolutely no doubt we need more hospital capacity yesterday and if you are going to borrow, to build infrastructure is something that I don't think is hard financially or politically to get through. And it is something you absolutely expect Labour to do.
If your mission is growth, growth, growth, building infrastructure is a key component.
Looks increasingly to me that Reeves is trapped in Treasury Land and if Starmer wants to win in 2028 he is going to have to jettison her.
The trap that is easy to fall into is “investing” only in staff. That gets you a quick “we increased staff by x” for the next election.
Given the Process State, a new hospital project is probably 10 years before a hole is dug. How many to complete and commission?
Given that why would a sane politician build a hospital? Hiring x nurses instead might get you some votes.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
There was a guy in the gym going on about how the feminisation of western culture, which has accelerated over the past 10 years, could well have been encouraged/engineered by Russia.
"Guy in the gym" is a welcome change from Albanian taxi drivers, I must say.
There was a guy in the gym going on about how the feminisation of western culture, which has accelerated over the past 10 years, could well have been encouraged/engineered by Russia.
"Guy in the gym" is a welcome change from Albanian taxi drivers, I must say.
My (admittedly limited) experience of gymgoing is that there's not an enormous amount of chat, except amongst people who are friends outside of the gym already. Maybe I'm just unsociable though.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
The freebie row engulfing Sir Keir Starmer deepened tonight as it was revealed that he shared lavish football hospitality with a powerful lobbyist who backed the hated breakaway Super League.
The Prime Minister and his embattled chief of staff Sue Gray enjoyed a corporate box at Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, just hours after fresh ‘Wardrobegate’ allegations emerged about clothes Sir Keir and his wife had taken from Labour donor Lord Alli.
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The thing is, that with the current opinion poll levels, that’s an awful lot of MPs who’ll be worrying about their jobs in a few years time.
The governments stock of political capital is not large.
When the plans to build, build, build come before Parliament, how many will yield to the NIMBY pressure, with the Greens and Lib Dem’s ready to take up the cause?
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
It's all very well the media exposing gifter Keith now but wouldn't it have been more helpful if they'd done it 6 months ago? 🤷♂️
I would just say I am pleased Sunak called the election and how it unfolded with unexpected results including labour getting just under 34%, Reform with 14% and 5 mps, Lib Dems with just 12% and 72 mps, and the SNP virtually extinguished
Labour are now facing the reality of governing, and Starmer has made his theme about integrity and I am not only amazed, but astonished, that he and labour should be in this mess which is all of their own making and in such a short time
I would suggest it makes the next GE impossible to call
I don't think it's that hard. The disenchantment with Labour can only grow, they're only just out the stalls and they're already losing ground. They are bound to lose dozens of seats to the Conservatives and a handful to other parties. A bit of 2 way trade between Con and Lib is likely, with some tactical switching in new marginals, and some stay at homes voting again. Given where we start from there's only two realistic possibilities: A. Labour hold on with a much reduced majority like in 1950. B. They lose the majority and have to deal with the Lib Dems in some way to continue in office.
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
Boris also had a huge majority, though not quite so big. I would argue that he got his for similar reasons: voters did not want the alternative rather than being enthusiastic about him.
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The extreme Tory members of PB (Casino, Alanbrooke, etc.) are still at the anger stage. We’ve had denial. We’ve still to reach the bargaining, depression and acceptance stages.
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The thing is, that with the current opinion poll levels, that’s an awful lot of MPs who’ll be worrying about their jobs in a few years time.
The governments stock of political capital is not large.
When the plans to build, build, build come before Parliament, how many will yield to the NIMBY pressure, with the Greens and Lib Dem’s ready to take up the cause?
I would hope ten or twenty conservative yimbys would help out, but perhaps against hope.
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
I quite like Rayner - at least she’s got some spark of life - but this could be fatal. The hypocrisy is off the dial
I mean I did New Year in New York in 2008 and it was north of £1,000 night then.
As an occasional travel writer, my guess is a trip like that would cost at least £6k and maybe much more
Why does she not admit that? Is there some rule about accepting sums over a certain level? Or is it just coz it looks so bad - “yeah I had a free ten grand holibobs, soz”
It's Labour's bloody class warfare that has come back to haunt them.
You cannot portray yourself as a man/woman of the people when you're cadging £6k holidays so best keep schtum about the latter.
I’m amazed at how rapidly this government has come apart.
It's very funny.
I hope the hubris is pure and they're flushed down the toilet of history as soon as possible.
Or four and a half years of them getting worse and worse and worse and worse...
You may have a point after five years, however you misremember the calamitous nature of the 2019 to 2024 Government. They were truly awful. If Team Starmer are even half as bad they will have worked hard to realise such an appalling achievement. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is unlikely.
Labour's start to Government has been more, er, impactful than anyone could have guessed.
Boris took quite a while to collape. Starmer has gone on the B of the Bang.
Good evening
Listening to Laura Kuenssberg on BBC news just now she is expecting the Sunday papers to reveal more scandal on Labour's freebies
Belittling the messenger does not change the story
Quite
And it's a feeble point because the prediction about the Sundays will be confirmed or not in about 2.5 hours
Modern newspapers want cheap, easy to verify stories.
Digging through the expenses of every MP - especially ministers or shadow ministers, is an obvious move. Certain, really. And given the timing, the Sundays are the obvious outlet.
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The thing is, that with the current opinion poll levels, that’s an awful lot of MPs who’ll be worrying about their jobs in a few years time.
The governments stock of political capital is not large.
When the plans to build, build, build come before Parliament, how many will yield to the NIMBY pressure, with the Greens and Lib Dem’s ready to take up the cause?
I would hope ten or twenty conservative yimbys would help out, but perhaps against hope.
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The extreme Tory members of PB (Casino, Alanbrooke, etc.) are still at the anger stage. We’ve had denial. We’ve still to reach the bargaining, depression and acceptance stages.
Thing is, some Conservatives have been angry for years, so it's hard to tell.
Making it seem like you don't, at some level, like the country as it is makes it difficult to win elections, though.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
However it was clearly an early signal that they were willing to push the rules to the limit
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
Possibly an even larger differential between the sexes than we have seen already? Trump must know that right now women (and those liars he appointed to the SC) are going to cost him the election.
Not sure how far he is going to get with women by reminding them again that he took away their federal abortion protections and handed it back to states who are often banning it altogether.
On that note, this is the piece of legislation the Republicans were trying to pass, tied to the funding bill - which is why the US is again on the brink of a government shutdown.
It’s a remarkable piece of blatant, and not quite so blatant ratfuckery.
https://newrepublic.com/article/186160/republican-war-women-extends-voting-rights … The SAVE Act is a proposed federal law, so, first off, it would put a future president (say, Trump) in charge of enforcing it, taking that power away from the states. Millions of voter registrations in any states the president decides are problematic could be removed until those voters “cure” their registrations, and state authorities would have no say in it.
And what will the law require citizens who want to vote do? Lacking a passport or other proof of citizenship with their married names, they must produce both a birth certificate (with the seal of the state where it was issued; no copies allowed) and a current form of identification—both with the exact same name on them. That could instantly disqualify about 90 percent of all married women without passports or other proof that matches their birth certificates or proof of a legal name change.
For women in that situation, they can still register to vote if they can prove that they went to court to change their name when they got married, but most women just start using their new married name without ever going through all those formalities (although a few states recognize marriage as a legal name change).
As a result, as the National Organization for Women details in a report on how Republican voter suppression efforts harm women:
Voter ID laws have a disproportionately negative effect on women. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, one third of all women have citizenship documents that do not identically match their current names primarily because of name changes at marriage. Roughly 90 percent of women who marry adopt their husband’s last name.
That means that roughly 90 percent of married female voters have a different name on their ID than the one on their birth certificate. An estimated 34 percent of women could be turned away from the polls unless they have precisely the right documents.
Just by coincidence, Republicans will suggest, at this moment in history millions of American women are seriously pissed off at the GOP...
The not quite so obvious bit is that it awards the President power over the running of elections - at a time when the Supreme Court has ruled the President has no liability for crimes committed in the course of official acts.
That's likely to affect older and married women, who I suspect will be more pro GOP than average.
Incidentally all those who want more Presidential legal liability perhaps should have been demanding Sleepy Joe be put on trial for this:
The US has admitted that a drone strike in Kabul days before its military pullout killed 10 innocent people.
A US Central Command investigation found that an aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, died in the 29 August strike.
The youngest child, Sumaya, was just two years old.
No shortage of 'collateral damage' by drone under St Barack of Obama either.
Perhaps, but you seem to have weirdly forgotten there was another president between 'sleepy Joe' and 'St Barack' - an asshat called Trump. According to this report from March 2019
There have been 2,243 drone strikes in the first two years of the Trump presidency, compared with 1,878 in Mr Obama's eight years in office
President Donald Trump has revoked a policy set by his predecessor requiring US intelligence officials to publish the number of civilians killed in drone strikes outside of war zones
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
The extreme Tory members of PB (Casino, Alanbrooke, etc.) are still at the anger stage. We’ve had denial. We’ve still to reach the bargaining, depression and acceptance stages.
This shit is SOOOO thick. You have picked up this bargaining denial etc stuff off other posters and you thought it sounded cool and funny
Reality: Kubler Ross, who you almost certainly haven't heard of, was talking about *reaction to unexpected terminal diagnoses*. How people process thinking they are cool rocking daddies or mamas in their 30s or 40s, react to being told it's malignant and they have 3 months max. An immediate reaction to a sudden revelation. Whereas the Tories have had a terminal diagnosis as of 3 years or so ago, so none of this shit applies
Moral: don't parrot stuff because you heard the big kids say it and it sounded clever and grown up. Thinking for yourself is hard work but rewarding.
He almost injured himself trying not to say "white"...
Is that fair though? The interviewer hostilely suggests there’s no such thing as English identity, or that the very idea of it is somehow racist.
I think Jenrick acquits himself pretty well.
I have watched the clip linked to above again, carefully. The interviewer at no point says anything remotely like @Gardenwalker ’s claim. He does not say there is no such thing as English identity. He does not say the word “racist” or anything like it.
Gardenwalker, could you explain yourself? Why are you making things up?
Nope Gardenwalker is right on this one. Watch the full 8 minute interview and you will see that, although he may not say it directly, the interviewer clearly indicates that he believes it doesn't exist. I bow to no one in my dislike for Jenrick but this interviewer is being a typical gotcha fuckwit.
That doesn't mean I actually agree with Jenrick and hs claims about migration. In this instance they are both being fuckwits.
I have watched the clip linked to. If there's a longer version I can watch, can you point me to it?
He almost injured himself trying not to say "white"...
Is that fair though? The interviewer hostilely suggests there’s no such thing as English identity, or that the very idea of it is somehow racist.
I think Jenrick acquits himself pretty well.
I have watched the clip linked to above again, carefully. The interviewer at no point says anything remotely like @Gardenwalker ’s claim. He does not say there is no such thing as English identity. He does not say the word “racist” or anything like it.
Gardenwalker, could you explain yourself? Why are you making things up?
Nope Gardenwalker is right on this one. Watch the full 8 minute interview and you will see that, although he may not say it directly, the interviewer clearly indicates that he believes it doesn't exist. I bow to no one in my dislike for Jenrick but this interviewer is being a typical gotcha fuckwit.
That doesn't mean I actually agree with Jenrick and hs claims about migration. In this instance they are both being fuckwits.
I have watched the clip linked to. If there's a longer version I can watch, can you point me to it?
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Skippy the Bush Kangeroo was pretty cool when I was a kid .
I suspect Rayner arrived at the figure by estimating how much she would have spent on a week's holiday if paying for herself rather than the value of the specific trip in question.
lol
“Ok I got a free ten grand holiday but if paying for myself I’d have done a coach trip to Whitby, had some chips on the seafront, then got a bus home, costing £73, so I declare this a £73 holiday”
Cost? 5 nights over NYE: Including cleaning and service: £9,323
It costs more per NIGHT than Rayner claimed for the whole trip
Next time I need to rent an AirBnB I am going to try that one, but but but the mortgage on a similar property is only £2k a month, I am not willing to pay £300 a night, it should only be £80 a night.....I have a sneaking suspicion I will be told to go do one.
You have carved quite a niche as the sites Ena Sharples And with Leon's Hilda Ogden you give me nostalgic goosebumps.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
"They don't call it XXXX out of ignorance, Lewis. They mean what they say. And Light Beer is the work of the Prince of Darkness."
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
"The grabbing hands grab all they can All for themselves, after all"
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
"The grabbing hands grab all they can All for themselves, after all"
Hey, I'm the only Depeche Mode fan in the PB Village!
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
There was a guy in the gym going on about how the feminisation of western culture, which has accelerated over the past 10 years, could well have been encouraged/engineered by Russia.
I called this the other day (and alluded to it in the header.)
No 10 was flat-footed in explaining the details in a way that would have muted the criticism. Reports that Starmer has been given an entire corporate box by Arsenal, worth about £8,000 a game, for security reasons were inaccurate.
The prime minister owns season tickets for him and his son, which he continues to pay for. He has been able to take two seats in a box, moving around each game so he is never in the same place twice, a requirement of his security team. Starmer has already twice paid the difference between the value of his seats and those he has been given. The sums are “a few hundred pounds”.
More understandably, his team has not been able to brief about the security threat, which sources say is much higher than it was when Cameron or Sunak sat in the stands. This is because Islamist extremists are targeting Starmer and senior cabinet ministers over the government’s approach to the war in Gaza.
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
Looking ahead, an interesting question is at hand. At what point by some gnomic process does the voting population, alongside all sorts of media, say 'Game's up for Tories and Labour'. Normally this is impossible, but the LDs have the seats and Reform have the votes, and could the time come, if Labour get worse and worse, when LD v Reform is the hot ticket?
Lab/Con get about 54% of the polling between them. That's remarkable.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Kylie Minogue.
Barry Humphries.
Actually yes, the famous Aussie foursome. Barry Humphries, Clive James, Germaine Greer and Robert Hughes. All made the world a better place in one way or another.
I called this the other day (and alluded to it in the header.)
No 10 was flat-footed in explaining the details in a way that would have muted the criticism. Reports that Starmer has been given an entire corporate box by Arsenal, worth about £8,000 a game, for security reasons were inaccurate.
The prime minister owns season tickets for him and his son, which he continues to pay for. He has been able to take two seats in a box, moving around each game so he is never in the same place twice, a requirement of his security team. Starmer has already twice paid the difference between the value of his seats and those he has been given. The sums are “a few hundred pounds”.
More understandably, his team has not been able to brief about the security threat, which sources say is much higher than it was when Cameron or Sunak sat in the stands. This is because Islamist extremists are targeting Starmer and senior cabinet ministers over the government’s approach to the war in Gaza.
A comprehensive explanation. I'm sure the Telegraph will be composing their apology as we speak....
He could have saved himself the trouble, rather than his car crash interview he gave, where he gave a lawyerly response combined with well everybody would say fair dos.
Also, I don't buy he is in more danger than Sunak...as Sunak government had the same approach to Gaza, well even more pro-Israel, and tensions were running even higher.
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I think for the full Aussie Tim Tam experience you have to drink your tea through them.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I think for the full Aussie Tim Tam experience you have to drink your tea through them.
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
Looking ahead, an interesting question is at hand. At what point by some gnomic process does the voting population, alongside all sorts of media, say 'Game's up for Tories and Labour'. Normally this is impossible, but the LDs have the seats and Reform have the votes, and could the time come, if Labour get worse and worse, when LD v Reform is the hot ticket?
Lab/Con get about 54% of the polling between them. That's remarkable.
No, LD v Reform would just be the Brexit divide writ large. Post the coalition most leftwingers would not vote for the former austerity backing LDs and most 2024 Tories would not vote for Farage either
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Kylie Minogue.
Barry Humphries.
Actually yes, the famous Aussie foursome. Barry Humphries, Clive James, Germaine Greer and Robert Hughes. All made the world a better place in one way or another.
And on the other side of the scales are Rolf Harris and Rupert Murdoch.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Kylie Minogue.
Barry Humphries.
Actually yes, the famous Aussie foursome. Barry Humphries, Clive James, Germaine Greer and Robert Hughes. All made the world a better place in one way or another.
We used to have an Aussie contributor on here: Redmond, if memory serves. Presumably he got bored being 12 hours out of synch. I recall from experience how tedious it is to wait all day for someone to post something, anything, then all hell breaks loose after you fall asleep.
Bought some Tim Tams from Waitrose today, for amusement on account of their minor role in Brexit. Sadly, I must inform you that they are slightly better than Penguin bars. More expensive, though.
Two more flavours to try later: dark chocolate, and chewy caramel.
I bought the dark chocolate variety in Tescos a few days ago. Having had them first in Australia many years ago, I have to admit they did disappoint slightly.
Apart from Don Bradman and Shane Warne, is there anything from Australia that hasn’t disappointed?
Kylie Minogue.
Barry Humphries.
Actually yes, the famous Aussie foursome. Barry Humphries, Clive James, Germaine Greer and Robert Hughes. All made the world a better place in one way or another.
Germaine Greer is still going, albeit in an old folks home in Australia. Louis Theroux interviewed her, somewhat controversially, late last year.
He almost injured himself trying not to say "white"...
Is that fair though? The interviewer hostilely suggests there’s no such thing as English identity, or that the very idea of it is somehow racist.
I think Jenrick acquits himself pretty well.
I have watched the clip linked to above again, carefully. The interviewer at no point says anything remotely like @Gardenwalker ’s claim. He does not say there is no such thing as English identity. He does not say the word “racist” or anything like it.
Gardenwalker, could you explain yourself? Why are you making things up?
Nope Gardenwalker is right on this one. Watch the full 8 minute interview and you will see that, although he may not say it directly, the interviewer clearly indicates that he believes it doesn't exist. I bow to no one in my dislike for Jenrick but this interviewer is being a typical gotcha fuckwit.
That doesn't mean I actually agree with Jenrick and hs claims about migration. In this instance they are both being fuckwits.
I have watched the clip linked to. If there's a longer version I can watch, can you point me to it?
Having watched it I still can't see the interviewer indicating or implying that he does not believe English identity exists, more that Jenrick can't credibly claim it's under threat by migration.
I would agree that there is an undercurrent of 'are you just talking about this as a dog whistle to attract racist parts of the Tory electorate' but, given the way in which English identity has at times been coopted by racists, I think that's a valid question an interviewer might ask.
Jenrick didn't do badly though, I agree. England has a rich and fascinating identity that can't and shouldn't be reduced to a soundbite. I'm suspicious of his reasons for making this a political issue but the interview wasn't awful.
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Mandy also has a blind spot to how dodgy those giving the freebies are.
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Mandy also has a blind spot to how dodgy those giving the freebies are.
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Mandy also has a blind spot to how dodgy those giving the freebies are.
And how.
To be fair on Mandy, I don't think anyone has suggested he is sexually interested in young girls.
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Mandy also has a blind spot to how dodgy those giving the freebies are.
And how.
By the way, what is with that vase of flowers? It's up by the ceiling...
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
Concur. (For the 2¢ or less that's worth.)
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Mandy also has a blind spot to how dodgy those giving the freebies are.
And how.
To be fair on Mandy, I don't think anyone has suggested he is sexually interested in young girls.
On topic. Forgive me for not understanding the appeal of Robert Jenrick.
Lay the favourite?
His appeal is that he is a (Cambridge educated) lawyer.
The 2024 is the year of the lawyer.
Starmer, Jenrick, then Kamala Harris.
He is Cambridge educated (John's, history) but not a Cambridge lawyer.
Jenrick (St John's, Cambridge) v Starmer (St Edmund Hall, Oxford by way of Leeds) would be the first Oxford v Cambridge general election Varsity Match since Howard v Blair in 2005. Oxford won that one, though Cambridge won the last one before that when Baldwin (Trinity, Cambridge) beat Attlee (University College, Oxford) in 1935
Baldwin was the best Tory ever.
Got rid of the King.
To replace him with his brother as King who successfully with Churchill led us through WW2
Churchill the closet Shinner?
There is nothing so British as firing inconvenient Kings. Kings rule by divine right - if they fall off the throne, that’s God saying “You’re chips are done”.
Indeed. England can boast Edward II, Richard II, Henry VI, Richard III and James II.
Scotland can mention John, Mary, James I and James VII.
And both can boast of Edward VIII.
I’d add Charles I to the list, I think…
D'oh! I hadn't even thought of him.
Honestly, I'll lose my head next.
I was wondering what made him different: it’s not like all the others lived to a ripe old age after being deposed…
What made him different is he was so damn boring I forgot him.
The most interesting thing about Charles I was that he was 6’2” at the beginning of his reign and only 5’8” at the end of it
I am somebody who publicly stated on here that the Angela Rayner housing arrangements were a non story/thin gruel, I do conclude her visit to the Big Apple is a proper story.
However it was clearly an early signal that they were willing to push the rules to the limit
Not sure I'd go quite THAT far, but certainly top Labour luvvies SHOULD have seen the Rayner housing kerfuffle as a warning; less in the short term leading up to GE24 than for the longer term when they won and became the government.
Ignoring AR's canary in the coal mine has bitten her AND the PM in their self-exposed hind-quarters.
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
Does Mr Market decide when the government is dysfunctional?
Do you think the Telegraph has just one 'senior figure' who sees himself as 'deep throat' or do you think the whole story is a Telegraph invention? If this sounds far fetched look at the newspapers record since this new editor arrived.......
Keir Starmer now less popular than Rishi Sunak. Opinium poll for the Observer finds a 45-point drop in the prime minister’s approval rating since he won the election
Maybe now those Labour supporters who have been doing everything to defend Starmer and Reeves and infer it is a Tory led plot need to wake up and smell the coffee
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
"The grabbing hands grab all they can All for themselves, after all"
Hey, I'm the only Depeche Mode fan in the PB Village!
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
Does Mr Market decide when the government is dysfunctional?
Do you think the Telegraph has just one 'senior figure' who sees himself as 'deep throat' or do you think the whole story is a Telegraph invention? If this sounds far fetched look at the newspapers record since this new editor arrived.......
Strangely multiple people have also been independently briefing similar stories to the BBC and able to come up with accurate salary figure that few will have known....Its always about slagging off Sue Gray.
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
Does Mr Market decide when the government is dysfunctional?
Do you think the Telegraph has just one 'senior figure' who sees himself as 'deep throat' or do you think the whole story is a Telegraph invention? If this sounds far fetched look at the newspapers record since this new editor arrived.......
Keir Starmer is considering appointing former Tory justice secretary David Gauke to head a review into sentencing policy in a move that could signal a radical change in approach towards short prison sentences.
Insiders denied suggestions circulating in Whitehall that Gauke’s candidacy, which is understood to have the backing of current justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Starmer himself, was being blocked by Starmer’s chief of staff, Sue Gray.
Comments
Except for the exceptions to this rule
Also, when Evans's family were offered a posthumous reprieve, they indignantly responded that never mind Rillington Place, he was such an utter and unbelievable shit and 2nd to 5th letters of Scunthorpe, they were having no truck with it.
So far, it has boiled down to things that allow people who didn't like Starmer before (a majority, lest we forget) to say "I told you so" and indications that he's not naturally good at politics. Both of which were known knowns beforehand.
https://x.com/FisherAndrew79/status/1627237683700420608?lang=en
He really couldn't afford much in the way of missteps, because he didn't have the credit with the electorate to absorb the damage.
Republicans against Trump
@RpsAgainstTrump
·
4h
45 days before the election and the Republican nominee for President is busy with a new grift.
“I have something incredible to share today, as we are introducing the launch of our Official Trump Coins.”
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump
Labour are now facing the reality of governing, and Starmer has made his theme about integrity and I am not only amazed, but astonished, that he and labour should be in this mess which is all of their own making and in such a short time
I would suggest it makes the next GE impossible to call
I suspect some Conservative no mark will pull a similar stunt, forgetting that when he returns as Prime Minister, Johnson will likely need Mrs Bamford's Waitrose account to feed the sprogs.
Imagine how different the war might have been if Ukraine had been provided the long-range weapons to hit these depots in 2022?
He is, after all, the world's greatest tosser.
Given the Process State, a new hospital project is probably 10 years before a hole is dug. How many to complete and commission?
Given that why would a sane politician build a hospital? Hiring x nurses instead might get you some votes.
Minor edit.
Belittling the messenger does not change the story
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13876179/PETER-HITCHENS-Great-Prosecutor-Starmer-colourless-unfit-top.html
Kier Starmer may be crap, but he's also PM with a huge majority.
And it's a feeble point because the prediction about the Sundays will be confirmed or not in about 2.5 hours
The Prime Minister and his embattled chief of staff Sue Gray enjoyed a corporate box at Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, just hours after fresh ‘Wardrobegate’ allegations emerged about clothes Sir Keir and his wife had taken from Labour donor Lord Alli.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13877225/Sir-Shameless-PM-Sue-Gray-enjoy-Spurs-freebie-lobbyist-backed-breakaway-football-super-league-advises-tax-avoiding-tech-giants.html
The governments stock of political capital is not large.
When the plans to build, build, build come before Parliament, how many will yield to the NIMBY pressure, with the Greens and Lib Dem’s ready to take up the cause?
Given where we start from there's only two realistic possibilities:
A. Labour hold on with a much reduced majority like in 1950.
B. They lose the majority and have to deal with the Lib Dems in some way to continue in office.
Sir Keir Starmer has a month to prove that his Government is not “fundamentally” dysfunctional, a senior Whitehall figure has said. In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, the source said Sue Gray was “not of the party” and that only he could get a grip on the worsening situation.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/21/starmer-four-weeks-prove-government-not-dysfunctinal/
Digging through the expenses of every MP - especially ministers or shadow ministers, is an obvious move. Certain, really. And given the timing, the Sundays are the obvious outlet.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/21/honeymoon-over-keir-starmer-now-less-popular-than-rishi-sunak
Making it seem like you don't, at some level, like the country as it is makes it difficult to win elections, though.
Who would have thought that in this short period Starmer has dropped below Rishi Sunak
There have been 2,243 drone strikes in the first two years of the Trump presidency, compared with 1,878 in Mr Obama's eight years in office
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47480207
And
President Donald Trump has revoked a policy set by his predecessor requiring US intelligence officials to publish the number of civilians killed in drone strikes outside of war zones
Reality: Kubler Ross, who you almost certainly haven't heard of, was talking about *reaction to unexpected terminal diagnoses*. How people process thinking they are cool rocking daddies or mamas in their 30s or 40s, react to being told it's malignant and they have 3 months max. An immediate reaction to a sudden revelation. Whereas the Tories have had a terminal diagnosis as of 3 years or so ago, so none of this shit applies
Moral: don't parrot stuff because you heard the big kids say it and it sounded clever and grown up. Thinking for yourself is hard work but rewarding.
Denial: Klouseau is not completely shit
Anger: How very dare you say Klouseau is completely shit?
Bargaining: Can't we give it till Christmas before deciding Klouseau is completely shit?
Depression and acceptance are usually wordless.
https://x.com/garylineker/status/1384502970583117824
Oh and Wombats. You have to love Wombats.
Michael Savage
@michaelsavage
NEW: An absolutely grim poll tonight has Starmer's approval rating slumping by 45 points since July...
He's also now less popular than Sunak (by a point). The
@OpiniumResearch
poll drops as Labour conference begins.
https://x.com/NxlAnglo/status/1836483085636112690 You have carved quite a niche as the sites Ena Sharples And with Leon's Hilda Ogden you give me nostalgic goosebumps.
-- Morse, in the weird Australian episode
All for themselves, after all"
Last Sunday morning...
PM, the papers are full of stories of you taking freebies and how it looks rather dodgy given that we have given passes / jobs to those donors....
Sorry, too busy to sort it today, I am off to Spurs on a freebie with Sue to hang out with some football lobbyists.
Its not Sunak leaving DDay, but it just seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do politically.
Lab/Con get about 54% of the polling between them. That's remarkable.
Also, I don't buy he is in more danger than Sunak...as Sunak government had the same approach to Gaza, well even more pro-Israel, and tensions were running even higher.
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-the-Tim-Tam-Slam#:~:text=You can drink virtually anything,, water is frowned upon).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/20/macron-objects-barnier-appointing-anti-gay-marriage-senator/
Macron not amused.
Having watched it I still can't see the interviewer indicating or implying that he does not believe English identity exists, more that Jenrick can't credibly claim it's under threat by migration.
I would agree that there is an undercurrent of 'are you just talking about this as a dog whistle to attract racist parts of the Tory electorate' but, given the way in which English identity has at times been coopted by racists, I think that's a valid question an interviewer might ask.
Jenrick didn't do badly though, I agree. England has a rich and fascinating identity that can't and shouldn't be reduced to a soundbite. I'm suspicious of his reasons for making this a political issue but the interview wasn't awful.
Rather incredible to me, as taking freebies when taking freebies was a HUGE nail in Tory 2024 July coffin.
Aside from not getting in the way of CUPers lead (in one way, anyway) by the likes of Boris, Liz & Rishi, Keir Starmer has demonstrated for a LONG time that he's somewhat deficient in basic political instinct or even horse-sense.
My guess is that fact KS is a top lawyer makes the situation WORSE, in that he & his inner circle look upon such matters from a "what's legal?" perspective and NOT "what's politic?"
Lack of experienced political hacks? Noting that Peter Mandelson nortoriusly has a (convient?) blind eye with respect to freebies & etc., etc., etc..
Didn't stop him having a debate in October 2020.
Ignoring AR's canary in the coal mine has bitten her AND the PM in their self-exposed hind-quarters.
Insiders denied suggestions circulating in Whitehall that Gauke’s candidacy, which is understood to have the backing of current justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Starmer himself, was being blocked by Starmer’s chief of staff, Sue Gray.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/21/starmer-eyes-ex-tory-minister-david-gauke-for-sentencing-review-role
More briefing against Sue. Also, seems Timpson is locked in the cupboard.