Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Nearly a quarter of 2024 Tories are switching to Reform – politicalbetting.com

12346»

Comments

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,117
    HYUFD said:

    Nigelb said:

    Late financier Evelyn de Rothschild accused of abuse during banking career
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/04/evelyn-de-rothschild-accused-banking-career

    Somewhat convenient that these allegations often tend to come out when the accused is dead and cannot defend himself in court
    A consequence of our libel laws; as we saw with Fayed, the very wealthy can escape scrutiny for a very long time indeed.

    The allegations deserve taking seriously, at the very least.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,955
    Nigelb said:

    Late financier Evelyn de Rothschild accused of abuse during banking career
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/04/evelyn-de-rothschild-accused-banking-career

    That’s not news.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,117
    Decent article.

    Five Things Dems Must Do to Fight Trump Now
    https://www.thebulwark.com/p/five-things-democrats-must-do-to-fight-donald-trump-now

    A more coherent response than many.
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 6,169
    edited February 4
    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,722

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
  • EPG said:

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
    I'd get arrested today for burning the book that advocates it
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 53,587
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usaid-missions-overseas-ordered-shutdown-by-friday/

    All overseas missions for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, have been ordered to shut down and all staff will be recalled by Friday, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 33,641

    Here we go. I've been expecting this. Looks like a total fucking clusterfuck from NHS mental health over the Nottingham killer.

    Allowed not to take medication because he didn't like needles? FFS


    George Mann
    @sgfmann
    ·
    8m
    The Times: NHS allowed Nottingham killer to skip
    medication #TomorrowsPapersToday

    https://x.com/sgfmann/status/1886901062084247822

    The safety of the public needs to be paramount.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 125,613
    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    ydoethur said:

    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
    You've lost. Suck it up.
    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
    I'm sure they do. But in time they too will grow out of religion. As we have done, by and large.
    They won't because atheists have few children and tend to die out and the religious have more children and tend to grow
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 33,641
    AnneJGP said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Sweden says the 11,000 prison places they currently have are not enough, and that they need 27,000 in total within a few years. They will ask other countries to help out with the additional 16,000 required.

    Do exported prisoners who don't speak the language of the host gaol get interpreters?

    Good evening everyone.
    Not sure.
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,722
    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    ydoethur said:

    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
    You've lost. Suck it up.
    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
    I'm sure they do. But in time they too will grow out of religion. As we have done, by and large.
    They won't because atheists have few children and tend to die out and the religious have more children and tend to grow
    But many of their children become irreligious.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 33,641
    viewcode said:

    So, @Andy_JS , given the discussion above, do you still think hyper-liberalism is dying in the UK?

    It's too early to say imo.
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 6,169
    edited February 4
    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    ydoethur said:

    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
    You've lost. Suck it up.
    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
    I'm sure they do. But in time they too will grow out of religion. As we have done, by and large.
    They won't because atheists have few children and tend to die out and the religious have more children and tend to grow
    Onward Christian Soldiers
    Marching as to war
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,216

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usaid-missions-overseas-ordered-shutdown-by-friday/

    All overseas missions for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, have been ordered to shut down and all staff will be recalled by Friday, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.

    The coup continues.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,481

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    Deuteronomy 21:10-14
  • rcs1000 said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    Deuteronomy 21:10-14
    You asked AI for that, right?
  • EPGEPG Posts: 6,722

    EPG said:

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
    I'd get arrested today for burning the book that advocates it
    If your concern is _primarily_ and _immediately_ to advocate the destruction of Islam, you are in a qualitatively different territory to wanting to make criticism of specific beliefs of specific people, and it's somewhat bad faith to use the latter as a battering ram for the former.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,216
    Nigelb said:

    Decent article.

    Five Things Dems Must Do to Fight Trump Now
    https://www.thebulwark.com/p/five-things-democrats-must-do-to-fight-donald-trump-now

    A more coherent response than many.

    Bloody brilliant.


    "they will make mistakes, go too far, and eat their own."

    Their overreach, already evident, is the achilles heal.

  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 43,911

    EPG said:

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
    I'd get arrested today for burning the book that advocates it
    If you did so to incite, possibly. Otherwise not.
  • rcs1000 said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    Deuteronomy 21:10-14
    Oh, and

    nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 125,613
    EPG said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    ydoethur said:

    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    You have to understand that atheism has won. Certainly in the West. There are only remnants of religion and these are petering out at a rapid rate. It is of course the natural conclusion of Protestantism. Get rid of all the trappings until you eventually get rid of religion itself.

    You should be delighted.
    No it hasn't, there are more Christians on earth today than there have ever been in human history and more Muslims too.

    Population wise it is the West in decline as a percentage of the world's population, not the religious and of course that is partly due to the few if any children atheists have relative to the religious.

    Protestantism is in its purest form bible based but in that sense pure religion in form
    You've lost. Suck it up.
    No it is reality, the West is in relative decline driven by decline in population driven by decline in fertility rates due to declining rates of religion.

    The fastest growing areas as a percentage of global gdp like Africa, India and Brazil also tend to be more religious
    I'm sure they do. But in time they too will grow out of religion. As we have done, by and large.
    They won't because atheists have few children and tend to die out and the religious have more children and tend to grow
    But many of their children become irreligious.
    And a few atheists children become religious but the overall trend is based on birthrate
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,481

    rcs1000 said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    Deuteronomy 21:10-14
    You asked AI for that, right?
    Of course.

    But one only has to watch The West Wing to know that the Bible is equally full of some pretty weird and fucked up shit too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CPjWd4MUXs

  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,618
    kinabalu said:

    EPG said:

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
    I'd get arrested today for burning the book that advocates it
    If you did so to incite, possibly. Otherwise not.
    Given the number of people discussing burning it in the context of this law, maybe we should get them all flame-proofed in the interest of public safety?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,909
    biggles said:

    kinabalu said:

    EPG said:

    EPG said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    This is getting too specific to be sociologically useful. Christian and Jewish slavers were rampant around 1,000 years ago, and exclusively enslaved non-believers. As for what their holy texts say, I don't know if God endorsed slavery but God did do some ethnic cleansing.
    There are videos of British Imams in British mosques quoting the the hadiths and whatever else they quote, advocating sex slavery of non-muslim women captured during jihad

    These men still walk and talk free

    But laws might soon stop me criticising this
    Get real, they won't. You will be free to call out hate preachers. The real risk is that they start killing critics as in nearby countries but the law will not stop you saying that slavery is bad.
    I'd get arrested today for burning the book that advocates it
    If you did so to incite, possibly. Otherwise not.
    Given the number of people discussing burning it in the context of this law, maybe we should get them all flame-proofed in the interest of public safety?
    "It tells me, that goose-stepping morons like yourself should try *reading* books instead of *burning* them!" :lol:
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,216
    Interesting discussion between Rees-Mogg and Rupert Lowe on which party can unify the right in time to defeat Labour

    https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/1886879902978216015
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,802
    Trump’s Gaza comments appear to have split his supporters some what
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,354

    Foxy said:

    Here we go. I've been expecting this. Looks like a total fucking clusterfuck from NHS mental health over the Nottingham killer.

    Allowed not to take medication because he didn't like needles? FFS


    George Mann
    @sgfmann
    ·
    8m
    The Times: NHS allowed Nottingham killer to skip
    medication #TomorrowsPapersToday

    https://x.com/sgfmann/status/1886901062084247822

    It is in practice very difficult to enforce treatment on an unwilling patient. It requires both a community treatment order and a certain amount of muscle. The only real alternative is to section to a locked ward, but we now have very few of those.
    So, as a medical professional do you have any policy proposals because otherwise your comment seems like hand wringing.
    Perhaps we could go back in time and not close all the psychiatric hospitals and sell them off for housing.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    edited February 5
    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Angela Rayner is set to appoint a pro-Remain former Tory MP to lead a new body to advise on Islamophobia.

    Dominic Grieve, who previously served as Attorney General, has been recommended to chair a committee of 16 people set up to define anti-Muslim prejudice.

    Mr Grieve wrote the foreword to a 2018 report on Islamophobia by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims co-chaired by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.'

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14357221/Angela-Rayner-lines-pro-Remain-ex-Tory-MP-head-new-body-advising-Islamophobia-critics-raise-free-speech-blasphemy-law-fears.html

    We already have a definition of discrimination on grounds of any religion in the Equality Act 2010. What do we need another - and likely wider - definition for?

    An Islamic blasphemy law - any sort of blasphemy law - has no place in this country in the 21st century.

    I know that Adam Smith said there was a great deal of ruin in a nation. But do our governments have to test this proposition to destruction every single sodding day? FFS!
    We do have a definition for anti-semitism, so why not one for Islamophobia too?
    The only one speaking of a new Blasphemy law is Jenrick, and he is against.
    No. We do not need one at all. What about "phobias" against Christians (all varieties) or Sikhs or Hindus or Buddhists or the many other religions there are?

    No: Rayner and Grieve can both fuck off. We are entitled to criticise Islam as much as we damn well like just like any other set of ideas. Discrimination against Muslims is already covered in law.
    Why then do we have one for anti-semitism?

    I hope that you are not suggesting that there is no Islamophobia in our society.

    I have no problem with definitions and clarifications on other forms of discrimination too, such as misogyny.
    You're happy for the law to identify and punish the misogyny inherent in Islam?

    Thought not
    Yes, and I have criticised the misogyny of orthodox Islamism on here a number of times.

    It is perfectly possible to oppose all forms of bigotry. We do not have to choose.
    Wrong. This is the TwiX era. You have to choose. Beliefs now come as a package deal.
    That's not really convincing as a reason TBH. :wink:

    TwiX has lost about half it's Twaffic in Two years in the UK.

    Musky baby is circling the plughole.

    (Why does autocorrect not do apostrophes?)
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,354
    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Angela Rayner is set to appoint a pro-Remain former Tory MP to lead a new body to advise on Islamophobia.

    Dominic Grieve, who previously served as Attorney General, has been recommended to chair a committee of 16 people set up to define anti-Muslim prejudice.

    Mr Grieve wrote the foreword to a 2018 report on Islamophobia by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims co-chaired by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.'

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14357221/Angela-Rayner-lines-pro-Remain-ex-Tory-MP-head-new-body-advising-Islamophobia-critics-raise-free-speech-blasphemy-law-fears.html

    We already have a definition of discrimination on grounds of any religion in the Equality Act 2010. What do we need another - and likely wider - definition for?

    An Islamic blasphemy law - any sort of blasphemy law - has no place in this country in the 21st century.

    I know that Adam Smith said there was a great deal of ruin in a nation. But do our governments have to test this proposition to destruction every single sodding day? FFS!
    We do have a definition for anti-semitism, so why not one for Islamophobia too?
    The only one speaking of a new Blasphemy law is Jenrick, and he is against.
    No. We do not need one at all. What about "phobias" against Christians (all varieties) or Sikhs or Hindus or Buddhists or the many other religions there are?

    No: Rayner and Grieve can both fuck off. We are entitled to criticise Islam as much as we damn well like just like any other set of ideas. Discrimination against Muslims is already covered in law.
    Why then do we have one for anti-semitism?

    I hope that you are not suggesting that there is no Islamophobia in our society.

    I have no problem with definitions and clarifications on other forms of discrimination too, such as misogyny.
    You're happy for the law to identify and punish the misogyny inherent in Islam?

    Thought not
    Yes, and I have criticised the misogyny of orthodox Islamism on here a number of times.

    It is perfectly possible to oppose all forms of bigotry. We do not have to choose.
    Wrong. This is the TwiX era. You have to choose. Beliefs now come as a package deal.
    That's not really convincing as a reason TBH. :wink:

    TwiX has lost about half it's Twaffic in Two years in the UK.

    Musky baby is circling the plughole.
    Perhaps the new regime could launch some form of sovereign wealth fund to drive up prop up invest in US-based industries like cars, space, and crypto.
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,173
    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,021
    Wait, hang on, Trump said *WHAT* about Gaza? :open_mouth:
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Angela Rayner is set to appoint a pro-Remain former Tory MP to lead a new body to advise on Islamophobia.

    Dominic Grieve, who previously served as Attorney General, has been recommended to chair a committee of 16 people set up to define anti-Muslim prejudice.

    Mr Grieve wrote the foreword to a 2018 report on Islamophobia by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims co-chaired by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.'

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14357221/Angela-Rayner-lines-pro-Remain-ex-Tory-MP-head-new-body-advising-Islamophobia-critics-raise-free-speech-blasphemy-law-fears.html

    We already have a definition of discrimination on grounds of any religion in the Equality Act 2010. What do we need another - and likely wider - definition for?

    An Islamic blasphemy law - any sort of blasphemy law - has no place in this country in the 21st century.

    I know that Adam Smith said there was a great deal of ruin in a nation. But do our governments have to test this proposition to destruction every single sodding day? FFS!
    We do have a definition for anti-semitism, so why not one for Islamophobia too?
    The only one speaking of a new Blasphemy law is Jenrick, and he is against.
    No. We do not need one at all. What about "phobias" against Christians (all varieties) or Sikhs or Hindus or Buddhists or the many other religions there are?

    No: Rayner and Grieve can both fuck off. We are entitled to criticise Islam as much as we damn well like just like any other set of ideas. Discrimination against Muslims is already covered in law.
    Why then do we have one for anti-semitism?

    I hope that you are not suggesting that there is no Islamophobia in our society.

    I have no problem with definitions and clarifications on other forms of discrimination too, such as misogyny.
    You're happy for the law to identify and punish the misogyny inherent in Islam?

    Thought not
    Yes, and I have criticised the misogyny of orthodox Islamism on here a number of times.

    It is perfectly possible to oppose all forms of bigotry. We do not have to choose.
    Wrong. This is the TwiX era. You have to choose. Beliefs now come as a package deal.
    That's not really convincing as a reason TBH. :wink:

    TwiX has lost about half it's Twaffic in Two years in the UK.

    Musky baby is circling the plughole.
    Perhaps the new regime could launch some form of sovereign wealth fund to drive up prop up invest in US-based industries like cars, space, and crypto.
    Who would lend them the money?
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 36,648

    Nigelb said:

    Decent article.

    Five Things Dems Must Do to Fight Trump Now
    https://www.thebulwark.com/p/five-things-democrats-must-do-to-fight-donald-trump-now

    A more coherent response than many.

    Bloody brilliant.


    "they will make mistakes, go too far, and eat their own."

    Their overreach, already evident, is the achilles heal.

    @AshleyRParker

    Elon Musk wanted to hire a Turkish green card holder at DOGE.

    The message from the West Wing: We’re in the deportation business, and we can’t bring in a foreigner to help lay off American federal workers.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    edited February 5

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,607

    Trump’s Gaza comments appear to have split his supporters some what

    The US went into Lebanon in 1982 as part of an international force. It did not end well for the USA.
    The US went into Iraq in 2002 as part of an international force. It did not end well for the USA.

    Relocating the entire population of an invaded country - and it will be an invasion - might be different, but I doubt the end result for the USA would be any better. Lots of dead troops as the Palestinians resist, and a massive blow to American reputation.

    But even if he does not try it, just saying it emboldens the hands of Putin and Xi. How can Trump criticise Putin for his actions against civilians in the areas of Ukraine he has captured, if he wants to do the same to Palestinians?
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,607
    rcs1000 said:

    Do any of the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jedi holy texts advocate the sexual enslavement of non-believing females?

    Deuteronomy 21:10-14
    Much of the problem with Islam is not Islam itself. It is the cultural aspects around Islam that cause the problems. Interpretation of the holy book and the surrounding hadiths can lead to some perverse cultural norms.

    As an example, FGM is utterly cultural, with very weak connections with the teachings of the Prophet. Which is why it is also practiced by some Christian communities.

    Ditto Christianity and other religions. it'd be easy to be just as fundamentalist in Christianity as it is in Islam, *if* you chose the correct bits. Indeed, we see this with the sadly common 'religious' arguments against homosexuality.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,354
    MattW said:

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Foxy said:

    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    'Angela Rayner is set to appoint a pro-Remain former Tory MP to lead a new body to advise on Islamophobia.

    Dominic Grieve, who previously served as Attorney General, has been recommended to chair a committee of 16 people set up to define anti-Muslim prejudice.

    Mr Grieve wrote the foreword to a 2018 report on Islamophobia by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims co-chaired by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.'

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14357221/Angela-Rayner-lines-pro-Remain-ex-Tory-MP-head-new-body-advising-Islamophobia-critics-raise-free-speech-blasphemy-law-fears.html

    We already have a definition of discrimination on grounds of any religion in the Equality Act 2010. What do we need another - and likely wider - definition for?

    An Islamic blasphemy law - any sort of blasphemy law - has no place in this country in the 21st century.

    I know that Adam Smith said there was a great deal of ruin in a nation. But do our governments have to test this proposition to destruction every single sodding day? FFS!
    We do have a definition for anti-semitism, so why not one for Islamophobia too?
    The only one speaking of a new Blasphemy law is Jenrick, and he is against.
    No. We do not need one at all. What about "phobias" against Christians (all varieties) or Sikhs or Hindus or Buddhists or the many other religions there are?

    No: Rayner and Grieve can both fuck off. We are entitled to criticise Islam as much as we damn well like just like any other set of ideas. Discrimination against Muslims is already covered in law.
    Why then do we have one for anti-semitism?

    I hope that you are not suggesting that there is no Islamophobia in our society.

    I have no problem with definitions and clarifications on other forms of discrimination too, such as misogyny.
    You're happy for the law to identify and punish the misogyny inherent in Islam?

    Thought not
    Yes, and I have criticised the misogyny of orthodox Islamism on here a number of times.

    It is perfectly possible to oppose all forms of bigotry. We do not have to choose.
    Wrong. This is the TwiX era. You have to choose. Beliefs now come as a package deal.
    That's not really convincing as a reason TBH. :wink:

    TwiX has lost about half it's Twaffic in Two years in the UK.

    Musky baby is circling the plughole.
    Perhaps the new regime could launch some form of sovereign wealth fund to drive up prop up invest in US-based industries like cars, space, and crypto.
    Who would lend them the money?
    The United States has all the money in the world to invest in assets that entirely coincidentally will enrich its president and his entourage.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,354
    MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,481

    MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
    If you can afford it, knock yourself out.

    Some of the happiest adults I know were members of large families. (On the flip side, a friend of mine is one of seven, and two of her brothers committed suicide.)
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 44,607

    MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
    There's zero problem if everyone involved is willing to have that many children, and they have the resources to care for them. There's a major problem in actively promoting women as baby-making machines, whether they agree or not. And that's where some of America - including these people and people like Musk - are heading.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    edited February 5

    MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
    I don't, which is why I have commented on the peculiar thinking and ideology behind it, rather than the occurrence of the woman having the fifth child.

    I still recommend reading the piece to get an insight into that subculture, especially as it is becoming dominant in USA national politics now.

    Amongst other things, her husband favours giving such super-mums a military decoration. It's bizarre:

    The Collinses have rallied behind the theory that the fertility rate won’t improve without cultural changes. For them, this means making large families “high-status.” One example from Malcolm: bestowing military honors upon women who have a lot of babies. “They are risking their lives for the good of the country,” he said.

    Given Musk's embrace of neo-fascist politics, and his attempts to encourage such across Europe, I suggest it is a real concern.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,021
    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    Which was likely the intention all along.

    The USPS has been complaining about these parcels for ages, as they are overwhelmed with them but forced to deal under international reciprocal agreements that pay them almost nothing. The sender pays China Post (or whatever they are called). US Customs have also been complaining that they have no means of inspecting the volume of packets that come in.

    The parcels are mostly cheap clothes, uncertified (in the US) electronics, and drugs.

    The move to change the “de minimis” rule was first prosed last year, under the previous administration
    https://www.asiafinancial.com/us-to-curb-cheap-china-parcels-temu-shein-face-big-hit
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 386
    edited February 5
    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    So Trump wants all Federal staff to follow his instructions to the letter. No room for anyone that will not do as he says - so they will. And then he can sort out the sh*t later.

    Being a King Emperor is a difficult job.

    The Collinses have rallied behind the theory that the fertility rate won’t improve without cultural changes. For them, this means making large families “high-status.” One example from Malcolm: bestowing military honors upon women who have a lot of babies. “They are risking their lives for the good of the country,” he said.


    I am one of 7. We needed a bus.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    Which was likely the intention all along.

    The USPS has been complaining about these parcels for ages, as they are overwhelmed with them but forced to deal under international reciprocal agreements that pay them almost nothing. The sender pays China Post (or whatever they are called). US Customs have also been complaining that they have no means of inspecting the volume of packets that come in.

    The parcels are mostly cheap clothes, uncertified (in the US) electronics, and drugs.

    The move to change the “de minimis” rule was first prosed last year, under the previous administration
    https://www.asiafinancial.com/us-to-curb-cheap-china-parcels-temu-shein-face-big-hit
    Given "ages", it's interesting how utterly chaotic the process has been. Chump is flying by the seat of his pants as per usual.

    I've argued for better regulation of such in the UK, for example around the fire risk of dodgy Chinese lithium batteries bought off ebay. Had our last Govt tackled that at the correct time, we would not have the scale of E-Bike fire risk problem that we have now - and a number of people would still be alive.

    It reminds me of the VAT change introduced to address batteries being sold VAT free from Jersey to the UK around 15 years ago by setups such as 7dayshop.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    Nigelb said:

    Decent article.

    Five Things Dems Must Do to Fight Trump Now
    https://www.thebulwark.com/p/five-things-democrats-must-do-to-fight-donald-trump-now

    A more coherent response than many.

    Sensible, practical suggestions there.

    The analogy of Musk to Cronus * is brilliant. (Cronus the father of Zeus who was warned he would be overthrown by his sons, so he ate them until Zeus eluded, then destroyed, him.)

    Caricaturing, satirising and trivialising Man Child Musky in one hit - love it.

    * The social media companies have poisoned our politics with their addictive hate algorithms, done unforgivable harm to our kids’ mental health, and fueled a war against our democratic institutions—in which Elon Musk, the Cronus of the tech titans, is an active belligerent.

  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,901
    I’m just hoping Trump can find someone involved in the property game who would kindly take all the prime beachfront land in Gaza off the hands of its new US overlords and develop it for free as hotels and resorts.

    On other matters are the Democrats currently sitting on their arses thinking that the way to win the next (maybe) election is for more and harder what they offered before or is there any chance they can get real?

    Maybe they should change up and change the Us politics game - select their 2028 candidate now allow them to build a shadow team who have briefs to dig into and attack each crazy policy change/idea.

    Show them as a sensible President and gov in waiting and highlight the dangerous clown show in power.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,622
    Battlebus said:

    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    So Trump wants all Federal staff to follow his instructions to the letter. No room for anyone that will not do as he says - so they will. And then he can sort out the sh*t later.

    Being a King Emperor is a difficult job.

    The Collinses have rallied behind the theory that the fertility rate won’t improve without cultural changes. For them, this means making large families “high-status.” One example from Malcolm: bestowing military honors upon women who have a lot of babies. “They are risking their lives for the good of the country,” he said.


    I am one of 7. We needed a bus.
    you know who else used to bestow military style honours on women with many children…

    (As did Mussolini and Stalin.)
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,021
    MattW said:

    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    Which was likely the intention all along.

    The USPS has been complaining about these parcels for ages, as they are overwhelmed with them but forced to deal under international reciprocal agreements that pay them almost nothing. The sender pays China Post (or whatever they are called). US Customs have also been complaining that they have no means of inspecting the volume of packets that come in.

    The parcels are mostly cheap clothes, uncertified (in the US) electronics, and drugs.

    The move to change the “de minimis” rule was first prosed last year, under the previous administration
    https://www.asiafinancial.com/us-to-curb-cheap-china-parcels-temu-shein-face-big-hit
    Given "ages", it's interesting how utterly chaotic the process has been. Chump is flying by the seat of his pants as per usual.

    I've argued for better regulation of such in the UK, for example around the fire risk of dodgy Chinese lithium batteries bought off ebay. Had our last Govt tackled that at the correct time, we would not have the scale of E-Bike fire risk problem that we have now - and a number of people would still be alive.

    It reminds me of the VAT change introduced to address batteries being sold VAT free from Jersey to the UK around 15 years ago by setups such as 7dayshop.
    Indeed, 2011 was when the Jersey loophole got closed, after a number of large retailers such as Amazon and Woolworths set up warehouses there to ship small and cheap goods to UK with no VAT payable.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-to-close-jersey-s-hidden-mailorder-vat-loophole-2247764.html

    There’s two main issues today. One is commercial, that companies like Shein and Temu benefit from the USPS agreement and don’t need to have US-based warehousing, distribution etc, which undercuts their American competition.

    The other, as you suggest, is safety and regulatory, with plenty of unapproved or illegal drugs, fake designer brands, and dangerous goods such as batteries and e-bikes, which very much do catch fire and don’t comply with regulations on such devices, such as e-bikes that can do 50mph.
  • MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
    There's zero problem if everyone involved is willing to have that many children, and they have the resources to care for them. There's a major problem in actively promoting women as baby-making machines, whether they agree or not. And that's where some of America - including these people and people like Musk - are heading.
    I think we can have some disquiet that they called their first child Octavian unless it was the eighth time they ...
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    edited February 5
    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    Which was likely the intention all along.

    The USPS has been complaining about these parcels for ages, as they are overwhelmed with them but forced to deal under international reciprocal agreements that pay them almost nothing. The sender pays China Post (or whatever they are called). US Customs have also been complaining that they have no means of inspecting the volume of packets that come in.

    The parcels are mostly cheap clothes, uncertified (in the US) electronics, and drugs.

    The move to change the “de minimis” rule was first prosed last year, under the previous administration
    https://www.asiafinancial.com/us-to-curb-cheap-china-parcels-temu-shein-face-big-hit
    Given "ages", it's interesting how utterly chaotic the process has been. Chump is flying by the seat of his pants as per usual.

    I've argued for better regulation of such in the UK, for example around the fire risk of dodgy Chinese lithium batteries bought off ebay. Had our last Govt tackled that at the correct time, we would not have the scale of E-Bike fire risk problem that we have now - and a number of people would still be alive.

    It reminds me of the VAT change introduced to address batteries being sold VAT free from Jersey to the UK around 15 years ago by setups such as 7dayshop.
    Indeed, 2011 was when the Jersey loophole got closed, after a number of large retailers such as Amazon and Woolworths set up warehouses there to ship small and cheap goods to UK with no VAT payable.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-to-close-jersey-s-hidden-mailorder-vat-loophole-2247764.html

    There’s two main issues today. One is commercial, that companies like Shein and Temu benefit from the USPS agreement and don’t need to have US-based warehousing, distribution etc, which undercuts their American competition.

    The other, as you suggest, is safety and regulatory, with plenty of unapproved or illegal drugs, fake designer brands, and dangerous goods such as batteries and e-bikes, which very much do catch fire and don’t comply with regulations on such devices, such as e-bikes that can do 50mph.
    The E-Bikes that do 50mph is a big one imo, as that is about non-type approved mopeds / motorbikes using a "you can only use this on private land" loop hole, with a full knowledge that that will be ignored.

    These are often recognised brands through mainstream shops and dealers, who put (for example) unlock codes on their websites.

    That route needs imo to be addressed via type approval and licensing processes, and things such as making Deliveroo responsible for the machines used by their staff / contractors.

    Enforcement is a separate matter again. We have effective models, but they do not spread from area to area.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,342
    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,436

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220

    Interesting discussion between Rees-Mogg and Rupert Lowe on which party can unify the right in time to defeat Labour

    https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/1886879902978216015

    The most interesting thing I note there is Rupert Lowe at 2:45 describing "a very big percentage of the Tory party" as "Lib Dem MPs", and his failure to note that his party's orientation toward it's supporters will require them to a quite big Government Party on many policies.
  • Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    You get issued a Trump-branded bullet-proof vest which the property advises you wear at all times because of the ongoing security issues.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 29,793
    Leon said:

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
    I semi-liked your idea of moving them to the West Bank and moving the Israeli settlers out (perhaps to Gaza). It seemed broadly fair - the settlers would be paid the value of their properties (more than they deserve imo), so if they burned them down, they'd get nothing. Lots of nice places for the Gazans to move into. It still wasn't fair but it had a sort of symmetry to it and was definitely a deadlock breaking solution.

    The current 'plan' of 'just put them somewhere' is immoral and also seems very unwise.
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,816
    edited February 5
    Leon said:

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
    Why not let the Palestinians stay and then they keep all the profits plus they get to live in this paradise?
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,816

    Leon said:

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
    I semi-liked your idea of moving them to the West Bank and moving the Israeli settlers out (perhaps to Gaza). It seemed broadly fair - the settlers would be paid the value of their properties (more than they deserve imo), so if they burned them down, they'd get nothing. Lots of nice places for the Gazans to move into. It still wasn't fair but it had a sort of symmetry to it and was definitely a deadlock breaking solution.

    The current 'plan' of 'just put them somewhere' is immoral and also seems very unwise.
    wait - I thought that was my plan
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,940

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    You get issued a Trump-branded bullet-proof vest which the property advises you wear at all times because of the ongoing security issues.
    Given the quality of many Trump branded products, I'd recommend taking your own.

    Just in case.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,021
    MattW said:

    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    Latest Trump.

    He hasn't worked out how he's going to impose his 10% quota on low value parcels from China, so the USPS has stopped accepting any at all.

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

    Which was likely the intention all along.

    The USPS has been complaining about these parcels for ages, as they are overwhelmed with them but forced to deal under international reciprocal agreements that pay them almost nothing. The sender pays China Post (or whatever they are called). US Customs have also been complaining that they have no means of inspecting the volume of packets that come in.

    The parcels are mostly cheap clothes, uncertified (in the US) electronics, and drugs.

    The move to change the “de minimis” rule was first prosed last year, under the previous administration
    https://www.asiafinancial.com/us-to-curb-cheap-china-parcels-temu-shein-face-big-hit
    Given "ages", it's interesting how utterly chaotic the process has been. Chump is flying by the seat of his pants as per usual.

    I've argued for better regulation of such in the UK, for example around the fire risk of dodgy Chinese lithium batteries bought off ebay. Had our last Govt tackled that at the correct time, we would not have the scale of E-Bike fire risk problem that we have now - and a number of people would still be alive.

    It reminds me of the VAT change introduced to address batteries being sold VAT free from Jersey to the UK around 15 years ago by setups such as 7dayshop.
    Indeed, 2011 was when the Jersey loophole got closed, after a number of large retailers such as Amazon and Woolworths set up warehouses there to ship small and cheap goods to UK with no VAT payable.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-to-close-jersey-s-hidden-mailorder-vat-loophole-2247764.html

    There’s two main issues today. One is commercial, that companies like Shein and Temu benefit from the USPS agreement and don’t need to have US-based warehousing, distribution etc, which undercuts their American competition.

    The other, as you suggest, is safety and regulatory, with plenty of unapproved or illegal drugs, fake designer brands, and dangerous goods such as batteries and e-bikes, which very much do catch fire and don’t comply with regulations on such devices, such as e-bikes that can do 50mph.
    The E-Bikes that do 50mph is a big one imo, as that is about non-type approved mopeds / motorbikes using a "you can only use this on private land" loop hole, with a full knowledge that that will be ignored.

    These are often recognised brands through mainstream shops and dealers, who put (for example) unlock codes on their websites.

    That route needs imo to be addressed via type approval and licensing processes, and things such as making Deliveroo responsible for the machines used by their staff / contractors.

    Enforcement is a separate matter again. We have effective models, but they do not spread from area to area.
    IIRC one of the scrote phone theives in London got done for a bunch of motoring offences, related to what was an illegal motorbike he was riding with no licence, registration, or insurance, and for which the penalty was a significant part of his sentence when compared to theft and mugging.
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,395

    MattW said:

    This morning, at least for a time, this was the "most read" story on the Washington Post site:
    "t’s a new year, which, for Simone Collins, means a new pregnancy.

    This will be her sixth pregnancy since 2019, and, if all goes well, Collins will bear her fifth child by December. She approaches each the way an endurance athlete does a marathon. She and her husband, Malcolm, have waited exactly nine months since the birth of their last child, Industry Americus (“Indy” for short), to give Simone’s body adequate time to recover.
    . . .
    When it’s time to give birth, Simone will have a Caesarean section — because of complications that arose when she delivered her first child, Octavian George, all of the births have been C-sections. With each surgery, the risk of future complications — including death — increases. But Simone, 37, wants to do this at least three more times — ideally as many as 10. They have 32 embryos left.

    As Techno-Puritans (a religion they founded and have registered with the IRS), the Collinses celebrate both Christmas and “Future Day.”"
    source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    (The Post admits they have a point -- and mentions that the Guardian -- naturally -- disapproves of them.)

    I'd recommend a read.

    The Washington Post is owned by tech bro Jeff Bezos, isn't it?

    Full piece here:
    https://archive.is/20250204185601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2025/02/01/malcolm-and-simone-collins-pronatalism/

    More detail here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_and_Malcolm_Collins

    They are wealthy, privileged Usonians aligned with Musk, Thiel, and Vance, wanting more babies, and a bit screwy in the head imo *. I'd make a comparison to the sorts who would have been embracing "cryotherapy" (ie freeze my body until they can cure my diseases a la Walt Disney) in the 1960s/1970s.

    Philosophically, it's just another contemporary not very thought through version of American Dreamland. I'd make a comparison, for example, to the position occupied in the post-war culture by William H. Whyte's 1956 book "The Organisation Man", which built a leaning tower of assumptions on a base of corporate culture and nuclear families. They are making a narrow-based projection from now, and assuming the future, following the values of Musk and Thiel.

    If they want more Americans, they should be paying attention to the 1 in 25 5-year-olds who will not make it to 40. But that requires thinking about other people as well as themselves.

    * They document how they were willing to set up a situation to hit their toddler in public to provoke comment, for one example:

    A Guardian profile on the Collinses last year sparked a social media backlash when it described Malcolm smacking his toddler son in the face at a restaurant. Malcolm defended his actions: He and Simone practice corporal punishment but with limitations, he said: no delayed punishments; no paddles, shoes or belts; never intended to cause pain. This parenting choice was partially inspired by a safari trip where they saw lions swatting at their cubs, they said.

    But Malcolm also claims to have engineered the scene. He knew smacking his kid would draw attention, help the article go viral and get their message out.


    Why do we care that an American woman will have a fifth child, and then a sixth? Jamie Oliver has five children. Jacob Rees-Mogg named his sixth child Sixtus. Lots of people have big families, from all countries and religions.
    There's zero problem if everyone involved is willing to have that many children, and they have the resources to care for them. There's a major problem in actively promoting women as baby-making machines, whether they agree or not. And that's where some of America - including these people and people like Musk - are heading.
    I think we can have some disquiet that they called their first child Octavian unless it was the eighth time they ...
    Indeed, shows poor Classical education. Augustus was born Gaius Octavius, he only became Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus when adopted by JC posthumously in his will. So it's an adoptive name, not a birth name.

    (Which reminds me of the time I was in Apollonia, Albania, on the Ides of March, which is where the young Octavius was staying when his great-uncle was killed)
  • NEW THREAD

  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 12,732
    Cookie said:

    The good news about the Chagos deal is tbat if we can afford £18bn to give away the Chagos, we can certainly afford HS2 and NPR. We're clearly awash with cash.

    The government has denied this £18B figure.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,220
    edited February 5
    Hmmm :smile:

    UK Govt denies increased charges for Chagos deal exist.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czj3w9k7gxxo
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,434
    Leon said:

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
    I can just see you posing for a selfie there, tbh. As innocent as a child. "Look where I am".
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 9,106
    b
    MattW said:
    It's a shame though. I'd have moved to Scotland to vote SNP had it been true :smiley:
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,816

    Leon said:

    Good morning all. Who’s looking forward to their holiday at Trump Gaza?

    I’d go. Who wouldn’t? Turn it into an American Monaco. Lovely climate. Beach front properties. Skyscrapers and luxe hotels

    Half the profits can be given to the Palestinians who will voluntarily move to Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia etc
    I semi-liked your idea of moving them to the West Bank and moving the Israeli settlers out (perhaps to Gaza). It seemed broadly fair - the settlers would be paid the value of their properties (more than they deserve imo), so if they burned them down, they'd get nothing. Lots of nice places for the Gazans to move into. It still wasn't fair but it had a sort of symmetry to it and was definitely a deadlock breaking solution.

    The current 'plan' of 'just put them somewhere' is immoral and also seems very unwise.
    I suspect Trump thinks he already has some kind of understanding with Al-Sisi - Trump's 'favorite dictator' https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/461375-trump-called-out-for-my-favorite-dictator-while-awaiting-egyptian/

    Israel and Egpyt were the only countries exempt from Trump's aid funding freeze.

    Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid. (The US also has a relatively big trade deficit with Israel.)
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,622
    HYUFD said:

    ydoethur said:

    rcs1000 said:

    There should be no blasphemy laws. Religion and state should be entirely separate, and religions should be treated like any other voluntary membership organization. (I'm sorry, @HYUFD, this means no more Bishops in the House of Lords.)

    Very soon there will be no more Bishops anyway given the CofE appear unable to appoint to any see going.
    A new Bishop was appointed just before Christmas and a new Archbishop will be appointed by autumn

    https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/new-bishop-aston
    That's not a see. It's a suffragan.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,825

    malcolmg said:

    Omnium said:

    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    TimS said:

    Andy_JS said:

    kinabalu said:

    Nunu3 said:

    Err.. so I’ve just read the Chagos “deal”

    Isn’t this so utterly stupid that there must be something more to it? Is Starmer that bad at politics?

    its what he believes. He believes in reparations.
    So he imagines a black hole of £22B which he inherited and now he imagines he is going to give £19B of that £22B to a third party for no rational reason.

    I think it is about time someone went to the High Court to have him removed from parliament. Clearly he is wanting of common reason and so is not capable of serving as an MP. There must still be the Common Law process for removing a deranged MP, wasn't it used in the 1920s ?

    Then he can continue in his delusion that he isn't the worst Minister of the Crown since the Reformation unaffected by the reality that he is. Perhaps he and Joe Biden could set up house together.
    No deal has been agreed yet. The deal is not all cost, but it ensures continuing income from the US for military base. The money is not all spent at once, but over a long period.

    So, it may or may not be a good or bad deal, but it’s not a £19B bill now. The net cost is much lower and over many years.
    I think it was Sean_F the other day who pointed out how people get very animated over stuff that has zero impact on their lives.

    The trigger for his comment was people moaning about Brexit.
    Interesting to know that you think losing £18 billion will have zero impact.
    Over 99 years. 90m a year, rising with inflation.
    So £1.20 each for 99 years. Definitely a pain that the govt has failed to justify or even explain the rationale for but the drama is out of line with the amount.
    I want my money spent here, not handed over to some johnny foreigner. Always some absolute clown that will try to make out that £18B is just a small number. Away and learn about money you halfwit.
    We established last week I am only a quarter wit. As for not sending money to johnny foreigner, does that mean we can put an end to the barnett formula?
    you would need to improve greatly to be a quarter wit. Your barnett is fried , Taking 10 and returning is within the grasp of even a dimwit.
    'Your barnett is fried'

    Malc - what does this mean? (Barnet can mean hair, but I can't see it in this context). I presume 'is fried' is much the same as 'is toast'?
    barnett = napper = head = brain = fried, simple
    Barnet Fair = Hair
    hair is on head, close enough
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,825

    viewcode said:

    ohnotnow said:

    malcolmg said:

    Omnium said:

    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    TimS said:

    Andy_JS said:

    kinabalu said:

    Nunu3 said:

    Err.. so I’ve just read the Chagos “deal”

    Isn’t this so utterly stupid that there must be something more to it? Is Starmer that bad at politics?

    its what he believes. He believes in reparations.
    So he imagines a black hole of £22B which he inherited and now he imagines he is going to give £19B of that £22B to a third party for no rational reason.

    I think it is about time someone went to the High Court to have him removed from parliament. Clearly he is wanting of common reason and so is not capable of serving as an MP. There must still be the Common Law process for removing a deranged MP, wasn't it used in the 1920s ?

    Then he can continue in his delusion that he isn't the worst Minister of the Crown since the Reformation unaffected by the reality that he is. Perhaps he and Joe Biden could set up house together.
    No deal has been agreed yet. The deal is not all cost, but it ensures continuing income from the US for military base. The money is not all spent at once, but over a long period.

    So, it may or may not be a good or bad deal, but it’s not a £19B bill now. The net cost is much lower and over many years.
    I think it was Sean_F the other day who pointed out how people get very animated over stuff that has zero impact on their lives.

    The trigger for his comment was people moaning about Brexit.
    Interesting to know that you think losing £18 billion will have zero impact.
    Over 99 years. 90m a year, rising with inflation.
    So £1.20 each for 99 years. Definitely a pain that the govt has failed to justify or even explain the rationale for but the drama is out of line with the amount.
    I want my money spent here, not handed over to some johnny foreigner. Always some absolute clown that will try to make out that £18B is just a small number. Away and learn about money you halfwit.
    We established last week I am only a quarter wit. As for not sending money to johnny foreigner, does that mean we can put an end to the barnett formula?
    you would need to improve greatly to be a quarter wit. Your barnett is fried , Taking 10 and returning is within the grasp of even a dimwit.
    'Your barnett is fried'

    Malc - what does this mean? (Barnet can mean hair, but I can't see it in this context). I presume 'is fried' is much the same as 'is toast'?
    barnett = napper = head = brain = fried, simple
    I'm a feckless Scot (thanks for the tax money rcs!) but have never heard of 'barnett' being 'head'. Possibly because I'm feckless. 🤔.
    Malc accidentally used the wrong rhyming slang. Barnett is slang for hair (Barnett Fair), but Loaf is slang for head (Loaf Of Bread)
    Barnet Fair was mentioned upthread :)
    @viewcode It was not accidental. I am not in London I was using as equal to napper which is head, may be a stretch in London but not in God's country
This discussion has been closed.