“Those who buy Patriot systems should be offered the new generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T. Those who buy F-35s should be offered Rafale."
The statement was made after news about both Canada and Portugal potentially moving away from buying F-35s.
He’s just shilling for the French defence industry there
Indeed, there is a point that Trump needs to see that there is a cost to US jobs and industry by turning its back on Europe/NATO and supporting Russia.
"Let me explain to you how this works: you see, the corporations finance Team America, and then Team America goes out... and the corporations sit there in their... in their corporation buildings, and... and, and see, they're all corporation-y... and they make money."
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
Maybe it will be seen as merely a stepping stone on his path to reconstituting the British Empire from Canada.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
Yeah, the Tories go off a cliff in September and October 2022.
Sure, but there's a polling uptick for the Tories when she leaves and the 'grown ups' come back into the room. There is then a profound and largely consistent slow decline which ends up at Truss lows. Rishi owns that. For Truss to own it, it would need to have stayed at a flat line following her departure.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
Yeah, the Tories go off a cliff in September and October 2022.
Sure, but there's a polling uptick for the Tories when she leaves and the 'grown ups' come back into the room. There is then a profound and largely consistent slow decline which ends up at Truss lows. Rishi owns that. For Truss to own it, it would need to have stayed at a flat line following her departure.
Do you think Truss would have won a landslide in July 2024?
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
History's already been kind I'd have thought. That's why Carney's political career is taking off. Although Lucious Liz was recently warning Canadians that Carney's a proven danger and and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the levers of power. We shall see if her analysis is heeded.
There wouldn't be much point to peace keepers who can be vetoed by the serial invader.
They aren't peacekeepers unless both sides in the war agree a ceasefire and that they can enforce its terms, otherwise they are just combatants for one side
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
Yeah, the Tories go off a cliff in September and October 2022.
Sure, but there's a polling uptick for the Tories when she leaves and the 'grown ups' come back into the room. There is then a profound and largely consistent slow decline which ends up at Truss lows. Rishi owns that. For Truss to own it, it would need to have stayed at a flat line following her departure.
Do you think Truss would have won a landslide in July 2024?
No. Truss wouldn't have held an election in July 2024.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
No they didn't. The Bank of England claims that the LDI crisis was responsible for 75% of the market instability at the time. And they're hardly likely to give themselves more blame than necessary.
It must be the first sign of a mid-life crisis this full stops thing.
I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I do have a question.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
My best recommendation for listening today, a Foreign Affairs interview with Fiona Hill (not Theresa May's Fiona Hill -the other one),
She's a Bishop Auckland lass (from a mining family) who was a senior adviser to the first Trump Administration as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs. She is now working as a key adviser to the British Government, and has been Chancellor of Durham Uni.
Very candid, and a lovely accent. @Taz will enjoy.
"Fiona Hill: What Does Trump See in Putin? | Foreign Affairs Interview"
This is a very good interview. She mostly sticks to taking Trump seriously, but slightly ducked the question of whether it's helpful to wonder what the Russians have on him by saying that we've all got something on him.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
No they didn't. The Bank of England claims that the LDI crisis was responsible for 75% of the market instability at the time. And they're hardly likely to give themselves more blame than necessary.
It must be the first sign of a mid-life crisis this full stops thing.
I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I do have a question.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
Does there seem to be that consensus?
The LDI crisis came about because of the rise in interest rates. These investments (which the UK had 60% of) depended on low interest rates to generate a high return. That was a failure of regulation on the part of the Bank of England and whoever regulates pension funds. In the latter case it may be a case of overregulation, as these pension funds may have been regulated away from other investments that were considered riskier. Liz Truss and Kwasi didn't know about it and weren't briefed about it, perhaps someone at the Treasury knew but didn't say.
That was largely (75% according to the Bank's own admission) responsible for the market turbulence, and that's excluding the Bank's QT programme which was announced simultaneously. So there’s really very little blame left for a few 'unfunded tax cuts'.
Trump has, apparently, banned citizens of the following countries from travelling to the US. Some I can understand, unless they're refugees of course, but what has Bhutan done wrong?
The list is:~ Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
I was similarly horrified by reports that Elon Musk’s private security force now has federal law enforcement authority via the U.S. Marshals Service. While the marshals sometimes contract with private security companies, Musk’s political power, not to mention his egregious conflicts of interest, makes the apparent deputization of his team highly unusual and dangerous. It’s unknown how many officers are now de facto federal agents
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
From ALL roles. Hesgeth in his best Taliban posture...
There wouldn't be much point to peace keepers who can be vetoed by the serial invader.
They aren't peacekeepers unless both sides in the war agree a ceasefire and that they can enforce its terms, otherwise they are just combatants for one side
That's rather the point. Peacekeepers serve as a poison pill (or tripwire) to deter an invasion for fear of stimulating a wider conflict. There is an argument that we should have put some small groups of soldiers or a flight of Typhoons into Ukraine in spring '22 to play the same role.
It's also the role of UK troops in Estonia etc, though they are more optimistically described as speedbumps - something to slow Russia down while the rest of NATO mobilises.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
There wouldn't be much point to peace keepers who can be vetoed by the serial invader.
They aren't peacekeepers unless both sides in the war agree a ceasefire and that they can enforce its terms, otherwise they are just combatants for one side
Well spotted. The corollary is that Russia isn't really interested in peace.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
I disagree and once again we are looking at the authorities in the UK in isolation. The BoE should, ideally, have increased interest rates earlier than they did but they were restricted by the international environment where all gilt rates were very low. Increasing interest rates in those circumstances would have enhanced the value of Sterling to the detriment of our exporters. In addition we had an economy that was barely growing. Increased interest rates would have driven us into recession in at least the short term and killed a number of zombie companies employing quite a lot of people.
What Osborne and Carney were attempting to do was walk a series of somewhat precarious tightropes back to something like normal and they made some considerable progress in that direction until Covid came along, with an internationally competitive rate of growth, low inflation and a gradual reduction in the massive structural deficit that was inherited as a result of 2008. Given the hand they were dealt it was a commendable effort.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
From ALL roles. Hesgeth in his best Taliban posture...
I don't think they approve of copious alcohol consumption.
Trump has, apparently, banned citizens of the following countries from travelling to the US. Some I can understand, unless they're refugees of course, but what has Bhutan done wrong?
The list is:~ Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Trump has, apparently, banned citizens of the following countries from travelling to the US. Some I can understand, unless they're refugees of course, but what has Bhutan done wrong?
The list is:~ Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Maybe he needed a "b"?
One guess as to why he didn't go with Belarus then.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
No they didn't. The Bank of England claims that the LDI crisis was responsible for 75% of the market instability at the time. And they're hardly likely to give themselves more blame than necessary.
It must be the first sign of a mid-life crisis this full stops thing.
I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I do have a question.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
Does there seem to be that consensus?
The LDI crisis came about because of the rise in interest rates. These investments (which the UK had 60% of) depended on low interest rates to generate a high return. That was a failure of regulation on the part of the Bank of England and whoever regulates pension funds. In the latter case it may be a case of overregulation, as these pension funds may have been regulated away from other investments that were considered riskier. Liz Truss and Kwasi didn't know about it and weren't briefed about it, perhaps someone at the Treasury knew but didn't say.
That was largely (75% according to the Bank's own admission) responsible for the market turbulence, and that's excluding the Bank's QT programme which was announced simultaneously. So there’s really very little blame left for a few 'unfunded tax cuts'.
So are you saying it would have happened just the same, even without the mini-budget? That it was simply coincidence that it happened after the mini-budget?
There wouldn't be much point to peace keepers who can be vetoed by the serial invader.
They aren't peacekeepers unless both sides in the war agree a ceasefire and that they can enforce its terms, otherwise they are just combatants for one side
Well spotted. The corollary is that Russia isn't really interested in peace.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
I really couldn't give a shit whether anyone here 'believes' my viewpoints - I state things as I see them, sometimes I'm wrong, often I'm right. People can judge my posts on their merit, nobody needs a loathsome overbearing bully like you to police the debate.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
No they didn't. The Bank of England claims that the LDI crisis was responsible for 75% of the market instability at the time. And they're hardly likely to give themselves more blame than necessary.
It must be the first sign of a mid-life crisis this full stops thing.
I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I do have a question.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
Does there seem to be that consensus?
The LDI crisis came about because of the rise in interest rates. These investments (which the UK had 60% of) depended on low interest rates to generate a high return. That was a failure of regulation on the part of the Bank of England and whoever regulates pension funds. In the latter case it may be a case of overregulation, as these pension funds may have been regulated away from other investments that were considered riskier. Liz Truss and Kwasi didn't know about it and weren't briefed about it, perhaps someone at the Treasury knew but didn't say.
That was largely (75% according to the Bank's own admission) responsible for the market turbulence, and that's excluding the Bank's QT programme which was announced simultaneously. So there’s really very little blame left for a few 'unfunded tax cuts'.
So are you saying it would have happened just the same, even without the mini-budget? That it was simply coincidence that it happened after the mini-budget?
In part, yes. Within 24 hours of the mini-budget is when the BoE announced its QT program.
Of course the news and media don't understand and don't report QT and so only led on the mini-budget.
So she wrecked a marriage and then she wrecked the economy and the Tory party, however Liz herself ploughs on regardless, her marriage remains intact and though she lost her seat and premiership she is more in demand amongst the uber libertarian right conferences in the US than ever
She may have wrecked a marriage (though it does take two to tango) but she didn't wreck the economy (it grew during her short tenure, and benefited from her cancelling Sunak's National Insurance hike, and would have benefited even more from her cancelling his Corporation Tax hike. Nor did she wreck the Tory Party - the polling shows this to be false.
And use full stops you pillock.
Her unfunded tax cuts crashed the markets. The Tories fell from over 30% when Boris resigned to under 25% under her leadership
No they didn't. The Bank of England claims that the LDI crisis was responsible for 75% of the market instability at the time. And they're hardly likely to give themselves more blame than necessary.
It must be the first sign of a mid-life crisis this full stops thing.
I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I do have a question.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
Does there seem to be that consensus?
The LDI crisis came about because of the rise in interest rates. These investments (which the UK had 60% of) depended on low interest rates to generate a high return. That was a failure of regulation on the part of the Bank of England and whoever regulates pension funds. In the latter case it may be a case of overregulation, as these pension funds may have been regulated away from other investments that were considered riskier. Liz Truss and Kwasi didn't know about it and weren't briefed about it, perhaps someone at the Treasury knew but didn't say.
That was largely (75% according to the Bank's own admission) responsible for the market turbulence, and that's excluding the Bank's QT programme which was announced simultaneously. So there’s really very little blame left for a few 'unfunded tax cuts'.
So are you saying it would have happened just the same, even without the mini-budget? That it was simply coincidence that it happened after the mini-budget?
I certainly think it would have been interesting to delay the mini-budget and let the other factors at play unwind.
Streeting talking about over diagnosis of mental health conditions i see. He looks like an overgrown student politician but he seems to be one of the more interesting ministers.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
I disagree and once again we are looking at the authorities in the UK in isolation. The BoE should, ideally, have increased interest rates earlier than they did but they were restricted by the international environment where all gilt rates were very low. Increasing interest rates in those circumstances would have enhanced the value of Sterling to the detriment of our exporters. In addition we had an economy that was barely growing. Increased interest rates would have driven us into recession in at least the short term and killed a number of zombie companies employing quite a lot of people.
What Osborne and Carney were attempting to do was walk a series of somewhat precarious tightropes back to something like normal and they made some considerable progress in that direction until Covid came along, with an internationally competitive rate of growth, low inflation and a gradual reduction in the massive structural deficit that was inherited as a result of 2008. Given the hand they were dealt it was a commendable effort.
Killing zombies is no bad thing.
Zombie companies that have no efficiency or growth prospects being kept on life support is part of the reason why we have anaemic growth combined with full employment, and why other companies struggle to fill vacancies.
Letting the least efficient firms die is how we evolve better growth. Survival of the fittest.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
I really couldn't give a shit whether anyone here 'believes' my viewpoints - I state things as I see them, sometimes I'm wrong, often I'm right. People can judge my posts on their merit, nobody needs a loathsome overbearing bully like you to police the debate.
So you 'see' them in exactly the same way as Lavrov did in his daily posts? Odd, that.
As for the rest of your post: remove the plank from your eye.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
Leave Lucky alone. I am sure he is one of the foremost alternative nutritionists in St Petersburg.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
I really couldn't give a shit whether anyone here 'believes' my viewpoints - I state things as I see them, sometimes I'm wrong, often I'm right. People can judge my posts on their merit, nobody needs a loathsome overbearing bully like you to police the debate.
So you 'see' them in exactly the same way as Lavrov did in his daily posts? Odd, that.
As for the rest of your post: remove the plank from your eye.
Unlike you, it would appear, I have never read 'Lavrov's daily posts'.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
Russia has a massive demographic problem. Putin probably does not want to further that decline by decimating the most fertile cohort of Russian ladies. It is probably a very simple decision for him to make.
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks. That is the sum total of their roles.
But that is as far as it goes in what passes for their minds. Women are so magical they cannot be anything else; particularly anything that challenges the patriarchy. Hence the accelerating removal of women's rights. Why should they work when they could be at home, having their seventeenth child?
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
I really couldn't give a shit whether anyone here 'believes' my viewpoints - I state things as I see them, sometimes I'm wrong, often I'm right. People can judge my posts on their merit, nobody needs a loathsome overbearing bully like you to police the debate.
So you 'see' them in exactly the same way as Lavrov did in his daily posts? Odd, that.
As for the rest of your post: remove the plank from your eye.
Unlike you, it would appear, I have never read 'Lavrov's daily posts'.
So here we are with the Toon about to play a cup final, and I don't want them to win.
Not unless the Saudis sell the club in the next 3 minutes.
Be a bugger if they sold the club to Musk, mind.
The FA consulted top lawyers. Who opined that being an actual, UN defined, war criminal didn’t breach the “Fit and Proper” clause regarding owners of clubs.
It is rare, in public life, for such pure allegiance to money to be so direct and open. Which is something, I suppose.
Just when Trump is axing US international broadcasters such as RFE/RL and VOA and Britain's broadcasters have an excellent chance to broaden their audiences, UK Ministers explore cuts to BBC World Service ... https://x.com/JEyal_RUSI/status/1901195565037126073
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
Ok, well I'm glad we have that confirmed then, thank goodness one of us is psychically surveilling every micro-decision of the US state on our behalf so we can get clarity on these things.
An expectedly piss-poor response.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
I really couldn't give a shit whether anyone here 'believes' my viewpoints - I state things as I see them, sometimes I'm wrong, often I'm right. People can judge my posts on their merit, nobody needs a loathsome overbearing bully like you to police the debate.
So you 'see' them in exactly the same way as Lavrov did in his daily posts? Odd, that.
As for the rest of your post: remove the plank from your eye.
Unlike you, it would appear, I have never read 'Lavrov's daily posts'.
Which makes your skill in identifying and following the Russian state line most impressive, really.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
I disagree and once again we are looking at the authorities in the UK in isolation. The BoE should, ideally, have increased interest rates earlier than they did but they were restricted by the international environment where all gilt rates were very low. Increasing interest rates in those circumstances would have enhanced the value of Sterling to the detriment of our exporters. In addition we had an economy that was barely growing. Increased interest rates would have driven us into recession in at least the short term and killed a number of zombie companies employing quite a lot of people.
What Osborne and Carney were attempting to do was walk a series of somewhat precarious tightropes back to something like normal and they made some considerable progress in that direction until Covid came along, with an internationally competitive rate of growth, low inflation and a gradual reduction in the massive structural deficit that was inherited as a result of 2008. Given the hand they were dealt it was a commendable effort.
Yes but that wasn't the only issue with the "austerity" of the Coalition. As they wouldn't touch the NHS or Education and there was little or no desire to raise basic tax rates the impact fell on other parts of the "public sector" with a million local Government jobs lost for example. That had a disproportionate impact on key services (libraries, youth centres) which in turn had social implications in many areas.
In additon, local councils took on public health functions with no additional resources so public health education had to be funded by local authorities as well (encouraging people to eat better, drink less, smoke less - areas which impact on other parts of public spending).
Allister Heath (back when he was sensible) argued persistently for an end to QE and a return to a more normal monetary policy. As you say, there would have been consequences had the UK done this in isolation and presumably there were still fears about the fragility of some European economies (Italy, Greece).
Streeting talking about over diagnosis of mental health conditions i see. He looks like an overgrown student politician but he seems to be one of the more interesting ministers.
Diagnosis is not really relevant. PIP follows assessment of capability, not diagnosis.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks.
Streeting talking about over diagnosis of mental health conditions i see. He looks like an overgrown student politician but he seems to be one of the more interesting ministers.
Diagnosis is not really relevant. PIP follows assessment of capability, not diagnosis.
All the stats to wade through, if anyone fancies it:
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
I think we are just about at the point where people lower down the chain need to start asking if 'I was only obeying orders' will be a sufficient defence to save their jobs.
I mean, would you want to be the person identified as actually doing the removing of MoH recipients from the Arlington Cemetery website?
Well, obviouly, I wouldn't!
I assume that like most other millitary associated organisations in the US, the people working there are likely to be Vets themselves. So to rephrase it, what Vet in their right ind would want to be the one identified as having removed MoH recipients based on their race?
I would definitely be looking for new job sooner rather than later.
There's probably an element of troublemaking. People against the reforms who decide to rub their hands and say 'right, getting rid of DEI are we?...' and look for the most damaging ways to do it. That's not an excuse for the actions - someone should be keeping a closer eye.
Much more likely, people petrified for their jobs if they don't follow the exact will of their glorious leader.
There are people out there going around *looking* for stuff to complain about, and trying to create a sh*tstorm over it. There've been a couple of them I've seen on Twix over the last few weeks.
And if you run the site/organisation that is targeted, then you'll probably be for the chop.
So no, no false flag operation. Just really nasty people ordering people to do nasty stuff or else.
A bit like your friend Putin.
MAGA are never acting in good faith. When they talk about getting rid of DEI, what they mean is white supremacism.
White male supremacism. Hegseth's other emerging obsession is getting rid of women from combat roles.
Russia seems to have discontinued the proud Soviet tradition of using women in front line roles (snipers, tankers, Night Witches etc). Where Putin goes, Trumpy follows..
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks.
So...they are witches?
Can we burn them then?
Or build a bridge out of them?
50 years old - and still as quotable as 1975.
Not any films you can say that of.
Is that the holy grail of filmmaking?
If I was as rich as Elon Musk, sod Trump - I'd never bother leaving my own recreation of Castle Anthrax...
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
Erdogan shows the way. You don’t need to have the military fully on-side to exert slow but sure pressure on the institutions of democracy until they suffocate and give up the ghost, while insisting you represent the real people and are the true democrat.
The hope for the USA must be that MAGA won’t have that sort of strategic patience and will try to go too far too fast, provoking a reaction.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
The military have to take an oath to the constitution as well as the President, though of course if they tried to cancel future elections inevitably most of the blue states would secede from the union
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
The military have to take an oath to the constitution as well as the President, though of course if they tried to cancel future elections inevitably most of the blue states would secede from the union
Canada could do a swap deal: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in exchange for Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington and Oregon.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
The military have to take an oath to the constitution as well as the President, though of course if they tried to cancel future elections inevitably most of the blue states would secede from the union
All kinds of people in the US swore an oath to the constitution, not the President, and are currently not doing that...
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
Erdogan shows the way. You don’t need to have the military fully on-side to exert slow but sure pressure on the institutions of democracy until they suffocate and give up the ghost, while insisting you represent the real people and are the true democrat.
The hope for the USA must be that MAGA won’t have that sort of strategic patience and will try to go too far too fast, provoking a reaction.
The real masters at the art just entrench their policies so deeply in the system that they can continue to govern from beyond the political grave.
The government seems to have remembered that Labour is supposed to be the party for the workers, not the party for the workshy.
I'm sure it'll have the same fate as their promise not to hit "working people" before implementing the largest payroll tax increases in modern times. Or to go for economic growth while collapsing investment and business and consumer confidence. Or to cut the price of energy while brainlessly doing everything they can to increase it.
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
The military have to take an oath to the constitution as well as the President, though of course if they tried to cancel future elections inevitably most of the blue states would secede from the union
Canada could do a swap deal: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in exchange for Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington and Oregon.
Wouldn't that leave Maine and New Hampshire a bit isolated, or are they going to take courses in French and join Quebec?
When the pendulum inevitably swings back, it is going to be brutal about what Trump and his racist/misogynist ilk have been doing.
The MAGA plan is that there will be no pendulum. They will either steal or break it
For which they would need the military
What would make you think they won't have the military?
The military have to take an oath to the constitution as well as the President, though of course if they tried to cancel future elections inevitably most of the blue states would secede from the union
Canada could do a swap deal: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in exchange for Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington and Oregon.
Wouldn't that leave Maine and New Hampshire a bit isolated, or are they going to take courses in French and join Quebec?
Maine’s a bit less Demmy. They could be an island beyond Canada, like Alaska. NH yes that could be added in.
Yemeni Houthis report retaliatory strikes against US warships.
The Houthis attacked the aircraft carrier Harry Truman and escort ships in the northern Red Sea. They used 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones.
We will continue to attack American ships in the Red and Arabian Seas in response to US attacks, the Houthis said.
Sunday roast time, and as ever I’m always impressed at the miracle that is taking a floppy broccoli, cutting the bottom of the stalk and putting in water to perk it up to full turgidity. It’s like viagra for veg.
Also works very well with both asparagus and parsley, but not with anything else.
However, while he was one of many Reform candidates whose comments caused controversy and led to many being sacked, he is now head of vetting at Reform UK.
The role includes scouring prospective candidates’ social media outputs and advising them on what should be deleted.
Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, told his party conference in September that it would be vetting candidates “rigorously at all levels” in future after more than 100 were removed before the general election..
...Days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Aaron said that those who called Putin insane “do not understand him and limit their ability to oppose him”.
He said: “The motivation to acquire and wield force is legitimate, and there is a whole group of personality types inclined to this, and they have historically shaped the world we live in.”
In a comment on Reddit, he said that Assad was “gentle by nature” and not “some bloodthirsty tyrant who exercises control over his people with an iron fist”, adding that the dictator had been “led astray” by social stereotyping...
Whilst his comments on Assad are just weird, his comments on Putin might, from an academic point of view, be considered valid. Simply dismissing someone like Putin as insane does indeed limit ones ability to oppose him because too many people equate insanity with lackof logical thought. That means his opponents may well underestimate him. He is also sadly correct about personality types (whether 16 or 6,000 I have no idea) who are motivated to acquire and wield force and how they dominate history.
I see nothing in those specific comments on Putin that excuses or supports him. Simply making observations which appear to me to be unfortunately, quite valid.
I think "president of the self-styled World Socionics Society" is more damaging. That's like Bobby J standing up in Parliament and asserting that the Qabbalah, or Theosophy, had a lot of the answers we all need to hear.
It's not David Icke and his Space Lizards, or blaming the Djinn, but it's on the same spectrum. Doing Ouija board for fun or a hobby is OK and would be accepted; it's when it is made a basis for public philosophy or policy or a serious lens for interpreting history that it becomes clear that he is off his trolley.
It suggests Farage is at home with fruitcakes and loonies, as well as closet racists.
IMO Putin is ruthless and rational, and a very experienced manipulator who has Mr Trump wrapped around his little finger.
Is Socionics so terrible? It might not be theoretically validated but there could be some truth in it. Would you be so sniffy about the baseless claims of major world religions? No I thought not.
The comments on Assad are similar to what the BBC's sainted John Simpson had to say (don't remember the Guardian hit piece) and I've not read the article but if that is the sum of it then it's pretty thin gruel from a badly declining paper.
Streeting talking about over diagnosis of mental health conditions i see. He looks like an overgrown student politician but he seems to be one of the more interesting ministers.
Diagnosis is not really relevant. PIP follows assessment of capability, not diagnosis.
Needs repeating. This is not a simple solution as are most attempts to reduce social payments over the short term. These are mult-parliament decisions unless like Trump you ignore the courts.
Or we could ask those 'special cases' to pay their taxes like everyone else.
The government seems to have remembered that Labour is supposed to be the party for the workers, not the party for the workshy.
In which case they've messed up quite badly, because a significant proportion of people receiving PIP are in work. I believe we have a few of them posting on this forum. It's not a means-tested benefit.
If we were serious about reducing the benefits bill, boosting taxes and economic growth, we'd be finding ways to get more folk with long-term health conditions into work while continuing to provide the additional support they need. Even better, we could try reducing the number of people getting those conditions in the first place, which is the primary reason the welfare bill is increasing so much for working-age people.
Streeting talking about over diagnosis of mental health conditions i see. He looks like an overgrown student politician but he seems to be one of the more interesting ministers.
Diagnosis is not really relevant. PIP follows assessment of capability, not diagnosis.
Needs repeating. This is not a simple solution as are most attempts to reduce social payments over the short term. These are mult-parliament decisions unless like Trump you ignore the courts.
Or we could ask those 'special cases' to pay their taxes like everyone else.
The assessment of capability was done over the phone during covid though. That's why Streeting mentions it.
Before and after Covid the PIP assessors would watch you from the window to see if you could walk from the car park and up the stairs to fail you. During covid they had to take your word for it...
"Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks allied forces to be on its territory, it is not for Russia to accept or not" - President Macron.
Several more points from President Macron's interview yesterday, ahead of the virtual "coalition of the willing" meeting:
◾️"When Russia says: If we make a ceasefire, it will be a respite for the Ukrainian army, it says very clearly the fact that it wants to return," and "go further." In other words, attack other countries.
◾️Putin's rejection of any deployment of European forces are an "explicit" sign of the "existential strategic threat" that Russia is to France and the continent.
◾️"The goal is not to have mass (soldiers)." It will probably be the issue of "deploying a few small thousand men per nation, in key points, to do training programs" and "show our support in the long term." They could be stationed in large Ukrainian cities (e.g., Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv). Putin's agreement will not play a role in this decision.
◾️The President called on Europe to purchase European-made weapons and systems - SAMP/T air defense systems instead of Patriots, Rafale aircraft instead of F-35s.
It’s time to unite Canadians by focusing on shared values and common goals. It’s time to spend less, and invest more. It’s time to secure new trading partners and build one strong Canadian economy. Let’s get to work.
Utter class from Mark Carney. I found myself in the probably unusual position of greatly admiring his work as Governor despite him making no secret of his views about Brexit. I also admired how he bullied the ECB into allowing various Euro transactions to be done in London. Canada are fortunate to have such quality of leadership. I wish we did.
He was shit at the job though, allowed asset prices to inflate to the moon and didn't reload the gun anywhere near early enough so when we needed to cut rates there was nowhere to go and when it came time to raising rates we have to unwind a huge QE programme with rock bottom gilt prices, he could have started that process when interest rates were at under 1% meaning the BoE would take a negligible loss on their gilt holdings.
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
I disagree and once again we are looking at the authorities in the UK in isolation. The BoE should, ideally, have increased interest rates earlier than they did but they were restricted by the international environment where all gilt rates were very low. Increasing interest rates in those circumstances would have enhanced the value of Sterling to the detriment of our exporters. In addition we had an economy that was barely growing. Increased interest rates would have driven us into recession in at least the short term and killed a number of zombie companies employing quite a lot of people.
What Osborne and Carney were attempting to do was walk a series of somewhat precarious tightropes back to something like normal and they made some considerable progress in that direction until Covid came along, with an internationally competitive rate of growth, low inflation and a gradual reduction in the massive structural deficit that was inherited as a result of 2008. Given the hand they were dealt it was a commendable effort.
Carney could have started to unwind QE much earlier as a soft launch for monetary tightening without having to fire the gun on interest rates before the Fed. Gilt prices were high, market tolerance for supply was good and it would have resulted in no loss for the BoE and therefore no indemnity payments from the treasury. There were enough people saying so at the time too from 2017 onwards once it became clear that there was negligible Brexit impact.
I am a masochist, but only to a limited extent, in that I want to read the Liz Truss/Mark Field thing, but don't want to subscribe to the Daily Mail. Any advice?
However, while he was one of many Reform candidates whose comments caused controversy and led to many being sacked, he is now head of vetting at Reform UK.
The role includes scouring prospective candidates’ social media outputs and advising them on what should be deleted.
Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, told his party conference in September that it would be vetting candidates “rigorously at all levels” in future after more than 100 were removed before the general election..
...Days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Aaron said that those who called Putin insane “do not understand him and limit their ability to oppose him”.
He said: “The motivation to acquire and wield force is legitimate, and there is a whole group of personality types inclined to this, and they have historically shaped the world we live in.”
In a comment on Reddit, he said that Assad was “gentle by nature” and not “some bloodthirsty tyrant who exercises control over his people with an iron fist”, adding that the dictator had been “led astray” by social stereotyping...
Whilst his comments on Assad are just weird, his comments on Putin might, from an academic point of view, be considered valid. Simply dismissing someone like Putin as insane does indeed limit ones ability to oppose him because too many people equate insanity with lackof logical thought. That means his opponents may well underestimate him. He is also sadly correct about personality types (whether 16 or 6,000 I have no idea) who are motivated to acquire and wield force and how they dominate history.
I see nothing in those specific comments on Putin that excuses or supports him. Simply making observations which appear to me to be unfortunately, quite valid.
I think "president of the self-styled World Socionics Society" is more damaging. That's like Bobby J standing up in Parliament and asserting that the Qabbalah, or Theosophy, had a lot of the answers we all need to hear.
It's not David Icke and his Space Lizards, or blaming the Djinn, but it's on the same spectrum. Doing Ouija board for fun or a hobby is OK and would be accepted; it's when it is made a basis for public philosophy or policy or a serious lens for interpreting history that it becomes clear that he is off his trolley.
It suggests Farage is at home with fruitcakes and loonies, as well as closet racists.
IMO Putin is ruthless and rational, and a very experienced manipulator who has Mr Trump wrapped around his little finger.
Is Socionics so terrible? It might not be theoretically validated but there could be some truth in it. Would you be so sniffy about the baseless claims of major world religions? No I thought not.
The comments on Assad are similar to what the BBC's sainted John Simpson had to say (don't remember the Guardian hit piece) and I've not read the article but if that is the sum of it then it's pretty thin gruel from a badly declining paper.
I think you could have squeezed at least another two cliches into that post
Comments
History won't be kind to Carney's reign at the BoE.
There seems to be a consensus that the LDI crisis was triggered by the mini-budget. Normally the person who sets off a chain of events that spirals out of control gets the blame, particularly if they're in such a senior role that they'd be expected to consider the result of any actions in a huge amount of detail.
Why do you think it's reasonable that the Chancellor and PM didn't anticipate this? (Genuine question, as I really don't know how possible it would be to predict).
The LDI crisis came about because of the rise in interest rates. These investments (which the UK had 60% of) depended on low interest rates to generate a high return. That was a failure of regulation on the part of the Bank of England and whoever regulates pension funds. In the latter case it may be a case of overregulation, as these pension funds may have been regulated away from other investments that were considered riskier. Liz Truss and Kwasi didn't know about it and weren't briefed about it, perhaps someone at the Treasury knew but didn't say.
That was largely (75% according to the Bank's own admission) responsible for the market turbulence, and that's excluding the Bank's QT programme which was announced simultaneously. So there’s really very little blame left for a few 'unfunded tax cuts'.
Ukraine now pretty much has that capability.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-african-political-thugs-guys
It's also the role of UK troops in Estonia etc, though they are more optimistically described as speedbumps - something to slow Russia down while the rest of NATO mobilises.
Your track record of 'different' opinions is not only lamentably poor, but actually sick. How else can you expect your position on MH17? Ukrainian Biolabs? And why are those positions not anti-USA, but actually pro-Russia?
If you prove so utterly piss-poor in 'analysing' the obvious, why should anyone believe anything you have to say about anything else, e.g. your 'alternative' nutrition viewpoints?
The corollary is that Russia isn't really interested in peace.
What Osborne and Carney were attempting to do was walk a series of somewhat precarious tightropes back to something like normal and they made some considerable progress in that direction until Covid came along, with an internationally competitive rate of growth, low inflation and a gradual reduction in the massive structural deficit that was inherited as a result of 2008. Given the hand they were dealt it was a commendable effort.
Of course the news and media don't understand and don't report QT and so only led on the mini-budget.
The markets however are affected by QT.
Zombie companies that have no efficiency or growth prospects being kept on life support is part of the reason why we have anaemic growth combined with full employment, and why other companies struggle to fill vacancies.
Letting the least efficient firms die is how we evolve better growth. Survival of the fittest.
As for the rest of your post: remove the plank from your eye.
America is different. The current leadership in America hold women in a type of awe: women are magical. They are magical mothers. They are magical home-makers. They are magical cooks. That is the sum total of their roles.
But that is as far as it goes in what passes for their minds. Women are so magical they cannot be anything else; particularly anything that challenges the patriarchy. Hence the accelerating removal of women's rights. Why should they work when they could be at home, having their seventeenth child?
MH17.
Ahem.
Not unless the Saudis sell the club in the next 3 minutes.
Be a bugger if they sold the club to Musk, mind.
It is rare, in public life, for such pure allegiance to money to be so direct and open. Which is something, I suppose.
https://x.com/JEyal_RUSI/status/1901195565037126073
Can we burn them then?
In additon, local councils took on public health functions with no additional resources so public health education had to be funded by local authorities as well (encouraging people to eat better, drink less, smoke less - areas which impact on other parts of public spending).
Allister Heath (back when he was sensible) argued persistently for an end to QE and a return to a more normal monetary policy. As you say, there would have been consequences had the UK done this in isolation and presumably there were still fears about the fragility of some European economies (Italy, Greece).
Not any films you can say that of.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-statistics-to-january-2024/personal-independence-payment-official-statistics-to-january-2024
The hope for the USA must be that MAGA won’t have that sort of strategic patience and will try to go too far too fast, provoking a reaction.
https://bsky.app/profile/santiagomayer.com/post/3lkiz34ifkc2g
I doubt I'm the only one who sees a pattern here.
Yemeni Houthis report retaliatory strikes against US warships.
The Houthis attacked the aircraft carrier Harry Truman and escort ships in the northern Red Sea. They used 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones.
We will continue to attack American ships in the Red and Arabian Seas in response to US attacks, the Houthis said.
Also works very well with both asparagus and parsley, but not with anything else.
The comments on Assad are similar to what the BBC's sainted John Simpson had to say (don't remember the Guardian hit piece) and I've not read the article but if that is the sum of it then it's pretty thin gruel from a badly declining paper.
Quiz: I took this photo today. It is not an interesting photo, but it is interesting that I chose to take it. Why?
Or we could ask those 'special cases' to pay their taxes like everyone else.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-fact-sheets/pip-handbook
If we were serious about reducing the benefits bill, boosting taxes and economic growth, we'd be finding ways to get more folk with long-term health conditions into work while continuing to provide the additional support they need. Even better, we could try reducing the number of people getting those conditions in the first place, which is the primary reason the welfare bill is increasing so much for working-age people.
Before and after Covid the PIP assessors would watch you from the window to see if you could walk from the car park and up the stairs to fail you. During covid they had to take your word for it...
Several more points from President Macron's interview yesterday, ahead of the virtual "coalition of the willing" meeting:
◾️"When Russia says: If we make a ceasefire, it will be a respite for the Ukrainian army, it says very clearly the fact that it wants to return," and "go further." In other words, attack other countries.
◾️Putin's rejection of any deployment of European forces are an "explicit" sign of the "existential strategic threat" that Russia is to France and the continent.
◾️"The goal is not to have mass (soldiers)." It will probably be the issue of "deploying a few small thousand men per nation, in key points, to do training programs" and "show our support in the long term." They could be stationed in large Ukrainian cities (e.g., Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv). Putin's agreement will not play a role in this decision.
◾️The President called on Europe to purchase European-made weapons and systems - SAMP/T air defense systems instead of Patriots, Rafale aircraft instead of F-35s.
◾️"In 2021, 10 Caesar [self-propelled howitzers] were produced a year. This year, we're going to produce 82."
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1901231903073611842
Clue, at the risk of being banned for posting two photos. In my defence, this is a negative.
http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_P/1_photographers_talbot_smm_latticed_window.htm
(but ignore, much better guess about first ever photo below)
If you will sink to that level...
You should be flushed with embarrassment.
Thames Water set for crucial court ruling
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgm1e1pylm4o
My view is that whatever happens the real damage has already been done some years ago and it seems likely the real criminals will get away with it.
https://x.com/narindertweets/status/1901196136968265994