Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
I’m undecided whether the rabbit hole has got bigger and easier to fall down, or there are just lots more people sitting getting bored by the riverbank.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
To strengthen the Taliban economy. What exactly did the average American get by strengthening the Taliban economy and so lowering the likelihood of revolution against and overthrow of a group fundamentally opposed to the American way of life?
As someone posted on Twitter the other day, how many foreign leaders are screaming about the cancellation of USAID funds?
At best, they’re being used to give a man a fish. At worst they’re giving a man 5% of a fish, while a dozen middlemen live in nice houses in Washington on 95 % of the money that was given to buy the fish.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
No, there really does not. DOGE is going to be a disaster in the USA in the medium and long term; and you wish to visit it on the UK.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
But before his stints in government and as a pundit, Benz appears to have been a pseudonymous alt-right content creator who courted and interacted with white nationalists and posted videos espousing racist conspiracy theories, according to recordings, livestreams and blog posts reviewed by NBC News.
The pseudonym, Frame Game, posted videos and participated in podcasts and livestreams during the rise of the alt-right following Donald Trump’s election. Frame Game avoided showing his face in his videos or appearances, during which he pushed a variety of far-right narratives including the “Great Replacement Theory” that posits the white race is being eradicated in America for politics and profits. In others, Frame Game said he was a white identitarian, railed against the idea of diversity and made montages urging white viewers to unite under the banner of race.
In interviews with white nationalists, Frame Game blamed Jews for “controlling the media” and for the decline of the white race. “If you were to remove the Jewish influence on the West,” he said in one video, “white people would not face the threat of white genocide that they currently do.”
So again attacking the person rather than his arguments.
Who cares if he was shitposting online a decade ago?
Because it's not "shitposting"? It appears to be a sustained belief in racism, anti-Semitism and ludicrous conspiracy theories. And he is now supporting an administration that likewise keeps dabbling in racism, anti-Semitism and ludicrous conspiracy theories.
If he's wrong about all of that -- and I hope to god you agree that he is wrong about all of that -- then why should I waste (202 minutes of) my time imagining he might be honest or clear-sighted about anything else?
These people are lying to you, Sandpit. Dig yourself out of the MAGA social media bubble you're in.
Great opinion piece. It's about the pharma sector, but the message is universally applicable.
Read the whole thing.
Stand Up And Be Counted https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/stand-and-be-counted ...Well, I'll speak on the record. Get this down: it’s even worse than it looks. This gets back to my “three levels of corruption” idea, which I would summarize this way: Level 1 is “Slip us come cash and we’ll do something extra for you”. Level 2 is “Slip us some cash and we’ll actually do our job for once”. And Level 3 is “Slip us some cash and nobody gets hurt”. The biopharma executives who are flying in for personal audiences with Trump or staying quiet while muttering about needed to keep up good relations are hoping for some Level 1 action, bracing for a lot of Level 2, and are terrified at the thought of Level 3.
They should be. Level 3 corruption is where government short-circuits into becoming a protection racket. And that, I should add, is one of the only ways in which our current president is capable of seeing the world and all the transactions in it. He’s a real estate developer from Queens who came up as a protegé of Roy Cohn - of course he does. His approach to dealing with Congress, to international relations, to trade, to most any issue at all is that of a mob boss: who’s shaking down whom, who gets the payoffs, who owes the favors, who takes a cut. (Any attempts to argue this point in the comments will be ignored; this stuff has been glaringly evident for many years)...
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Rory Stewart is definitely not involved in USAID funding decisions.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
No, there really does not. DOGE is going to be a disaster in the USA in the medium and long term; and you wish to visit it on the UK.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
As someone posted on Twitter the other day, how many foreign leaders are screaming about the cancellation of USAID funds?
At best, they’re being used to give a man a fish. At worst they’re giving a man 5% of a fish, while a dozen middlemen live in nice houses in Washington on 95 % of the money that was given to buy the fish.
There is zero evidence that 95% of the money goes to people in Washington or to admin in general. That's just a bald-faced lie.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
No, there really does not. DOGE is going to be a disaster in the USA in the medium and long term; and you wish to visit it on the UK.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
But before his stints in government and as a pundit, Benz appears to have been a pseudonymous alt-right content creator who courted and interacted with white nationalists and posted videos espousing racist conspiracy theories, according to recordings, livestreams and blog posts reviewed by NBC News.
The pseudonym, Frame Game, posted videos and participated in podcasts and livestreams during the rise of the alt-right following Donald Trump’s election. Frame Game avoided showing his face in his videos or appearances, during which he pushed a variety of far-right narratives including the “Great Replacement Theory” that posits the white race is being eradicated in America for politics and profits. In others, Frame Game said he was a white identitarian, railed against the idea of diversity and made montages urging white viewers to unite under the banner of race.
In interviews with white nationalists, Frame Game blamed Jews for “controlling the media” and for the decline of the white race. “If you were to remove the Jewish influence on the West,” he said in one video, “white people would not face the threat of white genocide that they currently do.”
So again attacking the person rather than his arguments.
Who cares if he was shitposting online a decade ago?
Meanwhile, today he has a shitload of evidence of public sector mismanagement of funds.
It is how some people operate. Shoot the messenger to destroy the validity of the message.
We should care about Public Sector mismanagement of funds rather than just trying to avoid the message as it is inconvenient.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
No, there really does not. DOGE is going to be a disaster in the USA in the medium and long term; and you wish to visit it on the UK.
No. No. No.
Why do you assume it's going to be a disaster?
It's already a disaster
I think Williams and Glyns is BANKING on a disaster.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
In addition to all the various other disasters happening concurrently right now, the BBC is spending the day reporting from the Royal Free Hospital in London: an exciting opportunity to see said institution getting so stuffed with patients that it is resorting to dumping some of them in the corridors, which is, apparently, not an uncommon occurrence.
The problem would be eased considerably if the hospital and its various satellites (the trust operates the North Middlesex and a couple of others as well) didn't have 275 beds that were presently being occupied by medically fit people that it nonetheless cannot get rid of. Mainly, of course, because of the tremendous social care disaster. The relevant Government department was asked for comment and responded that "It is unacceptable that anyone deemed well enough to be discharged is left stuck in hospital."
That would be the same ministry that recently commissioned a completely unnecessary three year long enquiry into the social care disaster, as a transparently deliberate ploy to avoid doing anything about it this side of the next election. This at the same time as the British Dental Association complained that there had been "no progress towards delivery" of Government plans to improve the dire state of NHS dentistry since Labour came to power.
I don't know if this is all down to Streeting being a complete do-nothing, or that he's been told there's no money to do anything and is desperately procrastinating, but regardless it is a bloody hopeless state of affairs. One can't reasonably expect the performing of miracles, but you'd like to think that all the expressions of urgency emanating from Government about health and social care would lead to evidence of something useful actually being done now, not 'maybe, in a few years' time, if we can be bothered.'
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
No, there really does not. DOGE is going to be a disaster in the USA in the medium and long term; and you wish to visit it on the UK.
No. No. No.
Why do you assume it's going to be a disaster?
Because it already is?
Why do you always want to defend Trump, Musk and the GOP? What do you gain from it?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
But before his stints in government and as a pundit, Benz appears to have been a pseudonymous alt-right content creator who courted and interacted with white nationalists and posted videos espousing racist conspiracy theories, according to recordings, livestreams and blog posts reviewed by NBC News.
The pseudonym, Frame Game, posted videos and participated in podcasts and livestreams during the rise of the alt-right following Donald Trump’s election. Frame Game avoided showing his face in his videos or appearances, during which he pushed a variety of far-right narratives including the “Great Replacement Theory” that posits the white race is being eradicated in America for politics and profits. In others, Frame Game said he was a white identitarian, railed against the idea of diversity and made montages urging white viewers to unite under the banner of race.
In interviews with white nationalists, Frame Game blamed Jews for “controlling the media” and for the decline of the white race. “If you were to remove the Jewish influence on the West,” he said in one video, “white people would not face the threat of white genocide that they currently do.”
So again attacking the person rather than his arguments.
Who cares if he was shitposting online a decade ago?
Meanwhile, today he has a shitload of evidence of public sector mismanagement of funds.
It is how some people operate. Shoot the messenger to destroy the validity of the message.
We should care about Public Sector mismanagement of funds rather than just trying to avoid the message as it is inconvenient.
If someone says that Jews "control the media", I generally stop listening to them straight away. This has proven to be a sensible and effective strategy in life.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Why do you imagine that line-item audits aren't already happening? What do you think the National Audit Office does?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, Rory said as much on TRiP.
One of the complaints about the DOGE cuts to USAID is the same as is made here about schools' VAT and maths and Latin. It is not (or not just) that funding has stopped but that it ended abruptly.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Absolutely and we should be doing the same as well. It is taxpayers money after all. It should be accounted for and the valuable stuff should continue and the Ethiopian Spice Girls should not (I know they are something from a few years ago, before all the usual suspects get their knickers in a knot it's an example)
However we won't as politics now is full of people who used to work for charities, NGO's and the like.
People for whom a problem has to be managed and their organisation gets paid to manage it.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
So what’s the consensus, is this all weak sauce re Reeves or is she potentially in trouble?
I think the CV stuff on its own is unhelpful given the previous reporting on the topic, but it doesn’t feel particularly fatal?
The expenses stuff feels like there’s more to come out, but difficult to assess at this point.
The main issue is whether it gets to a point where she has to go for being a “distraction” under the combined weight of everything, I suspect? It doesn’t look to me like any huge smoking gun.
At the moment doesn't like anything on either count. Whether Reeves left her job in December or March twenty years ago is not particularly interesting (and she does have relevent experience that most Chancellors don't have).
Fiddling expenses would cause her damage but named colleagues are happy to go on the record to say she didn't get investigated and they would know about it if she was. Also having worked in major banks I would say it's quite difficult to fiddle your expenses as the policy is very locked down and your travel gets bought for you. The regime may be been different at HBoS but if so it would suggest they were less worried about big claims.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
I note a Democrat congresswoman is going to try and introduce a bill for... wait for it... reparations.
Vance, Rubio or one of Trump's sprogs is going to walk it in 2028 if they keep this up.
The DNC Conference meeting last week should be enough evidence to see them out of power for a generation, doubling down on every reason they lost last year.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
Which is why these grifting charities whine the most when it is cut.
Always a problem to be managed.
Do you or @Foss or @williamglenn have any evidence that the charity in question, Turquoise Mountain, is grifting?
I was speaking in General terms not specific terms. Hence using "these charities" not "this charity".
The Youtube video talks in general terms as well as specific.
The same charities demanding reparations as they would "manage them" are the ones I am thinking of.
Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity does not say anything about reparations AFAIK.
So, we are agreed, there is nothing to suggest Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity is grifting, and a foreign aid budget giving money to a charity working in the developing world is a normal and sensible approach to the disbursement of funds.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
But before his stints in government and as a pundit, Benz appears to have been a pseudonymous alt-right content creator who courted and interacted with white nationalists and posted videos espousing racist conspiracy theories, according to recordings, livestreams and blog posts reviewed by NBC News.
The pseudonym, Frame Game, posted videos and participated in podcasts and livestreams during the rise of the alt-right following Donald Trump’s election. Frame Game avoided showing his face in his videos or appearances, during which he pushed a variety of far-right narratives including the “Great Replacement Theory” that posits the white race is being eradicated in America for politics and profits. In others, Frame Game said he was a white identitarian, railed against the idea of diversity and made montages urging white viewers to unite under the banner of race.
In interviews with white nationalists, Frame Game blamed Jews for “controlling the media” and for the decline of the white race. “If you were to remove the Jewish influence on the West,” he said in one video, “white people would not face the threat of white genocide that they currently do.”
So again attacking the person rather than his arguments.
Who cares if he was shitposting online a decade ago?
Meanwhile, today he has a shitload of evidence of public sector mismanagement of funds.
It is how some people operate. Shoot the messenger to destroy the validity of the message.
We should care about Public Sector mismanagement of funds rather than just trying to avoid the message as it is inconvenient.
If someone says that Jews "control the media", I generally stop listening to them straight away. This has proven to be a sensible and effective strategy in life.
I note a Democrat congresswoman is going to try and introduce a bill for... wait for it... reparations.
Vance, Rubio or one of Trump's sprogs is going to walk it in 2028 if they keep this up.
The DNC Conference meeting last week should be enough evidence to see them out of power for a generation, doubling down on every reason they lost last year.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Viewcode: Good morning CoPilot. I have a question for you. Can you help me please?
CoPilot: Good morning! I'm here to help. What's your question? Let's dive in!
Viewcode: I have recieved the following request: "I need a [redacted] calculation for [redacted]. The expected change would be a reduction in [redacted] from [redacted] to [redacted]. We have [redacted] participating and they are [redacted]." Please give me the code to do this calculation in the SAS language.
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you. Can you do that again, this time in the Stata language please?
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you CoPilot
(goes to lunch)
It's alright for some. I tried to get chatgpt to write some fairly basic milling tool paths in Heidenhain conversational (a slightly obscure but quite well designed language, mainly used by older CNC kit). Even after a lengthy conversation about how the syntax worked, the code it wrote did approximately the correct maths equations but didn't match up the variable numbers (variables are numbered rather than named in this world) between blocks so the code didn't stand a chance of working and would have been more effort to fix than to write from scratch.
Agreed, but I like AI that produces bad code that can be fixed. You run it, you get errors, you fix the errors, job done The code it produced has mistakes, but fixing them was straightforward. I know SAS and Stata, so it was relatively easy. I now have to check the code to see if it does what I wanted, which is the main problem...
So what’s the consensus, is this all weak sauce re Reeves or is she potentially in trouble?
I think the CV stuff on its own is unhelpful given the previous reporting on the topic, but it doesn’t feel particularly fatal?
The expenses stuff feels like there’s more to come out, but difficult to assess at this point.
The main issue is whether it gets to a point where she has to go for being a “distraction” under the combined weight of everything, I suspect? It doesn’t look to me like any huge smoking gun.
At the moment doesn't like anything on either count. Whether Reeves left her job in December or March twenty years ago is not particularly interesting (and she does have relevent experience that most Chancellors don't have).
Fiddling expenses would cause her damage but named colleagues are happy to go on the record to say she didn't get investigated and they would know about it if she was. Also having worked in major banks I would say it's quite difficult to fiddle your expenses as the policy is very locked down and your travel gets bought for you. The regime may be been different at HBoS but if so it would suggest they were less worried about big claims.
The BBC report says she was investigated, but that she was not interviewed about the allegations. I quote:
But the initial part of the investigation, which was conducted by Internal Audit at the request of the bank's risk department, found that the three managers [including Reeves] appeared to have broken the rules and the whistleblower's allegations were substantiated, according to a senior source with knowledge of the investigation.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
His further comment was that Europe was not in a position to replace the assistance given by the US because none of us had adequate Air power or logistics. Which, he commented, reflected very badly on our defence priorities in recent decades.
There's been an unfortunate tendency in Europe to neglect the boring bits that actually make a military work. Transport aircraft, supply ships, ammunition stockpiles and the like. The upshot is availability rates that are shockingly low even in peacetime, hence that period a few years ago where Germany had no submarines or fighters available for deployment.
If Trump forces a 'peace' in Ukraine, Russia will go away and build up again safe in the knowledge that European politicians will take a peace deal as an excuse to quietly dump increases in defence spending. So their militaries will be in the same position as now, unable to sustain a war beyond 4-6 months because of shortages of ammo and parts, lack of airlift capacity, etc.
Fixing this will be expensive - forget 2.5% of GPD, we're taking 4% or more and a decade of work given the lead times on much of the required hardware.
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
It doesn’t feel like much, however if Skyr Toolmakersson is minded to sack Reeves, it’s perfect. He can come across as pious and honest, doing it with regret, and her abysmal performance as COTE is neither here nor there
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
She needs to prove it then. It shouldn't be difficult to provide evidence IF she was cleared. Separately, a misleading CV is enough to be a disciplinary procedure in most forward thinking private companies. She straight up lied.
Then of course there is the simple fact that she is shit and doesn't understand business.
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
Kinabalu was a Harris stan and even had her picture as his avatar.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
What *actions* specifically? Not words, actions.
Words can be actions, as you well know.
But as a quick example, how about talking to Putin, then telling Truth Social before even calling Zelensky?
Do you really think Trump's going to help Ukraine reach a just peace? If so, why?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
What *actions* specifically? Not words, actions.
The action of cutting USAID support to Ukraine.
The action of talking to Putin and not Zelenskyy about the future of Ukraine.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
So what’s the consensus, is this all weak sauce re Reeves or is she potentially in trouble?
I think the CV stuff on its own is unhelpful given the previous reporting on the topic, but it doesn’t feel particularly fatal?
The expenses stuff feels like there’s more to come out, but difficult to assess at this point.
The main issue is whether it gets to a point where she has to go for being a “distraction” under the combined weight of everything, I suspect? It doesn’t look to me like any huge smoking gun.
At the moment doesn't like anything on either count. Whether Reeves left her job in December or March twenty years ago is not particularly interesting (and she does have relevent experience that most Chancellors don't have).
Fiddling expenses would cause her damage but named colleagues are happy to go on the record to say she didn't get investigated and they would know about it if she was. Also having worked in major banks I would say it's quite difficult to fiddle your expenses as the policy is very locked down and your travel gets bought for you. The regime may be been different at HBoS but if so it would suggest they were less worried about big claims.
The BBC report says she was investigated, but that she was not interviewed about the allegations. I quote:
But the initial part of the investigation, which was conducted by Internal Audit at the request of the bank's risk department, found that the three managers [including Reeves] appeared to have broken the rules and the whistleblower's allegations were substantiated, according to a senior source with knowledge of the investigation.
Sounds as though she was not cleared. If the whistleblower's allegations were substantiated it suggests she got away with it for the banks internal political reasons. No wonder she liked having all the freebies from the Labour donor, she already had previous
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Yes, the met are outraged they cannot sack someone on an accusation of guilt as we witnessed the other day.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
So what’s the consensus, is this all weak sauce re Reeves or is she potentially in trouble?
I think the CV stuff on its own is unhelpful given the previous reporting on the topic, but it doesn’t feel particularly fatal?
The expenses stuff feels like there’s more to come out, but difficult to assess at this point.
The main issue is whether it gets to a point where she has to go for being a “distraction” under the combined weight of everything, I suspect? It doesn’t look to me like any huge smoking gun.
At the moment doesn't like anything on either count. Whether Reeves left her job in December or March twenty years ago is not particularly interesting (and she does have relevent experience that most Chancellors don't have).
Fiddling expenses would cause her damage but named colleagues are happy to go on the record to say she didn't get investigated and they would know about it if she was. Also having worked in major banks I would say it's quite difficult to fiddle your expenses as the policy is very locked down and your travel gets bought for you. The regime may be been different at HBoS but if so it would suggest they were less worried about big claims.
The BBC report says she was investigated, but that she was not interviewed about the allegations. I quote:
But the initial part of the investigation, which was conducted by Internal Audit at the request of the bank's risk department, found that the three managers [including Reeves] appeared to have broken the rules and the whistleblower's allegations were substantiated, according to a senior source with knowledge of the investigation.
Fair enough but if Reeves wasn't even notified, which I am understanding here, it means officially there was no misconduct.
Viewcode: Good morning CoPilot. I have a question for you. Can you help me please?
CoPilot: Good morning! I'm here to help. What's your question? Let's dive in!
Viewcode: I have recieved the following request: "I need a [redacted] calculation for [redacted]. The expected change would be a reduction in [redacted] from [redacted] to [redacted]. We have [redacted] participating and they are [redacted]." Please give me the code to do this calculation in the SAS language.
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you. Can you do that again, this time in the Stata language please?
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you CoPilot
(goes to lunch)
It's alright for some. I tried to get chatgpt to write some fairly basic milling tool paths in Heidenhain conversational (a slightly obscure but quite well designed language, mainly used by older CNC kit). Even after a lengthy conversation about how the syntax worked, the code it wrote did approximately the correct maths equations but didn't match up the variable numbers (variables are numbered rather than named in this world) between blocks so the code didn't stand a chance of working and would have been more effort to fix than to write from scratch.
Agreed, but I like AI that produces bad code that can be fixed. You run it, you get errors, you fix the errors, job done The code it produced has mistakes, but fixing them was straightforward. I know SAS and Stata, so it was relatively easy. I now have to check the code to see if it does what I wanted, which is the main problem...
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
It doesn’t feel like much, however if Skyr Toolmakersson is minded to sack Reeves, it’s perfect. He can come across as pious and honest, doing it with regret, and her abysmal performance as COTE is neither here nor there
She should be worried
I posted about it earlier and, hadn't considered it, someone made a comment as to why are these stories coming out now so close to a reshuffle. A good point I had not considered.
Yes, she should be worried, but she will be okay. It is the rest of us who should worry. I think Reeves is safe for now.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
You think?...
I note State has just ordered $400m worth of Cybertrucks...
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Why do you imagine that line-item audits aren't already happening? What do you think the National Audit Office does?
And you are constantly supporting Trump!
Actually, I would agree that an independent line item audit of government spending is a good idea.
See Rory Stewart’s own encounter with un-cancelable spending.
DOGE is not independent, it’s not objective and it’s not systematic.
It is a “cure” that will turn out to be worse than he disease.
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Yes, the met are outraged they cannot sack someone on an accusation of guilt as we witnessed the other day.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
And yet classic Dr Who is of interest to me...
Sad times - I mentioned Steptoe and Son to a 3rd year class (so 20-21 year olds) this week and none of them had heard of the programme.
Viewcode: Good morning CoPilot. I have a question for you. Can you help me please?
CoPilot: Good morning! I'm here to help. What's your question? Let's dive in!
Viewcode: I have recieved the following request: "I need a [redacted] calculation for [redacted]. The expected change would be a reduction in [redacted] from [redacted] to [redacted]. We have [redacted] participating and they are [redacted]." Please give me the code to do this calculation in the SAS language.
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you. Can you do that again, this time in the Stata language please?
CoPilot:gives code
Viewcode: Thank you CoPilot
(goes to lunch)
It's alright for some. I tried to get chatgpt to write some fairly basic milling tool paths in Heidenhain conversational (a slightly obscure but quite well designed language, mainly used by older CNC kit). Even after a lengthy conversation about how the syntax worked, the code it wrote did approximately the correct maths equations but didn't match up the variable numbers (variables are numbered rather than named in this world) between blocks so the code didn't stand a chance of working and would have been more effort to fix than to write from scratch.
Agreed, but I like AI that produces bad code that can be fixed. You run it, you get errors, you fix the errors, job done The code it produced has mistakes, but fixing them was straightforward. I know SAS and Stata, so it was relatively easy. I now have to check the code to see if it does what I wanted, which is the main problem...
Probably true, to be honest, but there are extenuating circumstances. I'm becoming more forgetful and incidences of cognitive stress are increasing. My use of AI prompts "get me over the first step" and in a very real sense enable me to keep my job. So although the long-term costs will be great...we are all dead in the long term
His further comment was that Europe was not in a position to replace the assistance given by the US because none of us had adequate Air power or logistics. Which, he commented, reflected very badly on our defence priorities in recent decades.
There's been an unfortunate tendency in Europe to neglect the boring bits that actually make a military work. Transport aircraft, supply ships, ammunition stockpiles and the like. The upshot is availability rates that are shockingly low even in peacetime, hence that period a few years ago where Germany had no submarines or fighters available for deployment.
If Trump forces a 'peace' in Ukraine, Russia will go away and build up again safe in the knowledge that European politicians will take a peace deal as an excuse to quietly dump increases in defence spending. So their militaries will be in the same position as now, unable to sustain a war beyond 4-6 months because of shortages of ammo and parts, lack of airlift capacity, etc.
Fixing this will be expensive - forget 2.5% of GPD, we're taking 4% or more and a decade of work given the lead times on much of the required hardware.
Not entirely. A few European countries have already started to increase production or build new factories. And those like Poland, Scanadinia, and the Baltics aren't going to slack off. We should act similarly.
What happens next in France and Germany is yet to be decided.
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Yes, the met are outraged they cannot sack someone on an accusation of guilt as we witnessed the other day.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
There is a simple difference between what you describe and what Reeves did. An exaggeration is an exaggeration. Claiming you had the title "Economist" when you were a "Customer Complaints Manager" is a full on lie. Those apologists who have claimed that because she had a degree in economics it is ok are talking bollox. That would be like someone claiming that their title was "Solicitor" or "Lawyer" when they were a customer Complaints Manager just because they had an LLB.
Those who claim it is OK to lie/exaggerate on a CV is OK are giving very bad advice. It is gross misconduct, and in the real world that means sacking without notice.
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
Er, my interpretation of "most" speaks against Reeves. It implies she's overegging.
Ah, now I see the logic behind cutting the winter fuel payment to 12 million poor old pensioners. Kill off us oldsters the moment we reach 67 and the waiting lists tumble.
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
Kinabalu was a Harris stan and even had her picture as his avatar.
I don't think MAGA is his cup of tea at all.
Nigel has in any case misread my post in his rush to criticise.
Ah, now I see the logic behind cutting the winter fuel payment to 12 million poor old pensioners. Kill off us oldsters the moment we reach 67 and the waiting lists tumble.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
You think?...
I note State has just ordered $400m worth of Cybertrucks...
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Yes, the met are outraged they cannot sack someone on an accusation of guilt as we witnessed the other day.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
And yet classic Dr Who is of interest to me...
Sad times - I mentioned Steptoe and Son to a 3rd year class (so 20-21 year olds) this week and none of them had heard of the programme.
I get the same at work. Mention something and the fellow oldies get it but the young un's don't.
Mentioned "I'll risk it for the Swiskit" the other day, tumbleweed. Same with the Hair Bear Bunch and Monkey.
Although me and a fellow oldie were reminiscing about Bob Blackman, not the Tory MP, whose stage act was whacking himself on the head while singing Mule Train. Even appeared at a Royal Variety show.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Have you had second thoughts on Trump's sub-optimal plan to resolve the Ukraine war? It looks very much like a VAR win for Putin.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
What *actions* specifically? Not words, actions.
The action of cutting USAID support to Ukraine.
The action of talking to Putin and not Zelenskyy about the future of Ukraine.
Of blaming Ukraine "not a great war for them to get into".
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
Er, my interpretation of "most" speaks against Reeves. It implies she's overegging.
Have you stopped reading things?
I read pretty thoroughly, and I am reading that you are desperately trying to excuse a liar simply because she wears a red rosette. We now have the suggestion that she was "economic" with her interpretation of expenses rules. This is on top of the hideously inappropriate acceptance of bungs in the form of clothes from a Labour donor.
Not a good look really is it? Very few other walks of life would find this acceptable. Her probity is being proven to be no better, and probably worse, than Boris Johnson.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
What *actions* specifically? Not words, actions.
The action of cutting USAID support to Ukraine.
The action of talking to Putin and not Zelenskyy about the future of Ukraine.
Of blaming Ukraine "not a great war for them to get into".
Yeah, which idiot decided to set up their state next to Russia ? Just careless.
I am no fan of Reeves but investigated is not the same as found to have done something wrong.
I think this is nothing.
Although aren't the Met currently pissy because they are not allowed to get rid of officers who have had allegations made but not found guilty of anything? No smoke and all that...
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Yes, the met are outraged they cannot sack someone on an accusation of guilt as we witnessed the other day.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
And yet classic Dr Who is of interest to me...
Sad times - I mentioned Steptoe and Son to a 3rd year class (so 20-21 year olds) this week and none of them had heard of the programme.
I get the same at work. Mention something and the fellow oldies get it but the young un's don't.
Mentioned "I'll risk it for the Swiskit" the other day, tumbleweed. Same with the Hair Bear Bunch and Monkey.
Although me and a fellow oldie were reminiscing about Bob Blackman, not the Tory MP, whose stage act was whacking himself on the head while singing Mule Train. Even appeared at a Royal Variety show.
Wait until you get blank stares when you mention "Buffy"...
He's so impressive. I can scarcely imagine the level of stress, the fear as Trump got in, the withdrawal of aid and then military support, the personal physical danger. Through it all, a brave face and unashamed practical diplomacy.
Reading the BBC about Reeves brings something to mind that I've thought a lot about. One quote "most of the first decade of her career at the Bank of England". And then "I spent the best part of a decade as an economist at the Bank of England." Are either of those phrases actually that innacurate?
I muse on the meaning of 'most'. And also the common use of decimate.
I propose that the common use of the two words is out of line with the dictionary definition. Decimate is to reduce by 10 % (from the barbaric Roman punishment meted out to poorly performing units). Yet common use would suggest a far higher loss than 10%.
Similarly when I here 'most' (as in for example 'most people love pineapple on pizza') I think of 80-90% of people when the reality is it can mean 52%. As in 52% of those who voted voted for Brexit. Yet to say most people voted for Brexit feels wrong.
I can't be the only one thinking this.
Yes "most" implies by a distance. To me it does anyway.
Your Party Right or Wrong eh?
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
Kinabalu was a Harris stan and even had her picture as his avatar.
I don't think MAGA is his cup of tea at all.
Nigel has in any case misread my post in his rush to criticise.
I think Taz has misread mine. I was drawing the parallel between your slavish devotion to Labour Party senior figures and it's similarity to MAGA Trump blind loyalty.
As for your comment, to which I was referring it was to once again excuse Reeve's lying. It is lying, and as mentioned in my previous post it is enough in get someone to be fired on gross misconduct in many organisations. But not the Labour Party apparently. All your righteous indignation about Boris Johnson was clearly just partisan hot air.
It is about time people started to have higher expectations of politicians. It should start by them having to at least be held to the same standards as mere mortals. She should be fired.
For journalists who got WH propaganda about the amount of fraud in the US--you need to know that's based on a declaration that relies on COVID-RELATED FRAUD to justify DOGE's actions.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
You think?...
I note State has just ordered $400m worth of Cybertrucks...
Is the cybertruck order an instance of:-
Elon grifting?
the SoS currying favour?
the deep state manufacturing a conflict of interest in order to recuse Musk?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Why do you imagine that line-item audits aren't already happening? What do you think the National Audit Office does?
And you are constantly supporting Trump!
Actually, I would agree that an independent line item audit of government spending is a good idea.
See Rory Stewart’s own encounter with un-cancelable spending.
DOGE is not independent, it’s not objective and it’s not systematic.
It is a “cure” that will turn out to be worse than he disease.
There are two approaches to barnacle encrusted administrative logjams, whether on-going unjustified expenditures, or quangos with a forgotten purpose, or over zealous planning and H&S regulations.
You can either blow them and hope the pieces come down in better order (they won't - they will be chaotic).
Or you can carefully re-engineer. A zero-based approach is a good one. What is the purpose of this expenditure/quango/regulation? Is it worthwhile? If so, how can it be provided cost effectively?
He's so impressive. I can scarcely imagine the level of stress, the fear as Trump got in, the withdrawal of aid and then military support, the personal physical danger. Through it all, a brave face and unashamed practical diplomacy.
I hope he survives. There can be few figures in history who can match his fortitude. Mandela, Churchill? He is right up there with the greats IMO.
Great opinion piece. It's about the pharma sector, but the message is universally applicable.
Read the whole thing.
Stand Up And Be Counted https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/stand-and-be-counted ...Well, I'll speak on the record. Get this down: it’s even worse than it looks. This gets back to my “three levels of corruption” idea, which I would summarize this way: Level 1 is “Slip us come cash and we’ll do something extra for you”. Level 2 is “Slip us some cash and we’ll actually do our job for once”. And Level 3 is “Slip us some cash and nobody gets hurt”. The biopharma executives who are flying in for personal audiences with Trump or staying quiet while muttering about needed to keep up good relations are hoping for some Level 1 action, bracing for a lot of Level 2, and are terrified at the thought of Level 3.
They should be. Level 3 corruption is where government short-circuits into becoming a protection racket. And that, I should add, is one of the only ways in which our current president is capable of seeing the world and all the transactions in it. He’s a real estate developer from Queens who came up as a protegé of Roy Cohn - of course he does. His approach to dealing with Congress, to international relations, to trade, to most any issue at all is that of a mob boss: who’s shaking down whom, who gets the payoffs, who owes the favors, who takes a cut. (Any attempts to argue this point in the comments will be ignored; this stuff has been glaringly evident for many years)...
Roy Cohn: “In 1986, Cohn was disbarred by the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court for unethical conduct after attempting to defraud a dying client by forcing the client to sign a will amendment leaving him his fortune. He died five weeks later from AIDS-related complications, having vehemently denied that he was HIV-positive ... His AIDS Memorial Quilt panel is white with "Roy Cohn. Bully. Coward. Victim" in black letters, with "bully" in red and "coward" in yellow.”
He's so impressive. I can scarcely imagine the level of stress, the fear as Trump got in, the withdrawal of aid and then military support, the personal physical danger. Through it all, a brave face and unashamed practical diplomacy.
I hope he survives. There can be few figures in history who can match his fortitude. Mandela, Churchill? He is right up there with the greats IMO.
Mandela and Churchill never appeared on their nations versions of Strictly. So he aces them.
He's so impressive. I can scarcely imagine the level of stress, the fear as Trump got in, the withdrawal of aid and then military support, the personal physical danger. Through it all, a brave face and unashamed practical diplomacy.
I hope he survives. There can be few figures in history who can match his fortitude. Mandela, Churchill? He is right up there with the greats IMO.
Mandela and Churchill never appeared on their nations versions of Strictly. So he aces them.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
If so isn't it better to have forensic accountants doing the audit than teenage coding internship?
His further comment was that Europe was not in a position to replace the assistance given by the US because none of us had adequate Air power or logistics. Which, he commented, reflected very badly on our defence priorities in recent decades.
There's been an unfortunate tendency in Europe to neglect the boring bits that actually make a military work. Transport aircraft, supply ships, ammunition stockpiles and the like. The upshot is availability rates that are shockingly low even in peacetime, hence that period a few years ago where Germany had no submarines or fighters available for deployment.
If Trump forces a 'peace' in Ukraine, Russia will go away and build up again safe in the knowledge that European politicians will take a peace deal as an excuse to quietly dump increases in defence spending. So their militaries will be in the same position as now, unable to sustain a war beyond 4-6 months because of shortages of ammo and parts, lack of airlift capacity, etc.
Fixing this will be expensive - forget 2.5% of GPD, we're taking 4% or more and a decade of work given the lead times on much of the required hardware.
Two big problems: first, Governments don't want to spend the money (because there are no votes in defence); second, no country in Europe is big enough to build a spectrum of capabilities remotely close to that of the United States, so it needs a whole group of committed and reliable allies to make the required level of investment. If the UK elected to rebuild itself as a naval power and helped to pay for it by economising on the army, which would be a logical use of our finite resources, then a large flotilla of capable submarines and destroyers would still be of only limited use without Germany, for example, fielding a load of tanks.
We need everyone to pull their weight, not just a collection of frightened states around the Baltic Sea. The prospects for this happening do not look encouraging. The UK would need to find £30bn a year extra just to bring its military budget up to the American standard in terms of percentage of GDP; most of NATO would need to make larger proportional increases than that, which was a legitimate Trump gripe from last time around that largely remains unfixed. Where are they going to find that much money except through deeply unpopular tax rises and/or cuts to social expenditure?
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
Musk doesn't work for the US government or US people, he works for Musk.
No, he works directly for the elected President.
Tell me, what do you think of Trump's actions towards Ukraine?
What *actions* specifically? Not words, actions.
The action of cutting USAID support to Ukraine.
The action of talking to Putin and not Zelenskyy about the future of Ukraine.
Of blaming Ukraine "not a great war for them to get into".
Yeah, which idiot decided to set up their state next to Russia ? Just careless.
...and then has the temerity to hit back when attacked? Outrageous.
His further comment was that Europe was not in a position to replace the assistance given by the US because none of us had adequate Air power or logistics. Which, he commented, reflected very badly on our defence priorities in recent decades.
There's been an unfortunate tendency in Europe to neglect the boring bits that actually make a military work. Transport aircraft, supply ships, ammunition stockpiles and the like. The upshot is availability rates that are shockingly low even in peacetime, hence that period a few years ago where Germany had no submarines or fighters available for deployment.
If Trump forces a 'peace' in Ukraine, Russia will go away and build up again safe in the knowledge that European politicians will take a peace deal as an excuse to quietly dump increases in defence spending. So their militaries will be in the same position as now, unable to sustain a war beyond 4-6 months because of shortages of ammo and parts, lack of airlift capacity, etc.
Fixing this will be expensive - forget 2.5% of GPD, we're taking 4% or more and a decade of work given the lead times on much of the required hardware.
Two big problems: first, Governments don't want to spend the money (because there are no votes in defence); second, no country in Europe is big enough to build a spectrum of capabilities remotely close to that of the United States, so it needs a whole group of committed and reliable allies to make the required level of investment. If the UK elected to rebuild itself as a naval power and helped to pay for it by economising on the army, which would be a logical use of our finite resources, then a large flotilla of capable submarines and destroyers would still be of only limited use without Germany, for example, fielding a load of tanks.
We need everyone to pull their weight, not just a collection of frightened states around the Baltic Sea. The prospects for this happening do not look encouraging. The UK would need to find £30bn a year extra just to bring its military budget up to the American standard in terms of percentage of GDP; most of NATO would need to make larger proportional increases than that, which was a legitimate Trump gripe from last time around that largely remains unfixed. Where are they going to find that much money except through deeply unpopular tax rises and/or cuts to social expenditure?
We much prefer to give public sector workers enormous pensions.
Possibly the best ever takedown of the US “Deep State”, vindication for what DOGE are doing, and confirmation that USAID was basically the CIA doing what the CIA were told not to do for the last couple of decades.
Warning: this video features Joe Rogan and Mike Benz, and is 202 minutes long.
It turns out that Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity was also getting millions from USAID.
Yes, that's how foreign aid often works. You give money to a charity to do charitable work.
And it’s totally incidental that these charities appear to be vastly overpopulated with close relatives of the politicians involved in the funding decisions.
There needs to be a British DOGE.
Your anti corruption credentials will be sorely tested these coming years as a Trump and Musk supporter.
I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’m absolutely a Musk supporter. Every Western country is going to have to deal with a line-item audit of their spending at some point.
You are a Trump supporter. 101% one.
So let me ask you a question: why should I be confident that Ukraine is going to come out of Trump's presidency as a strong independent state?
Comments
At best, they’re being used to give a man a fish. At worst they’re giving a man 5% of a fish, while a dozen middlemen live in nice houses in Washington on 95 % of the money that was given to buy the fish.
No.
No.
No.
If he's wrong about all of that -- and I hope to god you agree that he is wrong about all of that -- then why should I waste (202 minutes of) my time imagining he might be honest or clear-sighted about anything else?
These people are lying to you, Sandpit. Dig yourself out of the MAGA social media bubble you're in.
It's about the pharma sector, but the message is universally applicable.
Read the whole thing.
Stand Up And Be Counted
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/stand-and-be-counted
...Well, I'll speak on the record. Get this down: it’s even worse than it looks. This gets back to my “three levels of corruption” idea, which I would summarize this way: Level 1 is “Slip us come cash and we’ll do something extra for you”. Level 2 is “Slip us some cash and we’ll actually do our job for once”. And Level 3 is “Slip us some cash and nobody gets hurt”. The biopharma executives who are flying in for personal audiences with Trump or staying quiet while muttering about needed to keep up good relations are hoping for some Level 1 action, bracing for a lot of Level 2, and are terrified at the thought of Level 3.
They should be. Level 3 corruption is where government short-circuits into becoming a protection racket. And that, I should add, is one of the only ways in which our current president is capable of seeing the world and all the transactions in it. He’s a real estate developer from Queens who came up as a protegé of Roy Cohn - of course he does. His approach to dealing with Congress, to international relations, to trade, to most any issue at all is that of a mob boss: who’s shaking down whom, who gets the payoffs, who owes the favors, who takes a cut. (Any attempts to argue this point in the comments will be ignored; this stuff has been glaringly evident for many years)...
The perpetrator cannot assume he will be allowed to stay in Germany.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/german-chancellor-says-munich-car-attack-suspect-must-leave-country/ar-AA1yYHNg?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=89e116b295334833fab7b7b758f1f470&ei=10
That is sure to put the fear of God into any would be attacker.
Always a problem to be managed.
We should care about Public Sector mismanagement of funds rather than just trying to avoid the message as it is inconvenient.
The problem would be eased considerably if the hospital and its various satellites (the trust operates the North Middlesex and a couple of others as well) didn't have 275 beds that were presently being occupied by medically fit people that it nonetheless cannot get rid of. Mainly, of course, because of the tremendous social care disaster. The relevant Government department was asked for comment and responded that "It is unacceptable that anyone deemed well enough to be discharged is left stuck in hospital."
That would be the same ministry that recently commissioned a completely unnecessary three year long enquiry into the social care disaster, as a transparently deliberate ploy to avoid doing anything about it this side of the next election. This at the same time as the British Dental Association complained that there had been "no progress towards delivery" of Government plans to improve the dire state of NHS dentistry since Labour came to power.
I don't know if this is all down to Streeting being a complete do-nothing, or that he's been told there's no money to do anything and is desperately procrastinating, but regardless it is a bloody hopeless state of affairs. One can't reasonably expect the performing of miracles, but you'd like to think that all the expressions of urgency emanating from Government about health and social care would lead to evidence of something useful actually being done now, not 'maybe, in a few years' time, if we can be bothered.'
Why do you always want to defend Trump, Musk and the GOP? What do you gain from it?
Vance Is Laying the Groundwork
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/opinion/jd-vance-donald-trump.html
Currently 4 on BF.
Tricky one as obv means £ tied up for four years.
Probably about right odds??
And you are constantly supporting Trump!
One of the complaints about the DOGE cuts to USAID is the same as is made here about schools' VAT and maths and Latin. It is not (or not just) that funding has stopped but that it ended abruptly.
The Youtube video talks in general terms as well as specific.
The same charities demanding reparations as they would "manage them" are the ones I am thinking of.
However we won't as politics now is full of people who used to work for charities, NGO's and the like.
People for whom a problem has to be managed and their organisation gets paid to manage it.
Trebles all round.
Fiddling expenses would cause her damage but named colleagues are happy to go on the record to say she didn't get investigated and they would know about it if she was. Also having worked in major banks I would say it's quite difficult to fiddle your expenses as the policy is very locked down and your travel gets bought for you. The regime may be been different at HBoS but if so it would suggest they were less worried about big claims.
He adds that Trump calling Putin before him was 'unpleasant'.
https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1890028174831960158
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rachel-reeves-investigated-over-expenses-while-working-at-bank/ar-AA1yY6zt?ocid=BingNewsSerp
I think this is nothing.
Not words, actions.
So, we are agreed, there is nothing to suggest Rory Stewart’s wife’s charity is grifting, and a foreign aid budget giving money to a charity working in the developing world is a normal and sensible approach to the disbursement of funds.
But the initial part of the investigation, which was conducted by Internal Audit at the request of the bank's risk department, found that the three managers [including Reeves] appeared to have broken the rules and the whistleblower's allegations were substantiated, according to a senior source with knowledge of the investigation.
I really thought you were a bit brighter than this @kinabalu . When the most impartial (some would say left leaning) broadcaster uncovers more examples of exaggeration and lies on her CV, and now the possibility of expenses wrongdoing and you still mindlessly and uncritically support her?
You are the Labour Party equivalent of HYUFD, or probably worse, a MAGA supporter.
If Trump forces a 'peace' in Ukraine, Russia will go away and build up again safe in the knowledge that European politicians will take a peace deal as an excuse to quietly dump increases in defence spending. So their militaries will be in the same position as now, unable to sustain a war beyond 4-6 months because of shortages of ammo and parts, lack of airlift capacity, etc.
Fixing this will be expensive - forget 2.5% of GPD, we're taking 4% or more and a decade of work given the lead times on much of the required hardware.
She should be worried
On Reeves, I suspect she is defnitely guilty of over-egging her role at the BOE and certainly of trying to inflate the length of time she was there. Does it matter?
When one of my friends was applying for jobs in her final year of her PhD her CV had 'conservation' as one of her main interests. Was basically one afternoon planting trees or something. A bit of a stretch but no biggie. Reeves DID work at the BOE. She has now been elected MP and asked to be CotE by the elected PM (until such time as he loses confidence in her).
Then of course there is the simple fact that she is shit and doesn't understand business.
I don't think MAGA is his cup of tea at all.
But as a quick example, how about talking to Putin, then telling Truth Social before even calling Zelensky?
Do you really think Trump's going to help Ukraine reach a just peace? If so, why?
The action of talking to Putin and not Zelenskyy about the future of Ukraine.
I think you are on the money with what the situation is with Reeves. I have, in the past overegged my CV. Never lied but certainly tailored it to who I was applying for a role.
Also on my hobbies and interests I always put on stuff I thought would make me look normal or interesting. Classic Dr Who not being one such interest I always omitted it.
Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”
https://www.404media.co/microsoft-study-finds-ai-makes-human-cognition-atrophied-and-unprepared-3/
Yes, she should be worried, but she will be okay. It is the rest of us who should worry. I think Reeves is safe for now.
See Rory Stewart’s own encounter with un-cancelable spending.
DOGE is not independent, it’s not objective and it’s not systematic.
It is a “cure” that will turn out to be worse than he disease.
Sad times - I mentioned Steptoe and Son to a 3rd year class (so 20-21 year olds) this week and none of them had heard of the programme.
A few European countries have already started to increase production or build new factories. And those like Poland, Scanadinia, and the Baltics aren't going to slack off.
We should act similarly.
What happens next in France and Germany is yet to be decided.
Those who claim it is OK to lie/exaggerate on a CV is OK are giving very bad advice. It is gross misconduct, and in the real world that means sacking without notice.
Have you stopped reading things?
So we'd better crank up that SMR programme.
The new OpenAI model specs allows for sexual content
As we speak millions of third world annotators are being tasked with the kinkiest roleplays...
https://x.com/dylan522p/status/1889939130668417225
Mentioned "I'll risk it for the Swiskit" the other day, tumbleweed. Same with the Hair Bear Bunch and Monkey.
Although me and a fellow oldie were reminiscing about Bob Blackman, not the Tory MP, whose stage act was whacking himself on the head while singing Mule Train. Even appeared at a Royal Variety show.
Not a good look really is it? Very few other walks of life would find this acceptable. Her probity is being proven to be no better, and probably worse, than Boris Johnson.
Just careless.
BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd9x22dj423t
Munich latest: Driver in suspected car ramming attack in Munich was Afghan asylum seeker, officials say - BBC News
As for your comment, to which I was referring it was to once again excuse Reeve's lying. It is lying, and as mentioned in my previous post it is enough in get someone to be fired on gross misconduct in many organisations. But not the Labour Party apparently. All your righteous indignation about Boris Johnson was clearly just partisan hot air.
It is about time people started to have higher expectations of politicians. It should start by them having to at least be held to the same standards as mere mortals. She should be fired.
Tough talk that.
That is, the reason* there's so much fraud is bc Trump fucked up COVID.
https://x.com/emptywheel/status/1889800386510463015
*One of the reasons, at the very least.
You can either blow them and hope the pieces come down in better order (they won't - they will be chaotic).
Or you can carefully re-engineer. A zero-based approach is a good one. What is the purpose of this expenditure/quango/regulation? Is it worthwhile? If so, how can it be provided cost effectively?
Sounds like a lovely person.
We need everyone to pull their weight, not just a collection of frightened states around the Baltic Sea. The prospects for this happening do not look encouraging. The UK would need to find £30bn a year extra just to bring its military budget up to the American standard in terms of percentage of GDP; most of NATO would need to make larger proportional increases than that, which was a legitimate Trump gripe from last time around that largely remains unfixed. Where are they going to find that much money except through deeply unpopular tax rises and/or cuts to social expenditure?
So let me ask you a question: why should I be confident that Ukraine is going to come out of Trump's presidency as a strong independent state?
What do you see that I do not?