Anyway, irrespective of Nico67’s retarded victim blaming takes, I will be voting later and have decided not to vote Reform. I have two votes. Will use one for the local independent I really like. If I gave my other vote to Reform and that candidate won by 1 vote I’d regret it. I won’t use my other. But consider me a reform voter in spirit.
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
Seems strange to go to such lengths to prevent politicians bribing individual voters, considering how integral bribery of groups is to the political process.
I advocate
1) general elections last 2 weeks 2) which are a public holiday. 3) bribing the electorate with booze is mandatory.
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Years ago I visited an antique courtroom in Cornwall that featured a hook in the ceiling from which convicts were strung up immediately after sentence was passed. Seems about right in this case.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
Quick no google as promised.
JJPJGPJJPPP
That's in the order raised (11 songs)
I cite the lead writer - sometimes (eg day in life) the other chips in.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Years ago I visited an antique courtroom in Cornwall that featured a hook in the ceiling from which convicts were strung up immediately after sentence was passed. Seems about right in this case.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
Quick no google as promised.
JJPJGPJJPPP
That's in the order raised (11 songs)
I cite the lead writer - sometimes (eg day in life) the other chips in.
Helter Skelter, the track that inspired the Manson Family.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
Written to comfort Julian Lennon as his parents were splitting up and John was regularly humping Yoko Ono.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
Quick no google as promised.
JJPJGPJJPPP
That's in the order raised (11 songs)
I cite the lead writer - sometimes (eg day in life) the other chips in.
Nice one - thanks. Thought Helter Skelter was nailed on John. Surprised Taxman was George. Conclusion is I slightly prefer John songs though Paul was probably the bigger genius. And more importantly probably the better human being.
English, Muslim, European – and Proud of Every Part of My Identity, writes Sir Sadiq Khan ... Growing up, I wasn’t always comfortable around the St George’s flag.
It was a time when, first, the National Front, and then the BNP were on the march, and it sometimes felt our flag had been co-opted by them.
But for me, everything changed one glorious summer during Euro '96. I’ll never forget watching England dismantle the Dutch 4-1 at Wembley.
It was an exhilarating performance that led to an outpouring of joy and euphoria. And after the final whistle, tens of thousands of us waved the red cross with gusto and embraced while chanting ‘football’s coming home’.
Not a view shared by all on the left. Lady Nugee for one.
Why on earth would it be? It is his personal story of identity.
The view of the England Flag, specifically.
Why would everyones on the lefts view of the England flag have been negative until Shearer and Sheringham scored a couple of goals which flipped it to positive? Some weren't even born then. Others didnt watch it or don't care. Others were positive about the flag long before 1996.
Are you deliberately missing the point or is my posting that bad? Many on the left despise the England flag. That is the point I am making.
Do you know anyone on the left that despises the England flag?
Me.
I'm fine with (indeed I like to see) the English flag at and around big national sporting events. Outside of that I'd rather not see it. It engenders a certain suspicion about the displayers which in my experience usually turns out to be well founded.
Would you say the same about the Scottish or Welsh flags?
Good question. I think if I were Welsh or Scottish I'd still recoil from seeing 'my' flag all over the place. As to the personal characteristics of those doing it, I'm not sure because my experience runs mainly to the English variety.
I get annoyed that the St Andrews flag has been appropriated by nationalists in general and the SNP in particular. I suspect many English feel the same when they see drunken thugs prancing around with the flag of St George.
But then, I get annoyed by far too many things as my good lady wife gently points out.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
I don't think the objectionability or otherwise of Lennon and Jones is really a left/right issue.
Not really, but such is the the freewheeling, discursive nature of PB, I had moved on to smug Dom.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
Written to comfort Julian Lennon as his parents were splitting up and John was regularly humping Yoko Ono.
Didn't know that! A poignant detail
I met Macca once, in the Groucho. It was like witnessing a deity, much more so than encountering a royal or a famous politician
Still looks like preliminary and not validated results, with 54 polling stations still to come in. Result is clear, and should stabilise exactly where it is, but I suspect Ladbrokes won't pay until officially certified/new government formed.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
ipod??
Indeed. For me, technology reached its apogee about 2008 and I have found no need to move on. Indeed, I have two ipods: one for the house or pedestrian use, the other for the car. It's not totally irrational. I'm 49. Most of the songs I listen to I already own. I don't want to be paying £8 a month to Spotify to listen to things I already bought years ago. New stuff, I buy and download, but probably spend less than £8 a month on that. And that's without issues around data and battery associated with a mobile phone.
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We are paying more for them, and the tax burden has significantly increased - causing real problems in work incentives at the thresholds.
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
Still looks like preliminary and not validated results, with 54 polling stations still to come in. Result is clear, and should stabilise exactly where it is, but I suspect Ladbrokes won't pay until officially certified/new government formed.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
I don't think the objectionability or otherwise of Lennon and Jones is really a left/right issue.
Not really, but such is the the freewheeling, discursive nature of PB, I had moved on to smug Dom.
Well that's fair enough, but the implication seemed to be that you didn't trust Dom's view on John Lennon because he's right wing. There will be various things which people of other political persuasions say which are still true. If Angela Rayner told me there was a fire and I needed to leave the building, I almost certainly wouldn't start from 'well she would say that wouldn't she?'
English, Muslim, European – and Proud of Every Part of My Identity, writes Sir Sadiq Khan ... Growing up, I wasn’t always comfortable around the St George’s flag.
It was a time when, first, the National Front, and then the BNP were on the march, and it sometimes felt our flag had been co-opted by them.
But for me, everything changed one glorious summer during Euro '96. I’ll never forget watching England dismantle the Dutch 4-1 at Wembley.
It was an exhilarating performance that led to an outpouring of joy and euphoria. And after the final whistle, tens of thousands of us waved the red cross with gusto and embraced while chanting ‘football’s coming home’.
Not a view shared by all on the left. Lady Nugee for one.
Why on earth would it be? It is his personal story of identity.
The view of the England Flag, specifically.
Why would everyones on the lefts view of the England flag have been negative until Shearer and Sheringham scored a couple of goals which flipped it to positive? Some weren't even born then. Others didnt watch it or don't care. Others were positive about the flag long before 1996.
Are you deliberately missing the point or is my posting that bad? Many on the left despise the England flag. That is the point I am making.
Do you know anyone on the left that despises the England flag?
Me.
I'm fine with (indeed I like to see) the English flag at and around big national sporting events. Outside of that I'd rather not see it. It engenders a certain suspicion about the displayers which in my experience usually turns out to be well founded.
Would you say the same about the Scottish or Welsh flags?
Good question. I think if I were Welsh or Scottish I'd still recoil from seeing 'my' flag all over the place. As to the personal characteristics of those doing it, I'm not sure because my experience runs mainly to the English variety.
I get annoyed that the St Andrews flag has been appropriated by nationalists in general and the SNP in particular. I suspect many English feel the same when they see drunken thugs prancing around with the flag of St George.
But then, I get annoyed by far too many things as my good lady wife gently points out.
Perhaps there needs to be a new Act of Attainder, the Saltire forbidden to vile Nats.
Tbh I see loads of ProudScotbut twitter accounts who show no reticence in flying the flag of St Andrew, though usually in tandem with the UJ (& weirdly quite often the flag of Israel).
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
In the early 2000s I knew of a Tory candidate who had a swastika drawn neatly in the box next to his name, it was the only mark on the ballot paper.
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
I don't think the objectionability or otherwise of Lennon and Jones is really a left/right issue.
Not really, but such is the the freewheeling, discursive nature of PB, I had moved on to smug Dom.
Well that's fair enough, but the implication seemed to be that you didn't trust Dom's view on John Lennon because he's right wing. There will be various things which people of other political persuasions say which are still true. If Angela Rayner told me there was a fire and I needed to leave the building, I almost certainly wouldn't start from 'well she would say that wouldn't she?'
I am admittedly in a white, middle class, boris-biking, isn't it all lovely what did you see at the theatre last week bubble, but do we really think sensible people are going to go out and vote for Reform in big numbers.
NOTA? Maybe. Shire folk wanting to head back to the 1950s? Possibly. Urban agitators railing against "immigrants" (ie everyone non-white)? Okay.
Those ward-level projections for Politics UK are very interesting.
The Conservatives are in the most trouble. They're getting hit by the Lib Dems in posh heartland areas, and by Reform in poorer heartland areas. The Lib Dems have a clear core vote of posh people. Reform are winning working, and lower-middle class people outside Core Cities. Labour have university seats, seats with lots of professional public sector workers, and areas with big BAME populations. It's honestly hard to see what section of the population the Conservatives are now appealing to. The 2019-24 government's approach, of focusing their appeal on retired people who favour high levels of immigration, has killed off their base.
Labour are also in trouble. Reform are sweeping through their old heartlands (Durham, industrial Northumberland, Doncaster, Burnley, the Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, ex-mining, industrial areas). That in turn, suggests they'll sweep through South Wales, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, next year. Labour are saved by their new heartlands (see above). Reform are simply sweeping up more support than UKIP ever did, and since nothing succeeds like success, they are coming over as a lot more professional.
IMHO, Reform will take Runcorn fairly easily. People kick the government in by-elections.
Thanks. Two questions (highlighted above):
1 - Did you actually mean -"retired people who favour high levels of immigration". I have them as having pivoted to reactionaries under Sunak.
2 - I see Greater Manchester as having become more like London in recent years - resurgence and media / tech industries and so on. So I see it as less fruitful ground for RefUK than say Liverpool or Oldham.
The government pitched all its policies in favour of the retired, and that actually included the Boriswave of immigration. They wanted to admit a load of poorly-paid careworkers, among others.
Manchester proper will remain solid for Labour, and the commuter belt will remain Conservative v Lib Dem, but places like Oldham (as you say), Bolton, Rochdale, Bury, Wigan should be very fertile ground for Reform.
Yes, agree. There's very much a N/S divide in GM. South of the city centre is as MattW describes, and Reform are very thin on the ground. They get a bit of a hearing in Wythenshawe, but its only very slight. Northern GM a very different story. Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside in particular I expect to be fertile ground for Reform.
Aren't the seats they won some of the "whitest" in England?
I'd have thought Rochdale and Oldham have too ethnically diverse a population for Reform to do very well. They're not likely to attract much of the non-white population, so would need to be doing extraordinarily well to make up for that (unless Labour are absolutely hammered by pro-Gaza candidates - but we don't know how that will play out at all at the next election).
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
Bizarrely, despite my leftie stance, I quite like him. Or perhaps more accurately his work and how he presents it. I know Tom Holland is the superior historian but I find Sandbrook more congenial to listen to. If I ever get that "retirement" thing that people bang on about, his post-WW2 history books are on my TBR list. After David Kynaston, of course...
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
Both of those, I think, are works of genius - yet probably not works of genius I would seek out. They're brilliant. I can accept that. But they'd also come and gone before my time and have always felt before my time in a way that other bands from before my time (Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones, the Kinks) don't. I admire a Beatles record. But it's an admiration from a distance, I don't feel involved; they don't really connect. Though there is a small handful I genuinely do enjoy.
The guitar work is absolutely sparkling and kinetic, and the lyrics are brilliantly accurate about... paperback writing
PB used to have a paperback writer who would regale us about royalties earned from various translations of his thrillers. What happened to all that?
I still get occasional messages from him, even though he left the site ages ago (he's too famous and busy for PB now)
Last week he told me he'd got an offer for one of his books from... Ukraine. Money for the rights to a Ukrainian translation. Not a huge sum - 1,000 euro - but he said it was one of the most touching translation rights he's ever sold
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
A single sentence summary of our most fundamental problems. And hanging on for the blessed inheritance is not the answer either.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
Quick no google as promised.
JJPJGPJJPPP
That's in the order raised (11 songs)
I cite the lead writer - sometimes (eg day in life) the other chips in.
Yes, Paul talks about this aspect of their collaboration in interviews nowadays, and some have been clipped up on YouTube and other short-form video platforms.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
"Alexa, unlock the door. ALEXA, UNLOCK THE DOOR!"...
OK this is a revolution. I say I want a revolution, and here it is
I can simply sit in my chair and quietly ask the air for a song and then suddenly THAT SONG is blasting fantastically through my flat, in every room with a gorgeous hi-fi Sonos speaker. I'm surely late to the game - but this is amazebombs. Feels like pure magic
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
Bizarrely, despite my leftie stance, I quite like him. Or perhaps more accurately his work and how he presents it. I know Tom Holland is the superior historian but I find Sandbrook more congenial to listen to. If I ever get that "retirement" thing that people bang on about, his post-WW2 history books are on my TBR list. After David Kynaston, of course...
Much as I hate to say it they are brilliant on TRIH. They just are. They work together and are a joy to listen to. The perfect balance and pomposity-puncturing.
I have recently started to listen to "A Thorough Examination" - also excellent. The Van Tulleken brothers. Excellent, funny, and informative.
The guitar work is absolutely sparkling and kinetic, and the lyrics are brilliantly accurate about... paperback writing
PB used to have a paperback writer who would regale us about royalties earned from various translations of his thrillers. What happened to all that?
I still get occasional messages from him, even though he left the site ages ago (he's too famous and busy for PB now)
Last week he told me he'd got an offer for one of his books from... Ukraine. Money for the rights to a Ukrainian translation. Not a huge sum - 1,000 euro - but he said it was one of the most touching translation rights he's ever sold
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
Bless. Reminds me of when I found out you could record over VHSs you didn't like by sellotaping over the little holes at the top. Mind blown - 2018 was a hell of a year for me.
Still looks like preliminary and not validated results, with 54 polling stations still to come in. Result is clear, and should stabilise exactly where it is, but I suspect Ladbrokes won't pay until officially certified/new government formed.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
I know. I feel shame - but more i feel OMFG THIS IS BRILLIANT
And I just finished an article about AI for a rather famous American magazine (they have a penchant for sex toy writers). I'm getting paid loads of money to write about AI and I cna baely turn on the fucking TV. Hahahaa
Hey Jude and Let it Be is about it for the Beatles.
Plus (h/t @Richard_Tyndall) the Prince version of My Guitar Gently Weeps which wasn't the Beatles anyway.
No idea if Hey Jude and Let it Be are/were either.
Otherwise they are fine as popsters but nothing special.
Someone famous – it will come to me at 3am as we await the results – recently said he was disappointed when introduced to the Beatles' oeuvre as it was all derivative rubbish that had been done better by other bands. Only later did the penny drop.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
"Alexa, unlock the door. ALEXA, UNLOCK THE DOOR!"...
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
Did you ask Alexa to tell you your what three words location.
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
A single sentence summary of our most fundamental problems. And hanging on for the blessed inheritance is not the answer either.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
I know what you mean about the Beatles. Something about them is hard to love. I wonder if it is because they are SO famous, so ubiquitous, so admired, the greatest band ever with about 200 songs, it invokes some reflexive aversion?
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
Both of those, I think, are works of genius - yet probably not works of genius I would seek out. They're brilliant. I can accept that. But they'd also come and gone before my time and have always felt before my time in a way that other bands from before my time (Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones, the Kinks) don't. I admire a Beatles record. But it's an admiration from a distance, I don't feel involved; they don't really connect. Though there is a small handful I genuinely do enjoy.
I just got Alexa to pump out Hey Jude at volume 9 on my Sonos - it is a fantastic song, it is also pleasingly unpolished. You can hear the real voices, the slight off notes, the lack of perfection, the artisanship. Autotune perfection has killed the charm of so much modern music
Now I'm playing Im Abendrot at about Volume 19 and they can probablty hear Dicky Strauss at the top of Primrose Hill
The guitar work is absolutely sparkling and kinetic, and the lyrics are brilliantly accurate about... paperback writing
PB used to have a paperback writer who would regale us about royalties earned from various translations of his thrillers. What happened to all that?
I still get occasional messages from him, even though he left the site ages ago (he's too famous and busy for PB now)
Last week he told me he'd got an offer for one of his books from... Ukraine. Money for the rights to a Ukrainian translation. Not a huge sum - 1,000 euro - but he said it was one of the most touching translation rights he's ever sold
Apparently the Ukrainians are going to use the translation to torture captured North Korean and Russian troops.
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
A single sentence summary of our most fundamental problems. And hanging on for the blessed inheritance is not the answer either.
Reform aren’t going to fix that
Oh of course not. They are a bunch of boorish prats who con the gullible. But who is? Who will have the courage to rebalance tax from earned income to largely untaxed capital? Whoever does has my vote for one.
Those ward-level projections for Politics UK are very interesting.
The Conservatives are in the most trouble. They're getting hit by the Lib Dems in posh heartland areas, and by Reform in poorer heartland areas. The Lib Dems have a clear core vote of posh people. Reform are winning working, and lower-middle class people outside Core Cities. Labour have university seats, seats with lots of professional public sector workers, and areas with big BAME populations. It's honestly hard to see what section of the population the Conservatives are now appealing to. The 2019-24 government's approach, of focusing their appeal on retired people who favour high levels of immigration, has killed off their base.
Labour are also in trouble. Reform are sweeping through their old heartlands (Durham, industrial Northumberland, Doncaster, Burnley, the Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, ex-mining, industrial areas). That in turn, suggests they'll sweep through South Wales, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, next year. Labour are saved by their new heartlands (see above). Reform are simply sweeping up more support than UKIP ever did, and since nothing succeeds like success, they are coming over as a lot more professional.
IMHO, Reform will take Runcorn fairly easily. People kick the government in by-elections.
Thanks. Two questions (highlighted above):
1 - Did you actually mean -"retired people who favour high levels of immigration". I have them as having pivoted to reactionaries under Sunak.
2 - I see Greater Manchester as having become more like London in recent years - resurgence and media / tech industries and so on. So I see it as less fruitful ground for RefUK than say Liverpool or Oldham.
The government pitched all its policies in favour of the retired, and that actually included the Boriswave of immigration. They wanted to admit a load of poorly-paid careworkers, among others.
Manchester proper will remain solid for Labour, and the commuter belt will remain Conservative v Lib Dem, but places like Oldham (as you say), Bolton, Rochdale, Bury, Wigan should be very fertile ground for Reform.
Yes, agree. There's very much a N/S divide in GM. South of the city centre is as MattW describes, and Reform are very thin on the ground. They get a bit of a hearing in Wythenshawe, but its only very slight. Northern GM a very different story. Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside in particular I expect to be fertile ground for Reform.
Aren't the seats they won some of the "whitest" in England?
I'd have thought Rochdale and Oldham have too ethnically diverse a population for Reform to do very well. They're not likely to attract much of the non-white population, so would need to be doing extraordinarily well to make up for that (unless Labour are absolutely hammered by pro-Gaza candidates - but we don't know how that will play out at all at the next election).
Ah, I was thinking more of council elections: Rochdale and Oldham are racially mixed but at ward level some wards are whiter than others. But at constituency level, I'd have thought Heywood (Rochdale), Oldham West and Royton (Oldham), Failsworth and Droylsden (Oldham/Tameside), Ashton (Tameside) and Denton and Hyde (Tameside) are all seats Reform might fancy.
I'd assume unlikely to actually get anywhere close to taking control of a council hopefully.
Still - being a local councillor with limited power is probably the best way to put off a lot of Reform's more active members
I'm expecting Reform to win majorities on Doncaster and Durham, and a couple of mayoralties. Perhaps Kent, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire, too.
The guitar work is absolutely sparkling and kinetic, and the lyrics are brilliantly accurate about... paperback writing
PB used to have a paperback writer who would regale us about royalties earned from various translations of his thrillers. What happened to all that?
I still get occasional messages from him, even though he left the site ages ago (he's too famous and busy for PB now)
Last week he told me he'd got an offer for one of his books from... Ukraine. Money for the rights to a Ukrainian translation. Not a huge sum - 1,000 euro - but he said it was one of the most touching translation rights he's ever sold
Apparently the Ukrainians are going to use the translation to torture captured North Korean and Russian troops.
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
A single sentence summary of our most fundamental problems. And hanging on for the blessed inheritance is not the answer either.
Reform aren’t going to fix that
Oh of course not. They are a bunch of boorish prats who con the gullible. But who is? Who will have the courage to rebalance tax from earned income to largely untaxed capital? Whoever does has my vote for one.
Nobody. Too many vested interests. There has to be a critical organised mass of “have nots” but until then you’ll have the likes of @HYUFD making it their mission to preserve the value of the estates of the asset rich
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
That's a myth caused by their contrasting personal brands post the split. The edgy vs soppy Beatles catalogue is evenly split between John and Paul.
Hm. I've just looked up the list of Beatles songs on Wikipedia, and unhelpfully (but probably accurately) it lists the majority of songs as written by both of them. You're probably right. And actually, on reflection, their post-Beatles careers suggests my point is nonsense. "Merry Christmas War is Over" is the most drivelly sanctimonious pap and one of the few Christmas songs guaranteed to make me switch the radio off. In my defence, I'm telling you what my Beatles-loving friend told me to try to convince me that actually I do like John Lennon.
Going back to the airport issue: I lamented at the time Liverpool's decision to name its airport after John Lennon, but at the time I could see why: the other three were still alive, and it's not really on to name an airport after alive people. I had hoped when George Harrison died they would rename it to 'Liverpool Dead Beatles Airport', but alas, no.
Yes they're all credited jointly but most of the stuff in their mid to late 60s creative pomp was by one or the other.
I (rather sadly) know which is which for almost all of them so you can ask me for any you're particularly curious about. If I'm around I'll answer straightaway.
Couple for free off Pepper. Getting Better is Paul, Lucy in the Sky is John.
Great, I'll take advantage of that. Favourite Beatles songs off the top of my head are:
I am the Walrus Hard Day's Night Helter Skelter Come Together Taxman
Strikes me that while I admire them, I don't actually like the Beatles that much (of the 6,000-odd songs on my ipod the number by the Beatles is 0) and I'm struggling now to think of other songs I'd be keen to listen to if they came on right now. I'll add:
Got to get you into my life Day Tripper Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
And finally, while they're not much fun, they're clearly works of absolute genius:
Eleanor Rigby A day in the life
How have I done for Lennon/McCartney split?
A Day in the Life is unique. It's actually 2 songs, one Lennon, one McCartney.
Those ward-level projections for Politics UK are very interesting.
The Conservatives are in the most trouble. They're getting hit by the Lib Dems in posh heartland areas, and by Reform in poorer heartland areas. The Lib Dems have a clear core vote of posh people. Reform are winning working, and lower-middle class people outside Core Cities. Labour have university seats, seats with lots of professional public sector workers, and areas with big BAME populations. It's honestly hard to see what section of the population the Conservatives are now appealing to. The 2019-24 government's approach, of focusing their appeal on retired people who favour high levels of immigration, has killed off their base.
Labour are also in trouble. Reform are sweeping through their old heartlands (Durham, industrial Northumberland, Doncaster, Burnley, the Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, ex-mining, industrial areas). That in turn, suggests they'll sweep through South Wales, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, next year. Labour are saved by their new heartlands (see above). Reform are simply sweeping up more support than UKIP ever did, and since nothing succeeds like success, they are coming over as a lot more professional.
IMHO, Reform will take Runcorn fairly easily. People kick the government in by-elections.
Thanks. Two questions (highlighted above):
1 - Did you actually mean -"retired people who favour high levels of immigration". I have them as having pivoted to reactionaries under Sunak.
2 - I see Greater Manchester as having become more like London in recent years - resurgence and media / tech industries and so on. So I see it as less fruitful ground for RefUK than say Liverpool or Oldham.
The government pitched all its policies in favour of the retired, and that actually included the Boriswave of immigration. They wanted to admit a load of poorly-paid careworkers, among others.
Manchester proper will remain solid for Labour, and the commuter belt will remain Conservative v Lib Dem, but places like Oldham (as you say), Bolton, Rochdale, Bury, Wigan should be very fertile ground for Reform.
Yes, agree. There's very much a N/S divide in GM. South of the city centre is as MattW describes, and Reform are very thin on the ground. They get a bit of a hearing in Wythenshawe, but its only very slight. Northern GM a very different story. Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside in particular I expect to be fertile ground for Reform.
Aren't the seats they won some of the "whitest" in England?
I'd have thought Rochdale and Oldham have too ethnically diverse a population for Reform to do very well. They're not likely to attract much of the non-white population, so would need to be doing extraordinarily well to make up for that (unless Labour are absolutely hammered by pro-Gaza candidates - but we don't know how that will play out at all at the next election).
Ah, I was thinking more of council elections: Rochdale and Oldham are racially mixed but at ward level some wards are whiter than others. But at constituency level, I'd have thought Heywood (Rochdale), Oldham West and Royton (Oldham), Failsworth and Droylsden (Oldham/Tameside), Ashton (Tameside) and Denton and Hyde (Tameside) are all seats Reform might fancy.
I'd assume unlikely to actually get anywhere close to taking control of a council hopefully.
Still - being a local councillor with limited power is probably the best way to put off a lot of Reform's more active members
I'm expecting Reform to win majorities on Doncaster and Durham, and a couple of mayoralties. Perhaps Kent, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire, too.
Hey Jude and Let it Be is about it for the Beatles.
Plus (h/t @Richard_Tyndall) the Prince version of My Guitar Gently Weeps which wasn't the Beatles anyway.
No idea if Hey Jude and Let it Be are/were either.
Otherwise they are fine as popsters but nothing special.
Someone famous – it will come to me at 3am as we await the results – recently said he was disappointed when introduced to the Beatles' oeuvre as it was all derivative rubbish that had been done better by other bands. Only later did the penny drop.
It’s like reading Rider Haggard, or Edgar Rice Burroughs. They can seem very tropey - until you remember, they invented the tropes.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
lol, I'd probably wank myself into hospital and then get a letter from the Prime Minister congratulating me on this exact feat
Has anyone else ever wanked themselves into hospital then got a letter of congratulations, about wanking themselves into hospital, from the Prime Minister of Great Britain?
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
In the early 2000s I knew of a Tory candidate who had a swastika drawn neatly in the box next to his name, it was the only mark on the ballot paper.
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
What if it was proud and firing ? Like a school kid would draw
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We are paying more for them, and the tax burden has significantly increased - causing real problems in work incentives at the thresholds.
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Sub judice.
AIUI the Hadrian's Wall case is complicated by the two each blaming the other for cutting it down.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
lol, I'd probably wank myself into hospital and then get a letter from the Prime Minister congratulating me on this exact feat
Has anyone else ever wanked themselves into hospital then got a letter of congratulations, about wanking themselves into hospital, from the Prime Minister of Great Britain?
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
In the early 2000s I knew of a Tory candidate who had a swastika drawn neatly in the box next to his name, it was the only mark on the ballot paper.
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
What if it was proud and firing ? Like a school kid would draw
Hey Jude and Let it Be is about it for the Beatles.
Plus (h/t @Richard_Tyndall) the Prince version of My Guitar Gently Weeps which wasn't the Beatles anyway.
No idea if Hey Jude and Let it Be are/were either.
Otherwise they are fine as popsters but nothing special.
Someone famous – it will come to me at 3am as we await the results – recently said he was disappointed when introduced to the Beatles' oeuvre as it was all derivative rubbish that had been done better by other bands. Only later did the penny drop.
It’s like reading Rider Haggard, or Edgar Rice Burroughs. They can seem very tropey - until you remember, they invented the tropes.
Or Tolkien. So many fantasy novels basically set in his world.
I am admittedly in a white, middle class, boris-biking, isn't it all lovely what did you see at the theatre last week bubble, but do we really think sensible people are going to go out and vote for Reform in big numbers.
NOTA? Maybe. Shire folk wanting to head back to the 1950s? Possibly. Urban agitators railing against "immigrants" (ie everyone non-white)? Okay.
But in size?
I also used to live in a bubble. And then my daughter started playing football. I very much like the kids there, and the other parents - but it is very much not in the bubble. And you hear views expressed that you simply don't in the bubble. I'm not trying to oversimplify. Quite the opposite: there are a LOT of views expressed (some quite astute, some absolutely insane). It is us in the bubble who are simple in our views. But I no longer find it surprising that Reform are polling 25%.
What's the PB consensus on who will win the Runcorn by-election? I'm undecided.
It depends whether Runcornians consider themselves Liverpudlians or not. Having John Lennon Airport in a Faragist constituency would surely be an unbearable shame that few Liverpudlians would find tolerable.
Having an airport named after John Lennon is a mark of shame, all of its own.
Why? Liverpool's second most famous son.
He was, but also a piece of shit.
Love the art, not the artist. I have a lovely postcard from 1912 Vienna for sale...
Even for a pop star, John Lennon was objectionable to an extent where it mars my enjoyment of almost anything he's done. See also: Oasis. A pity, because objectively, John's slightly acerbic Beatles songwriting is much more to my taste than the much nicer Paul's straightforward melodic stuff.
Strangely Lennon’s massive objectionableness (is this a word?) seems to have passed me by. He seemed quite a spiky, angry, sarky bastard, but for me that was largely a positive.
Spiky, angry, sarky does suggest he perhaps wasn't much fun to be around. Reputedly he was also quite individually unpleasant - vindictive and bullying. The historian Dominic Sandbrook rather lightly identifies him as one of the two most objectionable people of sixties popular culture - the other one being that fella from the Rolling Stones (possibly Brian Jones? Can't remember OTTOMH)
I’m afraid I wouldn’t find Sandbrook very persuasive, he’s a Starkey or Heffer for right of centrist dads. Also a regular column in the Mail another black mark.
Bizarrely, despite my leftie stance, I quite like him. Or perhaps more accurately his work and how he presents it. I know Tom Holland is the superior historian but I find Sandbrook more congenial to listen to. If I ever get that "retirement" thing that people bang on about, his post-WW2 history books are on my TBR list. After David Kynaston, of course...
The postwar potted histories are not great history - but they are great nostalgia reads if you lived through the period in question.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
He will have to get a wiggle on as the Ofcom porn age-certification requirements start later this month and I suspect most platforms will decide it's not worth the hassle and simply geo-block Britain. Won't someone think of the children? They'll have to go back to finding magazines in hedges.
The problem in this country is people being sold the idea that you can get better public services and not have to pay more for them . The UK still has low taxes compared to most of Europe. So Reform are allegedly going to find loads of cuts to make and yet somehow local services won’t suffer .
Councils have suffered because of governments slashing of central funding , an aging population, more demands for social care etc mean it’s only going to get worse .
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
A single sentence summary of our most fundamental problems. And hanging on for the blessed inheritance is not the answer either.
Reform aren’t going to fix that
Oh of course not. They are a bunch of boorish prats who con the gullible.
Like every other party then.
Or does this level of disdain only apply to parties and voters of which we disapprove ?
Easy solution. Don’t vote. Don’t legitimise the system.
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
In the early 2000s I knew of a Tory candidate who had a swastika drawn neatly in the box next to his name, it was the only mark on the ballot paper.
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
The swastika is a tricky one - I'd allow it as returning officer if it was the only mark on the ballot as it could be a Hindu wishing the candidate good luck, or a proud Nazi (who is perfectly entitled to vote like the rest of us). Whereas I'd not have allowed "NO" as that's a pretty clear intention to vote against the name it appears by.
One that comes up a lot is where someone puts a huge X through the entire ballot - typically the person in the middle of the ballot (or their election agent) claims it on the basis the centre of the cross is on them... but I've never seen a returning officer buy that.
The best I've seen was a "NO!" against one name but it was in the box and the only mark on the ballot so it got counted.
I hope it wasn't pivotal, as there's a very strong argument the returning officers shouldn't have allowed it, and I doubt it would survive the election court.
Although I have to say that I think the election courts have gone awry on this and lost sight of the intention of the legislation. Many years ago, there was a very pivotal decision (not only decided a division but also control of I think Dorset County Council at the time). It involved someone putting a smiley face and "yes please!" next to the Lib Dem name. The courts allowed it, handing them the ward.
Now I'm a Lib Dem, so this isn't a partisan point... but legally I don't think they should've allowed it. The purpose of the legislation is to guard against corruption by not enabling a corrupt political campaigner to link an individual to a vote. So if you offer me a tenner to vote for you, that only works if you know I've done it. Leaving aside postal votes which we all know are open to that (and I'd argue should be more limited) you can't realistically do that at the count with a tick or a cross. But you could say "draw a smiley face on the ballot and write 'yes please' so I know it's you").
Courts have long interpreted the law as being whether the casual observer could identify the person casting the ballot (through writing their name) but I really don't think that's the legal intention - the person who needs to be able to identify whether their corrupt inducement has worked it is the politician/campaigner dishing out the bribe.
In the early 2000s I knew of a Tory candidate who had a swastika drawn neatly in the box next to his name, it was the only mark on the ballot paper.
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
What if it was proud and firing ? Like a school kid would draw
Depends on what extends outside the box
I was going to make a gag about penises and boxes and thought better of it !
OK this is a revolution. I say I want a revolution, and here it is
I can simply sit in my chair and quietly ask the air for a song and then suddenly THAT SONG is blasting fantastically through my flat, in every room with a gorgeous hi-fi Sonos speaker. I'm surely late to the game - but this is amazebombs. Feels like pure magic
I pay monthly £11 for Apple Music. In the Apple Classical app you have access to the entire library. There are, for example, 752 different recordings of Bach's Cello Suite. All for the cost of 5-10 CDs a year.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
Bless. Reminds me of when I found out you could record over VHSs you didn't like by sellotaping over the little holes at the top. Mind blown - 2018 was a hell of a year for me.
We still have a VHS player, which we haven’t used for years. The only tapes we still have are Live Aid and our daughter’s dancing displays from when she was about 5.
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Sub judice.
AIUI the Hadrian's Wall case is complicated by the two each blaming the other for cutting it down.
Have they given a reason for doing it ?
I wonder if the judge will give them a lecture about ‘values’ like the judge did in the Paddington Bear case.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
He will have to get a wiggle on as the Ofcom porn age-certification requirements start later this month and I suspect most platforms will decide it's not worth the hassle and simply geo-block Britain. Won't someone think of the children? They'll have to go back to finding magazines in hedges.
Magazines in ‘edges? You were lucky, all we had were t’Littlewoods catalogue and a vivid imagination.
OK this is a revolution. I say I want a revolution, and here it is
I can simply sit in my chair and quietly ask the air for a song and then suddenly THAT SONG is blasting fantastically through my flat, in every room with a gorgeous hi-fi Sonos speaker. I'm surely late to the game - but this is amazebombs. Feels like pure magic
I pay monthly £11 for Apple Music. In the Apple Classical app you have access to the entire library. There are, for example, 752 different recordings of Bach's Cello Suite. All for the cost of 5-10 CDs a year.
On the one hand I feel very sorry for musicians, they get a pretty raw deal now. On the other hand streaming like this is magical
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
Bless. Reminds me of when I found out you could record over VHSs you didn't like by sellotaping over the little holes at the top. Mind blown - 2018 was a hell of a year for me.
We still have a VHS player, which we haven’t used for years. The only tapes we still have are Live Aid and our daughter’s dancing displays from when she was about 5.
You should get those digitised before the signal rot gets them.
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
To think you pass yourself as some of expert on tech and AI.
Let’s hope he doen’t discover internet porn is a thing or he’ll never leave his flat.
He will have to get a wiggle on as the Ofcom porn age-certification requirements start later this month and I suspect most platforms will decide it's not worth the hassle and simply geo-block Britain. Won't someone think of the children? They'll have to go back to finding magazines in hedges.
Magazines in ‘edges? You were lucky, all we had were t’Littlewoods catalogue and a vivid imagination.
THE PAGES WITH THE SHOWER CURTAINS
I remember being amazed that they would basically show almost everything in the lingerie pages, as well. Amazed - and overexcited
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Sub judice.
AIUI the Hadrian's Wall case is complicated by the two each blaming the other for cutting it down.
Have they given a reason for doing it ?
I wonder if the judge will give them a lecture about ‘values’ like the judge did in the Paddington Bear case.
Shits and gigs
That's their reason. They did it "for a laugh"
A deterrent sentence is needed. I suggest tasering them every day for two years
Ps everyone knows the true English saint is Saint Alban
Or perhaps Edward the Confessor. For British Isles patron saints, look no further than Aidan (born in Ireland, saintly life in Britain) and Patrick (born in Britain, saintly life in Ireland).
Hey Jude and Let it Be is about it for the Beatles.
Plus (h/t @Richard_Tyndall) the Prince version of My Guitar Gently Weeps which wasn't the Beatles anyway.
No idea if Hey Jude and Let it Be are/were either.
Otherwise they are fine as popsters but nothing special.
Someone famous – it will come to me at 3am as we await the results – recently said he was disappointed when introduced to the Beatles' oeuvre as it was all derivative rubbish that had been done better by other bands. Only later did the penny drop.
It’s like reading Rider Haggard, or Edgar Rice Burroughs. They can seem very tropey - until you remember, they invented the tropes.
Or Tolkien. So many fantasy novels basically set in his world.
Fantasy is war stories, and sci fi is war stories in space.
Changes from 23rd April [Find Out Now, 30th April, N=1,990]
Yes, Find Out Now, blah blah, but wow
I've always maintained that Reform's breakthrough number is 30. Once they reach 30 a fair few times then they will be entrenched in the voters' minds as THE opposition and the next government, and they might enter a virtuous cycle where increasing credibility leads to even more support. Of course, this might also lead to more scrutiny and they collapse like a bunch of failed neoNazis, but... wow
We are close to a tipping point. And the Tories under 20!
The comedy over the England flag and St George is that we ripped them off from somewhere else.
Bring back England's true patron saint - St Edmund!
Was he not shot with arrows by nasty chaps from Denmark?
Defending this great land against the northmen. Unlike George who was poncing around with dragons in Far Far Away
George was an immigrant, working illegally (no paperwork) making native fictional beasts extinct.
Probably chopped down oak trees by Hadrians wall as relaxation.
Re the Hadrian's wall case, I know that legal matters take time, but surely with the mobile phone evidence, could not the trial have lasted about 10 minutes?
Sub judice.
AIUI the Hadrian's Wall case is complicated by the two each blaming the other for cutting it down.
Have they given a reason for doing it ?
I wonder if the judge will give them a lecture about ‘values’ like the judge did in the Paddington Bear case.
Why does anyone run a cut-throat defence? It might just possibly work (although changes to the law on common purpose make it less likely than in the past).
I attended the public gallery in a murder case many years ago where a gang of youths ran the cut-throat defence having thrown a man they'd robbed off a bridge. All of them admitted robbery but claimed they were appalled the guy was thrown off the bridge. They were all convicted of murder though... incredibly stupidly, they spent most of the time in the dock passing notes to each other and giggling at each other's jokes, thus completely undercutting the "clever" defence - it would've been entirely obvious to the jury that they'd all been in it together. Had they been staring daggers at each other throught proceedings, the ruse may have worked.
I am admittedly in a white, middle class, boris-biking, isn't it all lovely what did you see at the theatre last week bubble, but do we really think sensible people are going to go out and vote for Reform in big numbers.
NOTA? Maybe. Shire folk wanting to head back to the 1950s? Possibly. Urban agitators railing against "immigrants" (ie everyone non-white)? Okay.
But in size?
I also used to live in a bubble. And then my daughter started playing football. I very much like the kids there, and the other parents - but it is very much not in the bubble. And you hear views expressed that you simply don't in the bubble. I'm not trying to oversimplify. Quite the opposite: there are a LOT of views expressed (some quite astute, some absolutely insane). It is us in the bubble who are simple in our views. But I no longer find it surprising that Reform are polling 25%.
Very interesting. I skew posho for my extra-bubbular interactions and many of those look down on Reform as Hyacinth Bouquet-type oiks. But I suppose there is a large number of such folk. Still seems a stretch.
Comments
1) general elections last 2 weeks
2) which are a public holiday.
3) bribing the electorate with booze is mandatory.
#GeorgianElectionsReOK
Move away.
eg there is a Beatles museum in.... Almaty, Kazakhstan
And at the very moment as I sit here I am wearing an "All You Need is Plov" teeshirt, bought in Samarkand
As for great songs, you forgot
Let it Be
and
Hey Jude
The latter, with that na-na-na-na coda, is surely one of the most famous passages of music in history
JJPJGPJJPPP
That's in the order raised (11 songs)
I cite the lead writer - sometimes (eg day in life) the other chips in.
Conclusion is I slightly prefer John songs though Paul was probably the bigger genius. And more importantly probably the better human being.
But then, I get annoyed by far too many things as my good lady wife gently points out.
I met Macca once, in the Groucho. It was like witnessing a deity, much more so than encountering a royal or a famous politician
PAUL MCFUCKINGCARTNEY
Still looks like preliminary and not validated results, with 54 polling stations still to come in. Result is clear, and should stabilise exactly where it is, but I suspect Ladbrokes won't pay until officially certified/new government formed.
https://enr.elections.ca/National.aspx?lang=e
The guitar work is absolutely sparkling and kinetic, and the lyrics are brilliantly accurate about... paperback writing
And personally, she’s leaving home. Just genius.
It's not totally irrational. I'm 49. Most of the songs I listen to I already own. I don't want to be paying £8 a month to Spotify to listen to things I already bought years ago. New stuff, I buy and download, but probably spend less than £8 a month on that. And that's without issues around data and battery associated with a mobile phone.
We aren't going to get wealthier as a country, or make any progress, by taxing working people ever more to pay for retired/non working people.
in 2021:
RLL: 60%
RRL: 39%
in 2025:
RLL: 58%
RRL: 42%
Tbh I see loads of ProudScotbut twitter accounts who show no reticence in flying the flag of St Andrew, though usually in tandem with the UJ (& weirdly quite often the flag of Israel).
I just asked my Alexa to play "Paperback Writer" and she replied - "Sure, here's Paperback Writer by the Beatles, playing on your Sonos system"
I had no idea my Alexa could do this. I mean, I grasped the concept yonks ago but I've never gotten round to linking them. Alexa and Sonos, yet somehow they've organically linked, by themselves, like some weird fungus in a mycelial network.
Wow. So now I can just sit here and ask for a song and suddenly it is blasting around my flat
He was a paper candidate in a hopeless seat but in a close race he said he would have got that vote included.
When it comes to the drawing of a penis on a ballot paper it only counts if it is drawn in a non flaccid state.
NOTA? Maybe. Shire folk wanting to head back to the 1950s? Possibly. Urban agitators railing against "immigrants" (ie everyone non-white)? Okay.
But in size?
In my experience, they will take the jobs. If they are offered a rate of pay that means they don’t have to live in slum, 4 to a room.
The garment trade, in Leicester, collapsed (again) after the revelations in COVID of people being paid less than half minimum wage etc.
The favourite of the purveyors of Western Lassitude*, home care has 80% of the workforce as natives, and always has.
*It resembles the racist idea of Oriental Lassitude - people in Thailand, Malaysia etc were supposed to be too lazy to work.
They're brilliant. I can accept that. But they'd also come and gone before my time and have always felt before my time in a way that other bands from before my time (Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones, the Kinks) don't. I admire a Beatles record. But it's an admiration from a distance, I don't feel involved; they don't really connect.
Though there is a small handful I genuinely do enjoy.
Last week he told me he'd got an offer for one of his books from... Ukraine. Money for the rights to a Ukrainian translation. Not a huge sum - 1,000 euro - but he said it was one of the most touching translation rights he's ever sold
Runcorn: Labour
Hull & EY: Lib Dem
Lincs RefUK
Ahead of NEV: RefUK
Council seats: Con
Plus (h/t @Richard_Tyndall) the Prince version of My Guitar Gently Weeps which wasn't the Beatles anyway.
No idea if Hey Jude and Let it Be are/were either.
Otherwise they are fine as popsters but nothing special.
I can simply sit in my chair and quietly ask the air for a song and then suddenly THAT SONG is blasting fantastically through my flat, in every room with a gorgeous hi-fi Sonos speaker. I'm surely late to the game - but this is amazebombs. Feels like pure magic
I have recently started to listen to "A Thorough Examination" - also excellent. The Van Tulleken brothers. Excellent, funny, and informative.
And I just finished an article about AI for a rather famous American magazine (they have a penchant for sex toy writers). I'm getting paid loads of money to write about AI and I cna baely turn on the fucking TV. Hahahaa
Now I'm playing Im Abendrot at about Volume 19 and they can probablty hear Dicky Strauss at the top of Primrose Hill
PB what have you done
If I fell is a masterpiece.
is? Who will have the courage to rebalance tax from earned income to largely untaxed capital? Whoever does has my vote for one.
Royal Mail takeover approved by shareholders
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4v5w1xd80o
Along with the frankly nonsensical Back in the USSR.
It's actually 2 songs, one Lennon, one McCartney.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-boris-johnson-gave-me-a-hand-in-life/
Has anyone else ever wanked themselves into hospital then got a letter of congratulations, about wanking themselves into hospital, from the Prime Minister of Great Britain?
No, just @SeanT
I miss that guy. Shame he got too snooty and famous for us
You can beat an egg.
I'm not trying to oversimplify. Quite the opposite: there are a LOT of views expressed (some quite astute, some absolutely insane). It is us in the bubble who are simple in our views.
But I no longer find it surprising that Reform are polling 25%.
Or does this level of disdain only apply to parties and voters of which we disapprove ?
Easy solution. Don’t vote. Don’t legitimise the system.
One that comes up a lot is where someone puts a huge X through the entire ballot - typically the person in the middle of the ballot (or their election agent) claims it on the basis the centre of the cross is on them... but I've never seen a returning officer buy that.
I wonder if the judge will give them a lecture about ‘values’ like the judge did in the Paddington Bear case.
I remember being amazed that they would basically show almost everything in the lingerie pages, as well. Amazed - and overexcited
Exclusive: Company headed by Denise Coates holds talks with Wall Street banks about full or partial sale of assets
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/01/family-owners-of-bet365-weigh-up-potential-9bn-sale-of-gambling-empire
Shame as they are the best online bookie imo. Often the best prices in the village and they've not barred me, unlike Corals and Ladbrokes.
That's their reason. They did it "for a laugh"
A deterrent sentence is needed. I suggest tasering them every day for two years
Find Out Now voting intention:
🟦 Reform UK: 29% (+1)
🔴 Labour: 21% (+1)
🔵 Conservatives: 19% (-1)
🟠 Lib Dems: 13% (-1)
🟢 Greens: 11% (-2)
Changes from 23rd April
[Find Out Now, 30th April, N=1,990]
Yes, Find Out Now, blah blah, but wow
I've always maintained that Reform's breakthrough number is 30. Once they reach 30 a fair few times then they will be entrenched in the voters' minds as THE opposition and the next government, and they might enter a virtuous cycle where increasing credibility leads to even more support. Of course, this might also lead to more scrutiny and they collapse like a bunch of failed neoNazis, but... wow
We are close to a tipping point. And the Tories under 20!
I attended the public gallery in a murder case many years ago where a gang of youths ran the cut-throat defence having thrown a man they'd robbed off a bridge. All of them admitted robbery but claimed they were appalled the guy was thrown off the bridge. They were all convicted of murder though... incredibly stupidly, they spent most of the time in the dock passing notes to each other and giggling at each other's jokes, thus completely undercutting the "clever" defence - it would've been entirely obvious to the jury that they'd all been in it together. Had they been staring daggers at each other throught proceedings, the ruse may have worked.
Not long to wait now, that said.