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Just one in five people are pleased by what Labour have done in office so far – politicalbetting.com

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  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578
    I expect government to be a little crappy, so I can give Labour some more time before finalising a view about them.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578
    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    rcs1000 said:

    Cookie said:

    MattW said:

    I am not sure a UK jury would have reached the same verdict. But our definition regarding the self-defence plea is a little more robust. In the US, "I was scared so I snapped his neck/ strangled him" seems like justifiable action.
    Penny had him in a strangulation hold for 6 minutes, including nearly a minute after he was dead.

    IMO that's horribly excessive, but in the USA citizens are far more tolerated killing each other.

    There's a decent video about it on this page, which is better than the "kangeroo court" rhetoric coming from Fox.

    https://www.thefp.com/p/jordan-neely-daniel-penny-f-train-bodycam-video
    Personally, though I don't know the ins and outs of this case, in general, I'm more aligned with the USA here. It still rankles slightly with me that that fella in Lincolnshire 20-odd years ago was convicted for shooting those lads who repeatedly broke into his house.
    Juries hardly ever convict in the UK if they think the person is acting reasonably. Go Google (or ChatGPT) and ask them about the number of times people have been convicted (or even charged) with defending themselves or their home, and you would be amazed how rarely it happens.

    IIRC, Tony Martin was convicted because he shot them in the back as they ran away.

    I think the trick with these things is to create an offence - but a lessor one - to enable people to be convicted when they do overstep the line. Without basically allowing people to just tie up, torture and murder people who break into their home.
    Lying in wait with an illegal firearm, having previous told people that his plan to ambush and shoot burglars, didn’t look good either.

    As several policeman in the US have got into trouble for saying - make sure the gun is legal and all the holes are in the front.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990

    And ON topic - assuming the plan is to do the difficult stuff upfront, isn't this the kind of polling you would expect?

    Honestly, what did the public expect? It was never going to be easy for whatever government that took over.

    I think my beef with the current lot is that despite claiming to have a plan, and having had a decent time where it was obvious that they would be in power, they give every impression of arriving in power without said plan (not in all areas, to be sure). Starmer in particular played the Ming vase strategy to perfection and was rewarded with one of the most 'unjust' super majorities imaginable.*

    What is the plan for growth, other than saying we want lots of growth? Where is the evidence from other countries that have managed to trigger lots of growth? Can we do what they did? Thats what we need. Not lies/half-truths about unexpected black holes in the finances.


    *But thats the system that both major parties like!

    I think the plan for growth is a closer relationship with Europe, invest in green energy, and fix the public sector, all of which seem sensible to me.
    And at the moment, "hasn't worked yet" and "won't work" look pretty much the same on the ground. Which is all most of us can go on.
    This is the trouble with all parties and their supporters of which ever colour they confuse announcing they are fixing things with actually doing it. A good proportion of the time the announcement is the sum total of what they are doing the rest of the time even if they follow through the plan they have doesn't achieve the result they announced it would a large proportion of the time....in fact I struggle to think of any government policy that has ever lived up to the hype its announced with
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,394
    Barnesian said:
    An After Eight mint? What's that compared with Wales or Kent?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,394

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990

    rcs1000 said:

    Cookie said:

    MattW said:

    I am not sure a UK jury would have reached the same verdict. But our definition regarding the self-defence plea is a little more robust. In the US, "I was scared so I snapped his neck/ strangled him" seems like justifiable action.
    Penny had him in a strangulation hold for 6 minutes, including nearly a minute after he was dead.

    IMO that's horribly excessive, but in the USA citizens are far more tolerated killing each other.

    There's a decent video about it on this page, which is better than the "kangeroo court" rhetoric coming from Fox.

    https://www.thefp.com/p/jordan-neely-daniel-penny-f-train-bodycam-video
    Personally, though I don't know the ins and outs of this case, in general, I'm more aligned with the USA here. It still rankles slightly with me that that fella in Lincolnshire 20-odd years ago was convicted for shooting those lads who repeatedly broke into his house.
    Juries hardly ever convict in the UK if they think the person is acting reasonably. Go Google (or ChatGPT) and ask them about the number of times people have been convicted (or even charged) with defending themselves or their home, and you would be amazed how rarely it happens.

    IIRC, Tony Martin was convicted because he shot them in the back as they ran away.

    I think the trick with these things is to create an offence - but a lessor one - to enable people to be convicted when they do overstep the line. Without basically allowing people to just tie up, torture and murder people who break into their home.
    Lying in wait with an illegal firearm, having previous told people that his plan to ambush and shoot burglars, didn’t look good either.

    As several policeman in the US have got into trouble for saying - make sure the gun is legal and all the holes are in the front.
    The mistake he mostly made was not just burying them in the backyard and feigning ignorance
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
    Not without a fight.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,198
    Nigelb said:

    FPT, because this is important...

    biggles said:

    Just to add some balance here, out there in the real world most of us like Love Actually and overlook any overthought “creepiness”, noting that it’s a fantasy world.

    To tie this in with polling, it is actually tied with well-loved Christmas film Die Hard as Britain’s third favourite.

    https://yougov.co.uk/entertainment/articles/33528-public-has-spoken-elf-best-christmas-film

    Yes chosen by *8%* of those polled.

    "Most of us" ? - citation, please.

    Here's a fair assessment of the pros and cons.
    https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/revisiting-love-actually-20-year-anniversary-1235802104/

    The pros basically amount to "it had an incredible cast", and "Curtis could still write a few good lines".

    But on balance - just effing awful.


    (edit)
    Here's the cite: 52% of Brits polled are nuts, devoid of taste.
    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/survey-results/daily/2023/12/20/76fc4/1
    Pffft. “Facts”. It’s a new era now. “Most of us” is MY TRUTH. Don’t be a hater.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,857
    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,198

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    No, Typhoo went bust because it tastes like reheated anaemic horse pee.

    However, tea consumption does seem to be down as well. Explains a lot about the state of the U.K., and the nation’s mental health crisis, really.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,112
    carnforth said:

    £1.68bn accounts trick inflated water firm's books
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd75nqwdpj7o

    Panorama vs Severn Trent.

    Big claim, that. Someone's going to end up with egg on their face.
    Not sewage?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    Leon said:

    kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    kinabalu said:

    It's probably not possible but I think SKS should pay zero attention to opinion polling until early 2026. Just get on with the job and pretend the public doesn't exist.

    What job? Grifting free designer y-fronts? He doesn’t have a job. He doesn’t do anything. He has no plans no ideas no clue no nothing. They are all sitting there in the cabinet like a bunch of brain damaged battery hens hearing a weird electric noise in the warehouse
    next door

    They have absolutely no strategy for getting Britain out of this mess, virtually all their instincts are to make things worse. They already know they are a one term government so they are simply going to extract as much cash as they can for themselves then run away
    I get no sense of defeatism or corruption. That's all in your head. What I do detect is that they are finding it hard to establish a narrative and an identity. But that's not the end of the world. If the policies bring improvement to key areas like housing and health this is more important than having a narrative and an identity.
    “Some, even from within the party’s own ranks, are already catastrophising that this is doomed to be a one-term administration.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/17/why-labours-high-command-has-become-very-obsessed-with-bills-and-borders

    There’s loads of this if you look carefully and read between the lines. Which you don’t and which you can’t
    How late, how late it was...

    They would be wise whatever the case to get on with things and assume they do only have five years. Blair regrets wasting time in first few years.
  • oxfordsimonoxfordsimon Posts: 5,844

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990
    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    I don't understand the desire for tea, I drink it occasionally to be polite to people who seem to think giving me a cup of tea is doing me some sort of favour rather than being the equivalent of giving me a cum of tepid horse semen
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,330
    edited December 9
    Still more good news for Mr Sarwar and Slab:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gxp093gwno

    'The leader of City of Edinburgh Council has resigned after police launched an investigation into an allegation of inappropriate behaviour.

    Labour's Cammy Day had been suspended by the party pending the outcome of the probe.

    It was reported by the Sunday Mail, external that Day had "bombarded" Ukrainian refugees with messages, including asking sexually explicit questions.'

    Edit: as the gent from BBC Shortbread says,

    'In Edinburgh, the SNP is the single biggest party but is in opposition.

    Instead Labour governs as a minority with support from Lib Dem and Conservative councillors.

    Labour will be hoping to stay in charge of the administration but this is not a foregone conclusion.'
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    Doesn't a chancellor need to be questionable in the commons?
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,198
    Pagan2 said:

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    Doesn't a chancellor need to be questionable in the commons?
    This one is highly questionable in the Commons…
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578
    Pagan2 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    I don't understand the desire for tea, I drink it occasionally to be polite to people who seem to think giving me a cup of tea is doing me some sort of favour rather than being the equivalent of giving me a cum of tepid horse semen
    You prefer your horse semen boiling hot, I assume?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578
    Pagan2 said:

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    Doesn't a chancellor need to be questionable in the commons?
    I doubt there's a formal rule about it - if Cameron could be Foreign Secretary in the Lords after all.

    Though the same thing would apply, in that it would be a massive slap in the face for all the MP options.
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 3,944

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
    Not without a fight.
    Perhaps they need "Lebensraum"?
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990
    kle4 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    I don't understand the desire for tea, I drink it occasionally to be polite to people who seem to think giving me a cup of tea is doing me some sort of favour rather than being the equivalent of giving me a cum of tepid horse semen
    You prefer your horse semen boiling hot, I assume?
    It starts to get a bit coagulated when tepid which is why bars serve it warm. Note few bars do tea a lot more do coffee as well
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 28,394

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
    Not without a fight.
    Who can fight them, especially with America holding their coat? No, this might be the next step to a peaceful Middle East.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,857

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    Sorry to lower the tone but I am reminded of JCR men's bog wall circa 1974, (for younger members this refered to a current advertising slogan): "If Typhoo put the T in Britain who put the **** in Scunthorpe?"
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888

    I am not sure a UK jury would have reached the same verdict. But our definition regarding the self-defence plea is a little more robust. In the US, "I was scared so I snapped his neck/ strangled him" seems like justifiable action.
    Really?

    "[Kenneth] Noye fatally stabbed Detective Constable John Fordham, who was involved in the police surveillance of Noye, in the grounds of his home on 26 January 1985. Acquitted of murder on the grounds of self-defence in December of that year..."
    Kenny Noye was apparently a senior freemason and the forces of freemasonry including freemason coppers saw Kenny right, over and above justice for the murdered policeman. Suffice to say the case was full of holes. Stabbing the lad some years later in a road rage incident was a step too far even for dodgy coppers.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,112
    Carnyx said:

    Still more good news for Mr Sarwar and Slab:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gxp093gwno

    'The leader of City of Edinburgh Council has resigned after police launched an investigation into an allegation of inappropriate behaviour.

    Labour's Cammy Day had been suspended by the party pending the outcome of the probe.

    It was reported by the Sunday Mail, external that Day had "bombarded" Ukrainian refugees with messages, including asking sexually explicit questions.'

    Edit: as the gent from BBC Shortbread says,

    'In Edinburgh, the SNP is the single biggest party but is in opposition.

    Instead Labour governs as a minority with support from Lib Dem and Conservative councillors.

    Labour will be hoping to stay in charge of the administration but this is not a foregone conclusion.'

    Cammy Day? Sounds like a celebration of our most recent Tory Foreign Secretary.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
    Not without a fight.
    Who can fight them, especially with America holding their coat? No, this might be the next step to a peaceful Middle East.
    Owen Jones?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    You'd struggle to drag me away from the fragrant Susannah.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,990

    Interesting thread on Israel’s land grab in Syria:

    https://x.com/nhazony/status/1866140280467939391

    Another conquest to add to the Golan Heights. Israel won't be giving that back.
    Not without a fight.
    Who can fight them, especially with America holding their coat? No, this might be the next step to a peaceful Middle East.
    Owen Jones?
    I would pitch in to crowd fund him a one way ticket to syria and an ak47
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 620
    kle4 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    I don't understand the desire for tea, I drink it occasionally to be polite to people who seem to think giving me a cup of tea is doing me some sort of favour rather than being the equivalent of giving me a cum of tepid horse semen
    You prefer your horse semen boiling hot, I assume?
    Typhoo was very poor quality tea, basically dust. The only branded tea I've had that is worse is teapigs, which is foul and ridiculously overpriced. It's so bad I check in cafes if there's a chance they might use teapigs.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,835
    edited December 9
    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 620
    biggles said:

    Pagan2 said:

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    Doesn't a chancellor need to be questionable in the commons?
    This one is highly questionable in the Commons…
    Cameron was foreign secretary from the Lords, not that I I agree with Lords being Ministers.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,198
    Dopermean said:

    kle4 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    I don't understand the desire for tea, I drink it occasionally to be polite to people who seem to think giving me a cup of tea is doing me some sort of favour rather than being the equivalent of giving me a cum of tepid horse semen
    You prefer your horse semen boiling hot, I assume?
    Typhoo was very poor quality tea, basically dust. The only branded tea I've had that is worse is teapigs, which is foul and ridiculously overpriced. It's so bad I check in cafes if there's a chance they might use teapigs.
    To be fair, Lipton makes Typhoo seem drinkable.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578
    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    That's true enough, I love it but a tea snob would probably be very disgusted.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,330

    Carnyx said:

    Still more good news for Mr Sarwar and Slab:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gxp093gwno

    'The leader of City of Edinburgh Council has resigned after police launched an investigation into an allegation of inappropriate behaviour.

    Labour's Cammy Day had been suspended by the party pending the outcome of the probe.

    It was reported by the Sunday Mail, external that Day had "bombarded" Ukrainian refugees with messages, including asking sexually explicit questions.'

    Edit: as the gent from BBC Shortbread says,

    'In Edinburgh, the SNP is the single biggest party but is in opposition.

    Instead Labour governs as a minority with support from Lib Dem and Conservative councillors.

    Labour will be hoping to stay in charge of the administration but this is not a foregone conclusion.'

    Cammy Day? Sounds like a celebration of our most recent Tory Foreign Secretary.
    Nah, that's Lord Cameron Day to plebs like you and me. At least in theory.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    I am not sure a UK jury would have reached the same verdict. But our definition regarding the self-defence plea is a little more robust. In the US, "I was scared so I snapped his neck/ strangled him" seems like justifiable action.
    Really?

    "[Kenneth] Noye fatally stabbed Detective Constable John Fordham, who was involved in the police surveillance of Noye, in the grounds of his home on 26 January 1985. Acquitted of murder on the grounds of self-defence in December of that year..."
    Kenny Noye was apparently a senior freemason and the forces of freemasonry including freemason coppers saw Kenny right, over and above justice for the murdered policeman. Suffice to say the case was full of holes. Stabbing the lad some years later in a road rage incident was a step too far even for dodgy coppers.
    It was more that the cowboy operation that had Fordham enter the grounds of Noye's house was an embarrassment to the Senior Management Team. So in the finest tradition of the NU10K, they chucked everyone and everything overboard to ensure that the blame stopped below a certain rank.

    After all, what is letting a murder go free, against One Of Us being a bit humiliated in public?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,709
    kle4 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    I wonder if Sir Keir will be tempted to hit the nuke button any time soon. By this I mean move Rachel to Foreign Sec. I know it's received wisdom these days that PM and CoE must be joined at the hip and if the latter falls then the former is doomed. However, I'm just not sensing that sort of dynamic between Sir Keir and Rachel. She seems eminently dispensable to me and Sir Keir could easily carry on with life. It will surely cross his mind if things continue to flatline.

    Yep.

    But he might give her until next summer's rumoured reshuffle I suppose. Then again the forthcoming Reeves Recession may make him move faster.

    But there seems no obvious replacement???
    He'll elevate Balls to the Lords and make him Chancellor from there
    I doubt a Chancellor can be in the Lords these days but I guess it can't be ruled out.

    But would Ed be dragged away from his tv career?

    Doesn't a chancellor need to be questionable in the commons?
    I doubt there's a formal rule about it - if Cameron could be Foreign Secretary in the Lords after all.

    Though the same thing would apply, in that it would be a massive slap in the face for all the MP options.
    Since 1718, the Chancellor has sat in the Commons. He either deputised for the First Lord on financial matters (if the First Lord was a peer) or was simultaneously the First Lord of the Treasury until 1841, when the office was separated and became directly responsible for the day to day management of the Treasury.

    So no, it's not a formal rule, but in practice it would be a fairly drastic reform to have a Chancellor in the Lords and like Blair's monkeying with the Lord Chancellor's role would probably not be feasible as a standard cabinet reshuffle.

    Starmer could, of course, make Balls First Lord and take some other title for himself (Chancellor of the Exchequer?) but it would look rather silly.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,330
    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

  • I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,286
    edited December 9
    Edit -messed up block quotes I'll try again
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.

    Next you'll be saying that they made sequels to Highlander. Or more than two Terminator films.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,942
    edited December 9
    Looks like they got the health insurance CEO killer. Highly educated computer scientist, and attractive. A folk hero already.

    Rumours are he had major spinal surgery and was suffering from chronic pain - the motive.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,807
    MattW said:

    MattW said:

    The case of the 71 year old Type I diabetic lady Danielle Carr-Gomm who was persuaded to stop taking her insulin for 3 days on a "Chinese Slapping Therapy" course, and died, has had its sentencing remarks published by Sky News. The 'therapist' had dealt with her on a previous course 3 months earlier.

    I was about right - it was a cultish atmosphere with a therapist who had cast off any rational moorings, and she had become dependent on him - so there was no easy escape. It would have needed something like a qualified medic on the course to intervene strongly. She had also been fasting for 3 days.

    These remarks are a model of clarity, as these things always seem to be:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOX2NRHrpjs

    Written version:

    https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/R-v-Hongchi-Xiao.pdf

    I think we need these published routinely for all Crown Court cases, as a transparency measure which will inform the news, and will auto-debunk for example fake claims around "sentenced to prison for posting on social media".

    If she'd been on a fast (and presuming her blood sugar was being monitored) wouldn't it have been dangerous to use insulin? She could have had a bad hypo.

    Edit: I see it was diabetic ketoacidosis. It surprises me that it took hold fatally in such a short time. Awful for her.
    DKA can happen rapidly - well under a day is possible. One of the functions of a basal insulin component, ie the normal continuous insulin required by a body, is to inhibit it - that is as opposed to the bolus which is released to metabolise carbohydrate.

    So if all insulin has been stopped, that may exacerbate. And once DKA starts, insulin action is inhibited by the DKA, so it is tougher to recover - that's why recommended action if DKA is discovered (ketone levels in the bloodstream above a trigger level) is call 999 or go to A&E. If the ketones are not reduced rapidly, it becomes difficult to treat.

    This is part of the reason why Type Is take care when fasting eg if doing the Ignation Exercises, or if a Muslim diabetic opts to fast during Ramadan (normally a medical exception would apply), only the bolus insulin would be stopped.

    And if a Type I is not testing, they won't know beyond detecting symptoms themselves. It is quite possible he had stopped her testing - he had done that on a previous occasion in Oz where a 6 year old child died after he convinced the parents to stop treatment.

    Many other factors can also make it more difficult to treat by affecting insulin action, including things as simple as having an infection. Personally I dislike excessively hot weather as it throws my normal insulin action off, and I have to bugger about with my insulin ratios. On occasion I have had to boost my doses by 50-100% for the same food item at the same time of day in high summer compared to normal. On other occasions the action can be more rapid, so the insulin action beats the metabolisation of the food - depending on how quickly the food releases its sugar.
    Thanks, really good info.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 620
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The number of Labour voters satisfied or not dissatisfied is a lot higher than I would have thought.

    Labour are being blamed for 14 years of Tory failure in terms of immigration, law and order and transport.

    On all of those they are already taking firm action.

    You can't build prisons and sort the transport network in 5 months but people will see efforts bearing fruit.

    I bet anyone now that net migration declared next December will be at least 200,000 lower than now.

    The deepest unpopularity relates to WFA and Labour may well tweak this for next winter.

    Farmers IHT will become a vote winner for Labour when the majority realise the sort of hooray Henry's and tossers like Clarkson will be the types caught.

    Starmer is a grafter and a fixer and he will graft and fix and get things sorted.

    The Tories have a complete dud as a leader so will have to change again in 2026 and the more people see if Farage and Trump and Musk, the Farage bubble will burst.

    Key data will be NHS improvement and Education from cradle to work improving and in this regard Streeting and Phillipson are relatively young talents and communicators that no other Parties have.

    Sat in the Shadows is the most impressive Politician in any Party right now in Darren Jones.

    Labour will be pooing 35% plus by December 2026...
    LMAO....25% is more likely and by the way you can't spell grifter has an I not an A as third letter
    Grafter has a different meaning than grifter?
    grafter = someone that works hard
    grifter = someone that scams hard
    Confused by the US mangling where graft is specifically political corruption
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,112

    I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.

    Never watched either season :lol:
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    Dopermean said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The number of Labour voters satisfied or not dissatisfied is a lot higher than I would have thought.

    Labour are being blamed for 14 years of Tory failure in terms of immigration, law and order and transport.

    On all of those they are already taking firm action.

    You can't build prisons and sort the transport network in 5 months but people will see efforts bearing fruit.

    I bet anyone now that net migration declared next December will be at least 200,000 lower than now.

    The deepest unpopularity relates to WFA and Labour may well tweak this for next winter.

    Farmers IHT will become a vote winner for Labour when the majority realise the sort of hooray Henry's and tossers like Clarkson will be the types caught.

    Starmer is a grafter and a fixer and he will graft and fix and get things sorted.

    The Tories have a complete dud as a leader so will have to change again in 2026 and the more people see if Farage and Trump and Musk, the Farage bubble will burst.

    Key data will be NHS improvement and Education from cradle to work improving and in this regard Streeting and Phillipson are relatively young talents and communicators that no other Parties have.

    Sat in the Shadows is the most impressive Politician in any Party right now in Darren Jones.

    Labour will be pooing 35% plus by December 2026...
    LMAO....25% is more likely and by the way you can't spell grifter has an I not an A as third letter
    Grafter has a different meaning than grifter?
    grafter = someone that works hard
    grifter = someone that scams hard
    Confused by the US mangling where graft is specifically political corruption
    hmmm

    "A grafting grifter who grafts...."
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,578

    I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.

    Even season one was not very good (good acting, good production values, terrible writing), so I've definitely repressed season two.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,561
    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 620

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,053
    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Gruinard Island. It’s used to toxicity.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114
    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Gruinard?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Gruinard?
    That's been fixed up and returned to the family.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    Yes, while loose leaf tea is clearly superior, PG tips is a reasonable option. Mrs Foxy prefers Yorkshire Gold, so I do as I'm told when shopping.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 63,114

    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Gruinard Island. It’s used to toxicity.
    You beat me to it!!!
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Perhaps an iceberg would suit?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    Foxy said:

    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Perhaps an iceberg would suit?
    As in the film Rapa Nui?
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,826
    Labour came to office promising nothing bar the three no increases pledge. The rest is all on the hoof.. I can't think of a single Minister who stands out in a positive way.. many very negatively all of them led by Mr Bland.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,496

    I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.

    Not at all. Still scarred

    Is it the “worst second season after a really good first season” ever? An unbelievable plunge in quality. I remember my then wife and I staring at the screen in disbelief. We loved season 1. And then…. That

    We abandoned it by episode 5

    In musical terms it is maybe outmatched by the 2nd Stone Roses album
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,826
    edited December 9
    Foxy said:

    kle4 said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    It's a tragedy is what it is.

    Though I'm a PG Tips man.
    Yes, while loose leaf tea is clearly superior, PG tips is a reasonable option. Mrs Foxy prefers Yorkshire Gold, so I do as I'm told when shopping.
    Co-op 99 for me.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    Labour came to office promising nothing bar the three no increases pledge. The rest is all on the hoof.. I can't think of a single Minister who stands out in a positive way.. many very negatively all of them led by Mr Bland.

    "Bring me the blandest thing on the menu!"

    https://youtu.be/H-uEx_hEXAM?feature=shared
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,608

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,864
    Interesting we have unity amongst the ages at last, whether young, middle aged or old more think the Labour government has been a disappointment than been pleased by its performance.

    Indeed even amongst Labour 2024 voters only a plurality of barely more than a third are pleased with its perfomance. These are certainly not the scores Starmer needs to be certain of securing Labour's majority again in 2028/29
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 23,143
    Foxy said:

    Dopermean said:

    Never mind @Shecorns88 will be along shortly to say how wonderful Starmer and Reeves are

    But then 19% agree with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A little unpleasant, unnecessary and out of character there BigG. Are we only allowed to espouse right wing views these days?
    Not at all and I do not espouse right wing views

    However, maybe a little reflection by Starmer's cheer leader is maybe appropriate
    It just makes me laugh that *this* is what PB's plurality of centrist Dads have been longing for 14 long years. This. Joke. Of a Government.
    A Christmas appeal - is there some small UK island which could be given over for Liz Truss to govern for her most ardent fan to live on?
    Perhaps an iceberg would suit?
    There are still a few posters who believe she is a little gem.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,864
    Eabhal said:

    Looks like they got the health insurance CEO killer. Highly educated computer scientist, and attractive. A folk hero already.

    Rumours are he had major spinal surgery and was suffering from chronic pain - the motive.

    Nonetheless still a murderer of a man with a family, even if he was a very high earning and ruthless CEO he provided a service to those wanting health insurance
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,811
    biggles said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    Typhoo went bust didn't they thanks to decline in tea.

    No, Typhoo went bust because it tastes like reheated anaemic horse pee.

    However, tea consumption does seem to be down as well. Explains a lot about the state of the U.K., and the nation’s mental health crisis, really.
    PB will be delighted to learn that Kemi is taking the tea wars stateside and fighting the colonials with vigour. They'll regret the Boston Tea Party yet. J D Vance is but the first.

    https://x.com/JDVance/status/1865580812759867667
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    rcs1000 said:

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
    Was it stainless? If so, how did you manage to break it?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 56,496
    Cartagena last night. I did say the Colombians REALLY go for Christmas. All the walls of the walled city are decked with cascades of lights



  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,835
    edited December 9
    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    It's not available now, but as a student I bought some genuine, ground coffee. Sainsury's basics. Turned out it was 100% Robusta, and undrinkable.
  • AnthonyTAnthonyT Posts: 92
    @OnlyLivingBoy asked on the previous thread -

    "Is there a single example of a personal freedom that we enjoy that was won by the political right in this country?"

    Well women over 21 got the right to vote in 1928 under a Tory government.

  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,312
    rcs1000 said:

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
    I've still got an aluminium one I got free with coffee wrappers, must be 40 years old. Have replaced the gasket a few times. How do you actually break one?
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,811
    HYUFD said:

    Eabhal said:

    Looks like they got the health insurance CEO killer. Highly educated computer scientist, and attractive. A folk hero already.

    Rumours are he had major spinal surgery and was suffering from chronic pain - the motive.

    Nonetheless still a murderer of a man with a family, even if he was a very high earning and ruthless CEO he provided a service to those wanting health insurance
    I really do admire this example of incorrigible literal indefatigability.
  • Pagan2 said:

    Nigelb said:

    I'm sure @TheScreamingEagles can fashion a header out of this.

    OnlyFans is now accessible in China, a move that could boost the UK economy significantly

    A Labour insider told me ‘This is exactly what Lammy’s progressive realism is about!’ as he attempts to justify the recent overtures to the East made by the government

    ahttps://x.com/maxtempers/status/1866080378903314544

    Overweight northern women are in demand for video entertainment in china?
    One can only sympathise with the translators attempting to find the Chinese equivalent of 'Eh, tha does not sweat much for a fat lass.'
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112


    My ★★½ review of Love Actually on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5jCVEp
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,888
    AnthonyT said:

    @OnlyLivingBoy asked on the previous thread -

    "Is there a single example of a personal freedom that we enjoy that was won by the political right in this country?"

    Well women over 21 got the right to vote in 1928 under a Tory government.

    Brexit. Obvs.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,864
    AnthonyT said:

    @OnlyLivingBoy asked on the previous thread -

    "Is there a single example of a personal freedom that we enjoy that was won by the political right in this country?"

    Well women over 21 got the right to vote in 1928 under a Tory government.

    Restrictions on union control of workers and freeing nationalised industries.

    The Duke of Wellington's Tory government also passed the RC Relief Act which enabled Roman Catholics to become judges and hold state office
  • I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082

    I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.

    Keir Starmer shows little sign of.... beginning.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 4,835
    Foxy said:



    My ★★½ review of Love Actually on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5jCVEp

    Munter? Haven't heard that in a while.
  • HYUFD said:

    AnthonyT said:

    @OnlyLivingBoy asked on the previous thread -

    "Is there a single example of a personal freedom that we enjoy that was won by the political right in this country?"

    Well women over 21 got the right to vote in 1928 under a Tory government.

    Restrictions on union control of workers and freeing nationalised industries.

    The Duke of Wellington's Tory government also passed the RC Relief Act which enabled Roman Catholics to become judges and hold state office
    The 1867 Reform Act was under a Conservative Government, the 1918 ROPA was under a Conservative Governement etc etc
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,826

    I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.

    He's not finished..he is drifting. ...
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,632
    HYUFD said:

    Interesting we have unity amongst the ages at last, whether young, middle aged or old more think the Labour government has been a disappointment than been pleased by its performance.

    Indeed even amongst Labour 2024 voters only a plurality of barely more than a third are pleased with its perfomance. These are certainly not the scores Starmer needs to be certain of securing Labour's majority again in 2028/29

    "Disappointment" is not such a bad national mood to have. There's a certain wisdom and maturity to it.
  • I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.

    He's not finished..he is drifting. ...
    I think fundamentally they have terrible comms.

    But they are doing things. Like planning.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,864

    I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.

    Not finished no but he likely will need Ed Davey to stay in office next time on current polls at best unless he can really get Labour's polling back up
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,826

    I know people will say “well he would say that” but I’m still not seeing anything in the polling that suggests Keir Starmer is finished.

    He's not finished..he is drifting. ...
    I think fundamentally they have terrible comms.

    But they are doing things. Like planning.
    They couldn't plan their way out of paper bag. Who is there with the foresight to plan anything.?
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 10,894

    I guess the rest of you are all repressing season two of Westworld.

    Next you'll be saying that they made sequels to Highlander. Or more than two Terminator films.
    I think the one screen thing that I'm quite disappointed got messed up is Star Trek.
  • "So far Starmer is shaping up as the gravest disappointment since the second season of Westworld...."

    Bad, it's true TSE, but nothing like the disappointment when visiting Niagara on my honeymoon.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,608
    Foxy said:



    My ★★½ review of Love Actually on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5jCVEp

    I thought that was a little generous, but hey ho.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:



    My ★★½ review of Love Actually on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5jCVEp

    Munter? Haven't heard that in a while.
    That's the Joy of Letterboxd, which is becoming my favourite social media.

    I see there is a consensus there that Die Hard is a Christmas Movie...
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,099

    It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    A coffee boiled is a coffee spoiled...

    80 degrees C through an Aeropress. Perfection every time.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,608
    edited December 9

    rcs1000 said:

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
    Was it stainless? If so, how did you manage to break it?
    It no longer screws together very well to the extent that it now emits boiling hot steam in places where boiling hot steam should not be emitted.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 51,082
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
    Was it stainless? If so, how did you manage to break it?
    It no longer screws together very well to the extent that it now emits boiling hot steam in places where boiling hot steam should not be emitted.
    Have you changed the seal? You should do that every few months....
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,144
    Daily Express says it'll be a White Christmas.

    So it won't, obvs.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 49,112
    rcs1000 said:

    Foxy said:



    My ★★½ review of Love Actually on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5jCVEp

    I thought that was a little generous, but hey ho.
    I do tend to score movies highly on Letterboxd.

    Love Actually has some great comedy acting and scripting. It's the dark message underneath that's the problem.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,505
    "So far Starmer is shaping up as the gravest disappointment since the second season of Westworld...."

    Let hope we don't hit season 4 levels...
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,378

    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Carnyx said:

    carnforth said:

    algarkirk said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't know why anyone even talks about other issues when this nightmare scenario is apparently occurring.

    'It’s an old person's drink.' Is Britain's love for tea cooling off?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o?xtor=AL-72

    We are a tea and coffee household. Two staples of civil society.

    But these figures are remarkable. People actually buy instant coffee? Nearly a billion pounds a year? What on earth do they do with it?

    And SFAICS the average household will spend only about £10 per entire year on ground/bean coffee.

    The sort of figures you would expect in the dark ages or rural Sumerian society around 3000BCE.
    The cheap quick-brewing black tea favoured by the Brits and Irish is not much higher, objectively, on the tea quality scale than instant coffee is on the coffee quality scale.

    Subjectively, cheap tea is much more acceptable than instant coffee.
    I remember when a friend started at uni and bought a huge catering pack of the cheapest instant coffee he could find, to last him all term.

    It was amazing how many virulent brown flushes it took to get rid of the lot down the bog, a few days later.

    Personally I'm not very keen on coffee, but I prefer instant, because it produces the desired (meh) result faster. Mainly, though, I can't stand people who think that their taste is somehow superior. Chacun a son gout...
    True.

    I would, however, *suggest* that you try a mocha pot for the stove. Get one in stainless steel - they last forever. It makes coffee about as fast as you can boil the kettle (well, a little slower). Because you are only boiling exactly the amount of water you need for your coffee, you are saving the planet.

    https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/venus-bialetti.html
    I broke mine this weekend :disappointed:

    New one coming for Christmas, I suspect.
    Was it stainless? If so, how did you manage to break it?
    It no longer screws together very well to the extent that it now emits boiling hot steam in places where boiling hot steam should not be emitted.
    Have you changed the seal? You should do that every few months....
    Only Adamski can save us now...
This discussion has been closed.