Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
nah the sundays have shot their load now and it will all be forgotten about in a months time. Like Sunak's national service idea.
I was expecting either a mildly sturdy defence or a "whatever, early days, the Tories were worse" - basically MEH
But no. He expressed absolute contempt and anger at Starmer and Co. This has cut through, even with loyal London lefites. His main complaint was the "naivety and stupidity". I would add the "greed" but still. Impact
Corbyn lefty or not?
No, actually centre Left. Blairite/Starmerite. So that made it doubly surprising
Also, the anger was REAL. Not so much at the "crime" but at the political ineptitude and associated chaos
The agony of the centre left is that they allowed themselves to think Keir would be different, and had a plan.
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
nah the sundays have shot their load now and it will all be forgotten about in a months time. Like Sunak's national service idea.
Sunak’s national service idea basically sunk his whole campaign, so while the substance is forgotten, the effects were longer-lasting.
I was expecting either a mildly sturdy defence or a "whatever, early days, the Tories were worse" - basically MEH
But no. He expressed absolute contempt and anger at Starmer and Co. This has cut through, even with loyal London lefites. His main complaint was the "naivety and stupidity". I would add the "greed" but still. Impact
Starmer has to be the most charmless pm ever. Yes Major was boring but you felt there was humanity there. With Starmer there is a void of nothingness.
Yes, indeed
As my mate and I agreed, the problem is Starmer hasn't got the charm - Blair - or the humour - Boris - to switch things around. He is a charmless humourless fuckwit who seems like a massively over-promoted middle-manager and with zero ideas as to how to fix the country. There is no there, there
I dunno how Labour gets out of this. They are gonna lose badly in 2028-9 to a Reform Tory coalition, is my expectation
I wouldn't be sure, the LDs will likely hold the bluewall against a Jenrick or Badenoch led Tory Party even if the Tories and Farage's Reform regain the redwall and most Leave voting marginal seats that voted for Boris in 2019 but went Labour in July.
So at worst for Starmer Labour it ends up a hung parliament, probably with the LDs holding the balance of power
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
If its the biggest story you should find lots of places to read about it and you can write letters at the bottom of the page with like minded obsessives. This is supposed to be about the US elections and people like you are making it unreadable which is why only the usual five or six terminally dull are taking part
Typical lefty - hates the story so try to shut it down
So no @Roger you will not silence me or other posters in discussing the leadng political story of the day
I don't think anyone gives a shit whether she got a ticket to see Taylor Swift. Are you suggesting she bought influence? Has no one ever given you a ticket to a concert or a theatre or a film or a football match? Really?
.......Probably not or you'd bore them to death and you'd spoil their evening
Yes, but you are literally the stupidest person on this forum. As in, you have the lowest IQ. You are a fucking dumb fuck who went to Millfield. If you were a member of the genus Equus, you would be a beach donkey in Blackpool regularly sodomised by an unwashed kebab shop worker, and tolerating it, just because that is as good as it gets, as far as you can see
Leon and his mate go out on a Sunday night and have a good old gossip about Starmer and whether he got free tickets to a football match. What a life you lead!
I confess I went out with friends here in France and Starmer's name wasn't mentioned once. Infact we had a very nice evening eating by the waters edge. But I'm sure if we had mentioned him their thoughts would have echoed mine exactly!
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
If its the biggest story you should find lots of places to read about it and you can write letters at the bottom of the page with like minded obsessives. This is supposed to be about the US elections and people like you are making it unreadable which is why only the usual five or six terminally dull are taking part
Typical lefty - hates the story so try to shut it down
So no @Roger you will not silence me or other posters in discussing the leadng political story of the day
I don't think anyone gives a shit whether she got a ticket to see Taylor Swift. Are you suggesting she bought influence? Has no one ever given you a ticket to a concert or a theatre or a film or a football match? Really?
.......Probably not or you'd bore them to death and you'd spoil their evening
Come off it, Roger. Someone gifting another private citizen something is not the same as gifting a member of the cabinet or shadow cabinet.
Really? If you heard that Bridget Phillipson's daughter had an interest in brass bands and someone from the Treorchy male voice choir asked her to come to a concert in Penmaenmawr would you consider it a big deal? You have obviously never worked where these sort of social interactions take place.
Well, yes, because gifting is a way of buying influence regardless of who is doing it.
LOL
This place is f*****' insane.
The hyperbole over Taylor Swift tickets and a box at the Emirates is being painted as substantially more corrupt than other freebies available to members of other parties, and more particularly genuine instances of industrial scale corruption. Corruption like PPE fast lane contracts, like bestowing seats in the House of Lords to the sons of KGB spies, a spy who's bunga, bunga party a serving Foreign Secretary without their close protection unit attended, or taking a ten grand donation on behalf of the Conservative Party for overruling legitimate objections to Richard Desmond's planning applications.
Oh and why is it OK for Frank Hester to single -handedly bankroll the Conservative Party and Alii cannot buy Mrs Starmer a frock or throw a lavish birthday party for a friend?
It's no more corrupt, but it seems like a huge hunk of hypocrisy to all except StarmTroopers
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
If its the biggest story you should find lots of places to read about it and you can write letters at the bottom of the page with like minded obsessives. This is supposed to be about the US elections and people like you are making it unreadable which is why only the usual five or six terminally dull are taking part
Typical lefty - hates the story so try to shut it down
So no @Roger you will not silence me or other posters in discussing the leadng political story of the day
I don't think anyone gives a shit whether she got a ticket to see Taylor Swift. Are you suggesting she bought influence? Has no one ever given you a ticket to a concert or a theatre or a film or a football match? Really?
.......Probably not or you'd bore them to death and you'd spoil their evening
An office admin who visited Hong Kong once brought me a 'Hello Kitty' keyring. I managed not to blub in thanks, and for evermore sorted out her IT issues as best I could.
So yes, I am as guilty as a PM or cabinet minister who has taken 10-100k in gifts. It's all relative.
Personally once presented an election administrator who was getting ready to retire, a Clark Bar in my possession, with the preable, "please accept this token of esteem from the grateful Voters of King County".
Purchased me about two months of quasi-corrupt influence.
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
If its the biggest story you should find lots of places to read about it and you can write letters at the bottom of the page with like minded obsessives. This is supposed to be about the US elections and people like you are making it unreadable which is why only the usual five or six terminally dull are taking part
Typical lefty - hates the story so try to shut it down
So no @Roger you will not silence me or other posters in discussing the leadng political story of the day
I don't think anyone gives a shit whether she got a ticket to see Taylor Swift. Are you suggesting she bought influence? Has no one ever given you a ticket to a concert or a theatre or a film or a football match? Really?
.......Probably not or you'd bore them to death and you'd spoil their evening
Come off it, Roger. Someone gifting another private citizen something is not the same as gifting a member of the cabinet or shadow cabinet.
Really? If you heard that Bridget Phillipson's daughter had an interest in brass bands and someone from the Treorchy male voice choir asked her to come to a concert in Penmaenmawr would you consider it a big deal? You have obviously never worked where these sort of social interactions take place.
Well, yes, because gifting is a way of buying influence regardless of who is doing it.
LOL
This place is f*****' insane.
The hyperbole over Taylor Swift tickets and a box at the Emirates is being painted as substantially more corrupt than other freebies available to members of other parties, and more particularly genuine instances of industrial scale corruption. Corruption like PPE fast lane contracts, like bestowing seats in the House of Lords to the sons of KGB spies, a spy who's bunga, bunga party a serving Foreign Secretary without their close protection unit attended, or taking a ten grand donation on behalf of the Conservative Party for overruling legitimate objections to Richard Desmond's planning applications.
Oh and why is it OK for Frank Hester to single -handedly bankroll the Conservative Party and Alii cannot buy Mrs Starmer a frock or throw a lavish birthday party for a friend?
And the Conservatives look to capitalise on all this by selecting as leader... Robert Jenrick. He actually looks a bit like Vance, ffs.
I do think there is something in all this, and that something is the Lib Dems and the Greens.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
If Trump wins the election, it'll mainly be because his opponents have spent 10 years talking about everything under the sun apart from the underlying and fundamental reasons why some like him could become popular in the first place.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
It was 40 "hospitals" by 2030. So some time. But yes, you are right.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
If Trump wins the election, it'll mainly be because his opponents have spent 10 years talking about everything under the sun apart from the underlying and fundamental reasons why some like him could become popular in the first place.
And if Harris wins despite the unpopularity of the Biden-Harris administration it will be mainly as the GOP picked Trump not the more centrist Harris as their candidate
All this giving & receiving of donations and gifts, reminds me of an old-school US politico of the late 20th-century: the late US Rep. Carl Perkins (D-Kentucky).
Perkins represented an Appalachian eastern KY district, turf that was stanchly pro-Union pre-Civil War and Republican afterward. Until the 1930s when coal counties dominated by union coal miners went and stayed Democratic through his time in Congress. Where Perkins eventually became chair of the House Education and Labor committee with more clout than even the average committee chair.
NOTE that Carl Perkins, who was and remained a New Deal liberal Democrat (only Kentuckian to vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act) was famous for REFUSING gifts. Little old ladies would, for example, knit him something to thank him for helping their husband collect his Black Lung benefits - and he'd send it back.
Perkins believed that, as a key Congressional gate-keeper and decision-maker, it was NOT proper for him to benefit from his official actions and influence . . . and that it WAS proper, and also politic, to make this fact public.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
500ml is a fine, European measure, and 568ml is just decadent.
Mike Johnson speaker caves in and puts forward a CR to fund the government until the end of December .
This comes without the SAVE act which was designed to feed election conspiracy theories and to disenfranchise mostly ethnic and young voters .
Johnson admitted that forcing a shutdown weeks before the election might not be a good idea .
And things have just got worse for the odious Robinson in NC as 4 members of his campaign team resign .
Pretty clear that Johnson's pushing for Continuting Resultion with voter proof-of-citizenship, was intended to help Trump AND congressional GOPers turn out anti-immigration base Republican and other voters.
NOT a serious proposal, seeing as how it NEVER had the votes, given number of GOP incumbents in non-MAGA districts who were sure vote against . . . and did so. There were 3 Democrats who voted FOR the CR+PoC, for similar but opposite reason.
AS for the Black Nazi of NC, he's been toast virtually since the primary methinks; the REAL victim (one word for it, anyway) in the Tarheel swing state is Trump.
BTW (and perhaps FYI) voters turned OFF by DJT's forsaking Robinson (sorta) will include African Americans who may feel motivated to turn out to vote AGAINST the Sage of Mar-a-Lardo.
Mike Johnson speaker caves in and puts forward a CR to fund the government until the end of December .
This comes without the SAVE act which was designed to feed election conspiracy theories and to disenfranchise mostly ethnic and young voters .
Johnson admitted that forcing a shutdown weeks before the election might not be a good idea .
And things have just got worse for the odious Robinson in NC as 4 members of his campaign team resign .
Pretty clear that Johnson's pushing for Continuting Resultion with voter proof-of-citizenship, was intended to help Trump AND congressional GOPers turn out anti-immigration base Republican and other voters.
NOT a serious proposal, seeing as how it NEVER had the votes, given number of GOP incumbents in non-MAGA districts who were sure vote against . . . and did so. There were 3 Democrats who voted FOR the CR+PoC, for similar but opposite reason.
AS for the Black Nazi of NC, he's been toast virtually since the primary methinks; the REAL victim (one word for it, anyway) in the Tarheel swing state is Trump.
BTW (and perhaps FYI) voters turned OFF by DJT's forsaking Robinson (sorta) will include African Americans who may feel motivated to turn out to vote AGAINST the Sage of Mar-a-Lardo.
At this point the GOP will be desperate to see Robinson pull out even if that means a new candidates name won’t be on the ballot.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
The Dems have a much better ground game than the Republicans. Couldn't use it in 2020 because of Covid...
Yet I am now in my fifteenth state on my road trip, and have yet to see a single Harris-Walz garden or field poster.
Never left Trumpistan....
I’m now in sweltering NC, which is a swing state. Asheville tomorrow, which is where all the Dems hang out.
That's a hell of a lot of driving.
Over 5,000 miles already. Plus at least another 1,000 to get back.
Trouble with the US isn’t just the driving to get places, it’s that when you arrive you still have to drive to go shopping/eat out/ visit places of interest/take the dog for a walk. Yesterday in Kentucky was a ‘stay’ day but I still spent nearly three and a half hours in the car touring round Lincoln’s birthplace, a bourbon distillery, Fort Knox, some shopping in central Louisville, the dog park, and then to a southern restaurant for a meal out.
In a month now I’ve only had one day when the car wasn’t used at all, and today almost the second, with just a few miles into the nearest town, from where we could hike, and back. It’s a big contrast with a European trip where if I’m staying in a village or town there will be plenty of days when we can just walk or use local transport.
If Trump wins the election, it'll mainly be because his opponents have spent 10 years talking about everything under the sun apart from the underlying and fundamental reasons why some like him could become popular in the first place.
And if Harris wins despite the unpopularity of the Biden-Harris administration it will be mainly as the GOP picked Trump not the more centrist Harris as their candidate
Good morning @rcs1000 and @TSE My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Being different species the Welsh and English are obviously ill and awake at different times. Epidemics that affect one side do not affect the other until some hours later. Obviously there will be difficulty with adjusting to the different atmosphere and pressure, but with effort it should work.
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Some might say a similar thing about the Guardian to be honest.
Good morning @rcs1000 and @TSE My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
He does seem to be incredibly fortunate that all the cases that were f##ked up they never got anywhere near his desk and he was totally unaware of them, but the good results he played an important role in.
Good morning @rcs1000 and @TSE My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
Good morning @rcs1000 and @TSE My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
Animal Rising protestors who burst through barriers and stormed Epsom Derby track have their charges dropped
But they were told by a senior crown prosecutor the case was being dropped as there was ‘not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction’.
Charges against Greenpeace protesters who climbed onto former Prime Minister’s Rishi Sunak’s home in Yorkshire were also dropped on Friday.
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
I thought we'd already been told that the DPP didn't actually *do* anything at the CPS, and had zero responsibility for anything that went on there?
Mark Robinson, the Republican candidadate for Governor in North Carolina has suffered the resignation of his top 4 campaign officials - and most of the rest of the team below that. This follows various damning revelations from CNN where Robinson described himself as a "Black Nazi" on a porn site chat room. And lots of other troubling stuff. As well as calling for the return of slavery. And saying he'd love to own slaves.
And then there's the peeping tom stuff in changing rooms. And his penchant for watching trans sex porn. And golden showers. In a private booth. Whilst eating pizza*.
How the hell this guy ever got to be candidate can only be answered by two words: Donald Trump.
The question now is: how will Robinson's disaster of a campaign knock on to Trump's chances of holding on to North Carolina's 16 Electoral College votes? If the Harris team can't make hay with this...
Losing North Carolina would be quite the disaster for Trump.
* His choice of toppings is not disclosed. But, you know - go with the worst....
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
I thought we'd already been told that the DPP didn't actually *do* anything at the CPS, and had zero responsibility for anything that went on there?
He was probably too busy taking freebies...
Well he certainly likes for other people to pay for everything...The signs were all there.
Keir Starmer billed taxpayers for nearly a quarter of a million pounds in travel costs while he was director of public prosecutions, it has been revealed. The future Labour leader put nearly three times as much on expenses as his CPS successor Alison Saunders, including first class flights abroad and a chauffeur driven car.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
I thought we'd already been told that the DPP didn't actually *do* anything at the CPS, and had zero responsibility for anything that went on there?
He was probably too busy taking freebies...
Well he certainly likes for other people to pay for everything...The signs were all there.
Keir Starmer billed taxpayers for nearly a quarter of a million pounds in travel costs while he was director of public prosecutions, it has been revealed. The future Labour leader put nearly three times as much on expenses as his CPS successor Alison Saunders, including first class flights abroad and a chauffeur driven car.
I was expecting either a mildly sturdy defence or a "whatever, early days, the Tories were worse" - basically MEH
But no. He expressed absolute contempt and anger at Starmer and Co. This has cut through, even with loyal London lefites. His main complaint was the "naivety and stupidity". I would add the "greed" but still. Impact
Starmer has to be the most charmless pm ever. Yes Major was boring but you felt there was humanity there. With Starmer there is a void of nothingness.
Stalin phonethrowing Brown and the Maybot were worse than Sir John but yes I think Keir takes the prize for charmlessness.
That for ineptitude is still up for grabs, but he's challenging Truss and may still get there.
On topic I'm pretty sure I read something about Trump's total lack of a ground game in 2020 and definitely in 2016. Either he's doing something that's not visible to whoever does these takes or he doesn't need it.
If Trump wins the election, it'll mainly be because his opponents have spent 10 years talking about everything under the sun apart from the underlying and fundamental reasons why some like him could become popular in the first place.
No, they've spent the last four years governing. Which is massively more constructive than getting involved in his psychodrama.
Mark Robinson, the Republican candidadate for Governor in North Carolina has suffered the resignation of his top 4 campaign officials - and most of the rest of the team below that. This follows various damning revelations from CNN where Robinson described himself as a "Black Nazi" on a porn site chat room. And lots of other troubling stuff. As well as calling for the return of slavery. And saying he'd love to own slaves.
And then there's the peeping tom stuff in changing rooms. And his penchant for watching trans sex porn. And golden showers. In a private booth. Whilst eating pizza*.
How the hell this guy ever got to be candidate can only be answered by two words: Donald Trump.
The question now is: how will Robinson's disaster of a campaign knock on to Trump's chances of holding on to North Carolina's 16 Electoral College votes? If the Harris team can't make hay with this...
Losing North Carolina would be quite the disaster for Trump.
* His choice of toppings is not disclosed. But, you know - go with the worst....
Note he's already the lieutenant governor. So it's not just the nomination he wasn't vetted for..
And everyone already knew he was an absolute nutcase. It's only the porn that was a step too far.
If I were a minister, taking freebies and then resolutely refusing to be influenced by the donor would amuse me. Perhaps that's why I'm not a minister.
Remember that you don’t want to be taking the freebies once, you want to be taking them continuously for a decade or more.
Why would football clubs and FA continue to give Sir Kier free box seats every weekend, if he’s then going to propose a few football regulator?
Boring alert! The same 4 or 5 dreary posters are still posting the same dross they have been for the last several days. I came on here because I was interested in the US elections. I guess others did too. Can't the obsessives have a separate thread?
Unfortunately for you this is the leading story in the UK media and when even Labour mps and unions are aghast trying to close down the story because you are upset by it will nor work
If its the biggest story you should find lots of places to read about it and you can write letters at the bottom of the page with like minded obsessives. This is supposed to be about the US elections and people like you are making it unreadable which is why only the usual five or six terminally dull are taking part
Typical lefty - hates the story so try to shut it down
So no @Roger you will not silence me or other posters in discussing the leadng political story of the day
I don't think anyone gives a shit whether she got a ticket to see Taylor Swift. Are you suggesting she bought influence? Has no one ever given you a ticket to a concert or a theatre or a film or a football match? Really?
.......Probably not or you'd bore them to death and you'd spoil their evening
Come off it, Roger. Someone gifting another private citizen something is not the same as gifting a member of the cabinet or shadow cabinet.
Really? If you heard that Bridget Phillipson's daughter had an interest in brass bands and someone from the Treorchy male voice choir asked her to come to a concert in Penmaenmawr would you consider it a big deal? You have obviously never worked where these sort of social interactions take place.
Well, yes, because gifting is a way of buying influence regardless of who is doing it.
LOL
This place is f*****' insane.
The hyperbole over Taylor Swift tickets and a box at the Emirates is being painted as substantially more corrupt than other freebies available to members of other parties, and more particularly genuine instances of industrial scale corruption. Corruption like PPE fast lane contracts, like bestowing seats in the House of Lords to the sons of KGB spies, a spy who's bunga, bunga party a serving Foreign Secretary without their close protection unit attended, or taking a ten grand donation on behalf of the Conservative Party for overruling legitimate objections to Richard Desmond's planning applications.
Oh and why is it OK for Frank Hester to single -handedly bankroll the Conservative Party and Alii cannot buy Mrs Starmer a frock or throw a lavish birthday party for a friend?
It's no more corrupt, but it seems like a huge hunk of hypocrisy to all except StarmTroopers
And here's the man to clean up all the "corruption".
Good morning @rcs1000 and @TSE My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
Anybody else want a sneak peak, just say.
That's very kind - I'm happy to read it when it hits the newstands - I'm sure it's great.
On topic I'm pretty sure I read something about Trump's total lack of a ground game in 2020 and definitely in 2016. Either he's doing something that's not visible to whoever does these takes or he doesn't need it.
Trump’s campaign debrief from 2020 highlighted postal votes and early votes as weaknesses that the Democrats used ruthlessly, and Trump shied away from, preferring to get out the in-person vote on the day.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
If Trump wins the election, it'll mainly be because his opponents have spent 10 years talking about everything under the sun apart from the underlying and fundamental reasons why some like him could become popular in the first place.
What is the underlying and fundamental reason why some people are deplorable racist shitheads?
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
I always think about massive bands other than the hardcore fans nobody remembers the drummer....all the up side and still be able to nip down Tescos in your sweats for a bottle of milk.
Mark Robinson, the Republican candidadate for Governor in North Carolina has suffered the resignation of his top 4 campaign officials - and most of the rest of the team below that. This follows various damning revelations from CNN where Robinson described himself as a "Black Nazi" on a porn site chat room. And lots of other troubling stuff. As well as calling for the return of slavery. And saying he'd love to own slaves.
And then there's the peeping tom stuff in changing rooms. And his penchant for watching trans sex porn. And golden showers. In a private booth. Whilst eating pizza*.
How the hell this guy ever got to be candidate can only be answered by two words: Donald Trump.
The question now is: how will Robinson's disaster of a campaign knock on to Trump's chances of holding on to North Carolina's 16 Electoral College votes? If the Harris team can't make hay with this...
Losing North Carolina would be quite the disaster for Trump.
* His choice of toppings is not disclosed. But, you know - go with the worst....
Note he's already the lieutenant governor. So it's not just the nomination he wasn't vetted for..
And everyone already knew he was an absolute nutcase. It's only the porn that was a step too far.
So it’s not just in the UK where decade-old online comments can come back to haunt political candidates?
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
I always think about massive bands other than the hardcore fans nobody remembers the drummer....all the up side and still be able to nip down Tescos in your sweats for a bottle of milk.
Ha yes, there’s definitely a ‘right’ amount of being famous.
You want people who see you on stage or at an industry event to know who you are - but you can live an otherwise anonymous life if you wish, not getting recognised out of context at the shops or needing to worry about personal security. If you’re the lead singer or a solo artist you quickly get too well-known to have a ‘normal’ life.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
If you look at the government announcement on Friday Bozo once again promised things without budgetting the money.
And the Sunday times reported yesterday hat he new midlands hospital is missing 100 beds it needs so I don’t think pausing the program before the wrong thing is built is a bad idea.
The hospitals at risk of immediately falling down because of RAAC are being rebuilt though..
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Considering that a significant reason for the backlog is that routine operations were cancelled due to Covid, hiring facilities that already exist today and are ready to be used today, wherever possible, surely makes sense to get through that backlog over waiting years for new facilities to be built.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Oddly enough, RAAC is generally not the problem. AIUI, RAAC structures have generally met, or exceeded, its design life and criteria.
The problem is that no-one wanted to pay to rebuild perfectly 'good' buildings whose materials were near, or had exceeded, their design life.
Every structure has a 'life'; how long it will last before major works or replacement will be required. Nothing ever lives forever. If you specify a building to have a thirty-year life, you need to think about replacing it, or doing major works on it, at twenty-five years.
So we failed (with hindsight) in designing structures with too short a design life; and then again, in not preparing to replace those structures in the time.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
They are going to be disappearing relatively quickly though. Round here the PFI contracts expire between 2028 and 2031..
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
PFI works for simple infrastructure such as roads and office blocks, as happened originally under Major’s government in the ‘90s.
What messed up, was trying to use it for something horribly complicated like schools and hospitals, where the government side had no idea how to negotiate something so complex, and got completely run around by the suppliers with contracts full of loopholes and exclusions.
Yes, if you ban workers from using ladders, it’s going to cost hundreds of pounds to change a light bulb.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
Would 2/3 pint of beer be "under the limit"? If so, then the designated driver could have one drink.
Philippson must be mentally retarded, which is a bit of a worry as she is Minister for Education.
Who goes on national tv and describes what was obviously some kind of political gathering (involving front benchers and trade unionists) as her “birthday party”, even if turning 40 was the ostensible reason for the gathering?
Can you imagine the thinking, “ I’ve been given £14k for my 40th birthday party, I just really want it to be spent with politicians and trade unionists because it will be a wild hoot.” She deserves the boot for shit partying decisions above all else.
Trevor Phillips on Sky this morning asked Philipson when they are all going to repay this largesse and she just looked as if she wanted to be anywhere (maybe at a party) then in the studio
Still seems like small change to me. Frank Hester, whose company has had contracts worth £135 million from the NHS and who personally received an OBE for services to healthcare, gave the Conservatives over £10 million, including £15k for one helicopter trip by Sunak. Remember him? The one who said Diane Abbott should be shot.
Graham Edwards donated £5.52m to the Conservatives. Sunak made him the Conservative Party treasurer. Another guy who was made Conservative Party treasurer was Mohamed Mansour. He donated £5m. The Bamford brothers gave the Tories over £10 million. They and Edwards have been investigated for tax issues.
Lubov Chernukhin, wife of the former Russian oligarch Vladimir Chernukhin, gave £136k to the Tories under Sunak, and over £2 million historically. Michael Hintze gave them more than £4.5 million and got a peerage.
Desperate whatabouterry
Unless you didn't notice the conservative party were decimated at the GE for sleeze and cronyism and Starmer stood tall saying he would end it, and yet he and his fellow cabinet have found themselves under attack from all quarters, not least from within their party and by the unions and now Starmer has fallen below Sunak in popularity
Your posts try to defend the indefensible by saying the other lot were worse, but the nation has passed judgment on that and now Starmer and his colleagues have been shamed you just do not like it
Indeed are you Sue Gray in disguise?
Were the Conservatives decimated "for sleeze [sic] and cronyism"? Issues polling before the election had the top 5 issues as cost of living, health, economy, immigration and the environment. Sleaze did not appear in YouGov's top 15.
Lord Ashcroft's post-election poll had this on the main reasons voted for Labour: "Just over 6 in 10 (62%) of those who voted Labour said one of their three main reasons was that they thought Labour would do a better job of running the economy. Just over half (57%) said they trusted the motives of Labour more than other parties, while 46% thought Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister."
It also found: "We asked those who voted Conservative in 2019 but not in 2024 why they moved away from the party. The most important reasons were that “they are out of touch with people like me” (36% naming in the top three), that “they didn’t deliver what they promised” (35%) and that “they’re not competent” (30%), while 28% said “I don’t trust them”. Just over 1 in 5 (21%) chose “partygate and other scandals”."
So, about a fifth of Conservative defectors did so because of scandals, but it wasn't the main issue for most voters.
You simply do not get the damage this has done to Labour and no amount of deflection will change the narrative in the public's eyes which already has Starmer below Sunak in popularity
Maybe reflect and accept it is a terrible story for labour
Though Starmer still 10 points ahead as best PM. That's how low Tory popularity is. Lower than a snakes belly.
I see you have few straws left to clutch
OK, betting question. If one is convinced that Starmer's government is toast after this, how should you bet? You can get 9/4 on Tories most seats at the next election or lay Labour for most seats at 1.99, but that's a while off. Is there a next Labour leader bet worth making? Reeves is joint favourite, albeit only at 8/1, but worth laying her? Or you can lay Reeves as next PM at 15. You can lay Rayner as next PM at 23.
Oh that's easy. If you think Labour is stuffed by these donations, the answer is surely to lay whichever would-be Conservative leader has taken most money.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Oddly enough, RAAC is generally not the problem. AIUI, RAAC structures have generally met, or exceeded, its design life and criteria.
The problem is that no-one wanted to pay to rebuild perfectly 'good' buildings whose materials were near, or had exceeded, their design life.
Every structure has a 'life'; how long it will last before major works or replacement will be required. Nothing ever lives forever. If you specify a building to have a thirty-year life, you need to think about replacing it, or doing major works on it, at twenty-five years.
So we failed (with hindsight) in designing structures with too short a design life; and then again, in not preparing to replace those structures in the time.
The design life of the building was chosen at the time to save on the construction cost, and the problem with materials such as RAAC is that the failure mode is generally very fast, with beams that look normal just failing one day, rather than obviously deteriorating over time in ways that can be measured and failures predicted.
So we have the situation where there’s hundreds of buildings that look perfectly fine, but could randomly collapse at any time.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
Abba are well known by their first names, but that doesn't really cut it reporting a wedding which is not widely known in the UK weeks in advance. Imagine the headline "Paul to marry for the fourth time", I doubt many would click who it's about. I accept that there are less Bjorns, but there are some. ÓTOH no headline writer would have a problem with "Ringo to marry for the third time", as Ringo usually referred to as simply Ringo, and there is no other Ringo.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Oddly enough, RAAC is generally not the problem. AIUI, RAAC structures have generally met, or exceeded, its design life and criteria.
The problem is that no-one wanted to pay to rebuild perfectly 'good' buildings whose materials were near, or had exceeded, their design life.
Every structure has a 'life'; how long it will last before major works or replacement will be required. Nothing ever lives forever. If you specify a building to have a thirty-year life, you need to think about replacing it, or doing major works on it, at twenty-five years.
So we failed (with hindsight) in designing structures with too short a design life; and then again, in not preparing to replace those structures in the time.
The design life of the building was chosen at the time to save on the construction cost, and the problem with materials such as RAAC is that the failure mode is generally very fast, with beams that look normal just failing one day, rather than obviously deteriorating over time in ways that can be measured and failures predicted.
So we have the situation where there’s hundreds of buildings that look perfectly fine, but could randomly collapse at any time.
... because they'd met their design life. The same thing ("hundreds of buildings that look perfectly fine, but could randomly collapse at any time.") is also true for things like post-tensioned buildings and strcutures. Fortunately they usually last longer - as long as you don't use road salt...
I was expecting either a mildly sturdy defence or a "whatever, early days, the Tories were worse" - basically MEH
But no. He expressed absolute contempt and anger at Starmer and Co. This has cut through, even with loyal London lefites. His main complaint was the "naivety and stupidity". I would add the "greed" but still. Impact
Starmer has to be the most charmless pm ever. Yes Major was boring but you felt there was humanity there. With Starmer there is a void of nothingness.
Yes, indeed
As my mate and I agreed, the problem is Starmer hasn't got the charm - Blair - or the humour - Boris - to switch things around. He is a charmless humourless fuckwit who seems like a massively over-promoted middle-manager and with zero ideas as to how to fix the country. There is no there, there
I dunno how Labour gets out of this. They are gonna lose badly in 2028-9 to a Reform Tory coalition, is my expectation
Philippson must be mentally retarded, which is a bit of a worry as she is Minister for Education.
Who goes on national tv and describes what was obviously some kind of political gathering (involving front benchers and trade unionists) as her “birthday party”, even if turning 40 was the ostensible reason for the gathering?
Can you imagine the thinking, “ I’ve been given £14k for my 40th birthday party, I just really want it to be spent with politicians and trade unionists because it will be a wild hoot.” She deserves the boot for shit partying decisions above all else.
Trevor Phillips on Sky this morning asked Philipson when they are all going to repay this largesse and she just looked as if she wanted to be anywhere (maybe at a party) then in the studio
Still seems like small change to me. Frank Hester, whose company has had contracts worth £135 million from the NHS and who personally received an OBE for services to healthcare, gave the Conservatives over £10 million, including £15k for one helicopter trip by Sunak. Remember him? The one who said Diane Abbott should be shot.
Graham Edwards donated £5.52m to the Conservatives. Sunak made him the Conservative Party treasurer. Another guy who was made Conservative Party treasurer was Mohamed Mansour. He donated £5m. The Bamford brothers gave the Tories over £10 million. They and Edwards have been investigated for tax issues.
Lubov Chernukhin, wife of the former Russian oligarch Vladimir Chernukhin, gave £136k to the Tories under Sunak, and over £2 million historically. Michael Hintze gave them more than £4.5 million and got a peerage.
Desperate whatabouterry
Unless you didn't notice the conservative party were decimated at the GE for sleeze and cronyism and Starmer stood tall saying he would end it, and yet he and his fellow cabinet have found themselves under attack from all quarters, not least from within their party and by the unions and now Starmer has fallen below Sunak in popularity
Your posts try to defend the indefensible by saying the other lot were worse, but the nation has passed judgment on that and now Starmer and his colleagues have been shamed you just do not like it
Indeed are you Sue Gray in disguise?
Were the Conservatives decimated "for sleeze [sic] and cronyism"? Issues polling before the election had the top 5 issues as cost of living, health, economy, immigration and the environment. Sleaze did not appear in YouGov's top 15.
Lord Ashcroft's post-election poll had this on the main reasons voted for Labour: "Just over 6 in 10 (62%) of those who voted Labour said one of their three main reasons was that they thought Labour would do a better job of running the economy. Just over half (57%) said they trusted the motives of Labour more than other parties, while 46% thought Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister."
It also found: "We asked those who voted Conservative in 2019 but not in 2024 why they moved away from the party. The most important reasons were that “they are out of touch with people like me” (36% naming in the top three), that “they didn’t deliver what they promised” (35%) and that “they’re not competent” (30%), while 28% said “I don’t trust them”. Just over 1 in 5 (21%) chose “partygate and other scandals”."
So, about a fifth of Conservative defectors did so because of scandals, but it wasn't the main issue for most voters.
You simply do not get the damage this has done to Labour and no amount of deflection will change the narrative in the public's eyes which already has Starmer below Sunak in popularity
Maybe reflect and accept it is a terrible story for labour
Though Starmer still 10 points ahead as best PM. That's how low Tory popularity is. Lower than a snakes belly.
I see you have few straws left to clutch
OK, betting question. If one is convinced that Starmer's government is toast after this, how should you bet? You can get 9/4 on Tories most seats at the next election or lay Labour for most seats at 1.99, but that's a while off. Is there a next Labour leader bet worth making? Reeves is joint favourite, albeit only at 8/1, but worth laying her? Or you can lay Reeves as next PM at 15. You can lay Rayner as next PM at 23.
Oh that's easy. If you think Labour is stuffed by these donations, the answer is surely to lay whichever would-be Conservative leader has taken most money.
Seriously.
I think that’s Jenrick?
Could be. I've not looked tbh but there was recently a story about a Jenrick donor one degree removed from a shadowy lender of unknown origin. A quick Bing finds:-
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Considering that a significant reason for the backlog is that routine operations were cancelled due to Covid, hiring facilities that already exist today and are ready to be used today, wherever possible, surely makes sense to get through that backlog over waiting years for new facilities to be built.
Some waiting list work is done in traditional Private Hospitals, but much is done in new constructions, generally in non-traditional locations like retail parks and converted shops, or premises of entrepreneurial GP surgeries.
On topic I'm pretty sure I read something about Trump's total lack of a ground game in 2020 and definitely in 2016. Either he's doing something that's not visible to whoever does these takes or he doesn't need it.
The plan was to beat Biden.
There's something of a backup in the vote suppression, where they can get away with it, but really, there's no plan B.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
Abba are well known by their first names, but that doesn't really cut it reporting a wedding which is not widely known in the UK weeks in advance. Imagine the headline "Paul to marry for the fourth time", I doubt many would click who it's about. I accept that there are less Bjorns, but there are some. ÓTOH no headline writer would have a problem with "Ringo to marry for the third time", as Ringo usually referred to as simply Ringo, and there is no other Ringo.
Borg is a reasonably famous Bjorn. But yes, first names barely cut it. Even Starmer fave Taylor is normally referenced by full name or last name in headlines!
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
Would 2/3 pint of beer be "under the limit"? If so, then the designated driver could have one drink.
It obviously depends how strong it is.
One of the reasons that the 2/3 measure has become popular in craft beer outlets is that the beer is often much stronger than we are used to. Also, it is often quite expensive, so buying a schooner is comfortably like buying a pint.
But if the Guardian writer thinks a pint makes you bloated and sluggish, they need to get a life
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
It's kind of crazy when you realise that Bjorn and Benny are also Sweden's version of Andrew Lloyd Weber.
Bjorn at least has a tribute band named after him. Benny is the really anonymous one.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
500ml is a fine, European measure, and 568ml is just decadent.
If drinking something cold, like lager, then 330 ml is better. It should be in a glass with a stem so as to minimise conduction as well. A pint is too much volume, but also goes flat as well as warm.
Of course real ale is different and a pint an appropriate measure.
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
The infrastructure problem for the NHS at the moment is RAAC, the collapsible (it turns out) building material that means many hospitals, schools and who knows what else need rebuilding or replacing. If Wes Streeting had any sense, he'd have announced this already but maybe it is being saved for Conference or till after the budget.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
Considering that a significant reason for the backlog is that routine operations were cancelled due to Covid, hiring facilities that already exist today and are ready to be used today, wherever possible, surely makes sense to get through that backlog over waiting years for new facilities to be built.
That's true, but over time the backlog is converging with the pre-pandemic long term upwards trend. Credit where credit is due - the NHS does appear to be making progress, even if that actually means the waiting list is getting longer.
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
Would 2/3 pint of beer be "under the limit"? If so, then the designated driver could have one drink.
It obviously depends how strong it is.
One of the reasons that the 2/3 measure has become popular in craft beer outlets is that the beer is often much stronger than we are used to. Also, it is often quite expensive, so buying a schooner is comfortably like buying a pint.
But if the Guardian writer thinks a pint makes you bloated and sluggish, they need to get a life
The Guardian has published an article claiming that a British pint measure is too large, and the amount of liquid therein leaves you sluggish and bloated.
Its just another piece on that bollocks study about how they should serve 2/3 pints.
Would 2/3 pint of beer be "under the limit"? If so, then the designated driver could have one drink.
It obviously depends how strong it is.
One of the reasons that the 2/3 measure has become popular in craft beer outlets is that the beer is often much stronger than we are used to. Also, it is often quite expensive, so buying a schooner is comfortably like buying a pint.
But if the Guardian writer thinks a pint makes you bloated and sluggish, they need to get a life
The German Greens have been nuts for a very long time.
It's never a bad time to remind everyone that in 1987, the German Green party opposed electronic record-keeping, digital telephony, ISDN, fiber-optic cables, *and* cable and satellite television. https://x.com/AndrewHammel1/status/1837414971254161826
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
If you look at the government announcement on Friday Bozo once again promised things without budgetting the money.
And the Sunday times reported yesterday hat he new midlands hospital is missing 100 beds it needs so I don’t think pausing the program before the wrong thing is built is a bad idea.
The hospitals at risk of immediately falling down because of RAAC are being rebuilt though..
I thought I saw a report recently (about schools but assume same for hospitals) saying that the whole RAAC thing was massively over exaggerated by the media
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
To be fair, the Tories planned for, but never budgeted for, the “hospitals”.
That might be the case, but the problem still remains and these things always that time to be build and come online. Borrowing to invest in infrastructure is politically fairly easy, everybody wants to see new hospitals and schools. They are PFI-ing renewables building, they could do the same for hospitals.
Hell no!
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
They are going to be disappearing relatively quickly though. Round here the PFI contracts expire between 2028 and 2031..
Yes. My objection was to @FrancisUrquhart suggestion of using PFI to build new hospitals!
Philippson must be mentally retarded, which is a bit of a worry as she is Minister for Education.
Who goes on national tv and describes what was obviously some kind of political gathering (involving front benchers and trade unionists) as her “birthday party”, even if turning 40 was the ostensible reason for the gathering?
Can you imagine the thinking, “ I’ve been given £14k for my 40th birthday party, I just really want it to be spent with politicians and trade unionists because it will be a wild hoot.” She deserves the boot for shit partying decisions above all else.
Trevor Phillips on Sky this morning asked Philipson when they are all going to repay this largesse and she just looked as if she wanted to be anywhere (maybe at a party) then in the studio
Still seems like small change to me. Frank Hester, whose company has had contracts worth £135 million from the NHS and who personally received an OBE for services to healthcare, gave the Conservatives over £10 million, including £15k for one helicopter trip by Sunak. Remember him? The one who said Diane Abbott should be shot.
Graham Edwards donated £5.52m to the Conservatives. Sunak made him the Conservative Party treasurer. Another guy who was made Conservative Party treasurer was Mohamed Mansour. He donated £5m. The Bamford brothers gave the Tories over £10 million. They and Edwards have been investigated for tax issues.
Lubov Chernukhin, wife of the former Russian oligarch Vladimir Chernukhin, gave £136k to the Tories under Sunak, and over £2 million historically. Michael Hintze gave them more than £4.5 million and got a peerage.
Desperate whatabouterry
Unless you didn't notice the conservative party were decimated at the GE for sleeze and cronyism and Starmer stood tall saying he would end it, and yet he and his fellow cabinet have found themselves under attack from all quarters, not least from within their party and by the unions and now Starmer has fallen below Sunak in popularity
Your posts try to defend the indefensible by saying the other lot were worse, but the nation has passed judgment on that and now Starmer and his colleagues have been shamed you just do not like it
Indeed are you Sue Gray in disguise?
Were the Conservatives decimated "for sleeze [sic] and cronyism"? Issues polling before the election had the top 5 issues as cost of living, health, economy, immigration and the environment. Sleaze did not appear in YouGov's top 15.
Lord Ashcroft's post-election poll had this on the main reasons voted for Labour: "Just over 6 in 10 (62%) of those who voted Labour said one of their three main reasons was that they thought Labour would do a better job of running the economy. Just over half (57%) said they trusted the motives of Labour more than other parties, while 46% thought Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister."
It also found: "We asked those who voted Conservative in 2019 but not in 2024 why they moved away from the party. The most important reasons were that “they are out of touch with people like me” (36% naming in the top three), that “they didn’t deliver what they promised” (35%) and that “they’re not competent” (30%), while 28% said “I don’t trust them”. Just over 1 in 5 (21%) chose “partygate and other scandals”."
So, about a fifth of Conservative defectors did so because of scandals, but it wasn't the main issue for most voters.
You simply do not get the damage this has done to Labour and no amount of deflection will change the narrative in the public's eyes which already has Starmer below Sunak in popularity
Maybe reflect and accept it is a terrible story for labour
Though Starmer still 10 points ahead as best PM. That's how low Tory popularity is. Lower than a snakes belly.
I see you have few straws left to clutch
OK, betting question. If one is convinced that Starmer's government is toast after this, how should you bet? You can get 9/4 on Tories most seats at the next election or lay Labour for most seats at 1.99, but that's a while off. Is there a next Labour leader bet worth making? Reeves is joint favourite, albeit only at 8/1, but worth laying her? Or you can lay Reeves as next PM at 15. You can lay Rayner as next PM at 23.
Oh that's easy. If you think Labour is stuffed by these donations, the answer is surely to lay whichever would-be Conservative leader has taken most money.
Seriously.
I think that’s Jenrick?
Could be. I've not looked tbh but there was recently a story about a Jenrick donor one degree removed from a shadowy lender of unknown origin. A quick Bing finds:-
It is possible (quite likely) that this is an intragroup loan in that the BVI company is the owner of the UK company. If so, provided the ultimate beneficial owner has been disclosed, it’s ok and the papers are just making mischief.
If it is a loan from a third party then it’s a loophole that needs to be closed PDQ.
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Well its only one of ABBA, I mean who are they anyway, and he has been married twice before....The host of BBC's QI is obviously the star here.
As a thought experiment, try rewriting the BBC's headline: Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
Abba are well known by their first names, but that doesn't really cut it reporting a wedding which is not widely known in the UK weeks in advance. Imagine the headline "Paul to marry for the fourth time", I doubt many would click who it's about. I accept that there are less Bjorns, but there are some. ÓTOH no headline writer would have a problem with "Ringo to marry for the third time", as Ringo usually referred to as simply Ringo, and there is no other Ringo.
Borg is a reasonably famous Bjorn. But yes, first names barely cut it. Even Starmer fave Taylor is normally referenced by full name or last name in headlines!
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
If you look at the government announcement on Friday Bozo once again promised things without budgetting the money.
And the Sunday times reported yesterday hat he new midlands hospital is missing 100 beds it needs so I don’t think pausing the program before the wrong thing is built is a bad idea.
The hospitals at risk of immediately falling down because of RAAC are being rebuilt though..
I thought I saw a report recently (about schools but assume same for hospitals) saying that the whole RAAC thing was massively over exaggerated by the media
It's really not - the risk is that everything looks OK today but 6 months later a small internal / invisible water leak results in it all collapsing without warning..
Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
Relatively speaking, it's possible Ross on Wye has capacity which Monmouth doesn't, say.
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
I think people would. Its not a terrible idea, its been explored previously, but the system, particularly in Wales, its already massively backed up across the board. I think Wes Streeting desire to embrace private providers will do a lot more to increase capacity.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
If you look at the government announcement on Friday Bozo once again promised things without budgetting the money.
And the Sunday times reported yesterday hat he new midlands hospital is missing 100 beds it needs so I don’t think pausing the program before the wrong thing is built is a bad idea.
The hospitals at risk of immediately falling down because of RAAC are being rebuilt though..
I thought I saw a report recently (about schools but assume same for hospitals) saying that the whole RAAC thing was massively over exaggerated by the media
I was pretty much a lone voice on here in pointing out the absurdity of the media demanding, and politicians promising, all the RAAC schools to be rebuilt or buildings closed immediately and indefinitely, when it has led to zero deaths, and we only had the capacity to refurb 50 schools per year. It is clearly an unwelcome risk but is best tackled by long term investment not panic.
Comments
I confess I went out with friends here in France and Starmer's name wasn't mentioned once. Infact we had a very nice evening eating by the waters edge. But I'm sure if we had mentioned him their thoughts would have echoed mine exactly!
Purchased me about two months of quasi-corrupt influence.
This comes without the SAVE act which was designed to feed election conspiracy theories and to disenfranchise mostly ethnic and young voters .
Johnson admitted that forcing a shutdown weeks before the election might not be a good idea .
And things have just got worse for the odious Robinson in NC as 4 members of his campaign team resign .
I do think there is something in all this, and that something is the Lib Dems and the Greens.
Under the plans, NHS trusts in England and Wales will be able to sign “mutual aid partnerships” allowing them to use each other’s free capacity as it becomes available. Trusts will not be forced to take on patients from elsewhere if they do not feel they have the capacity to do so.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/sep/22/labour-plans-to-allow-travel-between-england-and-wales-for-nhs-treatment
What free capacity?
Not sure many patients want to commute from Cardiff to Brsitol or vice versa.
Its makes the news they aren't going to even build the 40 "hospitals" that the Tories planned really head scratching. The problem of capacity will only get worse as we now have a lot more people and loads of oldies.
Perkins represented an Appalachian eastern KY district, turf that was stanchly pro-Union pre-Civil War and Republican afterward. Until the 1930s when coal counties dominated by union coal miners went and stayed Democratic through his time in Congress. Where Perkins eventually became chair of the House Education and Labor committee with more clout than even the average committee chair.
NOTE that Carl Perkins, who was and remained a New Deal liberal Democrat (only Kentuckian to vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act) was famous for REFUSING gifts. Little old ladies would, for example, knit him something to thank him for helping their husband collect his Black Lung benefits - and he'd send it back.
Perkins believed that, as a key Congressional gate-keeper and decision-maker, it was NOT proper for him to benefit from his official actions and influence . . . and that it WAS proper, and also politic, to make this fact public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_D._Perkins
NOT a serious proposal, seeing as how it NEVER had the votes, given number of GOP incumbents in non-MAGA districts who were sure vote against . . . and did so. There were 3 Democrats who voted FOR the CR+PoC, for similar but opposite reason.
AS for the Black Nazi of NC, he's been toast virtually since the primary methinks; the REAL victim (one word for it, anyway) in the Tarheel swing state is Trump.
BTW (and perhaps FYI) voters turned OFF by DJT's forsaking Robinson (sorta) will include African Americans who may feel motivated to turn out to vote AGAINST the Sage of Mar-a-Lardo.
Trouble with the US isn’t just the driving to get places, it’s that when you arrive you still have to drive to go shopping/eat out/ visit places of interest/take the dog for a walk. Yesterday in Kentucky was a ‘stay’ day but I still spent nearly three and a half hours in the car touring round Lincoln’s birthplace, a bourbon distillery, Fort Knox, some shopping in central Louisville, the dog park, and then to a southern restaurant for a meal out.
In a month now I’ve only had one day when the car wasn’t used at all, and today almost the second, with just a few miles into the nearest town, from where we could hike, and back. It’s a big contrast with a European trip where if I’m staying in a village or town there will be plenty of days when we can just walk or use local transport.
My proposed article on the Blob is up backstage. I hope you look on it kindly. It is a first draft and the citations aren't finished yet.
@Luckyguy1983 , would you like to be a pre-reader? I used your Triggernometry link for Liz but it boiled down to a single line "the involvement of the Bank of England and other bodies in the fall of Liz Truss", for which I apologise. My first draft is 1800 words long and has 14 references and four suggested readings, so I had to prune, sorry.
Anybody else want a sneak peak, just say.
I wonder if the Fayed revelations will have any impact on Starmer's credibility.
The Sky News report tonight said that the police twice - in 2009 and 2015 - gave files on Fayed to the CPS who refused to do anything about them.
The former Victims Commisioner Dame Vera Bird described the CPS throughout that time as being a 'Dustbin' where the culture was such that assaults on women were simply not taken seriously. It seems to me that although the DPP may reasonably be able to say they are not resonsible for individual cases, they are certainly responsible for the overall culture of the CPS - the 'Dustbin'.
Starmer was DPP from 2008 to 2013 so was overseeing this dustbin at the time.
The Blob (Trailer) - "It Clawls! It Creeps! It Eats You Alive!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUsyXQ8Wrs
But they were told by a senior crown prosecutor the case was being dropped as there was ‘not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction’.
Charges against Greenpeace protesters who climbed onto former Prime Minister’s Rishi Sunak’s home in Yorkshire were also dropped on Friday.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13879639/Six-women-Derby-racetrack-animal-rights-protest-horses-charges-dropped.html
No enough evidence, in front of how many 100s of cameras.....
He was probably too busy taking freebies...
And then there's the peeping tom stuff in changing rooms. And his penchant for watching trans sex porn. And golden showers. In a private booth. Whilst eating pizza*.
How the hell this guy ever got to be candidate can only be answered by two words: Donald Trump.
The question now is: how will Robinson's disaster of a campaign knock on to Trump's chances of holding on to North Carolina's 16 Electoral College votes? If the Harris team can't make hay with this...
Losing North Carolina would be quite the disaster for Trump.
* His choice of toppings is not disclosed. But, you know - go with the worst....
Keir Starmer billed taxpayers for nearly a quarter of a million pounds in travel costs while he was director of public prosecutions, it has been revealed. The future Labour leader put nearly three times as much on expenses as his CPS successor Alison Saunders, including first class flights abroad and a chauffeur driven car.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/keir-starmer-expenses-chauffeur-driven-car-b2319779.html
"Sandi Toksvig officiates wedding of Abba's Björn Ulvaeus"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clylrrdjg78o
I've nothing against Toksvig, but I'd argue the more important and notable part of the story is that someone famous was getting married, not who officiated.
Which is the way they'll treat the British taxpayer.
That for ineptitude is still up for grabs, but he's challenging Truss and may still get there.
Which is massively more constructive than getting involved in his psychodrama.
So it's not just the nomination he wasn't vetted for..
And everyone already knew he was an absolute nutcase. It's only the porn that was a step too far.
Why would football clubs and FA continue to give Sir Kier free box seats every weekend, if he’s then going to propose a few football regulator?
‘Big mistake’: South Florida Haitians slam Trump’s false claim about immigrants eating pets
https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article292806614.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp39yz3wdl9o.amp
There are Republican PACs such as Scot Presler’s Early Vote Action who are definitely working in the swing states getting voters registered. They’re not being very subtle about it, going to events and siting in town centres. https://ampamerica.com/winning-scott-pressers-early-vote-action-intensifies-efforts-in-pennsylvania/
The Sun has: BJORN AGAIN ABBA’s Bjorn, 79, marries for third time and has Bake Off star officiating
Looking across the media, no-one trusts the public to know who the groom is, so his name is invariably qualified as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus. It must be odd, being an anonymous part of the world's most famous quartet since the Beatles, and it is not like there are many other world-famous Bjorns.
But that is the web headline. I'm almost tempted to buy a paper copy of the Sun to see what the print edition has.
PFI hospitals are a big contributor to the mess the NHS is in. Utterly inappropriate structure
You want people who see you on stage or at an industry event to know who you are - but you can live an otherwise anonymous life if you wish, not getting recognised out of context at the shops or needing to worry about personal security. If you’re the lead singer or a solo artist you quickly get too well-known to have a ‘normal’ life.
Meanwhile, surgical hubs are proposed that will blitz through non-urgent surgical cases, except that as Lord Darzi laments, the NHS has the staff but needs to build new theatres in many regions. I dare say Wes's private sector advisors will prefer the NHS hires private sector operating theatres, and beds.
And the Sunday times reported yesterday hat he new midlands hospital is missing 100 beds it needs so I don’t think pausing the program before the wrong thing is built is a bad idea.
The hospitals at risk of immediately falling down because of RAAC are being rebuilt though..
The problem is that no-one wanted to pay to rebuild perfectly 'good' buildings whose materials were near, or had exceeded, their design life.
Every structure has a 'life'; how long it will last before major works or replacement will be required. Nothing ever lives forever. If you specify a building to have a thirty-year life, you need to think about replacing it, or doing major works on it, at twenty-five years.
So we failed (with hindsight) in designing structures with too short a design life; and then again, in not preparing to replace those structures in the time.
What messed up, was trying to use it for something horribly complicated like schools and hospitals, where the government side had no idea how to negotiate something so complex, and got completely run around by the suppliers with contracts full of loopholes and exclusions.
Yes, if you ban workers from using ladders, it’s going to cost hundreds of pounds to change a light bulb.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/22/uk-must-accept-hard-times-or-risk-ruin-warns-reeves/
Securonomics my arse
So we have the situation where there’s hundreds of buildings that look perfectly fine, but could randomly collapse at any time.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/en-direct-le-nouveau-gouvernement-barnier-effectue-ses-grands-debuts-20240923
I *hate* post-tensioned structures.
Robert Jenrick’s top donor received loan from untraceable BVI firm
https://www.tortoisemedia.com/2024/09/20/robert-jenricks-top-donor-received-loan-from-untraceable-bvi-firm/
There's something of a backup in the vote suppression, where they can get away with it, but really, there's no plan B.
One of the reasons that the 2/3 measure has become popular in craft beer outlets is that the beer is often much stronger than we are used to. Also, it is often quite expensive, so buying a schooner is comfortably like buying a pint.
But if the Guardian writer thinks a pint makes you bloated and sluggish, they need to get a life
Bjorn at least has a tribute band named after him. Benny is the really anonymous one.
Of course real ale is different and a pint an appropriate measure.
NEW THREAD
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/22/britain-beer-drink-pint-half-two-thirds
And another today on the increasing rate of pub closures.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/23/fifty-pubs-a-month-shut-in-first-half-of-year-in-england-and-wales-figures-show
It's never a bad time to remind everyone that in 1987, the German Green party opposed electronic record-keeping, digital telephony, ISDN, fiber-optic cables, *and* cable and satellite television.
https://x.com/AndrewHammel1/status/1837414971254161826
If it is a loan from a third party then it’s a loophole that needs to be closed PDQ.