There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
Trumps taking over a decent economy and that’s particularly annoying as he will make out that he’s an economic genius .
On one hand we want the US economy to do well as it effects us here , on the other hand when I’m feeling in a particularly bitter mood about Trump winning again I want the whole thing to crash and burn . The only way to defeat this type of hateful populism is for it to be held responsible for a lot of economic pain.
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Which wasn't the point I was making, if I was on the same street rang up the police I would just get a shrug and here's a crime number....he rings up the police he gets a swift response and support....two tiers of law here....you are rich, famous, poweful the police fall over themselves to investigate.....be the average joe and frankly fuck off its your own fault
Yes and I did undertand what you were trying to say. I know exactly what you mean and the line nowadays is the best way not to be a victim of crime is to stop the crime being committed and not be an easy "mark" or target for such opportunistic crime. The Met want the public to stop the crimes being committed because they know as we know there's little or no prospect of resolution or justice once the crime has occurred.
Two tier policing has always existed and there's no point imagining it hasn't. Money, wealth, influence or power gets you a long way, often a very long way, in this world.
So you are saying we should accept that the police treat some of us as second class when a crime is a commited against us?
An important person does something a crime is commited....all stops pulled out
Average joe does the same thing police here is a crime number but it was your own fault so we aren't bothering
I got the chance to see The Empire Strikes Back at the cinema in September (only the second time I've seen it with an audience - The other time being in 1997 as I was too young for the original 1980 release)
The theate was packed from front to back and literally nobody left from start to finish, not even for toilet break.
Amazing really for a 34 year old film.
A really remarkable watch, back in 1980.
The one I'll never forget, though, is watching the original release of Apocalypse Now, in a cinema with a banging sound system. Just blew my mind.
I was quite young (yay) around then - and I think "The Black Hole" by Disney still burned itself into my mind more than the Star Wars films (enjoyable though they were).
'“I’m very proud, it’s been a good buzz,” Wall O’Reilly told the Irish Independent, crediting his victory to having won “the genetic Paul Mescal lottery”.
He was presented with a giant cheque made out for €20 “or three pints” – although it was unclear how the latter would be cashed.'
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
Re sequels, Aliens and Terminator II were on a par with the originals.
Godfather 2 is better than the first.
But 3 was terrible.
Edit: Btw, do we have any experts here on the Fast & Furious franchise? I believe the first film was dreadful, and the sequels got progressively worse. Is this correct?
The second could only get back one of the original stars, the third could get neither, the fourth was a soft reboot that did surprisingly well, they then got fun for 5,6 and 7, on juusssst the right side of utterly nonsensical, and then because just drek again.
What fascinated me was the 70's airbrush artwork used to promote it. Suggests the merchandising of this tripe was done brilliantly.
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
"Liberal women going on sex strike over Trump win Disgruntled female voters draw inspiration from Korean 4B movement to take revenge against men who voted Republican"
They are. Almost all MAGAs are bad news. Their equivalents outside America too. This brings me to another (and imo underappreciated) downside of Nov 5th. Which is that just about every little racist, xenophobe, misogynist and bigot the whole world over will be happy about the re-election of Donald Trump.
As we can all see, on here.
Have you ever read "Things can only get better" by John O'Farrell? In it, he describes his experiences as a student in the early 80s, where left-wing students compete with other left-wing students to take the most left wing position, decrying any insufficiently zealous left-winger as a Tory. It feels like this is what's going on here. Zealous anti Trumpers are comepting to be the most horrified by him and denouncing anyone slightly nuanced or and anyone who thinks certain Dems have been a bit crap as MAGAs. Like almost everyone here, I thought a Kamala win would be a significantly better outcome for America, Britain, and the world. But I did think she was a shit candidate, and I think certain Dems are being ridiculous. Let's not succumb tp TDS, eh?
That is a terrific book. Loved it. But Thatcher went straightaway when her time was up remember. She didn't do what Trump did. Any PM who tried that here would be over (unless they succeeded of course).
I don't see anybody on here denouncing anyone not full fat anti-Trump as being MAGAs. Eg I'm certainly not.
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
"Liberal women going on sex strike over Trump win Disgruntled female voters draw inspiration from Korean 4B movement to take revenge against men who voted Republican"
They are. Almost all MAGAs are bad news. Their equivalents outside America too. This brings me to another (and imo underappreciated) downside of Nov 5th. Which is that just about every little racist, xenophobe, misogynist and bigot the whole world over will be happy about the re-election of Donald Trump.
As we can all see, on here.
Have you ever read "Things can only get better" by John O'Farrell? In it, he describes his experiences as a student in the early 80s, where left-wing students compete with other left-wing students to take the most left wing position, decrying any insufficiently zealous left-winger as a Tory. It feels like this is what's going on here. Zealous anti Trumpers are comepting to be the most horrified by him and denouncing anyone slightly nuanced or and anyone who thinks certain Dems have been a bit crap as MAGAs. Like almost everyone here, I thought a Kamala win would be a significantly better outcome for America, Britain, and the world. But I did think she was a shit candidate, and I think certain Dems are being ridiculous. Let's not succumb tp TDS, eh?
That is a terrific book. Loved it. But Thatcher went straightaway when her time was up remember. She didn't do what Trump did. Any PM who tried that here would be over (unless they succeeded of course).
I don't see anybody on here denouncing anyone not full fat anti-Trump as being MAGAs. Eg I'm certainly not.
My post was in response to IanB2. But I've seen one or two other suggest we've got a few Trump enthusiasts. Which strikes me as a little paranoid.
Wilson came back for another go, of course. Or do you mean the Jan 6th incident? In which case I agree. The beauty of having politicians separate from the Head of State, I suppose.
While I'm here, about Badenoch. I thought she'd be a formidable opponent, and although it's very early days, I'm not so sure. Here's why (and I know Crace made a similar point in the Guardian).
1. One of Badenoch's major selling points is to be passionately pro-free speech and against cancel culture. She has been particularly disparaging about the habit of dredging up historic tweets or other sources and blowing them up out of all proportion as 'gotchas' to seek to character assassinate. (I've some sympathy with her view).
2. At her first PMQs, Badenoch dredged up an old tweet (Lammy, 2017, in opposition) as a 'gotcha' to seek to drive an unhelpful wedge between the government and the new US President. Worse, she demanded an 'apology' by Lammy for exercising his free speech.
3. Not a promising start to do precisely what she's been so critical of others doing. I don't think she thought it through.
She's clearly got a populist angle to her. In today's day and age who can be confident that won't work? She will have a job keeping her MPs happy since it seems many didn't really want her.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Which wasn't the point I was making, if I was on the same street rang up the police I would just get a shrug and here's a crime number....he rings up the police he gets a swift response and support....two tiers of law here....you are rich, famous, poweful the police fall over themselves to investigate.....be the average joe and frankly fuck off its your own fault
Yes and I did undertand what you were trying to say. I know exactly what you mean and the line nowadays is the best way not to be a victim of crime is to stop the crime being committed and not be an easy "mark" or target for such opportunistic crime. The Met want the public to stop the crimes being committed because they know as we know there's little or no prospect of resolution or justice once the crime has occurred.
Two tier policing has always existed and there's no point imagining it hasn't. Money, wealth, influence or power gets you a long way, often a very long way, in this world.
So you are saying we should accept that the police treat some of us as second class when a crime is a commited against us?
An important person does something a crime is commited....all stops pulled out
Average joe does the same thing police here is a crime number but it was your own fault so we aren't bothering
I think it's always been like that.
What's the alternative? There simply aren't the Police for the number of crimes committed - crime is triaged, the really serious stuff (murder, rape) gets priority and then the "important" victims. Having your phone stolen isn't the same as murder or rape, is it? Yes, if there's violence involved, the Police would act but if not, well, is it a good use of their resources or our public money?
IF you could recruit the tens of thousands of additional officers required to investigate each and every crime, who would pay for them? Where would they be - on every street corner, perhaps? Probably would deter crime - we'd have a nice ordered society, then, wouldn't we?
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Where is the line between crime prevention advice and victim-blaming?
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
Regardless of one's views, the Democrats, led by Biden and Harris (with additional words from Obama and Clinton) have reacted to their defeat with considerably more dignity than Trump and the Republicans did four years ago. They deserve credit for that.
A gallant loser is………..a loser
In a democracy, a gallant loser is a hero.
In a couple of years time Harris will be a winning answer on a question on pointless. A hero who could not even be arsed to go and speak to the people who campaigned for her and turned out for her on election night. She went to bed.
Just realised I’m accidentally on an England and Wales city tour. 5 days, 5 cities: Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham (tonight), Cardiff and Swansea. Plus London if you count my home city.
Off to an Eritrean restaurant for dinner.
So far Manchester wins by a mile but we’ll see what the Jewellery quarter has to offer this evening.
If you're a fan of real ale - and you're willing to stick your head outside of the Jewellery quarter - then I can recommend The Wellington on Bennetts Hill.
Just back in and pondering whether I should head back out and follow your recommendation. I’m now on my own having been with a colleague earlier. Do like a decent real ale.
The Eritrean was great as was their exceedingly cheap, off menu homemade tej (mead). I enjoyed that thing I do frequently abroad but rarely in Britain: throwing myself upon the kindness of strangers, asking naive questions and just telling them to bring me whatever they recommend.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Where is the line between crime prevention advice and victim-blaming?
It’s crime prevention advice before the event, and victim blaming afterwards.
Not a new one, but I agree there is some logic to it.
The trouble though, as with so many such theories, is what is the policy solution to the perceived problem? The richest societies are also the most highly educated.
Makes the point I spent a chunk of election day having to make to people refusing to see what they didn't want to in the Florida data -
That independent voting habits are heavily correlated to Democratic / Republican turnout shouldn't be rocket science. Otherwise, you end up having to defend positions like Democratic-leaning independents are uniquely motivated to vote, whereas Democrats aren't.
While I'm here, about Badenoch. I thought she'd be a formidable opponent, and although it's very early days, I'm not so sure. Here's why (and I know Crace made a similar point in the Guardian).
1. One of Badenoch's major selling points is to be passionately pro-free speech and against cancel culture. She has been particularly disparaging about the habit of dredging up historic tweets or other sources and blowing them up out of all proportion as 'gotchas' to seek to character assassinate. (I've some sympathy with her view).
2. At her first PMQs, Badenoch dredged up an old tweet (Lammy, 2017, in opposition) as a 'gotcha' to seek to drive an unhelpful wedge between the government and the new US President. Worse, she demanded an 'apology' by Lammy for exercising his free speech.
3. Not a promising start to do precisely what she's been so critical of others doing. I don't think she thought it through.
She's clearly got a populist angle to her. In today's day and age who can be confident that won't work? She will have a job keeping her MPs happy since it seems many didn't really want her.
At the moment, it doesn't really matter.
She has to get herself noticed in Parliament and in the wider country. Simply saying everything Starmer does and says is wrong is probably enough for the next 12-18 months.
There will come a point when she will need to put some flesh on the bones and give some insight as to what a Conservative Government, if elected in 2028 or 2029, will look like but no one is bothered about that now.
She has the freedom to simply oppose and as long as that moves the polls in the Party's favour she'll be fine.
There's been no film more anticipated this year than Gladiator II. The original won Best Picture at the Oscars and huge acclaim for Russell Crowe.
This week a preview at London's BAFTA certainly made an impression on viewers. And if early feelers are right, expect a host of award nominations... at the Razzies.
It's rare for anyone to utter a bad word about anything at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as there's every chance someone involved in what you are critiquing will pop up next to you at the screening. And yet at this screening, someone was heard openly commenting, "that was so bad" as the titles rolled.
Why? The script was described as awful; the dialogue "laughable".
And the usually reliable Paul Mescal, "makes Gerard Butler look like Daniel Day Lewis".
PS - Gladiator II director Ridley Scott is 87 now, five years older than Joe Biden.
To be fair, after the first or second watch of gladiator it’s actually not that great and a bit naff. An amazing spectacle when you first watch in a cinema, a different film you notice different things about when you watch it at home but I am never going to watch it as many times as Spartacus or Ben Hur.
I still think the best thing Ridley has been involved with of late(ish) is "Raised By Wolves". Wonderfully odd and eccentric.
Not a new one, but I agree there is some logic to it.
The trouble though, as with so many such theories, is what is the policy solution to the perceived problem? The richest societies are also the most highly educated.
Just to take what educated elites say with a pinch of salt and detect they have an interest as well?
Can somebody give an optimistic view on Trump 2.0 and the policies which will actually do some good?
Trump looks like he might drop dead quite soon. So fingers crossed that happens. Then Vance, whilst he is still an absolute plonker, might be slightly less malign and incompetent. That's about the best we can hope for. Hopefully in 2028 it is still possible to elect a Democrat President and America will have the sense to put this flirting with autocracy behind it.
I always thought Die Hard 2 was better than Die Hard.
Is it a Christmas movie, though ?
Oh FFS.
Film For Santa ?
If we're going to start arguing about Die Hard's Christmas or otherwise statutes I could certainly use a machine gun.
You'll be delighted to know I've got a thread on AV planned for Sunday.
As an aside, I am utterly spent, I've been effectively editing PB solo for nearly a year, and the year of two massive elections has taken its toll.
For the next few weeks the threads may not be that profound.
I appreciate your willing sacrifice - even having deducted pun credit, the Imelda Marcos tendency, and the fake claims for ownership the bits of Derbyshire stolen by the Sheffield branch of the Last of the Summer Wine massive.
I wrote 2500 blog articles, many quite extensive, in 4 years and a bit.
Can somebody give an optimistic view on Trump 2.0 and the policies which will actually do some good?
All my stock values have gone up. He might stimulate the US and global economy through tax cuts and breaks.
It's not impossible that through game theory he gets some deals that Biden/Harris wouldn't have done.
He might lead to the demise of judging people on identity groups for good.
Jfk files. Giving Prince Harry the willies about his visa. No men in women’s boxing at the next Olympics. Lifting the silly regs slowing down Starship tests. It’s a whole world of upside.
"Liberal women going on sex strike over Trump win Disgruntled female voters draw inspiration from Korean 4B movement to take revenge against men who voted Republican"
They are. Almost all MAGAs are bad news. Their equivalents outside America too. This brings me to another (and imo underappreciated) downside of Nov 5th. Which is that just about every little racist, xenophobe, misogynist and bigot the whole world over will be happy about the re-election of Donald Trump.
As we can all see, on here.
Have you ever read "Things can only get better" by John O'Farrell? In it, he describes his experiences as a student in the early 80s, where left-wing students compete with other left-wing students to take the most left wing position, decrying any insufficiently zealous left-winger as a Tory. It feels like this is what's going on here. Zealous anti Trumpers are comepting to be the most horrified by him and denouncing anyone slightly nuanced or and anyone who thinks certain Dems have been a bit crap as MAGAs. Like almost everyone here, I thought a Kamala win would be a significantly better outcome for America, Britain, and the world. But I did think she was a shit candidate, and I think certain Dems are being ridiculous. Let's not succumb tp TDS, eh?
That is a terrific book. Loved it. But Thatcher went straightaway when her time was up remember. She didn't do what Trump did. Any PM who tried that here would be over (unless they succeeded of course).
I don't see anybody on here denouncing anyone not full fat anti-Trump as being MAGAs. Eg I'm certainly not.
My post was in response to IanB2. But I've seen one or two other suggest we've got a few Trump enthusiasts. Which strikes me as a little paranoid.
Wilson came back for another go, of course. Or do you mean the Jan 6th incident? In which case I agree. The beauty of having politicians separate from the Head of State, I suppose.
I'm one of those who thinks the danger of Trump is underestimated and he is too easily written off as a blowhard who's all mouth and no trousers. I think the trousers are there.
Jan 6th is one thing, and it was the most dramatic and serious incident. But to my mind what happened in the months leading up to it was every bit as bad, and a little more worrying. Trump refused to accept the result of the election. He and his team made dozens of spurious claims, attempted to bully courts into submission (and thankfully failed) and put huge pressure on fellow Republicans to break protocol, tradition and democratic norms and refuse to certify the result. It was an attempt to overturn a free and fair election result.
The man is very clearly, for all to see, a proto-autocrat. If he were the PM of Pakistan or Zimbabwe and doing exactly the same things we would all see him for what he is. It's only a sort of normalcy bias that makes us assume a Western, Anglo Saxon leader in the 21st century couldn't turn dictator. People laugh it off as TDS far too easily.
Not a new one, but I agree there is some logic to it.
The trouble though, as with so many such theories, is what is the policy solution to the perceived problem? The richest societies are also the most highly educated.
Just to take what educated elites say with a pinch of salt and detect they have an interest as well?
If that's the answer, then yes - we should be doing that already. If the answer is reduce elite production by restricting tertiary education that's when it becomes unworkable.
An interesting limbering up for an anti-MAGA legal programme, to keep Mr Chump under a degree of control via death by 1000 lawsuits. Here it is focused on the Chevron case, which was the one where Scotus eviscerated the power of Federal administrative agencies.
If they have been emasculated by Chevron, Chump's newly appointed MAGA chumps running the agencies will have less power, and so may be more amenable to challenge.
Can somebody give an optimistic view on Trump 2.0 and the policies which will actually do some good?
All my stock values have gone up. He might stimulate the US and global economy through tax cuts and breaks.
It's not impossible that through game theory he gets some deals that Biden/Harris wouldn't have done.
He might lead to the demise of judging people on identity groups for good.
Jfk files. Giving Prince Harry the willies about his visa. No men in women’s boxing at the next Olympics. Lifting the silly regs slowing down Starship tests. It’s a whole world of upside.
Actually space is a big one. I despise the man and this doesn’t make up for the bad stuff, but I bet he makes some big ambitious moves on space with Musk whispering in his ear. If you take the 50 year view, that’s a good thing.
Can somebody give an optimistic view on Trump 2.0 and the policies which will actually do some good?
All my stock values have gone up. He might stimulate the US and global economy through tax cuts and breaks.
It's not impossible that through game theory he gets some deals that Biden/Harris wouldn't have done.
He might lead to the demise of judging people on identity groups for good.
Jfk files. Giving Prince Harry the willies about his visa. No men in women’s boxing at the next Olympics. Lifting the silly regs slowing down Starship tests. It’s a whole world of upside.
Actually space is a big one. I despise the man and this doesn’t make up for the bad stuff, but I bet he makes some big ambitious moves on space with Musk whispering in his ear. If you take the 50 year view, that’s a good thing.
One day (hopefully after we’re all long gone) humans are going to have to deflect an asteroid. I don’t understand why we wouldn’t be in a massive fucking hurry to perfect this capability.
One day, in the future, we might grow up enough as a country to stop worrying about where our PM is in the running order of phone calls made by the new President Elect.
Tim Montgomerie talking appeasement of Putin as a potential benefit of a Trump Presidency on QT. More than willing to sell Ukrainian territory down the river.
Not being greeted by Viktor Orban should be seen as a great compliment.
Oh and it turns out Starmer was late so they'd all gone in already. Why am I not surprised. Honestly, the sort of tweet linked above is classic British exceptionalism - a feature of both left and right. The assumption that if we aren't the greatest in the world at something, we must inevitably be the very worst.
Can somebody give an optimistic view on Trump 2.0 and the policies which will actually do some good?
All my stock values have gone up. He might stimulate the US and global economy through tax cuts and breaks.
It's not impossible that through game theory he gets some deals that Biden/Harris wouldn't have done.
He might lead to the demise of judging people on identity groups for good.
Jfk files. Giving Prince Harry the willies about his visa. No men in women’s boxing at the next Olympics. Lifting the silly regs slowing down Starship tests. It’s a whole world of upside.
Disney get rid off its woke activists, including Kathleen Kennedy?
One day, in the future, we might grow up enough as a country to stop worrying about where our PM is in the running order of phone calls made by the new President Elect.
But it’s not this day.
We can only parley with the US, China and Russia as an equal with an empire, not without.
One day, in the future, we might grow up enough as a country to stop worrying about where our PM is in the running order of phone calls made by the new President Elect.
But it’s not this day.
We can only parley with the US, China and Russia as an equal with an empire, not without.
Otherwise, we are just too small.
We can still be equal with France, under Starmer it seems we are not even that
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Where is the line between crime prevention advice and victim-blaming?
It’s crime prevention advice before the event, and victim blaming afterwards.
I almost like that post, but I think even before the event it can be victim blaming.
Using your phone in public is categorically not asking for it to be stolen, any more than wearing a short skirt is asking to be raped.
I would not accept the Police telling women to not wear short skirts and we should not accept the Police telling people they can't use their personal property in public.
If thieves are stealing phones then the Police need to do their damned job and arrest them. Shouldn't be impossible given the damned devices are GPS-tracked FFS!
And the courts need to do their jobs and incarcerate those who are guilty of the offence, with the same swiftness as shown to those rioting etc
Has Farage just christened the official Trump-Jong-Un (or I suppose Trump-Jong-Il if the current incarnation is Trump-Il-Sung).
I don't think Barron has any interest in being a politician and seems quite shy, he would probably opt to be a lawyer in private practice or an accountant instead
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
I live in the real world (North West England) and use my phone out in public all the time and have never had an issue with it.
Funny that the people laughing about Macron getting phoned before Starmer by Trump are exactly the same people who got furious about Obama preferring Merkel to Cameron and him removing the Churchill bust.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
What's different about phones that doesn't apply to handbags or wallets?
You stop such crime by raising the likelihood that you will be caught when committing it, and spend a long time in prison subsequently. So you need a few dedicated police teams in the hotspots for such crime, who can catch the moped thieves. You need a fasttrack court to convict them within a week, and you need space in prison to keep them behind bars for a significant stretch. Plus you also put the legwork in to track down where the stolen phones are being sold on, and you cut off the ability to sell them on for a profit.
If it was impossible then street crime such as muggings would always have been rife. But that hasn't been the case, because it's not impossible.
I'm told by a friend in the movie industry it's actually very good. Denzel Washington puts in a performance of the ages apparently.
Hmm. Believe it when I see it.
Not sure how much store I place by the judgement of those within the movie industry.
Fair but I trust his judgement, he's been ready to call out his own studio when they make shit movies as well shitting on Disney for the shit they've been putting out. He said it's a better sequel than Blade Runner 2049 which is pretty high praise.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Surely if the Met actually wanted to do something about this, it would be fairly trivial to use some plain clothes bobbies as bait in the known hot spots. Live tracking app on the bait device, couple of Plod on motorbikes in the next street ready to head off in pursuit. If there is a 10% chance your mug holding his phone to be easily snatched is actually a Plod crime rates should drop quite fast.
Funny that the people laughing about Macron getting phoned before Starmer by Trump are exactly the same people who got furious about Obama preferring Merkel to Cameron and him removing the Churchill bust.
Analysis of initial phone calls is among the most pathetic of all political wonk discussions. Who was the twerp who talked about 'earning' a phone call?
Makes the point I spent a chunk of election day having to make to people refusing to see what they didn't want to in the Florida data -
That independent voting habits are heavily correlated to Democratic / Republican turnout shouldn't be rocket science. Otherwise, you end up having to defend positions like Democratic-leaning independents are uniquely motivated to vote, whereas Democrats aren't.
I'm told by a friend in the movie industry it's actually very good. Denzel Washington puts in a performance of the ages apparently.
Hmm. Believe it when I see it.
Not sure how much store I place by the judgement of those within the movie industry.
Fair but I trust his judgement, he's been ready to call out his own studio when they make shit movies as well shitting on Disney for the shit they've been putting out. He said it's a better sequel than Blade Runner 2049 which is pretty high praise.
Then they should fire the people who put the trailer together, since it looks crap. And trailers can usually make a bad movie look good.
Denzel being good is usually a given of course, even if it's been awhile since a truly memorable performance.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
I live in the real world (North West England) and use my phone out in public all the time and have never had an issue with it.
Which is as it should be everywhere.
And also how it is, to be honest, in London. I may come to regret writing this but I've never been mugged or had anything snatched from me and have lived in a relatively poor area of inner city London my entire adult life.
(I've had my car nicked twice though, and the police really don't give a damn).
I got the chance to see The Empire Strikes Back at the cinema in September (only the second time I've seen it with an audience - The other time being in 1997 as I was too young for the original 1980 release)
The theate was packed from front to back and literally nobody left from start to finish, not even for toilet break.
Amazing really for a 34 year old film.
The great tales are timeless. Spartacus was mentioned upthread. Although you know that he and his followers will come to terrible ends, defeat is no refutation.
“Heart shall be stronger, spirit the keener, will the greater, even as our strength lessens.”
All this talk of "don't have phones out in public" and rampant phone thieves is so alien to me, like people talking from a third world country, its something that happens there but not here.
Recently I was in Liverpool and had my phone out for sat nav between parking and where I was walking to since there was no parking at my destination and never thought twice about having the phone out the entire time. On way back to the car I was playing on my phone, never thought twice about it. Amusing considering the reputation of Liverpool, but it seems to this Scouser that we're so much safer than what's being discussed by our Cockney correspondents.
Not sure what the difference is, except from what people are suggesting that we're not blighted by bikes and traffic isn't so bad that we can still drive properly and cars aren't convenient for muggers in the same way as bikes are.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
The reality is that most of this crime is committed by a fairly small number of individuals. Three strikes and it's 20 years in the slammer type legislation won't change them, but it does mean that during their 20 years inside they won't be nicking your phone. Prison works folks.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
The reality is that most of this crime is committed by a fairly small number of individuals. Three strikes and it's 20 years in the slammer type legislation won't change them, but it does mean that during their 20 years inside they won't be nicking your phone. Prison works folks.
Prison contains much more than just inveterate lifetime criminals. It does create some though. Worth googling incarceration rates vs crime rates per country (and by US state).
Putin's bumlicker within the EU despising Starmer reflects well on him if anything.
Reminder to all that this is a fake story: Starmer arrived late when the rest of the attendees had already gone inside for the reception.
One of the reasons that politicians like these international meetings is that they like the photos of them looking important and meeting other leaders. So I think it's fair to have a laugh at their expense when they miss out on the photo opportunity, for whatever reason.
I got the chance to see The Empire Strikes Back at the cinema in September (only the second time I've seen it with an audience - The other time being in 1997 as I was too young for the original 1980 release)
The theate was packed from front to back and literally nobody left from start to finish, not even for toilet break.
Amazing really for a 34 year old film.
The great tales are timeless. Spartacus was mentioned upthread. Although you know that he and his followers will come to terrible ends, defeat is no refutation.
“Heart shall be stronger, spirit the keener, will the greater, even as our strength lessens.”
I've always preferred El Cid to Spartacus.
Weirdly more difficult to get hold of, for some reason the version I bought was an Italian copy.
All this talk of "don't have phones out in public" and rampant phone thieves is so alien to me, like people talking from a third world country, its something that happens there but not here.
Recently I was in Liverpool and had my phone out for sat nav between parking and where I was walking to since there was no parking at my destination and never thought twice about having the phone out the entire time. On way back to the car I was playing on my phone, never thought twice about it. Amusing considering the reputation of Liverpool, but it seems to this Scouser that we're so much safer than what's being discussed by our Cockney correspondents.
Not sure what the difference is, except from what people are suggesting that we're not blighted by bikes and traffic isn't so bad that we can still drive properly and cars aren't convenient for muggers in the same way as bikes are.
I think in reality this may be one of those crimes where your demographic - particularly your age - makes a huge difference to your risk of being a victim.
My son tells me of a number of school friends who've had their phones snatched. Whereas fully grown adults, particularly over the age of about 25, don't seem to experience it at all. Same with mugging: once you're over about 30 that risk seems to decline massively. Kids steal from kids.
Last night, as I was returning to my flat in London, I was attacked and mugged by a group of individuals.
Luckily, I have no injuries and I am ok. Unfortunately, they just took my phone so I’m without one for the foreseeable future.
I want to thank the @metpoliceuk for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force. "
And if he wasn't an mp the response when he rang up would have been "we can give you a crime number"
What the Met say constantly is using your phone in public is asking for it to be stolen. There are signs up everywhere and announcements on the tubes and trains urging people not to leave their phone "on display" but we are of course so dependent on the devices out they come as soon as we're outside the stations and the muggers, usually on bicycles or e-scooters, take their chance.
Of course, it shouldn't be like that but it is and we all know that.
Sounds a bit like victim blaming.
To an extent, it is. It would be so much better if we could all use our phones in public in perfect safety but I live in the real world (or East London) and it's just something you don't do because there's a very real risk someone on a bicycle or e-scooter will come up and snatch it out of your hand.
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
The reality is that most of this crime is committed by a fairly small number of individuals. Three strikes and it's 20 years in the slammer type legislation won't change them, but it does mean that during their 20 years inside they won't be nicking your phone. Prison works folks.
You don't need three strikes or incredibly long sentences if only a small number are doing a lot of it, you just need to catch and punish them normally and it ould have the same effect.
"Liberal women going on sex strike over Trump win Disgruntled female voters draw inspiration from Korean 4B movement to take revenge against men who voted Republican"
They are. Almost all MAGAs are bad news. Their equivalents outside America too. This brings me to another (and imo underappreciated) downside of Nov 5th. Which is that just about every little racist, xenophobe, misogynist and bigot the whole world over will be happy about the re-election of Donald Trump.
As we can all see, on here.
Have you ever read "Things can only get better" by John O'Farrell? In it, he describes his experiences as a student in the early 80s, where left-wing students compete with other left-wing students to take the most left wing position, decrying any insufficiently zealous left-winger as a Tory. It feels like this is what's going on here. Zealous anti Trumpers are comepting to be the most horrified by him and denouncing anyone slightly nuanced or and anyone who thinks certain Dems have been a bit crap as MAGAs. Like almost everyone here, I thought a Kamala win would be a significantly better outcome for America, Britain, and the world. But I did think she was a shit candidate, and I think certain Dems are being ridiculous. Let's not succumb tp TDS, eh?
That is a terrific book. Loved it. But Thatcher went straightaway when her time was up remember. She didn't do what Trump did. Any PM who tried that here would be over (unless they succeeded of course).
I don't see anybody on here denouncing anyone not full fat anti-Trump as being MAGAs. Eg I'm certainly not.
My post was in response to IanB2. But I've seen one or two other suggest we've got a few Trump enthusiasts. Which strikes me as a little paranoid.
Wilson came back for another go, of course. Or do you mean the Jan 6th incident? In which case I agree. The beauty of having politicians separate from the Head of State, I suppose.
And all the stuff in the lead up to Jan 6th.
Trumpers on here? Not many but yes "a few" isn't inaccurate. It's about 18% of the UK population so no surprise we have some.
Putin's bumlicker within the EU despising Starmer reflects well on him if anything.
Reminder to all that this is a fake story: Starmer arrived late when the rest of the attendees had already gone inside for the reception.
One of the reasons that politicians like these international meetings is that they like the photos of them looking important and meeting other leaders. So I think it's fair to have a laugh at their expense when they miss out on the photo opportunity, for whatever reason.
But honestly are we really talking about a "photo opportunity" to be snapped along with dickhead leader of a 3rd tier country Viktor Orban? This isn't a meeting with Macron at the Elysee. It's not even on the same plane in power politics to shaking hands with Donald Tusk in Poland.
Not exactly diplomatic, but amusing. Jaude Claude Junker once met Orban by calling him a dictator and playfully slapping him in the face. It was funny, sure, but Junker was probably completely pissed out of his mind at the time.
Putin's bumlicker within the EU despising Starmer reflects well on him if anything.
Reminder to all that this is a fake story: Starmer arrived late when the rest of the attendees had already gone inside for the reception.
One of the reasons that politicians like these international meetings is that they like the photos of them looking important and meeting other leaders. So I think it's fair to have a laugh at their expense when they miss out on the photo opportunity, for whatever reason.
But honestly are we really talking about a "photo opportunity" to be snapped along with dickhead leader of a 3rd tier country Viktor Orban? This isn't a meeting with Macron at the Elysee. It's not even on the same plane in power politics to shaking hands with Donald Tusk in Poland.
Anyone worrying about such petty shit needs to have a serious think about their priorities.
All this talk of "don't have phones out in public" and rampant phone thieves is so alien to me, like people talking from a third world country, its something that happens there but not here.
Recently I was in Liverpool and had my phone out for sat nav between parking and where I was walking to since there was no parking at my destination and never thought twice about having the phone out the entire time. On way back to the car I was playing on my phone, never thought twice about it. Amusing considering the reputation of Liverpool, but it seems to this Scouser that we're so much safer than what's being discussed by our Cockney correspondents.
Not sure what the difference is, except from what people are suggesting that we're not blighted by bikes and traffic isn't so bad that we can still drive properly and cars aren't convenient for muggers in the same way as bikes are.
If you look at the crime stats for England and Wales, theft from the person correlates strongly with wealth and walkable neighbourhoods, as you'd expect. London (Westminster) at the top, old mining areas of Wales at the bottom.
I understand it's not diplomatic and Orban remains an EU leader, but still. The man is essentially Putin's Vidkun Quisling in Europe so that response is probably morally the right one.
I understand it's not diplomatic and Orban remains an EU leader, but still. The man is essentially Putin's Vidkun Quisling in Europe so that response is probably morally the right one.
In international diplomacy a lot of awful people have to be put up with, or it is easier/more beneficial to put up with them. Orban is one where they can probably slight him and not suffer too much, since he delights in irking the rest of the EU anyway, and he's not going to throw it all away over that, though he might rant and get his own back with some petty response in turn.
I posted that story earlier today. Remarkable was the number of environmentalists arguing on Twitter that it was a good use of £100m (plus whatever the lengthy delay and lawyers fees involved cost).
Ah, you must have missed the several pages of bat discussion in a previous thread!
The great thing about them is, like rare bat species, bat discussions appear to pop up with amazing regularity, so we always get a chance to bring it back up.
Comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raised_by_Wolves_(American_TV_series)
On one hand we want the US economy to do well as it effects us here , on the other hand when I’m feeling in a particularly bitter mood about Trump winning again I want the whole thing to crash and burn . The only way to defeat this type of hateful populism is for it to be held responsible for a lot of economic pain.
An important person does something a crime is commited....all stops pulled out
Average joe does the same thing police here is a crime number but it was your own fault so we aren't bothering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzUJJKDa558
(And I got a thrill when The Beta Band took a bit of the soundtrack as part of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnisR4_9cAc )
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/nov/07/paul-mescal-lookalike-competition-dublin-20-euro
'“I’m very proud, it’s been a good buzz,” Wall O’Reilly told the Irish Independent, crediting his victory to having won “the genetic Paul Mescal lottery”.
He was presented with a giant cheque made out for €20 “or three pints” – although it was unclear how the latter would be cashed.'
Also, the AtariST was better than the Amiga500.
FIGHT.
Spectrum 128K +3.
I don't see anybody on here denouncing anyone not full fat anti-Trump as being MAGAs. Eg I'm certainly not.
(If there are any Archimedes fans out there - you are also basically cheating)
Not sure how much store I place by the judgement of those within the movie industry.
Andrew Sullivan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngQsxaHCk_8
Wilson came back for another go, of course.
Or do you mean the Jan 6th incident? In which case I agree. The beauty of having politicians separate from the Head of State, I suppose.
She will have a job keeping her MPs happy since it seems many didn't really want her.
What's the alternative? There simply aren't the Police for the number of crimes committed - crime is triaged, the really serious stuff (murder, rape) gets priority and then the "important" victims. Having your phone stolen isn't the same as murder or rape, is it? Yes, if there's violence involved, the Police would act but if not, well, is it a good use of their resources or our public money?
IF you could recruit the tens of thousands of additional officers required to investigate each and every crime, who would pay for them? Where would they be - on every street corner, perhaps? Probably would deter crime - we'd have a nice ordered society, then, wouldn't we?
Trump has failed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of being elected...
Tell me how this shouldn't be the case - give me a coherent policy which would end such street crime. I've not heard one yet from anyone.
https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/donald-trump-latest-news-us-election-live-updates-kdvc8mxbb
The Eritrean was great as was their exceedingly cheap, off menu homemade tej (mead). I enjoyed that thing I do frequently abroad but rarely in Britain: throwing myself upon the kindness of strangers, asking naive questions and just telling them to bring me whatever they recommend.
The trouble though, as with so many such theories, is what is the policy solution to the perceived problem? The richest societies are also the most highly educated.
(In my dreams).
Makes the point I spent a chunk of election day having to make to people refusing to see what they didn't want to in the Florida data -
That independent voting habits are heavily correlated to Democratic / Republican turnout shouldn't be rocket science. Otherwise, you end up having to defend positions like Democratic-leaning independents are uniquely motivated to vote, whereas Democrats aren't.
She has to get herself noticed in Parliament and in the wider country. Simply saying everything Starmer does and says is wrong is probably enough for the next 12-18 months.
There will come a point when she will need to put some flesh on the bones and give some insight as to what a Conservative Government, if elected in 2028 or 2029, will look like but no one is bothered about that now.
She has the freedom to simply oppose and as long as that moves the polls in the Party's favour she'll be fine.
It's not impossible that through game theory he gets some deals that Biden/Harris wouldn't have done.
He might lead to the demise of judging people on identity groups for good.
Of course, defining 'good' is part of the issue.
I wrote 2500 blog articles, many quite extensive, in 4 years and a bit.
Not an experience I intend to repeat. Ever.
Jan 6th is one thing, and it was the most dramatic and serious incident. But to my mind what happened in the months leading up to it was every bit as bad, and a little more worrying. Trump refused to accept the result of the election. He and his team made dozens of spurious claims, attempted to bully courts into submission (and thankfully failed) and put huge pressure on fellow Republicans to break protocol, tradition and democratic norms and refuse to certify the result. It was an attempt to overturn a free and fair election result.
The man is very clearly, for all to see, a proto-autocrat. If he were the PM of Pakistan or Zimbabwe and doing exactly the same things we would all see him for what he is. It's only a sort of normalcy bias that makes us assume a Western, Anglo Saxon leader in the 21st century couldn't turn dictator. People laugh it off as TDS far too easily.
Barron Trump is a very bright 18 year old who played a big part in his father’s stunning victory.
https://x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1854571080272232625
If they have been emasculated by Chevron, Chump's newly appointed MAGA chumps running the agencies will have less power, and so may be more amenable to challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8toJQZTUn4
😂😆 'Starmer doesn’t get greeted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, everyone else does.
As I said, Starmer is the laughing stock of the west, it’s reflected on how he has already been shunned by Biden and now by Orban.'
https://x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1854515031943086264
Trump also phoned Macron and Netanyahu 2 hours before Starmer
https://www.gbnews.com/politics/donald-trump-emmanuel-macron-benjamin-netanyahu-keir-starmer
But it’s not this day.
Oh and it turns out Starmer was late so they'd all gone in already. Why am I not surprised. Honestly, the sort of tweet linked above is classic British exceptionalism - a feature of both left and right. The assumption that if we aren't the greatest in the world at something, we must inevitably be the very worst.
Otherwise, we are just too small.
Using your phone in public is categorically not asking for it to be stolen, any more than wearing a short skirt is asking to be raped.
I would not accept the Police telling women to not wear short skirts and we should not accept the Police telling people they can't use their personal property in public.
If thieves are stealing phones then the Police need to do their damned job and arrest them. Shouldn't be impossible given the damned devices are GPS-tracked FFS!
And the courts need to do their jobs and incarcerate those who are guilty of the offence, with the same swiftness as shown to those rioting etc
Which is as it should be everywhere.
You stop such crime by raising the likelihood that you will be caught when committing it, and spend a long time in prison subsequently. So you need a few dedicated police teams in the hotspots for such crime, who can catch the moped thieves. You need a fasttrack court to convict them within a week, and you need space in prison to keep them behind bars for a significant stretch. Plus you also put the legwork in to track down where the stolen phones are being sold on, and you cut off the ability to sell them on for a profit.
If it was impossible then street crime such as muggings would always have been rife. But that hasn't been the case, because it's not impossible.
If AI sounded that bad..
Denzel being good is usually a given of course, even if it's been awhile since a truly memorable performance.
(I've had my car nicked twice though, and the police really don't give a damn).
Recently I was in Liverpool and had my phone out for sat nav between parking and where I was walking to since there was no parking at my destination and never thought twice about having the phone out the entire time. On way back to the car I was playing on my phone, never thought twice about it. Amusing considering the reputation of Liverpool, but it seems to this Scouser that we're so much safer than what's being discussed by our Cockney correspondents.
Not sure what the difference is, except from what people are suggesting that we're not blighted by bikes and traffic isn't so bad that we can still drive properly and cars aren't convenient for muggers in the same way as bikes are.
Worth googling incarceration rates vs crime rates per country (and by US state).
But yes, fake news
The sneering going on there is quite something.
My son tells me of a number of school friends who've had their phones snatched. Whereas fully grown adults, particularly over the age of about 25, don't seem to experience it at all. Same with mugging: once you're over about 30 that risk seems to decline massively. Kids steal from kids.
https://x.com/jurgen_nauditt/status/1854532319274516628
Trumpers on here? Not many but yes "a few" isn't inaccurate. It's about 18% of the UK population so no surprise we have some.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hl83Jpd_OI
https://www.ft.com/content/fd5e34dc-e006-491b-93b2-576e3adf45f8?desktop=true&segmentId=d8d3e364-5197-20eb-17cf-2437841d178a#myft:notification:instant-email:content
https://nitter.poast.org/duncanrobinson/status/1854515657770934323#m
Remarkable was the number of environmentalists arguing on Twitter that it was a good use of £100m (plus whatever the lengthy delay and lawyers fees involved cost).