Mr Trump has put out an Executive Order mandating "classical architectural styles" (which obvs he does not understand) across the Federal Buildings Estate for any significant project.
Hyacinth Bouquet discovers the Mussolini playbook.
There's a comedy in there somewhere. Trump wakes up and goes into Melania's room to say "Guess what's just occurred to me ....it'll be the best, most beautiful ever." Then the camera pans out to a shack in Greenland.
'Top universities including Oxford and Cambridge have been given the green light to move away from “traditional” exams in a bid to boost the grades of minority groups and poorer students...'
"Not only have many exams become open-book exercises to be carried out from students’ rooms, but there has been a marked increase in coursework."
"Many students are now excused from writing essays and permitted to submit bullet points"
With a son in his final year of an Economics and Management degree at Oxford I can confirm that his final degree grade is based entirely on closed book essays at the end of his final year. No coursework; no bullet points. I don't know about other degrees.
Oxford gives 95 per cent Firsts & Upper Seconds. Tell your son not to sweat it.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
And all totally avoidable if mainstream liberals had stayed in charge instead of hyper-liberals (as defined by John Gray).
I'm going to have to read "The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism.", aren't I...
Are Starmer, Reeves, Cooper, Sunak, Hunt, Biden, Macron etc really "hyper-liberals" in any meaningful use or definition of the word? Yet they are the ones who have been in charge.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
And all totally avoidable if mainstream liberals had stayed in charge instead of hyper-liberals (as defined by John Gray).
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
I grew up in Dagenham where the only hills have trains running underneath them and a station on top. Inferring which type of station is left as an exercise for the reader.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
So the "bat tunnel" is really just an ordinary tunnel pursued by an outrage bus of tabloid journalists?
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
Nationalist history is invariably bad history, filled with a mix of triumphalism, self-pity, and vindictiveness. Every fault on the part of the present governing class is blamed upon the former overlord, and nasty characters like Pavelic, Bose, Antonescu get made into heroes, decades after the events in question. When you're glorifying such men, you've lost your way.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
Nationalist history is invariably bad history, filled with a mix of triumphalism, self-pity, and vindictiveness. Every fault on the part of the present governing class is blamed upon the former overlord, and nasty characters like Pavelic, Bose, Antonescu get made into heroes, decades after the events in question. When you're glorifying such men, you've lost your way.
Trump's "feel the impact, ignore the process" Goons have already:
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
So the "bat tunnel" is really just an ordinary tunnel pursued by an outrage bus of tabloid journalists?
No; in the case of the HS2 tunnel, it is because of bats. But the HS2 tunnel was not proposed by Natural England or anyone like that, but by HS2 itself. AIUI the cost is not just for the tunnel, but for the whole stretch of line it is on; and the design (and cost) is wholly down to HS2.
The bat tunnel mess appears to be all down to HS2, and the boss who misrepresented it should really be considering his position.
Mr Trump has put out an Executive Order mandating "classical architectural styles" (which obvs he does not understand) across the Federal Buildings Estate for any significant project.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
So the "bat tunnel" is really just an ordinary tunnel pursued by an outrage bus of tabloid journalists?
No; in the case of the HS2 tunnel, it is because of bats. But the HS2 tunnel was not proposed by Natural England or anyone like that, but by HS2 itself. AIUI the cost is not just for the tunnel, but for the whole stretch of line it is on; and the design (and cost) is wholly down to HS2.
The bat tunnel mess appears to be all down to HS2, and the boss who misrepresented it should really be considering his position.
So out bullshitting press were ... bullshitting.
And our outrage obsessed pols were snuffling it up like dung beatles. *
Mr Trump has put out an Executive Order mandating "classical architectural styles" (which obvs he does not understand) across the Federal Buildings Estate for any significant project.
On the HS2 bat tunnel, my *guess* is the following happened: *) A very detailed ecological assessment was done. *) Bats were identified in the area. *) The planners and designers were told to prevent as much damage as possible (because of protestors) *) Therefore the bats had to be protected. *) A very expensive 'solution' was designed to protect the bats.
From what I've heard (Green Signals podcast and elsewhere), there did not appear to have been any external input into the decisions HS2 made.
And at no stage was there someone representing the taxpayers saying: "Hang on, is this really needed, or if it is, can it be mitigated in a cheaper manner?" Or even: "f*** the bats."
We have got very scared of NIMBYs and protestors in this country. Not helped by the media often treating them as heroes (remember Swampy at Newbury? He's still around and doing the same old tricks).
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
Never mind India, the indigenous populations of New Zealand (Maori), Australia ( Aboriginal ) and Canada ( First nations) are a daily reminder that even in the UK's most successful daughter countries, there are colonial legacies which the general population of those countries has come to believe still need to be mitigated. This is resulting in increasingly hybrid cultures which draws things from indigenous cultures (and in Canada also Québec) as well as the descendents of the British settlers. These cultures are genuinely independent and by no means uncritical of the past. Of course the modern countries recognise that modern Britain has also changed. So we can have a strong friendship, but there is zero interest in restoring and imperial relationship.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
So the "bat tunnel" is really just an ordinary tunnel pursued by an outrage bus of tabloid journalists?
No; in the case of the HS2 tunnel, it is because of bats. But the HS2 tunnel was not proposed by Natural England or anyone like that, but by HS2 itself. AIUI the cost is not just for the tunnel, but for the whole stretch of line it is on; and the design (and cost) is wholly down to HS2.
The bat tunnel mess appears to be all down to HS2, and the boss who misrepresented it should really be considering his position.
So out bullshitting press were ... bullshitting.
And our outrage obsessed pols were snuffling it up like dung beatles. *
(* Apologies to dung beatles.)
I wouldn't blame the press in this case. AIUI the manager who made the speech got it utterly wrong. You cannot really blame the media when someone in a top position gets the facts wrong...
New Canadian poll has the Liberals UP on the 32.6% they got at the last Federal election in 2021 to 33.2%, the Conservative lead slashed to just 3.8% and NDP down to 14% and a hung parliament again looking very possible
I'm a little sceptical about these polls because they're all from the same company EKOS, which has produced an unusually large number of polls over the last few days, and every other polling company in Canada doesn't have anything like the numbers they have.
If they are even close to true then it really was merely Trudeau dragging them down, and not the accumulated weight of time in office. That would be an ideal scenario for the Liberals, which makes me skeptical, but sometimes parties get lucky.
Quite possibly, the Canadian Tories are being punished for perceived closeness to Trump.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
BREAKING: Trump says he is pressing Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, floats plan to 'just clean out' territory.
Jordan has long hosted very large numbers of Palestinians. Some old data from Wiki:
"In Jordan, there is no official census data for how many inhabitants are Palestinians and it rather depends on the definition of who is a Palestinian. Some 2.18 million Palestinians were registered as refugees in 2016. As of 2014, around 370,000 live in ten refugee camps, with the biggest one being Baqa'a refugee camp with over 104,000 residents, followed by Al-Wehdat refugee camp with over 51,500 residents."
Thi has created strains within Jordan. I can't see them offering to hot too many more.
Perhaps he should consider hosting them in the US?
"There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population."
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
Meanwhile, in "I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it" news,
Musk joins German far right's opening rally remotely, instructs Germans to stop feeling guilty and reminds them how impressed Caesar had been with German tribes' ability to fight.
Better still, please STFU and stop embarrassing yourselves.
Im beginning to think Musk is a total fraud. How does he have time to run 7 companies tweet all day, follow Trump around like a puppy dog and attend far right rallies. Not to mention his dozen kids.
He's a fraud, but he's also a cynic and afaics a nihilist.
He's seeking to destabilise European politics, judging purely by his actions.
Why - I can think of various reasons.
I have no idea what impact his latest fluff-off against Susie Wiles will have.
Musk and Trump have said some extremely rude things about each other in the past, and AFAIK Musk has never actually said that Trump won in 2020, which I think is a key loyalty test for Trump.
Mr. Tyndall, good to see you on. Heard about you being out on a rig during the storm, glad you're ok.
The fixed North Sea oil production platforms are designed to survive the 100-year wave.
The smaller, mobile drilling rigs? Not so much. Hairy places to be. Respect to Mr. Tyndall for doing his bit for developing UK energy production. Not that there's much love for it in Westminster these days.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
BREAKING: Trump says he is pressing Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, floats plan to 'just clean out' territory.
Jordan has long hosted very large numbers of Palestinians. Some old data from Wiki:
"In Jordan, there is no official census data for how many inhabitants are Palestinians and it rather depends on the definition of who is a Palestinian. Some 2.18 million Palestinians were registered as refugees in 2016. As of 2014, around 370,000 live in ten refugee camps, with the biggest one being Baqa'a refugee camp with over 104,000 residents, followed by Al-Wehdat refugee camp with over 51,500 residents."
Thi has created strains within Jordan. I can't see them offering to hot too many more.
Perhaps he should consider hosting them in the US?
"There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population."
I don't see that happening.
Jordan will remember the attempted overthrow of the Govt that happened last time around.
And there is a reason why Egypt has tightly controlled the Gaza border for half a century.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
He has passed an Order imposing, Mussolini style, classical architecture on most Federal building projects (upthread), and attempting to prevent modernism.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
He has passed an Order imposing, Mussolini style, classical architecture on most Federal building projects (upthread), and attempting to prevent modernism.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Can anyone give me a very brief resume of the right-wingery of AFD? I know nothing about them except that they are totally beyond the pale, but I don't fully understand whether they are Farage right wing or some sort of white supremacist party - that just seems so implausible.
They're hard to stereotype because they're almost an umbrella organsiation of all the non hard-left anti-regime factions in German politics, encompassing anti-Euro people, anti-green people, anti-immigration people, as well as people who think the problem is that Germany is too obsessed with guilt over the Nazis.
Yes, they're just a benign German version of Musk /s
Looks like a dog whistle about modern architecture. They're saying they prefer gable roofs.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
He has passed an Order imposing, Mussolini style, classical architecture on most Federal building projects (upthread), and attempting to prevent modernism.
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
Doubt if he would care about that, frankly. Trump cares about his cock, his ego and his pocket. Nothing else.
Mr. Tyndall, good to see you on. Heard about you being out on a rig during the storm, glad you're ok.
Cheers sir. It was an uncomfortable 36 hours but we came through with minor damage and no injuries. These semi-subs are just like big meccano kits and are pretty good at weathering the storms but are definitely designed for survival rather than comfort.
Having been evacuated from the Ocean Great White last February due to storm damage West of Shetlands I am pleased we avoided a repeat evacuation this year.
BREAKING: Trump says he is pressing Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, floats plan to 'just clean out' territory.
Jordan has long hosted very large numbers of Palestinians. Some old data from Wiki:
"In Jordan, there is no official census data for how many inhabitants are Palestinians and it rather depends on the definition of who is a Palestinian. Some 2.18 million Palestinians were registered as refugees in 2016. As of 2014, around 370,000 live in ten refugee camps, with the biggest one being Baqa'a refugee camp with over 104,000 residents, followed by Al-Wehdat refugee camp with over 51,500 residents."
Thi has created strains within Jordan. I can't see them offering to hot too many more.
Perhaps he should consider hosting them in the US?
"There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population."
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
Starmer and the cabinet have been exceptionally warm to Trump since his re-election. Almost cuck like. It is an interesting strategy, possibly optimal if Trump only had a year in charge, but over 4 years we are bound to fall out badly at some point so may as well be a bit more frank and assertive from the start imo.
BREAKING: Trump says he is pressing Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, floats plan to 'just clean out' territory.
Jordan has long hosted very large numbers of Palestinians. Some old data from Wiki:
"In Jordan, there is no official census data for how many inhabitants are Palestinians and it rather depends on the definition of who is a Palestinian. Some 2.18 million Palestinians were registered as refugees in 2016. As of 2014, around 370,000 live in ten refugee camps, with the biggest one being Baqa'a refugee camp with over 104,000 residents, followed by Al-Wehdat refugee camp with over 51,500 residents."
Thi has created strains within Jordan. I can't see them offering to hot too many more.
Perhaps he should consider hosting them in the US?
"There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population."
Strains within Jordan, he says?
Black September, anyone?
Jordon is strained when the Price is pushed too far.
Just after lunch on the second day and Windies five down in the second innings, leading by 153 having taken a lead of nine on first innings.
If they can get fifty more it's very hard to see Pakistan winning.
Perhaps that will encourage them not to prepare such crazy wickets. This is nearly as embarrassing as the absolute roads they used to make twenty years ago.
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
Starmer and the cabinet have been exceptionally warm to Trump since his re-election. Almost cuck like. It is an interesting strategy, possibly optimal if Trump only had a year in charge, but over 4 years we are bound to fall out badly at some point so may as well be a bit more frank and assertive from the start imo.
Two points on this. First, they had a bit of leeway to make up after campaigning against him: second, by pushing the can down the road it gives them more time to get his measure.
Good morning, everybody, especially to @Richard_Tyndall. A weight off my mind to know you & your colleagues are all OK.
Lab 28% -1 Reform 27% +3 Con 21% -2 Lib Dem 11% +1 Green 8% -1 (Change since 8-10 Jan)
It's getting more difficult to claim that Matt Goodwin's new polling company isn't reliable with figures like this.
Goodwin may well be accurate, although it is handy that his figures dovetail nicely with his narrative.
I don't think he's stupid enough to manipulate the data of his own polling to suit his own narrative.
I am sure he follows all the requirements of the British Polling Council, however within the terms I am sure he can use an adjustment methodology that assists in reaching the most favourable outcome.
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
It's depressing how much Trump's talk about Greenland and Panama plays into the hands of Xi and Putin. The world is very much heading towards a state where little men with grand titles think they can grab whatever territory they want, through menaces or invasion.
This will lead to wider conflict, as it has often done in the past. Trump needs to tone down the rhetoric. But he will not.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Have you been to Sri Lanka? I have, several times
They are much more sanguine about the British Empire than on the subcontinent itself. You can see this is in the number of unchanged imperial street names, surviving imperial statues, etc
India perceives itself and its history differently. It is a great power that was divided and humiliated for many centuries - but by the French and Portuguese as well as the British, and even more so by the Muslim Mughals
Modi is way more Islamophobic than he is “anti British”, likewise his followers and acolytes
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Modi is turning Bharat into an increasingly authoritan state, and like all authoritarians needs someone to blame for his country's failures. Hindutva trolls are antimuslim, anti-British but also increasingly openly fascistic.
Subhas Chandra Bose is a fascinating character, an important figure in the move to an independent India, but undeniably fully on board with Fascism, Nazism, and antisemitism. It's no wonder that Modi likes him. While the League of Empire Loyalists have good reason to despise him, so do the PB lefties.
'Top universities including Oxford and Cambridge have been given the green light to move away from “traditional” exams in a bid to boost the grades of minority groups and poorer students...'
From your link: According to the University of Cambridge’s plan, “assessment practices” may be to blame for “awarding gaps” and it hoped to “improve outcomes” for Black-British and British-Bangladeshi students.
That seems oddly specific. I'd wonder if their race classification is not disguising a class difference.
Here’s a study on the performance of medical students in their exams: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1339899/ When you control for class (social-economic group) and multiple other factors, there’s still a significant awarding gap between white and non-white students. I’m less familiar with studies outside medicine, but I believe they show similar results.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Have you been to Sri Lanka? I have, several times
They are much more sanguine about the British Empire than on the subcontinent itself. You can see this is in the number of unchanged imperial street names, surviving imperial statues, etc
India perceives itself and its history differently. It is a great power that was divided and humiliated for many centuries - but by the French and Portuguese as well as the British, and even more so by the Muslim Mughals
Modi is way more Islamophobic than he is “anti British”, likewise his followers and acolytes
India was a superpower under the great Moghuls, but Modi views them as occupiers.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
The story of that bat shelter appears to be rather interesting, and somewhat different to the rant by the senior management that started the 'scandal' off.
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
So the "bat tunnel" is really just an ordinary tunnel pursued by an outrage bus of tabloid journalists?
No; in the case of the HS2 tunnel, it is because of bats. But the HS2 tunnel was not proposed by Natural England or anyone like that, but by HS2 itself. AIUI the cost is not just for the tunnel, but for the whole stretch of line it is on; and the design (and cost) is wholly down to HS2.
The bat tunnel mess appears to be all down to HS2, and the boss who misrepresented it should really be considering his position.
So out bullshitting press were ... bullshitting.
And our outrage obsessed pols were snuffling it up like dung beatles. *
'Top universities including Oxford and Cambridge have been given the green light to move away from “traditional” exams in a bid to boost the grades of minority groups and poorer students...'
From your link: According to the University of Cambridge’s plan, “assessment practices” may be to blame for “awarding gaps” and it hoped to “improve outcomes” for Black-British and British-Bangladeshi students.
That seems oddly specific. I'd wonder if their race classification is not disguising a class difference.
Here’s a study on the performance of medical students in their exams: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1339899/ When you control for class (social-economic group) and multiple other factors, there’s still a significant awarding gap between white and non-white students. I’m less familiar with studies outside medicine, but I believe they show similar results.
Universities are doomed. This is like the universities themselves eagerly buying a nail for the coffin
'Top universities including Oxford and Cambridge have been given the green light to move away from “traditional” exams in a bid to boost the grades of minority groups and poorer students...'
From your link: According to the University of Cambridge’s plan, “assessment practices” may be to blame for “awarding gaps” and it hoped to “improve outcomes” for Black-British and British-Bangladeshi students.
That seems oddly specific. I'd wonder if their race classification is not disguising a class difference.
Here’s a study on the performance of medical students in their exams: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1339899/ When you control for class (social-economic group) and multiple other factors, there’s still a significant awarding gap between white and non-white students. I’m less familiar with studies outside medicine, but I believe they show similar results.
Universities are doomed. This is like the universities themselves eagerly buying a nail for the coffin
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Have you been to Sri Lanka? I have, several times
They are much more sanguine about the British Empire than on the subcontinent itself. You can see this is in the number of unchanged imperial street names, surviving imperial statues, etc
India perceives itself and its history differently. It is a great power that was divided and humiliated for many centuries - but by the French and Portuguese as well as the British, and even more so by the Muslim Mughals
Modi is way more Islamophobic than he is “anti British”, likewise his followers and acolytes
India was a superpower under the great Moghuls, but Modi views them as occupiers.
And understandably, given the incredible brutality of the Mughal conquests - the pyramids of skulls &c
Trump has discovered that pissing off the UK government could get expensive.
Why? Have we been giving him tax sweetheart deals, or ignoring massive evasion?
Someone has told him that having the UK as an ally is worth something, and (further) peeling the UK away from continental Europe is a prize for the Putinist right.
Starmer and the cabinet have been exceptionally warm to Trump since his re-election. Almost cuck like. It is an interesting strategy, possibly optimal if Trump only had a year in charge, but over 4 years we are bound to fall out badly at some point so may as well be a bit more frank and assertive from the start imo.
Two points on this. First, they had a bit of leeway to make up after campaigning against him: second, by pushing the can down the road it gives them more time to get his measure.
Good morning, everybody, especially to @Richard_Tyndall. A weight off my mind to know you & your colleagues are all OK.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
He has passed an Order imposing, Mussolini style, classical architecture on most Federal building projects (upthread), and attempting to prevent modernism.
Coincidentally I caught a podcast this morning that was discussing how that unpleasant Austrian chap hated any art and architecture that wasn’t classical to the point he thought it better to use paint on houses than waste on modern art.
Sadly if the admissions people at the art school had agreed with him then history might have panned out differently.
Will be interesting to see if modern architecture starts being labelled as “degenerate” from certain quarters.
'Top universities including Oxford and Cambridge have been given the green light to move away from “traditional” exams in a bid to boost the grades of minority groups and poorer students...'
From your link: According to the University of Cambridge’s plan, “assessment practices” may be to blame for “awarding gaps” and it hoped to “improve outcomes” for Black-British and British-Bangladeshi students.
That seems oddly specific. I'd wonder if their race classification is not disguising a class difference.
Here’s a study on the performance of medical students in their exams: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1339899/ When you control for class (social-economic group) and multiple other factors, there’s still a significant awarding gap between white and non-white students. I’m less familiar with studies outside medicine, but I believe they show similar results.
Universities are doomed. This is like the universities themselves eagerly buying a nail for the coffin
Testing out the all night bars in Rangoon?
It’s 2.55pm and I’ve just been to the bogoyoke market to buy a lacquered Mandalay box
On the way back to my hotel room I passed a small expo in the hotel ballroom - Malaysian universities enticing Myanmar kids to try KL
There was a small bunch of excited happy geeky Burmese sixth formers (presumably kids of the upper middle class, the elite will go to the west). I felt a tremendous sadness as I passed them - and no it wasn’t just my great age
It was knowing that in about 5 years it will pretty much pointless for anyone to go to uni. So they won’t
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Have you been to Sri Lanka? I have, several times
They are much more sanguine about the British Empire than on the subcontinent itself. You can see this is in the number of unchanged imperial street names, surviving imperial statues, etc
India perceives itself and its history differently. It is a great power that was divided and humiliated for many centuries - but by the French and Portuguese as well as the British, and even more so by the Muslim Mughals
Modi is way more Islamophobic than he is “anti British”, likewise his followers and acolytes
Sri Lanka only once many years ago. I was impressed by how aggressive and corrupt Buddhist monks could be!
Yes nowadays the current strain of Hindu nationalism is more anti-muslim than anything else, and the RSS was originally against fighting British rule. This hasn't stopped the BJP claiming that Congress rule was just a continuation of the Raj, and when in power making a big show of getting rid of "symbols of Indian slavery" to the British.
And in a country with such young demographics, the British empire is ancient history. But still history of colonial oppression so far as Indians are concerned
Can anyone give me a very brief resume of the right-wingery of AFD? I know nothing about them except that they are totally beyond the pale, but I don't fully understand whether they are Farage right wing or some sort of white supremacist party - that just seems so implausible.
They're hard to stereotype because they're almost an umbrella organsiation of all the non hard-left anti-regime factions in German politics, encompassing anti-Euro people, anti-green people, anti-immigration people, as well as people who think the problem is that Germany is too obsessed with guilt over the Nazis.
Yes, they're just a benign German version of Musk /s
Looks like a dog whistle about modern architecture. They're saying they prefer gable roofs.
Senior Labour figures starting to get annoyed with the environmental lobby.
"Environment secretary lambasts HS2’s £100m bat shelter Steve Reed says plans for 1km curved structure to protect bats from high-speed railway are ‘batshit crazy’"
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
He has passed an Order imposing, Mussolini style, classical architecture on most Federal building projects (upthread), and attempting to prevent modernism.
Coincidentally I caught a podcast this morning that was discussing how that unpleasant Austrian chap hated any art and architecture that wasn’t classical to the point he thought it better to use paint on houses than waste on modern art.
Sadly if the admissions people at the art school had agreed with him then history might have panned out differently.
Will be interesting to see if modern architecture starts being labelled as “degenerate” from certain quarters.
Contrary to the popular version - the stiff armed types actually went for mordernism of a certain kind.
Can anyone give me a very brief resume of the right-wingery of AFD? I know nothing about them except that they are totally beyond the pale, but I don't fully understand whether they are Farage right wing or some sort of white supremacist party - that just seems so implausible.
They're hard to stereotype because they're almost an umbrella organsiation of all the non hard-left anti-regime factions in German politics, encompassing anti-Euro people, anti-green people, anti-immigration people, as well as people who think the problem is that Germany is too obsessed with guilt over the Nazis.
Yes, they're just a benign German version of Musk /s
Looks like a dog whistle about modern architecture. They're saying they prefer gable roofs.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
Are Twitter comments representative of political opinion in the UK?
On the HS2 bat tunnel, my *guess* is the following happened: *) A very detailed ecological assessment was done. *) Bats were identified in the area. *) The planners and designers were told to prevent as much damage as possible (because of protestors) *) Therefore the bats had to be protected. *) A very expensive 'solution' was designed to protect the bats.
From what I've heard (Green Signals podcast and elsewhere), there did not appear to have been any external input into the decisions HS2 made.
And at no stage was there someone representing the taxpayers saying: "Hang on, is this really needed, or if it is, can it be mitigated in a cheaper manner?" Or even: "f*** the bats."
We have got very scared of NIMBYs and protestors in this country. Not helped by the media often treating them as heroes (remember Swampy at Newbury? He's still around and doing the same old tricks).
Sorry but that is not true.
Natural England has said that they were consulted by HS2 on whether the bat tunnel made them legally compliant. They confirmed it did.
Natural England was consulted by HS2 on whether the proposal designed to mitigate the impact of the railway on rare and protected bats was sufficient to comply with environmental law - we advised that it was.
Not running into bats was not essential because of 'protestors', you just made that up. It was essential due to the Habitats and Species regulations and legislation which are transpositions of EU directives.
Natural England's rather mealy mouthed admission is at odds with their advice to prospective planners here:
You must consult Natural England if a development proposal:
might affect a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) needs an environmental impact assessment needs an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations
Natural England may:
object to a planning application if it’s likely to harm a protected species on a SSSI give you advice about a protected species affected by a planning proposal or on a specific issue that is not covered by this guidance You should get advice from a qualified ecologist to help you reach a decision if you need it.
You can find one using either the:
Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environment Management (CIEEM) directory Environmental Data Services directory There are separate guides for:
developers to prepare a planning proposal to avoid harm or disturbance to protected species the effect of nationally significant infrastructure projects on protected species habitats and species of principal importance in England (Section 41 list) The National Planning Policy Framework explains how you should apply government planning policies to a planning proposal. It sets out the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding adverse effects, mitigating for impacts if this is not possible and, as a last resort, compensating for impacts. Further guidance is set out in the natural environment planning practice guidance.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
I asked a guide in English Harbour why, during he discourse on Antigua she barely referenced slavery. She explained that most of her customers were American and it was not good for business to get involved in a spat with Americans over whether slaves were slaves or indentured servants.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
And all totally avoidable if mainstream liberals had stayed in charge instead of hyper-liberals (as defined by John Gray).
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
I asked a guide in English Harbour why, during he discourse on Antigua she barely referenced slavery. She explained that most of her customers were American and it was not good for business to get involved in a spat with Americans over whether slaves were slaves or indentured servants.
"While Europe's eye is fix'd on mighty things, The fate of Empires and the fall of Kings; While quacks of State must each produce his plan, And even children lisp the Rights of Man; Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention, The Rights of Woman merit some attention."
Brilliant. I have never seen that one before. And it remains so pertinent.
New Canadian poll has the Liberals UP on the 32.6% they got at the last Federal election in 2021 to 33.2%, the Conservative lead slashed to just 3.8% and NDP down to 14% and a hung parliament again looking very possible
The Canadians are so fickle when it comes to voting; they wildly change their minds all over the place when it comes to the ballot. And can do so at the last minute even after one leader or party has had massive leads for years.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
And all totally avoidable if mainstream liberals had stayed in charge instead of hyper-liberals (as defined by John Gray).
What utter b/s.
Quite the opposite.
Behind all the hyper-liberal and neo-con stuff there is *something*
For instance, in the 90s the moderate left moved from vague hostility to global free trade to enthusiasm. The real change here was that previously, the demand had been for reciprocation - both sides removing tariffs. See George Bush I - who negotiated some serious agreements like this.
The New Vision was that reciprocation was unfair to the developing countries like China.
This got commented on in the West Wing - an episode where Josh finds that he is making common cause with Republican business interests who are *enthusing* about outsourcing more and more skilled jobs to India.
Can anyone give me a very brief resume of the right-wingery of AFD? I know nothing about them except that they are totally beyond the pale, but I don't fully understand whether they are Farage right wing or some sort of white supremacist party - that just seems so implausible.
"In addition to frequent contacts with neo-Nazi groups and identity mouvements, the AfD has been growing more radical internally. This has sparked debate over the possibility of banning the party under Article 21 II of the Basic Law, which states: “Parties which, through their objectives or the behavior of their members, tend to undermine or eliminate the liberal and democratic basic order, or which endanger the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany, are unconstitutional.” The Federal Constitutional Court is responsible for determining whether a party is unconstitutional.
Supporters of banning the AfD point to the fact that the party’s regional branches in Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt have been classified by regional Offices for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) as “confirmed right-wing extremists.” "
My understaning is that tbey started out as a sort of Alan Sked-ite vaguely libertarian Euro-rejectionist party whose focus was very much economic - but that over the past decade - whether by choice or through entryism - have moved to a position of, if not neo-Nazism, then certainly occupying adjacent bits.of the dancefloor.
Intellectual constitutional or liberal parties can command 5-10% of the vote on single issues, amongst well-informed higher educated voters, but will always struggle to break out of that in a democracy.
Lord, this is depressing. The richest man in the world is a neo-Nazi and the most powerful man in the world is a gangster thug. Europe is stuck with a rictus grin whilst Trump, Putin and Xi are carving up the world between them.
Narendra Modi is also praising the fascist collaborator Subhas Chandra Bose.
I think you are mistaken. All our former colonies are desperate to have the good order and benign rule of the British back, and to be back in the British Empire. @Leon gets told this all the time by waiters and other flunkies in his 5 star hotels on his travels.
When I lived in India back in the 90s I was amazed at the gullibility of so many Britishers who would gush about how Indians looked back fondly on the days of the Raj, this was definitely true because they had heard it from someone hoping for a good tip.
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
I asked a guide in English Harbour why, during he discourse on Antigua she barely referenced slavery. She explained that most of her customers were American and it was not good for business to get involved in a spat with Americans over whether slaves were slaves or indentured servants.
On the HS2 bat tunnel, my *guess* is the following happened: *) A very detailed ecological assessment was done. *) Bats were identified in the area. *) The planners and designers were told to prevent as much damage as possible (because of protestors) *) Therefore the bats had to be protected. *) A very expensive 'solution' was designed to protect the bats.
From what I've heard (Green Signals podcast and elsewhere), there did not appear to have been any external input into the decisions HS2 made.
And at no stage was there someone representing the taxpayers saying: "Hang on, is this really needed, or if it is, can it be mitigated in a cheaper manner?" Or even: "f*** the bats."
We have got very scared of NIMBYs and protestors in this country. Not helped by the media often treating them as heroes (remember Swampy at Newbury? He's still around and doing the same old tricks).
Sorry but that is not true.
Natural England has said that they were consulted by HS2 on whether the bat tunnel made them legally compliant. They confirmed it did.
Natural England was consulted by HS2 on whether the proposal designed to mitigate the impact of the railway on rare and protected bats was sufficient to comply with environmental law - we advised that it was.
Not running into bats was not essential because of 'protestors', you just made that up. It was essential due to the Habitats and Species regulations and legislation which are transpositions of EU directives.
Natural England's rather mealy mouthed admission is at odds with their advice to prospective planners here:
You must consult Natural England if a development proposal:
might affect a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) needs an environmental impact assessment needs an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations
Natural England may:
object to a planning application if it’s likely to harm a protected species on a SSSI give you advice about a protected species affected by a planning proposal or on a specific issue that is not covered by this guidance You should get advice from a qualified ecologist to help you reach a decision if you need it.
You can find one using either the:
Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environment Management (CIEEM) directory Environmental Data Services directory There are separate guides for:
developers to prepare a planning proposal to avoid harm or disturbance to protected species the effect of nationally significant infrastructure projects on protected species habitats and species of principal importance in England (Section 41 list) The National Planning Policy Framework explains how you should apply government planning policies to a planning proposal. It sets out the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding adverse effects, mitigating for impacts if this is not possible and, as a last resort, compensating for impacts. Further guidance is set out in the natural environment planning practice guidance.
From the same link (which I have posted on here before):
"Natural England has not required HS2 Ltd to build the reported structure, or any other structure, nor advised on the design or costs. The need for the structure was identified by HS2 Ltd more than 10 years ago, following extensive surveying of bat populations by its own ecologists in the vicinity of Sheephouse Wood."
All a bit of a shot in the dark, but here is a PB Predictions Competition 2025
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 34%, Con – 24%, LD 13%, Reform 28%
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 20%, Con – 15%, LD 8%, Reform 18%
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 6
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 3
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 2
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 3
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 135
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 2.2%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £135bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 2.2%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 2%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1.7%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 85 USD/RUB
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australis win: Australia 3-1 England
It is curious looking at each one just how little clue/confidence I have on any of it. Will the 'Trump show' implode giving a dire warning to others seeking simplistic solutions to hard problems, or will it succeed and embolden them.
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 33%, Con – 28%, LD 15%, Reform 33%
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 20%, Con – 20%, LD 10%, Reform 18%
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 7
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 1
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 4
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 4
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 143
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 3.2%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £130bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 0.8%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 4.3%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1.2%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 143 (but isn't this RUB per USD? So a weaker RUB has a higher number?)
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australia 4-1 England
PB Predictions Competition 2025 Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform. LAB – 34%, Con – 28%, LD 14%, Reform 32%
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform. LAB – 20%, Con – 18%, LD 9%, Reform 18%
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 8 Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 2 Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 3 Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 5 Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 130 UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 3,2% UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £138bn UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 1.2% US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 3,5% EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1,3% USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 90 USD/RUB The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australis win: Australia 3-1 England
Have you competition entrants considered that the Goodwin polls could skew the Reform highest figure and Labour lowest figure. The methodology seems to favour Reform and disadvantage Labour. Of course his weighting could be right and the other pollsters wrong.
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform - 34/29/18/30
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform. 20/20/8/16
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 7
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 1 Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 2 Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025:2 Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election: 115 UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%). 3% UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn). £130bn UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%). 1.7% US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%). 3.4% EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%). 1.1% USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB). 90USD/RUB The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). 4-1 Australia
Mr Trump has put out an Executive Order mandating "classical architectural styles" (which obvs he does not understand) across the Federal Buildings Estate for any significant project.
Hyacinth Bouquet discovers the Mussolini playbook.
I hate to disagree with you, but that was one of the good things he did as Trump 45, and I'm pleased to see it back. We forget the importance of beauty.
Comments
We're seeing it on EWR here in Cambridgeshire: a very deep cutting had been proposed through a hill (*) between Barrington and Haslingfield. This has now been turned into a tunnel; nominally to 'protect Barbastelle bats' . Yet the tunnel option might be cheaper, is less visually intrusive, and allows shallower gradients. Oh, and it also protects a tumulus that the cutting would have been right beside.
(*) Yes, a hill in Cambridgeshire. I've run and cycled up it; it's blooming steep.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/19/the-new-leviathans-by-john-gray-review-should-we-abandon-hope-and-prepare-for-anarchy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Are Starmer, Reeves, Cooper, Sunak, Hunt, Biden, Macron etc really "hyper-liberals" in any meaningful use or definition of the word? Yet they are the ones who have been in charge.
- Detained Native Americans
https://azmirror.com/2025/01/24/reports-of-navajo-people-being-detained-in-immigration-sweeps-sparks-concern-from-tribal-leaders/
- And Veterans having shown their military identity cards get questioned
https://youtu.be/B9wiupI8UR0?t=380
Hell in a handcart.
The bat tunnel mess appears to be all down to HS2, and the boss who misrepresented it should really be considering his position.
https://x.com/CarlowWeather/status/1882792927329755158
https://youtu.be/XCg43omcgZs?t=412
And our outrage obsessed pols were snuffling it up like dung beatles. *
(* Apologies to dung beatles.)
*) A very detailed ecological assessment was done.
*) Bats were identified in the area.
*) The planners and designers were told to prevent as much damage as possible (because of protestors)
*) Therefore the bats had to be protected.
*) A very expensive 'solution' was designed to protect the bats.
From what I've heard (Green Signals podcast and elsewhere), there did not appear to have been any external input into the decisions HS2 made.
And at no stage was there someone representing the taxpayers saying: "Hang on, is this really needed, or if it is, can it be mitigated in a cheaper manner?" Or even: "f*** the bats."
We have got very scared of NIMBYs and protestors in this country. Not helped by the media often treating them as heroes (remember Swampy at Newbury? He's still around and doing the same old tricks).
Mr. Tyndall, good to see you on. Heard about you being out on a rig during the storm, glad you're ok.
"In Jordan, there is no official census data for how many inhabitants are Palestinians and it rather depends on the definition of who is a Palestinian. Some 2.18 million Palestinians were registered as refugees in 2016. As of 2014, around 370,000 live in ten refugee camps, with the biggest one being Baqa'a refugee camp with over 104,000 residents, followed by Al-Wehdat refugee camp with over 51,500 residents."
Thi has created strains within Jordan. I can't see them offering to hot too many more.
Perhaps he should consider hosting them in the US?
"There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population."
Just like @Leon on @Leon
The smaller, mobile drilling rigs? Not so much. Hairy places to be. Respect to Mr. Tyndall for doing his bit for developing UK energy production. Not that there's much love for it in Westminster these days.
This one abolishes the Task Force President Biden set up to help the families broken up by Trump's anti-immigrant initiative last time around to find each other again. The Task Force had helped reunify around 6000 families broken up by Trump.
(I'm going to have to work hard to avoid calling these damned things Fuehrer Orders).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jan/17/trump-policy-family-separation-future
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion/
Jordan will remember the attempted overthrow of the Govt that happened last time around.
And there is a reason why Egypt has tightly controlled the Gaza border for half a century.
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/trump-reinstates-executive-order-classical-architecture-government-buildings-1234730555/
Will that cover murals?
Like guides in Tanzania telling German tourists how great it was when Germany ruled the place, and it all went down hill when the British took over, and the next day telling British tourists how everything was better under the British...
Having been evacuated from the Ocean Great White last February due to storm damage West of Shetlands I am pleased we avoided a repeat evacuation this year.
Black September, anyone?
Just after lunch on the second day and Windies five down in the second innings, leading by 153 having taken a lead of nine on first innings.
If they can get fifty more it's very hard to see Pakistan winning.
Perhaps that will encourage them not to prepare such crazy wickets. This is nearly as embarrassing as the absolute roads they used to make twenty years ago.
Good morning, everybody, especially to @Richard_Tyndall. A weight off my mind to know you & your colleagues are all OK.
Maybe he is just ahead of the game.
This will lead to wider conflict, as it has often done in the past. Trump needs to tone down the rhetoric. But he will not.
They are much more sanguine about the British Empire than on the subcontinent itself. You can see this is in the number of unchanged imperial street names, surviving imperial statues, etc
India perceives itself and its history differently. It is a great power that was divided and humiliated for many centuries - but by the French and Portuguese as well as the British, and even more so by the Muslim Mughals
Modi is way more Islamophobic than he is “anti British”, likewise his followers and acolytes
Well, that was his excuse anyway.
Subhas Chandra Bose is a fascinating character, an important figure in the move to an independent India, but undeniably fully on board with Fascism, Nazism, and antisemitism. It's no wonder that Modi likes him. While the League of Empire Loyalists have good reason to despise him, so do the PB lefties.
Musk trolling
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1883412365498003505?s=61
Sadly if the admissions people at the art school had agreed with him then history might have panned out differently.
Will be interesting to see if modern architecture starts being labelled as “degenerate” from certain quarters.
On the way back to my hotel room I passed a small expo in the hotel ballroom - Malaysian universities enticing Myanmar kids to try KL
There was a small bunch of excited happy geeky Burmese sixth formers (presumably kids of the upper middle class, the elite will go to the west). I felt a tremendous sadness as I passed them - and no it wasn’t just my great age
It was knowing that in about 5 years it will pretty much pointless for anyone to go to uni. So they won’t
Yes nowadays the current strain of Hindu nationalism is more anti-muslim than anything else, and the RSS was originally against fighting British rule. This hasn't stopped the BJP claiming that Congress rule was just a continuation of the Raj, and when in power making a big show of getting rid of "symbols of Indian slavery" to the British.
And in a country with such young demographics, the British empire is ancient history. But still history of colonial oppression so far as Indians are concerned
NEW THREAD
But Starmer must have brushed up his flattery technique.
And
For example
Natural England has said that they were consulted by HS2 on whether the bat tunnel made them legally compliant. They confirmed it did.
https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2024/11/08/natural-england-role-in-high-speed-2/
Not running into bats was not essential because of 'protestors', you just made that up. It was essential due to the Habitats and Species regulations and legislation which are transpositions of EU directives.
Natural England's rather mealy mouthed admission is at odds with their advice to prospective planners here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-species-how-to-review-planning-applications
might affect a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
needs an environmental impact assessment
needs an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations
Natural England may:
object to a planning application if it’s likely to harm a protected species on a SSSI
give you advice about a protected species affected by a planning proposal or on a specific issue that is not covered by this guidance
You should get advice from a qualified ecologist to help you reach a decision if you need it.
You can find one using either the:
Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environment Management (CIEEM) directory
Environmental Data Services directory
There are separate guides for:
developers to prepare a planning proposal to avoid harm or disturbance to protected species
the effect of nationally significant infrastructure projects on protected species
habitats and species of principal importance in England (Section 41 list)
The National Planning Policy Framework explains how you should apply government planning policies to a planning proposal. It sets out the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding adverse effects, mitigating for impacts if this is not possible and, as a last resort, compensating for impacts. Further guidance is set out in the natural environment planning practice guidance.
I predicted this.
For instance, in the 90s the moderate left moved from vague hostility to global free trade to enthusiasm. The real change here was that previously, the demand had been for reciprocation - both sides removing tariffs. See George Bush I - who negotiated some serious agreements like this.
The New Vision was that reciprocation was unfair to the developing countries like China.
This got commented on in the West Wing - an episode where Josh finds that he is making common cause with Republican business interests who are *enthusing* about outsourcing more and more skilled jobs to India.
"Natural England has not required HS2 Ltd to build the reported structure, or any other structure, nor advised on the design or costs. The need for the structure was identified by HS2 Ltd more than 10 years ago, following extensive surveying of bat populations by its own ecologists in the vicinity of Sheephouse Wood."
- Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
- Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
- Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 6
- Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 3
- Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 2
- Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 3
- Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 135
- UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 2.2%
- UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £135bn
- UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 2.2%
- US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 2%
- EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1.7%
- USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 85 USD/RUB
- The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australis win: Australia 3-1 England
It is curious looking at each one just how little clue/confidence I have on any of it. Will the 'Trump show' implode giving a dire warning to others seeking simplistic solutions to hard problems, or will it succeed and embolden them.LAB – 34%, Con – 24%, LD 13%, Reform 28%
LAB – 20%, Con – 15%, LD 8%, Reform 18%
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 33%, Con – 28%, LD 15%, Reform 33%
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 20%, Con – 20%, LD 10%, Reform 18%
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 7
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 1
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 4
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 4
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 143
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 3.2%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £130bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 0.8%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 4.3%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1.2%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 143 (but isn't this RUB per USD? So a weaker RUB has a higher number?)
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australia 4-1 England
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 34%, Con – 28%, LD 14%, Reform 32%
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
LAB – 20%, Con – 18%, LD 9%, Reform 18%
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 8
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 2
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 3
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025: 5
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election : 130
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%): 3,2%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn): £138bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%): 1.2%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%): 3,5%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%): 1,3%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB): 90 USD/RUB
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). Australis win: Australia 3-1 England
Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
L31 C28 LD15 R32
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
L18 C18 LD7 R19
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025.
7
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025.
1
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025.
2
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025.
2
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election.
147
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%).
2.3%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn).
138bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%).
1.9%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%).
4.2%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%).
1.1%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB).
180
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2).
Aus 4-1
Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform. 20/20/8/16
Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025: 7
Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025: 1
Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025: 2
Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025:2
Number of seats won by the AfD in the May 2025 German Federal Election: 115
UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%). 3%
UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn). £130bn
UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%). 1.7%
US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%). 3.4%
EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%). 1.1%
USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB). 90USD/RUB
The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2). 4-1 Australia